The 'About Me' Bit



Does anyone actually read these bits? In case they do, I'm not going to bore you with a paragraph of biography. Instead, some questions stolen from a magazine, with my own answers added:
  • The possession you value above all others... A signed first edition of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. I'd really like one of Neverwhere, too. My 'non-bought' valuables are poems that my children wrote for me when they were younger. (Edit: I now have a signed Neverwhere. Not a first edition, but the trip to Ely Cathedral for a signing, accompanied by Ms Fab, was much better.)
  • The regret you wish you could amend... When I was at school, I wrote a story about a post-apocalyptic England. I'm not showing off, but it was good and I got amazing marks for it. In a self-destructive mood, I ripped it up. I'd love to read it again, and have back all those things I deliberately ruined for myself.
  • The temptation you wish you could resist... Bookshops. I have far too many books, many of which I've not yet read. If I had fewer bookshelves, we'd have room for a cosy corner sofa. But I'm not sacrificing books for comfort...
  • The pet hate that makes your hackles rise... Rudeness; and people who make huge sweeping statements that make no allowances for the actual truth. And small-mindedness. And people who say that reading is a waste of time. 
  • The film you can watch time and time again... Usually the rubbish 'feel-good' ones: Bridget Jones, You've Got Mail, 500 Days of Summer. I'd like to appear more intellectual, but hey ho...
  • The person who has influenced you the most... When I was younger, it was my aunt, who was quite laid-back and thoughtful. Now, I'm more likely to not want to be like certain people, as in, people who are narrow-minded or aggressive make me want to behave in the opposite way.
  • The figure from history you'd most like to buy a pint... The captain of the Marie Celeste. And my Great Grandfather, who swam Lake Constance to escape the Germans.
  • The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity... Antiques, especially writing boxes and clocks.
  • The quest that drives you on... I want to keep learning new things. I'll be lost when my OU degree finishes. I may go on to do a Masters in Children's Literature. (Edit: and I really need to finish cataloging all the school library books. One day...)
  • The poem you love the most... The ones my children wrote for me.
  • The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase... That I'm arty. I love Helena Bonham Carter, but that doesn't mean I'm arty.
  • The event that altered the course of your life and character... Becoming the target of the local paedophile when I was 11. I ended up with a severe stammer, which still lingers when I'm tired or stressed (or had too much to drink). But I like who I am, so I guess he's forgiven. The bastard. 
  • The happiest moment in your life... I know it's a cliché, but there are three moments - when my children were born. 
  • The saddest time... When my Grandad died just a couple of weeks before my eldest child was born. He was so looking forward to seeing his first great grandchild.
  • Your unfulfilled ambition... Obviously that best-seller I've yet to write. 
  • The order of service at your funeral... No church, and no-one wearing black. I'll be carried in to Kirsty MacColl singing Days. Then everyone can go up and say wonderful things. An extract will be read of my Booker Prize winning novel, then I'll go out to Sarah Brightman singing Time to Say Goodbye. Then everyone can disappear down the pub while I'm reduced to ashes. Or, if I can get over the beetle thing, I'll have a woodland burial.
  • How you want to be remembered... As someone who was pretty nice to people...?

No comments:

Post a Comment