Confessions of the Blond Duck

It's time.

It's time for me to reveal all my secrets, answer all your questions and reveal more about the Pond than I ever have.

Are you ready?

I've listed the questions with the answer, as well as sprinkled in a few little fun tidbits to make you giggle (or scream.)

I confess....

And if you want more after all this, go here.


Diana asked: What’s your favorite movie?


Legally Blond is my ultimate favorite movie. Elle Woods is my idol. And it all started at college.

My first week away from home at college, I was in tears at a university bookstore. I’d never been away from home, I didn’t know a soul other than my cranky roommate and I felt like a complete outcast. I had leopard print from my bed spread to my slippers; all the other girls had whatever sorority colors they were rushing.

At the counter, I looked down with watery eyes as the clerk bagged my text books. Suddenly, I heard a familar voice. My head snapped up to the TV over the clerk's head. Legally Blond was on. It was the scene where Elle is crying to Paulette about her misfortunes at Harvard.

At that moment, I knew it was a sign. And it was. For years, whenever I got down about myself or was moping about being rejected by another publisher, Elle Woods would appear. When my job made me cry all the time, Elle Woods was always on when I switched on the TV. No matter what was bad in my life, Elle was there. And whenever I saw her, I knew it was a signal I was going the right direction. I just needed to buck up, put on my cutest pink dress and keep going.

My other favorite movies are Enchanted, Stranger than Fiction and Muppet Christmas Carol.



Noble Pig asked: What color duck would you be?
I would be a pink duck with glittery eyelashes and a fluffy tail that looked like a tutu.

Sugar Fairy asked: What is your ultimate holiday destination?

Anywhere I can swim with dolphins. Ben promised me when we got married he’d take me to the beach to swim with dolphins. I haven’t forgotten. HINT. HINT.

I’d love to travel to Europe (and see Marie!) and explore all the places fairy tales and literature sprang from. But if I could have a vacation home anywhere, it’d be Colorado. We went in the summer for years when I was growing up, and I loved it.



And I really like the moose in Alaska.




Impromptu Confession: I've always wanted to be a bellydancer. Or a least take classes.




Francesca asked about this fabulous little picture. She asked: What is the crazy contraption that you are standing in? Also, the photo of you in the big, white mattress pad...is that from Halloween? What are you? A marshmallow?

That was a makeshift Christmas tree skirt I made for our first tree in college, the notorious spider tree. An old mattress cover had been sitting in Ben’s closet forever and wouldn’t fit on his bed. So I cut a hole in it and began dancing about the living room in it.

I get distracted easily.

Lisa Magic Sprinkles asked a ton of random questions:

Heels or flats? Cowboy boots

Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla. I’m allergic to chocolate.

Email or stationery? Both. I e-mail causal notes but mail thank you notes on stationary.

First day of spring or first day of fall? I love the first day of spring for the baby animals.

The Blond Duck is never too old for petting zoos.

But since it’s warm here most of the year, I also love when fall starts. Even though it’s hot until December, fall always feels like the the beginning of the year because of school starting.

Pens or pencils? Pens. I am the queen of blacked out writing and swirlies over words. But pencils for my menu scheldule for the week since I change it constantly.
Tastes great or less filling? Tastes great.

Colgate or Crest? Whatever. I love all toothpastes just as they were created.

Whipped cream or cool whip? Neither. Ice cream!

Biking or hiking? Hiking. Biking kills my knees.

Favorite song? “You know me better than that” by George Strait.

Favorite color? PINK!

Favorite magazines? Pscyhology Today and Taste of Home.

Shoe size? 9, narrow. I have the biggest arch. It’s really hard to find shoes.



Barbeque: beef or pork? Beeeefffffff

What publication are you the editor for? A local children’s magazine for a local newspaper group. I was also the editor of a tourist publication until December. Right now, I mostly write for our other publications because the children's magazine is on hold. My company started out as a small community newspaper group, but was bought out by an international media company two years ago. I don’t want to give the name because I don’t want them to find me. They’re very skittish about blogs.





Impromptu Confession: I once got so annoyed with my sister I shoved her out of a treehouse. But it's ok. She threw a rock at my head that made a major hole in the drywall. She also left scars on my arm from raking her nails into my skin during tantrums. And she bit the dog.

What time do you get up in the morning? 4:30 a.m. weekdays, 6 a.m. on weekends.

What time do you go to sleep? 10 or 10:30 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 to 11 p.m. weekends. If I’m lucky, I can get to bed at 9. But there’s always so much to do…

What's your favorite exercise / aerobic class? Kickboxing! I do it two to three times a week and run three to four times a week.

Why are you called Duckie? Marie started it. I think it comes from the Blond Duck and people just liked it. You can ask her! Personally, I love it.



Speaking of Marie, she asked: Who kissed who first? You or Ben? What was your first kiss like? Did fireworks go off? When did you know HE was the one?

First picture ever of the Blond Duck and Ben, dating one month

Ben kissed me first. We were standing outside his truck on a country road. Since we went to Baylor and had dorm visiting hours, most of our dates were driving around or going to I-Hop or Whataburger. He was showing me a spot where he and his racing buddies went all the time to “test their engines.” And it was toe-tingling and heart-thumping, yes.



I knew I was going to marry Ben during an argument after we’d been dating about a year. I was sure he was going to dump me because we were having an argument and was bawling. He took me by the shoulders and told me there was no reason to be so upset, that we would have plenty of arguments and we were going to work through all of them. This was just a bump in the road and he never stopped loving me. At that moment, I knew we were both committed to this for the long haul.

It’s romantic, I know.

Kitt asked: At what time of day do you do most of your writing? Do you have a general writing routine/schedule?

I write early in the morning and late at night. I used to take my laptop to work and write during lunch, but they made a no-laptop policy and I don’t trust company computers. Now I write during breakfast on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On weekends, I write from half an hour to two or three hours in the morning, depending on what’s going on that day. And I write my blog entries at night while Chihuahuas tapdance on my head and Ben wuffles for a foot rub.

It’s a exciting life. And If I could, I’d write more. I never get tired of it.


Impromptu Confession: I fall asleep after being in any car for more than thirty minutes, no matter what time day or night. I never have to drive on road trips.



Ingrid asked: Were you a dancer gowing up and how long did you train?

I was a dancer! I did ballet, jazz and tap from 3 until I was 18. I also took country western dancing classes at 16 and went dancing at a local dancehall with all my friends on weekends. That’s where Vivi came from. For awhile, I even wanted to go to Texas A&M University just to join the competitive country dancing team. I always wanted to join a dance team in college as well, and seriously considered it at Baylor.

The problem is I soon realized in college that my dancing was best suited to flailing about my living room or a dancehall. And no one wants to pay to see that.

What made you decide on "creative" writing?

I actually majored in journalism-public relations with a minor in corporate communications. I never wanted to work for the university newspaper because of the scheldule and I thought all the news writers were rude snots. Junior year, I discovered a creative writing minor and would have done it if I could have gotten all the classes I needed in time.

A lot of people think I should have majored in English, but I never was interested. I don't care about grammer. And while I loved discussing books and their themes and plots, I could never apply it to my own work. Whenever I try to analyze and break down my stories, they get bad. That's what I did when I was hitting the traditional publishing route. Everything you see is technically a rough draft. I don't try to think of plots or suspense or dialouge. I usually sit down over eggs and toast and basically bleed it out.

I'm still amazed ya'll like it.

To be truthful, I am toying with the idea of a masters in creative writing. But I'm not sure how useful it would be and am concerned it would water down my natural creativty.



Impromptu Confession: Ben and I picked out my engagement ring together a few days before Halloween and got engaged on my Dad's birthday in the fall of 2005. He was very gracious about it. I would have been mad. But I drag my birthdays out for a month.

Princess of Pink asked: From whom did you inherit your writing talent?
No one. I’m the only one!


Francesca asked: What is the process for you publishing a book like Twirl? Are you close to doing so?


The problem with Twirl is I've been writing it post by post. I know in my head what the end is, what will happen and the big secret of Vivi's dad, mom and Mrs. Angelson. I just don't know how they'll get there.

So I've got two choices: pull it off the blog, write it and have you all get bored or kill me; or write it, give it a quick edit and polish and publish it through lulu like I did with The Twelve Tales of Christmas.

I'm thinking I'll probably go with the second option because currently, I'm finishing the last details for the first Land of the Flowered Bed Book and putting together Kitchen Magic in book form. Then next up, I've got Miss Pickles to print!

She also asked: Are you only able to write in your free time or is working on your novel(s) a part of your daily job responsibilities as a magazine editor?
My free time. There's only a few people at work who know about my blog and the stories I write. I keep it very quiet.





Impromptu Confession: I wear a tiara on every birthday for a week straight. And I'm not at all ashamed or embarrassed.




Jen asked: I want to know how you find time to write all of those fun stories? How do you keep all the stories and plots straight?

My brain is like standing in the center of a movie theater. There's one main screen and ten other screens behind it. Imagine running into the theater and watching 15 to 20 minutes of a movie at a time, day after day. All these movies are swirling in your head and the story is revealed to you one bit at a time. But if you sit and watch the whole movie at once, you get tired and overwhelmed and hungry.

As far as time, Ben and I don't go out a lot and I make my writing a priority. I'll give up a lot to make sure it's done. It's my passion in life.


Erica asked: What's your favorite color and top three meals?
PINK!!!


Meal 1: Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans and wheat rolls glistening with butter and apple or peanut butter pie.



Meal 2: Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries and Apple Pie.



Meal 3: Barbecue. Ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, baked beans, wheat bread with honey butter, potato salad, coleslaw, creamed corn, banana pudding and pecan pie.


Juliet asked: What is your most favorite story and why?

Story I've written: Twirl, because it's got all my favorite things: dancing, horseback riding, cowboys, pie, mystery and suspense.

Story I've read: The BFG or Wrinkle In Time. Or The Frog Prince Continued.
Also, what is your most favorite picture that you've posted and why?



This one.


Or this one. I think it says it all.

Chad asked: Do you write the entire story out ahead of time and then post it in pieces, or do you write each post individually as you go along?

Post it as I go. I write down notes about ideas I have, but I tend to change things. Every time I try to write outlines I just end up throwing them out, so I quit worrying about it.

Pumpkin asked : What's the best vacation you've ever been on, and why?




I think it was last summer when we went to Alaska. It was just really fun going somewhere so different with my family and Ben and being able to appreciate it. When I was younger, I never fully recongized the great things my parents did for us.

What's your dream car?

A silver Jetta. I had one when I was 16 and now I have a grey Jetta. I like what I like.

And, it's not really a question, but I wanna see a wedding picture!

Your wish is my command!


And yes. I really did get married at a barbecue restaurant and eat ribs in my dress.


Noble Pig asked: When do you sleep?

I don't sleep. I plug into a wall and recharge until the green light comes on.

Karen asked: What was your earliest writing assignment that you remember?

I had to write a fairy tale in the third grade. It had a lot of princesses, a mean king and a horse. I really wanted a horse.

Then I had to write my autobiography. I rewrote it three times so my teacher could read my terrible cursive.

I hate hand writing things now.


Sugar Fairy asked: Who is your favourite author?

I have three: Elizabeth Peters for her Egyptology mysteries (I'm fascinated with Egypt), Raold Dahl and Madeline L'Engle.


What is your all time favourite book?

That's too hard to answer. I'd have to say A Wrinkle in Time, A Ring of Light or The BFG.


What is the weirdest food combo that you like to eat?



Cheese Its and Gatorade, though I haven't had it since high school due to the fact I can't control myself around Cheese Its or Goldfish.

llegally blonde asked: What age did you begin writing and when did you realize that writing is truly your passion?


I wrote and produced little books when I was 7, all about Mr. Bunny. But in 4th grade, I decided I wanted to be a writer and illustrator of children's books and needed a job to support that.



I just have to master the illustration part.


Whitney asked: How many stories do you work on at a time? How many do you post on your blog?

I usually work on two to three for the blog and two to three not on the blog. Since I do this all week long at work, it doesn't confuse me. I get bored just with one story and tend to obsess, overthink and overwork a story.

Marie asked: Do you dream in colour?

Yes. But I daydream in a mixture of words and images. It's odd.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone you wanted, living now or an historic character, who would you invite?

Well, Ben, the Babies, my family and you for one. And most of my Invisible Friends. I'd also invite Madeline L'Engle, my father's mother that I never knew, Shannon Hale, Roald Dahl, Teddy Roosevelt...

I don't want to invite any celebrities. They're boring.


When can you come over to visit me?

As soon as someone starts paying me to write books all day.

Thrilled by the thought asked: Where do you get your imagination from?

Everywhere.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a special edition of Twirl this weekend where you will find out what's in the envelope. I swear. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. We also have a new candy animals, a new Gift and a week of whimsical fun! Stay tuned!