20 QUESTIONS with MARGARET DILLOWAY

Twenty things you (probably) didn’t know about author, Margaret Dilloway.

1.  My first job was… working in the stock room department at Nordstrom during their annual Anniversary Sale.

2.  If I wasn’t a writer, I would likely be… a detective. I tend to notice details that other people generally don’t.  That being said, I can never find my own purse.

3.  I collect… stories.  I eavesdrop a lot.  And in terms of tangible things, I collect small Christmas village houses.

4.  My favorite word is… Callipygian.  My husband’s the only person I’ve ever known to use it.  He was a Classics major.

5.  I’m a big fan of… weekends and especially weekend breakfasts.

6.  The single best piece of (writing related) advice I have ever gotten… read a lot.

7.  I have always wanted to… live on a farm and be totally self-sustaining.

8.  The best thing I have ever read, (but did not write) is… When I was a kid?  As an adult?  Which genre?  How can I pick a favorite among all my books?  It’s like choosing a favorite child.  But I will say The Great Gatsby, because I first read it when I was a young teen, and that was the first time the craft of writing seemed magical and unattainable.

9.  People often tell me that I… make them cry with my writing.  It’s odd to think that makes me happy.

10.  I really think that my best work (published or not) is… I like to think it’s not yet written.  My skills improve with each book, and I’d like that to continue.  There might be a place where that levels off.

11.  I find inspiration in… being in nature.

12.  The best thing about being a professional writer is… getting paid for daydreaming.

13.  I spend way too much time… web surfing.

14.  The coolest person in my cell phone is… Kathy Patrick, who runs the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs, with more than 500 chapters.  She holds the annual Girlfriends’ Weekend for authors and readers inJefferson,Texas.  There are a lot of costumes involved.

15.  It really bothers me when… people are unkind for no good reason.

16.  The worst thing about being a professional writer is… not knowing for certain what your next paycheck will be.  It happens twice a year (except for advances) and is mostly a complete surprise.

17.  One mistake that most aspiring writers make is… sending out work before it’s ready.  Give it a chance to rest, then re-read it.

18.  If I knew the apocalypse were coming in 24 hours, I’d… huddle up with my family under a blanket and eat every sweet imaginable while watching a movie marathon.  Which, with my family, would probably be the Harry Potter series.

19.  The three websites I visit most often are… Facebook, Gawker (which leads me to countless other sites), and TMZ.

20.  You’d be surprised to know that I… am into dollhouses. My oldest daughter and I have really been into miniatures this summer. We sculpt mini people, make furniture, and are fixing up an old dollhouse.

 

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