I love it when people talk about themselves and share interesting stories. I love rambles and creative musings, but I also appreciate how the mind unconsciously brings forms of order to how we present our life stories; there cannot help but be a distinguishable flow in how we link images and sequence events.
In this six question interview, I seek to answer in as many words as it takes to satisfy my understanding of the question. The following is an excerpt of the Spillwords Press interview.
Where do you hail from?
I was born in a small historical city called Lexington almost nineteen years ago but have lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for the past thirteen years. As my mother is from Pakistan, I also enjoy knowledge of a different kind of motherland.
What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I love small-town charm and old-world rust. Living where I do, I am able to experience both the cozy mystery stories of a small city as well as the old pioneering and settler stories of the mountain people whose families have lived here for generations.
What turns you on creatively?
Among the many little things that turn on the words in me, people watching inspires me. Walking the street I notice the oddly colored scarf, the sad grey eyes of the woman waiting at the crosswalk, and the happily joined hands of a father and his young son. These observations find place in my writing.
Untold stories also inspire me. The stories in the tumble-down houses quietly dying in the mountains or old soda bottles and quaint vintage jewelry become tales I must tell . . .
In the final three questions, I use my favorite word in a poetic sentence, talk a little bit about my pet peeves, and share what I believe defines me. Please continue reading here and do share your beautiful thoughts!