You Had to Be There

~ You love them. You’ve read their books or articles. You follow them on Twitter. But how well do you know them and their wicked sense of humor? Play The Twizzy and find out. ~

Happy Monday and welcome back to another game of The Twizzy! Thank you for all your responses. I’m glad you’re all enjoying it so much.

Are you ready for Game 26? Remember, each of you is allowed 1 guess per day.

I’ll give a recap for those of you who haven’t played yet:

In my quest to keep you all entertained, I thought up a quiz. But not just any quiz. That would be boring. This is a quiz where Twitter Stars answer 30 questions. As you’ll see, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill questions. That, too, would be boring. As far as I’m concerned, this is the first time something of this scope has been done on Twitter. If it isn’t, I’m sure someone will let me know (but I won’t believe them).

Originally it was just to be the published authors I interact with but this plan grew and grew. Everyone I asked said yes! So what you have here is a lovely mix of writers – from New York Times Bestselling authors to newly published ones. From sportswriters to freelance journalists. I didn’t stop there though. I asked literary agents and editors, and then it extended to all aspects of publishing – from business development to public relations. I’ve even been lucky enough to snag one British celebrity.

Below is the list of the participants with their Twitter bio and handles. While you go through, you may consider following them, and buying their books or newspapers. These people are awesome, truly. As busy as they are, they took time out to play “The Twizzy” and they answered the questions with such flair that I was laughing each time a new email came in.

Once you’ve gone through the list, take a look at the question and answer session below. You will laugh. The questions will be the same every Monday. Your job is to figure out who from the list answered the questions that week. Include your guess in the comments section here on my blog. I will not post your comments until the winner has been announced. This is because I want you to guess on your own. If by Thursday there is still no correct answer, I’ll give 1 hint. The first correct answer wins a prize. Yes, a prize. They consist of: Seven Souls A Leaping co-written and donated by Kellyann Zuzulo (while supplies last), macaroons or starry, starry nights from gesine.com, $15 Barnes & Noble gift cards (with 1 donated by the wonderful Kellyann Zuzulo), or a surprise FANTASTIC hardcover book from my grab bag of goodies from Alyssa Smith. You will have until Friday to guess. Then I will reveal The Twizzy Star of the Week. If you’re not on Twitter, you can still play because you’ve likely read their books or articles, and, as the weeks go on, the list will narrow.

If you have any questions, Tweet me at www.Twitter.com/SunnySoCal and please use “#TheTwizzy” in your question.

Have fun and good luck!

~ Denise

The Twizzy Stars List for Game 26 (Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a list and biography of previous Twizzy Stars. Believe me, I’ve hit the jackpot. They’ve all been AWESOME! Check them and their answers out!)

Marc Carig @ledger_yankees: Real-time coverage of the New York Yankees by The Star-Ledger and NJ.com

www.nj.com And http://carig.wordpress.com

Catherine Delors @CatherineDelors: Writer, historical fiction (For the King, Mistress of the Revolution.) Loves Paris, history and the 18th century.

http://versaillesandmore.com

Jenny Gardiner @jennygardiner: Author of Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who’s Determined to Kill Me, & Slim to None. Also a laugh ho.

http://www.jennygardiner.net/blog/

Glenn Giangrande @glenngiangrande: Four-time Emmy recipient, YESNetwork.com personality, on-air talent. Views expressed here are my own & do not reflect the views of YES or YESNetwork.com.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=538658980&ref=profile

Jane Heller @janeheller1: Novelist, Screenwriter, Blogger, Author of Confessions of a She-Fan, Yankees diehard, movies/books fan, pop culture maven

http://www.janeheller.com

Ann Leary @annleary: Author of OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE and An INNOCENT, A BROAD

http://www.annleary.com/

Holly LeCraw @HollyLeCraw : Writer, reader, southerner far from home. My first novel, The Swimming Pool, is out in paperback from Doubleday this April.

http://hollylecraw.com/

Richard Oliver @RichOliver: Session singer: Chris Moyles Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1 is my favourite job. TV ads I adore as they pay loads & if you need a KICK ASS band, let me know!

http://www.richardoliver.biz

Susan Orlean @susanorlean: Writer, writer, writer. Oh, I also write.

www.susanorlean.com

Karen Palmer @karen_palmer: Writer, editor, teacher. If I had to choose between reading and eating I’d be dead in a week.

www.karenpalmer.com

Jerome Priesler @YankeesInk: New York Times bestselling novelist and regular contributor to YESNetwork.com.

http://www.yankeesink.com

Drew Sarver @mypinstripes : Database Developer, Blogger, BaseballDigest.com writer, Beagle lover, Husband

http://mypinstripes.blogspot.com

Jayne Sharp-Vitty @jaynesharp: Mummy, wife, voice over & telly gal x

http://andsowtobed.blogspot.com

Alyssa Smith @booksandcorsets: Editor, reviewer, convention organizer, avid costumer, and owner of several demanding parrots. Non-official feed. Tweets about her interests: cooking, sewing

Laura Zigman @laurazigman: Writer, branter, complainer, mom, recovering publicist.

http://laurazigman.wordpress.com/

The Twizzy – Game 26

1. How hard was it to break into your line of work? Do you enjoy it?

It’s never easy breaking into publishing. But I had a deceptively easy time of it getting my first piece published locally several years back–>I think it led me to naively believe this publishing thing would be a breeze! I’d written a funny piece that was very relevant with a great hook. Wrote it in about 20 minutes, sold it in about 5 and I thought wow! this is so easy! I guess it enabled me to be confident enough to keep on trying for me. I’ve since realized that it takes an enormous amount of work to get to where I’ve gotten and it’s rarely without being a little battered and bruised along the way, but it’s certainly worth it and I really, really appreciate the successes I’ve had.

2. Have you any advice for people who would also like to do your line of work?

First and foremost believe in yourself. Publishing is a tough business and there is a lot of rejection in it, but if you truly believe you are writing things that people will enjoy reading, then tough it out, take the good advice and toss out the bad advice, and just hunker down and keep working toward your goal.

3. Are you known by any nicknames?

not a one! 

4. What song’s your tearjerker?

Hmmm… I have to think on that. I’m drawing a blank!

5. Do you like capers?

LOVE them!  Throw in some yummy tender veal cooked by a lovely little Italian woman in a villa in Tuscany and I’m in heaven 😉

6. Any food you must have?

I am a serious sucker for really good European milk chocolate with almonds in it. It’s bordering on addiction. 

7. Pet?

ha! Do I have pets! Two dogs, a cat, a parrot and a rabbit 

8. How do you feel about the word “carbuncle”?

Anyone who can successfully incorporate carbuncle into a sentence earns high praise from me. It’s one of the reasons I respect Prince Charles despite what a jerk he was to Princess Diana. I think he made famous the word carbuncle when referring to some architecture as a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend.  I mean who doesn’t slap that word around when possible?

9. Favorite stroll?

That’s a tough one. While I love to walk in my neighborhood with friends and family, I often fantasize about strolling through Rome. I love walking down a certain road nearby at dusk and the illuminated Colosseum comes into view against a twilight sky –it’s so spectacular.

10. Most embarrassing memory?

I’m digging into the crypts for this one.  I was a cheerleader and we had a huge basketball playoff game against a much bigger team with rabid fans. It was a parochial school and the gym was somewhere in the church, which makes it more likely I’ll rot in hell for what I did. The layout was weird–the court was downstairs but all the fans were upstairs in a balcony surrounding the gym. So a time-out was called and we cheerleaders had to go downstairs and out onto the middle of the court to do our silly cheer. But then their fans were loud and rude and shouting out ugly things and before I had a chance to think, as we ended up the cheer with our arms up in a “V” for victory, I just thrust one arm out with my middle finger pointing proudly skyward.

It was not one of my better moments…

11. Biggest pet peeve?

Cigarette smoke. Hate it.  (***Note from Denise: Ew. Me, too.***)

12. Who would you like to meet (in any time period)?

I always forget good answers to this question. It would have been interesting to talk with JD Salinger

13. Who bugs the crap out of you?

Any of today’s “faux-lebrities” who have achieved dubious stardom by the sheer dint of either doing something stupid, slutty or outrageous. You can fill in any of the Jersey Shore-ites, most everyone from Bachelor/ette series, any Real Housewife, and while we’re at it, toss in Paris Hilton and the Kardashian Klan (it makes me CRINGE how they mangle the spelling of their names with “K’s”).

14. Favorite book?

Super tough question. Like of all time? I guess I’ll say Catcher in the Rye. It really imprinted on me when I read it when I was younger. 

15. Do songs by Nickelback make you want to stuff hot pokers in your ears?

LOL Offhand I can’t even think of a Nickelback song, though occasionally I’ll hear a song I can’t stand and one of my kids will say “Oh, that’s Nickelback.” So maybe so! 

16. Favorite movie?

again, tough one. This is probably always in flux. But I sure did love When Harry Met Sally… 

17. Is marmite the singular form of marmosets? More importantly, does marmite make you want to vomit?

It’s one of those things I’ve successfully avoided and plan to continue so doing. I’m a picky enough eater that I don’t bite off what I won’t chew… 

18. Favorite quote?

Play the ball where the monkey drops it. (someone told me this was a sign on a golf course in Thailand or something, I think it’s a good life philosophy).

19. Favorite swear word?

All you need to do is read my 1^st novel and you’ll figure that out. I’ll give you a hint: rhymes with luck. Also I do love the word “wanker”. 

20. How do you feel about capybaras?

the name of them is far more lyrical than the look of them 

21. Guilty pleasure?

ooohhh. Love really good red wine and champagne as well. Banana cream pie–divine. But must be with meringue. Same goes with Key Lime Pie from Bitter End Yacht Club. I’d go there just for that… 

22. Favorite character?

Scooby Doo. Or are we talking book characters?

23. Do people who say “sammich” make you want to kick them in the crotch?

that’s a pretty annoying word. But the good news is I’m not often around people who say that

24. Which character would win this smackdown: Peter Venkman, Jack Donaghy, Stay Puft, Dwight Shrute, George Costanza, Basil Fawlty, Mortimer Brewster, Hyacinth Bucket, Mr. Whipple, or the Maytag Repairman?

I think Hyacinth Bucket–>classic wolf in sheep’s clothing. Beneath those dowdy duds lie the biceps of an animal 

25. Phobias?

Hmm. How about fear of not paying down the master card? I’m pretty quick to freak out with heights, but i also force myself to conquer it so that I don’t let it conquer me. I mean if I’m up high somewhere I can pretty readily taste metal in my mouth from fight or flight hormones like adrenaline.  

26. How do feel about cheese? Be specific.

strong smelly cheese make me gag. But I love milder ones, ones made locally especially. Love trying local cheese when traveling abroad.  

27. Which 1980’s comedy film is this from: “Where’s the rest of this moose?”

Arthur. But I cheated and googled it 😉 

28. Foods you refuse to eat?

Brussels sprouts. Cooked spinach, cooked cauliflower. Brains, innards, that sort of thing. Even though I love food I could never be a food critic because my repertoire would be too limited… 

29. Where do you stand on Justin Bieber?

It would be nice to see someone actually standing on Justin Bieber.  No, actually, I have no opinion of him. I guess early pity because his chances of ending up like detritus strewn across the highway are pretty great; childhood fame and fortune have a habit of causing such early stars to crash and burn too easily.  

*Bonus*

Finish this quote from a 1980’s comedy: “Generally you don’t see that kind of behavior in _______________.”

a major appliance. Sorry, I googled it again 😉

________________ Past Twizzy Stars ____________________

***The lovely Bethanne Patrick was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 1. You can find and follow her at @thebookmaven. http://bookmavenmedia.com/

Bethanne is responsible for #fridayreads on Twitter and the Friday Reads Facebook page. By all means, stop by every Friday and share what you’re reading.

***The charming Caroline Leavitt was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 2. You can find and follow her at @leavittnovelist. http://www.carolineleavitt.com/home.htm

Caroline has been on the New York Times Bestseller List for 2 weeks in a row now with her book PICTURES OF YOU. Why not buy it today?

***The hilarious Wallace Matthews was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 3. You can find and follow him at @ESPNNYYankees . http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees

Wallace is the Yankees Beat Writer for ESPN New York.

***The adorable Julie Klam was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 4. You can find and follow her at @julieklam . http://www.julieklam.com/

Julie is the New York Times Bestselling Author of You Had Me At Woof: How Dogs Taught Me The Secrets of Happiness and Please Excuse My Daughter (Riverhead)

***The fabulous Colleen Lindsay was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 5. You can find and follow her at @colleenlindsay http://theswivet.com

Colleen is a former literary agent who is currently part of the Business Development team at Penguin Group (USA).

***The wonderful Veronica Brooks-Sigler was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 6. You can find and follow her at @getlit_erate http://www.brookssigler.com

Veronica is the author of Five Finger Fiction. She is working on a sequel. Yay!

***The witty Brett Sandusky was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 7. You can find and follow him at @bsandusky and http://brettlikesstuff.tumblr.com/

Brett is a digital publishing professional, innovator, strategist, marketer and writer.

***The funny Elana Roth was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 8. You can find and follow her at @ElanaRoth and http://www.elanaroth.com

Elana is a literary agent at the Caren Johnson Literary Agency. She’s also second-to-none in quoting Ghostbusters.

***The delightful Gesine Bullock-Prado was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 9. You can find and follow her at @closetmastrbakr and http://www.gesine.com

Gesine is a pastry chef, the owner of Gesine Confectionary, and author of Confections of a Closet Master Baker/My Life from Scratch and the recent Sugar Baby.

***The captivating Laura Strachan was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 10. You can find and follow her at @StrachanLit and www.strachanlit.com

Laura is my literary agent. She represents literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. She loves books, art, theatre — compelling stories, well told.

***The talented Joe Wallace was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 11. You can find and follow him at www.josephwallace.com @joe_wallace

Joe is an author of nonfiction books, noir stories, and a novel, DIAMOND RUBY.

***The sweet Kellyann Zuzulo was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 12. You can find and follow her at www.kfzuzulo.com @kfzuzulo

Kellyann is a former journalist, author of tales, word laborer, stirrer of soup.

***The brilliant Bob Klapisch was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 13. You can find and follow him at http://www.northjersey.com/sports/pro_sports/baseball/klapisch/ and http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Bob_Klapisch @BobKlap

Bob is a baseball columnist for The Bergen Record and foxsports.com

***The new mommy Erin Bried was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 14. You can find and follow her at http://erinbried.com/ @NiftyButton

Erin is a pie baker, storyteller, collector of old timey wisdom. Author of How to Build a Fire & Sew a Button (Ballantine). Self mag staff writer.

***The dear Sean Kennedy was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 15. You can find and follow him at http://www.sean-kennedy.com/ @slicksean

Sean is a Writer/journalist/media consultant. His Tweets are 20% each: current affairs/culture; writing/media; LGBT topics; food/food systems; personal.

***The darling Pete Caldera was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 16. You can find and follow him at: www.northjersey.com And http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/pinstripeposts and @pcaldera

Pete is the Bergen Record Yankees beat writer and an occasional band vocalist with the Stan Rubin Orchestra.

***The fantastic David Pomerico was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 17. You can find and follow him at  http://www.bantamspectra.net   and @DelReySpectra

David is an editor at Del Rey and Spectra, two of the biggest SF, fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance imprints in–and out of–the world.

***The sweet Jennifer Gilmore was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 18. You can find and follow her at  http://jennifergilmore.net/   and  @jenwgilmore

Jennifer is the author of the new novel Something Red, and the NYTimes Notable novel, Golden Country.

***The talented Allison Winn-Scotch was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Week 19. You can find and follow her at www.allisonwinn.com  and @aswinn

Allison is a novelist, NY Times best seller (yeah, I had to get that in), celeb profiler, diaper changer, dog walker, ass-kicker, pop culture junkie, superwoman.

***The clever Kathleen Schmidt was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 20. You can find and follow her at   http://kathleenschmidt.tumblr.com  @bookgirl96

Kathleen is a bookish broad, PR superhero, mother of two, lover of sports, and wife of @Rockpappa.

***The marvelous Mark Feinsand was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 21. You can find and follow him at http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees  @BloggingBombers

Mark is the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News.

***The fantastic Georgia McBride was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 22. You can find and follow her at  www.georgiamcbride.com   @Georgia_McBride

Georgia is a YA author of the PRAEFATIO series. She’s represented by Mark McVeigh of The McVeigh Agency. Founder of #YAlitchat. Mom to 2 humans + 3 Chihuahuas. Hopeless Romantic.

***The brilliant Brenda Copeland was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 23.

***The adorable Nichole Bernier was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 24. You can find and follow her at  http://www.nicholebernier.com   @NicholeBernier

Nichole is a writer (Conde Nast Traveler) & mother of 5 trafficking in humor, Twizzlers, occasionally wisdom. Novel THE UNFINISHED WORK OF ELIZABETH D, Crown/RH 2012

***The fabulous Ken Davidoff was The Twizzy Star of the Week for Game 25. You can find and follow him at  http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ken-davidoff-s-baseball-insider-1.1278117    @kendavidoff               

Ken is the National baseball writer for Newsday.

~~~~~ They are no longer choices for the remaining games of The Twizzy ~~~~~

_______________________