I was just reading another blog about comfort reads and re-reads, and it got me to thinking. I read A LOT of books as a kid, from kindergarten all the way up through high school and college. But there are a couple of books that I read, mostly between ages 9 and 15, I would say, that truly struck a chord with me. They literally influenced my life and the kind of person that I am. And the fact that I’m a writer.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee – I remember feeling like I was Scout, and I could almost touch those warm, lazy days of summer.

Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey – I still to this day want to be able to ride a dragon. What an amazing world she created. I own all of the Dragonrider books, and they’re all tattered and frayed.

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart – the first book in her trilogy (the other two are The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment), all of which turned me into a fan of the whole King Arthur and Merlin legend, and an Anglophile. Hm. Whatever happened with that?

Which books do you remember from when you were a kid/young adult? Why were they important to you?

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Well. Ok, Connie’s not really skinny dipping. SKINNY DIPPING is the name of Brockway’s book, which came out this month and is one of the funniest contemporaries I’ve read in months. The book is about– well, here. I’ll let Connie tell you. She’s got a way with words.

By the way, that’s Julia London interviewing Brockway, so expect some smart alecing like you’ve never seen before!

Welcome Connie Brockway to Mt. Oly!

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The goddesses welcome Julia Quinn to the Mount!  Julia’s new book is The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever and hits the shelves June 26! 

Lightning Round!  Julia Quinn is swamped with deadlines, but after a lifetime of trying to convince her family that she’s a goddess, she couldn’t resist the chance to come and by and actually be one for a day.

In the interest of sanity (hers, but mostly her editor’s), we’re going to make it quick and painless. Give us your favorites, JQ!  (Or at the very least, the first choice that comes to mind.)

Childhood book: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg.

Romance novel: I could never choose.

Non-Romance novel: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

What is your favorite word? I like to make them up and see if anyone notices.

Weird website: The Stinky Meat Project. www.stinkymeat.net).

Halloween costume:  See the picture.

Ice cream flavor:  Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche. 

Fruit: Blackberries.

Starbucks order: Triple Grande Nonfat Caramel Macchiato with no vanilla.

Alcoholic drink: Lemon Drop

Non-alcoholic drink: Diet A&W Root Beer. And that high-maintenance Starbucks order above.

Goddess: I’d tell you but I think Gibson would beat me up.

Other than writing, what other jobs or professions have you undertaken or considered? I attended medical school at Yale for about three months—just long enough to dissect a human backside. Other than that, I’ve been a full-time writer pretty much since I finished university.

What was the first piece you ever had in print? I wrote the sections on Crete & Cyprus in Let’s Go: Europe 1991. It was exciting work—I lost eight pounds (since they didn’t pay me enough to buy proper food), had my every belonging infested by fleas, and was propositioned by a monk on a boat to Haifa. But I do know where to get the best souvlaki pita on Crete. (The train station in Chania, if anyone is interested.)

What are you working on at the moment?A two-novel set, the first of which is called The Two Dukes of Wyndham. It was inspired by a Dire Straits song called “Industrial Disease.” In it, Mark Knopfler sings, “Two men say they’re Jesus. One of them must be wrong.” So I thought—how about: “Two men say they’re the Duke of Wyndham. One of them must be wrong.” The second novel is about the man who turns out not to be the duke.

So, what are your favorites?

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