Now That I'm Famous

Some of the established mombloggers I read have been quoted in numerous newspapers, online journals, heck! – one of them even appeared on the Today Show!  But me?  Little ol’ me?  I am nowhere near a legend, not even in my own mind.

So imagine my surprise when I opened this week’s email entitled “Houston Chronicle reporter requesting interview.”  I thought maybe all my Texas-bashing had made it to sensitive ears, and now the city’s major newspaper was sending a What’sYourProblem posse out to get me.  But, no!  It seems the reporter (or freelance writer?  I’m not totally clear) had found the litblog I keep at paperdietbooks.com and wanted to talk with me about the upcoming release of Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the popular Twilight book series.

I was immediately skeptical about his request.  For one thing, there was a typo in the email.  I don’t know – it’s kind of like having a doctor show up for open heart surgery with a cut on his chin from shaving.  And then I kept wondering, “What on earth could *I* say that would be of any value in his article?”  I even shared that concern in my return email.  He assured me that my voice and perspective would add loads to his research.  So, with my ego stroked just a little, I gave him my number and scheduled a time for the phone interview.

Can I just say?  Whatever kind of writer he is, he is a GREAT interviewer!  He was very nice and put me totally at ease.  We talked about how I came to the books, what I thought about the different characters, do I recommend them to friends.  He also had some questions about the association between the books and the LDS church.  There are some critics/scholars who have tried to draw parallels between the books and LDS doctrine, or even the Book of Mormon.  My answer to that was simple:  I’ve always been very careful to keep the culture of the church separate from the doctrine of the church.  These books are a cultural phenomenon in the LDS church right now (as they are everywhere!) because (a) they were written by a member of the church, and (b) while they are full of blush-worthy romance, they are still ~this~ side of our standards on language, violence, and sexual content.  They are NOT, however, appropriate resources for a discussion of what Latter-day Saints believe.

We also discussed daughter H14′s status as an uberfan of this book series, which prompted him to ask if he could chat with her, too.  I thought she was going to need medical intervention when she heard this, but she quickly composed herself and talked with him for a few minutes.  My first thought when I read the article was that he had been very kind in omitting all the “like, like, likes” from her part of the conversation.   All in all, though, I was proud of how she handled herself.

From start to finish, I think we were on the phone with him for about 20 minutes.  Which makes me laugh when I think of what actually made it to print.  If you know me, then I suppose my quotes don’t sound too dumb.  If you DON’T know me, then the idea that I’d compare a campy vampire series to the use of recreational drugs might dissuade you from my acquaintance.  Are you intrigued now?  Well, here’s the link to the article.  I suppose I’ll let you decide for yourself.

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Six Degrees
2. Not a Grimm Tale
3. Wordless Wedesday: Now Do I Have Your Attention?

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