… Nance Sparks
What’s the time of the day when you feel most like yourself?
There isn’t a time of day when I don’t feel like myself. 😊 I am most productive in the mornings and early afternoon. By late afternoon, I’m ready for a little patio time or a walk around the neighborhood. Then, in the evening, it’s time to cook dinner and unwind a bit before bedtime.
What’s your coffee order?
Black – I’ve tried cream and sugar. I’ve tried mochas. But I really enjoy a nice roast and I drink it black.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Happy, content, fulfilled.
What do you think of garden gnomes?
I enjoy them, in someone else’s yard. I like the antics that they encompass, but I am not much for having to work around things. I don’t do knickknacks or stuff like that. I’m a bit of a minimalist.
Fauxmance or only one bed?
I’m not sure I understand this question. If fauxmance is a romance but you pretend not to be intimate and have separate bedrooms for show... then I’m all in on only one bed. I don’t do anything for show. I am who I am and I don’t apologize for it or hide it.
What makes you smile?
Oh, all sorts of stuff! Seeing my wife’s face when I surprise her with cinnamon rolls or watching the hummingbirds swarm the feeders when I bring them back out after washing and refilling them every three days. A day with friends, just hanging out and visiting. How about the way the yard looks and smells after it’s been mowed or filling up the wood bins so we’re ready for the next two winters with cut and split firewood. Oh, and the sound the jars make when they seal after a long day of canning. Those things make me smile. Simple treasures make me smile.
Do you believe in soulmates?
Yes! I believe in all of it. Deep, profound love. Love at first sight. Then there’s the first real love that holds a special place forever. Finally, soulmates. I was lucky enough to find mine. We’ve been together for ten years now and still have fun no matter what we’re doing.
What author would you switch lives with for a day?
Oh, that’s a tough one. Do I gain their insight? Do I learn from all of their experiences? Do I gain a new found process that helps me with plot and structure and character arcs? Rather than switch lives for a day, I’d love a day to chat for a day with Katherine V. Forrest or Georgia Beers or Melissa Brayden, among many authors I enjoy. I respect their skill and would love to absorb anything they’d share. I don’t know what other author’s lives are like, but I do know that my life is pretty great, so I’m not so sure I’d switch with anyone given the unknown.
What makes you cry?
Tear jerker moments in movies get me every time. Ditto for those moments in books. The deep feels of a story.
What’s your best feature?
I’ve been told that my best feature is my smile, but I’d like to think it’s also my quick wit.
What was the best and the worst thing about high school?
The worst thing about high school was that it took me a few years after to figure out that I was a lesbian. Looking back, things make so much more sense with the understanding of that one data point. Like why I’d blow off a date with a guy to go hang with my best friend. And why I’d be completely bummed when she didn’t do the same for me.
The best thing about high school was that I did have a lot of great friends, I had a after school job that I enjoyed, and I always had fun.
Favorite movie character?
I only get to pick one??? Idgie Threadgood from Fried Green Tomatoes. I loved how she dressed, and I wanted to be just like her. The confidence, the lack of concern for what other’s think, the living life for each day. She was my favorite character, and she was even more developed in the book than the movie.
In a crowded room, what makes you notice a woman?
Her eyes and her smile, but mostly her eyes. They are the windows to the soul. I firmly believe that. There’s something about a person’s eyes that tells you almost everything you need to know.
What’s your one big regret?
That I didn’t go to college sooner. I waited until I was thirty before I went to college, and I struggled for a lot of years that I might not have had to if I hadn’t rebelled against my parents and had just gone to college right after high school.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
Take the chance – I think that sums it all up. Take the chance. It might work, it might not, but nothing will happen if you don’t take the chance.
Three women you’d have over for dinner and what would you serve?
Oh, that’s a tough one. We have friends over for dinner all the time, so it would have to be someone that isn’t in our bubble. I know I should be profound and say something about great leaders and such, but I think I’ll go with the first thought that popped into my head. One would be my paternal grandma. I’ve learned a lot about her upbringing now that she’s gone and I have so many questions. She taught me about canning, gardening and when I came out as a lesbian, she was the first to say that she didn’t care if I loved a guy or a gal or purple or green or whatever, just be happy. And while you asked me about three, I’d rather it just be the one so she could be my primary focus of attention. I’d make her anything her heart desired because she spent a lifetime cooking and caring for everyone else. I’d love nothing more than to spoil her rotten and to hear all she has to say.
What would you do with a million dollars?
If I’m honest, I’d probably tuck it away in the bank. I like to save. It brings me joy. If I have to spend some, I’d trade my two door Jeep Wrangler Willys in for a 4 door model and totally trick it out. I’d also spend some on landscaping. Our yard has a lot of arcs and banks... I’d like it to be a bit more level but to keep the shoreline safe too.
What’s the one thing you don’t leave home without (wallet/phone/keys don’t count)?
A great playlist! I am a music freak. I love folk, country, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and the 00’s, even quite a bit of the current stuff. I love a great beat, amazing lyrics and the feels of a slow ballad.
If you could choose one song to be played every time you enter a room, what song would that be and why?
I couldn’t choose one song. There’s a meme that says something to the effect of ‘that moment you start the car and the radio is blasting and you’re like WHOA, settle down, I’m not the same girl I was last night.’ It’s kinda like that. One day it might be a Melissa Etheridge tune or classic Bonnie Raitt, another day it’s Imagine Dragons and then another it's Lee Brice. All that said, there’s a song by Billy Currington called ‘Let Me Down Easy’ or a Melissa Etheridge song ‘Please Forgive Me’ (the concert version with the piano) That touch my soul.
What’s the one book you wish you could read again for the first time?
The first answer that popped into my mind was Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest. So, I’ll go with that. I loved that book and it was my first les fic novel.
Nance Sparks’ last novel, Secret Sanctuary can be found following this link: https://mybook.to/NanceSparksSanctuary