Recently I participated in The Great Interview Experiment over at Citizen of the Month. I had the privilege of interviewing Loukia from Loulou’s Views. She is the mom of 2 boys and used to work in television. I recommend clicking on over and checking out her blog because it is a delight (and a new resident on my feed reader!).

(I was interviewed here.)

1. It looks like you are quite the reader. Is there any one book that has changed your life or left a marked impression on you? What is it and what about it meant so much to you?
Hmm… one book that has changed my life or left a marked impression on me? There have been a few books I’ve read that have been really emotional for me, that have kept me up at night and that I’d re-read over and over again - Night, The Way The Crow Flies, The Kite Runner, The Alchemist. I loved reading Stephen King when I was younger, and the classics, too, like Little Woman, Wuthering Heights, To Kill A Mockingbird. Currently, I feel like a teenager again, because I’m suddenly obsessed with, and can’t put down the books from the Twilight Saga.

2. What is your favorite easy baking recipe? What’s a difficult one that you can’t resist?
Um. I’m a terrible baker. I’m actually terrible in the kitchen, period. I recently made carrot cake and the icing from scratch, and it wasn’t that hard, actually! Other than that, I’d have to say cupcakes out of the box are my specialty!
3. Where there ever any other names in the running for your boys?
No. We went with the tradition of naming our children after our fathers. Since we both liked what our dads are named, it was not hard to come to that decision!
4. Do you plan on reading New Moon before you see the movie?
I did, in fact, read New Moon before seeing the movie – read it in like, a few days. Which is not hard to do, because once you start reading these books, it’s impossible to put them down! I saw New Moon this past weekend, and I LOVED it. I truly did. I thought it was even better than Twilight, and I already want to go again!
5. Describe your perfect afternoon.
A perfect afternoon would be spent with my children, doing crafts, reading books, cuddling together, laughing and playing… followed by them taking a 2 hour nap so I can catch up on my writing/reading/TV watching and getting some rest! Or… going shopping!
6. Is there any other career path you think you would have been well-suited for? What is it and why do you think you would excel at it?
I did work in TV and Radio for a few years, as a news writer and a reporter, and I loved that career path. However, it is the sort of job that really doesn’t mix well with being a parent – at least for me, anyway – the hours were crazy, the pay wasn’t as good, and I made the decision to work in Communications instead – however, I feel like I’m well-suited for a career in news – I loved the excitement of that career, I loved writing the news, I loved covering stories and meeting interesting people I would have otherwise never met. I was an intern at Entertainment Tonight, and that was fun – and I completed an intership with CBS TV in Washington D.C., too. It was a great learning experience.
Aside from that, I’d love to work in/own a book store.
7. I am the child of someone who suffers from mysophobia, so I think I can relate to your boys a bit. Does the mysophobia affect you very much at home? How do you deal with it there?
I don’t think I really suffer from mysophobia; yes, I am an avid and constant worrier, and I do tend to have Purell everywhere – in my car, at home, in my purse – but with the recent H1N1 scare, I feel like I have to do everything I can to protect my boys! I’m not worried when the boys are at home – only in public places.
8. If you could change one decision you made in your life, what would it be?
I don’t think I’d change any decisions I’ve made in my life, because each decision has helped me become the person I am today. I don’t live a life of regrets or ‘what if’.