Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Interview w/ Linda Morris--best thing she's *ever* had in her mouth...


Carolyn Hart has excelled at one thing her whole life: looking good. She has the beauty and style to turn heads. But making her own way in the world turns out to be a lot tougher than getting elected homecoming queen. She has no idea what she wants to do with her life, her credit card balance is becoming self-aware, and her love life is DOA. And now her boss at Horizons, a school for kids with special needs, has given her an unwelcome assignment: to work with a cartoonist to create a kids' book as a fundraiser for the school.

Former troubled kid Mason Dixon would do anything for the aunt who took him in after his parents gave up on him. But when he offers to illustrate a kids' book as a fundraiser for her pet cause, he winds up taking on way more than he bargained for. The gorgeous teacher's aide he's assigned to work with challenges him at every turn and makes him wonder if there's any line he won't cross for her.

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*waves* Morning Linda! Welcome to herding cats & burning soup and congrats on your newest release! I can't wait to hear all about it.
Hi, Anna! Thanks for having me here today. I love talking about The Mason Dixon Line. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, because it's like picking a favorite kid, but this is my favorite of my books. (And it's actually okay for me to pick a favorite kid because I only have one.)

LOL I totally tell the herd babies..."oh you're the herd favorite" promise. Heh. Alright, so, if you wanted to snag someone real quick and have them chasing after The Mason Dixon Line what would you tell them about Carolyn and Mason's story?
It's a bit of a beauty-and-the-geek story, with a twist. Carolyn is a rather spoiled teacher's aide for a school for kids with special needs, and Mason is a former special needs kid himself who has ADHD and dyslexia. He was severely bullied, both by kids and at times by his teachers and even his parents, so he's no fan of her profession. When they have to work together to create a fundraising book for the school, sparks fly!
Oh I love the set up! I'm a HUGE fan of quotes. Do you have one from The Mason Dixon Line that just...got you?
"They say opposites attract. Nobody ever said opposites live happily ever after." (Spoken by the hero, Mason.)
Hmm. Interesting...Any fun behind the scenes facts about Carolyn and Mason's story? 
  • Mason's job as an illustrator is very loosely based on Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants books, who also struggled in school despite his intelligence and creativity. 
  • I got the idea to give Mason a pet chameleon after watching one at a pet store for a while. I then watched tons of chameleon videos on YouTube to get a realistic sense of how they move and behave so that I could describe them accurately, even though Mason's pet is not a huge part of the story. 
  • Carolyn's embarrassing dad, who runs a successful car dealership but dresses up as a hobo to star in his own TV commercials, is based on a real car dealer in my hometown. I always felt sorry for his kids, who must be soooo embarrassed by some of his antics!
LOL oh that's too funny! So, when you're not lost in the world of your characters what're your favorite things to get up to?
Besides writing, I still work full-time and I have a fantastic nine-year-old with some special needs of his own, so leisure time is scarce. When I do have it, though, I'm usually reading, baking, walking, or doing yoga.
Speaking of baking...best dessert ever?
I'm gonna have to go with Swiss Black Forest Chocolate cake on that one. Once when I had infinite patience and some free time on my hands (pre-motherhood, in other words), I made the one from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible. It is the most delicious thing I've ever had in my mouth. There isn't even a close second. Here's the recipe. One of these days when I have more free time, maybe after my kid moves out, I'll make another. *omg Linda...drools*
Favorite Man Candy? Pictures are welcome!
I'm very consistent in my crushes. I've been grooving on Robert Downey Jr for about 20 years now. Oh, it was really hard to pick just one RDJ photo for this post, but I've settled on this one. Enjoy!
Funky patterned sheets or simple solids?

I'm more of a solids girl, but I do like a nice patterned flannel sheet in the wintertime.

What's on *your* bucket list?

I've always loved to travel, and then I went and married a man who hates it. But I still haven't given up on traveling to England. I think I can talk him into that one!

Favorite office supply?
I would have to go with pens. I tend to twiddle them absentmindedly and carry them off somewhere, though. I buy them by the bucketload and then can never find one when I need one.
Oh yeah. I'm a pen girl too. And so buy them by the bucketload too. ::snort:: Thanks so much for stopping by Linda! And good luck with the trip to England!! 

Find Linda Online!

Have you read Morris? Have any questions for her?
Feel free to leave her some comment love :)

[Are you a blogger? Leave your link so I can visit you too! ~Anna]



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