interview by vanessa willoughby

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Tell an unrequited love story in six words.

He washed the window, watching her.

Name three songs that would be on a mix-tape for a movie about two strangers fighting an alien invasion.

Life During Wartime, Talking Heads
Just the Two of Us, Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.
Reflections, Diana Ross and the Supremes

Describe your most memorable fashion faux-pas.

When I was seventeen, I was invited to my very first wedding, of my best friend's dad. I had only seen TV weddings and figured that since wedding dresses were pure white and very fancy, it would be okay for me to wear a super simple ivory tunic dress. Well, it turned out to be a very low-key (and beautiful!) wedding, and the bride's dress was almost as simple as mine. I felt horrified, but she took pity on how young and clueless I was and didn't make a big deal out of it.

Who is your personal literary hero/heroine?

Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables or Sunshine from Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

Make up a nail polish color that describes wealth.

[Sorry!]

You're going to get a tattoo of your favorite line from a book. What line did you choose?

"Too late, too late, too late; it had happened." -- The Ringed Castle, Dorothy Dunnett

You think you're on the perfect date, until your object of affection reveals something that's a deal breaker. What is it?

He doesn't read.

Favorite memory connected to food.

Discovering the hand-pulled noodles at Sheng Wang in Chinatown in New York, then going in my vintage 1920s dress after a book party and eating three plates of the things.

Surprise! You're a superhero. What are your powers and what does your costume look like?

I'm Nocturna-- I can sleep at will and make anyone else sleep with a touch of my magic sleep mask. Also, I can make them remember their dreams. I will be rocking a flannel onesie-- *not* skin-tight, thank
you very much.

You can raid the closet of one celebrity. Who is it and why?

Janelle Monae. Well, if we could add a couple of inches to the pants. Because I love me some women's suits, and she rocks them like no other.

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