The Proust Questionnaire, popularized by the French essayist and novelist Marcel Proust, is said to reveal a person’s true nature through a series of probing, soul-searching questions. In the hot seat today: K.A. REYNOLDS, MG author of the HarperCollins fantasies, THE LAND OF YESTERDAY (2018) and THE SPINNER OF DREAMS (2019).
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Standing in the middle of nature in a shaft of warm sunlight, face up, eyes closed, smiling.
What is your greatest fear? The death of my child.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? My fear.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? A lack of empathy.
Which living person do you most admire? Every unknown person who suffered unbelievable violence and survived.
What is your greatest extravagance? Anything not directly related to my family’s daily essential needs is an extravagance. But, when I have a little money for me, I sure do love shoes.
What is your current state of mind? Dreaming.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Pride.
On what occasion do you lie? I try REALLY hard not to lie because as a teen, I used to lie—a lot. But if a white lie will protect someone’s feelings, I’ve been known to shelter them from a storm.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Just. So. Like. Um.
Besides writing, which talent would you most like to have? The talent to save the world.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Not. Giving. Up.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A better version of myself—a Kristin who learned from her struggles and trials and returned strong enough to survive the new lessons to come.
What is your most treasured possession? My Thumbelina doll, which, after too many disasters to count, is only one of two things not lost from my childhood.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Seeing no way out.
What do you most value in your friends? Understanding.
Who are your favorite writers? Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Haruki Murakami. J. K. Rowling. Laini Taylor. Hayley Chewins. Rimbaud. Rumi. Hafiz. Shakespeare. Kundera.
Who is your hero of fiction? Harry Potter.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? The ones you’ve never heard of.
What is your motto? “Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.” – Rumi
K.A. REYNOLDS is a poet and author from Winnipeg, Canada, currently residing in the wilds of Maine. Her superpowers include daydreaming, smiling, and saving spiders from certain peril. When not typing, hiking, or caring for the elderly, she enjoys swapping bad jokes with her numerous offspring, herding various furry beasts, and reading strange and colorful tales expertly crafted by other imagination astronauts in love with words. Learn more about K.A. on her website, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. 
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