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: Wendy McLeod MacKnight, MG author of It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books).
What is your idea of perfect happiness? A blue sky, a good book, and my family!
What is your greatest fear? Something happening to the people I love.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I am such a procrastinator!
What is the trait you most deplore in others? The embracing of ignorance. There are lots of things I don’t know, but I try not to revel in that!
Which living person do you most admire? Greta Thurnberg. She is making me a better person.
What is your greatest extravagance? Books and champagne.
What is your current state of mind? Frantic, because of the new book. And excited!
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Temperance. Definitely temperance.
On what occasion do you lie? What makes you think I lie????
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Honestly.
Besides writing, which talent would you most like to have? I’d want to be a stand-up comic.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? My children and my snappy comebacks.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Me again, and try to get it right this time!
What is your most treasured possession? My ancestors’ letters and photographs.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Loneliness.
What do you most value in your friends? A sense of humor, their adoration, and good looks. <Um, Wendy…? This is why we are friends 🙂 — M.R. >
Who are your favorite writers? Philip Pullman and Charles Dickens. I think Jason Reynolds is pretty swell.
Who is your hero of fiction? Aunt March in Little Women. Sure, she was a curmudgeon, but her money got a lot of things done!
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Jan Brady. She never got her due.
What is your motto? “Never Give Up! Never Surrender!!!” (Shout out to fellow Galaxy Quest peeps!) And: “Everything is improved with chocolate and cheese.”
WENDY McLEOD MacKNIGHT grew up in a small town with a library card as her most prized possession. She worked for the Government of New Brunswick for 25 years until the siren call of writing became impossible to ignore. She is the author of three middle-grade novels: It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up (a fantasy that asks “What if every original piece of art is actually alive?”) and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books). In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Learn more about Wendy on her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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