5×5 With The Hook: Vanessa-Jane Chapman

You’re in for a real treat this week, guys ‘n gals.

Vanessa-Jane Chapman has gone above and beyond in the interest of friendship and better living through better blogging. Click on her awe-inspiring, soul-delighting, mind-blowing blog and you’ll be amazed to be in her presence. As they say, she does it all, kids, from writing to acting to baking to educating young whippersnappers. I get exhausted just reading about her accomplishments, never mind how she feels! In short, she is larger than life and twice as real, hence the many myths surrounding her existence – which I swear I didn’t just manufacture.

VJC MYTH #1:  She once beat a critic with a dead cat.

TRUTH:  The cat wasn’t dead. VJC MYTH #2:  Her blood is so potent it contains the cure to every disease known to man.

TRUTH:  She doesn’t actually have blood in her veins, but rather, a substance akin to ambrosia that is considered to powerful human consumption.

But enough of my banter. After all, you’re here for some Q & A, right? So let’s start the show, kiddies….

1) Popcorn: Delicious treat or cruel trap set by money-grabbing dentists?

 

  Oh delicious treat definitely. I like mine with tooth-friendly melted butter and sea salt. I have a funny popcorn story – years ago, for a joke, my ex told me that there are only four possible different shapes that popcorn can pop into. I totally believed him and every time I had popcorn after that I would compare the shapes. Literally about five years later I finally said, “You know, I think you’re wrong about the popcorn shapes, I’m sure there are more than four.” He had no clue what I was talking about, it had been so long he had completely forgotten he’d ever said it! Gullible? Me?!

 

2) Writers seem to be overly critical of their own work but they have little difficulty heaping praise on others; who is currently your favorite author?

 

  I’m studying for a Masters degree, so my reading at the moment is all of the academic variety. But I will take this opportunity to give a shout-out to Lorinda J. Taylor. This self-published author (self-published through choice, not rejection) writes sci-fi/fantasy books that deserve a cult following, they really do (giant intelligent termites anyone?). I’m not usually a sci-fi fan, but I read her disturbing and thought-provoking novella, “Monster is in the Eye of the Beholder” in one sitting, and was hooked; it’s not a book you forget in a hurry. Here I am with a couple of her other books:

 

 

 And to give you a taste, here is a quote from one of them, The Labors of Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head:

 “The smallest nymph or the oldest Warrior, or the most weak-minded Dung Carrier is treated with equal dignity and in death with equal grief. When an individual breaks this instinctive order, as the Unnatural Alate did, putting his own gain above all others’ good, the whole fortress must come together to rectify the crime.”

 

 

3) Favorite guilty pleasure: Music?

 

  All the cheesiest 80s tunes; they represent my teenage years. Plus songs from musicals, especially South Pacific and Bugsy Malone. Hang on, I’m going to put some on and have a little sing and dance right now, I’ll be back in a sec…

 

4) The world is currently fascinated with celebrity meltdowns, but who is a celebrity you feel deserves more credit for being a positive force in the world?

 

  I’m going to go for someone that most people probably haven’t heard of – Richard Saunders. He’s an Australian skeptic who writes and presents on television and radio, researching various claims by testing them with science. A lot of problems in the world are caused by ignorance, or by people simply believing what is presented to them without question. I therefore feel that someone whose mission is to make people stop and think and question, rather than just accept, is a positive force in the world. He’s also a professional origamist, how awesome is that!

 

 

5) As a bellman I’m fascinated by the whole concept of travel. Name the best aspect of travel, in your opinion.

 

  Taking time out from my everyday life and immersing myself in a completely different world, just for a short time. I can’t understand people who travel and then spend their time away seeking out familiar things from home, such as food. Experiencing things I don’t experience at home is what it’s all about for me. That, and the local beer…

 Told you she was a goddess amongst mortals. Shame on you disbelievers out there.

I think we all need to take some time to process VJC’s greatness, so let’s break for lunch, shall we?

Talk to you soon, folks.