5×5 With The Hook: Chiara Mazzucco of The Indie Chicks.

WAKE UP, YOU SLACKERS! IT’S MONDAY!!!

Now that I have your attention…

Our guest today is Chiara Mazzucco, CEO/ Editor-in-Chief of TheIndieChicks.com  and as such, she is one of the hardest working gals in the cyber-scribe business. But work ethic aside, she has her whimsical side as well:

How’s that for a Monday morning ice-breaker? If you’re not smiling/chuckling/giggling/shooting milk out of your nose right now, you’re in serious need of some tension relief, my friend. But that’s your problem, I’m afraid. As your host and guide mine is not to question why, but rather to direct you to the highlights of my subject’s careers.

So here we go. Chiara is…

• An ass-kicker extraordinaire. The Indie Chicks have carved out a name for themselves both virtually and in print form and Chiara is a big part of that success.
  
• Helpful.   5 Signs You’re About to Get Dumped.
• A published author.
• Investigative.  Undercover On @Tinder: What You Need to Know
• Wanted in several countries for assault with a deadly weapon (specifically, rolled-up copies of The Indie Chicks magazine). But to be clear, those nuns, Highlander fans, and frats boys had it coming.
• Vloggy, even!

At her core, Chiara is a born leader, a transcendent writer, a fearless fangirl, a magazine mogul-in-the-making, a hopeless romantic and a lovable fool. And to top it all off, she’s damn easy on the eyes.

And now, my friends, she’s in charge. Enjoy.

1)  What is your favorite guilty pleasure, fashion-wise?

   I was really looking forward to answering this with gummy bears, Nutella, chocolate and teen TV dramas, but then I realized it was fashion. I’m a wife-beater and ripped jeans kind of girl. I jazz it up with leather boots and leather jackets, but what I would really love to live in would be leg warmers – with every outfit. Like, with jean shorts, with a little black dress, with speedos… Something about the security they give my calves, I guess.

2)  Do you like toast? If so, how do you top it?  (Yes, this is a two-part question, get over it!)

   Toast, along with coffee and Nutella, has kept me alive most of my blogger life. When rudely interrupted by an unfed tummy, plain toast between my teeth has really done the job. When it’s an emergency situation, like I’m on a deadline, I eat it plain. When it’s a treat, like I’m on hold or waiting for someone to join a conference call, I either top it with Nutella or honey – never both. My grandma used to feed it to me with butter and raw sugar when I was a kid. Crazy Italian Nonna… This may or may not explain my dependency on sugar.

3)  What’s the best thing about being Chiara?

   The best thing about me is the fact I learn quickly. I learn tasks, industries, themes, and people, all quickly. It’s partly the geek in me, but mostly my annoying, control-freak-driven, competitive nature.

   I taught myself to build websites, so that puts food on the table. I taught myself to design magazines, so I don’t have to pay someone money to do it for me. My first go at it has landed our publication in major retailers.

   I am very proud of myself.

(As you should be!)

4)  Who is your favorite Once Upon a Time character?  (My daughter swears by the show because of the large number of empowered female characters, so I figured great minds, and all that.)

   I love the ladies on OUAT, however, my favorite is Rumpelstiltskin – both as Rumpel, and as Mr.Gold. I somehow identify with the innate hunger for power and the equally potent need to find balance and make amends. And Regina is a close second – Emma and Snow would be too obvious.

5)  Buffy Summers once said, “The hardest thing about this world is living in it”. (Yes, I’m a nerd. So what?) Where is your happy place that you retreat to when the world gets too dark for your liking, Chiara?

   First of all, anyone who quotes Buffy Summers is automatically on my list of favorite people, ever. …Hm, I don’t have a happy place; I have many happy places, depending on what turned off the lights. When I’m exhausted from work demands, I tend to turn off and disappear into a marathon series on Netflix.

   If it’s personal, I disappear into work. If it’s health related, believe it or not, I disappear into the gym. And finally, if I just need a break from myself, I disappear into the arms of my girlfriends. Nothing is guaranteed to make you happy always. It’s best to spread those seeds and find a refuge that’s a little more fitting for whatever brought on the darkness! 

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And on that uplifting note, I must leave you to face the start of a new week, my friends. My thanks to the lovely, witty and immensely gifted Chiara for kicking the week off with a bang. You’re the best, babe.

See you in the lobby, kids…