I have been told readers like to know something about the authors they read. Since I am not stalked by paparazzi, I decided to tackle a questionnaire that came my way—aimed at revealing a little about the responder. If nothing else, it was something to do while eating cherry vanilla ice cream.
1. One of your scars, how did you get it?
I was hit on the head with a big rock. I was told it was an accident.
2. Do you snore, grind your teeth, or talk in your sleep?
You tell me.
3. What type of music do you listen to?
Music with words.
4. What do you want more than anything right now?
To know what question 50 will be.
5. What do you miss?
The Brooklyn Dodgers and holding hands.
6. What are your most prized possessions?
All of the teeth I have left.
7. Do you get claustrophobic?
Only in very tight spaces.
8. Do you get scared in the dark?
No. It’s what I can see that scares me sometimes.
9. What is your worst fear?
That I won’t get it all done.
10. How would you describe your ideal match?
Happy.
11. Coffee or energy drink?
Coffee.
12. Favorite pizza topping?
Italian sausage from Faicco’s on Bleecker Street.
13. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Cherry vanilla ice cream (and I am eating it right now).
14. Have you ever eaten a goldfish?
I hope not.
15. What was the first meaningful gift you ever received?
A sense of humor.
16. Are you double-jointed?
No, but I can bat from both sides of the plate.
17. If you could go anywhere on earth, right now, where would it be?
The Mediterranean.
18. What time did you go to bed last night?
Too late.
19. What’s one thing you have done that you never told your parents?
I spent three days in jail, once.
20. What is the best subject to learn about?
Trust.
21. Blondes or brunettes?
Okay.
22. Favorite quote?
You’re going to need a bigger boat.
23. Favorite place?
Atlantic Coast.
24. Your weaknesses?
Caffeine and nicotine.
25. Ever made a prank phone call?
Not yet. What’s your phone number?
26. What were you doing before you began filling out this questionnaire?
Putting cherry vanilla ice cream into a bowl.
27. What do you get complimented most about?
My writing. My wit. My witty writing.
28. Have you ever had braces?
Yes, so what?
29. What do you want for your birthday?
Another year.
30. Were you named after anyone?
My paternal grandfather, Giuseppe.
31. What is the biggest turn off of the opposite sex?
Trying too hard to be opposite.
32. What did you like most about high school?
Weekends and summers.
33. What kind of shampoo do you use?
Who cares?
34. Any bad habits?
Some, but only potentially harmful to myself.
35. Jealous person?
Have been, a bad habit I have managed to break.
36. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
I’d give it my best shot.
37. Do looks matter?
Unfortunately.
38. How do you release anger?
If you make me angry, I’ll show you.
39. Snow?
No.
40. What was your favorite toy as a child?
A ball.
41. What do you look for in a guy?
I am a guy, so I look for a brother.
42. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Guess.
43. Plans for tonight?
Try to get through the rest of these questions.
44. Have you ever really and truly had a best friend?
I have really good friends, I don’t rank them.
45. Favorite restaurant?
It closed.
46. Hair color?
The color formally known as brown.
47. Republican or Democrat?
Russian-Italian-American.
48. Do you have all of your fingers and toes?
Last time I checked.
49. What book are you reading now?
The book I am writing.
50. Have you been a writer your entire life?
Not yet.
J.L. Abramo was born and raised in the seaside paradise of Brooklyn, NY on Raymond Chandler’s fifty-ninth birth-day.
A long-time journalist, educator and theatre artist, Abramo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Education at The City College of The City University New York and a Master’s Degree in Social Psychology from The University of Cincinnati.
Abramo is the author of Catching Water in a Net, winner of the St. Martin’s Press/Private Eye Writers of America prize for Best First Private Eye Novel; the subsequent Jake Diamond Novels: Clutching at Straws, Counting to Infinity and Circling the Runway (Shamus Award Winner); Chasing Charlie Chan, a prequel to the Jake Diamond series; and the crime novels Gravesend, Brooklyn Justice and Coney Island Avenue.
His new novel, American History, an epic generational saga, is published on September 3rd.