Released. Finally.

Hap-py Release Day to Me! Hap-py Release Day to Me!

My release date.

Wow.

Kind of a cool coincidence that I get to post on my actual launch date, huh? I must say, these past two weeks have been the most stressful and exciting days of my life. Stressful because I desperately want my little book to do well, for readers to laugh and love Clare as much as I do. Exciting because this is something I've dreamed about for about a billion years.

So now that it's finally here, I'm hoping that I can enjoy the ride, no matter what bumps in the road may appear. This afternoon I'm going to celebrate by going out to lunch with my husband and visiting my book at Border's. Hopefully I won't start shrieking and flailing my arms around when I see it, but no promises.

Without further fan-fare here are my answers to this week's questions:

Question One: In A BUMP IN THE ROAD, Clare loves to watch and order products from infomercials. Have you ever ordered anything off of an infomercial? (Being tempted counts!)

YES. I believe my obsession with infomercials started when I begged my parents to buy me the Ron Popeil Food Dehydrator because I wanted to make my own fruit roll-ups. After much cajoling, they purchased it. It only took me about a week to figure out I had no desire to dehydrate ANYTHING or make my own beef jerky.

Name any infomercial and I've probably seen it and contemplated the purchase--the ShamWow, the Ron Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker, the Showtime Rotisserie Oven, the Flavorwave microwave oven, the Magic Bullet, that weird immersion blender. Granted, I haven't ordered any of these things, but it would bring me endless happiness to welcome them into my home.

Question Two: The book opens with Clare and her husband Jake being tortured on an airplane by a toddler sitting behind them. If you have kids, any funny stories about traveling with them? If not, who is the strangest person you've ever sat next to on an airplane?

Last summer, my husband and I took our first plane ride with our then-one-year-old. We prepared as well as we thought we could--except our flight was delayed by two hours and our supply of diapers in the carry-on quickly dwindled. And guess what? They don't sell diapers at airport drugstores. And guess what my son did two seconds before we boarded? Not funny at the time, but laughable now.

As far as strange people, nothing could beat my first plane ride to Las Vegas. My husband I were seated behind three very tool-like guys who had seen Swingers WAY too many times. They first tried to bring a case of beer on the flight, which was quickly denied by the flight attendant. After the seatbelt sign was turned off, they walked up and down the aisles, hitting on women and handing out business cards. Then, just before landing, two of them went into the bathroom to puke.

Question Three: As a famous blogger, Clare is often recognized in the public, usually right after she's spilled something on herself or the like. As an author, have you ever been recognized by a reader? Or have you ever seen a famous author in public?

Sadly, not yet. But if anyone does see me out, come say hi! Don't be shy--I'll probably say something really, really dumb and you'll wonder if I've experienced some kind of brain damage.

This weekend, I did meet a famous author--Jen Lancaster. I had a total fangirl moment as I told her about my book and tried to crack a few jokes. I don't think she laughed and probably wondered about the brain damage thing. But seriously, she was funny and cool and hilarious and I totally want to be BFFs with her.

Question Four: Clare's sister Sam, who's in high school, throws a party while their parents are out of town. Would you ever have dared to throw a party when your parents were gone? (No need to actually fess up...unless you want to!)

Yes, I would have thrown a party and yes, I did. And yes, I got caught. Which is why I spent much of my time in high school grounded.

Question Five: One of Clare's guilty pleasures is watching really bad (and thus awesome), cheesy Lifetime movies--especially ones starring Tori Spelling. What is your guilty pleasure movie?

Brain-draining reality television is probably my biggest guilty pleasure. Anything starring washed up actors or rock stars coupled with skanky alcoholic strippers and you can bet I'll be watching. I find these shows to be a kind of brain palate cleanser. They serve to reset my mental state when I'm fried over book revisions or the latest toddler meltdown apocalypse. And, if nothing else, I can feel just a smidge better about myself because I'm not crying over being dumped by Bret Michaels.

So that's it! Now go out and buy a copy of A BUMP IN THE ROAD!