Guest Author & A Giveaway: Erica Ridley

Ladies (and Gentlem..en?) I can’t believe it’s September. Really really can’t. I need a pause button on life. I hope I’m not wrong in this but I met Erica Ridley for the first time in person this past July. She’s super fun, and when I grabbed her online I was like “you should guest here!” and since Erica is supergreat, she was like “okay I’m game!” And we emailed about Sir Arthur. (Who doesn’t exist?) So anyway, Erica decided to go with an author interview – and these are my questions and her answers! Enjoy!

Erica RidleyWhich celebrity is your “spirit animal?” Why?
I’m actually a total fail at recognizing/knowing celebrities. I have virtually never watched cable television, and I live in Costa Rica, which means the magazines in the checkout aisle are not your usual fare. So I’m going to go with Jane Austen on this one. Not because she’s still the most famous author in my genre, 200 years later, but because she wrote what she wanted and how she wanted. I hope I can always say the same.

Baby Erica Wonder WomanWhat would your superhero name be? And your super power? Now… what if you were an anti hero? What would your “anti super hero power” be?
My superhero name would be Diana Prince, because I have been a Wonder Woman nerd since I was two years old. (See: photo evidence.) An invisible jet would come in handy, but if I could have any super power, it would be the ability to pause time. If I need to choose a different super power for myself as an anti-hero, then I have to do mind control. As a hero, I find overriding free will reprehensible, but as an anti-hero… you gotta do what you gotta do.

You have to listen to the same song to 72 hours, or your family gets it. What song do you choose to listen to on repeat?
I’m pretty sure I actually did this when I was younger, back in my mixtape days. Hmm. After 72 hours of the same song, I would probably never listen to it again, but I have to go with one I love: “A Charming Spell” by Splashdown. The first time I heard that song, I was trying to park my car and I sat there with the engine running until the song was over.

What is one question you always wish as an author people would ask but nobody ever does?
“Here, would you like some free money?” I jest. (But like many authors, I’ve had book advances that were on par with a single month’s salary–and had to last an entire year.) A question I would personally love to ask other authors is, “What would you write if you didn’t have to worry about the market/money?” But don’t ask me that one. That’s what pseudonyms are for! 😉

The Brigadier's Runaway BrideWhat’s the most unique/strange silly skill your possess?
I always thought it was juggling, but since moving to Costa Rica, I’ve meet a statistically improbable number of other people who can juggle, so I have to scratch that off the list. Maybe yodeling? I haven’t met many people who (admit to) being able to yodel. If that’s not quite a nerdy enough answer, I also used to have contests with a coworker to see who could solve a Rubik’s cube the fastest.

What was the first concert you ever went to? Who did you go with? And – if they were (or are) still around – would you go again? 😀
I went to a hair metal concert, I believe, back in grade school. With my aunt. And I would absolutely go again. I love concerts, and would see anyone I liked, regardless of how long the band has been around. I saw Tommy James & the Shondells a few years back and those guys had more energy than I did.

What is the naughtiest thing you have done in school? At your job? At a conference?
Naughtiest thing I ever did in school was probably leave it to go play pool with my best friend during what was supposed to be an art class. (It was the period right after lunch, and our teacher didn’t believe in taking attendance.) At my job… probably lunch hours surfing Napster, before I understood how bad that really was. At a conference, I can’t think of anything naughty. Am I old now? Are my naughty days behind me??

The Major's Faux FianceeIf you were a cartoon, which one would you prefer being? Why?
I would like to be Sherman, so I could get to hang out with Mr. Peabody and travel in the way-back machine.

Would you rather be bitten by a radioactive spider or a vampire? Why?
Going by traditional novel/comic lore, radioactive spider all the way, baby. I would much rather have superpowers in this lifetime than to be saddled with bloodlust and sun-aversion for the rest of eternity.

If you were a serial killer, who would be your target? And what would be your M.O.?
If I were a serial killer, I’d have to be like Dexter and target monsters even worse than me. I wouldn’t take anything from the victims or leave anything behind at the crime scene–I’ve read enough mysteries to know that’s the fastest way to get caught!

Hostile alien invasion, or zombie apocalypse? Which one do you think is more likely to happen? Which one is scarier?
More likely, alien invasion. Scarier… man, that’s a tough call. Zombies, maybe, not because they’re the bigger threat, but because it would be too mind-blowing to wrap my head around, and I’d spend the whole time unsure if it was actually happening or if I’d just gone off my rockers. Aliens are ostensibly scarier, since they can do to us all the experiments we’ve done to other insects and animals—or worse. But I can conceptualize that. Doubting my own sanity would be the scariest thing of all.

The Captian's Bluestocking MistressIf you could switch places with someone for 72 hours, whose life would you want to live?
If I would be ghosting them (ie they would still be controlling their body and I’d just be along for the ride) then I’d like to experience what it’s like to be a daredevil, one of those people who does crazy parkour tricks or rides a one-wheeled mountain bike across the mouth of hell with his GoPro strapped to his forehead. I love seeing those videos, but there’s no way I’d do it in real life.

What TV show do you wish was still on the air?
“The Finder.” I think it only lasted for one season, but I liked the oddball characters (even if I wanted to shake them) coming together to solve crimes/mysteries in a quirky way.

What two movies from different genres would you most like to see combined in a mash up?
That reminds me of the time Netflix offered up “Zombie Strippers!” on its recently added queue. My reaction was “WHAT. EVEN.” but of course I had to watch it. If you’re curious, it’s ranked 4/10 on imdb—likely because the mashup doesn’t appeal to aficionados of either genre. Of course, in this question’s hypothetical situation, the only person who has to watch the mashup is me (and we’ve already established I have no taste) so… Titanic, featuring Gremlins. Tagline: “Shit goes down as the ship goes down.” Can we please make this happen??

The Earl's Defiant WallflowerWhich fairy tale would you most like to be in? least? Why? And which character would you be?
Hansel and Gretel, as the witch. Not because I have any interest in eating children (I’m a vegetarian) but I can’t say no to living in a house made of candy. I would least like to be Scheherazade in “One Thousand and One Nights.” I like making up stories, but man. That’s a lot of pressure.

What is your secret plan for world domination?
If I tell you, it won’t be secret! 😉

Hee! So what questions do you have for Erica? And now you know it’s a GA&AG so … there will be some sort of giveaway, but it’s too early for me to have things figured out and I’ll add that. RIGHT? WHEE!

ETA: This was scheduled to go live on September 1 but something clearly went terribly wrong and I was away so let’s just play nice with time bending please, shall we? Thanks all. Xxoo

12 thoughts on “Guest Author & A Giveaway: Erica Ridley

  1. ki pha

    Hey Erica, it’s great to see you here. Now I definitely can say I got to know you a bit better than I already do from FB.and reading your books.

    So, how does it feel it when another author is a fan of your books?

    Reply
    1. Erica Ridley

      It’s always a little amazing to me every time I meet fans–I always feel a little like Sally Field accepting her Oscar. (“You like me!!!”) Having another author love my books leaves me grinning for days!

      Reply
    1. Erica Ridley

      Right?? I had heard it was based on a series of books, which at first sounded like the perfect solution to getting my Finder fix… but it turns out it’s a “series” of just two books, not the omnibus I was hoping for. Boo.

      Reply
    1. Erica Ridley

      Most of my historical romances are England-based and Regency-set. However, I also enjoy Victorian, Medieval, and the Flappers-era 1920s. I’ve never published anything set in the 20s, but I would love to someday. I have more than one secret manuscript floating around my hard drive waiting for that day! 😉

      Reply
    1. Erica Ridley

      Chicago-style packed with veggies and cheese! Crap, I just made myself sooo hungry…. and I’m about 3500 miles from the closest Chicagoland pizzeria. Is it wrong to use frequent flyer miles to visit food?

      Reply

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