A Resort Chat w/ Joy Preble

The Book Resort is thrilled to have debut author, Joy Preble here to chat! Dreaming Anastasia is out today so hurry & grab a copy!


Ready? Let's go...


Me: What are you working on now (If you can give us a hint!)
JP: Actually, I’ve completed (well, almost) two other novels. The first one is set here in Texas and I’ve been calling a story of love, faith, football, and the redemptive powers of a plate of double pecan waffles and hash browns. The other is the comic misadventures of a girl whose parents run a bakery. Her life gets thrown into chaos by her parents’ separation and her own very disastrous love life. Plus there’s pastry. Lots of it. Beyond that, I’d love to do a sequel or two to Dreaming Anastasia. I have lots more in store for the Anne/Ethan love story. And of course there are some plot threads left open at the end of DA. Not the least of which is the aftermath of Anne getting so much power. Possibly things turn a little darker…

Me: Spiderman or Superman:
JP: Spidey. Definitely. All that “With great power comes great responsibility.” Yup.

Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl:
JP: Wonder Woman. I love it when she twirls!

Me: Chunky or Smooth:
JP: Smooth.

Me: Favorite flavor ice cream:
JP: Ben and Jerry’s Limited Edition Gingersnap. Oh my!

Me: Favorite ice cream topping:
JP: Hot fudge. Runner up: peanut butter

Me: Subway or Taxi:
JP: Taxi.

Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater:
JP: Well, both. But if forced to choose, Movie Theater.

Me: TiVo or DVR:
JP: DVR.

Me: Favorite vacation place:
JP: Pacific Northwest

Me: Next vacation place:
JP: Hoping that it will be Ireland

Me: Favorite NYC hotspot:
JP: Magnolia Bakery for their cupcakes? Or I am behind the trend?

Me: Guilty pleasure:
JP: TLC reality shows like the “The Little Couple” which is set here in Houston . I keep hoping to see those two one of these days!

Me: Good luck charm:
JP: My old BTVS charm that’s on my key chain

Me: When you were a little girl, you though you would grow up to be a...
JP: Actually, a veterinarian!

Me: Last thing bought at the mall:
JP: A bottle of truffle oil at Oil and Vinegar and something pink at Victoria Secret. Okay, that all sounds a tad odd…

Me: Item on your grocery list:
JP: Diet ginger ale. Cascade detergent. Yes, boring.

Me: French fries or onion rings:
JP: O rings. Especially those really thin ones they make into an onion ring loaf.

Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago:
JP: Hands down, Chicago . Specifically, sausage pizza at Gino’s East (seriously – a blanket of sausage; it’s outrageous) and tomato, cheese and fresh garlic at Lou Malnati’s.

Me: Midnight Snack:
JP: Don’t usually have one, but if I did, it would be left over Chinese.

Me: Bookmark or dog ear:
JP: Shhh…. Dog ear.

Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?
JP: Keep it on and use as bookmark so I don’t dog ear!

Me: Ocean, lake, desert, or mountain:
JP: Ocean

Me: Favorite book:
JP: If forced to pick one – A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Me: Item you can’t live without:
JP: My Chi flat iron.

Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people never heard of?
JP: Laurie Colwin, who died suddenly in 1992 of heart failure at only 48, in the middle of her career. She wrote amazing books and stories such as Shine on, Bright and Dangerous Object and “Happy All The Time.”

Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?
JP: My favorite mentioned above, A Wrinkle in Time really sparked my love of fantasy. And I did appreciate Judy Blume’s candor about sex in Forever. It was a revelation of a novel in some ways – a committed teen couple who had sex safely and later broke up and didn’t suffer because of it. I remember admiring her for putting that out there. I always felt it balanced out things like Scarlet Letter and that red A, which I hated in high school, but did actually enjoy in college because there was a sort of sly humor under there in spots.

Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed – coffee shop – an office?)
JP: I like working at Starbucks but usually I’m in my office I share with my husband.

Me: Describe your ideal place to write:
JP: Ideally, I’d be in a sparsely populated coffee shop. Realistically, I can write almost anywhere. And I have.

Me: What are you reading @ the moment?
JP: I’m finishing Sydney Salter’s debut YA, My Big Nose and other Natural Disasters. I’m really loving Jory Michaels!

Me: Where do you usually read?
JP: Outside on the back porch unless it’s too cold. As this is Texas , that rarely happens.

Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
JP: Yes. My nightstand is packed.

Me: Do you read nonfiction in a different way than you read fiction?
JP: Yes! I often don’t read non-fiction in any linear order. I just flip around for awhile and find snippets I like.

Quick! Grab your copy of Dreaming Anastasia !

Go on over & show Joy some reader love @ Joy Preble!

The Book Resort is giving away a copy of Dreaming Anastasia here!