I’d like to welcome my friend, Paula Charles, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Reading. I devour books like their sustenance!

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Dusting. When I was growing up, my sisters and I had to dust the house every weekend. Now I do it so rarely it’s embarrassing.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Coffee, cottage cheese, and ice cream!

Things you never put on your shopping list: Mangos! I know that’s strange, but I can’t stand the taste of them!

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: Probably my personal neck fan. It’s literally cooling and perfect for me since I don’t tolerate heat well.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: I once ordered a pair of shoes online that we’re supposed to be Earth brand shoes. They took MONTHS to come and when I finally got them, they were definitely not Earth brand, and smelled like chemicals so badly that I took them right out to the garbage.

Something you’re really good at: Really good might be a stretch, but I’m a decent baker. Being gluten-free with a ton of food allergies makes it a bit more challenging, but most people are shocked my stuff is gluten-free when they try it.

Something you’re really bad at: Singing. Believe me, you don’t want me joining your local choir.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: I loved books about horses when I was a kid—fiction, nonfiction. It didn’t matter. I always dreamed that I was going to have a ranch in Kentucky raising racehorses. All the fields would be surrounded in white fencing.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Write books! I’ve always been a voracious reader, but never thought I would actually be someone writing the books!

Last best thing you ate: Those yummy twice baked potatoes my husband made on New Year’s Eve.

Last thing you regret eating: That delicious prime rib he made, as well. It was really good but my stomach is still rebelling at the red meat!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: We used to white water raft all the time. Had our own rafts and floated rivers in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Idaho. Super fun and what makes it daring for me is that I can’t swim!

Something you chickened out from doing: Jumping off the cliff into the river when everyone else was doing it.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: There’s a whole lot of exciting about this writing gig, but one of the best things is seeing and hearing readers talking and posting about how much they enjoyed my books. It just seems so crazy to me that people willing spend some of their precious time reading my books!

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Just get started sooner and not spend so many years thinking about it but not doing it.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I loved your book so much that I bought a copy for my sister for Christmas!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I really enjoyed your books, and I usually don’t like women writers.” (I think I said this the last time I visited, but it still remains the craziest thing a reader has said to me – and it was my father-in-law! LOL)

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Get up from your desk and go for a walk. Just get outside or go somewhere you can people watch and get a new perspective. Once I put the book out of my mind, the solution to whatever is blocking the flow of words usually presents itself.

Things you do to avoid writing: House chores – sweep, vacuum, laundry, dishes, etc. And of course, get distracted scrolling through social media!

About Paula:

When Paula Charles isn’t writing, you can find her reading and contemplating murder under the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of the Hometown Hardware Mysteries, as well as the Zen Goat Mysteries written as Janna Rollins. Paula is a member of Sisters in Crime, the national chapter, the Guppies, and the Columbia River chapter. Her debut novel, Hammers and Homicide, was featured in Woman’s World. She lives in Washington state with her extremely patient husband and a gaggle of furry and feathered creatures.

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