The LG Report Interviews Carol, Author of "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines"

 Kids, 

LG doesn't want to belabor this point, so let's get right to it: Carol's book "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines"   is AWESOME!  The book is probably aimed mostly at women, but LG, as a man, read it from cover to cover and LOVED IT.  Order it now (click on the book's title above to bring you to the link, which will allow you to order it) and you will be very happy to have done so.

OK,  on to the next order of business, here's LG's interview with Carol.  Enjoy: 

______________________________________________________________

The LG Report:  Carol, thanks for stopping by today for this interview.  We know your schedule has been very busy since the publication of your fabulous new book and all of its attendant success.  We're glad to see that none of this has gone to your head.  By the way, would you please ask your three bodyguards to sit down now, they're making us nervous with those guns pointed at us. 

So, first question: How many of the incidents in this book were based on your real life on a scale of 0% to 100%?   100% being the highest, in case you're not good at math.

Famous Author Carol:  Sorry who are you again? Aren’t I supposed to be answering questions for Jay Leno? Ah well, never mind, you look nicer than him, but do please hurry up with the questions. I have a ten-fifteen slot with Oprah and CNN want me to front their news programme tonight because I have a nice British accent.

Now, question one – I have to be careful with this answer as I have made a major disclaimer in the front of the book that all the work and all of the characters are fictional so I can’t give away too much. Between you and me though, at least (cough, cough, cough) percent are true.

The LG Report:  Have you ever had a former lover contact you in real life and, if so, did you meet up with him?  Please provide salacious details, you know that nobody really reads The LG Report.

Famous Author Carol:  I’m guessing I can’t use the coughing answer again on this one. Yes, I have. In fact I have had three former boyfriends contact me on the internet but about a hundred years has gone by since we last met so it wouldn’t be wise to rekindle any relationship and meet up. I saw the photographs of one of them and I think he has had a sex change. He’s now called Toni with an ‘i’ instead of Tony and likes wearing bright pink lycra leggings. I have a horrible feeling that I might have caused some irreparable damage to him when we split up. Another is married to a wrestler, has four children and works as an accountant and the third is Todd Bradshaw!

The LG Report:  Why did you choose the title "Gone with the Wind" for your book?  Oh, wait, sorry, your book is "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines."  Sorry for the confusion, we had schedule an interview with Margaret Mitchell until we realized that she's dead.  So, back to your book, how did  you settle upon the title?

Famous Author Carol:  I needed something punchy that would convey the sense of fun in the book. I wrote out a list of about twenty titles and asked friends to choose their favourite title then ripped them all up and chose this one which came to me at three o’clock on the morning I needed to send my script to the publisher. My husband wanted me to call it ‘Fifty not Out’ But since there isn’t one reference to cricket I didn’t think that would work.

The LG Report:  Describe your writing process to us, but keep it non-boring if possible.  We're already getting sleepy and you haven't even started to speak...

Famous Author Carol:  My brain fires up, my fingers whir over the keyboard and after about fifteen hours during which time I forget to eat, cook, clean the house, or go to the bathroom my husband tells me off for ignoring him all day and complains that I am keeping him awake with the clatter of keyboard strokes. I then spend every night for the next three months in a sleepless fog, type all night and behave like a zombie housewife all day.

The LG Report:  How did your husband and son feel about their sort-of portrayal in the book?  Did they feel the portrayal was a betrayal?  We only asked that second question because it was a nifty rhyme, feel free to disregard if you don't like answering nonsensical questions.

Famous Author Carol:  Hubby refuses to read it. He’s frightened that I might have put something about him in it - as if I would!

Son loved it and made all his work colleagues buy a copy which he signed as ‘Tom’. By the way I love the nifty rhyming question – are you going to try that technique in your new insurance book.?

The LG Report:  What is J.K. Rowling like?  We assume you that famous female U.K.-based authoresses get together for tea all the time. 

Famous Author Carol:  She’s a very cool dude…hangs out with some strange sorts though – they seem to be mini Goths in cloaks - and she has a weird habit of bringing owls to the tearoom.

The LG Report:  You use a lot of words which American readers aren't familiar with, such as "chuffed," "chuntered" and "tannoy system" to name a few (they may not be spelled exactly correct, since LG doesn't have his copy of the book at the moment, Mrs. LG has it somewhere.)  We consider that part of the charm of the book.  There's not really a question here so let's try to make one anyway:  What's your favorite scene in the book?

Famous Author Carol:  Ah, the diversity of the British language! I find some of its words, like ‘chunter’, ‘snogging’ and ‘barmcake’ always make me smile. That isn’t really an answer, is it?

My favourite scene is the ending where beautiful, smart and enchanting Anna has an affair and ends up throwing herself under a train, all because Victorian society said it was OK for a man to cheat, but not a woman...hang on did I write that one?

Gosh, I can’t really answer the question because in truth I haven’t read Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines.

The LG Report:  Tell the truth now: Were you mentally picturing LG in your mind as the inspiration for Todd Bradshaw, the dreamy ex-boyfriend?  If you say "no" this interview will not get published, but feel free to answer truthfully.

Famous Author Carol:  If I answer yes, Mrs LG will come over here and practice her judo moves on me so I’m ‘taking the fifth’ on this question.

The LG Report:  Do you like to garden as much as Amanda Wilson, the main character in the book?  And, if so, have you won any prizes for gardening?  What's your favorite thing to grow?

Famous Author Carol:  (Splutters her chilled Chablis over the table at this question) I am to gardening what Lady Gaga is to modesty. I can’t tell the difference between a plant and a weed. As long as it produces some sort of colour it gets to live in my garden. The wild rabbits have sorted out the garden layout now though – it seems to consist of some grass and lots of holes.

The LG Report:  If you could now go back and change any one thing about the book, what would it be?

Famous Author Carol:  Phil would murder Amanda and run off with Todd.

The LG Report:  When the movie gets made, do you see LG starring in the role of Todd Bradshaw or would you prefer a close substitute for LG, say George Clooney or Brad Pitt? 

Famous Author Carol:  I think you would make a fabulous Todd: suntanned, worldly, engaging and very wealthy. As long as you can do your own stunts and wear tight Speedos I see no reason why you couldn’t play the role.

The LG Report:  What real-life actress do you envision playing Amanda Wilson?  We're thinking maybe Diane Lane or Meryl Streep.  Your thoughts?

Famous Author Carol:  I favour the actress who played Bridget Jones – Renee Zellweger or maybe we could ask Madonna to make another movie appearance. She’d look good in the thigh length boots and thong section. Hubby said Cameron Diaz because he rather likes her, so definitely not Cameron Diaz.

The LG Report:  Are you working on a sequel yet?  If not, another book?  If so, please give us a brief synopsis to whet our appetite and let us know when you expect that it will be released.  

Famous Author Carol:  The next book will be called Surfing in Stilettos.

Amanda will be back, along with her mother who has now discovered Skype and has set in the fashion industry with Grego and Spencer.  Their retro clothing is hitting Europe by storm, as is her mother who has taken partying to a whole new level.

There are some familiar characters and also new characters including Bibi, a French woman whose husband is having a string of affairs but who has a refreshing approach to his infidelity and ageing.

Amanda is enjoying her on-line life and is making many friends but behind all the frivolity, looming in the background, is a shadowy sinister figure who becomes obsessed with Amanda.

The LG Report: In your wildest dreams, while you were writing "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines," did you ever expect that you would achieve so much success as to be interviewed by The LG Report?  Be honest.

Famous Author Carol:  I really didn’t expect that I would shoot to such dizzy heights. Jay, I can’t tell you how much it has meant to be on your show. I have been a big fan of yours Mr Leno, for so long and to meet you in the flesh has been a privilege.

__________________________________________________________________________

So that's the interview. It would be really hard to explain how entertaining Carol's book and blog are, but you might get the drift. (click on this link to get to Carol's blog:  Facing50WithHumour)  It's all very fun and entertaining. and LG recommends that you check it out ASAP!  And come back again soon, we have some more fun stuff planned...