Today, I thought it would be fun for everyone to meet the heroine of my book, A Taste of Magic. Every now and then, Liz will be popping in to blog for me, as well as a few of her relatives and friends. She’s a little nervous, so we’re going to start off with a simple Q & A:

Tracy: “Hi, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for stopping in. You have a birthday coming up, right? Any special plans to celebrate?”

Liz: “Plans? Um. Sure, if baking my ex’s wedding cake for his wedding to the barely-legal blonde bimbette he left me for counts as a plan. Oh. Gee, I probably shouldn’t have said that, huh? The bimbette part. Can you take it out? I mean, I’m not even sure if that’s a real word.” 

And then, in a whisper: “Even if it fits…”

Tracy: ”That’s a little strange, isn’t it? How did you get talked into baking your ex’s wedding cake?”

Liz: “I own a bakery called A Taste of Magic, and the order came in via a wedding planner. My partner accepted the order and we didn’t realize who it was for until it was too late to pass on the job. Which really bites. And not in a good way, like the hunky vampires from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but in a really bad, this totally sucks sort of way. You know?”  

Tracy: “Wow, that does bite. But I’m sure you have great memories from past birthdays you can use to get through this one, right? What did you do last year to celebrate?”

Liz: ”Let me think. Oh yeah, now I remember. Last year on my birthday was when Marc (my ex) told me about the barely-legal blonde bimbette. He moved out that night.”

A pause.

Liz: “Crap. I said bimbette again, didn’t I? Great. Just great.” 

Tracy: “Maybe we should move on to another topic. What do you like to do in your free time? Anything fun and exciting?”

Liz: ”Well–hmm. The last year has been kind of difficult, so things have changed a little. When I’m not at the bakery, I’m either with my friend Maddie, with my family, or at home. Oh! I like crafts. Maybe like isn’t exactly the right word. I buy crafts and I start them and they’re all over my apartment.”

Tracy: ”That sounds great! I love people who have the knack to decorate their homes with things they’ve made themselves. What sort of crafts? Pottery? Paintings? I bet they’re gorgeous!” 

Liz: *mumble* unicorn *mumble* by number *mumble*

Tracy: “I didn’t quite catch that, could you speak a little louder?”

Liz: ”What is this, an inquisition? I’ve been adjusting. Or trying to. That’s all. So what if I’ve bought unicorn latch hook rugs and paint by number kits? Maybe a few too many, like dozens, but it’s all good, right? I mean, they keep me busy. Sort of. Though, I haven’t actually finished one yet…”

A pause.

Liz: “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

Tracy: “No. Of course it isn’t. Latch hook rugs are very–youthful. This isn’t going as well as I’d hoped, Liz. Are you feeling okay today?”

Liz: “I don’t know. I just keep waiting for life to start again, you know? I miss dating. I miss men. And sex? I barely remember what that is at this point. At least with a real live person.”

Another pause while her face turns beet red.

Liz: “Um…just to clarify? I’m not talking about people who aren’t living. I’m talking about…you know. Toys.”

Tracy: “Toys?”

Thinks for a minute.

Tracy: “OH! Toys! I see. What kind of toys? Do you have any favorites?”

Liz: “Kind of a personal question there, don’t you think? My toy buying habits are not up for pubic discussion, thank you very much.”

Tracy: “Well, actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you. They sort of are, but we can talk about that later.”

Laughs at the expression on Liz’s face.

Tracy: “It was great seeing you again! Thank you for coming by, and I’m sorry life has been so tough lately. But I have a feeling things are going to change for you really soon. Like magic.”

Liz: “I hope you’re right. I could use a little magic in my life. Wouldn’t it be great to wish for things and have them come true? I can think of a lot of things I’d wish for.”

Tracy: “Okay, just one more quick question because you’ve piqued my curiosity. What would you wish for?”

Liz: “You know what? I think I’ll keep that to myself too. At least for now. I’m sure you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks. You’re good at that, aren’t you? Making stuff up?”

Tracy: ”I am good at that. In fact, I’ll have one more chance to make changes to the book. How much do you really want that happy ending? Hmm?”

Liz, looking at her watch: “I really have to run now. Great seeing you!”

Tracy: “Uh-huh, that’s what I thought. Bye, Liz!”

That wraps up the rather strange discussion I had with myself…er…Elizabeth earlier today. She’ll be back around to blog about what’s on her mind when I’m out of mine. I hope you enjoyed the peek!