Episode 5: Conversations over Milk & Cookies - Beem Weeks
Welcome to Episode 5 of Conversations over Milk & Cookies hosted by Kindle Ninja.
What is this madness, you ask?
It's my way of supporting authors and writers from the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB. For the entire month of April, I will be featuring the fine women and men that make up the Board of RRBC.
We interact with them everyday, directly through tweets, or indirectly through re-tweets, but we don't really know much about them. Their personalities really don't shine through in tweets and re-tweets.
In Episode 2, RRBC Spotlight and Incentives Coordinator TERI GARRINGER (@TeriGarringer) bares her funny side in 26 Questions.
In Episode 3, RRBC Membership Director KATHRYN TREAT (@KathrynCTreat) lets her hair down and plays the game of 24 Questions.
In Episode 4, RRBC Hospitality Director LEISL KABERRY (@Lawfabex) takes a 10-min break from writing to answer strange questions.
For Episode 5, RRBC Reviews Co-ordinator BEEM WEEKS (@BeemWeeks) takes a break from Googling himself to answer 26 Questions.
Let's get to know Beem in more than 140 characters, shall we?
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+No ninjas were hurt in making this episode.
KINDLE NINJA (KN): Welcome to Conversations over Milk and Cookies. How do you like your cookies?
Chewy? Crunchy? Crumbly? Something else?
That depends on my mood. Sometimes crunchy,
sometimes chewy. Fresh-baked and still warm are the best!
Do you think dunking
Oreos in a glass of milk is manly?
Yes indeed. They just go together so well.
Dunking Oreos can transport a person back to childhood!
What’s the hardest part
of being the Rave Reviews Book Club Reviews Co-ordinator?
It’s really a simple job. I collect the names
of members posting reviews, find out where they’ve posted them, make note of
which book they’ve reviewed, and log the info in my file.
You have quite a number
of social media accounts / personalities.
Who am I talking to right now?
You are talking to Beem Weeks. I only have two
social media personalities: Beem Weeks, and @voiceofindie on Twitter. Beem
Weeks is me, the man, the author. @voiceofindie is me as well, the voice I use
to support indie authors, musicians, and artists on Twitter.
When you said you are
40-something, did you really mean 49?
No. I just turned 47 in March. I use the term
40-something so I don’t have to change my age every year on all the author
sites of which I partake.
If your novel “Jazz Baby” is made into a movie, which actors/actresses would play the main
characters?
Wow! That’s a great question. I saw the movie Hick last year, which starred Chloe
Grace Moretz. Based on that performance, she’d have been perfect to play Emily
Ann “Baby” Teegarten. I could imagine Dakota Fanning as well—many years ago. I
think it would probably have to be an unknown actress at this point. For the
other characters, well, I could see Matthew McConoughey as Tanyon Thibbedeaux.
I think Christian Bale would make a great Frank Rydekker. Gwyneth Paltrow might
be a good fit to portray Aunt Frannie. As for the other main characters, I’d
really need more time to consider the possible candidates.
And who will direct it?
In a perfect world, it would be either Louis
Malle or Francois Truffaut. But since those two brilliant directors are no
longer alive, I’d be thrilled to find Jane Campion at the helm.
I hear you enjoy loud
music. If your life were a song, what would the title be?
“Beautiful Chaos” would be the title.
And who would you sing it with?
Metallica—unless I could convince Led Zeppelin
to reunite again.
Have you Googled yourself lately?
Sounds like a naughty question! I Google myself
about once every month, just to see if there’s anything book-related that I
might have missed. It’s always interesting, finding non-English websites
offering Jazz Baby for sale.
KINDLE NINJA: I never thought 'Googling yourself' could be naughty, until now. Haha.
You said on Twitter “Follow me, or the puppy
gets it” What’s the score now? (Followers vs. Puppy getting it)
I’ve got about 7300 followers at the moment.
The puppy hasn’t gotten it yet. But I’ve never said exactly what “it” is he’ll
get. It could be something good, like a Milk Bone, a chew toy, or a visit to a
doggy day spa. Or maybe he just gets neutered over and over again, like a
sadistic version of the movie Groundhog
Day!
KINDLE NINJA: Haha!
What would you rather be doing now? (instead
of answering these questions).
Finishing my second novel comes to mind. I
should have had it completed by now, but it’s not even close to being done. I
took some time to put together a collection of my short stories for
publication. Hopefully that will buy me some time to get the next novel
finished.
I’d assume I’m the person you’d want to drink
Milk with (since you agreed to this interview), but who’s the person you’d want
to have coffee with?
I drink tea, not coffee. I quit coffee about
sixteen years ago while giving up cigarettes. I’d love to have just one more
day with my little brother—drinking tea or not! He’s been gone for three years
now and I just miss him every day.
How do you like your coffee?
When I drank coffee, I drank it black, no sugar
or cream.
How do you feel about doughnuts without
holes?
I love a good blueberry fritter. But doughnuts
of any sort are fine with me!
What’s
the best way to decompress?
Put my earbuds in and crank up Metallica, Led
Zeppelin, or the Beatles. I love music of all sorts. Music truly soothes the
soul (even the heavy stuff). Also, I have a guitar; I like to turn up the amp
and just make some noise.
If you had superpowers, what would it be?
My superpower would be to have a brain like
Google. Then I’d know the answer to everything in the blink of an eye. I’d go
on Jeopardy and other trivia-based
game shows and I’d rake in the money.
What’s the book you wished you’d written?
That’s a toss-up between To Kill a Mockingbird and The
Poisonwood Bible. Both are brilliant but I would give the edge to The Poisonwood Bible. Barbara Kingsolver
is just magnificent as an author. She’s one of the all-time greatest.
Celebrity you want to have dinner with?
Quentin Tarantino. He’s just so cool and
interesting. Pulp Fiction is my
all-time favourite film. Dead celebs? Steve McQueen (the actor, not the
very-much alive director). He’s been dead for over thirty years now and he’s
still the coolest guy in Hollywood.
And what would you eat?
Steak, I suppose. A nice medium-rare ribeye
with a baked potato and fresh salad.
What’s the book that positively shaped you?
The Bible. I began to seriously study it about
eighteen years ago, going into the original languages to get to the meat of
what is really being said. It has completely transformed my life. No, I’m not
hyper-religious, quoting scripture all the time. I’m just living my life in
stark contrast to the way I lived in the 1980s and 1990s—which would have
eventually killed me. Way too much partying back then. No focus for what’s
important.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you
about life right now?
I’d give it a solid 8. There’s always room for
growth and improvement.
Metallica or Bon Jovi?
Most definitely Metallica! Metallica and Led
Zeppelin are my two favourite bands. Bon Jovi is okay, though. I saw them in
concert back in 1985, before they hit it big. They opened a show for Ratt.
Truthfully, they were better than Ratt. But Bon Jovi can’t compete with the
mighty Metallica!
Nicholas Sparks or Dan Brown?
Nicholas Sparks—though I’ve never actually read
either of these authors’ works. I’ve seen movies based on Sparks’s novels. A
little too chick-flicky but not bad.
J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer?
Which one of these two would I choose first to
hang by her toes from a tall hickory tree all night in a cold Michigan winter?
Why that would be Ms. Meyer. But J.K. would be directly next in line! I’m so
not a fan of either of these two writers. I tried to watch a Twilight movie once. I think I managed a
whole ten minutes before I had to turn the channel. Just awful! I’ve only seen
a few minutes of one of the Harry Potter
films, as well—though the Potter flicks look far more interesting than the
stiff “acting” involved with the Twilight
movies. I just see these two ladies as so overrated. Selling millions doesn’t
make an author a great writer (though I admire that they’ve both accomplished
so much in the writing arena). But perhaps my opinion is formed by the fact
that both authors write for a much younger audience than my old age!
Lastly:
Ninjas or Rockstars?
How about Ninja Rockstars? Or Rockstar Ninjas?
You’re a Rockstar, Kindle Ninja! I really enjoyed this interview. Your
questions are fun and loose. Thank you so much for having me.
Thanks for your time. Glad
you enjoyed the Q&A.
