New Blogger on the Block

Sandra Williams has been kind enough to review books for me since I started floundering around online. Back when I was still in NYC and at a PR firm, she reviewed the first book I ever pitched: Angels of a Lower Flight. (Tangent: No one has done more for Haitian orphans than the author of this book. I highly recommend visiting her site. She started the Marcy and Sharing foundation with her own money and continues to commit 100% of all donations directly to their projects in Haiti. Her book continues to resonate with me today. If you would like a picture of what life for orphaned Haitian children is like, please read this book! End tangent.)

Back to Sandra. She has written for Suite101 in a variety of capacities and has most recently been reviewing for the Self-Help Books section. But, the blog bug has bitten her and she's launched her very own review blog called Rebel Book Freak! I wanted to introduce her to everyone and asked if she wouldn't mind answering some interview questions. She didn't.

*If you could hold any original book or document in your hands, what would it be?
"My grandma wrote a romance novel and I believe my aunt has a copy. I’d like to get a copy of it for sentimental reasons, but also to inspire me as I continue writing my own novel."

*What cookbook best illustrates your life?
"I’d pick the Joy of Cooking. It’s all about real food with practical ingredients for the most part. Whether you want cookies, bread, salads or dinner, you’ll find it in that cookbook. I need to pick up a new one because I’ve used it so much over the years that it’s falling apart. I suppose it illustrates my life in that I don’t like to limit myself. There’s a little bit of everything in The Joy of Cooking so you’re not stuck with just baking cookies or cooking casseroles. The book is also simple and practical and I strive to be both of those things."

*You read a lot of nonfiction. Is there one book in particular that resonates so well with you that you continue to reread?
"I’m mad about Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and if I had to pick only one of his books to reread, it would probably be Your Sacred Self. It’s all about growing spiritually, becoming centered and maintaining inner peace."

*What would you title a book about your life?
“From Tough Tomboy to Domestic Diva because I used to hate anything that seemed remotely feminine as it made me feel weak. Because I hung out with my father so much, I think I was trying to be the son he never had. Everything that I rebelled against as a teen I’m now ironically into. Right now I’m cross-stitching a crazy bird onto a tote bag and even my sisters seem to find my new pursuits surprising."

Thanks so much to Sandra for lending her time to answer these questions! Now head on over to Rebel Book Freak and leave her a comment. On a side note, Sandra lives near Toronto and would be interested in hearing from fellow...Torantans? Torontians? Rancho Carne Toros? (any opportunity to quote Bring It On must be taken!) Ok. I give up. What are folks from Toronto called?