Welcome to another installment of First and Fourth Fridays! Today’s guest is the lovely Jane McGarry. Jane lives in New Jersey in a house full of boys, including one over-indulged cat. When she is not running around with her family or writing, she can be found curled up with a good book and said cat. It is her belief that a good book, a loyal pet and anything made of chocolate can brighten just about any day. Reading was always a big part of Jane’s life. Over the years, creating stories developed out of this love. Finally, she decided to try her hand at writing a novel and that was when Not Every Girl was conceived.
Now that you know a bit about Jane, let’s give her the First and Fourth Friday Questions.
1. What was the first book that so captured your imagination that you felt a physical loss when you reached the last page?One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I had such a visceral reaction to this book. A number of books have made me cry because they were sad (Uncle Tom’s Cabin comes to mind), but this book moved me to tears with its beautyand poignancy. It changed the whole meaning of books for me. Before, they were merely stories—escapes from reality, but this boook transcended that, evoking a connection to the human spirit and the “oneness” of all life. Marquez’s work reframed what I thought an author could achieve with a book.
2. What is the most romantic/loving thing you’ve ever done for someone else?This question made me chuckle a bit. My husband and I have been a couple for almost twenty years now. Eternal pragmatists, we were not terribly romantic to begin with, let alone two decades and two kids later. I asked him though, and he says he thinks it is romantic that I still remember the dates of all our important milestones—first date, first kiss, when we got engaged, etc.
3. What is the most romantic/sweet/loving thing someone has ever done for you?As per the last answer, we are well past the “grand gesture” stage of early dating life. I am sure there was something back in the day which has been tempered through the lens of time. Now, he leaves me little notes around the house for me to find to tell me he loves me, or make me smile and that is sweet and loving enough for me.
4. What do you think is the most romantic song?Wow, hard to pick one, but I will say, “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge. It is a song about loving one another despite the hardships life may bring, loving one another “until my dying day”.
Jane is clearly a true romantic. Below is an excerpt from her book “NOT EVERY GIRL”: “I came to offer the young lady one of my guards as an escort home."What?That is not part of my plan! And besides, my father could not seriously consider sending me off into the woods with a strange man, royal guard or not. It takes every ounce of my restraint to not jump up and protest.""That is gracious of you, Your Majesty," my father answers. "However, Iam concerned about the propriety of that arrangement. Not," he adds hastily, "that I would expect anything less than the highest scruples from oneof your men."Good. So Father has a grasp on the situation. Sending me back with any strange man and no female chaperone is entirely inappropriate. And there are no other women on the trip. Too bad Puck isn't here; my father would trust him with me. Now, they will all have to work out the only viable option—that I continue on the trip. I merely sit quietly and wait for them to come to this inevitable conclusion."Well, I certainly understand your feelings. Especially since the young lady in question is your daughter," King William agrees. "I am sure if I had a daughter of my own, I would feel much the same way.”
This book sounds amazing! You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Every-Girl-Jane-McGarry-ebook/dp/B00WT7DQTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430843851&srr=8-1&keywords=not+every+girl
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