UFI welcomes Dakota Banks Author of The Mortal Path Series. Thanks for Joining us!!
This or That
Angels or Demons
This
one’s easy: demons. The Mortal Path series wouldn’t exist without them,
plus I think they’re much more interesting than angels. Why go for a
dull set of wings when you can have various hideous forms and breathe
fire or rip people apart? Go for the horror, I say—Demons rule, Angels
drool.
Vampires or Shifters
Vampires
have this big problem: terrible manners when feeding. All that blood
dripping down the chin. It’s due to the passion of one sort or another
that they’re experiencing when feeding—it distracts them from basic
things like choosing the right spoon. I’d have to go with Shifters.
Left or Right
Not sure if we’re talking politics here or not, so given the choice, let’s stay away from politics. J Left-handedness is also known as sinistrality, from the Latin sinistra,
meaning left, which we’ve converted into the word sinister. That
describes Left’s reputation. Since ancient times, being left-handed has
been considered a sign of the devil at work, clumsiness, or misfortune.
By contrast, right-handedness is associated with power, justice, manual
skill, and being correct. Since I like the idea of being correct, at
least some of the time, my choice is Right. See? It’s self-confirming,
too.
Up or Down
I
enjoy riding elevators down from the tops of buildings, especially ones
that go really fast, and getting that flip-flop feeling in my stomach.
There’s a ride at Disney World called the Tower of Terror. Passengers
get into a “rickety” freight elevator and ride up 13 stories. Along the
way, the elevator shaft turns pitch black, as in can’t see your hand in
front of your face. It shoots to the top, then starts a series of
faster-than-the-pull-of-gravity drops with a supposedly broken
cable, ending in lurching stops. One time the elevator doors open, and
suddenly you can see how really high up you are! I LOVE this ride. My
choice is Down.
Pizza or Pasta
I
like pasta, but it tends to get served in dainty portions with a
breadstick, so you can admire how attractively it’s served. I don’t need
my food to be served attractively, considering how it’s going to end up
in a little while. No one ever accused pizza of being attractive. It
may smell good, taste good, and be fun to eat with your hands (Ha! Try
that with pasta.), but if you snap a photo of it, the reality will never
compare to the image in your mind. I choose Pizza, for its humility.
Coffee or Tea
This
one is tough, because I drink both of these. For me, coffee is the
utilitarian go-to drink and tea is the esoteric mind-wandering drink.
Since I prefer mind-wandering to practicality, it’s Tea.
Coke or Pepsi
I drink Coke Zero. That’s all. If I can’t have that, I’ll take water. I have no explanation for this strange preference.
YA or Adult
I write adult, I read adult, though I made exceptions for Harry Potter and the Hunger Games trilogy. They were enjoyable, but ... Adult is my choice.
Facebook or Twitter
I
love Facebook because it allows me to really communicate with people.
Twitter—many of the things I say sound trite to me, and I don’t like the
140 character restriction. It may sound silly, but if I try to say
anything meaningful, that restriction forces me to be ungrammatical. I’m
a writer, for Pete’s sake! Facebook is The One, for freedom of
expression.
Book Signing or Panel Speaking
I’ve
always looked at public appearances as opportunities to meet and chat
with readers, and to have time to do so in a relaxed atmosphere.
Signings don’t fit that bill. First, no matter how well prepared you
think the signing venue is, you can have a low turnout. I’ve sat by
myself in bookstores in the middle of torrential downpours or even an
ice storm, with the store owner embarrassed and saying, “Usually we have
a lot more traffic.” Even when the signing goes well, people tend to
want their book signed and be off, because they have other
shopping/whatever to do. So it’s open the book, ask “Signature or
inscription?”, do what’s requested, close the book. And really, I see
enough of my book. I don’t need to spend two hours sitting around and
looking at ... my book. Panels are very different. If people have paid
to attend the conference, a little bad weather isn’t going to discourage
them. In every multi-author panel I’ve been on, there have been Q&A
sessions. It’s readers’ thoughts hurled at us, and I say that lovingly.
I’m not on the panel to sell my books, I’m just relaxed and having a
good time. I get to chat with readers after the panel and in the halls.
Plus I enjoy being with the other authors on my panels, some of whom are
new to me and some are already good friends. So a rousing yes for Panel
Speaking!
Reading or Writing
You don’t actually expect me to answer this, do you? *Sigh*
I guess you do. I’m flipping a coin ... it came up Reading. Ok, two out
of three. I look at it this way. I love reading for the intensely
beautiful words, sentences, and passages that sink into my mind, give me
chills, tear my heart out, or engage my empathy. But as a writer, I get
to create those words, sentences, and passages that I hope affect
others in those ways. That’s like double-dipping, and it’s wonderful.
Writing is my choice.
