Posted on January 19, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
10 Things You May Not Know About Me
It’s been pretty frigid here the past couple of weeks, and I spent a lot of time embracing Twitter and Facebook moreso than I had in the past. Part of that “social media” hug was to keep up on the tools since I’ve been using them for work. The other part to that online touchy-feel goodness, was because I needed a boost in this post-holiday slump.
Since there’s so many new people that I’ve come into contact with through various channels, I thought I’d offer ten things you may not know about me, as a way of “breaking the ice.” (So to speak.) Without further ado, here they are in no particular order:
- 1. I don’t have a favorite color. Meh. So many to pick from, why choose just one?
2. My cats are named after ancient Mesopotamian gods. Zakar (god of dreams) was a rescue cat. He’s a manx, orange tabby with lots of toes, very sweet and VERY spoiled. They were going to put him to sleep because he “wasn’t perfect.” Needless to say, he’s got a great life now. Rimmon (god of storms) is just like his namesake. He talks pretty much non-stop and enjoys following Zak around, causing trouble. They both like jalapenos, though. Go figure.
3. Typically, I only read a book once. I read pretty fast, to the point where I inhale books. If the book is fairly complex, I may pick it up again to ensure I didn’t miss anything. Otherwise, I just read it the one time.
4. Growing up, I wanted to be the female version of Indiana Jones. World-wide travel? That massive compendium of knowledge about ancient cultures? And a cool hat?
5. I don’t believe in astrology. As part of my writing, I’ve researched a lot of different unusual topics that range from ghost hunting to astrology. I know some people really believe in it, but it’s not something that really resonates with me.
6. Haven’t run a mile in years. *sob* Yeah, so I’m on a program right now. It’s called the “couch potato to 5k” program. Just when I was getting started, I had to get new running shoes. Then? I made the mistake of working through my lunches instead of taking that invaluable “off” time. So getting back on the wagon and hope to change this shortly.
7. I’m actually quite shy around people I don’t know. Hard to believe, eh? I practiced like crazy for my last interview and — whenever possible — I’d prefer to know people at a “new” face-to-face outing. Kind of glad a few conventions are coming up; since I spend a lot of time writing and with my loved ones, it gets harder and harder to be outgoing and bubbly every year. ‘Course, this frigid icy winter might have something to do with that.
8. I have a background in music. Played piano, choir and flute for a number of years with a strong focus on classical. My favorite composer was/is Mozart; I used to memorize (on average) 15 pieces every quarter for performances, contests and such.
9. I don’t really like roses. Roses are not my preferred flower of choice. I like really brightly-colored, sweet-smelling flowers like carnations and wildflowers.
10. The first horror writer I read was Edgar Allen Poe. Most people might respond with “Stephen King,” but not me. I remember “The Telltale Heart” very vividly. Oddly enough, I didn’t read Lovecraft or understand his influence until about five years ago. Strange how pulp and literary worlds don’t collide, but should.
What about you? Have anything to share?
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January 19, 2009
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Silver said:
Another thing I many not know about you – did you name your novel after my nom-de-email?
If so, I can’t help wondering why… I assume you know what it means, but the nuances?
Think you might or might not know about me: my first name is actually “William”.
And, my nickname, Silver, actually may have come from novelist Emma Bull…
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January 19, 2009
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Monica Valentinelli said:
Great question! I named my first novel Argentum because of the series basis’ upon Alchemy. Every novel will be named after a different (latin) component used in the rituals. In the first book, Argentum has multiple layers of meanings that reference actual rituals that were used back when Alchemy was considered a “science.”
Although, writing a book based on your colorful character might not be a bad idea…
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January 20, 2009
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Silver said:
Hah! Thanx!
I guess I really wondered whether you’d been tipped into using “argentum” when you saw my personal email address, though. When I saw the character named William, I wondered…
I had rather thought that “argentum” more referred to silver in the context of money in Latin, and that “argent” referred to the metal.
It’s difficult to decipher for certain, since modern people refer back and forth, willy-nilly. If we could trust Wiktionary, it would seem to indicate a bit more weight on “argentum” as monetary silver, and “argent” as the color and element (since heraldry and alchemy had some ties):
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/argent
However, I just now bothered to look it up in the grand authority, The unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, and the indication is that I’m wrong — there really isn’t a nuanced difference. “Argent” is used in English as a noun to mean the metal, money, and the color silver (or whitish). It is indeed adopted primarily from the Latin, Argentum, which is used for both silver metal and money. (Though, I know from my Latin class that the “um” is just the singular ending of the root “argent” — it could also end as “argenta” for plural.)
So, you’re right, and I was a bit blurry in my etymology. I should’ve known better, because in Latin language alchemical references, gold was called “Aurum”, and “Argentum” is parallel.
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January 20, 2009
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Monica Valentinelli said:
That doesn’t mean that you might inspire a colorful character at some point. In this particular series, the Alchemists are only mortals, though. And you my friend, far surpass the mortal realm.
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January 21, 2009
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Matt said:
I agree completely with the favorite color thing! Favorites tend to depend on my moods, but I really don’t have just one.
I have a background in music as well. My parents were very indulgent of my changing musical moods. I played piano clarinet, saxophone (baritone, tenor and soprano) guitar and bass guitar.
I became a King fan once I went to college, but I read Anne Rice’s vampire trilogy (I know it got bigger but I liked the first three books, especially Interview…) first. I also remember Poe and a couple of William Faulkner stories that I read way before that, which made my real intro to horror. I got to Lovecraft before I read King too. My friends and I were big into role-playing games and we tried the “Call of Cthulhu” game in high school. This, of course, led to the books.