Notes on Friendship Part 3

Friends, can you believe I’ve been taking notes since 2010? Sporadically mostly, but I’m trying to be more consistent lately. When I think about what motivates me to keep at it, my dear readers come to mind. To show my heartfelt appreciation for riding shotgun with me all this time I’ve started a monthly dedication to subscribers called Notes on Friendship. This is my way of saying thank you for your inspiration and for keeping me company along the way.

This month I would like for you to meet Rachel Carrera:

Novelist, wildlife enthusiast, artisan soap maker, arborist. 

Rachel is a prolific novelist who maintains a lively blog and is a friendly voice here on the notes. I asked her a few questions and she kindly humored me:

1. The tv is on and you stop your important work because your all time favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie is playing. Bonus: no commercials! Which movie is on? Follow up question, do you hit pause to make popcorn?

Haha!  This question implies that I am able to narrow down my favorite Hitchcock movies to just one!  Let’s see, I’ll take whatever Hitchcock movie is playing, but considering I actually own every one of them on DVD, I think it’s obvious I’d be happy with any of them.  Hmm… Should I choose the obvious: “The Birds,” “Psycho,” or “Strangers on a Train?” I don’t know, because I also love “Rear Window,” “Vertigo,” “Marnie,” “Rope,” and “North by Northwest.”  But I guess if I have to choose only one, I’ll choose “Lifeboat,” because one of the things I really love about Hitchcock movies is looking for the part where he makes his secret cameo appearance, and since “Lifeboat” has such a small window of opportunity for Hitch to appear, I think the way it was done was so creative!

As for the follow-up question, actually, I am probably the only person I know of who truly hates popcorn.  I mean, I really hate it in almost every form (i.e., Cracker Jacks, caramel corn, sweet, candied, salty, buttered, plain, cheesy, ranch, Jiffy Pop, Orville Redenbacher, movies, air-popped, microwaved, etc.).  But there is ONE exception… Once, my sister and I were hired to photograph the local dog show, and there was a kettle corn vendor there… and unlike me, my sister loves every kind of popcorn there is. So, she bought some kettle corn and talked me into trying it, and it was actually amazing!  But then I tried other kettle corn brands, and they all sucked, so I apparently only like it when it’s made by those people from the dog show, and since I don’t know who they are, I can’t possibly invite them over when “Lifeboat” starts, so no popcorn for me.

2. What was your most memorable birthday and why?

Hmm… My birthday is 3 days before Christmas, so I’m often the forgotten one when it comes time to my birthday.  Well wishes often come late with the excuse of “Sorry, I was busy shopping and I forgot.” Or when I’m remembered, I usually get a card or gift in the form of “Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas all-in-one.”  It is for this reason that 3 years ago was my most memorable birthday because my co-workers remembered me and gave me a little party at work, then I got home to several nice Facebook wishes, telephone message wishes, and a few people at my house who set up a little party and took me out to a restaurant where the staff were nice, the food was good, and the people there sang and made a big fuss which embarrassed me thoroughly, but it was so sweet.

3. You have one hour to kill, how do you spend it?

Since I’m a writer, I’d love if I could truthfully answer “by reading a book.”  Or even “by writing on my latest work in progress.” But when I read, I binge read, so I can’t read for only an hour.  Neither can I write for only an hour. So, I suppose being given only 60 minutes to kill, I’d watch some sort of classic TV show (or two if they were half-hour shows).

4. What drew you to WordPress, what keeps you active?

I started blogging on WordPress in February 2014 because when I took my writing hobby from short stories to novel-length stories in 2013, I read time and again that a blog presence was a “must-have” in order for a literary agent to even think of considering representing you.  I went in not having a clue what blogging was really about and what I might write about. By August 2014, I had “met” so many wonderful people that blogging became far more than a “must-have” to prove something to a prospective agent, but it because a “must-do” for my own reasons.  I learned so much from fellow bloggers about writing, editing, etc., not to mention the friends I made who are not writers but still offer their kind words and support, that even when I became too sick to actively blog, I still missed these people and what was going on with their lives, and I often checked in on them from behind the scenes, even though I didn’t feel well enough to comment or let them know I had been there.  The blogging friends I’ve made have been far kinder than a lot of my other social media and real-life friends (and a lot of my family members) who I have known for years or more. When I feel down, my blogging family lifts me up. 

5. How do you hope to be remembered?

Hmm, I guess it depends on who’s doing the remembering.  I hope my children remember me as the Mama Bear who loved them more than anything.  I hope my friends remember me as someone who did something that made a positive difference in their life in one way or another.  I hope my former English teachers remember me as the girl who got all A’s in English and then went on to be a best-selling novelist.  (Of course, they were all a lot older than I, so I actually hope I don’t go before them!) I guess all in all, I want to be remembered as being an empathetic, creative, God-fearing, caring, funny person who loves with her whole heart, shares whatever she’s got, and wants to see fairness and equality throughout the world.  

Thank you again for having me for a visit, Sandra!  Maybe next time, I can get you to come on over to my blog for a while.  

xoxo   

-Rachel Carrera

Thank you again Rachel for spending time with me and for your friendship!

Would you like to be a guest here too? If so you are welcome to comment with a question or a simple note for Rachel. I’ll choose my next guest from the comments section below.