… Alicia Gael
What’s the time of the day when you feel most like yourself?
Mid morning, after I’ve had several cups of coffee. Don’t even try to talk to me until I’ve had at least one cup.
What’s your coffee order?
At home, I drink hazelnut-flavored black coffee. When I’m out and about, I’ll order an iced coffee with cream and a squirt of sugar-free vanilla syrup. I absolutely love the caramel brule’e latte at Starbucks. Luckily, it’s only available from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, or I’d get one every day, which would be bad.
Describe yourself in three words?
INTROVERT. Thoughtful. Bibliophile.
What do you think of possums?
How could anyone not like possums? They’re adorable. But let’s be honest; they aren’t Yorkies, and everyone knows Yorkies are the cutest things on earth.
Sweet or savory?
Tough question. Both? I absolutely love dark chocolate-covered almonds sprinkled with sea salt.
What makes you smile?
The usual things: a great book, the perfect rainbow after it rains, watching the sunset over the ocean. And I’m guessing when my first box of books arrives next week, I’ll have a huge smile on my face.
Do you believe in soulmates?
Yes? But I think you could have more than one. I don’t really believe in an afterlife, but I’d like to believe in reincarnation. That we have past lives and past loves that we reconect with.
Gloves or mittens?
Gloves. I’m claustrophobic, and that includes my fingers and toes.
What makes you cry?
I don’t really cry when I’m sad. I cry when I’m angry or hurt, and I see acts of kindness, like someone stopping traffic to let a mother duck and her ducklings cross the street. I’m also a sucker for the videos of military members returning home and surprising their families.
What personality trait gets you most often in trouble?
I can be really stubborn, and that’s not always a good thing in a relationship.
What is the one thing you wish you could quit?
I’m an award-winning procrastinator. (But is it really procrastinating if you read a book rather than do chores?)
Do you believe in love at first sight?
No. I believe in lust at first sight, but not love. I think the more you get to know someone, the more you fall in love with them.
What makes you notice a woman?
I’m an introvert who’s attracted to extroverts. Also, a person’s smile.
Would you go to high school again?
Go back to the 1970s and into the closet? Not on your life. Go to high school in the 2020s and be an out and proud lesbian teenager? Sign me up.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
It’s Not All Rainbows and Unicorns
Three women you’d have over for dinner, and what would you serve?
Emma Donoghue, just to listen to her talk.
Tig Notaro to make us laugh and talk Star Trek.
Brandi Carlile to lead us in a sing-along.
I’d serve pizza to eat, prosecco to drink, and dark chocolate brownies and coffee with Baileys Irish Cream for dessert.
What is the one memory you’d give anything to relive?
I don’t remember the exact date, but it would be the last time I saw my brother before he was killed in an accident.
What’s in your fridge right now?
Prosecco, white wine, Irish butter, Irish cheese, Arizona green tea, sour cream, cream cheese, leftover pizza, and Bailey’s Irish Cream.
What is your favorite sapphic fiction trope and why?
I don’t know that I have a favorite, but I really like romantic blends (dystopian, sci-fi, mystery, adventure, etc.) because I like a story that goes deeper than just a romance. But I also like a good ice queen, one night to forever, and enemies to lovers.
If you could have an evening-long conversation with one author, who would that be, and what would you talk about?
You didn’t specify living or dead, so I’m choosing one of each.
First, Louisa May Allcott (Little Women.) We’d talk about her sexuality. Was she a lesbian? Did she have lovers? If so, who?
As for living authors, probably Emma Donoghue. She’s a best-selling author, a lesbian, and Irish. I’d love to talk about all three of those things.
Alicia’s debut - a gripping sapphic page-turner murder mystery - Murder on Castaway Island can be found here: https://mybook.to/AliciaGael