ForeWord Magazine's Foreplay Questionnaire - featuring Diane Kinman

In her free time : I let the dogs take me out to chase a few birds several times each day. My best ideas come to me on long walks (3 miles); I phone home to dictate voice mails for my return.

In her former life: After 8 years on the farm and in the parks, I wasn’t an easy sell in the job market. Because of my strong language skills, I stumbled into a career as a business development (marketing and public relations) specialist for engineering and architecture firms. Close to 30 years of technical writing hampered my creative writing efforts, so it was back to school (courses with Skye Moody and Peggy King Anderson).

Fore Play Questions

What book are you currently reading, and where is your favorite place to read?
I read in bed and listen to audio books, so I usually have several books going at once. Current favorites are: The Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith; Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire; Dog is My Co-Pilot, from the editors of The Bark; The Fisherman’s Quilt by Margaret Doyle; and The Food of Love by Anthony Capella (who wrote a lovely review for my book, Franca’s Story).

What qualities do you value most professionally?
Responsiveness and organization. I always return phone calls or emails within 24 hours, and appreciate the same response from others. People think I’m organized, even though my desk looks like a few reams of paper exploded nearby.

What are you still determined to learn to do?
To speak pure Italian. My sentences begin in Italian and switch to French in the middle. Italians laugh and forgive me, and immediately offer a glass of wine and plate of food in case that was what I was trying to say. If I slip an Italian word in while in France, the French give me “the look” – a combination of confusion, exasperation, and disgust that lets me know I’ve trampled on sacred ground. Oi vay.  

If you were a member of a tribe, what would be your special role in it, and why?
Bartender/Psychologist. People tend to tell me their problems and I’m a good listener. I help them work through issues and brainstorm with them. Of course, most of my friends are now divorced, their 30-year-old kids are moving back home, and their dogs still pee in the corner of the bedroom. My rates are reasonable.

What is your favorite hometown library and/or bookstore?
Island Books on Mercer Island has children’s book authors in for readings on Saturday mornings. You’ll find me in the back row.

What kind of music do you enjoy while you are reading?
Classical or Brazilian/African/Latino pop-rock – anything that I won’t be tempted to sing along with, but keeps me rockin’ to the beat.

What would you save from your home if it were burning?
Remi and Rudy (my Yorkshire terriers), my computer, and the copy of Franca’s Story that Franca signed for me.

What question has never been answered for you?
How does our sixth sense work, how can we improve it, and why does it work better in some people than in others?

What would surprise most people to learn about you?
They are often surprised to find out that I spent 8 years as a park ranger and chicken rancher/egg farmer, during which time I had a 400-pound pet pig named Rosie.