Monday, December 05, 2005

The Beholder’s Eye…

Doing author interviews takes a ton of time. And every month when I begin the process I wonder why I put myself through the torture. But then…the answers come back. And I know exactly why I continue to spend the time each month.

One of my favorite questions to ask is variations of the most romantic gift the writer has received. There is the usual flowers when the author is blue or happy. Or the special evening the loving spouse planned. The list goes on.

I loved the story one author told about how her husband was unemployed for quite a long period of time, and he promised her that when he got a job, he was gonna buy her pearls. And sure enough, with his first paycheck he bought her the most beautiful strand of pearls that she still wears everyday. (Of course, if you are sitting there thinking “Oh big deal”… you must remember that a lot of the sentimentality was in the telling by the author…not the telling here by me!)

But today…I think I just read the best answer to the question (and it wasn’t even an author I was interviewing…it was one my staff member prepared)! The author wrote back: My husband doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body! One time he bought me purple staples to go into my electric stapler because he knows I love purple.

Now I don’t know about you…and maybe I am just going through a sappy-stage… but I think this is sooooo sweet! I mean….I didn’t even know that staples came in colors! And when the guy saw them…he thought of her…and how she would like them.

And truly…isn’t that what romance is all about? Knowing everything about the other person…and doing something that will make them smile? Letting them know that you care?