Today author Chris Coppernoll stops by and subjects himself to my in-depth, serious, uber intellectual Katie Couric-like Q and A. Read his fascinating answers, AND check out the directions at the end for winning a copy of his second novel A Beautiful Fall.

Question number uno, what is your most embarrassing junior high or high school memory?
In the 7th grade my music teacher, Mrs. VanConnet, had to tune my guitar for me - while I was on stage with my rock band - just prior to performing in the big talent show in front of the entire school.  I had
to hand my “Axe” over to the music teacher to tune because while I could rock out (well, a little), I hadn’t yet learned the fine art of tuning a guitar.   Oh, the humanity.

I gave a book report to upperclassmen on Heidi with my pants unzipped. I would’ve given all my AquaNet and Jordache jeans for guitar tuning moments to bemoan.

Okay, imagine for one night you must jump into a TV show. Which one is it and why? And know that if you pick Hannah Montana, we will still accept you as you are. We don’t judge here. Well, I do, but the others mostly don’t.

Probably one of those fast paced cooking shows on the Food Network.  I’ve always wanted to host a food show, zip around a big city buying all the freshest ingredients, then go back to my studio kitchen - which
is in an amazing Manhattan, Chicago, or London apartment to prep and cook the food.  Or just step in one week for chefs Jamie Oliver or Alton Brown.

In your book A Beautiful Fall, your characters were high school sweethearts torn apart by life. My first boyfriend was a lad named Travis in first grade who knew how to have a good time with crickets and a dirt pile. How about you? (Um, not first boyfriend. You know what I mean.)
I grew up in a small town like those in A Beautiful Fall.  Your question brings back pictures of walking to high school football games at dusk, the smell of burning leaves and a chill in the air, hearing
the announcer in the press box half a mile from the field, and wondering if I’d meet some “mysterious girl” at the high school dance after the game.  Which was totally a long shot and not going to happen
since I knew everyone in town.  I dated a lot, but I don’t think I ever had a first love until I met a woman in college.  Some of that experience was touched on in my first novel, Providence.

You totally missed out by not having someone to eat paste with. And I also grew up in a very small town too. LOVED the sound of the football field as I got closer to it. But our dances afterwards…super lame. Next question…What is a book in high school or college you had to read and thoroughly disliked?
Probably Lord of the Flies by William Golding.  An excellent book, but unbelievably sadomasochistic.  One wonders if there hasn’t been another book written since 1954 that high school freshman could read.

I hated Lolita. Made me mad and all icky inside. And somehow I managed to never read or teach Lord of the Flies. Moving on to less disturbing topics, do male writers also experience the phenomenon known as Writers Butt? If not, please tell me you have a low metabolism just to make me feel better.
Writing for ten years has given me a plethora of job related maladies including carpel tunnel, a sore thumb, bad eyeseight, coffee breath, and having cat hair on most of what I own, including sweaters, dress
shirts and pants, but thankfully the rest of me is doing alright.  Now that I know the alternative, I’m not complaining.

So that’s a “no” on Writer’s Butt. Chris, all inquiring minds want to know what’s in your refrigerator.
Two bags of apples, oranges, eggs, enough milk for tomorrow’s breakfast, teriyaki sauce, mustard from the brauts last weekend, a jar of dill pickles with half of the weird green water drained, 2 bag of coffee, some of that pre-cooked bacon, drinking water, and a bottle of Pepto.

I’m gonna let that Pepto comment go. But anything pink cannot be good for you. Now, my mom can tell you I was the perfect teen driver. I never had wrecks and NEVER took out a fence row then 4×4′d my way out of a ditch on my way to take the ACT. Describe your first car or your worst teen driving experience.
I wrecked my dad’s 1973 Buick on a winter road while racing another high school kid, about two weeks after getting my license.  Not good.  My parents were cool about it, more so than I expected.  I think I took
away from the experience an understanding of how immature teens can be and how sacrificial parents often are.

I know it’s hard to pick between books, as some have a hard time picking a favorite child, so tell us what you like most about your first novel Providence and what you like most about A Beautiful Fall.
Providence has 700 working parts that all had to be fit together to make the story snap open and shut for readers.  A Beautiful Fall has 5 parts, and all I had to do was invite readers to slow down enough to
enjoy that.  As for reactions from readers, people reported how Providence impacted them greatly.  I’ve been surprised and moved by the letter I still receive.  I think A Beautiful Fall has swept people up
in believing there is such a place where people care and love each other deeply.  That ideal has encouraged and given some readers a feeling of great hope.

As host and founder of Soul2Soul Radio, who is the most impressive celebrity you’ve ever met and can you get us their personal address and phone number?
Probably Amy Grant.  She does everything well, but just seems to have been born to be exactly who she is.  That’s impressive.  I’ve had the privilege of meeting many famous people through my radio show,
Soul2Soul and just living in Nashville.  Billy Ray Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, Natalie Grant.  They’ve all been impressive in their own ways.

I LOVE Dolly Parton. She is so funny and well-spoken. Speaking of music, what is in your CD player in the car or iPod?

A Blues album by Peter Wolf.  I like to listen to 1970’s Pop and music recorded before 1964.  Also Jazz and classic Country, and contemporary Christian music.

It’s Friday night. After listening to your Merle Haggard and 70s Michael Jackson hits, what restaurant do you go to and why?
Chic-fil-a.  Eating there doubles as a church service.

Any guilty pleasures such as candy bars, MTV, or knitting toaster cozies with your grandma?
Sleep, although having a toaster cozy sounds pretty sweet.  I sleep about 5 hours a night, so on one of those rare travel days when I wake up in a hotel room and have a little before my speaking engagement
starts, I catch up.

Last book you read? 
I’m finishing Tribes by Seth Godin, T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton, and next up is probably The Shack since every other person in the country seems to have read it.

I notice you didn’t say In Between, On the Loose, or The Big Picture, but whatevs. You probably just didn’t want to suck up. Moving on…We share an agent in Chip MacGregor. Please share one random fact that only you know about him. For example, I happen to know he prefers his clients to yodel when talking to him on the phone. It’s a little straining on the vocal chords, but I do try to oblige.
A lot of people owe him big time.  That’s one random fact I’m aware of.   Chip is one of a kind and his clients possess fierce loyalty to him because he’s an agent for all the right reasons and does the job better
than anybody any of us knows.

What advice would you give to teens who are interested in writing?
Write.  (Almost) every other art form costs at least some money to produce––music, film & video, painting, etc.  The only thing a writer needs is solitude, a few sheets of blank paper, and a quiet place to think.

Obama has decided he would rather join his wife’s garage punk band and not be president, and America has decided to vote YOU in as C.E.O. of the U.S.A. Even though it was a close race between you and Paris Hilton, America has voted you in.  What’s the first thing you do as leader of the free world with all powers in the palm of your hand? (If you say something intelligent about foreign policy, I will be forced to delete your answer.)
Limit the election season to six weeks and no more, than cap campaign
spending at a million dollars.

Chris, thanks so much for stopping by and playing along. You can learn more about this author at his website. Guys, if you want to win a copy of A Beautiful Fall, please leave a comment for Chris OR answer one of the interview questions posed here, like what’s in your fridge. You have until November 9th. The grand prize winner will be announced on Wed. Nov. 12th. So comment away!

Have a great rest of the week.

JEN