#KnowJoe Q&A, Part 2

As I mentioned last time, you guys asked me a lot of questions. 54, to be exact. I had to divide my Q&A into two parts, so that's what you'll be getting today. I don't think there's anything else I need to say in this intro, so let us continue on the path of enlightenment! (Because, you know, you're understanding me better.)

I wonder what the neighbors would've thought if they saw me dressed like this . . .

28. Which Once Upon a Time character do you relate to the most?

Hook, because I'm roguishly dashing and girls swoon in my presence.

source; Yep, the secret's out: I was actually the one who played Hook.

29. What do you hope 2018 looks like for you?

Well, I'm hoping for a lot of things, such as:

• A lot more writing
• More book reading
• Stronger and more relationships
• A job I truly enjoy
• My own vehicle
• Being able to go to Realm Makers

Yeah, that's what I would like to do in 2018. So I guess you could say I want to be more successful in all areas of my life this year. Not a bad thing to hope for, I think.

30. Who would be your archenemy and why?

I know I've said Ganondorf in the past, but to shake things up, I'm going to pick . . . either Ghirahim or Reverse-Flash. Ghirahim is one of my favorite Zelda villains. He's the perfect blend between cool and creepy, which is a good combo for me. But Reverse-Flash is a very patient, cunning individual. I'm not sure why I'd choose him because he has speed and I don't, but he's just an awesome bad guy. So one of those two. Although I'm sure I could pick many others.

31. Favorite Disney princess?

Hmm . . . probably Rapunzel from Tangled. But I also liked Belle from both the old and new Beauty and the Beast films, Moana from Moana, and Anna from Frozen.

32. What's something very obscure that you know?

Oh boy. Lemme think . . . apparently ninja didn't use katanas as often as they're depicted. The swords took three months to make and were pretty heavy as well. Ninja were far more likely to use what was readily available to them, such as sickles--like the Yiga Clan in Breath of the Wild.

source; I love how they flipped the Sheikah symbol upside-down for their masks.

33. Why don't you like waffles?!

. . . I love waffles, so I have no idea why this question was even asked. (You just trying to be goofy, Kaitlyn? Because it's working!)

34. What's your best piece of writing advice?

Make the struggles personal. That's what I did with Digital Pulse. I used the issues I was wrestling with at the time in my story, and I think it added an emotional oomph to it. I highly suggest that if you're writing, make the theme something you care about, something you can learn from. It'll make your story stand out, even if you may not realize it.

35. If you could live in any time period, which one would you pick?

I'm not actually sure. Every era has its positives and negatives. Maybe the future? I don't know how many years, but it'd be interesting to see how technology advances and how the world progresses. *shrugs* I'm stumped. I can't think of any time period that truly appeals to me, because of all the issues that are coming to mind.

36. Which Lord of the Rings character do you feel most similar to?

I think it might be a toss-up between Sam and Frodo. I really, really hope I'm the Sam kind of friend, one who is loyal to a fault and is looking out for others. I know that when any of my friends are dealing with stuff, I always try to help as best as I can. But I also feel like I'm Frodo, because I sometimes feel like my burdens are mine alone to carry. Now, technically, it's probably good that Frodo didn't hand off the Ring to just anybody, but it's too easy for me to deal with my problems on my own. I forget that God wants me to cast all my cares on Him, so I need to work on not carrying them alone.

37. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be?

There's a lot of different people I could say, but . . . ugh, this is hard. See, I want to choose some of my online friends and my three favorite YouTubers (DanTDM, Jacksepticeye, and Markiplier, if you're curious), but I can't pick just one! I'm going to cheat and say my two friends in New Zealand, but I'd rather meet everyone on my mental list.

38. If you had to choose, would you rather have all your memories taken from you or everyone you know have their memories taken from them?

I'd hate it, but I would rather lose all my memories, and here's why. If I choose everyone I know losing their memories, that's a lot of people who are affected! I'd be messing up so many lives, and knowing that would be an immense burden I'd have to deal with for the rest of my life. But I'm just one person. If I lose my memories, that affects a lot less people. It's not a good decision either way, but the first option is the lesser of two evils.

39. What genre(s) of music are you indifferent to?

Okay, this may sound kinda bad . . . but I'm a little indifferent to typical Christian music. It's not appealing enough, instrumentally speaking, to be something I love, but I don't hate it either. It's just . . . there. Most genres of music I either love or hate, but Christian music in general is so-so. Now, don't get me wrong. I love artists and bands like Switchfoot, Skillet, NF, and Owl City. But too much of the music in Christian songs feels a little bland, or very similar to other songs. That's just my opinion.

40. What's a location, near or far, that holds happy memories?

Home holds a lot of happy memories for me. It's a place where I can relax, where I can hang out and laugh with my family. I've actually been meaning to put together a playlist of songs for what home feels like to me. It's a refuge, a safe haven, a harbor. I wouldn't have it any other way.

41. What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?

Pi: 3.141592654.

source; It's a Pi pie!

42. Would you rather be able to travel to the past or to the future?

I'm going to assume I'm simply traveling and not choosing a time period to live in, so I'll say the past. There's a lot of interesting events and people that I'd like to see. Who knows, it could possibly even help my writing!

43. Have you ever wished to be taller or short?

If anything, maybe a little taller, but I'm pretty comfortable with my height. I think I'm about 5'10", possibly 5'11". It's a decent height, I think. The only reason I'd want to be taller is because I feel shorter than a number of guys I know. That's literally the only reason.

44. Favorite chocolate bar?

I love Oh Henry, Big Turk, that Cadbury chocolate chip cookie dough one, Crispy Crunch, Snickers, etc. So I don't have one favorite. (I'm like that with a lot of things.)

45. Is there any chance you'll tell us how you are so awesome? You know, give the rest of us lesser mortals some tips?

First off, this is a fantastic question! Secondly . . . darling, since when did a star like myself give away his secrets? All I can tell you is that you have to practice. I worked hard to become this awesome. It doesn't happen overnight! You must train yourself in the way of the Awesome People, of which I am but the most popular member. That's all I can. Just watch what I do and glean your info that way.

46. Favorite Marvel movie?

I can't pick just one! I love them all so much!

. . . But I'm going to say Captain America: The First Avenger. That's a classic for me, and it got me hooked on the Marvel films. I watched it three times in one week!

source

47. Do you enjoy acting in/watching plays?

If I could, I'd love to act in a play. I think when it comes to acting in general, I would sooner pick voice acting, but I think it would be a lot of fun to participate in a stage performance. I don't know how good I'd be at it. If I were given the opportunity and the training, I'd definitely say yes.

As for watching plays, I haven't seen very many. It's a fun experience every now and then, but I prefer watching movies when I can get my top-notch sets and special effects and whatnot. I have only seen local plays, though, so maybe the big ones would be something I'd really enjoy!

48. Favorite Disney movie?

Tracey, why are you trying to make me pick just one favorite? I CAN'T. One of my favorites is Big Hero 6. That was such an epic and emotional movie. I wish they would make a sequel, and at the same time, I'm glad they haven't. I only want them to make a second movie if they have a really amazing plot.

Speaking of Disney movies, I am very curious as to what the Artemis Fowl film coming out this year is going to look like. I hope it's really good! It looks like they're going to be covering the events of the first two books, while adding a character who comes later on in the series. Hopefully it turns out to be a fantastic movie and they keep making more, because the Artemis Fowl series is one of my all-time favorites.

49. What book have you forced yourself to finish?

Vanish by Tom Pawlik.

source

Honestly, I have no idea how this book won any awards, or how it could even be compared to Ted Dekker's work. It was nothing but a let-down. The description on the back made it sound interesting, but it turned out to be nothing more than a religious in-your-face-and-down-your-throat message, something I have very little tolerance for. I don't remember all the details of the books; I just remember wasting my time reading the whole thing.

50. What was your favorite subject in school?

History was always my favorite. I love learning about the past; it's fascinated me for the longest time, and I'm not exactly sure why. I especially love it when it's told like a story. Unfortunately, as far as I know, this never happens in school, which is a shame. I think it's why I loved The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard so much. Not only did it cover one of my favorite historical eras--the Golden Age of Piracy--but it gave all the facts in a story format. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to read an interesting history book.

51. Do you or have you ever played any organized sports?

No, I have not, and I probably never will. It just makes your schedule way too busy, and I have zero interest in sports. Well, I shouldn't say that. I've been a few local hockey and baseball games, and I've enjoyed those. It's just not something I care to watch often.

52. Why did you start blogging?

Good question! I started for a couple of reasons. One of my top reasons was that I want to become a published author, and I needed a platform to interact with people who might enjoy what I have to offer. I also just wanted to do it as a "for fun" thing, because it's a place where I can share things that I enjoy, interact with other writers, have great conversations, etc. You guys mean more to me than you may know! So thanks for taking the time to read my posts and interact with me in the comments. You're all appreciated!

53. Do you prefer pens, pencils, markers, or some other writing utensil?

I can't choose between pens and pencils. Pens write darker and don't need to be sharpened, but you can't erase mistakes you make. Pencils, on the other hand, just feel right to me, especially when I'm writing stories, but they gotta be sharpened and write faintly when the lead is getting fat. So I'm not sure. In general, probably pens, but for story writing, pencils all the way.

54. How do you take notes if inspiration strikes at random?

*chuckles nervously* That's the thing . . . I don't. I trust my brain to remember all my good ideas, and it works surprisingly well! For the most part, anyway. Now that I have a phone, I can just use that to quickly put down a random idea that comes to mind so I can review it later. But before that? Just my good ol' noggin.

And that's all of your questions! I enjoyed answering all of them. Thanks for participating in this Q&A. But none of you asked possibly some of the most obvious questions, like if I had a crush on anybody (well, anyone who's not a video game character, that is). So I'm going to include one, and I'm really not sure why I'm doing this . . . Here goes nothing.

Bonus Question: What is one of your most embarrassing memories?

How did no one ask this question? I was totally expecting it. I never thought I'd have to add it myself.

In college, we were divided up into four teams and had to give oral book reports in front of the class and our four "judges," if you will. We had to dress up professionally and everything. On the day of my group's presentation, one of our team members decided to not show up without any warning, so the rest of us had to meld her points into our own. We miraculously were able to pull it off, and we got the most praise out of all the groups.

"What's embarrassing about that?" you might ask. Nothing! Except for one tiny detail.

My fly was unzipped the whole time, and I didn't discover it until after the fact. I had hoped that no one else had seen. Turns out, several weeks, one of my classmates let slip that . . .

Everyone.

Had.

Noticed.

It was so awkward and embarrassing! I still feel those emotions when I think of it now. *shudders*

On that bombshell, let's end the #KnowJoe Q&A! Thank you again for all your wonderful questions. I hope you got to know me just a little better!