Quirks and Musical Wishes with Sandra Block + LITTLE BLACK LIES Giveaway

Today at the ball, we welcome the Sandra Block, a fellow debut author and agent sister (we’re both repped by the amazing Rachel Ekstrom of The Irene Goodman Literary Agency).

About LITTLE BLACK LIES
Meet Zoe Goldman, a psychiatry resident with plenty of her own baggage. Her birth mother died in a fire, leaving her an orphan at four years old. The arrival or her newest patient, a vixen-sociopath who as a teenager killed her own mother, sparks Zoe to fill in the blanks in her riddled past. Suffering from dementia, her adoptive mothers can only provide half-answers at best. As Zoe digs deeper, she realizes the truth is hidden within her own memory. And to reach it, she must conquer her greatest fear – the night of the fire. Because what she can’t remember just might kill her.

Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review says LITTLE BLACK LIES is a “psychological suspense story smartly narrated by Dr. Zoe Goldman, a young psychiatrist doing her residency at a Buffalo hospital.” She goes on to say, “Zoe has a quick wit that emerges in wickedly unexpected ways.”

We caught up with Sandra to talk about quirks, humor, and mindfulness.

Which talent do you wish you had?
I wish I were an amazing guitar player. I play decent guitar, but rhythm only, and my idea of a solo would be a slow pentatonic scale. I would LOVE to be a shredder, wailing up and down the guitar neck without even looking. Or play sigh-worthy melodic solos, like Eric Clapton or John Frusciante. Or the Indigo Girls. I would love to be either Indigo Girl, actually. Or maybe just be their stage lackey, I would do that, too.

What time of day do you love best?
I love 11:45 pm on Friday or Saturday night. I get this adolescent thrill that I am UP LATE and it’s ALMOST MIDNIGHT and I get to sleep in until EIGHT IN THE MORNING!!! The concept of going to bed after midnight is just deliciously irresponsible. Someday when I’m retired, I’m sure the thrill will fade, but for now it’s just chock full of frisson.

Share one quirk you have that most people don’t know about.
I don’t like dry things. I only write with certain pens that don’t make a scratchy sound. And when I’m walking, I have to periodically stick a toe in a puddle or snow bank or my shoe will feel “too dry.” Plus, if the waitress puts a drink on a napkin, I immediately take it off or it’ll drive me crazy for the whole meal. (That includes other people’s drinks, which sometimes requires explanation.)

Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.
Any type of slap stick will make me laugh. Unfortunately, that translates into real life too, so if a friend slips or bangs his/her head on a cabinet, I might let out a couple of giggles. I understand that this might be annoying for the injured party, and do try to apologize between howls of laughter. As you can imagine, this has led to a few marital squabbles.

Talk about one thing that’s making you happy right now.
Mindfulness. I have discovered “Headspace,” an app on mindfulness and meditation. I take fifteen minutes every morning to meditate, and it has made my life calmer and richer. It sounds cliche, but it has really helped me appreciate and be awake to my daily life. Headspace has a “take ten” program where you can try ten sessions for free. I would highly recommend it, and they aren’t even paying me!

GIVEAWAY: Comment on this post by Noon (EST) on Friday, February 27 to win a copy of LITTLE BLACK LIES. Follow The Debutante Ball on Facebook and Twitter for extra entries—just mention that you did so in your comments. We’ll choose and contact the winner on Friday. Good luck!
Sandra A. Block graduated from college at Harvard, then returned to her native land of Buffalo, New York for medical training and never left. She is a practicing neurologist and proud Sabres fan, and lives at home with her husband, two children, and impetuous yellow lab Delilah. She has been published in both medical and poetry journals. “Little Black Lies” is her first novel. Find Sandra on Twitter @block_sandra, and on Facebook.