I spent a long time putting together this list of ten things that it seemed really important to tell you about myself.
Marie-Sabine Roger
I've decided to list them in order of importance, although that order varies according to my mood, and according to the weather. In fact my mood is quite strongly linked to the weather, which conveniently brings me to the first "essential thing" on my list:
I'm a total cat
OK, I admit that's a bit confusing.
Allow me to explain: my feline nature means that I have great affection for - and I would even go so far as to say that I worship - fireplaces, radiators, stoves, duvets, sofas you can sink into, soft woolly jumpers, scarves and everything else that brings warmth, especially the sun, without which I find that I wither very quickly.
Which, by an association of ideas, leads on to thing number two…
I don't like the cold, rain or umbrellas
But I love both Britains (Brittany and Great Britain), I lived in Quebec for eighteen months and I now reside in the notoriously damp Charente region of France. Go figure!
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When I was little I wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, lion-tamer or secret agent, or, even better - all of them at once. As a result, I'm now an author.
I conclude from this that:
I don't follow my ideas through
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I believe being a food lover is a courtesy we show to life.
And as I always try to be polite:
I love black chocolate, toffees, scones, dried fruits, cup cakes… Tea, green or black (and especially Earl Grey) And every herbal or fruit tea you can imagine (as well as some of those you can't)
(Concerning these three last points, my publisher would be happy to forward on to me any delicious parcels they receive. You shouldn't feel obliged, of course. That said, kind gestures are always appreciated…)
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I started writing when I was four. At that tender age I couldn't actually read or write for myself, so I would dictate my masterpieces to my mother, who typed them up for me on a typewriter. We can conclude from this that:
Nothing holds me back
… Or that my mother was a very patient woman.
You can decide for yourselves.
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I love English porcelain teacups with floral patterns, teapots, the smell of Christmas cake fresh from the oven and the whole festive period.
Which does contradict essential thing number two somewhat.
But you can understand this contradiction thanks to essential thing number three.
And this seems to me to lead quite naturally to essential thing number 8:
If I wasn't an author (or a doctor-lawyer-lion-tamer-secret agent), I would be running a tea shop
(Doubtless due to essential things four, five and six)
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I love life, nature, gardens, rambling in the hills, all creatures great and small, silence (perhaps with some birdsong in the background), solitude (but with some friends not too far away), attentive, caring people, Christmas Eve and long summer days.
(Which is a bit much for one essential thing, but I'm getting to the end of my list and I'm worried about running out of space.)
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To sum up, the really essential thing to know about this list is that:
When I have to come up with a top-ten list I sometimes go (a bit) overboard.
But it hardly shows.
(I know.)
