The Sunday Roast

Meredith's Teagarden Party and The Things She Carried

I am highly honoured to invite to The Sunday Roast
a very popular and talented writer whom I am priviledged
to know as a good blogging friend.
Bloggers around the world love her and follow her work ardently.

This week's interview is with Meredith Teagarden
who writes the blog The Things We Carried.

Thank you Meredith for appearing on the show.

A very warm welcome to you and to all your followers.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I blog because I love to write and blogging allows me to be part of the global community. I enjoy traveling and hope to one day meet many of the folks I blog with.

What's the story behind your blog name?

I hoped to connect to men and women who were writers, artists, and photographers. I needed a name to reach a broad readership. The title The Things We Carried came to mind as I was thinking about life and all the joy and sorrow each person carries through life.

Much to my embarrassment I found out later there is a very famous book with a similar name to my blog. I seriously considered changing the name again, but decided to keep The Things We Carried because it is what my blog is about. Had I known about the book when I came up with my blog name I would have chosen something different!

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Hands down the sense of community around the world, the amazing people I have "met" here, and the discipline of writing that blogging makes me keep.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Visit other blogs. Return visits to those who visit you! This becomes much more difficult to do when you have more comments, but make an effort to do it. Leave encouraging comments. This goes a long way for people. We all appreciate kindness! Never put words on your blog, or anyone else's, that you might later mind the whole world reading! Leaving comments at other blogs also allows other people commenting to find their way to your blog. many people have found my blog through my comments at another blog. Be yourself at your blog.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

I have read more posts than I could ever count. I can't name the most significant post, but I am always sure to be inspired at Brian Miller's WaystationOne, made to laugh at Skunkfeathers or Suldog's, tempted to grab my camera and a plane (okay, he just makes me want to travel, though he is New York based) at Gary Heller's, craving even half of the talent with words at Half Moons and Maiden Names, or From the Desk of Bee Drunken .

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Trees

If you were to suggest two blogs for roasting who would you pick, and why?

From the Desk of Bee Drunken because she is quietly brilliant, and Gary Heller because he is an artistic genius. I want to know more about both of these under noted bloggers and I have no doubt others will appreciate discovering them!

(Thanks, Meredith, I will be contacting them shortly to invite them onto the show)

That concludes the formal aspect of the interview but it would be nice to get to know you a little better while you are slowly turning on the roasting spit. So while you are screaming in agony above the open fire here are a few more questions for you.

Pick three things you can't live without (no you cannot have ice cubes to cool you down).

Travel
Loved Ones
Books

If we were to make a movie about blogland, what would it be and who would you cast from the blogging community in the leading roles?


Eddie, you simply must be there, Hilary from The Smitten Image, Frank from Baron It All, Debbie from Suburb Sanity, Rikki J from One Big Love, Shadow from 1 Door Away from Heaven, and of course The Girl from Cherry Blossom Street, oh, and Erin from Woman in a Window! They all interest me with their stories, their talent, and I would love to have dinner with them. A reality show is what might work!

Gosh Meredith! I am extremely honoured to be included amongst these greats and it would indeed be marvellous to have dinner with you.

If you were an ice cream cone, which flavour would you prefer and who would you most want to lick you?

If I were an ice cream cone, I would have to be chocolate of some sort. . . . . Eddie, you know I can't answer a question like this! But I am not surprised to see you have cleverly, casually slipped this in!

(LOL What a naughty boy I am! - I have rapped my own knuckles and fired the typist!!)

Describe in one sentence your perfect day.

I would wake up near the ocean (somewhere in the Mediterranean), the sky would be a cloudless blue, some of those I love would be there and we would laugh for hours as people who who love one another, and know each other well, sometimes do!

If you were a fictional writer which one would you be and why?

Oh dear, often writers have tragic lives! I think I would have to be me :) ! I have never been one to want someone else's life, or talent, as I believe most authors have things, hard things, that make them capable of truly good writing. They reach deep into another person's soul (their reader's) because they have been to the darkest places of their own.

And finally, since you have answered all these questions I invite you to ask me one in return - it's the least I can do, so fire away!

Eddie, what has come as the biggest surprise to you about blogging?

Great question Meredith, and a welcome one too. I mention this in my roast in more detail but my biggest surprise since I started blogging is meeting so many wonderful people who have all these great qualities, and many more besides:

Talent, openness, warmth, helpfulness, kindness, good senses of humour (thank God) and lots of other amazing attributes. I have made some very close personal friends, some better than in real life, and I would never have thought this possible before I started blogging.

Thank you for roasting me Eddie!

I am honored and delighted to be invited to your place.
It is a lovely thing to be noted by my fellow bloggers and I mean it sincerely!

We all look forward to reading a lot more or your inspired work in the future - I for one am delighted you are keeping this blog. Thank you again, Meredith

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Today's Sunday Roast with Meredith is the 95th in a weekly
series of interviews with bloggers from around the world _______________________________________________

This interview will feature in The Roll of Honour
for all published Roasts. To view press HERE
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Next week's interview is with Scriptor Senex