What are 5 things you would want to find?

1. My childhood bedroom when I was around 10 years old – all of my stuffed animals, my drawings, my books, my clothes – everything exactly as it was.

2. My snake Desmond that escaped in my college apartment when I was around 20 years old, almost 10 years ago. I never found him, alive or dead.

3. My yellow Power Ranger action figure that got swept out to sea in Myrtle Beach around 1995.

4. My favorite horse from my years riding, Dolly. She was sold for retirement soon before I stopped horseback riding. I’m sure she’s passed now, but I’d love to see her one more time.

5. Home videos of me and my brothers – we aren’t sure where they’ve ended up and I hope someday to find them again.

What are 5 things you would want to hide? 

1. My fear of tight places.

2. A little camera down at the bottom of the sea so I could see all of the things that might drift by.

3. Little treats for myself to find when I least expect them, both physical objects like chocolate and mental things encouragement and strength.

4. The self-censoring I do when I write – I want to be unafraid to write whatever and however I want without constantly critiquing myself (don’t we all!).

5. All of the sweet little moments with my son that he won’t remember when he’s older so he can find them and experience them.

If you could choose anywhere in the world for your book to be hidden, where would it be?

New Zealand. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and hopefully will someday. Or maybe Narragansett, Rhode Island or Boone County, Kentucky, where most of the stories in my collection take place.

If you could find any book, which would it be and why?

I’d want to find a first printing of The Hobbit or one of The Lord of the Rings books. They meant so much to me as a child and I collect old copies of them now, so finding a truly rare one would be incredible.

Who would you want to find your book (another author, celebrity, et cetera)?

I’d love for Karen Russell to find one of my books. I admire her work so much and strive to get even close to her level of raw creativity. I’d probably be too scared for her to really read any of my work in the end.