WLP: I feel so special, in just a month I’ve had you here twice. Thanks a bunch for letting me bug the hell out of you!

NP: It’s no problem. I’m mostly just afraid of you.

WLP: It’s almost Christmas, do you have any traditions?

NP: Only one: act sober. My family’s a bunch of hedonistic heathens so we mostly just stuff our faces full of food and booze and then pass out. Delightful! 

WLP: What is your favorite Christmas movie?

NP: Has to be The Christmas Story. Runner up is Elf . . . “You sit on a throne of lies!”

WLP: Least favorite Christmas Song?

NP: To be honest? I hate them all. Except maybe that duet they sing on Elf, that is really more about winter . . .

WLP: Real tree or fake tree?

NP: You mean Hanukkah bush? Sorry. Umm . . . . . I’ve never had a tree as I’ve never been in my own place for Christmas. But my mom has like forty trees, all of which are fake.

WLP: What’s the worst gift you’ve ever received?

NP: The clap. Just kidding! The clap.

WLP: Turkey or ham?

NP: Turkey, are you kidding me? Ham is a sacrilege at Christmas.

WLP: It’s been a little over a month since your debut novel, Tempest Rising has been out. What have you learned in that month?

NP: That I should never take candy from strangers.

WLP: Can you tell us a little bit about Tracking the Tempest?

NP: It’s so fun! Super fast paced–even faster than Tempest Rising–and really fun. Plus it’s set in Boston, so Jane’s out of her comfort zone and on Ryu’s home turf.

WLP: What don’t you like about writing?

NP: The fact I can’t do it more often. My day job is pretty intense and between the two I’m rather frazzled at the moment.

WLP: Favorite book of 2009?

NP: Gail Carriger’s Soulless, hands down. I loved that book. Plus it’s the only one I am positive came out in 2009 . . . my perception of time is a bit wonky as I’m a) slightly crazy and b) on a permanent academic schedule.

WLP: Apparently you and I caused a bit of a stir on the Gaslight Anthem forum during our last interview. Who else do you want to cover in spreadable fruit?

NP: I have all sorts of crushes. Mostly for slightly evil looking and entirely inappropriate scalawags. The irony is, those are usually the guys who treat me the best. It’s when I meet men who claim to be honest and nice that I run into trouble. In other words, don’t judge a book by it’s cover . . . but feel free to judge a man by his package.

WLP: Yesterday, Mark Henry had the chance to ask you a question: You often wear fascinators in your luscious red hair, now, if they made fancy fabulous fascinators for the snootch, what would yours look like?

NP: Mark, I would go meta with a labia fascinator, for my labia. I would refer to myself as Oodles . . .Oodles O’Labia

WLP: Now it’s your turn, you get to ask Michelle Rowen anything and she has to answer!

NP: Dear Michelle: How many Demon Princesses can fit through the head of a pin?

WLP: Thanks again for taking the time to stop by!

NP: Thanks for having me! You da best!

Don’t forget to visit Nicole on her Website