Q&A with Mad Mabbers - Part 1

This is a Q&A with my best friend Amy - she has also answered these questions over on her blog. Go check it out! Mad Mabbers' Answers

1. Choose five songs that have changed something about you or mean a lot to you and explain how/why (in no particular order)

1. Vienna by Billy Joel - It reminds me that even though I'm struggling, something better is just around the corner.
2. Mona Lisa by Britney Spears - It definitely changed the way I see the music industry. It's screwed up. I don't worship celebrities the way I used to because of this song. 
3. Bring It On by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - It's always the song I listen to when I need to feel strong and ready for anything.
4. I Know It's Over by The Smiths - There are certain lyrics in this song that make me feel so strong. 'It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind' are lyrics that I absolutely adore and mean a lot to me.
5. Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance - 'I am not afraid to keep on living' this one pretty much speaks for itself.

2. What book would you say everyone has to read and why?

This is difficult because I feel like there are two correct answers. Based on enjoyment, The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R Carey. It's an incredible dystopian story about England and I don't remember ever enjoying a book as much as that one. Then, I'd maybe say Animal Farm by George Orwell for it's political relevance, even in today's generation. I think the way it uses animals to portray such a strong message is genius, and I think everyone should read it for the reason. 

3. Describe your dream honeymoon

Simple. Driving a car through Europe. Occasionally renting a hotel but mostly just camping and sleeping in the car - yes, J.. to fit my dream this does require a Volvo 940 unfortunately for you! Maybe with a stop off to Disneyland too! 

4. Choose five celebrities you look up to and explain why. 

You know what? The older I get, the less I look up to celebrities, and this is someone who used to read Heat magazine like my life depended on it. So it really surprises me that I'm struggling to answer this now. 

1. Britney Spears/Oli Sykes - I think her strength in overcoming everything she did (a lot that I've also struggled with) is the biggest inspiration to me. Throughout it all she's remained a kind hearted, funny and beautiful human being. Same applies to Oli. 
2. J.K Rowling - Whilst my opinion of her gradually declines, and I don't agree with the way she continues exploiting the Harry Potter franchise, I still find her inspirational. Like many writers, she was told no so many times, but still ended up becoming one of the biggest selling writers in the world, and she wrote Harry Potter.. so come on? I don't even really have to explain myself here.
3. Darren Shan/R.L Stine - I don't even know if they count as celebrities, but I'm adding them to my list. I want to write horror myself, but for a slightly older generation than they did, and I just find them so inspirational. 
4. Woody Allen - Okay, this is probably going to be a bit controversial. He's a bit of a creep, and has done/said things that I don't agree with but he's one of the most talented directors/writers out there, and I always look forward to watching what he's been working on.
5. Sarah Michelle Gellar - Probably more Buffy that I look up to and not SMG but she was a defining part of my childhood and I'll never forget how much, her and the rest of the Scooby gang taught me about the world. 

5. Do you read the book or watch the movie first? Why? 

I know you're always going to be disappointed with the movie after reading the book, but I still think you should read the book first.

6. Have you ever considered writing a novel? If so, describe it and your progress.

I have, and I am trying to. I'm currently in the process of writing a dystopian novel. I haven't written much at all, but for once, I'm loving what I actually have written. 

I'm also trying to finish a children's book I've been working on and a collection of short horror stories for young adults. 

7. If you could pick a female celebrity and a male celebrity to be your siblings, who would you choose and why?

Britney Spears and Oli Sykes obviously! I love their sense of humour, and how strong they are. They'd be the perfect siblings to look up to. It would probably create a really strange, dysfunctional family but oh well!

8. What was the most vivid dream you've ever had?

I once dreamt when I was around six, that my family and I stopped off at a service station during our drive home from an antique fair. They went off to get something to eat while I went to the sweet shop. On my way there, the carpet underneath me opened up, revealing an escalator heading downwards, that I was already on. I ended up in a photobooth, when a red face appeared on the screen and said 'You're going to die Tilly'. 

The next day, I went into school telling everyone about what had happened during our drive home, thinking it was real. It still feels real to this day. I actually have a dream around once a year when the same voice (Now in the form of a child's skeleton), tries to kill me. Never the same dream, always a year on, in different circumstances. Like he's Freddy Krueger but can only get to me once a year. It's damn scary, but makes for good writing material! 

9. Do you have any recurring aspects in your dreams?

The one I mentioned above and car parks. They're always multi-storey and most of the time they always appear in every single dream I have. 

10. List all the nicknames you've ever been called and explain the reason behind them.

1. Tilly - It's just a short version of my name
2. Pin  - My mum used to call me Min (short for Minnie Mouse) and one day she accidentally called me that and it stuck. 
3. Mazbeth - My sister's always called me it because of something to do with Sleepy Hollow - even though I'm pretty sure she's got the spelling wrong!
4. Sea Lion - I was once really into tarots cards, and spirituality etc. and I had a pack of animal wisdom ones. One day I did a reading, and mine was a sea lion and J's was a tiger. We've been calling each other those ever since. 
5. Wendy - My boyfriend is a Gemini, and I once said that Peter Pan would definitely be one too, because he refuses to grow up. So, we call each other Wendy and Peter. 

11. What have you learned from the toxic or negative people in your life?

That for a while, I'll ignore the bad in them, in the hopes that they'll change, but when they don't, I'm ashamed to say, I hold a pretty strong grudge.

12. What are your favourite smells?

Petrol! Books! J! Britney perfume! Great food!

13. Who are your top 10 fictional characters?

1. Belle - Beauty & The Beast
2. Spike  - Buffy The Vampire Slayer 
3. Buffy Summers - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
4. Dorothy Gale - The Wizard Of Oz
5. Hermione Granger - Harry Potter
6. Christian - Moulin Rouge!
7. Mark Darcy - Bridget Jones' Diary
8. Rory Gilmore - Gilmore Girls
9. Jess Mariano - Gilmore Girls
10. Alice - Alice In Wonderland

14. If you could get plastic surgery, would you? If so, elaborate. 

I'm a very insecure person. To the point, where I can't even write about it because it just makes me upset, but I am fully against the idea of plastic surgery purely for cosmetic reasons, so no. 

15. How would you describe your style?

Everchanging. Mostly I like to feel girly. Pretty dresses, a satchel and a book in my hand. I also love jeans and converse but I hate wearing masculine clothes. 

16. What are your two favourite movie scenes?

I'm basing this on those that made me feel the most and which I felt were the best movie scenes. So first, would have to be the Tango De Roxanne scene in Moulin Rouge!, and secondly would have to be the scene where he throws the ring in Match Point. 

17. What are your favourite lyrics?

I'd be here forever if I could, so I'll just choose a few. 

1. 'She treats my heart like a stolen car, all the while she had the keys' - Getaway Driver by Miranda Lambert
2. 'I don't believe in an interventionist God' - Into My Arms by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3. 'Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate. Will nature make a man of me yet?' - This Charming Man by The Smiths
4. 'Just put your weight on my shoulders, for when I dive into your iris, my brain erupts into biochemical mayhem and I feel like a man with two hearts' - Dear Future Historians by Enter Shikari
5. 'Every time I try to fly, I fall without my wings' - Everytime by Britney Spears

18. Choose your top five movie quotes

1. 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return' - Moulin Rouge! 
2. 'There's no place like home' - The Wizard Of Oz
3. 'It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking' - Beauty & The Beast
4. 'Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest' - The Neverending Story
5. 'Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen' - Labryinth

19. Who are your top 10 bands/artists?

1. Britney Spears
2. Bring Me The Horizon
3. Miranda Lambert
4. Panic! At The Disco
5. The Smiths/Morrissey
6. Carrie Underwood
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
8. My Chemical Romance
9. Cher
10. Creeper

20. What would you choose as your wedding song?

Because I'm such a music fanatic, this would be one of the most important decisions of the day. I already know exactly what song I want, but me being me, I'm keeping it a secret.

21. Do you secretly have the 'I liked it before it was cool thing and now I don't' complex?

I don't even secretly have it. I'm ashamed to say that I do, and it's pretty blatant.

22. Name five songs that people would be shocked you like 

I have very varied music taste so nothing should really shock anyone but I guess based on the way people perceive me, these would be the ones.

1. Big For Your Boots by Stormzy
2. The Final Episode by Asking Alexandria
3. Because I Got High by Afroman
4. Family Traditions by Hank Williams Jr
5. Going In by Isaiah Dreads

23. What are your five favourite animals? (In no particular order)

1. Possums
2. Bears
3. Sea Lions
4. Fish
5. Pigeons

24. Do you truly believe you have the talent, and drive to be successful in your dream job?

Yes to both. 

25. Do you feel more like an adult or a teenager?

I don't know. I've always felt like I'm more mature for my age for the most part, but at the same time, I can also be really immature. Somewhere in the middle I guess.