Funday Friday - Truth or Lie? - Linda Hill - Month 3 Week 1

Welcome to the second ever edition of Truth of Lie. My name is Rachel and I will be your host, for this exciting new game show. Each Friday, I will have one contestant, and they will be answering at least 14 questions. There is of course one small twist, 

For three of the answers, they have to lie. It is your task as the viewer to guess which three answers are lies. You are allowed 3 guesses and I want them posted into the comments field. 

Every 4 weeks, I will close the guessing, count up how many correct answers each of you has, and create a leaderboard. Anyone who is top of the leaderboard, will go into a draw for a paperback of the winners choice (open internationally). 

Please do include a way for me to contact you (email or twitter or similar), so that I can let you know if you have won. 

The weekend after a 4 week period closes, not only will I produce a leaderboard, and announce a winner, I will also let you know into the true answers, and which were the lies.  

Closing date for the third month is 11pm on 4th August 2016. 

So without further ado, let's meet today's contestant. 

Good morning contestant, please can you tell me your name and a little bit about yourself?

I'm Linda Hill, a self-retired ex-English teacher, educational consultant and inspector (but don't tell anyone that last bit) who loves books and blogs at www.lindasbookbag.com. I was a late reader as I couldn't see properly because my sight is so poor and I think I've been catching up with the joy of reading ever since. I am writing a novel too - but I doubt if it will ever get beyond my laptop!

Please to meet you Linda, thank you so much for coming onto Rachel's Random Reads, I love your blog.

Now onto the show, and remember everyone, Linda hasn't been entirely truthful with three of these answers, so it is up to you to guess which ones they are (only 3 guesses per person though). 

1) Who is your favourite author?

My all time favourite author is Thomas Hardy because I first read Tess of the D'Urbervilles for A'Level and was hooked. If it hadn't been for that book I probably wouldn't have studied English at university or gone on to have my career.

2) What book do you wish you had written?

I wish I'd written 'Jakob's Colours' by Lindsay Hawdon as it is such a moving and beautifully written book. 

3) Tell me about any really memorable dream or nightmare you have had

I once dreamt of a row of toy rabbits all tucked up in bed under a duvet and sniggering as they watched me soak someone (it wasn't clear who) by poking an awning filled with water with a broom handle so that the water cascaded all over the victim.

4) What was your most memorable holiday ever?

Going to the Galapagos and snorkelling with sharks. It was also slightly scary too. We sailed on a small boat that only had 114 passengers and 6 crew so that we could get really close to all the wildlife. It was amazing - though I was less keen on the seasickness.

5) If you could be an animal what would you be and why?

I'd be a snake as Linda means serpent in some derivations and I love the sinuous nature of them and their mysterious power.

6) If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

I'd be a strawberry and if anyone has read Tess of the D'Urbervilles they'll know why - it's seductive, tasty and colourful - not like me but how I'd like to be!

7) What superpower would you love to have?

I'd like the ability to fly. Imagine swooping over the houses and seeing into people's windows. I'd be saving the planet by not having to use my car for journeys that are too far to walk too.

8) Do you consider yourself to be an angel or a devil? Please give an example to validate your answer

Probably a devil. My fist teacher at primary school when I was four told my parents I was '...a hateful child and not a bit like Susan (my sister)...' I don't think she liked me telling her, on my first day when she told me off for screaming in the playground as I pretended to be a plane, 'Don't you shout at me. I don't like being shouted at. I'm going to tell my daddy.'

9) Can you describe for me what your perfect day would involve?

My perfect day would be waking to glorious sunshine near a beach with the waves lapping the shore. I'd have a full breakfast that would magically contain no calories before snorkelling over coral reefs. 

The rest of the morning would be spent sunbathing and reading, drinking Pina Coladas or Mai Tai cocktails - or ice cold champagne. After lunch of local fruits I'd have a stroll along the shore and meet Bryan Ferry for a chat before heading back for more reading and a whole box of non-fattening chocolates, fudge and toffee. I'd then spend an hour shopping for something lovely to wear later on.

In the evening my husband and I would have a romantic candle lit dinner at the edge of the sea, served by fabulous staff who were always smiling. We'd maybe go to a concert or the theatre later too.

10) If you could only read one author for the rest of your life (and I’m aware that’s a very scary world), who would you choose and why?

It would have to be Thomas Hardy as although I've read many of his novels, I certainly haven't read them all and they have so many memories attached to them - my own education, students I've taught, situations I've been in. I think there'd be enough to keep me going for years.

11) If you could choose anybody famous to star in the story of your life, who would it be?

It would have to be the presenter Kirsty Wark as we look quite a lot like each other!

12) Besides reading, which I am guessing is a given, what other hobbies do you have?

I love football! I support Leicester as it's quite near to me and I can't believe how well they've done this season. Amazing stuff. I just wish I'd been able to get tickets for a couple of the home games - or I'd put a bet on them at the start of the season.

13) What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to music? 

It's Bryan ferry and Roxy Music. I'm about to go and see Bryan Ferry in concert again for the 18th time. I have met him twice and had a conversation about Tennyson's poetry with him which felt quite bizarre at the time.

14) Who is the most important person in the world to you?

My husband, Steve. We met and were married within 10 months (I think everyone thought I was pregnant which is ironic as I'm the last maternal person I know) and have been married almost 33 years. We spend almost 24 hours a day together and have almost never argued - except for the time I'd washed and ironed the spare room curtains as we had guests coming to stay and Steve shoved them down the back of the radiator to keep the heat in as it was so cold, creasing the curtains up again. Mind you, that was about 23 years ago so it's not too bad. 

15) What are you most scared of?

Spiders. I think it's the way they scuttle across the carpet and sneak under furniture. One dropped on me from the ceiling when I was a child and I think that's where the fear came from.

Well I hope you enjoyed the rest of the season, as that was a brilliant Premiership win for Leicester and wow what an amazing holiday, you must share pictures with us all, the wildlife must have been spectacular. 

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Truth or Lie? I will be back next week with another episode, and in the mean time...

Don't forget to guess the lies, to be in with a chance of a prize! 

Linda Hill can be most commonly found on twitter sharing her love of books, and of course on her blog www.lindasbookbag.com