What is your idea of perfect happiness? My family. Together in a room with a sax, a piano, and a Ping-Pong table.
Which living person do you most admire? People who do hard, honorable work in obscurity.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? The inability to listen. Inauthentic vocal registers. Calling anything other than food “delicious” or “yummy.”
What is your greatest fear? Sharks. The ones in the ocean.
What is your greatest extravagance? Fancy dishes.
On what occasion do you lie? When I’m talking about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy and trying to make time stand still.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Impatience.
What do you dislike most about your appearance? Less and less.
Which living person do you most despise? Anyone who is deliberately cruel. People without empathy. People without compassion or curiosity.
Which talent would you most like to have? To be fluent in Italian and ASL, to play the piano, sing, tap-dance, and cook.
What is your current state of mind? Ready.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would write more.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Impeccable politeness.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Oh, my God, that’s the best thing I ever had.”
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Nellie Bly.
What is your greatest regret? Not doing the things that I would have done if I wasn’t scared.
When and where were you happiest? When our family was complete.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? My commitment to growing. Not giving up. Stamina. Optimism. Perseverance.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? A hummingbird.
What is your most treasured possession? A charm from my mother’s charm bracelet with my name on it.
What is your most marked characteristic? My ability to move difficult things into the realm of humor.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Being abandoned, being alone, not being seen, not being understood.
Where would you like to live? In Rome.
What is your favorite occupation? Singer, tap dancer, or boat captain.
What do you most value in your friends? Honesty, loyalty, and a wicked sense of humor.
What is it that you most dislike? Peppercorns.
Who are your favorite writers? Gloria Steinem, Mary Karr, Jerzy Kosinski.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Moana. And Harry Potter, because we have the same scar.
Who are your heroes in real life? People who overcome.
What is your motto? I decide.
How would you like to die? Quietly, in my sleep. At peace. On a boat in Italy. Next to an empty bowl of pasta.