Librarian Spotlight: Super Wendy

Hey Folks!

Hope your Monday was better than mine. My commute this morning was hell. I got stuck in a subway tunnel for an hour. First, the conductor said there was a stalled train ahead of us; then it was a signal problem, then it was a power outage. Didn’t matter much to me why I was stuck in the tunnel, I just wanted to get the heck out.

I became annoyed somewhere around the fifty-minute mark because despite it being a breezy sixty-six degrees in NYC today, the subway car was freezing due to the AC being turned ALL the way up. I don’t know what it is with me and cold climates. We are mortal enemies. I always seem to get stuck in places where I’m left to turn into an icicle.

I should also mention I did not have coffee. I usually wait until I get to work to indulge in my caffeine addiction but I regret not having a cup o’ hot java before leaving my apartment. Bright side? I had a book on me. LOL, two actually. I never leave home without a paperback and thanks to the delay I was able to get some reading done. Down side? I ended up shelling out twenty bucks this morning on a cab, but I’m safe! Things could always be worse. I can whine about it now, but life is good even with poopy morning commutes.

Anyway, since my day has gone completely off the rails I’m late getting this post up, but it’s worth the wait. 

This week’s spotlight features a woman I’ve been following for some time. Not in a stalkery way. Y’all, I love her blog SO MUCH. We share a lot of similarities which is probably WHY I LOVE HER BLOG SO MUCH. Of course, at RWA Nationals when I finally got to meet her, I kinda lost my shit. Within reason. I didn’t want to be a total hot mess (by my estimate I was only 70% hot mess).

Librarians and book bloggers are some of my favorite people, so when I get to meet one I adore, I momentarily lose all sense of sanity. Get to know Super Wendy; she’s the bomb.

Authors and bloggers were asked this question, and my librarian interviewees should have a shot at it as well. I always find author interviews kind of boring. We only get to see one side of an author, the polite side. I’m sure the same can be said for librarians. If you had an evil doppelganger, what detail would they enjoy revealing about you to the public that people would find surprising and possibly questionable?

I have a horrid potty mouth.  I can swear like a drunken sailor on shore leave.  This is something that general acquaintances and people who know me only in passing always seem to be surprised by when someone lets them in on my secret.  This is not the greatest trait for a librarian to have, but luckily I can turn off my colorful language fairly easily.  When I last worked public service “Fudge” and “Oh shoot” were perennial favorites.

If someone had never read romance and came to you seeking advice on where to begin, what book would you recommend to pop their cherry?

In Librarian Speak, I’d start with a reader’s advisory interview.  The great thing about romance is the variety.  I’d start by asking the person what they do like to read and the names of the last three books they really enjoyed.  Then I’d tailor my recommendations accordingly. 

That being said, there are books within the genre I think everyone should read.  Quiet reads that pack intense emotion.  Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath.  Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist.  His Wife for One Night by Molly O’Keefe. Simple Jess, Courting Miss Hattie, Wild Oats all by Pamela Morsi. Dirty by Megan Hart. To Dream Again by Laura Lee Gurhke.  So many. And yes, I tend to gravitate towards swoony historicals.  They’re my first love in romance, so they’re a hard habit to break (not that I would want to!)

 What’s your favorite romance trope? 
 

If you were going to force me to choose one: friends to lovers.  But I also love boss/secretary (I know, it’s shameful!), virgin heroes, and enemies to lovers (when it’s done well).

If you had the power to change one historical event, what event would you change and why?

This is like asking me to name my favorite book.  It’s nearly impossible.  I’ll go with what popped into my head first - the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and World War I.  The roots started much earlier but World War I begat World War II which begat the Cold War which begat Vietnam and so on and so forth.  World War I really sucked.

What’s your favorite dessert?

True New York-style cheesecake.  Light, fluffy, creamy - if someone in the City is reading this can you overnight some to me right now?  

What problem do you face every day that nobody has solved yet?

Traffic.  Unholy, ungodly, southern California traffic.

What’s your favorite 90s TV show?

Law & Order - the original flavor.  I LOVE Law & Order.  It could literally be the only TV show at my disposal and I’d be OK with that.  Also, if not for Melrose Place I don’t think I would have survived college with my sanity somewhat intact.

Who are your top three favorite authors?

Tess Gerritsen, Molly O’Keefe, Maggie Osborne (Why are you torturing me like this! Only three?!?!)

How many items on your bucket list do you have left to check off? 

Almost all my bucket list is travel related.  The big one staring me in the face is Ireland.  I want to visit Ireland SO badly.  

Finish this sentence: I really wish people understood ______ better. 

History.  The daily news is filled with instances of history repeating itself.  The worst of it is that the people we expect to know better…don’t.  Pick up a book already, it’s good for the soul and you just might learn something.

**Bonus Question**

Ever tried BDSM? If not, would you?

I am a mild-mannered librarian with a reputation to uphold. I reveal nothing! Bwahahahaha! 

*You know what they say about mild-mannered librarians*  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

Bio:

Active in the online Romance community since 1999, Wendy the Super Librarian is a former RWA Librarian of the Year, a beleaguered Detroit Tigers baseball fan, a connoisseur of cheap wine and a legend in her own mind.  She is hopelessly devoted to category romance (you will pry her Harlequins out of her cold dead hands!), historical romance and books with dead bodies in them.  After living in Southern California for over a decade, any sanity she may have left from the horrid traffic is all thanks to audio books.  Long live audio books!

Social Media:

Blog: wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.com 

Twitter: @SuperWendy

GoodReads: SuperWendy 

Instagram: wendythesuperlibrarian