"The notion that such persons are gay of heart and carefree is curiously untrue. They lead, as a matter of fact, an existence of jumpiness and apprehension. They sit on the edge of the chair of Literature. In the house of Life they have the feeling that they have never taken off their overcoats."
- James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times

Sunday, May 31, 2009

That time of the month - the end!


To finish this month's constant yapping, I'm going to complete my interview with Peri, conducted one early Sunday morning in her office.



GC: Should we talk about your love life?

Peri: If we don't who will? (laughs) I've been dating Skip Carlton for, um, about 6 years now.

GC: Wow, six years is a long time.

Peri: I know what you're thinking. It's what everyone else is thinking. Six years and no marriage? Skip wants to, but I don't. I've been married three times, so for me, it's kinda "been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

GC: So, it doesn't sound like marriage is for you?

Peri: Not really. My first husband was in the Navy, a nice guy but we were both too young and it was probably more about the physical attraction than anything else. I tried to pick the second husband based more on what we had in common.

GC: What happened there?

Peri: We were both college graduates, Protestant, liked classic rock and and old movies. We differed in only one way - he liked being a sociopath. Me, not so much.

GC: Ew. And the third?

Peri: Brilliant, funny, gorgeous, kind, generous. Unfortunately, a year into the marriage he figured out he's gay.

GC: Whoa, that would have been nice to know earlier.

Peri: Ya think? Anyway, I like the way things are now. Skip and I spend a lot of time together, but we both have our own places, so when things get too tense, we can go to our corners and cool off.

GC: How's Skip taking this change of careers?

Peri: Ha, speaking of things getting tense. He tries to act nonchalant, but I know it makes him nervous. Even though I'm doing background checks and surveillance, he worries about me. Now he knows how it feels.

GC: Because he's a cop? Does Placentia have a lot of crime?

Peri: No, but he carries a gun, other people carry guns. Chances are good, sooner or later they'll meet up.

GC: So let's talk about your career. Why did you get into private investigation?

Peri: I was a successful housecleaner for years. I did private residences, offices, you name it. Didn't make me rich, but I could afford to buy a little house, take a few vacations. When I turned 45, I started thinking about how long I'd have to work before I could retire, and I pictured myself at 60, on my knees several times a day, scrubbing bathtubs. I'm in good health, but what if I had back or joint problems?

My friend, Blanche, always teased me about figuring out everyone's secrets just from emptying their trash. Then, when the Franks' son went missing, I kind of helped with that investigation (Gayle's note: see Missing). It made me think I could make a living doing something that didn't involve bleach and rubber gloves – as a rule.

GC: Now that you've been doing it for awhile, how do you like being a private eye?

Peri: Sitting in my car with a camera sure beats schlepping garbage, although I'm hoping not every case is as dangerous as my last surveillance job (Gayle's note: see Freezer Burn).

GC: Thank you for your time, Peri, and good luck with the new business!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Just because I won't be doing a blog a day doesn't mean I won't be blahging any more. I'll try to get 2-3 good posts up per week, so stay tuned.

9 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Love the interview with Peri! I'm glad you'll still be doing plenty of blogging even after the challenge.

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Patricia Stoltey said...

Your character interview is well done, Gayle, and with excellent humor, as usual. By the way, I'm requesting yours and Elizabeth's books at through the regional library system we have here. Definitely worth a try.

Patricia

Enid Wilson said...

Peri is very witty, I guess she gets that after 3 marriages. How about Skip? Will you interview him to give us his views?

In Quest of Theta Magic

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

Peri sounds like quite a character (pun intended)! Enjoyed her interview.

Jane Kennedy Sutton
http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/

C. Margery Kempe said...

Love the interview -- it really fills in the character well. I think Peri makes a very attractive character to center a mystery. Good work!

Helen Ginger said...

Lordy, Peri is funny. That's good for a PI and for a character carrying a book. At least, for me it is. I like humor in a mystery.

Helen
Straight From Hel

KK Brees said...

Nice way to wrap up. I like Peri and want to read more about her.

Gayle Carline said...

Enid - yes, I probaby will have an interview with Skip, or Blanche, or Benny the Dean Martin fanatic. After all, we need to hear from all parties, right?

Teresa Burrell, Author, Attorney, Advocate said...

Good job, makes you want to get to know Peri even better. T

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