3Ws – Colleen Oakley

Babies, apparently. My husband and I have two kids already and we found out late this summer that we were (very unexpectedly) pregnant with twins! We’re still getting over the shock. But when I’m not procreating, I’m writing novels. My first book BEFORE I GO is a love story of sorts about a young woman who’s dying and decides to find a new wife for her husband before she passes, so she knows that he’ll be taken care of. I also write magazine articles, essays and grocery lists.

It’s really a favor to my husband Fred, so that I’m easier to live with. I’ve found if I’m not writing that I fall into a weird, funky depression and I bitch and moan and complain about really important things like not being able to find my favorite coffee mug. But when I’m writing, I’m a much better everything else — mom, wife, friend, daughter, driver, dinner maker.

I read books at a break-neck pace— I often find myself bleary-eyed at 3 a.m. promising myself: just one more page! I love fiction: thrillers, historical fiction, drama, love stories— anything with great writing and interesting characters that sucks me into someone else’s life.

Also, food. I live in the south, so my favorites are typically deep-fried in peanut oil. And when I’m not pregnant, I consume wine and tequila (preferably in margarita-form). I imagine after the twins are born, I’ll be consuming them in far greater quantities than ever before.