Lisa Scottoline Shovels Horse Poop

My name is … Lisa Scottoline. It’s extremely Italian. And rhymes with “scallopini.”

I am a … mom.

I live in … the suburbs, on a farm.

On Sunday mornings, I … muck stalls, shovel horse poop, and then go watch Meet the Press.

My favorite horse … is Buddy the Pony. I’ve had him for 15 years. He’s a wonderful animal.

If offered a free trip to Mars … I wouldn’t go. I love being on the farm. Mars does not appeal to me in the least.

My standard cocktail order … is a margarita. Patrón Silver. Rocks. Salt. It’s so delicious.

When I was 16 … I had braces and glasses and no dates.

When I was 21 … I had glasses and no dates.

I quit my day job … a year after my second book was published. That’s when I could finally afford to do that, but I still wasn’t making a
living wage.

If you want to take me out to dinner … I’ll go. Someplace with eggplant parm.

What this city really needs is … more respect. Philadelphia is perfect. I have never lived anywhere else. And I never want to. I wish Philadelphians realized how great it is.

The prettiest place in Philadelphia … is any of those big cobblestone streets in Old City. I love every marble stoop. I love every soft orange facade, the brick in the Colonial part. I’ve written 20 novels, all set in Philadelphia. It’s like nowhere else.

My daughter is always telling me … to follow the recipe. It’s really true.

I’m always telling my daughter … to not stress about not following the recipe.

When I want to relax … I read.

If you come to my house for dinner … please don’t dress up. And don’t mind it when the dogs jump up on you. I train my dogs to jump up on you. It’s not going to work if you’re not going to deal with this. I love my dogs.

The farthest I’ve been from Philadelphia … is Australia. For a country that has such a carefree reputation, they take their reading very seriously.

On an average day … I write 2,000 words.

My best subject at Lower Merion High was … English. For my first two books, I would go back to school, and the teachers would grade me on them. My worst subject was trig. Anything involving numbers, I can’t do. At all.

One day, I would like to write … a children’s book.

This year, the Phillies … will win the World Series. Perhaps. It could happen. The Eagles were so sad, anyway.

If I ever remarry … shoot me. Stop me. Remind me.