Today is the first week of the Don't Fear the Reaper read-along! We'll be discussing the first five chapters of First Grave on the Right, the first book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. If you would like to join, please see this introduction post on how to get started! Many thanks to Christy at Love Books for this week's questions.

1. We meet some of Charley's ghostly "buddies," do you believe you have ever had a ghostly encounter?

  I can't say that I ever had one, but I do believe in spirits. Just because we don't seem them doesn't mean that they don't exisit. I'll be honest and that I would get a bit freaked out if I met one. Hopefully, the ghost will be more like Casper than the ones that Charley handles. LOL!

2. Charley named her jeep Misery. Have you ever named your vehicles? What did you name them?

 I haven't named any cars, mainly because since I have a large family the cars are passed around. I have named other objects in the house like my space heater which I dubbed Jacob after the Twilight series. ;)

3. Charley says her name "...brooks no opposition. It takes s*** from no one." What do you think your name says about you to strangers? Is there a different name that you think would suit you better?

Many people can't pronounce my name even though it's spelled out phonetically. So, I'm sure the first thing that they think of right away is that it's foreign. I find it funny watching people trying to find a polite way to pronounce it. I've resorted to having friends just call me "Rum" as a nickname because a) everyone has heard of rum before and b) it's easy to pronounce. I've also got an assorted nicknames around the house. I like my name and I think it suits me.

4. Charley says her best friend Cookie is "like Kramer from Seinfeld, only not so nervous, like Kramer might have been on Prozac." Give us your best description of your best friend. How would they would describe you?

 My best friend is practical, for the most part easily detect my moods, and can call me out stuff. I think she would describe me as passionate and deceptively demure.

5. Garrett is reluctant to believe in Charley's abilities, how would you react if a friend divulged to you that they can see and speak with the dead?

 I've heard of people who believe they are ghost talkers or have communicate with the dead. Even though they are a friend, I would still need proof before I could believe them right away.