Happy New Year! To start 2012, we bring you this interview with author Tanya Lloyd Kyi:

TK: Welcome, Tanya! How was your Christmas?

Tanya: It was okay.

TK: Just okay?

Tanya: Some parts were lovely. But my entire family was sick. My son went down on the last day of school, followed a few days later by me, followed a few days later by Min, followed on Christmas morning by my daughter, who narrowly missed throwing up on her Christmas stocking.

TK: Um… gross.

Tanya: Exactly. And I always have this idea that Christmas vacation will be a winter wonderland. I have childhood memories of sledding and skating and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. This did not happen.

TK: It could be because you live in a rainforest where it sort of… rains. All the time.

Tanya: If certain people weren’t coughing up their lungs, we could drive to the mountains.

TK: Good point. Are you sure, though, that you’re not idealizing your childhood winters? You must have gotten sick then, too.

Tanya: Do you think? I listened to Dylan Thomas read A Child’s Christmas in Wales, and it all seemed so real.

TK: Did you grow up in Wales?

Tanya: No. But I like humpback whales. And the name Lloyd is Welsh.

TK: Not quite seeing the connection…

Tanya: The candy cigarettes, and the frail teacup-like great aunts, and the 12 days of snow at age 6 are all the same.

TK: Let’s leave the topic of Wales for the moment. While you were stuck inside, did you get any writing done?

Tanya: Mostly laundry.

TK: Are you going to be morose and bitter all season? Because this blog is going to get less entertaining.

Tanya: I think I’m done now.

TK: Any last words you’d like to share?

Tanya: I do have one thing to share. One really, really exciting thing. It doesn’t really mesh with the tone of this post, though, so I’m saving my good news until tomorrow.

TK: That seems like a dirty trick to make sure I come back. Because I have to say, this visit wasn’t inspiring.

Tanya: I’m fine with dirty tricks. You should come back tomorrow.