The fabulous cartwheeling Valerie Haight joins us today for a funny-ass trip down memory lane, all in celebratory anticipation of her novella Happenstance, which will be released December 23rd by Turquoise Morning Press. She tells an awesome story about her senior prom, which sounds like something straight out of a John Hughes film. I can totally see Molly Ringwald out there on the dance floor, thumbing her nose at the lame-ness of her fellow-students, superfloofy as all get-out.

Valerie Haight

Doyle High School, Livingston, LA, Class of ’94, currently: Administrative Assistant aka Proper Gopher and Author

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: “Wonderwall” by Oasis. I drove a white ’89 Ford Festiva…I’ll wait while you snicker. It held 8 people if you count the runt tossed into the hatchback space. Yes, *nervous laugh* of course we obeyed seatbelt laws! Gas was 99 cents a gallon and we drove every inch of the Baton Rouge asphalt in that peppy lil baseball cap.

Band you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Pink Floyd. “Another Brick In The Wall”. “Hey! Teeeea-cher!” Grrrr! I still hate that song.

Best show or concert you saw in high school: Que the violins! I never attended a concert in high school. I did dance with myownself at senior prom to Spin Doctors “Two Princes”. I was a new senior. I hadn’t grown up with those kids and I was fairly certain I wouldn’t see most of them after graduation. (This was before Facebook, people.) We had this ROCKIN’ awesome live band and they were playing their hearts out to a ginormous, empty dance floor. What was a cartwheeling fool to do? I hopped out there and rocked out to the entire song! My dress was short, superfloofy and did most of the rockin’ for me. Me and that dress! We made memories that night.

Best high school make-out song: “Name” by Goo Goo Dolls. Best. Kiss. Ever. Sorry, where was I? Oh, right. Looking him up on Facebook. LOL.

Karen! Thanks so much for letting me participate in your high school questionnaire! This is so much fun and brought back some seriously funny…and devious memories!

Valerie’s debut novella, Happenstance, will be released December 23rd by Turquoise Morning Press. Look to her FB Author Page for info about that, as well as her short story Magnolia Brides in the TMP wedding anthology out June 2013. You can follow Valerie on Twitter @Valeriebrbr.