What books have most influenced your life?
I have loved reading my whole life. Most mothers say that when things get quiet they know their child is doing something bad. Mine always said she knew it meant I was curled up reading. After so many years and so many books, I feel like they are all a part of me and have influenced my life.

Who are your favorite music artists?
I enjoy a wide variety of musical artists. Listening to the blues of B.B. King takes me back to my roots in Memphis. When I'm in the mood for some killer guitar I can never go wrong with Carlos Santana.

What are your favorite websites and why?
I spend a great deal of time on two sites in particular, Google and Amazon. Google tells me what's going on and Amazon feeds my book habit.

Where else can people find you on the web?
I write for eHow.com on a wide variety of how to subjects. I also maintain a blog about my weight loss surgery journey at http://www.shringpamelalala.com

What are your professional highlights?
One of my professional highlights was running a successful antique business. The other was seeing my first article published.

What advice do you have for the journey of life?
Find something that you love to do and pursue it with everything you have. Life is full of many distractions and a primary one is the pursuit of wealth. The pursuit of wealth alone will not make you happy. To quote an old proverb, success is doing what you love and making a living at it.

What are you most passionate about in life?
My passions are simple. I am passionate about my husband, my dogs and writing.

What ticks you off?
Cruelty ticks me off faster than anything. Whether it's cruelty to people or animals, I will not stand for it.

Any thoughts or ideas on living a greener life?
We can all act individually to conserve energy. Air condition is a big energy consumer here in Florida. I recently built an outdoor kitchen to move most of the heat from cooking out of the house. Solar cooking options were also incorporated into the outdoor kitchen. Find something appropriate for your area and do it.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
Most people are surprised to know that I did not have children.

Do what makes you happy. Not everyone is cut out to be a corporate executive. Find where your passions lie and pursue them, everything else will fall into place.