Ashley C. Ford: Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday
John: It's Question Tuesday, the day that we answer real questions from real Nerdfighters, and I say we because I'm joined by Ashley C. Ford, bestselling memoirist and my friend.
J: It's called Somebody's Daughter, it's out now, it's so great.
J: What is your opinion on seagulls?
A: I am not a fan.
J: Me neither.
A: One of them has chased my husband-
J: Yeah
A: Down a beach, um-
J: He is handsome
A: He is very handsome, and I think-
J: So I don't blame him
A: They were like "Hey! Skee! Skee!"
J: How does it feel to have Oprah love your book?
A: When you've been outside all day, it has been really, really cold and you take off all of your wet, soggy clothes, and you get into the perfect, hot shower. That's what it feels like.
A: Wasn't it amazing?
J: Yes
A: Even though there were a lot of people who were like, in the comments, like, "Hey Oprah, where'd you get that quilt?"
J: Tomorrow, as this is uploaded-
A: Yes
J: You can see Ashley C. Ford in conversation with Oprah Winfrey, live in-person on Zoom. Link in the doobly-doo. (Link)
J: Wait, what is Sombody's Daughter about?
A: Somebody's Daughter is about my girlhood growing up with a difficult parental situation. My mom had some emotional issues and we had some interactions that were not super fun, and the whole time, my father was incarcerated. So just talking about dealing with that, talking about feelings that come from that, and the hope that I could make it to the other side. 
J: When does the worry about releasing a book end, and the relief set in?
A: You tell me.
J: What's it been like coming home to Indiana after so much time in New York?
A: Perfect.
J: What would you say to a young person living with trauma or what do you wish someone had said to you?
A: I wish someone had said to me that there's no such thing as a bad feeling. That my anger, sadness, frustration, I wasn't being punished when I was having that kind of feeling, and I also wasn't doing anything wrong. 
J: Part of what makes trauma often so difficult is not knowing when or how it will end, and not seeing a way out of it, and just because you cannot see when or how something will end doesn't mean it won't end. 
A: I had somebody explain emotions to me one time as like little tunnels that you walk into, and they curve, and so, because of the curve, you can't see the light necessarily for a long time when you're walking into that tunnel. But eventually, as you follow that curve, you see the light and you can walk toward it. But a lot of people have been either taught or shown by example to stop in the middle of that tunnel, and that's just not going to work for processing emotions, you gotta go through it, but there's always a way out. 
J: What is powerful about memoir as a means of expression?
A: Memoir, in and of itself, asserts that every single person, every human life, also has a story.
J: What's your favorite thing about the Midwest?
A: Driving on back roads, past corn fields, way too fast, listening to yacht rock like Christopher Cross. "Ride Like the Wind." That's got Michael McDonald in the background.
J: I can't get into the Michael McDonald.
A: That's okay.
J: And I feel bad-
A: Do you want to hear my Michael McDonald impression?
J: Yes!
A: *clears throat* *Michael McDonald impression*
J: Wow!
A: I'm gonna give everybody the secret really quick-
J: Okay
A: If you wanna do a Michael McDonald impression for anybody-
J: Yeah
A: All you have to do is yawn and sing at the same time
J: Oh, I wonder if that's how he does it if he's like, "Okay, it's three in the morning, time to get to work."
A: "Time to hit the studio!"
J: Ashley's book Somebody's Daughter is available wherever books are sold, it is such a special, extraordinary book. Ashley, thanks for being here, and also for being the first guest in our house in 15 months.
A: Thank you for having me!
Both: Hank, we will see you on Friday.