SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. You begin Limestone Gumptions with this quote from Voodoo Sally: “If you
can’t surrender to life’s hard knocks, you’re like the limestone arguing with the
Suwannee. When a river comes up to a stone, do you think the stone spends all
its time trying to push the water back? No siree. The limestone yields as the
Suwannee encompasses it and becomes one with the rushing water. The
Suwannee carves the limestone into shapes and images, and it becomes a
feature of the river. In time, the limestone becomes a smooth, well-polished
cavern. And the strength of its true character is revealed. That’s limestone
gumption.” What does Sally mean by limestone gumption? How is it threaded
throughout the story? What does it have to do with the way we live our lives?
2. Are there people in the news today who have “limestone gumption”? Can you
explain why?
3. In the beginning of the novel with the murder of Big Jake, what do you
immediately learn about the book’s protagonist? What do you learn about the
book’s antagonist?
4. Why are Gigi and her sisterfriends kindred spirits? Why do they move in a herd,
clinging to one another? What liberates them from the herd but still keeps them
connected for life?
5. Why does Brad risk diving with Big Jake when he knows the violent man is
already upset with him?
6.
Throughout the novel, many of the characters, perhaps even the reader’s favorite
ones, profile people who are different from them. Which characters were profiled
and which ones profiled others? Which characters learned from their mistakes and
which ones didn’t?
7. What parallels do you see between the prejudice and profiling in the novel and
real-life events in today’s society? What can be learned from the dangers of
profiling others? Have you ever been profiled?
8. In some ways, Limestone Gumption is a story about the age-old battle between
good and evil, hypocrisy and authenticity, greed and generosity, and ego and
spirituality. Even some of the characters’ names portray where they fall on the
spectrum. Can you talk more about that?
9. How are Brad and Myrtle similar? What happens in the book to make them
dissimilar? Why do you give the readers so many rude awakenings that turn their
perspective upside down?
10. Who is your favorite character in the book? Why?
11. Voodoo Sally says that life is an illusion—that things are not what they appear to
be on the surface: “Evol” is “Love” spelled backwards. What are some of the
beliefs readers form from the story that turn out to be the opposite of what they
originally thought? Is there a takeaway that readers can apply to their own life?
12. How does spirituality play a part in Gigi’s life? What happens that causes her to
struggle with religion? How do you reconcile the fact that Gigi washes her hands
of the church, yet she is generous, loving, and caring with those who are less
fortunate?
13. How are Brad and Grandma Gigi similar? Different? In which ways do they
challenge each other?
14. Gigi refers to the other members of the Women’s Preservation Club as
“sisterfriends.” Why does that term mean more to her than just “friend” or
“sister”?
15. Why does Voodoo Sally continue to help the very people who stack the cards
against her? Have you ever known anyone like her?
16. How is Big Jake similar to Johnny Devillers? What are your impressions of these
men? What are their roles in the story?
17. How does the relationship between Brad and Sheriff Bobby-Cy flip flop after
Brad is jailed for murder? What actions does Brad take to create that reversal?
18. What do the relationships between Brad and Chris, Bobby-Cy and Brad, and
Gladys and Lick all have in common?
19. At Voodoo Sally’s funeral, how does Brad’s conversation with his boyhood pal,
Alvin Dukes, give the reader a glimpse into Brad’s personality?
20. What is Brad searching for at the beginning of the novel that he discovers in the
final pages of the book?
21. Do you think the inclusion of recipes adds to the novel? Are there any stand-out
dishes that you have tried?