Twitter Etiquette: Late Night Tweeting?

I tweet a lot, and a rather large portion of my tweeting takes place late at night. I’m talking after midnight here.

When I get on twitter, the first thing I do is check my replies. Then I, umm, reply to them.

Lately, though, I’ve been worried. Since a lot of twitter accounts are hooked up to people’s cell phones, I’m wondering if tweeting people who aren’t on twitter late at night may be rude. The last thing I want is someone’s phone going off at midnight and them waking up to read a somewhat inane comment I’ve made.

Or should I assume everyone turns their phones off? Goodness knows I have no issues emailing people late, and I know a few friends who have their emails sent directly to their Droid. Twitter is a different beast altogether, though, I think.

Basically, this quandary has me confused. I need your opinions, twitterers. What’s the appropriate protocol?

Ivy League Schools, A Columbian Scarlett O’Hara, & Lifelong Friends: A Susan Fales-Hill Interview

In the product description on amazon’s page for One Flight Up, Esme is described as a “Columbian Scarlett O’Hara.” I’m intrigued. Can you tell me a bit more about her character?

I described my character Esme Santiago-Talbot as a Columbian Scarlett O’Hara because she has that naughty heroine’s chutzbah, petulance, passion and irreverence. She is the woman who goes where good girls fear to tread, and says the outrageous things the rest of us think. Her courage is born in part of aristocratic entitlement. Like Scarlett, she hails from a mega-wealthy family in a somewhat oligarchical society. If others subscribe to the motto “Noblesse Oblige,” her philosophy is “Noblesse permits.” This is a woman who has no intention of letting life’s parade pass her by, she’s going to be at the head of the line, having fun. What she lacks is any self-awareness. Some of her devil may care attitude is the result of pain, the pain of growing up with a wildly philandering father. Her sexual escapades are as much an act of revenge on him as a search for perfect pleasure…

Was the idea of having a group of lifelong friends inspired by friends in your own life?

The friendships in the book are definitely a tribute to the enduring female friendships in my life. My friends are my chosen family. My closest friends I have known for over thirty years (which tells you, I’M OLD!!!!) We will be blue hairs together, sipping champagne cocktails and winking at young waiters…I said, “winking,” not “Trysting with…” I WISH!

You got the opportunity to be on NBC to promote your novel! That’s awesome. What was the experience like?

I was very fortunate to be interviewed by Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb about One Flight Up. That appearance was great fun. Those two women are so warm and so generous. They did everything in their power to help me come off well. They are my kind of women and I thank them for helping to boost book sales!!!

According to the about page on your website, you’ve written for many magazines. I’ve been looking for a couple to subscribe to recently. Do you have any favorites?

Favorite magazines….Hmmm, Where do I begin? If I didn’t stop myself, I’d be like the Collier Brothers, buried in back issues dating to the last century. I love O, Essence, Vogue, Time and the Economist. Vanity Fair is also great. And let’s all admit it: we live for People. If you read all of those, you’ll have a good sense of what’s going on around you.

I’m currently in the process of applying to colleges and, like many others, am curious about Ivy League schools. What was your experience at Harvard like?

Now, Melanie, I’m seriously old enough to be your mother, so take my advice about college with a boulder of salt. In MY day, we were still using typewriters and the height of modernism were the white out cartridges you could insert in your selectric to cover mistakes…That said, Harvard will always be Harvard. I go there several times a year and aside from the wealth of resources and courses, it’s the students that make the place so special. Whether they are seeking the cure to a rare genetic disorder their sister suffered from or just getting drunk at parties, they are all originals and leaders. Whoever you are or want to be, you can find a niche at Harvard. I had a ball and made the most important friends of my life there, people who will be with me till the grave. I owe that school my life. That said, on the racial side (and I think things have evolved) it was a little tough because there was a separateness for which neither my bi-racial family, nor my international high school had prepared me. But that was then.

Do you have a third book in the works?

My third book will come to a store or website near you next summer.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the interview. Your thoughts, darlings?

I had a ball reading Susan Fales-Hill’s answers! And I admit, I may have peeked at People once or twice…