Cordovan cooking, religious celebrations, classical mythology, and the many outside works to which the author refers, such as Faust and the writings of St. Theresa. Naturally, I also had to devote some serious time to digging up the meanings of obscure proverbs (which Valera is very fond of) and idioms, many of which are obsolete in today's lexicon. Question: Is there any character you most identify with? Why? Johanna Warren: Well, Mr. Valera himself is quite a character--he is at once proud and self-deprecating, solemn and humorous, a well-versed scholar and a self-proclaimed "layman." It took me a while to figure him out, but I grew to love him, like a didactic but ultimately tender-hearted grandfather. Question: Have you considered trying your hand at other genres? Johanna Warren: A Bit of Everything was actually a significant stylistic departure for me; previously I had only translated poetry and contemporary short stories. Question: Have you always wanted to be a translator? What other careers have you pursued? Johanna Warren: I became obsessed with translation just last year when I took a workshop on it in college. As soon as I started my first homework assignment, something clicked: I felt like I had found it, that thing you're supposed to do. That said, I'm also actively pursuing several other artistic endeavors: I've made some money doing freelance illustration projects and commissioned portraits, and for the last three years I've been writing, recording, and performing songs under the monicker Sticklips. "Career" is a scary