We asked author Mark Shulman to answer 22 of the questions that mean the most to his readers. We also asked him to sneak in some palindromes wherever possible. There are forty-four, and a lot more if you count up all the "I's" and "A's."

Can you find all the palindromes? Read the interview, then use your mouse to roll over the palindromes you think you've spotted—the hidden palindromes will appear in red!

2. That's not exactly "sneaking in a palindrome." Where did you grow up?
Hello? Okay, it's working now. Yay. Now what was the question again? Where did I grow up? I'm from Rochester, New York. What was our made-up motto? "Bottom of Lake Ontario." I went to college in Buffalo, New York, and stayed a few extra years there, so my heart lies in both cities (but not at the bottom of Lake Ontario).

3. Where do you live now?
I live on a small island off the coast of New Jersey, whose real motto is "The Big Apple," by which I refer to New York City, where I wanted to live even as a boy. People who live outside of New York often wonder how it's possible to live a normal life here. After 20 years here, I've gotten used to having sesame chicken delivered at 2 a.m. and I don't like peace and quiet.

4. What is your favorite food?
If you think the answer is sesame chicken, I only eat bird rib platters at 2 a.m. I secretly like pudding in snack cans. I pretend I'm buying it for my children. Chocolate's great. But no lemon, no melon please.

5. What is your pet's name?
My pets are perfect for a small New York apartment. They don't need to be walked at night, they don't bark, and they don't lie on the windowsill or the VCR. In fact, anywhere they sit is okay with me. We share the same DNA and everything. They're my kids.

6. Have you ever had a pet?
Once, in Japan, I had a dog. A panic in a pagoda caused him to run away. Since then, I stick with kids.

7. What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is sienna, which is somewhat redder than orange. Okay, that's a complete untruth. It's black, okay? I dress like a funeral director.

8. What is your favorite time of day?
I have two favorite times: 7 a.m., when my kids wake up and I'm on duty for a few hours. That's when I start playing. Also, 9 p.m., when my kids go to sleep and I'm on no more duty. That's when I start writing.

9. What is your favorite place in the world?
I love being home. It's where the heart is, and my clean socks. I also love the library. I'm a library kook.

10. Do you have a favorite place to travel? What is it?
I like Europe. When it comes to Paris, I rap forever. And I learned how to yawn a more Roman way. But Warsaw was raw. And we passed Odessa—pew! (Actually, I've never been to either of those cities.)

11. Who is your hero/heroine?
My mom. She had four children before I was born. And yet here I am.

12. What is your favorite children's book?
Good Night Gorilla. I think it's funny to every person on Earth, at any age, in any language. And Ernie in the armadillo's pit cracks me up every time. Aha!

13. If you could meet someone for a day, who would that person be?
I'd like to meet the current lead singer of the band 10,000 Maniacs. Yes, Mary Ramsey. That's her name.

14. Do you always answer in palindromes?
O, no.

15. If you could have any special power, what would it be?
Some men interpret nine memos at a time. I'd like to net ten.

16. What's your favorite way to travel?
I like to drive . . . in my race car, or drive anywhere in a Toyota. Race fast . . . safe car, a Toyota. As far as I'm concerned, a Toyota's a Toyota's a Toyota.

17. Where's your favorite place to eat lunch?
There's a little sandwich cart on my corner (the "Ala Cart") that I go to every day around noon. I'm a tuna nut. It's a lot better than the doofy food they sell at the fast food joints.

18. What were you like in school?
In school I tried hard, but wasn't such a success. I often asked myself, "Can I attain a C?" and so did my parents, teachers, principal, etc. It turns out I was so busy with palindromes that I couldn't think straight.

19. What do you do to relax?
I like to go to my gym and roll on the ground with my kids. I did roll, did I? I play solos on the recorder. And when I do complicated math problems in my head, I prefer pi.

20. What do you like most about yourself?
That I am loved as a husband and a papa.

21. Who do you want to be when you grow up?
Grow up. P.U.! I think I'm a born actor. I could be great, or I could rot. I hear rot can rob a born actor. But who knows, wonk?

22. What is your personal motto?
As you might guess, I have a few. One is "Doom an evil deed, liven a mood." Two more are "Rats live on no evil star" and "May a moody baby doom a yam." But no matter what, every morning I rise and say, "Flee to me, elf!"