Bethany Campbell was born and raised in Nebraska, and now lives with her husband, Dan, in Northwest Arkansas. The two met when they were students at Northern Illinois University. They discovered they had a number of mutual interests, especially when it came to movies.
Their record so far is seeing 11 in one day at a documentary film festival. They usually agree about movies, and are passionate defenders of Ishtar.
We love it, says Bethany. We have the video tape and watch it at least once a year. We have special fezzes we wear for the occasion. The moths ate some holes in my fez, but the tassel is still in good shape.
Among their all-time favourite movies are Chinatown, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Maltese Falcon, The Man Who Would Be King, Midnight Cowboy, Road Warrior, and Beauty and the Beast.
Both are interested in animals. When they married, their combined menagerie consisted of two cats, two dogs, two snapping turtles, a Siamese fighting fish, three newts, an iguana, a guinea pig, and a king snake named Sir Hiss. Presently they are down to one dog and two cats.
Do they share tastes in everything? No, says Bethany. We like very different things in music; we can drive each other nuts with our CDs. I've been known to hide his Bjork albums. He thinks my movie scores are soppy.
Other differences? He's athletic; I'm a klutz. He's an adventurous eater; I'm picky and get queasy even looking at an oyster. He's outgoing; I'm shy. Dan writes video scripts as part of his business and has published science fiction and humour. He's presently working on a screenplay.
Does having two writers in the house create tensions or jealousies? No, says Bethany. It helps, because when you have a technical problem, it s hard to discuss it with somebody outside the writing business. We have some very nuts-and-bolts conversations that would bore most people to tears. She pauses.
I am jealous of one thing, though. His fez is much nicer than mine.
