NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION CONTEST

Happy New Year everybody! Yes, I know it’s not yet, but I have a great contest for everyone!



I’ve never been one to make resolutions. For me it’s a surefire way to do the opposite of what I wanted-lol. But this year, I think I’ll make several resolutions.

My first two are to blog more often and to be more generous.

So with those two things in mind I came up with the New Year’s Resolution Contest!





The Rules:

1. Post in the comments your top TWO resolutions for 2010 for ONE entry.


2. Be a follower or become one for another entry.


3. Mention this contest in a post on your blog, or link to it on your sidebar, or both for another entry.

So if you (1) post a comment with your resolutions, (2) are a follower or become one, (3) mention this in a post on your blog AND/OR (4) link to it you can get a whopping FOUR entries!

See, that’s easy.

The Prizes:

A brand new hardcover copy of Suzanne Collin’s Catching Fire!

AND

A $20 Visa Gift Card to buy whatever you want! (I like chocolate and I wear a size 8 1/2 shoe...just in case you were wondering.)

*Contest ends Sunday January 3, 2010 @ 11:59 EST.* I’ll have an impartial person (my mother) draw the name from a hat.

Have fun and I can’t wait to hear some of those resolutions for 2010!

Kissing Day Part Three

Okay, so I've milked this kissing day for as long as possible. So fear not dear readers, this will be the last scene posted-lol. This is part three of my kissing scene. I've cut it and it's still long, but it's mostly dialogue so it'll read fast--hopefully. The scene: Ryan and Heath have gone into the garage to meet with Mr. Webb, Ryan's father. He gave them both motorcycles for Christmas (I know, expensive right, but it makes sense in the context of the novel) Heath has gone in the house, leaving Ryan and Jeremiah to talk. Above is a pic of what Ryan's new bike looks like.

~*~

Ryan didn’t know if his father was looking at him, but he kept his head down and polished his new, beautiful motorcycle. He made sure to keep his mind shielded against his father’s thoughts. He didn’t want to hear that his father thought it was disgusting for him and Kalie to be together.

“Ry, do you remember when you were fifteen and walked in on your mom and me having an argument?’

Ryan looked up, baffled. Jeremiah was leaning against the black Impala with his arms folded over his chest, probably to keep finger prints off the vintage car.

“Um…yeah, I remember. I’d never seen you and Mom argue like that.”

Jeremiah nodded. “We never had before, or since. Did you ever find out what the argument was about?”

“No.” Ryan’s brows knitted as he wondered where his father was going with this. “I tried to see if Olivia knew, but the KGB couldn’t get a secret out of her.”

Jeremiah laughed. “True.” He cleared his throat. “We were arguing about Kalie.”

“Why?”

“Because your mom wanted to adopt her and I didn’t.”

Ryan jerked back like his father had just struck him in the chest. “Why not? Don't you--"

“I love her,” Jeremiah said intensely. “She’s my daughter in every way that matters. But…well, I guess I always knew that scene in the gazebo would happen and—”

“Whoa, Dad. If you’re about to tell me that divination is a part of our gift then I’m going to be so unbelievably pissed. I haven’t even gotten used to this mind reading crap.”

Jeremiah smiled. “No, we’re not gifted with the divine powers to see into the future. As I was saying, your mom came to me when Kalie was six and said we should adopt her.”

“Don’t tell me you saw something between us when she was six and I was eight.”

“No, I didn’t. Back then I felt it was too soon after the loss of her family to adopt. I didn’t want her to think we were trying to replace her parents. Patty agreed. After that, every time she brought it up, I put her off, or talked around it.” He sighed and rubbed a hand through his brownish-blond hair. “You and Kalie never really interacted like siblings. Yeah, you got on each others’ nerves like siblings sometimes, but it was more like an old married couple even when you were children. When I saw how you reacted to seeing her in that bikini at your going away part, I knew I’d made the right decision.”

Ryan’s face heated as he remembered Kalie in that bright orange two-piece. “But Dad, even if I had less that civilized thoughts about Kalie, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t have adopted her.”

“If she was legally your sister would you have kissed her like you just did in that gazebo?”

Ryan vehemently shook his head. “No way.”

“See.” Jeremiah stepped away from the car and clapped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “If there was even the slightest chance that Kalie could be the one for you, there was no way I was going to let a piece of paper stand in the way. I love Kalie and I don’t care how she’s a part of this family, be it as my daughter or your wife—”

“Wife!”

“Calm down, I’m not dusting off my tux yet. I’m just saying, if you want to be with Kalie, you have my blessing.”

Ryan swallowed. “I appreciate that, Dad. I really do. What about Mom?”

“Well, she’s a different story. She just doesn’t see this thing that's been between you and Kalie and probably won’t see it until you're having your first dance at your wedding.”

“Dad, enough with the wedding talk. You’re giving me palpitations.”

Jeremiah laughed, then he looked Ryan in the eyes. “Treat her with respect, Ryan. Don’t mess about with her because if things go to crap, I don’t want her to feel awkward around us. I want Kalie to know she’s always a member of this family.”

Ryan scoffed. “Trust me, Dad, if there's a vote on who to boot out the family, I'll be the one packing.”

“No, we’d work it out so you’d both feel comfortable. Just treat her right. No more groping her in public.”

Ryan smiled crookedly. "Yes, sir."

“Are you in love with her?”

He looked away from his father’s questioning eyes. “I should probably tell her before I tell you.”

Jeremiah pulled Ryan into a sideways hug. “You make me proud, son.”

A lump formed in Ryan’s throat, but he swallowed it down, and then remembered something. “Dad, what song did you sing for karaoke?”

The older man’s grin was both boyish and wicked. “A nice little tune by Sir Mix-A-Lot called, Baby Got Back…it’s a classic, you know.”

Ryan fell over laughing, hating that he’d missed that performance. But if given the choice between seeing his father sing about liking big butts or making out with Kalie, he would choose Kalie every time.

FOLLOW UP TO KISSING DAY!

THANK YOU guys for all the lovely comments from yesterday’s Official Kissing Day Blog Fest. There were so many good kissing scenes! I LOVED it. I still haven’t read all the submissions so I’ll be working on them throughout the week. I think I got to about 33. I really want to read and comment on them all. So if I haven’t comment on yours yet, never fear, I will soon.

Since I had so much fun with the kissing scene, I wanted post the follow up scene because it’s one of my favorites. I had to cut the scene because it’s simply too long to post here, but it ends with a really sweet conversations between Ryan and his Dad.

This picture sort of captures the scene again, but not quiet. I just love this picture.So, a bit of background: It’s still Christmas night at Ryan’s parent’s house. Heath, Ryan’s partner at work, comes up from the basement in time to catch the show-lol.

~*~
Heath climbed the basement stairs under the guise of getting Jessica a drink. Truthfully, he’d had enough of the off-key karaoke and was wondering where Ryan had gone. He rounded the corner, cut through the great room, and headed into get to the kitchen. Mr. Webb stood at the bay window, staring out as if in a trance. Heath picked up a soda for Jessica.

"All right, Mr. Webb?”

Jeremiah turned slightly, without taking his eyes away from the window and said, “Su-sure. I’m…”

Heath stepped up on Mr. Webb’s right and saw why the man was staring out of the window. Ryan and Kalie were mauling each other in the gazebo like each held surviving breath for the other. Heath snorted as Ryan hoisted Kalie up on the railing and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Jeremiah looked like he had just swallowed something and it was lodged in his throat.

“That, sir,”—Heath nodded toward the groping couple—“is the result of years of repressed sexual tension.”

“Do me a favor,” Jeremiah said, still watching the display, “go get my son off her before they conceive my next grandchild in the middle of Patty’s prize winning garden.”

Heath laughed. “Sure thing.”

“Hurry, before someone comes up stairs. And when you’re done, you and Ryan meet me in the garage.”

Heath nodded even though he was confused as to why he needed to go to the garage. Was Mr. Webb angry? The man had to see how gone his son was over Kalie. This can't be a surprise. Heath put down the soda and went outside. The snow fell silently, muffling his foot falls. He made it about three yards from the house and decided it was far too cold to go any further.

“Oi! Webb!”

They didn’t seem to hear him or if they did, they were ignoring him. Heath whistled and the sound split the air like a cracked whip. Nothing. He sighed and stepped closer, close enough to hear Ryan and Kalie moaning and slurping each other like melting ice creams. This’ll bloody scar me for life. He picked up a clump of snow, made it into a ball and hurled it at Ryan’s head.

“Ouch!” Ryan staggered back, holding his ear. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’ve got an audience.” Heath gestured toward the wide kitchen window, which was now empty. “Well, you had an audience.”

Kalie gasped. “Who was it?” She jumped down from the railing, her face flushed from the cold and from kissing, and probably from embarrassment too.

“Mr. Webb.”

“Oh, God!” She dashed off of the gazebo and ran for the house.

“Kalie, wait.” Ryan made a move to go after her.

Heath stopped him. “You’re dad wants to see us in the garage.”

“He does? What for?”

“How should I know?”

Ryan took a deep breath, seemed to drum up his courage, and started toward the garage.

Official Kissing Day Blog Fest

This picture sort of sets the scene. This is from the follow up to my novel Light Bringer, tentatively called Venators. Ryan kissed Kalie once last summer and they haven’t really spoken since. It’s Christmas night at Ryan’s family’s home, and the couple are in the gazebo talking.

~*~

Kalie broke eye contact and said, “You kissed me, Ryan, and then apologized for it. You kissed me and said you’d never do it again. How’s that supposed to make me feel? What’s so terrible about kissing me that you’d never want to do it again?”

Ryan gaped at her, watched her hazel eyes mist over and he finally understood. “Kal, I wasn’t apologizing for kissing you, but for how it happened. That I just pounced, forced myself on you.” He stepped closer. “I never meant to make you think that I didn’t want to…kissing you was like…I just…” His emotions took over and he slammed his mouth to hers.

Their teeth clanked, their noses bumped and Ryan thought he bit her. It was a terrible kiss, the worst he’d ever had.

He pulled back. “Sor—”

“Don’t apologize or I swear I’ll punch you.” Kalie sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, and he hoped it wasn’t to nurse a bite.

“Okay, I won’t ever apologize to you again.”

Holding back a smirk at her eye roll, Ryan licked his lips and closed the distance between them. His lips met hers in a much more civilized manner. He tasted her slowly, nibbling tenderly. Kalie’s hands moved up to his shoulders and around his neck. Ryan pulled her snuggly against him, deepening the kiss.

Hints of apple cider coated her tongue and he remembered the first time he’d kissed her she'd tasted like mango. Would she always taste like something sweet? His hands began to roam as they stumbled back against the railing. Swirling his tongue deeper into her mouth, he tried to learn as much as he could about how she liked to be kissed. But his brain rattled around in his head like a lone marble. He was kissing Kalie, again. And she wanted it. Awesome! Ryan didn’t care that snow was wetting his hair or that he was freezing. Nor did he care that he was kissing and groping Kalie in full view of anyone who may happen upon the kitchen window.

Kissing Day Blog Fest Tomorrow

Head on over here and read the instructions for The Official Kissing Day Blog Fest!

Basically, if you want to participate you'll have to add your name to the link list and then tomorrow, December 21, 2009, post a kissing or near kiss scene from your WIP or completed novel, or your favorite scene from a movie or novel!

Hope some of my lovely followers post some scenes. I'd love to read your work!

The Great Digout!

HELLLLP!


Okay, so it wasn't that bad but I still feel like this...
See, all the shoveling turned me blue!

Man, I need a husband! Anyone out there know someone who enjoys reading, music, Food Network and dorky fantasy/Sci-fi movies, send him my way. Well, he'd need to have a strong back for shoveling, and not scream when squishing bugs.

Now, I'm off to lay on the sofa and take a nap!

SNOW DAY!!!

So what it's Saturday, a Snow Day is a Snow Day!!!


I finished my Christmas shopping last night. I'm good on milk, bread and toilet paper (what's the deal with that? Why those three things when facing a snow storm? Honestly, I only bought bread. I have six rolls of toilet paper and I live alone so I think I'm good. As for the milk...I'm lactose intolerate. I do not tolerate milk and all it's foolishness, damn it!)

Sorry about the mini-rant. I think the snow is getting to me already--LOL. They're calling for snow all day, ending somewhere around 12-18 inches. Now I know you mid-westerners will laugh yourself silly thinking that 12-18 inches is a lot of snow, but this place SHUTS DOWN with like 5 inches. They've been talking about it since Thursday on the news. They've been running the news broadcast all this morning. They've been out on the street talking to people at the gas station and Wal-Mart.

WTH?

With the exception of college and a little over a year in Miami, I've lived in Maryland all of my life and I still don't get why snow is such a big deal--why they have to send a reporter out to freeze their nads off just to ask people how the roads are. It's insanity!

I, for one, will not be venturing out. I have 2 WIP's I can work on, 1 completed novel to revise and several DVD's to watch. Not to mention, Hulu, Netflix and a fresh unopened bag of peanut M&M's! Can life get any better?

Here is the view out the back of my place.


Okay, so you don't think I live in a prison, here's a view without the blinds looking like bars-lol.


So tell me, is it snowing where you are? And if so, what are your snow day activities?

Drop The Needle

Today over at Miss Snark's First Victim's site, she had her Drop The Needle submission. My post is here. If you haven't gone over to comment, please do so. Most of these writers will love to have some feedback...including me! The theme this round was danger so feel free to comment on my submission either here or over there. And my skin is thin (well thickish-lol) so say what you think. I know I have a typo in there so do forgive me ;-)

Thanks!

THINGS I HATE ABOUT SHOPPING!

1. Shopping—period.

Okay, so I’m not one of those girls who can spend hours in a mall. If you ever want to torture me, forget bamboo shoots under the fingernails just send me to a crowded mall and make me shop for hours. I’ll give up all kinds secrets just to go home. Honestly, all malls aren’t medieval torture devices. I actually like Arundel Mills Mall. They have a gi-normus Books-A-Million and a 24 Theater Cineplex—my two favorite things.

2. Crowds.

I’ve never been one to tolerate a lot of people around me. Well, that’s not exactly true. When I was a teen and going to nightclubs, the more crowded, the better! But when I have to hold my purse like a baby, wait for people to get out of the way so I can get down the isle, or when I have to listen to what you and your boyfriend did last night because you’re WAY too close to me, then I HATE crowds.

3. The Toy Section/Store

What kind of place in hell is this? I mean, I don’t have kids so I don’t frequent the toy store/section. Does it normally look like a herd of buffalo have just stampeded it? Then you have the parents and their big shopping carts blocking the isle, snatching, grabbing, and shoving for those picked over shelves. The funny thing is I went down there to look for a toy for my mother. She loves Elmo and toys with animatronics so I wanted to get her the Elmo Live (the one where he tells jokes like a standup comedian—what can I say, my mother is 10x corny). First it was $60—which made me say, hell-to-the-no—and second, it was dirty and looked like it was on its last leg…ugh! It was the worst. What am I going to do when I have kids?

4. Traffic!

This bugs me at any time, but as someone who has a 7 minute commute to work, I’m not terribly plagued with traffic on a daily basis. I was nearly KILLED in the parking lot of Joann Fabrics. As I was crossing the road to my car, this woman, who had driven past me already, stopped and threw her car in reverse because she saw someone pulling out of a spot. SHE NEVER LOOKED BEHIND HER! I had to leap out of the way or she would’ve run me over!

I know what you’re thinking, Karen, you’re a writer and tend to be a tad dramatic. Nay I say, NAY! I would’ve been a fixture on her bumper if I hadn’t been quick on my feet. There isn’t much that’ll make me resort to violence, but I think about if I had my God children with me, or my mom who isn’t feeble by any means but she’s not so quick on her feet. This backward-driving-looking-forward woman would’ve hit them. I think I might’ve flipped her car over like the Incredible Hulk if that had happened.

Now, all I have to say is BA-HUMBUG!

Meet Lennox!

This is my sister’s dog. Isn’t he just the cutest? He’s two years old and I really want a dog just like him. I threaten to dog-nap every time I go visit my sister, but I haven’t found a purse big enough to smuggle him out. I plan to get one just like him when I have a yard big enough.

He reminds me of Fang from Harry Potter, except he doesn’t drool as much, but he is a coward like fang-lol. He’s a Japanese Tosa which is in the Mastiff family. I know this isn’t the normal post for me, but the last time I saw Lennox he was sick, had withered down to 118lbs. I know that sounds like a big ass dog, but he’s normally around 145lbs. And at 118lbs we could see his ribs and spine. As seen here on my Lennox Action Movie-lol.

We were very worried about him, but it turned out that he had food allergies. I was SO happy to see him fit and healthy with that shinny coat! He’s currently 137lbs, and still gaining. And that's why my blog has gone to the dogs today.

There’s a Smurf in Your Book!

Don’t ask me why I thought of this, but the Smurfs have been on my mind lately. I loved The Smurfs as a kid, and I started to think about how you can probably find a Smurf in most books. Let’s have a look, shall we?



Papa Smurf = The Old Wise One. This is the character who has all the answers, whose main purpose is to dispense information, usually after the hero has gone through hell and back. He/She has lived a long time and usually speaks slowly and in riddles that the hero will only understand after they see the light, or walk down a certain path, or reach the top of some mountain.



Smurfette = The Pretty Girl. You can find these girls in all books. They’re usually the source of envy, hate, or fear. Some Smurfettes don’t know they’re Smurfettes. They think they’re plain and dumpy and geeky, but there’s always a boy who sees the true Smurfette in them and it’s only through the eyes of this boy that they finally become one with their inner Smurfette.


Brainy Smurf = The Know-it-all. This is the character who thinks he/she knows it all! While they usually know a lot, they can be proven wrong at times, because as we all know sometimes it ain’t all about the brains. These characters make others feel stupid either intentionally or simply by knowing things that no one their age would probably want to know. Most times, someone in the book wants to punch this character in their know-it-all mouth, but this Brainy Smurf will more than likely figure out some vital information that’ll help the hero save the day.



Grouchy Smurf = The Meany. This is the character with an attitude. He/She hates everything and everyone and usually has a snarky comment at the ready. Grouchy Smurfs usually provide the hero with someone to strive to be better than, a bully, a jerk-jock, or a thug. Or Grouchy Smurf can be on the hero’s side, but they just don’t give a damn about the quest, the problem or whatever the conflict may be at the moment. Personally, I think a good Grouchy Smurf can be a great character. I like a bit of snark.

Vanity Smurf = The Pretty Boy. This is the character whose beauty and all around perfection defies the laws of physics and gravity. He can make the sun rise and set with just a smile. He can render girls incapable of thought and speech with just a single glance. He can make the opposite sex float on air and just plain lose their minds. Where would most books be without a good Vanity Smurf? Now, he may not stare in the mirror and cloud himself with perfume like Vanity, but the girls falling at his feet pretty much serve the same purpose. After all, who needs a mirror when there’s another character there to describe your perfection on every page?

And last but not least…Gargamel. = The Villain. Where would books be without a good villain? This is the character whose sole purpose is to create conflict for the hero. They usually have a diabolical plan, a deep-seeded hatred, or they’re simply mortal enemies because that’s just the way it’s always been. Gargamels spend every waking moment thinking of ways to ruin the life of the hero. They’ll destroy the entire world if it means they win and the hero loses. We need the villain however they are presented. I love a good Gargamel as long as he/she has three dimensions.

So, as there are practically 100 of these little blue creatures, tell me, what other Smurfs have you seen in books?

A Dabble of Dialogue

I borrowed this idea from Buffy Andrews site, Buffy’s Write Zone. Go check out her page. She has some good info!

Below is a Dabble of Dialogue from Venators (the second in the the Light Bringer's Trilogy). In the comments, add a Dabble of Dialogue from something you’re working on, querying, or even if you shelved this work, but loved a particularly witty, deep, or emotional exchange, post it in the comments!

“I thought we could be mates,” Heath said.

“Mates? You mean friends?”

He nodded.

“But,”—Jessica swallowed—“I wanna be more than that.”

“I know,” he said softly.

“But you don’t wanna be more?” She didn’t let him answer. “I think it’s mean to come over here night after night, knowing I…I have feelings…”

Heath stared at the floor. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought of it like that.” He met her eyes. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“That’s not what I want. I want us to be—”

“I can’t offer you more than friends, Jessica. You’re right, it’s unfair of me to hang around, just because I like talking to you. I’ll just go then.” He backed up until he was against the wall. Before he could Faze through and leave her, possibly forever, Jessica rushed forward and hugged him. Heath paused for a shocked second, and then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.

“If you ever need to talk…” Her voice quivered. She felt like she had just given her soldier boyfriend a Dear John letter.


Now it’s your turn…gimme some of that juicy dialogue!

New Moon

Well, I went to see New Moon tonight and my plan worked—well, I wasn’t going to see at all because the graphics looked like they sucked with every preview I saw—I decided to go once the fangirls had their gasp and swoon session and it worked. It was nearly empty and only a scattering of fangirls.

My friend Bonita went with me as we couldn’t find any self-respecting guy to go with us. She’s read the books, well all but the last one. I’ve read the first two, started Eclipse and put it down more than a year ago and hadn’t had the desire to pick it up again.

There were some things that came to me while I was watching this movie. Here are just a few:


--Doesn’t anyone in that town think the Cullens look odd as hell? I mean, they’re supposed to be extra beautiful—which is something Stephenie Meyers really made impossible to create in real life—but if I saw the Cullens in my school, with their gold eyes and pale (very pale) skin, I’d be like, “Um…you people look a bit sick…perhaps you need a transfusion or some iron pills, or a B-12 shot?”

--Taylor Lautner NEVER needs a shirt. I mean, good lord! There were audible gasps when he took off his shirt for the first time and quite a few of those sharp inhales came from men—LOL.

--The guy playing the Volturi vampire, Marcus looked like he was knocking on death’s door (even for a dead guy). I get that he was supposed to be bored by the whole scene, but he look like someone made him run 20 miles then hid his inhaler. I got the worse case of the giggles when Bonita said, “He looks like he’s bout to die.” I don’t know why it was so funny, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Now I have a headache.

--The graphics weren’t as bad as I thought from the previews and they were certainly better than Twilight’s.

--And the final thing that came to me when I was watching New Moon was that, even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the books (the two that I read were pretty entertaining, but I wasn’t sucked in enough to finish the series), based on the movies and what I read, I’m team Jacob all the way! When I was reading the books, I wasn’t team Jacob only because I didn’t think Bella deserved him. I thought he was far too good for this girl who had the personality of drying paint. I still kinda think that, but I can connect more with the actress Bella than I can with the written Bella, and I wanted actress Bella with actor Jacob.

Or maybe I’ve just been hypnotized by Taylor Lautner’s chesticles! I’d serious do the May/December thing with him *wipes drool*

Tell me, what were your thoughts on New Moon? If you haven’t seen it, are you planning to? Are you going to wait until DVD? Are you going to wait until hell freezes over?

NaNo Fail and Honest Scrap Award!

So I didn’t make NaNo’s goal of 50k. I managed 35,006. That’s an average of 1166 words a day, and in my opinion, not too shabby for my first attempt. I was never one to write daily. I power write on weekends, holidays and sick days, but to come home from work, boot up the computer and sit to write…that wasn’t something I could do. Even though I sit at work and write in my head, by the time I got home I was just too tired.

Or at least that’s what I told myself. When NaNo came along, and I decided to do it, I made myself go home from work, boot up that computer and sit to write. Instead of turning on the television, I turned on the CD player and I wrote. I didn’t do this every day, but I’d say 4 out of the 5 work days. I lost a weekend early in the month because of family visits and this past 4 day weekend was completely lost with all the baking and cooking and family.

So there you have it…my NaNo Fail…or maybe, my NaNo near success. Yeah, I like that better.

Now on to fun things…

Tricia over at Talespinning nominated me for the Honest Scrap Award! THANKS! The rules are that I must tell 10 honest things about me and then nominate 10 other bloggers. I’m only going to do 7 because I can only think of 7 honest things about me…so here goes:

1. Bunny rabbits and Hillbillies creep me out. A Hillbilly holding a bunny rabbit—forget about it!

2. I wrote my first novel when I was 19. Then went back and read it when I was 23 and cringed. It was so immature, but at 19 I hadn’t been in love, hadn’t had my heart broken, but by 23, life didn’t seem so rosy-lol.

3. I used to sneak my boyfriend into the basement when my mother was asleep and then take her car to drive him home…she never knew!

4. I had my first kiss when I was 12 by a boy named William Jeffreys. His voice hadn’t changed yet so it was still kinda high. When he called, my mother would think he was a girl and hand me the phone—I wasn’t allowed calls from boys until I was 15—but then my sister ratted me out. Then I had a “girl” friend who called and she had a deep voice, my mother would grill her every time, thinking she was a boy—LOL.

5. A boyfriend of mine bought a sex toy as a gag gift. Then his parents came over unannounced and saw it lying on the sofa. I have NEVER been so embarrassed!!!

6. When I was little, my grandmother used to make me put on her curly red wig and sing Tomorrow from Annie…This is my childhood trauma!

7. When I was a correctional officer, I saw more naked men then the law should allow…this is my adult trauma!

Here are the Seven Blogs I’ve recommended:

Karen Amanda Hooper
Amanda The Semi-Published
Caroline Starr Rose
Carrie Harris
Nicole Green
Stephanie Jenkins
Tere Kirkland

And thanks to all my new followers! Welcome to the family.