What I Won’t Do

I have to clear some things up here.  Starting with that this post is about my personal philosophy towards this subject.  If your’s differs, this is not an insult to you.

I received an email last week requesting that I host a review and giveaway for a certain company who I shall not be naming here.  I simply replied back, “I’m sorry, but I cannot offer reviews for anyone or anything I have no experience with.  That is not my policy.” 

You see, even with my absence on my blog, and in my blogging communities (okay so I might be a slackard loser in this department as of late), I still consider my readers, my followers, my FRIENDS.  I love hosting giveaways, and giving out my own twist on reviews… but to lie…

I figured the case was closed, until I got another email to the tune of, “Other bloggers have given us great reviews, and you should trust them.  Listing our name on your site will heap your views, and make your blog even better.  That should be a better offer than a free product.  Here’s the link and guidelines for your review and giveaway.  We need you to list this by *insert a specific date*”.  (Paraphrased)

Rightttttttt.

No.

Sure, the company might be honest and great and totally legit.  Is “might” worth enough to risk my friends’ trust?  Hell no. 

So I’m putting this out here now.  As this is the second company that has requested a blind review.  SHUD UP.  Stop wasting your time.  It’s not going to happen.  I don’t care about getting free stuff, I care about my readers, my friends.  I will NEVER do a blind review on ANYTHING.

I will however continue to offer reviews and giveaways to all of my friends.  My policy remains:  I will recommend any person I trust, with or without product samples, but I’ll let you know if I have not tried their product/service.  I will review and recommend products and services I have experienced, and my review will be my honest opinion.  And you’ll know if they paid me for it, or not, as required by my morals and the law.  No exceptions.  If I do not know you personally, and/or if you cannot offer a sample of your product or service I will not share you with my friends, period.

Any questions?

 

What I Need

Have you ever noticed how when things get good, things must get bad as well?  And that’s assuming I can even label things as good or bad, because in reality they’re all just things and can’t be classified as either.  They’re just there, and I’m letting them get to me.

And so I might have a wee bit of a history with pity parties.  I might own stock in pity party decorations, and I’m rather slow at taking down said decorations when the party is long done with.  I figure one day, I’ll get it all out of my system and finally learn how to deal with things without throwing in the only child temper behind them.

I really don’t know what it is I need.  Maybe a break?  Maybe a fresh outlook?  Maybe more time in my faith?  Maybe all of the above…  I do know I need something, and the things I think I need probably aren’t it. 

Like validation.  Yes I’m admitting it loud and clear.  I need validation, tons of it, lots and lots, or I will instantly fabricate excuses on why I shouldn’t invest myself into something.  And i know I always think I need more validation than what I have earned.  Which spins in circles and ticks me off even more.

And when you do the math, I need other people.  Which is bad and wrong on all sorts of spectrums.  I shouldn’t need other people to carry me throughout the challenges I have set for myself.  But I do.  Maybe I can blame it on being a Leo, if you’re into that sort of thing.

And can it really even be my fault when I’m a Leo and an only child, swirled into one very confused mind?  I mean honestly, take a sign that is based on attention and power and mix it with a child who had no one growing up besides a whole bunch of elderly people… of course I’ll have issues.

Or excuses, I always have a lot of excuses. 

And blame, I always want to dip my toes in that as well.  But again, that’s going back to needing other people.  At least I can identify the circles.

Long story short (yes I know this already all sorts of long and drawn out) I’ve let something out there get under my skin.  Yes I know exactly what it is, but that doesn’t matter.  What does matter is knowing if it’s my problem, if it’s worthy of the stress… or if it’s all just a figment of my stretched out imagination.  Which is quite difficult to do without showing all my sides of crazy.  (circles, I’m an expert at them) 

So I’m back at the beginning, what do I really need?   

I suppose, if I have to answer it, if I want to act all intelligent and together.  I guess I need time, but more than that.  I need to keep going, keeping pressing on, to push myself despite what I think I’m lacking. 

But I don’t wanna.

~Without You~

Thirty pages, that’s how much I have left until I’m officially done with my first edits and rewrite. Just thirty pages to go before I get to send off my baby to school and teach it grammar and punctuation. 

Unlike my real children I can’t wait to see it go.

I’m tired of coddling, and nurturing it’s whiney little arse, and I’m ready to see it all grown up and in the real world.  I love it, I do, and I’m giving it my all… but I’m ready to shove it out of the nest and watch it fly… or crash onto the concrete with a thud and a splatter.  Either or, it’s getting close to the time where it must sink or swim.  And I think that’s a good thing.  Knowing it’s almost ready, knowing it’s time to release it from my hard drive.

And my mind is constantly thinking, “What’s next after this?”  And I know the gun hasn’t even sounded and I’m off past the first marker, or just off my rocker.  But there’s other ideas and needs and wants, clawing inside their shells.  Other paths I want to try… and it’s all hopped up on sugar and caffeine and keeping me up at night.  Each potential avenue and thought dancing around waiting for Santa to arrive.

And I want and I want and I want…

So it’s baby steps of torture, and calling myself off of the chase before I dive off of the cliff head first.  Big breaths and little steps, but allowing the dreams to slam down one more pixie stick before bed.

And it’s about giving thanks to all of you.  With the kind comments and constant encouragement, feeding the monster in my head, the monster that keeps the inner voices at bay, the ones that try to get me to quit it all.  Without you all, the casual readers, the faithful commenters, my friends, I’d still be on page one, afraid to peek around the corner.

Thank you.

~Emily

Don’t forget to sign up for the GIVEAWAY!

And Hereeeeeeeeee’s D’Elen!

I had always been a huge fan of Johnny Carson, that’s what happens when you’re five years old and develop insomnia and your parents put a little black and white television in your room so they can get sleep.  Bad vision and a want to say Hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’s Johnny D’Elen McClain!

I’ve been a paranormal book fan for many years. So many in fact I read them before they were popular with the masses. P.N. Elrod’s Vampire Files is one of my oldies but goodies. I’ve thought for a long time about writing one of my own. My vamp/werewolf world has been a work in progress for more than a decade. I finally wrote part one Fang Chronicles: Amy’s Story last year and self-published it.

In my world of fangs, vampires and werewolves are bound to each other. A vampire gives the wolf pack immortality. There’s a tiny problem in that werewolves cannot breed to create children unless it’s with a human. They cannot be made another way. Before DNA, pregnancy blood work, and all the other scientific stuff we face today, the males got a female human pregnant and then stole the baby to be raised in the pack. Not such a good idea in the modern-day real world. What about artificial insemination? I go into it with a bit more detail in the second book Emily’s Story due out next month but the bottom line, it doesn’t work.

My vampires and wolves are sexy, dominant, and loving when they find the right partner. They are also dangerous, deadly, and like nothing more than to tear up a bad guy or gal. I don’t mind a bit of blood and guts mixed in with my romance. Oh, and did I mention sex? There must me some though I don’t think erotica plays a part. Some things can still be left to the reader’s imagination. Hmmm, Emily’s Story pushes those boundaries a little more than Amy’s.

Years ago I owned a bookstore and Jennifer Roberson came into autograph her books. I loved her Sword series and it remains one of my favorites. I asked her a question about killing off one of her beloved characters. I’ve taken her words of wisdom to heart in my writing.

Jennifer: “I kill off the occasional good guy because when I write a scene where someone could die I want you sitting on the edge of your seat knowing I’ll do it.”

Sorry readers, but I’m willing to kill off a great character or two just so you know I will. Thank you Jennifer.

What attracts me to the paranormal genre? In real life I am a police detective specializing in sex crimes. It doesn’t get more real than that. I love my job, I’m good at my job, and I need complete escapism when I read. I prefer strong women and the strong men that support them. I love the unbelievable worlds that I get lost in and take me away from work. I am a romantic at heart and I’ve been married to the same man for 33 years. He makes me a better person.

You can find more about my work on my blog http://fangchronicles.wordpress.com where I tell stories about my lifelong fascination with fangs. Spiders, scorpions and Rottweilers make for great stories and give you a glimpse into my weird life. Just ask me about Charlie my 150 pound lap dog and a female by the way, I won’t stop talking. I also write about my trials and tribulations as a police detective, a career I decided on during a major midlife crisis. Join me there for humor and some serious conversation at http://badluckdetective.com ummm, did I mention humor?

Amy’s Story was my first foray into fiction and I liked it but I’m quite proud of Emily’s Story. I’m editing away and have book III in my head and dying to be placed on paper. Every review (good or bad) is an author’s best friend. If you read my books, please try and find the time to write a review. The bad ones make me a better writer and the good ones give me a huge smile.

Thank you and may the fangs be with you.

 Just so we’re all clear here, Emily’s Story is sadly NOT about me.  (although it should be)

I can’t thank Miss McClain enough for taking her time out to join us for the past two days, sharing a bit of her crazy world with us.  You really need to check out her Bad Luck Detective site as well as her Fang Chronicles site, her humor is amazing despite the tough job she does to protect us from the scum of the earth! 

And don’t forget about our GIVEAWAY that’s going on RIGHT NOW!  D’Elen McClain is giving away two copies of her first paranormal romance novel, Fang Chronicles, Amy’s Story, that I reviewed yesterday!  (visit yesterday’s review for rules and details) 

Leave a question for D’Elen in the comment form below to get your first entry.

Tweet, Share on Facebook, or Blog about this for additional entries, and please leave a separate comment for each one!

And don’t forget you can also enter on Yesterday’s Post as well!

Once again Thank You D’Elen for your time and generosity!

When a Journalist Meets a Vampire You Get a FREE Book!

Soooo maybe it should say, “When a Detective meets a Dog Trainer You get a chance to win a FREE book.” 

Or it could say, “When an Urban fiction romance writer meets another urban fiction wanna be writer who usually doesn’t like romance novels, but loves it 100% anyway despite the romance *takes breath*, You can win a FREE book!”

Do you get the point yet?  Because I think I’m totally lost.

I do know that there’s going to be a giveaway at the bottom of this post, so you need to stick around! (Don’t make me beg, because I can get really annoying)

That’s what D’Elen McClain found out when she mentioned that not only does she write under two names, but she also writes Urban Fiction, with vampires and wolves, and the stuff half of my hard drives and thumb drives are made of.  Of course I was in heaven, with a writer who will talk to me, and hold my hand, and yell at me softly to get my arse in gear.  A writer who might be just as obsessed with dogs as I am, and also is in the whole Urban fiction world to boot!  My annoyance skills might have kicked into high gear.

And then I got my little, editing cramped hands on her first novel, Fang Chronicles, Amy’s Story… and I got scared.  I panicked.  As I did with reading my friend Cole Gibsen’s first novel, Katana.  I mean what if I hate the books?  What if it’s just as painful as reading 50 Shades of Grey?!  (not in the painful sexy way, but in the, “OhEmGee, what is the big friggen deal over this book because I see no reason to read one more page” way) 

So I dove in anyways, because reading books is the biggest risk this lady takes lately. 

 

Amy’s Story is the tale of a young, not so special reporter, who lives only for her work.  In desperation to finally nail that big story that would gain her the attention she has worked so hard for, she takes some big risk, disguising herself as the corner merchant in high heels if you know what I mean.  The problem is that the locals fall for it, and before she can save herself, she finds herself being saved by an extremely handsome, wealthy man… who isn’t exactly the tycoon portrayed on TV.  In the blink of an eye, Amy finds herself submerged in the world of Vampires and Werewolves, romance and war… and some very important life questions.

The beginning of the book soared by too quickly for my own personal tastes, you could tell that D’elen had an awesome plot she was about to rope you into and couldn’t wait to get you there.  But after she got me into that plot, I was stuck.  I could not put down my dang Kindle, ask my husband who threatened that if I drop the dang thing into the tub that he would not be replacing it.  For her first venture into Urban Fiction/Romance the writing was smooth, easy to read and easy to follow.  The characters were well-developed and left me very attached to all of them.  Maybe too attached.  😉  It’s a book I could see myself reading again even if I had the plot all wrong to the next in the series, Emily’s Story, which sadly is NOT about me… (as always, we can pretend).  And to boot, this anti-romance reader didn’t mind the romance aspect… which is always a plus.

You need this book.

Luckily for you I was able to con,  beg Miss D’Elen out of two electronic copies JUST FOR YOU!  Well, that’s a lie, you can’t just have them, because that’s no fun at all.  And because that would mean she’d have to fork over a hundred copies, and why the heck do you need two copies all to yourself!?!  Greedy, greedy people! 

You have to enter for your chance to win one of the two copies.  Just leave a comment and you’re in for one chance.  Come back tomorrow for D’Elen’s guest post, leave a comment and get a second entry.  Easy peasy.  Wanna suck up get extra chances?  Tweet about this post, share on Facebook, BlogHer and blog about it for extra entries!  Just leave a comment for each separate action pleaseeeeee.  Myspace or Cafemom about it and I’ll probably just make fun of you.  I’m potty training a toddler, it’s my right to be snarky!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a very special guest post from D’Elen herself (aka Suzie Ivy for my BlogHer peeps)!

And as always please go visit D’Elen McClain at her blogs: http://badluckdetective.wordpress.com/ and http://fangchronicles.wordpress.com/

*This contest will end on June 25, 2012, around 6 am central time, depending on when I have my first cup of coffee.  Winners will be chosen by some random number generator via google and will be announced that same day.  If I don’t hear from you within 48 hours or have no way to contact you I will choose another winner.  Books won will be in electronic format, and are incredibly easy to transfer to any device or read via your computer. 

**I have received this electronic book as a gift, and was not paid or asked to do this review… I just happen to like reviewing things in my own special ways.  In case you feds were wondering.  😉

Q&A and Excuses, Lots of Them

It’s funny how the interwebs works.  One day your blog is sitting there, petting all of its wee little interweb dust bunnies, watching them multiply and then the next day your spam box is standing room only and your reading list and need-to-reply-to list is longer than the Mississippi.

Not that I’m complaining.  It’s nice to open things up and think, whoaaa.  It’s just not so nice that it ALL happens when I’m 100% dedicated to doing other things.  Because unintentionally I’m going to miss something, someone and then I’m gonna feel all guilty months later and ruin probably what was going to be the best friendship ‘evah. 

So here’s the deal, my readers ROCK!  Like rock it in leather pants, and tie-dyed hair ROCK.  And I love them all.  Even my newest fan Glerf.  (long story)  But I can’t possibly go through all the chain awards and games right now (okay so maybe if I wasn’t typing this long arsed thing), and link 15 people here and there EVEN THOUGH I DO WANT TO PUT ALL OF YOU IN SPOTLIGHTS!  And I do appreciate the time you all have spent highlighting me!  ❤ ❤ ❤  So do me a favor… go check out my blogroll (that I’m currently still adding to, so keep checking back)  visit everyone on it and share some love.  Seriously, comments are like skittles, booze, and a good tune on a gloomy day.  If you’re not listed, please let me know because either I’m still in the process of getting to you orrrrrrrr I don’t have your correct link! 

With that said, I do happen to love me a little bit of Q&A, so even though I’m not gonna follow the rules with tags and what nots, I have to answer the questions Beckey over at My Really Real Reality tagged me in:

1. What is your favorite book?  There’s one book I’ve had since I was in grade school.  I can’t part with it, even though I’ve had it since I was like 9, and I haven’t read it since.  Basically you had this young girl with a tough as nails father, and they lived out in the country (which was always my dream) and she found a mustang that her father had trapped to save his crops.  Long story short her and the mustang fell in love, and her father finds out.  The ending breaks my heart and the book started my obsession with reading. 
2. Favorite sweet treat?  Hrrrmmm, I can’t pick just one.  But I love things with dark chocolate or cinnamon and sugar.  I dislike complicated concoctions and anything with coconut.
3. Who would play you in the movie version of your life?  Eeek, I’m not so sure I’d want my life to be a movie.  But I’m going to go with Angelina Jolie.  Sure we don’t have anything in common besides both of us having tattoos, but at least she’d play me straight, and demand to keep the movie real and un-hollywood.  She drives me crazy as a person, but she’s damn good at being a character.  (and yes my actress would need some wicked talent to play me *snort*)
4. What was your favorite subject to study in school? In Highschool I’d say Art, Religion and Creative Writing.  (Yes I see it says SUBJECT, in the singular)  In college it was defiantly Political Sciences. 
5. What are you grateful for everyday?  Without writing a novel: my husband whom I don’t deserve, the minions, being able to create, faith, life, time, the little wisdom I do have, and getting another day.  I truly don’t deserve any of it.
6. Do you still have your tonsils?  Hell yeah.  I don’t do surgery. 
7. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?  Macaroni and Cheese.  Honest to gawd.  It’s the perfect shade of orange for every coloring book.  Andddd I like to be cryptic like that.
8.  Who do you miss the most?  My nan.  (aka my grandmother)  She taught me how to do five hundred things at once and get lost in creative messes.  She created my fire, or at least soaked it in lighter fluid for YEARS.
9. If you could be any fictional character, who would you chose?  Eh, I’d pass on the offer.  Every character at some point has to go through such extremes.  Even cinderella is going to need years of therapy and drugs for living in ashes for half her life.  I’ll stay right here where I already have half a grip on my dysfunctions thank you very much.
10. What is your favorite sound?  Hahahahahahahahahahaha.  No sounds would be my favorite sound!  A 6-year-old, a 21 month old, 3 dogs, 7 chickens, a goat, a husband, a band, 2 buggies and two cats… this momma likes the quiet.
11. When was the last time you were nervous?  Every dang day.  Probably once an hour, at least.  If my children aren’t busy trying to defy the laws of gravity, it’s the sharing of thoughts and words with the public interwebs, and if it’s not that it’s the whole something is always happening around here.

And the real rules go something along the lines of sharing unknown things, tagging people and asking new questions, if you really want to follow along.  But I say, for the heck of breaking rules, I wanna hear your answers right here to the same questions.  I’m such a renegade.  😉

~Emily

Katana, a Book Review and Such

My young adult years were full of stupid things.  Fun things, yet very, very stupid.  Most of all it was in thanks to my closest friend, Cole Gibsen.  No, it was all her fault.  Of course if you ask her, she’ll probably deny it all, as she madly types away about our adventures in Alabama and in the “Devil Woods”.  I’m positive there’s a book there to be written.  Or maybe, just maybe, it shouldn’t be written.

Which is why I wasn’t too upset to find out that her debut novel, Katana, had nothing to do with our younger adventures.  Although it is totally based off of me… Fine, it’s not, but I do have long blonde hair, just like the main character.  It’s almost about me.  (We can pretend)

Katana, Cole Gibsen

Actually Katana is about a young girl, who is your average, run of the mill, just get me through highschool, and a date with the hunk, and gah mom do you have to do that, kind of girl.  Average until she’s attacked by a group of thugs at the mall, and she suddenly can fight like a samurai warrior… Yup.  Samurai.  You heard me right.   (sounds like me still, right?)  Faced with a warrior spirit from a past life, love, teenage dilemmas, and a butt load of people out to get her (still me) this isn’t your average young adult novel.

This was a great debut novel from Cole Gibsen.  (and I’m not just saying this because I’m waiting for her to buy me that coffee she owes me, or because the book is 100% about me)  The whole novel was excellently written, and well researched.  I’m actually not a big fan of the whole samurai, ninja, and such genera, but I never became bored with it, annoyed or turned off, even with the heavy weapon references throughout the book.  An easy to read page turner, that I thought was going to be predictable, but surprised me in the end. 

Go get it now, and also look for her other novel, Breathless, which is still on my have to get list.

And then go pester her about buying that coffee she owes me.  www.colegibsen.com

Stay tuned for a special Guest Post from Cole herself right here, coming very soon, even if I have to blackmail her with stories from our past.

It’s Like a Group Hug in Here

I’ve been passing up the chain awards lately.  At first they were all awesome and exciting, and then they became redundant and awkward.  These things really float through the webs faster than the speed of light, and then they start to lose their specialness.  They become insincere all too quickly, like tarnished glitter.

But sometimes we need to stop for a minute and just get down with our sappy sides.   Sometimes we need to stop the day-to-day, the ideas, the to-do list and take a moment to thank those who really have made an impact, who have been there in the good, the bad, the ugly and the late night booze influenced chat messages. 

Take for instance, Casey at Navigating Cyberloss, who passed on the award of One Lovely Blog to me.  Her blog is dedicated to nothing more than being that ever there shoulder to lean on.  Do yourself a favor and go there now, her writings are beautiful, deep and heartfelt.  She’s a person you need to know, 100% genuine and open.  She inspires me daily.

unfortunately there’s always the rules with these things, and people always demand 7 things about me, which for me is much like pulling teeth.  I’m pulling teeth for you all, feel special.

1. I am a self-taught knitter and crocheter.  My grandmother tried to teach me when I was young and too stupid to appreciate the skills.  I decided to learn the skills shortly after my first child was born for no real reason other than I wanted a new afghan.  Two books later and bundles of yarn I can almost nail most of the basic and advanced skills… but I have yet to finish that afghan…
2. I have a secret desire to become a marathon runner.  I’m also too lazy to pursue it.  I blame it on having a wee one, and no place to run with a stroller.
3. I have two tattoos on my lower back.  Both tribal, black ink only.  One is a sun, with script for “Life” in the center, the other a horse. 
4. I have four completely written, unedited books from NaNoWriMo, all urban fictions.  And I keep telling myself I’ll dust them all back off… one of these days, maybe.
5. I am not a brave individual.  I hate taking risks, and detest things I can’t control. 
6. I still love legos. 
7. My blog gives me daily conflict of wether to keep going with it or not… I am my own worst critic.

And now for the hugging:

Thanks (and this award) goes out to…

1.  The Valentine 4 (I’m still trying to figure out how to steal her writing skills)
2.  This N That , who puts up with more from me than she really should.
3. “A” who doesn’t have a blog, but really should.  ❤
4.  The Laine List, who’s a brilliant designer for blogs (she did my headline!) but also a great friend and blogger.
5. Belle of the Carnival who always keeps me entertained.
6. The Bad Luck Detective, who’s the real deal writer, hero, comedian and sweetheart all wrapped into one.
7. Is this the Middle, hilarious and great!
8. Monday Morning Musings and Behavioral Child… just don’t get her started on purses!
9. KarenLynn who’s a great photographer and friend.
10. Journey of Life a most inspiring person.
11. Denise, the community manager over at BlogHer who has way too many links to list them all, and whom we’d all be lost without!
12. Truths From Chaos, with whom I just had the pleasure of finding her writings.
13. Sassy Monkey who keeps adding to my dang to be read list…
14. Home Reared Chef, again with many links and many talents!
15. Sunbonnet Smart, who the world is most defiantly a better place because of her love for everyone she meets!

I could, and should add about 50 more people to the list of thanks.  But getting all these links together and working took half a pot of coffee and over an hour.  My dino-interwebs are about to die.  Truly this blog would have died months ago without all of you!  Thank You for everything!

This concludes the group hug and sappiness of the day.

Go pass on the love…

1. Thank the gifter of award.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award onto 15 deserving bloggers.

~Cleaning House~

 

Cleaning House.

We’ve all had the feeling of needing to purge the less than wanted from our lives.  The clutter, the trash, the broken, the old.  Hopelessly scouring to reveal the clean slate our souls need.

Sometimes we rid ourselves of the people, the cluttered, the broken, the negative, the old to make way for the new, the better.

And sometimes we get cleaned out.  Thrown out with the trash, let go like an heirloom that’s no longer loved.

It happens.

And we say and we hope, “It’s all for the best.”  And maybe at first we don’t even notice the split.  “We’re all better off.”  Afterall.

Then there’s the times you see it happening all too slowly.  You see the river widening, the shores split apart, you can see the ocean in the horizon, and you can look back to the small trickle that began it all.

Do you turn back?  Build Bridges?  Fill in the gap? 

Do you let go.  Let the current take you further?

Do you care?

 

Versatile Be Thy Name~

And “Thy” would be in reference to an Award… not actually me.  Ummm…

First go visit Amira at Mind Blur.  Her posts will define and demonstrate Versatile better than I could ever hope to do.  Especially her About page, I’m head over heels in love with her About page.  And I might be head over heels in love with her homeland of Maldives.  And because I’m feeling extra helpful and linky today here’s a wee bit about Maldives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives

And I’d much rather continue talking about Amira who generously passed this award on to me, but rules are rules, and I must privilege you with the infamous 7 things about me…

Can I come up with 7 new things?

1. Heights frighten me to death.  I’m talking paralyzing fear here.  I’m talking not even that bottle of rum, or $500.00 in your hands will get me to go up in the Arch again fear.  (google: St.Louis Arch)
2. I’m  probably the only person in the world who despises texting.  I’m a wordy person, I need real words, lots of them to get my message across… how am I supposed to complete thoughts with a short text?!  I only text when I don’t want you to call me.  I also hate using the phone.  So send me a letter.
3. I prefer on most days to have my coffee BLACK.  Cowboy style, where a horseshoe can stand straight up in it.  Cremer cannot be found in my house, please bring your own.
4. TV absolutely bores the living heck out of me.  Unless I’m dying I can’t just sit there and watch.  I must be writing, sewing, knitting, crocheting… doing something useful with the time.  And honestly, by nature, I can’t just sit there during anything… even sleeping I try doing other things at the same time.
5. I truly do hate glitter.  I despise how it always gets all over everything.  And even if you just look at something with glitter on it, it will indeed end up on your face… and it won’t come off. 
6. I cannot bake chocolate chip cookies that don’t turn out like pancakes.  I bribe my mother with money and kisses from the grandkids to make them for me. (Don’t tell Martha!)
7. I cannot dance.  <nothing witty to add there, I just can’t do it.

And now to pass on the Award. 

Which is harder than it sounds.  But only because I just nominated all the awesome bloggers I know- last week for another award.  So in the spirit of being versatile I want YOU the reader to introduce US to your favorite Versatile Blogger!  Link them up in the comments, talk them up a bit and let them know that they have received this award!

If you have been nominated please:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link them up in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself!
3. And pass the award on to 15 bloggers.

Thanks!