Monthly Archives: January 2012

Mandatory Mermaid Fun & Giveaway Day!!

mermaids, Writing, , , , ,

Every now and then, the Army has what it calls Mandatory Fun.  Usually it’s a day when the soldiers are required to show up to work (no shamming at the house) but usually in a PT uniform and instead of doing their normal training or job, they get to play sports.  It’s Mandatory.  And it’s Fun.   Kind of like our day today here at the pond!

And…Did I mention it’s Giveaway Day???  The prize that will go to one lucky randomly picked commenter is a lovely “Out of this World” Lush gift box!  You’ll for sure want a shot at receiving this Space Girl Bath Bomb and Rock Star Soap duo in the mail!  Must live in the US and be prepared to share your physical address with me-but I promise not to swim up to your doorstep uninvited 😉

So are you ready to have a little flipper fun?  Okay, me too.  Here we go.  Today we are creating our own personal merpeople- mermaid, merman, it’s up to you but it’s Mandatory!  All you have to do is leave a comment with 1) a name for your mer-being of choice and 2) some little tidbit describing him or her!  It can be just one word or a slew of them!  That’s it.  Mandatory.  Mermaid.  Fun.  You have until midnight Sunday, January 15th, to leave your comment and I’ll announce the winner here in the comments on Monday, January 16th.

I’ll get things started…I recently spent some quality time with Triton at the Court of Neptune fountain and what can I say?  The conch-wielding magnificent man of the sea inspired me here today.  He had been busy blowing into his shell, making the most awful trumpeting sound, but something about the frizzling noise worked to calm my nerves.  Traffic had been hellacious getting into DC that day.  Seeing he had a thing for music, I asked if he could take only one record back to sea with him, what would it be?  Wouldn’t you know dear Triton has a soft spot for Elvis Presley’s Hawaiian Wedding Song?  Yes, touching.  I thought so too.  He spied a worn paperback of Seize the Night tucked protectively in my bag and inquired about it.  Shyly, I told him of my secret obsession with vampire hunting Roman bad boys, one in particular as it were.  (Mighty Poseidon bless Sherrilyn Kenyon)  The mention of this very Roman surname gave good Triton’s handsome face a sour pickle kind of scrunch but he seemed to get over it soon enough.  Alas, our noontime popular culture exchange came to an end.  But not before he let me know he was heavily upset that his fountain sat dry as a bone and had been for a few days too long.  I told him I’d look into it and he insisted I snap a picture for evidence.  He wished me well and bid me adieu in the traditional fishy kiss way.  As I slowly walked away from the fountain, a heartbreakingly beautiful merman swam into my mind, drowning out all other thoughts.  His valiant name, Elvis Mermagnus.  His hair, shiny and black.  His hands, soft as the inner petal of a rose.  His fins?  So brilliant I’d bet my last breath the color turquoise hadn’t existed until he’d been birthed.

 

What a Character

mermaids

What a Character.

As writers we are taught that characters are the main ingredients in a story. Without likable flawed believable characters, the best most amazing writing in the world won’t be able to shoulder a good story.   So how do you create memorable characters? It starts with the what but ends with the why.

Suppose I tell you my character is terrified of MRIs and hates potatoes. What does that tell you? Not much. But if I throw a little “why” into the equation, maybe the person becomes more real.

Terrified of MRIs. I watch them load her onto the narrow slab of plastic. The machine begins to slowly chug her into the coffin-like confine of the apparatus doctors say is a miracle. I hear a gurgle and then a sob. I realize she’s gasping for air. I yell for them to stop the machine.   I run to her. “What’s wrong?” Her wild eyes stare past me into the horizon.   Sob filled gurgles staccato from her chest. “Help me,” she croaks but I am helpless. “Don’t let them get me,” she whispers, her fingers crushing my hand. It’s only years later, I learn her story.   They put her in a ditch and buried her. Alive. Beneath enough dirt to fill a coffin.   She couldn’t scream or cry. Had to stay deathly still. Otherwise, the soldiers would have found her. And killed her. And so she stayed there. God knows how long. And waited until someone dug her out. She was only five.

Hates potatoes. Every day after work, she got off the bus and walked 10 blocks to the dumpster. Placing her bag on the ground, she leaned forward and hoisted herself into the putrid container. She had a mission. Potato peels. Lots and lots of them. She had to collect as many as she could find. Maybe today, the other cook would be on duty. The one who wasn’t as careful with the knife. He didn’t take time to peel the thinnest layer. He left good chunks of meat together with the skin. Her hand collided with the slimy bounty. Oh good. Still fresh, she thought. She grasped as many as she could and dumped them out onto the street. Her knowing fingers gauging the thickness. A small smile played on her lips. The sloppy one was on duty tonight. When she was done, she hopped back out and put her spoils into the bag. Around the corner and up the stairs. She turned her key into the dingy door and creaked it open. Two small gaunt faces greeted her. “Tonight we eat,” she said and went into the kitchen to cook some potato peels.

My grandmother was a stoic woman. She had to be. She survived attacks on her village, Stalin’s famines and the hardships and hilarity of five people living in a 10×10 sq. ft. room. She came to a new country, only to lose her husband a few months later. She raised kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. She wasn’t a woman prone to too many smiles (who could blame her), but she had a killer sense of humor and a wit sharper and faster than a chainsaw. When asked why she never imposed curfew on my teenaged mom, she simply said, “If she wants to do something, she can just as easily do it at 4pm as she can at 4am.” When asked if she ever wanted to go back to Russia, she replied, “When we left, I packed everything I needed. Thank you for the offer.”

During the last decade of her life, dementia slowly began to eat away at her. As did her Parkinson’s. Her lucidity filtered in and out but there were still times she remembered those around her. She responded well to children. Especially babies, as if their eyes contained some magical cure that anointed all her past ills. But over time, those moments rarely came and quickly went. During her final hospital stay, when I came to visit her, she grasped my arm, her jagged nails digging into my skin and whispered, “They’re trying to kill me.” Her eyes were wild and vacant as she watched with terror or suspicion the nurse who came to get her tray. I wiped the wiry gray hair from her forehead and kissed her, whispering in return. “It’s okay grandma. You’re safe.” But her eyes darted side to side and I knew she was back in a faraway land where soldiers chased little girls, killing them and leaving them to bleed on the side of the road. We said our final goodbyes Thanksgiving weekend and even though I said no words, my pen silently did all the talking.

How often had I written her name
Most times without a care,
Never giving a second glance
How it was written or where.

But now it’s time to etch again
In front of me is her face.
I finish up the final stroke
And seal her resting place.

Sleep tight, my sweet lady.

Setting Writing Goals–With a Little Help from My Friends

Motivation, Writing

As writers we are constantly looking for ways to sit our butts down and focus on our writing.  But making the time is not always easy.  With family, work, social issues and anything else that might come along–we tend to sacrifice our writing time.  I know I’m a culprit!

Though I haven’t made any New Years resolutions this year, I am trying to be pro-active with my writing.  I may not be able to sit down for 8 hours and write every day but I can dedicate some time each day to writing.

I tried to do the NaNoWriMo this past November but with a revision, two contests I was judging (for my first time) and life happening, I couldn’t find the proper time to get motivated for a 50k goal.  I felt I cheated myself this year for not doing it even though I was working on my writing–but mostly it was revising.  It didn’t count.

Then I received an email from a friend of mine about the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival.  When I read about it I knew they understood what writing was all about!  It wasn’t about competing with others or just writing it was about setting goals for myself and working on my story anyway I could–whenever I could.  I got to set the goals I needed and earn rewards to reach them.  Also, having a cheering section of friends and fellow romance writers is always a blessing as I’ve found them the most personable people in the world.

So if you are looking for a chance to set goals for yourself this next month (during a time when things seem to be less hectic –don’t quote me on that because I’m knocking on wood) go to rubyslipperedsisterhood.com  or rsswwf.com and sign up to join in.

 

 What are your writing goals this year?

Yes, I’m a Big Fat Failure!

Kimberly MacCarron, Motivation

I don’t think I lasted more than a day with my New Year’s Resolution, but even if I had it would have bitten the dust on Sunday night.  That was the night that damn Tebow blew my Steelers’ chance in the Playoffs.

Yep.  One of my resolutions was to stop swearing.  Although I said a few whispered swear words under my breath throughout the game, I let loose a long, and—I might add—loud string of them in those brief seconds of overtime.   Very brief seconds.

Although I read that 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail, it doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better.  I admit that my resolution was a bit half-assed anyway. 🙂  I couldn’t think of much that I wanted to change this year. 

I’m blessed to have wonderful friends and family.  I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I don’t particularly stress about it.  I could try harder to quit swearing, but then I’d have to stay off the roads. 

Instead of resolutions, I’d rather look at the things I’d like to accomplish and just work toward that goal.    

One of those goals is to get one of my books published.  I’m not setting an unreasonable time limit on this one though.  Just as long as I work toward it, that’s good enough for me. 

So, I’d like to share the goals that I’ve reached so far in the first ten days of the month.

  1. I’ve smiled at strangers for no apparent reason, and most of the time, I get one back.
  2. I’ve donated eight bags of clothing to charity. 
  3. I’ve spent time with my kids, playing games and trying not to swear when they beat me. 🙂
  4. I started the Harry Potter series.  Finally!
  5. I’ve renewed contact with old friends. 

I certainly don’t want to feel like a failure for the things I couldn’t do.  I’d rather feel victorious for the things that I have.   I may let some curse words slip out time and time again, but I’ll continue to smile at strangers, and hope that it makes someone’s day better. 

If that’s all I do in 2012, I’m happy with that.  🙂  

Do yourself a favor.  Set reasonable resolutions this year.  It sure makes you feel like a winner when you reach them!  I don’t look at it as copping out or lowering my standards and expectations.  I look at it as giving myself an edge.   

Give me a couple reasonable resolutions that you’ve set.  I don’t want to hear any hard ones.  That just makes me feel like a Big Fat Failure.

The Reason I’m a Writer

Motivation, Writing

When I was little – maybe 7 or 8 – I learned about poetry in school. Later, sitting at the counter in my Nunnie’s (grandmother) kitchen, I told her that I was going to write a poem about her. I don’t remember much about that poem. I know it was indeed about my Nunnie and that I wrote it very quickly. And I’m fairly certain I rhymed the words pink and think.  

But the big thing about this moment in my young life is that Nunnie took one look at that poem and declared that I was a writer. She thought it was truly an amazing feat of literary proportions. Think James Joyce meets Jane Austen.

Nunnie called my mom and my two aunts and informed my entire family that I was a writer. That was it. Based on this little poem, I had the talent of writing. So I always believed it too. After all, Nunnie said it was true, so it must be. In fact, this belief in my ability as a writer is the one and only thing in my life that I have never questioned. (Even during my darkest Debbie Downer-I just got rejected moments.)

Nunnie passed away on Christmas morning at the age of 97.

I’m at an interesting place. Obviously, I have a lot of feelings and memories and emotions swirling around right now. But in terms of writing, this crazy talent I apparently have because Nunnie said so, makes my path seem clearer than ever. Nunnie never got to see a published book with my name on the cover. I think I might always regret that.

So I am now moving forward with my writing. I have a finished manuscript and I am putting all of my effort into getting it published. Because Nunnie was right: I am a writer!

The Waterworld Mermaids Proudly Welcome Avery Flynn

Interview, mermaids, , ,

 “I do believe I can arrest you for looking at someone like that. You’ve got to be breaking some indecency laws.” 

Taking a deep breath, she recovered her bearings. Mostly. “You’re out of your jurisdiction, sheriff.”

– A Dry Creek Bed, Avery Flynn

 

I read a lot of new authors in 2011 but one of my favorites was our very own Avery Flynn. I was first introduced to the town of Dry Creek, Nebraska in Up a Dry Creek and I’m thrilled to announce the sequel, A Dry Creek Bed is available now! I highly recommend both books and I’m not just saying that because Avery is offering a New Year’s hangover cure gift basket to one lucky commenter (U.S. only) today.  

In the meantime, I had the pleasure of interviewing both Avery and Hank Layton, her main character and, dare I say hunky, sheriff of Dry Creek. Welcome Avery and Hank!

 

Kerri: Avery, congratulations on A Dry Creek Bed, the second book in your Dry Creek series, being released this week! Where did the inspiration for the Dry Creek series come from?

Avery: Well with a hot couple like Beth and Hank, who wouldn’t be inspired? I think just about everyone grew up with a golden boy like Hank – and in Nebraska you can’t get more blessed than being the quarterback of the Nebraska Cornhuskers when they win a BCS championship. But Hank grew up, graduated and now not everything in his life is as perfect. Not that Beth Martinez would believe that. She’s loved Hank for most of her life but as the geeky best friend of his little sister, he never gave her a second look, except for that one summer … What? Hank why are you giving me a dirty look? Fine, fine I’ll skip that part, folks will just have to read about it in A Dry Creek Bed.

Kerri: Hank, what do you think of Avery’s series so far? Are you okay with her telling your family’s story?

Hank: Everyone in Dry Creek pretty much knows everything about us any way what with small town gossip, so what’s the big deal about a bunch of strangers knowing it? Of course, I had to skip a lot of Up a Dry Creek. No one should have to know exactly what their baby sister is thinking about – and doing with – a man. I just pray mom never read it.

Kerri: Your mother, Glenda Layton, seems thrilled with Avery’s books. She expressed her desire to have a grandbaby soon to show off all over town. Thoughts on marriage and children, Hank?

Hank: God love her, that woman is obsessed with grandkids. I can’t wait to have kids of my own to toss around the football and teach the intricacies of avoiding a blitz when the game is on the line. Course first I have to meet the right woman.

Kerri: So you still believe in marriage even with your previous divorce?

Hank: I thought we agreed not to go there. Wasn’t that in the pre-interview agreement?

Kerri: Okay, okay, stop giving me the evil eye. I was just asking. Speaking of men, Avery… what’s your favorite kind of hero to write about?

Avery: I’m all about the alpha heroes, but let’s be clear alpha does not mean asshole. There is a difference, just like beta does not equal wimp. Think John McClane from Die Hard and you’ve basically got my favorite type of hero.

Kerri: Let’s turn back to family. Hank, your sister Claire went through a really rough time not too long ago. How’s she doing?

Hank: Claire? She’s doing great, thanks for asking. She’s working with an architect drawing up plans to rebuild The Harvest Bistro and is hunting down a big old bar to replace the one lost in the fire. Jake relocated to Dry Creek so that has her happier than a pig in mud. Of course, now mom is watching her like a hawk wanting to know when the wedding will be. Poor girl.

Kerri: Speaking of Claire, her best friend, Beth Martinez, has been seeing her own share of trouble lately out at her grandparents old house. As both the sheriff and a family friend, are you doing anything to help?

Hank: What trouble? Beth hasn’t said anything to me about that, but you can be sure I’m going to find out.

Kerri: (wincing) Well, the gossip down at Margaret’s Bakery is that you and Beth had a little thing back when she was in college. Care to comment?

Hank: What the hell kind of tabloid interview is this? Avery, you vouched for the Waterworld Mermaids? (grumbles incoherently) That all happened a long time ago. Today, I can barely get Beth to say two words to me especially after that kiss at Claire’s party … oh hell, that’s off the record. Got it?

Kerri: (ignoring that last comment) This last question is for both of you. Any New Year’s resolutions for 2012?

Hank: Nah, I’m not a believer in resolutions. Of course, finding the right girl and settling down would be nice.

Avery: My resolution is to finish the Dry Creek novels this year with books three and four in the series. One of my super smart Waterworld Mermaid sisters (Kerri-Mermaid bats eyelashes) recommended I write a novella about how Glenda and Bob Layton fell in love and so I’ve added that to my list of things to get done as well.

 

Well, no matter what either of you decide to do, I wish you both a happy and prosperous 2012! Thank you so much for joining us!

Remember everyone, check out Avery’s new book here and her awesome website here. And leave a comment below for a chance to win a New Year’s hangover cure gift basket (U.S. Only) from Avery.

 

A Dry Creek Bed, by Avery Flynn (Available Now)

Dry Creek County Sheriff Hank Layton is the stuff of dreams. Nasty, steamy, delicious fantasies that leave Beth Martinez weak-kneed and desperately wanting the man she can never have. 

Hank can’t stop thinking about Beth to the point where he’s afraid of becoming permanently bowlegged. And even though the sexual tension between them is thick enough to trip over, she runs every time he chases. 

But when a mysterious developer forces her neighbors off their land, Beth becomes the one person standing between the scoundrel and millions of dollars. Only Hank can help her uncover the truth. Together they risk their lives exposing decades-old secrets and learn that everything is not as it seems in their rural Nebraska town. 

 

 

Why I HATE Marketing Journal Entry #2: My Website and Jetlag

Marketing, mermaids, ,

This morning I don’t hate marketing as much as I hate jetlag, but that’s a story for another post…

I got back from Hawaii Tuesday night around 11 p.m. after several months, okay, I meant to write weeks, but I’m letting the slip-up stay because it provides an accurate take on how well my brain is functioning this morning. But yeah, Hawaii was fantastic, and I’ve got photos galore and stories to tell, and maybe even a book or two out of the experience, but what does my vacation have to do with marketing outside of the fact that mentioning it makes me happy?

Well, while I was away, my website designer (the good folks at Limb Design in particular Mr. Corey Chow) was busy working on my website. So I wanted to share a few things you might find useful.

The first question though might be do you even need a website and what does an author’s website look like these days? Well, most of them are built with the blog approach. So, when I say website, think blog with extra pages:). For those of you (and you know who you are) who don’t have a blog or website, but want to create a blog/site, or are looking to make changes to an existing site, you may find some tips here you can use. Especially if you’re looking to get it done quickly, while controlling cost and quality. Also, many of you may have ‘marketing’ on your New Year’s resolutions list. Except it might read something like ‘learn to tweet’ or ‘post more regularly on my blog’ or ‘I’ve got to get a Facebook account’. And if you’ve got good news to share like you have a new book release, or a first book sale, or a new branding look to introduce, you need marketing.

I’m going to plug WordPress now, but I think it’s okay since the Waterworld Mermaids’ blog was created right here in WordPress – land (Thank you Mermaid Alethea and that’s Alethea Kontis, by the way, who has a great website using WordPress!)! And yes, I’m building my site in Wordpress, too. And duh, I didn’t know until a few months ago that WordPress had templates for websites but Corey, my designer, suggested it as a cost effective approach to launching my new author’s site.

Although I’ve been working on websites in my day job for years, I learned recently that there are companies (lots of them) who have created affordable website templates and per my designer, WordPress is the BEST right now for offering variety, ease-of-use and flexibility, especially when on a limited budget. How limited? The layout I’m using for my new site cost me $35 (see link below).

http://www.mojo-themes.com/item/melee-minimalistic-wordpress-theme/demo/

And it was one of 9 pages of website templates at mojo themes that can be customized any number of ways…see link below:

http://www.mojo-themes.com/categories/wordpress/

If you’d like to give me some feedback on the graphics that have been created by Corey for my new site, please stop by my blog today and let me know what you think.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why I want a website since I’m still unpublished. Easy. I’m an optimist, and today’s marketplace is demanding that authors have a brand identity in place (and a following doesn’t hurt either, especially for first novels).

Now don’t be shy, ask questions, scoff, or share what you’ve learned about creating your blog and/or website. Yes, you’ve got to write the best book you can write and then get an editor, agent or self-publish, but the bottom line is you’ve still got to market it. So what do you think about blogs and/or websites for published and/or unpublished authors?

(And also, Happy New Year!)

Season of Change

Dana Rodgers, mermaids, Motivation

I’m an overachiever. Yep, I’m admitting it. And if you don’t believe me just ask my husband—it drives him crazy. I tend to organize and make lists, heck even my extensive movie collection is alphabetized and categorized by genre. Not kidding. My books would be too if I could talk my husband into building me more bookshelves. Maybe when the basement is finished?

Every year for the holidays I wind up making a giant list of what needs to get done, then when I accomplish it… I celebrate for about thirty-seven seconds before making another list, and then another. So in truth I probably got the important stuff done way back with the first list but then I spend my holidays killing myself to achieve more and more, and only wind up making myself crazy.

But this year was a little different, I got sick right after Thanksgiving and I’m still recovering. I’ll just say that bronchitis sucks and I found out the hard way that you can actually tear muscles in your chest wall from coughing. Not fun! But being sick has taught me several valuable lessons and helped shape my New Year’s resolutions this year as well.

1. Priorities

What’s important and what’s not. Spending time with family and friends is important; having everything “perfect” is not. I mean really, is the house going to fall down if it doesn’t get vacuumed? Apparently not. And besides, there is no such thing as “perfect”, and even if there were, “perfect” would look different to everyone. Writing is also a priority I have been denying myself. Don’t get me wrong I write but it is usually in fits and surges where I write for like ten hours a day for a week and then not at all for a few days, then pull a couple of all-nighters. By the way, I don’t recommend this writing style to anyone. I have to stop scooting writing down on the old priority list and make time for it everyday. You know the drill, sit down and write a good story, the rest will take care of itself. To be successful you have to show up everyday and you have to work hard, but I know it’s worth it because nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. Come on, if it were easy to climb Mount Everest, everyone would do it.

2.  Friends And Family

Friends and family have always been important to me but since my dad’s sudden death last December this point has really been driven home. Once the people you love are gone there is no going back so it is important to love the people in your life well NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next week. It is important to forgive perceived wrongs, to send a card or pick up the phone to tell someone you are thinking of them, to look up that old friend you were thinking about, and above all treasure today.

3.  Unclutter

Not just getting rid of the clutter in the attic or the basement (Lord knows mine currently need attention) but also throwing out what is not working in life and incorporating more of what is. I think it is always important to reassess, figure out what is important to you and go after it. Like writing for example, I have to stop putting obstacles in my path, sabotaging my own success. I need to stop being afraid to go after what I want and just do it. No more excuses. I have to stop running the other way by switching which story I’m currently working on when I hit “the wall.” It’s time to pick one story and finish the damn manuscript come what may.

4. Live Healthier

Hi, I’m Dana and I’m a diet coke addict. I could also stand to cut back on the junk food and move more. I love writing, but it’s kind of a fat girl sport. When I’m writing, I’m sitting on my butt behind a computer and let’s be honest, that does not lend itself to exercise. I need to force myself to get back to a regular exercise routine and eat the salad not the cookie currently calling my name from the pantry, and take the walk instead of sitting down with a book when I’m not writing.

Now you’ve heard some of my New Year’s resolutions–my promises to myself. Me, yelling at me to get it in gear and make better choices. I would love to hear some of yours.

I wish you all a 2012 full of health, happiness and writing inspiration.

Happy New Year’s Dedications

mermaids, Writing, , ,

Welcome back to the pond everyone!  I’m honored to have the first blog spot of the New Year!!   Beings this is the first post of 2012, I thought for sure it would be a great idea to write about our resolutions.  I’ll be honest; my first resolution was to be less judgmental.  Then I spent the day at Arlington Cemetery and found it impossible not to be in judgment of those around me who couldn’t put down their cell phones while on the sacred grounds, or couldn’t wait until later that day after they’d left the tomb of the Unknown Soldier to tell all those hilarious, laugh-inducing jokes to their buddies.  Oh, and those who apparently had no clue what the “Silence and Respect” signs posted all around President Kennedy’s gravesite meant.

Since I couldn’t stick to that first resolution, I came up with a second one.  To be more thoughtful of others.  I like this one.  I can do this one.  And I can tie it into both writing and music.

In order to kick start this New Year’s mission, I’m spending today thinking about you all, and then dedicating a song to you by my favorite band, Depeche Mode.  I’ve started with my fellow mermaids and then if you’d like to join in on the thoughtfulness parade, leave me a comment letting me know how you’re feeling today and I’ll come up with your DM song dedication! All songs written by Martin L. Gore.

Princess Alethea: “Little Soul” You recently mentioned letting our inner lights shine through.  This song has you written all over it!

Avery: “A Question of Lust” Two words for you: Claire and Jake from your fabulous Up a Dry Creek novel!  They would never let what they’ve built up crumble to dust…

Dana: “Here is the House”  When I hear this song, I can’t help but think of your short story, Garden of Knight, and Grandma Emily and Great Aunt Margaret’s home where so much happened to Gemma.

Denny: “Stripped” On the surface, with words like metropolis and breathing in fumes when we kiss, I instantly think of your hip, urban writing style.  But also, as my critique partner, I appreciate the underlying message of this song which is to strip things down so the truth can be seen better.

Kerri: “Precious” Those writers as special as you deserve to be taken care of.  Period.  And with a splash of glitter just for good measure.

Kim: “Get Right With Me” Ever since I read your “Things You Love to Hate” post, I have appreciated your spunky sense of humor.  This song tells it to us straight with cleverness and subtlety—just like you!

Loni: “I Am You” With this song’s chants about dark obsession and hearts bound by chains, I think of two things that remind me of you…your Wanted: One Ghost story and your love of Sherrilyn Kenyon and all things paranormal!

Masha: “It Doesn’t Matter Two” This is such a powerful and well-written Depeche Mode song.  A little harder to explain, but your wonderful intensity and way with words reminds me so much of it.

P.H.: “Little 15” This song not only honors you but your audience.  I smile when I think of those who will escape into your writing someday!

Robin: “Dressed In Black” When Martin L. Gore writes that it’s all there to see if we’ll only give in to the fire within, I’m reminded of the time you said you love the push and pull of attraction, whether it’s acceptable or not.  Fearless and refreshing, just like you.

Susan: “I Feel Loved” This is one I cannot explain but it comes from my heart.  There is just something about you, Susan, that makes us feel at ease–loved, if you will.

So Happy 2012 everyone!  Don’t forget to tell me how your day is going so I can hook you up with just the right song!  And feel free to share your resolutions if you’d like!