For those that have read about my writer's journey on my website you probably already realize that much of all this hoopla and work has been done as a means to peddle my work, my novel. For anyone who has been following me for a bit also knows that having started this adventure fresh off the OK turnip truck, divinely dropped ... metaphorically speaking of course... in Southern California knowing really nothing about nothing except what I read in the books. It has been all just one great big adventure of learning; sometimes liking and many times NOT liking much of anything-- lets face it, Southern Cali or so it believes, is the land of the pretty(not all but many people)... and it is hopelessly consumed with it 24/7. It is the job of the residents...from the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the house they live in, the friends they have, the animals they carry, the nails they trim, the feet they scrape (or kiss), the shoes they wear, the activities they participate in. And in so doing many live this life on credit... when you think about it, California residents are very much like our govt today, buy now pay later.

I on the other hand, like my sweats, when my hair starts to bother me I chop it myself and truly life would be just perfect for me if I never had to purchase another bottle of estee lauder foundation... and quite frankly I am one of those folks that only knows the size on the label and could care less about anything else on it--unlike most my friends who can look at a dress and tell you the designer with great pride. If I had my way, we would all dress as we did before the flipping fig. . . Unlike many I know, I have never been nicked, plucked, injected, pulled, sucked, stretched; etc... I picked out my auto to spare my grandchildren and the environment (and am totally pissed my tax dollars are going to reward those who didn't with that cash for clunkers program. Oh, and as many of you who have been following me also know; I am very passionate about politics... don't even get me started there.)

As many of you also may know I have become, through such learning and doing, the queen of social networking (twitter, goodreads, redroom, my personal website and blog here, myspace, facebook, shelfari, authorsden, even fucking ezines, to name just a few.) Not because I wanted to. It is what the books told me I had to do to be successful in peddling my book, my work. Makes sense. Right? I mean how are you going to know I exist unless I present myself to you, right? OMG I HAVE BECOME ONE OF THOSE!

TODAY THAT CHANGES.

One of my neighbors (whom I actually like quite a bit) recently asked me a question about something-or-other that had to do with me doing or participating in something that would be placing myself intimately in a group of others... when I declined she asked why and the best, quickest response I could come up with was "because I don't really like people." Now, of course that wasn't the truth. It was the first and quickest response I could give to get her to leave it alone. Actually I like people very much. I don't like fake people... and it is not really that I do not like them. I just don't enjoy them. I feel sorry for them. I like getting to know people. I like people who can make a total ass of themself and say oh boy what was I thinking when... I like real people. Being fake obviously works for some... it just doesn't work for me or the space i call my own...

... so with that said, I had to ask myself why should it work here? Really what I want to do is get to know you and let you get to know me.  So from now on this blog is going to be just that. I am just going to share what is going on and what I think. In the seven months since Courage of Fear was released it has already sold more copies than most first time authors sell in a year; before their publishing company dumps them... I am sure as the readers words get out it will sell more... and of course I will still use some of the social sites to promote it... but here, on this site I am going to stick with the journey... and hopefully some of you thousand folks who hit my website each day will also start to share... yet no selling or promoting, PLEASE. Lets just talk about life and our journeys. Now of course if your day consisted of something that has to do with promoting, so be it; if you are creating something, so be it; if you are working on something, so be it... please? feel free to share it... Let's just keep it real.

So there you have it.

Have a grand day all. Peace.