Truth or Dare

Truth: Favorite Genre?YA or adult?

Dare: I dare you to read a book outside your comfort zone.







My Truth

Fantasy used to be my favorite, but now I love Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Adult or YA, doesn't matter. However, over the past few years, I've been reading less and less YA and more adult books. Maybe the romance is more satisfying because it actually goes somewhere. Maybe the graphic content and dark, gritty elements appeal to me. Mostly though, I like the characters and the complex plots.

As I've looked over my reads from last and so far this year, I'm wondering about trying my hand at writing some adult stories . . . once I finish what I've already committed to.

My Dare

Books I've read that were outside my comfort zone:

Horror has never been something that interested me and likely never will. I was / am prone to nightmares, and with my vivid imagination, scary books and me just don't mix.

But this book didn't scare me, and I really loved the perspectives from the mom, dad, and child in this book.

And even though I handled this story, I still have no intention of reading this book again or any more like it.

Darkfever and the other books in the Fever series (by Karen Marie Moning) shocked my senses . . . and made me blush. But wow, what a great book.

I'll be checking out more of her books.







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Truth or Dare is a weekly meme hosted by Rita's World. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know the heart behind the internet. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post. Be sure to post a link to your post in the comments here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: Favorite Color? Why

Dare: I dare you to draw a picture in your favorite colors and post it on your blog. Or find some beautiful photos featuring your favorite color.







My Truth

My favorite color seems to change with the seasons. Winter, I like browns, blues, and burgundies. Summer, I like greens, blues, and purples. Earthy colors all year round.

No wonder I like to dye my hair red. It goes well with the greens and browns.

I once read a book about the colors of people's auras: What Color Is Your Aura?: Personality Spectrums for Understanding and Growth. You take a personality test and the book tells you what color your aura is and what that means about who you are. Being a people watcher, I've learned two things:

1) People have a tendency to reach for the colors that match / complement their aura color.
2) The aura color often affects your personal coloring. Or maybe your personal, physical coloring affects your aura.

So knowing your favorite color is a good start to knowing who you are on the inside.

My Dare

Found this picture on WeHeartIt.com. I think it shows the real me in color.

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Truth or Dare is a weekly meme hosted by Rita's World. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know the heart behind the internet. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post. Be sure to post a link to your post in the comments here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What fictional character is the most like you?

Dare: I dare you to do something brave and daring that a fictional character would do that you wouldn’t. Get out of your comfort zone!

My Truth

I wish I could say I’m like Mercy Thompson, my all-time favorite kick-ass heroine. Or like Kate Daniels or Allie Beckstrom.



But no, I’m Girl Genius. Every inch of me. Even down to the humming while creating something fantastic to the crazy mad-girl smile to the hyper coffee spazz moments. The glasses, the wild hair. Yep, that’s me.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What’s your beauty secret?


Dare: I dare you to smile at everyone in the grocery store next time you go shopping. Spread a little sunshine and cheer.

My Truth

I really believe that a smile and laughter makes all the difference in the world—along with a little faith in yourself. But adding a necklace to my outfit always makes me feel happy. * happy dance *

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What do you want to be when you grow up? (IMO, nobody’s all grown up until they stop believing in dreams.)

Dare: I dare you to be a kid for an hour and spend time coloring or drawing with crayons or markers. Believe it or not, it’s very therapeutic.

My Truth

Twenty years from now, my kids will be all grown up, and I’ll have grandkids to babysit. By the time I’m that old—57—I want to be a successful writer with at least 20 novels and tons of short stories published and loved by thousands of fans, and I want to live in a beautiful house in the country surrounded by acres of luscious nature. I’ll take long walks and tend to my vegetable garden. And I want to be a part-time dance instructor, teaching children ballet and tap and jazz, just as I’m learning now. And I’d love to be an artist, drawing and sketching breathtaking scenes.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What fictional character of the opposite gender steals your breath away?

Dare: I dare you to write a fan-fic short story where you meet this fictional character. Does everything go as you planned? Is he as suave in your story as you imagined?

My Truth

I’d have to say Adam Hauptmann from the Mercedes Thompson series, written by Patricia Briggs. If Adam Hauptmann were an actor, I’d say he has stage presence: his personality fills the pages. Even before we meet him for the first time, we get a strong sense of who he is when he leaves a note for Mercy: Keep your cat off my property or next time I’ll eat her. (My paraphrase because I don’t have the book in front of me.)



I’ve already read this series twice, but just talking about it, I’m ready to read it a third time. Good thing I own it!



Thankfully, I see a lot of my husband in Adam. They’re both badass and wild and untamable. Both werewolves. But that last one is a secret; don’t tell anyone.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What is your secret fear?


Dare: I dare you to do the very thing you are afraid of. Fears are prison walls, and often the thing you are afraid to do is the one thing you are supposed to be doing.

My Truth

Someone, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, because they are family (not my husband—he thinks I’m wonderful) and I have to see them frequently, once hinted very strongly that the best thing I could do for my kids would be to walk away and never see them again. She pointed out all the things I did wrong and all that she did right, as if I should leave them in her care because she’s a better mom to my kids than I am.



Let’s just say that tore my heart out.



One thing I want more than anything is to be a good mom. The reason I became a writer and publisher is for my kids, so that someday I can be home every day. The reason I homeschool is for my kids because I love being a part of their education. The reason I take dance classes is to spend time with my kids…and because I love dancing.



My dream has always been to create a happy, beautiful home full of laughter and games and books and time to share with my kids. I wanted to teach them to be beautiful, responsible, capable adults.



My biggest fear is failing to be a good mom. And maybe I’m not perfect, but I refuse to walk away.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What book is your guiltiest pleasure?


Dare: I dare you to pick up a book you would never have read in a million years.

My Truth

I have to pick I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. Cammie attends a boarding school for gifted girls in training to be spies. Although they can calculate advanced trigonometry problems, can build bombs, and can speak multiple languages with any accent you want, one thing not on their curriculum is boys.



When Cammie meets a boy in town, she believes he must be a counter agent. Together, she and her roommates tackle the problem spy style—lots of hacking, sneaking around, and digging through trash—which all leads to Cammie’s first kiss.



Certainly not high brow entertainment, but definitely a fun read with a flirty love story.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: What is one thing you regret?


Dare: I dare you to take one step toward living out your regretted dreams.

My Truth
I regret how I managed my money while I was in my twenties. I didn’t contribute to the company’s 401K plan in order to save for retirement. I didn’t save money at all. I could have bought a house and gotten a roommate. So many things I could have done differently in order to prepare for marriage and children, but money had no real importance until I had mouths to feed and little bundles of love to clothe.


Most of all I wish I had financial independence. If I had taken wiser care of my income at the beginning, I wouldn’t have to work a day job while running a business at night. I’d have more time for my family. More time to relax and be more a part of homeschooling. More time to write.


At the same time though, I have no car debt, no credit card debt, no medical debt—just rent, utilities, food, education (for homeschooling), and our publishing business...oh, and two student loans. The last 7 years, we worked hard to pay off all our debts to get to this point.


And someday we’ll buy a house and I’ll quit my job to focus on writing and publishing.

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Truth or Dare is my own weekly meme. I have found that many of my favorite blog posts by book bloggers I love were the ones that they shared more about themselves. Book bloggers are so busy sharing about books that we get little time to know them. Truth or Dare is an opportunity to pause from our weekly posts and get to know each other.

Want to participate? Copy and paste my Truth or Dare challenge into your own post and then write your answer to my question or about the results of your dare. Be sure to post the link here...

Truth or Dare

Truth: Tell me about your first kiss with the love of your life or about your first kiss ever.


Dare: I dare you to kiss that special someone. Been in a long term relationship? Well a kiss is just what you need to add some spice. Not in a relationship? Well maybe it’s time to be a little brave and give a kiss to the one you’ve got your eye on. If you feel a little shy, a friendly kiss on the cheek is enough.

My Truth

TJ and I had known each other for at least 6 years before we started dating, and then for the previous 2 years before dating, we were great friends. Together, we went to concerts, movies, and the zoo. Usually we planned these things with friends who often baled on us at the last minute. We took long hikes and talked for hours about books.



I thought about all the reasons why we were too different to date, and he told me that I wasn’t his type. The fact that we both thought why we shouldn’t get together was a good indication that we were thinking about each other at all. We were opposites in so many ways.



One Saturday night just before Labor Day, we went camping in Kentucky with friends. Sitting around the fire, we were laughing and joking, and he drank a whole bottle of Jim Bean Black just to get up the courage to kiss me. After the kiss, he passed out and didn’t remember anything much in the morning. Two days later he left for a college class trip to Yellowstone National Park, and we didn’t talk for weeks.



With another friend of ours, I went to pick him up from the airport on his return, and my hands shook with nerves. One of my closest friends had kissed me, and I didn’t know how to respond.



Eleven years of marriage and three kids + one cat later, I think we figured it out. We still talk about books, still love concerts and movies and zoos, still take long walks in the park when we have time.

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Want to participate? Post the link to your truth or the results of your dare...