100th Blog Post! & Lucky 7 Challenge

I’ve been challenged by Lani Wendt Young to reveal a little about myself and a little about Devil Dog. Something called the Lucky 7 MEME, and since I’m not one to pass a chance to write about myself I accepted.

The rules as I understand it are:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.

2. Go to line 7.

3. Copy down the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them as they're written.

4. Tag 7 writers and let them know.

Now for the excerpt of Devil Dog on page 77. Unfortunately it's not one of my favorite scenes or one of the most exciting, but it is a turning point in the novel where the reader realizes how the main character is about to have his whole world crash around him.

            Colonel Ramos stops walking and turns towards the pesky woman and her cameraman. He says nothing so the reporter continues on, “The Iranians are claiming he crossed their border with a squad of marines and attacked a military outpost. Destroying two attack choppers and killing close to three dozen men, some were reported as civilians. What do you say in response to that?”

            He starts to turn away again, then pauses and replies, “I believe the President is the man you want to talk to about international relations, even greatly exaggerated stories like that one. Like I said before, his mission was classified, and I will handle it as the investigation unfolds. Good day, Miss?” He waits for her to introduce herself, but she hands the microphone to the cameraman and marches back to her van without so much as a smile.

Now for the questions about me…

1. What is your dream vacation? Someplace quiet with lots of trees where I can sit with my laptop and write uninterrupted for days.

2. Are you spontaneous? Or do you like to plan? I always make plans, but I spontaneously veer off track every time.

3. One thing you want to do, but don't dare do? Quit my day job and write for a living. At this moment that would be a devastating financial nightmare. Probably cause a divorce. So I don’t dare…yet.

Arthur Dent and team

4. If you could be any literary character for a day, who would you be? I can only pick one? Arthur Dent, I just want to ask Eddie to make tea, just once. (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

5. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you want with you? (not incl yr laptop or family.) A good sharp dagger, so I can create spears and other things to catch food with. My wife’s face tattooed on my arm so I never forget what she looks like. Last but not least, a bucket to catch rain water in.

6. Name three blessings in your life. (1) My passion for writing and muse never giving up on me, (2) my amazing wife for putting up with me all these years and (3) two healthy children.

7. What was your nickname in high school? Tim, I never really picked up any nicknames that I was aware of. Some people called me Whitebread in Middle school, because I was 1 of 5 white kids there.

8. If you could meet the President of the US what would you say to him? Probably not much, I’m not a big fan of any politicians, but I’m not going to give him a hard time. His job is harder than mine. I bet I love mine more than he does right now too.

9. What's your biggest phobia? Falling. Not afraid of heights, I love airplanes, climbing trees, cliffs and houses. I’m like a cat though, once I get up to the top, I look down and my phobia kicks in. I am terrified of falling back down.

10. A favorite quote? “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” - Gandhi

Thanks for coming and I hope that wasn’t completely boring. I’m supposed to tag some writers, but I’ve never been good at picking people for these things. In fact the last time I made a list, one writer dropped his Twitter account and blog and has vanished into the infinite cosmos to never be seen again, at least not under the same name. I don’t think that was my fault and I’m not superstitious, but I don’t know everything so I’ll not list, but if you see this, go ahead and consider yourself challenged.

If you haven't seen Lani Wendt Young's blog, go check it out. She has a lot of wonderful stories about her family and life as well as posts about tattoos, specifically those big ones on those islander guys.