Monday 3 September 2012

GUTGAA: MEET AND GREET


Greetings All!

 Today is the GUTGAA Meet and Greet for the blogfest happening at Deana Barnhart's blog  and I am very excited because I like to chat. Yes SirreeBob.

A little bit about me: 
The facts: I live in the big smoke London Town, live with the boyf and pet fish, and have never broken anything (famous last words - am I now about to tipple over and smash a bone?)
The Loves: Eating cheese. Vampire Diaries. Superheroes. Books involving Teleportation or Time Travel. Caffeine.
The Hates: The Brussels Sprout (there is just no need for them). Grumpiness on the tube (though we all get grumpy!). when the writing doesn't come. Giving up Caffeine (like I am trying to do now, in a bid to be 'healthy'.)

THE QUESTIONS:

Where do you write? I moved house earlier this year so I am now lucky enough to have A SPARE ROOM. In London, this is a luxury! A whole room without a person in it! WOW! I can also work from home for my job the odd day and work in it. It calls for all these exclamation marks because this is exciting. So I work from the spare room. Though sometimes old habits die hard and you'll find me on the sofa. Should you come looking. And if you do, I'll make you a nice cup of tea, because that's what we do here.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? Pants! And yes American People, by that I mean KNICKERS. Undies. Lingerie. Skivvies. Also socks, usually odd ones who mourn their partner and hope someday they will return from their ADVENTURE IN THE WASHING MACHINE. This is all a way of making 'my laundry' sound less dull, for that is to my left. (And again, London! What a luxury to be able to hang my laundry in a WHOLE OTHER ROOM and not have to look at it while I watch TV.)

If I am on the sofa then I am looking at the wall to my left. THRILLING.

-Favorite time to write?
Evening time before bed, 10-midnight ish depending on bedtime. It's the only time I can find as I really cannot get up early and I admire all these half five in the morning people. I SO DO. I am much more a nightowl! I like to have a notebook on me to make notes on the tube, if I don't have someone's elbow in my face or am alternatively sniffing an armpit.

-Drink of choice while writing? Water. I am addicted to Diet Coke but see earlier note re giving up caffeine. I am trying to break the hold it has on me. 

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? Silence. Music is far too distracting for me.

 I have also discovered this little X button on the google chrome page, it's an amazing invention, it means the internet is shut! I don't usually use it. But it does help me get more done ;) (Though I do find the #1k1hr twitter hashtag an amazing motivator too).

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
My completed MS is a sci fi thriller set in the near future and the first scene came to me very clearly, a girl arriving home, having snuck out and going in to face the music. I wrote this scene, took it along to a class I was taking at the time and people said nice things about the setting/scene so I worked away on it and wrote a novel. Somehow. The opening scene has changed a lot since then but it all came from there.

For the two WIPs I am currently working on: one is a girl who may be a clone, or may just be going mad and I literally thought there, hmm, it would be fun to write about CLONES what could I do? And worked it out.

The other WIP, tentatively called CaraStoneSucks.Com, I really wanted to write about cyberbullying. As I am a sci fi writer I tried lots of ways to make it sci fi and the initial inspiration was sci fi. However I realised it is really a contemporary idea, so I am going to have a go at that! 

(I have more about these ideas in one of my old posts and will be joining in the CP/BETA fun on Wed if anybody is looking for CPs/BETAs hope to see you there!)

-What's your most valuable writing tip?
EDIT. I know it seems obvious but really, when I first started writing I'd write a story and press Finish and think that was it. Oh naive me. Then I'd feel bad that my work wasn't as good as all these finished books I see. So EDIT EDIT EDIT.Then ... edit some more. Edit until you are sick of editing, then you might just be done ;)

I love to meet people and love to chat so please if you have waded through all of the above - SAY HELLO!

115 comments:

  1. So, I've just looked at my Firefox page, and that too has a little X in the corner that makes the internet go away - who knew?! *giggles*

    From the creative way you answered these questions, I would read anything you write! :D

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    1. Ah ha ha yes! I hear all these internet browsers have an X in them. Don't know who put that there ;)

      Bless you for saying so!

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  2. Oh, I never knew about the #1k1hr twitter hashtag, interesting. I may have to use that in future.

    I love what I've seen of CaraStoneSucks.Com, I think the idea is very original.

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    1. OOooh the 1k1hr hashtag is great! I rec it. Very inspiring and motivating. Hope to see you on it! Esp as I think we are same timezone yes yes?

      (and thank you. Just got to write it!)

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  3. I agree with Kyra - your blog voice is fabulous, your novel writing must be, too! Nice to meet you.

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  4. Having lived in a tiny room with a sloped ceiling in London, I can appreciate how amazing it must be to have that whole extra room ;) Looking forward to hearing more about your novels!

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    1. It's a Luxury I tell you!

      Thank you, am sure I will be going on about them here ;)

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  5. Giving up caffeine isn't necessarily a healthy practice. If you fall down while walking due to lack of wakefulness, it could result in health issue.

    Nice to meet you, I've enjoyed my visit here.

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    1. That is so true! No caffeine could equal danger! Thank you for visiting.

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  6. Love your humor. You gotta have humor to take the jabs in this profession.

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    1. Thank you for saying so and I totally agree!

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  7. I didn't know you live in London! Now I know who to bunk with should I ever get to go ;) My novel is sci-fi as well. Gotta love it!

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    1. Sci fi is ace ;) And I LOVE the sound of your novel!

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  8. You've never broken anything? Impressive! (says the world's biggest clutz) ;) I also didn't know you lived in London!

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    1. It is all the more amazing because *I* am the world's most clumsy soul. I am!

      Indeed London town for me!

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  9. Those sound like exciting book plots! I also love a good time travel story and have never broken anything.

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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    1. Thank you (it's a good job that you think so!)

      I love a time travel story. If I had any good idea for one would totally write one.

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  10. It must be exciting to live in London, though if I were to live in England or have an extended visit, I'd prefer Manchester. I agree about the importance of editing. When I was younger, I didn't think I needed to change anything about my precious little snowflakes, and that it was somehow kowtowing or selling out if I rewrote or deleted anything.

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    1. Manchester is a v. nice city.

      Precious snowflakes, yes I know! Now it's edit edit everything!

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  11. My dad is English and his whole family is still over there, so I love the English! :)

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  12. Adventures in the washing machine - now that's funny!

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  13. Hello! *waves* I must admit, my laundry doesn't seem nearly as exciting as yours. :)

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    1. *waves back*. Well it doesn't feel so exciting when I am hanging it out! ;)

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  14. Oooh! That cyber-bullying WIP sounds like a great idea! I would definitely read something like that!

    I agree wholeheartedly about the wonderfulness that is CHEESE, but disagree about the brussel sprouts. They are essential. Roasted with olive oil and salt & pepper? Yum..... LOL

    Great to meet you! And best of luck with GUTGAA!

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    1. Very nice to meet you thank you for commenting! Esp that the WIP sounds good, just got to battle on with it!

      CHEESE Is the best.

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  15. Your description of laundry made me chuckle especially all the odd socks! Where do they all come from? Edit, edit, edit, sounds like my writing life recently too.

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    1. It is a mystery where they come from, a MYSTERY. Esp as I have just lost a big fluffy purple sock. HOW did a sock that fluffy and purple get lost? HOW?

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  16. Oh my, you had me laughing all the way. Too funny.

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  17. Oh, PANTS! I read all of Louise Rennison's books (the first is Angus, Thongs, & Full-Frontal Snogging) but since I'm an American-type person I didn't realize "pants" were "underwear," and now the characters' song, "The hills are alive with the sound of pants," is now that much funnier. Thank you.

    And good luck with the contest and querying and editing and everything else!

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    1. Oh yes! She'll mean PANTS as is undies, happy to have made that funnier for you ;)

      Thank you and to you.

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  18. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love reading about everyone's inspiration. I am also intrigued by clones although I think I'd be not so great at writing scifi or specfi, but I do enjoy reading it.

    My best friend moved to England from the US a few years ago. She's outside of London but I definitely know what you mean about the luxury of a spare room. What surprised me most about England is all the open space and rolling hills, but in town all the houses are so close together and small. It's great that there is so much protected land. In the US, some areas are but more often than not (in Midwest and the coasts) mini-malls and parking lots for big stores seem to be everywhere.

    Here's my GUTGAA Meet & Greet: A Girl and Her Diary

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    1. Thank you for stopping by here!

      Yes we are all squeezed into the towns, esp when it comes to London.

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  19. Great to get to know you a little better, Vik. Great responses--thanks for sharing~

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  20. Gah.. you live in London. That was my dream since I was a little girl!

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    1. Ah London is lovely, so proud of the Olympics and Paralympics being here.

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  21. I'm so jealous of your spare room. I keep trawling the real estate pages but I just can't find a 4 bedroom in an area I want to live in that isn't well over my price limit. One day....

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    1. It is a luxury! I wish you luck with your 4 bed hunt!

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  22. I so agree about brussel sprouts. Loved hearing about your WIPs.

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  23. I commend you for giving up caffeine. I couldn't do it

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    1. Ah thank you, only a week so far but hasn't been as bad as I thought I must say.

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  24. I think it's smart to NOT force something into a genre. If you have a story you want to tell, let it dictate how it should be told best. I think we've advanced far enough so contemporary is kinda sci fi sometimes.

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    1. Thank you, that's nice to hear. Definitely this story had the way it wanted to be told and there wasn't anything to be done about it.

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  25. Saying hello from Gutgaa...a new follower here...I visited London years ago and loved it. I too like to write during bedtime. =)

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    1. Hello! Glad I am not the only bedtime writer!

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  26. I'm a veggiephobe who actually likes brussel sprouts. Go figure. Anyway, this post had me cracking up. See: skivvies. :) Good luck! :)

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  27. the cyber bulling thing sounds very cool. Just with that title a million scenarios came to mind.(Just about what it could be about....not because I'm plotting! lol) I would totally read that!

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    1. Thank you that's v. nice to hear, hopefully I can get a WIP of it sorted soon enough!

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  28. Your book sounds great! And power to you for the cyber bully story. It's very much needed these days.
    Good luck with the sans caffeine existence. I don't think I could live without it. lol
    Nice to meet you! :D

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    1. Fingers crossed I can get it to work! Nice to meet YOU.

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  29. Hi there! I, too, am trying to give up Diet Coke/Pepsi. It's SO hard! Congrats on the spare room. :) I used to have one of those (it has since turned into the baby's room), but I never used it. I always found myself on the couch. So I've given up on the dedicated writing space thing, and embrace the couch.

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    1. It is definitely not the easiest I'd say, but hasn't been quite as bad as I thought - the habit of it's the worst thing I think!

      Aw congrats on baby :) Couch is good if spare room is for baby ;)

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  30. Gotta agree with you on the brussel sprouts. Ick. :)

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  31. Contemp can be a lot of fun, although your subject sounds like it might be darker but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed writing within our world. ;0)

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  32. Great advice!
    I love your story ideas! CaraStoneSucks.Com- Love that title! :)

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    1. Thank you so much (I am usually rubbish at titles but that one isn't bad!)

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  33. Editing is brutal, but definitely necessary!!

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  34. Hilarity! I would read everything you have written, possibly without the edit! Truly, though, I have to tell you, I believe caffeine is good for you. No grumpiness.

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    1. Thank you so much ;) And ha yes ! I suspect I have been more grumpy!

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  35. Wow, lots of the #writemotivation peeps are participating in GUTGAA - I wish my rewrite had been further along so I could join in too. Good luck with it!

    Wishing you a very productive #writemotivation month,
    Jocelyn

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    1. Thank you, and to you. I will return to my usual writemotivation posts next week.

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  36. Hello! The description of mournful socks was absolutely perfect. :) And I do have to wonder why on the world anyone looked at a brussel sprout and thought "yum". So nice to meet you!

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    1. Yes, who on earth thought 'let's eat that'?! Thank you for commenting!

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  37. Hi, I write science fiction too, but the stories have been in my head for years.

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    1. Hello, nice to meet you. How lovely that you write sci fi too! :)

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  38. Brussels sprouts are a failed attempt to make cabbage cute. I'm with you on that one.

    I love the idea of the clone story! It sounds like a lot of fun. :)

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    1. What an excellent description of a sprout!! Thank you for commenting!

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  39. I couldn't give up caffeine. Never!

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    1. It's a mad scheme I tell you, the caffeine giving up.

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  40. I love Vampire Diaries, and I'll advocate for water and cheer you on to give up the caffeine lol NIce to meet you!

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    1. Glad to find a water advocate, nice to meet you!

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  41. Nice to meet you. I read your answers imagining your English accent, and have to admit, it was quite enjoyable getting to know you. Er, um, sort of.

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    1. Thank you, glad the imaginary accent worked out okay ;)

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  42. yay vikki!
    love your spicing up the laundry!

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  43. Oh man. Giving up soda??? I could never! haha

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  44. Ooh, cool premise for a novel! Nice to *meet* you.

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  45. Hola fellow night owl! I've had to give up caffeine, too, and tried decaf Irish Morning Tea, but it just wasn't the same. Now I've settles on decaf green :)

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    1. Decaf green sounds a good option! I have some decaf breakfast tea which is okay ;)

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  46. Mornin' from across the pond ;) Hubby is from London, and the minute you linked London and pants, I switched over and knew exactly what you meant. I was very proud and bragged to hubby for 20 minutes. As he reminisced about tiny London flats.

    I commend you for getting rid of caffeine. I will never be able to do that. I have little sanity left, and it only comes from caffeine.

    Humor is my favorite thing about bloggers, which, of course, made me follow instantly!

    Good luck in the GUTGAA!

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    1. I am so glad you knew 'pants' and that it gave your hubby the opportunity to reminisce about tiny London flats! Hurrah! Thank you for commenting and following and all that! :)

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  47. Good luck in the GUTGAA. I think a book on cyberbullying is an excellent idea.

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  48. I have broken quite a few bones. I wouldn't recommend it. And yay for pet fish! We have two tanks. One is just for some tetras, but the other is for our goldfish. They're so cute!

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    1. We have tetra! Neons! (We lost one yesterday. *sadface*)

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  49. Hi there from across the pond in the US - California to be precise. I've never broken anything either...strong bones and strong teeth. Best of luck to you!

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    1. Best of luck to you and hurrah with the lack of broken bones!

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  50. Great to meet you! All of your WIPs sound interesting. You have a lot of stories rattling around in there, so good for you! See you around GUTGAA!

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    1. Thank you for the nice comment, good luck in GUTGAA!

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  51. Hi! Such a fun post! And I so loved "El Clon" (brazilian telenovela, and there just aren't enough stories about clones out there. I'd totally read your story.
    And I should propably start using the little X button at the Google Chrome page.
    Well, nice meeting you.
    Read you around!

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    1. It's well hidden, that X button ;) Nice to meet you!

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  52. I love the title of your cyber bullying novel, though I know it's tentative. It definitely captures the feel of contemporary YA.

    Great to meet you, and I'll see you around the bloghop.

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    1. Definitely see you around the bloghop and thank you for the lovely comment!

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  53. I love your post! It might be my favorite yet. Nice to meet you and good luck with GUTGAA!

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  54. Hey Jeannette! Thanks for visiting my GUTAA Meet and Greet (Custard and Clues)! Love yours too. Though I have to tell you that I never liked Brussels sprouts either, until I tasted just-harvested ones from our neck of the woods (that's a Yank saying) here in the Monterey Bay of California. Sautéed with bacon and a dash of freshly-ground black pepper--YUM!

    As for the lava inspiration: I spend a lot of time on the Big Island of Hawaii, and while visiting the lava flow some time back I was struck by how that would be a terrific way to dispose of a body. And my next mystery idea as born.

    As a big sci-fi fan, I'm looking forward to reading your books!

    cheers (now, that's British),
    Leslie

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    1. Very british, I appreciate it!

      Oooh well perhaps Monterey Bay sprouts are different!

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    2. I stand by all I said, even though you're not Jeannette! (Oops!)

      The trick is not to overcook 'em.

      Leslie

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  55. Hello! Say, this X of which you speak...where, pray tell, does it reside? I must have missed this in all my years browsing online. I guess that explains why I've not gotten much done lately. :)

    Hope you're having as much fun with GUTGAA as I am! Stop by and say hello! http://suddenlytheyalldied.com

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    1. It is a well hidden X that X. Thank you so much for commenting!

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  56. Vampire Diaries and cheese...life would have no meaning without either. Great to meet you. Love your blog :)

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    1. Love would definitely have no meaning without either! thanks for commenting!

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  57. PANTS! so great.

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Please comment, I'd love to know what you think! :)