tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76302865695326843232024-03-12T17:36:34.454-05:00Charlotte Boyett~CompoCharlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-58728801635633355992014-01-22T12:29:00.003-06:002014-01-22T12:29:57.668-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B556d5Wsbv0/UuAKUaZE7jI/AAAAAAAAAZw/n0z_S_drMJg/s1600/30todaystoSin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B556d5Wsbv0/UuAKUaZE7jI/AAAAAAAAAZw/n0z_S_drMJg/s1600/30todaystoSin.jpg" height="320" width="194" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">An Excerpt From: 30 DAYS TO SYN</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Copyright CHARLOTTE BOYETT-COMPO, 2013.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She brought the cell phone over to the bed with her and sat down beside him again, tucked the phone under his pillow should he or she need it. She removed the washrag from his head, fanned it in the air a few times to cool it, and then laid it over his eyes again.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Sucks to be me,” he grumbled.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She laughed despite the fact she was still put out with him. “Yes it does.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I hurt, Melina.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Turn over on your side and let me rub your neck. That always helps…”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’d rather you rubbed my cock,” he said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“That won’t help your headache,” she said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It’ll help one of them,” he responded.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Behave,” she said, warming to his sense of humor.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’m better when I’m bad,” he said but he turned to his side, sighing as she put her hands on his neck.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You’re as tight as a drum,” she said, massaging the tense muscles.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’ll bet you are, too.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She giggled. “Stop it,” she ordered. “You’re incorrigible.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’m engorged,” he said with a snicker.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Just hush. I mean it.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">He was quiet as she gently but firmly kneaded the rigid column of his neck. A soft knock at the door turned her head toward the sound. “That was quick.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“He lives nearby,” he mumbled, his lips against the pillow.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She got up, opened the door and found a man who bore a close resemblance to Jono standing in the hall.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“If you’re here that means he’s really hurting,” the man said and she stepped aside to allow him to enter with his little black bag. “Did he chunder?”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Did he puke?” the doctor clarified.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I don’t know,” she answered.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Yeah,” he said from the bed. “I puked up tons of shit.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Then stop eating shit,” the man said. “I’ve warned you about that.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the exchange as she walked back to the bed. He was once again lying on his back with his knees up, arm over his eyes. “I hurt, bro,” he said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“On a scale of one to ten?” the doctor asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Fifty,” he replied.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I wish you’d learn to count. They have classes for that you know. What brought this one on?”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Piss-assed M?ori wankers who ask stupid fucking questions.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Bugger off,” the man said as he put his bag on the bed and opened it. “I ought to let you suffer, you knob head.” He rummaged in the bag and pulled out a syringe and a glass bottle.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“What do you give him?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Demerol for the pain and Vistaril for the nausea.” He glanced at her after he filled the syringe. “Why?” He tossed the bottle back in his bag and pulled out another, adding that liquid to what he’d just drawn up.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Just curious,” she said. “I get the same meds when I have to go in to the ER.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Huh,” Craig grunted. “A match made in heaven. Unbutton your jeans and turn your arse over, Synnie.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">He did as he was ordered, groaning as he rolled over.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Pull his pants down a bit, will ya, love?” Craig asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“She’s been wanting to do that all night,” he said with a smirk</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Will you please stop?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a stop button,” Craig said. “I’ve looked.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Limp dick,” he growled.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Asswipe,” Craig returned.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She tugged the waistband of the jeans down his hip and held it in place as Craig stabbed the needle into his patient’s ass as though he was throwing a dart.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Fuck, Craigie!” he cried out, flinching. “That hurt!”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Fuck, Synnie, you knew it was going to.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Fuck.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Stop being such a pussy,” Craig told him.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It does burn,” she said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Yeah, well he should be used to it by now.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I don’t think you ever get used to it. I’ve got lumps on my fanny from years of getting poked,” she stated.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">There was a gasp from one of the men—she couldn’t tell which one--then they both howled with laughter, the howl dying down to a fit of the giggles.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“What did I say?” she demanded.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Wiping his eyes from laughing so hard, Craig put a hand on her shoulder. “Sweetie,” he said. “In Kiwi-ese, a fanny doesn’t mean the same thing as it does to a Yank.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“What does it mean then?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Don’t tell her,” he told Craig. He was rubbing his hand on the place where he’d been injected.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Look it up,” Craig said as he capped the syringe and put it back in his bag then closed it. “He’s gonna be down for a few hours. Are you staying?”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Looks that way,” she said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Good. I won’t worry about the little prick.” He grinned. “I didn’t get your name, Miss…”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It’s none of your business!” he snapped, drawing his knees up into the fetal position.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Well, Miss Noneofyourbusiness, it was nice meeting you,” Craig told her.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It was nice meeting you, Dr. Tonika,” she replied.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It’s Craigie. Call me if that headache isn’t gone in four hours and I’ll jog over and pop him again. I love hurting the little wanker.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She liked Craig. He had the same goofy grin that she had come to adore on Jonny and wondered if all M?ori men of his acquaintance smiled so readily and were so personable, if they all teased him so unmercifully. She started to walk him to the door.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“He can leave without your assistance. Come here.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Craig rolled his eyes. “Better scoot. That’s his pissy tone.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Yes, I know. I’m all too familiar with it,” she said.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Melina!”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She looked around to find him on his back once again with his hand outstretched toward her.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Call me if you need me,” Craig said again.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Thank you,” she said as he opened the door and exited, lifting a hand in acknowledgement of her gratitude.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“He’s a nice man,” she said when she returned to the bed. She slipped her hand in his and he placed it against his chest and snorted.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“That’s a load of lod cods wollop,” he replied and she stared at him, wondering if that was a real phrase from his homeland or Demerol-induced gobbledygook.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Is there a dictionary of New Zealand words and phrases I can buy?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“I’ll teach you everything you need to know after I let my ferret run.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“What?” she asked.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Lie down with me,” he mumbled, his words beginning to slur from the potency of the narcotic.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You need to go to sleep,” she said. “I’ll sit over by the win…”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You lie down with me, Melina!” he ordered. “You lie down with me!”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“All right!” she snapped. “Let me take off my sandals.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“T-shirt and jammies in the dunny,” he said, running his hand up and down hers, pressing it harder against his chest. “That’s what you sleep in every night—t-shirt and jammies.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Of course you’d know,” she said and tried to slide her hand from under his. “I’m assuming dunny is New Zealandish for bathroom?”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Kiwi-ese,” he corrected. “I speak Kiwi-ese.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Well, let go so I can go change.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“T-shirt and jammies. Pretty little cotton jammies wid bundy wabbits on ‘em. Sweet little cot…” he said, the last word fading away as the drug took complete control of him.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">As she pulled her hand back she watched his lips part and thought he was out. She sat there looking at him and realized she was beginning to like the arrogant, highhanded jerk—which was no doubt what he intended. Any woman would consider him a box full of eye candy and the taut muscles beneath the tight t-shirt were enough to fan the lowest of flames into a full conflagration of lust.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You are way too handsome for your own good,” she said softly. “Or for mine.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She looked down at the hand that lay on his chest. It was a strong hand with short, clean, professionally manicured nails. The large signet ring he wore gleamed as his chest rose rhythmically in slow cadence to the soft breath coming from his parted lips.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She went into the bathroom and found a new pair of pajama bottoms and a bright pink t-shirt folded neatly on the vanity. The pajamas were pale blue with tiny koala bears climbing eucalyptus trees. G’day Mate! was written in pink script across the front of the t-shirt.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You are a goof ball,” she whispered as she began to undress. “You really are.”</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">He was beginning to burrow a tiny hole inside her heart like one of the little kiwis she’d seen on the National Geographic Channel. He was becoming her Kiwi in more ways than one.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Clad in the soft cotton pjs and t-shirt, she started to turn off the bathroom light but thought better of it. The room was very shadowy—as it needed to be for him to sleep—but if she needed to get up to take care of him, she didn’t want to be blundering around in the dark. She did, however, ease the door almost shut and was annoyed that the shaft of light from the room fell directly on his face.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“No wonder you had your arm over your eyes,” she said as she crawled into the bed beside him.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">She thought he was out of it but as soon as she lay down, he rolled over and gathered her in his arms before she could react. He put his forehead and nose to hers but didn’t open his eyes.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Night, baby,” he mumbled.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Go to sleep, Kiwi,” she said and watched him smile. He took three breaths and completely relaxed and the fierce hold he had on her loosened.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Her gaze wandered over his face. In the low light, there were dark hollows under his eyes and the pain had given him a slight pallor. Though his lids were closed, she could picture the vibrant blue of his eyes and knew at that moment should he open them, the pupils would be wildly dilated from the drug. He looked younger. He looked vulnerable and for some reason that brought out her protective instincts. Something moved inside her and she knew she’d never knowingly hurt him.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“You wouldn’t be the first woman to do that to me,” he’d said and she wondered what he’d meant.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Melina…” he said on a long sigh and she realized he was floating in that muted, numbing nether world of the narcotic where nothing registered. Soon he would be under completely.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Kiwi,” she whispered and snuggled against him.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'Myriad Pro', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">As she drifted into sleep, she took the sight of his face down with her into her dreams.</span>Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-13414032925512799612014-01-22T12:25:00.002-06:002014-01-22T12:25:15.880-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFAQJwcPrgc/UuALjavGacI/AAAAAAAAAaE/XyVuhpiJf3o/s1600/reapersbounty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFAQJwcPrgc/UuALjavGacI/AAAAAAAAAaE/XyVuhpiJf3o/s1600/reapersbounty.jpg" height="320" width="194" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: large;"><i>~~~~~~~ The WindVerse Series ~~~~~~~</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Theron Sarandakos is a Panthera, a species of Reaper that shifts into black leopards. Ronnie puts his stealth and guile to work as a bounty hunter. His assignment is to catch a thief, and he’s determined not to fail. But when he sets eyes on his quarry, Celeste Wynth, he knows at once that she is his one true mate, destined to be his.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Their lust threatens to burn up the jungle world where he makes his home, but their illicit love means that Lettie will be shunned by her people unless she agrees to marry the man she’s been betrothed to since childhood. And Theron’s wariorress family have other plans for him as well. To be together forever, they will be forced to fight for their love.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Learn more about REAPER'S BOUNTY at <a href="http://www.ellorascave.com/reaper-s-bounty.html">Ellora's Cave</a></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-59321350069721161662014-01-22T12:22:00.000-06:002014-01-22T12:22:29.062-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Drakon Alexandrovich is in deep trouble. The person who assassinated his brother—leaving Drakon next in line for Grand Duke—is now after him. Though he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, he isn’t going to argue when a beautiful, sexy woman is assigned as his bodyguard.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Major Fiona Brennan is one hot number. Dangerous, committed, capable of killing a man with a single blow, she is one of the elite Riezell Guardians known throughout the Megaverse for their abilities. Ordered to protect Drakon from whoever is after his ass, she’ll give her life to keep him safe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">But she’ll give her body just to have his ass… Sparks fly and passions ignite when the hotheaded man of royalty takes the single-minded warrior woman to his bed, determined to keep her there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">To find out more about GUARDIAN OF THE DRAGON go to <a href="http://www.ellorascave.com/guardian-of-the-dragon.html">Ellora's Cave</a></span></div>
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<br />Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-11444842043241404742014-01-22T12:16:00.003-06:002014-01-22T12:25:56.704-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">The ad reads: Young woman (American only) willing to engage in domination role play. No BDSM. Salary: $1,000,000 upon completion of contract. Length of employment: 30 consecutive nights.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Drowning in debt, Melina Wynth is going under for the third time. With a dead-end job and a disabled brother dependent on her, the ad in the paper could be the lifeline to keep her from sinking. Reeling in her courage, she casts her line.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Synjyn McGregor is a shark—a very wealthy shark from Down Under—and his bite could prove to be her undoing. But Lina is determined she isn’t going to allow him to get away. The length of employment might read thirty nights, but she suspects he is fishing for something more.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Synjyn needs a woman who will love him—mentally and physically—as never before. A woman whose touch will not only put the billionaire in his place but keep him there…begging for more. He will quickly realize Lina is made for Syn.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cdab7d; font-size: medium;">Find out more about 30 DAYS TO SYN at <a href="http://www.ellorascave.com/30-days-to-syn.html">Ellora's Cave</a></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-12778058081323266802013-06-23T13:14:00.002-05:002013-06-23T13:14:41.594-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay, so I've been a sucker for handsome, dark-haired, angst-filled, soul-tortured men since I was 13 and very impressionable. I blame this malady on Robert Vaughn's role in The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell, an episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller TV series from 1961.I have a copy of this episode that I found on YouTube and if you are in the mood for cheesy, check it out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My illness progressed to Michael Landon in I Was A Teenage Werewolf then bled over to Christopher Jones in Ryan's Daughter, Michael Sarazin in Frankenstein: The True Story, and at this point in time has settled firmly upon the broad shoulders of Antony Starr on Banshee and dribbled a bit onto the slender shoulders of Hugh Dancy on Hannibal. There is something very alluring to me about a tortured hero. After all, I write them better than most authors according to numerous reviewers. :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So it was with supreme satisfaction that I began watching the new Showtime series Ray Donovan last night in a sneak preview of the series which begins next week. If you consider my ailment an addiction then I was on one helluva high watching the show. My enjoyment was two-fold: tortured, angst-filled handsome man with a hairy chest <sigh> and the owner of that broad set of shoulders attached to that hairy chest <sigh> is Liev (pronounced Lee' Iv) Schreiber. Actress Naomi Watts is a very lucky lady to wake up to that sexy mug each morning! I'm sure she enjoys letting her girls play on that crisp grass.</sigh></sigh></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The premise of Ray Donovan is rather like a strongly pornographic, gory version of the TV series Scandal. Where Liv (coincidence? I think not) fixes things on the East Coast, Ray fixes them on the West Coast. She deals mostly with politicians. He deals with rock stars and athletes and actors and various other rich/famous folks who have more money and power than common sense. That Ray can and does resort to mayhem and murder to get the job done is an added bonus if you like your hero a bit tarnished. I see already I am really going to enjoy this show. The previews of future episodes made my mouth water.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are a few observations I'd like to make regarding the actors.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Liev Schreiber is a very talented man. I've been a fan of his since the late 90s when he played a bad guy in Mel Gibson's movie Ransom. He can do comedy and mean-as-a-poked-rattler with equal aplomb. You've seen him in the latest rendition of The Omen, Salt, Repo Men, Defiance, and as Wolverine's brother Sabretooth in </span></span><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He has a heck of a colorful past and if you're interested check him out on Wikipedia. He's a man's man--and a woman's man--and he's rugged with mega-watt sex appeal.<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men_Origins:_Wolverine" title="X-Men Origins: Wolverine"></a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don't like the woman who plays his wife. Her accent makes me cringe. It's supposed to be a Boston accent but I kept thinking of a tongue-tied Ukrainian with a bad cold every time she opened her mouth. I hope there's a messy divorce in Ray's future. Disliked the character enough I wasn't even tempted to see who was playing her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jon Voight--in all his brazen glory--plays Ray's father and you can see crap happening there a mile away. Though the coming evil has already been cast like a fly fisherman's line, you find yourself eagerly waiting for the fish to snag the bait. No one does Bad Dad like Voight. Ask daughter Angeline Jolie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Another face I recognized was that of Steven Bauer. He's one of Ray's henchmen who does 'clean up' for the fixer. Don't know where you know him from? Bauer has gained enough weight to sink a battleship but at one time he was a svelte, hunky replacement for Ken Wahl on the long-defunct Wiseguy TV series (from which Ray Sharkey and look-alike Kevin Spacey sprang into instant stardom). Bauer was at one time married to Don Johnson's/Antonia Banderas' main squeeze Melanie Griffith. There's a lesson to be learned from that, guys.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A character I'm hoping we will be seeing often is that of Tommy Wheeler, an action hero who has a thing for transvestites. Skillfully played by Austin Nichols, there is handsome angst there, too. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On a scale of 1-10, I'd give Ray Donnovan a solid 9. It would have gotten a 10 if not for that annoying wife of Ray's. </span></span></div>
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Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-5066293202217379602013-06-20T14:57:00.000-05:002013-06-20T14:57:02.364-05:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I remember my mother repeating to me something her Jewish boss once said to her: "A mother can take care of ten children but ten children can't take care of one mother."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I always thought that was a sad commentary on the dysfunction of family life in America. I say sad because as a mother myself, I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking than to spend your life taking care of an ungrateful child. True, that child didn't ask to be born...and many who are crappy people to begin with will throw that up to their parents. Those are the children who will one day have bratty offspring of their own. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mothers give up a lot for their children. Maybe their careers, their dreams. They do without things they want so Johnny can have a new skateboard he doesn't need. They put aside what they'd like to do to cart Susie to ballet practice or cheerleader camp. They put their life on hold until Johnny and Susie go off to college and even then the chances of those brats dragging home tons of laundry for Mom to do is a good bet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What brought all this to mind is the plight of a very dear friend of mine. She was born on June 17th a year before me. Since we met at McCoy AFB in 1967 we have religiously sent one another birthday cards and Christmas cards and anniversary cards. She was at St. Joseph's hospital in Tampa when my first son was born and I was at Orange Memorial in Orlando when her first daughter was born. We left Orlando when Tom was sent to Vietnam and her husband was sent to Korea. It would be ten years before we saw one another again and that was in San Diego. By then I had two sons and she had two daughters and four sons. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Many years later, we wound up together again at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Illinois and it was as though we'd never spent time apart. We are as close as sisters and if I wasn't at her house, she was at mine. I preferred she come to mine because I couldn't stand being around her crappy children. Truth be told, I disliked every one of them then and I loathe them now that they are grown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 1982 Tom was sent to Diego Garcia and her husband retired after thirty years in the Air Force. I moved to Milton, Florida because that was where the Navy was sending Tom when he rotated back to the States. She and her husband moved down to Orlando. Though we were miles and miles apart, we kept in touch through monthly phone calls and the occasional visit. When we moved to Iowa in 1991, the phone calls got longer and longer and our phone bills higher and higher but that was okay. We had a lot of catching up to do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Her husband passed away in 2006 and mine died in 2009. Tom and I attended her husband's funeral in Florida and she came to Iowa to attend Tommy's. In order to do that, she had to take out a loan against her house to pay for the airplane ticket. I didn't know that until two years later when one of her snotty, crappy brats threw it in my face. He took exception to her 'wasting money on a stupid trip for a silly reason'.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay so I will admit to you I used some very unladylike language that day. Those who know me well know I have a vicious temper when truly riled. It takes a lot to anger me but once anger arrives, it don't come in on little cat feet. But at least her youngest son now knows exactly how I feel about him and his siblings and that felt--God forgive me--very good. Did I mention this boy is an orthodontist? That two of his siblings are also doctors? That one is a lawyer? Another is an architect? And the twin boys own their own car dealership? Yet none of them could loan Mom the money to come to Iowa?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yes, she did ask and each of them turned her down because they thought it was a 'waste of money on a stupid trip for a silly reason'. Calling my beloved husband's funeral a silly reason makes me want to get on a plane and apply some much needed whupass on those crappy brats.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Mother could have lost the house because of you," her son had snarled.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She didn't lose the house from that money she borrowed to attend Tommy's funeral. She paid it back. Every last cent. No thanks to her crappy children. Her house has a leaky roof...which isn't being repaired by her crappy children. She has a car that barely runs but she doesn't have the money to fix it and it sure as heck won't be fixed by her crappy children. Buy mom a new car? No, there's no money for that but there was money to buy a condo in Cancun and timeshares in Hawaii.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All of this is leading up the latest thing her six crappy children have--or rather have not--done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She lost her job when she turned 65 so she's been struggling to make ends meet on just her husband's social security and military pension. Orlando is an expensive place to live and like all of us, she has bills. Thankfully she has military health care because she is diabetic and has been diagnosed with A-fib like me. I've sent her money a couple of times because she needs it more than I do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's why....</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Monday was her 66th birthday. I sent her a card with a gift card from Walmart tucked inside and I called her, settling down for at least a good hour's chat. The moment she picked up the phone I could tell she'd been crying. I asked what was wrong and what she told me made me so angry I wanted to put my fist through a wall. Not a single one of her six kids had called to wish her happy birthday. Not a single one of them sent a card or flowers or a present. There had been no Mother's Day presents or cards or flowers, eithers. All six of her crappy children live within twenty miles of her but not a one dropped by on Mother's Day or on Monday. As a matter of fact, she hasn't seen any of them since Easter when her youngest grandchild turned 16.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before you ask if maybe she deserves such treatment, let me assure she does not. This is a woman who never worked a day of her life until her husband died. She was a stay at home mom who went to every piano and dance recital, attended every football, softball, basketball and soccer game. A woman who carted her kids from place to place without a single complaint. In all the years I've known her, I've never heard her use a vulgar word, heard her curse, or raise her voice. If she has missed a single day of Church in all this time, it's news to me. Though she brought her kids up in the Catholic faith and made sure they went to Mass and CCD, they cut all ties to the religion as soon as they went off to college. Every moral, decent thing she ever tried to teach them vanished at Vanderbilt and Auburn and FSU to be replaced by abortions, drug addiction, drunk driving arrests, and three counts of shoplifting. Nice kids, huh?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">BTW: the grandchildren...all nine of them...are no better than their crappy parents. I'd be sincerely surprised if a single one of them ever thanked gramma for THEIR birthday cards and presents. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">No, she has never failed to send cards to her children, children-in-law or grandkids. She might not can afford much in the way of presents but at least she gives them something every year and at Christmas. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I just got off the phone with my dear old friend. She'd called to wish me a happy birthday. As of today, there has still been no cards, flowers, or presents from her children. I look at the hundreds of birthday wishes I've gotten in e-mails and on Facebook and I want to cry. Only one birthday wish went to my friend who does not have the Internet. If she did, I'm sure she'd have received dozens upon dozens of birthday wishes. The folks on Facebook are very good about extending such greetings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">(To all of you who sent birthday wishes to me, thank you from the bottom of my heart.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And if one of you crappy, shitty, godforsaken kids is reading this...and I hope you are..Shame on you, you ungrateful, hateful brat and may your crotch get infested with red ants. </span></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-42934953044791181212013-06-18T12:24:00.003-05:002013-06-18T12:29:44.662-05:00<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"> <b> NICE TO MEET YOU</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_JRY7lb-1o/UcCV82QssVI/AAAAAAAAAL4/upPJqOfkLaM/s1600/toofunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_JRY7lb-1o/UcCV82QssVI/AAAAAAAAAL4/upPJqOfkLaM/s1600/toofunny.jpg" title=" " /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Facebook is many things to many people. It's a place to post pictures of cheating husbands for wives to be shocked over. It's a place to post political rants and to insult politicians. It's a place to post a recipe or a family photo or a prayer request. The myriad uses for Facebook most likely never occurred to its creator. I have often wondered if in private he doesn't suspect he created a monster.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A lucrative monster but a monster nevertheless.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes when Facebook does things such as suggesting people you know have found friends, it tickles me. The above picture is of one of my best friends since 2nd grade on the left and my daughter-in-law on the right. What were the odds of that happening?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or what of this pairing a week later....</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MfFU4hJytik/UcCXXTz5yvI/AAAAAAAAAMI/awqJbrx9sTI/s1600/toofunny2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MfFU4hJytik/UcCXXTz5yvI/AAAAAAAAAMI/awqJbrx9sTI/s1600/toofunny2.jpg" title=" " /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That's my DIL on the left and her son on the right. The odds increased on this one. Can't wait to see what good old Facebook comes up with next.</span></span><br />
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<br />Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-3540454566749026432013-06-16T17:25:00.000-05:002013-06-16T17:32:51.300-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THURSDAY THIRTEEN: 13 ACTORS WHO HAVE INSPIRED CHARACTERS FOR MY NOVELS</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, I do have a 'type' of man. Must haves generally include dark hair, striking blue eyes, chiseled body with chest hair and...one can only hope...a crisp tiger line (look it up, ladies!). I prefer my men around 5'10" to 6'5". Nice, lickable lips are nice. A hard, tight rump. Thick thighs and hairy legs. Cute feet. Necks that say they intimately know how to bridge. Ears that don't stick out like Dumbo's is a must. Perfect age range: 35-40. The following men really fit the bill. What do YOU think?</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLyRs9F92r4/Ub4qViGA2II/AAAAAAAAAI8/r12P7Hykgso/s1600/AntonyStarr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLyRs9F92r4/Ub4qViGA2II/AAAAAAAAAI8/r12P7Hykgso/s200/AntonyStarr.jpg" title=" " width="136" /></a><b>1. ANTONY STARR </b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">New Zealand</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV show: Outrageous Fortune; Rush; Lowdown; Tricky Business;<b> </b>Banshee</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: After the Waterfall; Wish You Were Here</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Cynyr Cree (WesternWind Series)</b>; Misha Fallon (Dancing on the Wind); Dáire Cronin (HardWind); Maxim (Captive of Her Heart); Synjyn McGregor (30 Days to Syn); Viraiden Cree (BlackWind Series)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-756aekiiUvw/Ub4suRyFocI/AAAAAAAAAJo/59rEmiatthI/s1600/AnsonMount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-756aekiiUvw/Ub4suRyFocI/AAAAAAAAAJo/59rEmiatthI/s200/AnsonMount.jpg" title=" " width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>2. ANSON MOUNT</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Tennessee, USA </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Conviction, Hell on Wheels</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: All The Boys Love Mandy Lane; Crossroads; Sully; Cook County; SEAL Team Six: the Raid on Osama Bin Laden</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Arawn Gehdrin (WesternWind Series)</b>; Saxxon Kell (WyndRaider);</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8UbXKtgF5Y/Ub4rfiHFovI/AAAAAAAAAJU/tpvcQGFJnhI/s1600/WesBentley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8UbXKtgF5Y/Ub4rfiHFovI/AAAAAAAAAJU/tpvcQGFJnhI/s200/WesBentley.jpg" title=" " width="135" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>3. WES BENTLEY </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Arkansas, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV show: Soon to star in a new cable series</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: American Beauty; The Hunger Games; Hirokin: The Last Samurai</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Glenn Kullen (WesternWind Series)</b>; </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvXQYDQ2hC4/Ub4r_nfjwmI/AAAAAAAAAJc/kS_0Nizb00g/s1600/DavidGiuntoli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvXQYDQ2hC4/Ub4r_nfjwmI/AAAAAAAAAJc/kS_0Nizb00g/s200/DavidGiuntoli.jpg" title=" " width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b> 4. DAVID GIUNTOLI</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Privileged;<b> </b>Grimm </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Phelan Kiel (WesternWind Series)</b>; Samiel Brell (WindHaven); Brandy Fontenelle (Hot Georgia Wind); Rory Quinn (Phantom of the Wind); Taylor Reynaud (A Reaper's Love)</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TP7BnA7s5IY/Ub4tShy0aQI/AAAAAAAAAJw/LgdhQTC0jEg/s1600/GerardButler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TP7BnA7s5IY/Ub4tShy0aQI/AAAAAAAAAJw/LgdhQTC0jEg/s200/GerardButler.jpg" title=" " width="160" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>5. GERARD BUTLER <br />Scotland</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: 300; Attila; Dracula 2000; Timeline; Phantom of the Opera</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: Gabriel Leveche (Ardor's Leveche); <b>Lord Kheelan Ben-Alkazar (WesternWind Series)</b>; Kamerone Cree (BloodWind) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uLgAno_rREs/Ub4vpH85XfI/AAAAAAAAAKA/all9qQU099c/s1600/WesBrown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uLgAno_rREs/Ub4vpH85XfI/AAAAAAAAAKA/all9qQU099c/s200/WesBrown.jpg" title=" " width="171" /></a><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>6. WES BROWN</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Texas, USA </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Hart of Dixie; Deception; 90210</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: Shadow on the Mesa; Love Begins; Storm War</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Owen & Eanan Tohre (WesternWind Series)</b>; Drakon Alexandrovich (Guardian of the Dragon); Sinclair McGregor (In the Wind's Eye)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sfj_rWVMzFQ/Ub4xCG7O6iI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/7b-NA67ZsRY/s1600/ChrisVance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sfj_rWVMzFQ/Ub4xCG7O6iI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/7b-NA67ZsRY/s200/ChrisVance.jpg" title=" " width="179" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>7. CHRIS VANCE</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>England </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Rizolli and Iles; Mental; Prison Break; The Transporter </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: Ryden Bakari (WindVerse Series); Emperor of the Wind</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tz56ca3xPZo/Ub4yqJ_pdMI/AAAAAAAAAKg/RyZvZIXZ1GI/s1600/JamesWolk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tz56ca3xPZo/Ub4yqJ_pdMI/AAAAAAAAAKg/RyZvZIXZ1GI/s200/JamesWolk.png" title=" " width="200" /></a><b>8. JAMES WOLK</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Michigan, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Mad Men; Lone Star; Shameless; Political Animals</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: You Again; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Bevyn Coure (WesternWind Series)</b>; Conor Nolan (In the Teeth of the Wind)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D_8277gveYI/Ub4zU0xzDaI/AAAAAAAAAKo/WsgKxRefVz4/s1600/BrandonBarash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D_8277gveYI/Ub4zU0xzDaI/AAAAAAAAAKo/WsgKxRefVz4/s200/BrandonBarash.jpg" title=" " width="200" /></a><b>9. BRANDON BARASH</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Missouri, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV show: General Hospital</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Iden Belial (WesternWind Series)</b>; Theissen (The WyndMaster's Son)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQKswEUwKA/Ub40BKkS5-I/AAAAAAAAAKw/DG_6ZTZpUJg/s1600/Sendhil+Ramamurthy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQKswEUwKA/Ub40BKkS5-I/AAAAAAAAAKw/DG_6ZTZpUJg/s200/Sendhil+Ramamurthy.jpg" title=" " width="175" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>10. SENDHIL RAMAMURTHY</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Illinois, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> TV shows: Covert Affairs; Heroes; Beauty and the Beast</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> My inspiration for: <b>Kahlil Jaborn (WesternWind Series)</b>; Ardalan Jaleem (Desert Wind); Khenty Ben-Alkazar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> <b> </b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLW6VOmjlgo/Ub40dqAzvOI/AAAAAAAAAK4/aRkuc4_kgFs/s1600/CharlesEsten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLW6VOmjlgo/Ub40dqAzvOI/AAAAAAAAAK4/aRkuc4_kgFs/s200/CharlesEsten.jpg" title=" " width="154" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>11. CHARLES ESTEN</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Pennsylvania, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Whose Line Is It?; Nashville; Big Love; The Office; ER</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Fontabeau Sorn (WesternWind Series); </b>Daniel Gallagher (In the Arms of the Wind)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjYPdFJHzO4/Ub43dTlFAJI/AAAAAAAAALI/1faRNZ_Ofmk/s1600/BradleyCooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjYPdFJHzO4/Ub43dTlFAJI/AAAAAAAAALI/1faRNZ_Ofmk/s200/BradleyCooper.jpg" title=" " width="149" /></a><b>12. BRADLEY COOPER</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Pennsylvania, USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">TV shows: Touching Evil; Alias; Nip/Tuck; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: Silver Linings Playbook; The Hangover movies; The A-Team</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> My inspiration for: Kenny Farrell (Betrayed by His Past); Kylan & Rylan Cree (Taken by the Wind)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGUjmOvXYHs/Ub442Pnj6II/AAAAAAAAALY/QwiU-wSj7hE/s1600/AlexOLoughlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGUjmOvXYHs/Ub442Pnj6II/AAAAAAAAALY/QwiU-wSj7hE/s200/AlexOLoughlin.jpg" title="" width="131" /></a><b>13. ALEX O'LOUGHLIN</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Australia</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">What you've seen him in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> TV shows: Moonlight; Three Rivers; Hawaii Five-0</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Movies: Whiteout; The BackUp Plan; The Oyster Farmer; Feed; The Invisible</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My inspiration for: <b>Banefre (WesternWind Series)</b></span></span>Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-59814416429864790952013-06-16T00:13:00.000-05:002013-06-16T00:13:49.809-05:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NEW AND UPCOMING WINDLEGENDS NOVELS</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlrQD0E4qmI/Ub1FgW1Pr-I/AAAAAAAAAIM/WTxEr-XrIcU/s1600/sinsofthereaper_msr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWSJiqwSjko/Ub1F0iJCVZI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Cq8tjeMpusI/s1600/darkreaper_msr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWSJiqwSjko/Ub1F0iJCVZI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Cq8tjeMpusI/s320/darkreaper_msr.jpg" title=" " width="193" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span class="SpellE"></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">
“Sweet, Merciful Morrigunia,” he whispered as the dark tip of one
breast peeped from behind the edging of lace. As the garment dipped
lower and the lush thrust of her breasts appeared, he felt a lightning
bolt of intense lust whip straight through his groin. He pushed himself
up—laying there braced on his elbows—as she pushed the chemise all the
way down her hips then let it join her gown. She discarded the lacy
pantaloons so quickly it made his head swim. The moment the dark red
patch of curls between her legs appeared, he couldn’t draw breath. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Kalli did as he had—turning slowly for him to view her from all sides.
When she faced him again he was sitting up in the bed with his wrists
resting on his raised knees. The look on his face was one that would
remain with her for as long as she lived. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">www.windlegends.org/DarkDaysoftheReaper.htm</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2Og4hG1vs0/Ub1F38vOs2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/HJdbN0xxJ9k/s1600/guardianofthedragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2Og4hG1vs0/Ub1F38vOs2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/HJdbN0xxJ9k/s320/guardianofthedragon.jpg" title=" " width="194" /></a> “Help me, Fiona,” he said, obviously struggling to get his desire under control. “Help me to go slowly.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The trouble was Fiona didn’t want him to go
slowly. She desperately wanted what the hard jut of his cock promised.
Instinctively, she moved her legs apart—firmly pushing his—arched her
hips toward him, and she saw the exact moment he lost his fight to
command his body. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">He planted his knees between her spread thighs
and pushed her legs further apart. His hands came down on her wrists to
pin her arms to the bed beside her head then lowered his heavy body to
hers, slithering down her so his cock trailed a line of pre-cum from her
belly to her hot core. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">She moaned at the weight of him. Nothing had
ever felt so good.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">www.windlegends.org/guardian.htm</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlrQD0E4qmI/Ub1FgW1Pr-I/AAAAAAAAAIM/WTxEr-XrIcU/s1600/sinsofthereaper_msr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlrQD0E4qmI/Ub1FgW1Pr-I/AAAAAAAAAIM/WTxEr-XrIcU/s320/sinsofthereaper_msr.jpg" title=" " width="194" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> She sucked on his tongue, pulled away then
fused her mouth with his again and again. Her hands roamed his
back—clutching at him as though she were drowning. The wedge of her
heel pressed hard against the crack of his ass then traveled down it
until he felt it against his rectum. The sensation drove him wild, which
was a surprise for he didn’t like anything to touch him there. Her
fingers found his ribs and she raked him with a light sting that brought
his mouth from hers. The look in her eyes made the breath stop in his
throat. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> Penthe flipped him to his back as easily as
she would have a flapjack on a griddle. She tightened her cunt around
him, squeezed hard, and then did it several more times, grinning when he
put his hand on her hips to still her motion. </span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">http://www.windlegends.org/sinfulreaper.htm</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8gG36qB_MI/Ub1F7xTNI4I/AAAAAAAAAIk/-yYfzu82pLc/s1600/WindHaven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8gG36qB_MI/Ub1F7xTNI4I/AAAAAAAAAIk/-yYfzu82pLc/s320/WindHaven.jpg" title=" " width="192" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="color: #f1c232;">“Please.” Her plea made him chuckle and the
fanning warmth of his breath against her ear caused her lower body to
tighten. She tried to arch her hips up to him but his weight kept her
pressed to the bed. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> “Patience, my love,” he whispered. “I promise I will make the wait worth it.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> He moved her hands together so he could hold
both her wrists in the powerful grip of his right hand then shifted atop
her so he lay over the length of the left side of her body. His left
hand began a tantalizingly slow descent from her wrist to her armpit
then across her throat. He gently stroked her neck, the crease between
his thumb and index finger dragging deliciously up and down her
flesh—once, twice, three times. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://www.windlegends.org/windhaven.htm </span></b></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-40226116014197704762013-06-15T13:05:00.000-05:002013-06-19T10:39:04.948-05:00Antony Starr is the cutest Reaper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCtnlHjWzmU/UbyjIFJQIPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/UpRFk4RdF3c/s1600/reapersbounty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCtnlHjWzmU/UbyjIFJQIPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/UpRFk4RdF3c/s320/reapersbounty.jpg" title=" " width="194" /></a><span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">It's been awhile since I updated my blog. Life has a way of interfering with the best of intentions. Since my husband's death in 2009, I lost the necessary direction to write. It wasn't until the summer of 2012 that I began to pay attention to the signs my Tommy was bombarding me with from the AfterLife. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I had always skipped merrily along the road less traveled. If there wasn't a path to what I wanted, I trampled one into existence. My determination to become a writer had been forged at the knee of my Irish grandfather whose dark fantastical stories thrilled me as a child. I wanted to spin yarns as well as PaPa could. To that end, I was one of the biggest liars in school but you know how the old saying goes: "When I was a child they called me a liar. Now that I'm grown, they call me a writer." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Nearly every good writer I know was a habitual liar when s/he was growing up. Must have been something in the water that tainted us and skewed our moral compass, huh?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">At any rate, I began to write again and since June of last year, I've written, submitted, and contracted nine full-length novels. I'm working on number ten. I have become a writing fool as my best friend remarked just yesterday. That the books were there all along I've no doubt. They were simmering on some back burner of my mind and finally boiled over. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Reaper's Bounty: a book that needed to be written.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I am known for my signature Reaper novels which began with BloodWind in 1998. Since then I have written an entire franchise around these shapeshifting Alpha males. There are four series of novels in which these bad boys appear: WindVerse, DemonWind, BlackWind, and WesternWind. They also show up in a few other series, as well, but only peripherally.There are three major types of Reaper: Lupine (wolf), Hell-Hound (canine), and Panthera (feline). As of today at 12:15 pm CST, there is a hybrid Reaper who is part Panthera and part Ridge Lord. Makes for an interesting combo, trust me!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Most of my readers know that I have a penchant for patterning my characters after actors and actresses whose work I admire or who have entertained me, touched some chord deep inside my psyche. There are a few of these men and women who have inspired several different stories. One of them is a New Zealand actor named Antony Starr who is just now making a name for himself in the U.S. and gaining the dedicated notice of American viewers. He's been a Kiwi treasure since 2004 when he was cast as the twins Jethro and Van West in the dramedy Outrageous Fortune. He showed up in his first Charlee Boyett-Compo novel a year later. To say the man can act (he's won several acting awards) is an understatement. If you haven't seen him in the Cinemax series Banshee, you are missing one helluva tortured hero who can cry with the best of them. If you haven't seen his movie After the Waterfall, do it. I guarantee you will discover why the man intrigues this woman so greatly.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">That said....</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">When I heard about the On the Hunt series about bounty hunters, I thought of Antony (or Ant to his friends and co-workers. Which begs a question: he has four nieces. Do they call him Uncle Ant?) I'd already made him a Reaper in Dancing on the Wind. I'd made him a black-ops superstud in HardWind. I'd given him a black Stetson, black silk shirt and black leather pants, a six-shooter and a laser whip in the WesternWind series of novels (he's Cynyr Cree, btw), so now I was going to make him a sex-on-a-stick new breed of Reaper in Reaper's Bounty.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I
hope you will give Reaper's Bounty a try but if you do, first Google
Antony Starr and let that handsome guy with the piercing blue eyes drift
through your mind while you read. Put your own face on the heroine and
have very pleasant, wet dreams! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Here's the blurb for <b>REAPER'S BOUNTY</b>: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Theron
Sarandakos is a Panthera, a species of Reaper that shifts into black
leopards. Ronnie puts his stealth and guile to work as a bounty hunter.
His assignment is to catch a thief, and he’s determined not to fail. But
when he sets eyes on his quarry, Celeste Wynth, he knows at once that
she is his one true mate, destined to be his.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Their lust threatens
to burn up the jungle world where he makes his home, but their illicit
love means that Lettie will be shunned by her people unless she agrees
to marry the man she’s been betrothed to since childhood. And Theron’s
warrioress family have other plans for him as well. To be together
forever, they will be forced to fight for their love.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> <b>Read an excerpt at http://www.windlegends.org/reapersbountyexcerpt.htm</b></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span>Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-58165602214568608352009-08-11T10:30:00.005-05:002013-06-15T23:51:07.097-05:00Not Available for Purchase at ANY price!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SoGQjOB0RRI/AAAAAAAAAEE/IHhsrvJgL18/s1600-h/frowny_face.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368731165537879314" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SoGQjOB0RRI/AAAAAAAAAEE/IHhsrvJgL18/s320/frowny_face.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 198px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" title=" " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Okay, this is starting to really get to me.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">As most of you know, I lost my husband of 43 years to cancer in April. He was the love of life, my dearest friend, my partner, and the dearest thing in my life. Losing him cut to the quick and I still cry every night when I go to bed. The wound is still fresh and I ache like you wouldn't believe.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">I don't know if some well-meaning person did this or someone who is just plain mean as hell but I have been getting things like this:</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Charlee Compo! Did you know it takes less than 30 seconds to join True and start meeting singles in your area? Are you ready to meet that Special Someone? </span><a href="http://i.wirefreedating.com/zoosk/?&e=charleecompo@hotmail.com" onclick="onClickUnsafeLink(event);" style="cursor: default; font-weight: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span">Press Here!</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">I have also gotten emails from Match.com, eHarmony, Catholic Match, Catholic Singles, and several other dating sites like Singles.net, Date Hookup, Chemistry, and the most offensive of all plentyoffish.com .</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">To say this is cruel would be to put it mildly. I've already had two proposals of marriage just from the single men in my CHURCH! These are men who were Tom's friends. If I hear one more, "Tom wouldn't want you to be alone" I'm gonna hit somebody. I also had a proposal from a complete stranger via the web. I have had old classmates who are widowed or divorced writing to let me know they are available. My answer to those men was I had the best and won't settle for the rest. I make it very clear I will never marry again. I may date but marriage is out of the question and yes, I am sure there will be no second marriage.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">As a cartoon my friend sent me this morning when I vented this to her says: Some mornings it just doesn't pay to chew through the straps.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-14069064790343226222009-07-04T16:12:00.003-05:002013-06-15T23:51:23.226-05:00<div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Happy 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> of July to my fellow Americans!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I would like to thank and bless the servicemen and women who are serving our country. I pray for the souls of those who gave their lives so we might be free. I pray for those who will come after them. I mourn the loss of the innocent children who I know will one day give their lives so rich old men can get richer still.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I lost a very dear friend in 1969. He threw himself over a grenade to save his two roommates. He died in Vietnam and is buried in Albany, GA where he grew up. When I go home, I always visit his grave. I was able to touch his name on the Wall in D.C. I have the pencil rubbing I took from the Wall tucked safely away in my junior year high school annual where a picture of him and me at a pep rally is there to remind me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My husband, Tom, served in Vietnam; his brother, Dick, served in the Korean conflict Our son, Pete, served in Desert Storm. Our youngest, Mike, was in both the Army and the Navy though, thankfully, he was not required to go to war. Pete was a medic with the 101st Airborne and was among the first soldiers into Iraq. He saw brutal death for the first time there and came back home to us a much wiser...if sad...young man.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For those of you who had loved ones who went to the Vietnam War or know a soldier who did, please do them a favor and ask them to get a lung x-ray as soon as possible. My wonderful husband had not had one taken in six years and I wish to God he had for it was lung cancer than took his life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Not from smoking. He stopped smoking when he came back from 'Nam because 'cigarettes were just too expensive'. Smoking was never allowed in our home. He did not go to bowling allies or bars or gambling halls where smoke saturated the air. There was no second-hand smoke to invade his lungs where he worked for it was always in a smoke-free environment.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Nor was it from exposure to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">asbestos</span> or any other kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">carcinogenic</span> materials he might have encountered after 1969.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My husband died from lung cancer due to exposure to Agent Orange. I have the papers from the Disabled American Veterans <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Administration</span> to prove it. Just yesterday I received an official notice from them that they had awarded me a widow's pension for his service-related death. As much as that pension is greatly appreciated, I would prefer to have the living man here beside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Yes, I have written proof that they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">investigated</span> my claim and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">oncologist's</span> statement that Agent Orange was the direct cause of Tommy's death. My government owned up to one of the worst mistakes they ever made. So many young men went to war and never came back. More came back as ticking time bombs with ailments festering inside them that they had no idea was there. Over and above the mental stress that senseless, useless war caused, is the demon lying in wait for the next man who will be diagnosed with lung cancer. Fight for your rights. Hold them accountable for what they caused with their greed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">War is hell. War is stupid. It took from me...far too early...the love of my life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Bring our men and women home from this other hellish, stupid, useless, pointless war. They should be home with their families where they belong.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Before it is too late.</span></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-20869107247255161612009-06-28T06:23:00.009-05:002013-06-15T23:53:03.328-05:00What's in a Name?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SkdTBlPAxpI/AAAAAAAAAD0/UtDuNGkjihQ/s1600-h/wyndstone.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352337968793175698" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SkdTBlPAxpI/AAAAAAAAAD0/UtDuNGkjihQ/s320/wyndstone.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 193px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Take a look at the cover sitting over there and you'll see my author name. It's my real name and not a pseudonym. I wanted the people in the town where I grew up to know I did achieve my dream of becoming a published writer even when they said I wouldn't. I am very proud of both names...my father's and my husband's. The names mean even more to me now because those wonderful men are both gone.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">One name...BOYETT...is Anglo/Saxon. Not French as some would think or as they would pronounce it. Boyt..like Hoyt... is how it is pronounced. Sharp and succinct, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">the precise meaning has been lost in the mists of time.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">It is a harder word than the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">effeminate</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">pronunciation</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> of the French version which is spelled </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Boyet</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> or </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Boyette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> and pronounced Boy Yay or Boy </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Yet</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">. The French meaning of the word equates to young bull.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Then there's Compo.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Originally spelled </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Compeaux</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> when my husband's people came to America from France, it is pronounced Com Poe with the emphasis on the second syllable. His people changed the name because the maternal link was Italian and when they arrived in America, they moved into a predominately Italian neighborhood in New York City and the denizens of that class-conscious area of the city were not enamored of the French. His family labeled themselves Italian to keep the young boys in the group from being beaten to a bloody pulp every day after school.Thus the change in the spelling.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">It isn't Camp, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Campo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Campes</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">, or Campos. Those surnames are English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, but of Roman (Latin) origins from the 1st century a.d. Those names are topographical in translation and literally mean the countryside.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Nor is the second part of my surname Compton, Compote or</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> Cornpone</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">. It isn't Compass, Composite or Campus, either. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">It is Compo. How hard is that to get right?</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">My first name gets misspelled quite often, too. Many people spell it </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Charolette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> for some odd reason that I can't fathom. My paternal grandmother spelled it </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Sharlet</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> or </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Charlut</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> depending on her mood. It is pronounced </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Shar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Lut</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">...not </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Shar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Ruh</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Lut</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">...and is Germanic in origin and means 'free man'. It is a derivative of Charles. The emphasis is on the first syllable, btw.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Likewise my nickname gets misspelled more often than not. It's</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> Charlee</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> which is pronounced </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Shar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> Lee..a soft and delicate nickname...but nearly everyone gives it the hard Char Lee as in Charlie's Angels. People spell it Charlie, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Charli</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">, or Charley. Some people even chop it off with a brutal Char which is pronounced </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Shar </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">and which I hate with a bloody passion. I've reached the point that I, myself, even pronounce it Charlie because it just isn't worth correcting nearly everyone in my circle of acquaintances. It's not as important that it be corrected as my professional name is.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Just as I've gotten into the habit of calling myself Char Lee instead of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Shar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> Lee, I've gotten into the even worse habit of pronouncing my maiden name Boy Yet. Most people pronounce it that way, anyway, so I go along to get along.That, really isn't too bad because my mom often felt compelled....as Hyacinth Bucket of Keeping Up Appearances pronounces her husband's name as Boo Kay... to give herself airs. Daddy didn't seem to mind or care although he hated that his parents called him by his middle name Carl instead of the more forceful first name Floyd.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">But I digress.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Put all together, my professional name is Charlotte </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Boyett</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">-Compo. There is a hyphen there but some people ignore it and leave it off when writing about me. I really wish they wouldn't. Some folks even put me in the C section instead of the B.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><sigh></sigh></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">And oh! the combinations I've had!</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Either Charlotte Boyer-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Campo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> or Charlotte </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Boyette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Campo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> seems to be the favorite ones of many reviewers. Some even add the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">ubiquitous </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">'S' on the end of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Campo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> to add insult to injury. Charlotte Boyer-Compote, Charlotte </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Bayette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">-Compton, Charlotte Boyd-Compos, Charlotte Boy-Comp and Charlotte </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Boyette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">-Campus are just a few of the combinations that have slaughtered the name. My personal favorite of all time though was </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Charolette</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> Bayer-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Cornpone</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">. The person who came up with that bizarre combination surely has a special place in Hell reserved for her!</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Yes, it rankles me when my name is misspelled. It makes me grit my teeth. It also makes me have less respect for the one who misspelled it in the first place. I feel the same way about people who make errors in their reporting or who use bad grammar in their writing. It's slipshod writing. It's lazy writing. It's just plain discourteous to misspell the name of someone you've interviewed or reviewed. It makes me think they just don't care about what they put their name to. It doesn't take all that much time out of a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">reviewer's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> or interviewer's day to make sure they have spelled the name correctly. They took the time to read the book and review it. They took the time to email you the questions for the interview. What's a quick glance to make sure the name is as it should be on the piece? I'm sure they don't appreciate having their own misspelled name put out there for the world to see.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">It isn't too much to ask an interviewer or reviewer to get your name right. After all, it is your professional name and you are defined by it. It isn't too much to ask that they glance at a cover from one of your books to ascertain the correct spelling if they are unsure. Nor is it too much to ask that they correct the name in a timely manner when informed they misspelled it.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">So, I'm asking reviewers and interviewers and the writers of blogs to LOOK at what you write before you hit the publish button. Make sure you get the author's name right. It's simple courtesy.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">And if you're wondering about the above book, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Wyndstones</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"> is my latest novel and its the first of two long-awaited sequels to my popular </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">NightWind</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">. It was just released this week from New Concepts Publishing. You can read all about it at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/wyndstone.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/wyndstone.jpg</span></a></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc00;">Charlee</span></span></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-633674484943942972009-06-19T10:04:00.005-05:002013-06-15T23:40:40.643-05:00<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349055443651760194" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjupleK7kEI/AAAAAAAAADI/KYZuZNU_Yds/s320/chinook_myspace.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 133px;" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjuqeIyxnHI/AAAAAAAAADg/uCa6vfn7OtI/s1600-h/windwarrior_myspace.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349056417165843570" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjuqeIyxnHI/AAAAAAAAADg/uCa6vfn7OtI/s320/windwarrior_myspace.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 121px;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349055528986500274" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjupqcEUXLI/AAAAAAAAADQ/vj-3dNpjWuE/s320/dancingwind_myspace.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 121px;" /><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">These are my latest releases. To learn more about them, please visit my website at <a href="http://www.windlegends.org/">www.windlegends.org</a></span></b></div>
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Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-78699284554398538602009-06-17T07:50:00.005-05:002013-06-15T23:53:20.854-05:00Rock, Paper, Scissors<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/Sjjmj7W_FiI/AAAAAAAAADA/kO5OmzhCxok/s1600-h/RockPaper460x276.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" title=" "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348278062406374946" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/Sjjmj7W_FiI/AAAAAAAAADA/kO5OmzhCxok/s320/RockPaper460x276.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 192px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">When my boys were little, they couldn't wait for their father to let them push the mower across the grass. It made noise. It looked dangerous...and to some extent was...and it was MANLY. They watched their dad do the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">yard work</span> and somehow got it into their little heads that it would a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">neato</span></span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">keeno</span></span> thing to do. Of course all that changed when they got old enough to have to do the yard for real.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">By then we were living in Milton, Florida and our yard was more sand than grass so it wasn't a bit deal. It was the edging that was the problem and they hated that with a passion. High school boys...unless they are making money from it...aren't too keen on pushing a loud, noisy machine up and down the yard and on the diagonal every other week. Their main objective was borrowing the car. It made noise. It WAS dangerous and sitting behind the wheel with music blaring wasn't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">neato</span></span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">keeno</span></span> but cool.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">When we moved to Iowa, our sons had graduated from high school. Pete, our oldest, had just come back from Desert Storm and stayed behind in Florida. Mike came to the Heartland with us. He was in transition between young man into young adult. After we moved into our new house, he was starting to get antsy; wanted to go forth and slay the dragons, himself, and promptly enlisted in the Navy to see the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which returned the mowing to Buddha Belly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Our yard is nearly an acre and it now required a riding mower...or so Tom insisted. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Varoom</span></span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">varoom</span></span>, more POWER!!! So he bought a Cub Cadet and looked very rural tooling up and down the yard and on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">diagonal</span></span> every other week. He suffered through edging and using the push mower to get around the nine black walnut trees, three apple, one pear, one plum, one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">crab apple</span></span>, one wild cherry, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">numerous</span></span> maples, and the assorted lilac bush and forsythia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For seventeen years, Tommy mowed the yard himself. He shoveled snow and chopped away at the occasional ice on the driveway and sidewalk. He edged with a nasty scowl on his face and in the Fall took great delight in mulching the leaves with the Cadet. He lovingly cared for that bright yellow piece of noisy machinery while secretly wishing he could buy a John Deere with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">snowblade</span></span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Now that he's gone, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">yard work</span> has been passed on to Pete, Mike, and Pete's son, Preston. It's a three-man tag team match out there and I sit on the porch hiding behind my hand as I try not to laugh out loud at their banter as they trudge into what had been their Dad's domain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"I've got dibs on the riding mower!" Preston announced since Grandpa had taught him three summers before to tool up and down the yard and on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">diagonal</span> every other week he was here visiting us from Colorado where he lived with his mom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Fine," Pete agreed with a grimace. He isn't an outdoor person. He's a white collar worker, a computer geek, an IT for a government agency that goes after deadbeat dads. "I'll do the edging."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Guess that leaves me to push Loud Bertha," Mike complained. At 6'2" he's the tallest and the lankiest and shaves his head for whatever reason. He, too, is a computer geek who speaks a language with his brother and nephew that I can't possibly understand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The first couple of times the boys went doggedly about their self-assigned tasks until Pete and Mike began eyeing the riding mower with lust. It tooled along noisily and finished its job before the edging and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">push mowing</span> had been done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"I'm taking the Cadet this time," Pete stated with the assurance of being the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MANOFTHEHOUSE</span></span> now that his dad was no longer there to fill that coveted position.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Unh</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">unh</span></span>," Mike disagreed with an emphatic shake of the head. "It's my turn. Age before beauty only works for girls."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Girls? I silently mouthed as I listened to them begin to argue the GREAT DEBATE. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I sat in the swing and they carried on their childish argument, I nearly choked when the way they decided to handle it was with Rock, Paper, and Scissors...the tried and true decision maker of men all over the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Rock, paper, scissors!" they said in unison, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">their</span> arms bouncing to the chant.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I had to slap both hands over my mouth so they wouldn't hear my laughter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">It's been that way ever since but now they are playing the Big Bang Theory's ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS-SPOCK! I've learned to control my laughter and I can't help but think Tom is sitting there in the swing with me chuckling silently, his merry gray eyes twinkling at the absurdity of it all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This last week, they abandoned the game and went back to Preston on the riding mower...chugging along at an unbelievable speed, Pete with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">weed eater</span> swinging from his shoulder...taking out flowers with the weeds and grass, and Mike pushing Loud Bertha around the yard...mumbling about how LB is an electric mower and requires two hundred feet of bright orange cord dragging up and down the yard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">But never on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">diagonal</span> every other week.</span></span><br />
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Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-85025867881309905082009-06-16T06:18:00.007-05:002013-06-15T23:53:41.999-05:00Just a Rainy Day in the Heartland<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjeJtR1rYqI/AAAAAAAAAC4/2lizKIg_s9o/s1600-h/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894493501416098" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjeJtR1rYqI/AAAAAAAAAC4/2lizKIg_s9o/s320/images.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 89px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 129px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I don't sleep well anymore and wake numerous times during the night. I lie awake and think of a dozen things I need to do come morning. Somewhere around 4 am the rain started. It took my mind off everything else as I listened to it pounding the roof. It was a steady rain...heavy at times...and there were two rolls of thunder before it quieted to a soft, gentle sprinkle around 6 am.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I have always loved the rain almost as much as the wind. It can be such a soothing sound and...like the wind...it is nature's car and house wash. It cleans away the soot and grime and dirt, refreshes the leaves, gives the thirsty roots a good drink. Here in the Heartland of America, the rain can be your friend or it can be your worst enemy. Flooding can be severe and when the tornadoes accompany it, the rain can be deadly. Wall clouds are no joking matter here in Tornado Alley and if you've ever driven through one, you know what white-knuckle driving is all about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">You may or may not know that my Tommy was a retired military weatherman. He was fascinated by all the phenomena that accompanies violent storms...whether rain or snow or wind. So when I would catch him watching the skies closely, I always became antsy. If his eyes held concern, my heart raced. He was always quick to reassure me that it was just a bad storm, nothing to worry about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">On May 3, 1995, he and I were driving down to Texas for a convention he was attending. It was my first time traveling through Oklahoma and we crossed the border right at dusk. For miles, we had been watching a tremendous buildup of cumulonimbus clouds forming south of us. Anvil tops, Tommy called them and when they are white and puffy, they are glorious. These weren't white and puffy. The sky was a dark, gunmetal gray and Tom's eyes began to get 'the look' in them that told me he was a bit concerned about it. By the time it was fully dark, the rain started and you could barely see a foot ahead of you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I wasn't thinking about Wall clouds at that moment as we traveled down the interstate. Wall clouds never entered my mind. I was worried because I knew Tom...hunched over the wheel, hands fiercely gripping it...couldn't see the road all that well. He didn't dare pull off onto the shoulder he said for fear someone would hit us so he kept going. When we passed several Oklahoma state troopers parked along the shoulder, I could tell Tom was really tense. Silly me, I didn't question why they were there but Tom knew.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Look for an exit, sweetie," he said calmly, glancing at me. "We need to get off the road."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">His voice was calm, steady. I just nodded. My trust in him and his judgement knew no limit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The Good Lord was with us that night because a mile or so farther, we found an exit and there was a bright glare of lights. We pulled off and took the very last spot under the awning of a convenience store gas island. Just as he turned off the engine, the hail started and it started with a vengeance, pinging off the metal roof and hitting the ground like buckshot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Wall cloud," he said softly and reached for my hand. I gripped it so hard he winced. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I don't know how long we sat there until the rain and hail stopped but when we were on the move again, I saw him wipe sweat from his brow and knew the man had been afraid. That was something I had never seen before. It shook me to my core and I realized just how dangerous things had been. I swallowed hard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">But not as hard as when we got back on the interstate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Lightning was flashing all around us, the wind brutally pushing against the car and I turned to get something out of the backseat just as one brilliant pulse of light lit the sky. My eyes went to the flare and I saw it. My heart ceased to beat. The moisture drained from my mouth. My eyes widened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">It was a dark, ugly wedge moving swiftly across the landscape just off to the east of our car. It took up most of the sky. With every additonal flash of light, I could see the massive size of it, the deadly scope of what I knew was one helluva tornado.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Tommy!" I remember crying out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Very calmly he reached for my hand again. His voice was soft, without any touch of fear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Yeah, sweetie, I see it. Just turn around and sit down. It's moving away from us." He squeezed my hand. "Everything is gonna be all right."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">We were silent all the way to OK City and once in the motel, turned on the TV. There had been a massive tornado...Oklahoma's first F5...the fastest winds ever recorded anywhere on earth, clocked at 318 mph. In it's wake, it left 44 dead, 750 injured, and over 10,000 homes were destroyed. It was a killer storm. (If you'd like to see footage of it, go here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbqGsS5iB4&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbqGsS5iB4&feature=related</a> )</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The next morning when we went to breakfast, there was a kiosk of postcards near the front door. Tom plucked one from the rack and handed it to me with a grin. I looked down at the card to see a brilliant stitch of lightning suturing a night sky. It simply said: "Welcome to Oklahoma".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"A souvenir for you, doll," he said, chuckling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Now, when the sky gets dark and the bad rains start, I remember that evening. It's something you live with here in the Heartland but it can happen anywhere. The tornado season has just started so thank God for the weathermen, the storm spotters and chasers. I wish mine was here to comfort me.</span></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630286569532684323.post-38436285386428858822009-06-15T09:34:00.002-05:002013-06-15T23:53:58.017-05:00Gone with the Wind<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjZeoOt0uyI/AAAAAAAAABs/wGB0Kq8efgs/s1600-h/TomandMe.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347565652787116834" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GX-4SXUllcQ/SjZeoOt0uyI/AAAAAAAAABs/wGB0Kq8efgs/s320/TomandMe.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 220px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Many of you may know that I lost the love of my life, my wonderful Buddha Belly, my soul mate of 43 years on April 18, 2009. Tom was my biggest fan, my staunchest supporter, and was (without doubt) the Wind beneath my wings. With his death, my wings folded with a hard quiver and I am grounded...at least for now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I've been asked many times why I use the word 'wind' in my titles. My usual explanation is because I was born on June 20th, a Gemini, and an Air Sign. I tell interviewers I love the way the wind moves over me, the sounds it makes, the way it clears debris from the landscape.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The truth is much harder to explain. Tom was everything to me and he gave me not only the wings to fly but flew right alongside me, clearing the way, protecting me, encouraging me when I decided to become a writer, nagging when I wanted to quit. Without a single second thought he shelled out thousands of his hard-earned money to get my first book published with a subsidy publisher. He didn't bat an eye because he had faith in me. If NY wouldn't take my work, he'd get it out there anyway he could. If it meant doing without something he wanted, he never complained. He gladly shelled out another couple of thousand on the second book without a qualm. His motto came from a quote on a card he bought me: "If you don't do it, you'll never know what would have happened if you had done it." He'd smile and add: "Go for it, sweetie."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Long before the song Wind Beneath My Wings came out, that was exactly what he was to me. He was beside me every moment of my journey from unknown, struggling writer to published author to now having a large reader base who faithfully buy whatever I write. NY may still thumb its nose at me but I'd venture to say more people on the Internet know who I am thanks to Tom than the authors who were one-hit wonders in NY and who faded into the mist, never to be read again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I have Tom to thank for every reader I have. His encouragement and his support was beyond measure and beyond price. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Now that he is gone, the Wind has been laid to rest. It swirled among his ashes and resides in the urn that sits on my dresser. There will be no more Wind titles now out of respect for the man, the friend, the lover, the everything who has left my world.</span></span></div>
Charlee Compohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11313728801844090299noreply@blogger.com17