Short Story Slackerday

Once again, here it is late Friday night and I've got nuttin' for the SSS meme. Maybe you do though? Help a girl out?

I'll try to get something up this weekend, promise.

Short Story Saturday

Got something to say about short fiction? Link it here!

Remember, SSS isn't limited to any particular genre. So if you're into sci fi, lit fic, mystery - it's all good.

Or tell us what you think about the format in general -- strengths, weaknesses?

Sign up on Mr. Linky (use a permalink, please!). Feel free to kipe the badge, too.

Short Stuff

Some weeks run like a well-oiled machine. I'm reading good stuff, I have a review or two scheduled ahead of time, maybe something for a publisher plus something from my own list. Another one that I knock out in real time. Maybe a T-13 or a Lazy Post or a contest plug for variety.

Yeah, this is not one of those weeks.

Short Story Saturday is back here at Alpha Heroes for February, after taking its January turn at Literary Escapism. I've taken the bold step this week of rigging pre-populating Mr. Linky with a couple of anthology reviews that I noticed around, so if one of those belongs to you, I hope you'll a) forgive me b) check around on the other links and c) come back next Saturday with another one. As a fledgling meme, SSS is not getting a lot of lift. If you want it to stick around, your links are appreciated!

I have been trying with the short pieces this week. The lovely Book Smugglers pulled my name from the internet version of a hat and send me a faboo package of contemporary fiction, including several anthologies.


Hot for the Holidays
'Member this cover? Sure you do. I almost bought the book JUST for the cover. I mean. That spot right there by his thumb? Is one of my favorite spots-- and I don't like peppermint. I'm sayin'.

Anyway. The stories, right. *opens kitchen window* That's better. Where was I?

Yeah, so this is one of the books that the Smugglers sent me, and I am familiar with most of the authors. I started with Anya Bast, because I wasn't in the mood for Leigh's forced-mate/weird penis Breed stuff or Knight's kooky mages, and I liked Bast's offering for the What Happens In Vegas anthology a couple years ago quite a lot. And so far, Sweet Enchantment is OK. However, I, uh, have fallen asleep twice and gone onto different books, but I have come back to it and I do want to finish it. I've been pretty tired lately... but still. Fell asleep twice. That's the closest I've got to a review so far.




Wrapped In Seduction
You know, I don't review erotica. It's too hard for me to analyze what I like about it without giving a lot of context about what I like in bed, which is TMI. For you, and for me.

Fortunately, this particular anthology is more just piping hot romance than erotica, I think; in what I think of as true erotica, it's the exploration of sex and sexuality that is the center of the story. In this little trilogy, there is some serious steam but they really are love stories. Overall, three decent stories about three sisters finding love in their hometown. As a whole, the stories fall prey to the general weakness of a novella -- not much conflict and they read very fast, as in over before you hardly know what's happening. I found only one or two scenes truly scorching, but that might just be me. It's a small town Christmas theme, so that may factor into when-- or whether-- you'd be in the mood for it.



Blood Lite
OK, I'm not very far into this one but I'm loving it. I do not know if the title is a play on "Bud Lite," but I suspect so after sampling a few stories.

So I've been really trying to avoid paranormals for awhile. I feel really burned out on them and have been enjoying a stroll through historicals and contemps for the last month or so. I have a feeling that that break made these stories just that much more entertaining.

People have been telling me for awhile now that I need to try Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, and I finally believe them after reading Day Off, a scant 30-odd pages in which Harry finishes a [thinly disguised D&D game in which actual wizards and weres are playing wizardy, warrior-ish characters. A debate about how a magic firebomb spell would work possibly gives some insight to the author process of "how 'real' do I need to make this magic stuff, anyway," which I could easily see becoming one of those tangents that take a long time to come back from.

Ooo, speaking of tangents. Anyway, after the game, Harry encounters some teenage goth "Darth Wannabes" with Harry Potter accoutrements and a faux pipe bomb, an inept apprentice who keeps blowing up his basement lab, and a swarm of insect-sized magic parasites... all before he can go on his big date. It's mostly very funny, though you could see how some elements might turn more serious in a full-length story, and it really made me want to read more. Which is about the highest praise I can give a short story.

In other stories, Kelley Armstrong's Ungrateful Dead was a cute little character sketch of a necromancer who leverages her talents into seances and spiritualism shows that are mostly completely faked. I was enjoying the ride, but I felt like it ended too fast -- I was just getting into the world-building and the characters and BOOM, the end.

Following that act is a creepy story titled Mr. Bear, a bizarre imagining of what happens when a mild-mannered traveller is caught up in the orbit of an anthropomorphized, English-speaking, cigar-smoking, booze-guzzling Smokey the Bear. Complete with the hat. Oh yeah, and he's utterly sociopathic. Can a bear be a socio-path? Good question. Gitchyer black humor here (by Joe R. Lansdale).

Short Story Saturday: February Edition

Slacker

My Short review isn't ready yet. Hopefully later today or maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you've got one ready to go, by all means, hit it!

Short Story Saturday: A Two-Fer on Erin McCarthy

So I read McCarthy's story in the The Magical Christmas Hairball anthology, and I was pretty unimpressed. The basic gist of it was that this witchy girl and uptight banker boy crossed paths the previous year (I'm guessing it was in a 2007 Christmas anthology, cuz I have deductive skilz like that) and ever since have been dreaming about each other. Not that they like each other. No, of course they don't, they're Too Different and plus there's a Big Mis. (More of fair-to-middlin' Mis, really, but-- allowances for page count and all that). However, obstacles not withstanding, these are particular, special, paranormal wet dreams Against Which our Intrepid Protagonists are Helpless. Once real life starts to imitate the dream, they realize they've been having the same dream.

So they finish out the smexy reenactment and decide to live happily ever after. And there's a cat in there somewhere. Um, OK.

When I started "Russian Roulette" in the First Blood antho, I wondered briefly if it was the same author, but didn't think so because this story was so much better. A vampire hero that I liked right away; interesting background color about vigilante slayers, and a pretty good heroine. They had great chemistry together. The story starts off with Alistair rescuing Sasha from the clutches of his ex-wife, a powerful badass female vampire. She has people everywhere. She's dangerous. Alistair does this mostly because of how much he dislikes his ex, and relatedly, because he knows her capacity for cruelty. (She's a badass. Don't forget that.) He's a good guy. Rips the manacles out of the wall, etc. It works.

I won't give away the side plot about the slayers, but I will spoil the ending, because it was so completely awful and disappointing that I wanted to cry. I would really, really like to read the other half of this book that was apparently thrown out in favor of this paragraph-- now remember: Cassandra = the baddest of badass vampire badasses-- to wit:

< Cassandra walks into the bar where Sasha is being held by evil henchmen >

They stared each other down, and Cassandra looked away first.

"[Henchman], let her go. This was a mistake, it was all a mistake." Cassandra swiped at her moist eyes, clearly agitated by her emotions. "And to think that I loved him...it's all so damn stupid."

Then Cassandra leaves.

That's it. *poof* Conflict all gone. HEA. Done.

I mean....seriously? ... SERIOUSLY??!? ...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I read 70 whole pages that led up to THAT?? I read fast, but still, Erin McCarthy, I want my half hour back. God.

It wouldn't be so horrible if the story hadn't been kind of good up 'til then. I expected better. I don't even know what to think about her full length stories -- I feel like this was supposed to be a whole book but got accidently whacked at the end and sent in to the anthology editor by mistake. Maybe it would be good if it were full length! I liked those characters! I liked the secondary characters and world-building! But what if I read 300 pages and then it ended like that? I don't know if I can take that risk.


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Check out Literary Escapism for more short story goodness today -- and hop on the link if you've got some thoughts to share.

Short Story Saturday: First Blood

Last of the Backlog
Clearly, I'm going to have to step up my short story game. I'm almost out of material after only five posts. So I'm going back in time, to January of 2009.

I picked up First Blood just about this time last year, but I was pretty burned out on anthologies after my big antholopalooza event, so it took me awhile to get around to reading it. Even then, I homed in on the Meljean Brook story and just skipped the others. Maybe I'll cover one of those next week....

Anyhoo, Meljean's short stories were some of my favorites from last year's event. Between "Falling for Anthony" (Hot Spell) and "Paradise" (Wild Thing) Brook made a huge leap in the art of the novella. FFA wasn't a bad story by any means, but as I said in my review, there were places where it felt a bit like stuff was missing, like it had been intended as a full-length book and then stripped down. And the series proper seemed to depend more on events that happened in FFA which left me a little confused, because I read the full length books first and then caught up on the shorts.

Paradise, on the other hand, was a tight story that not only stands on its own, but if you skip it, the full length books don't contain confusing references either and that's a lesson learned that carried on over into "Thicker Than Blood."

Thicker Than Blood
You don't have to be a Meljean devotee to enjoy TTB. Although the story fits seamlessly into the series arc, the world-building is just enough to set the scene for this story, and if you only like the full length books, and skip it? You won't be left wondering about references.

While this story is full of details about what it's like to be a vampire in Brook's world, the really stunning part is the romance. Like most novellas, the conflict is simplified: how do you make it work between a "normal" human (whatever that is) and an undead vampire? TTB is an intensely emotional story about love lost and then found again; about how to be strong and how to be vulnerable; and-- since it's a paranormal-- also about kicking some powerfully evil ass against staggering odds.

Annie is a character I fell in love with. She needs to protect the human family she loves but aches every day for what she lost with them. She faces the Really Big Bad with no real expectation of surviving, but has a powerful need to protect others weaker than she is. It's hard to explain, but my heart just broke for how sad and lost she was at the beginning of the story.

Bottom Line
If you like Meljean Brook, or good short fiction, or fun PNR/UF stories--and of course, wonderful romance-- this one has you covered on all fronts.

Short Story Saturday: Faeries Gone Wild

I'm a little behind today, what with the holiday and all. The other thing is, I've been reading through this anthology, trying to find a story I like.

It's not working.

It's possible that I'm just overly stressed out - the holidays do that to me. Or that my sense of humor is underdeveloped - there are a number of very popular authors whose humor does nothing for me except to induce an unattractive lip-curl and eye-roll combo. But whatever the reason, this antho didn't do anything for me. I got through three of the stories, but only one was remotely engaging.

Maryjanice Davidson
I've been looking for a reason to try this author -- so many folks whose opinion I respect enjoy her books. And I try not to rule out authors based on shorts that I don't love, because there are a lot of authors whose longer work I really enjoy, that don't do it for me in short form.

Long story short, I could concede that Davidson has potential for me, but this story wasn't a reason for me to rush out and start working through her backlist. Tall, Dark, and Not So Faery was a cute story with a huge cast, and a decent secondary romance considering it's only about 70 pages. All of the stories in this anthology have cartoony, goofy characters, but Coffee Ray had a heart-tugging appeal under his caricature, and I was rooting for the couple to find each other, so that's a plus.

Michele Hauf & Leandra Logan
I didn't like either of these at all. Terrible dialog and the juxtaposition of child-like cutesy with erotic/sexy really really didn't work for me. Like, at ALL.

So there you have it.
Blame it on post-holiday let down or whatever, but I can't rec anything from this anthology. Better luck next time....

The meme
Got a Short to share? Link it below!

Short Story Saturday: The Holiday Edition

"Gifts of the Magi" by O. Henry

Do you read the classics?

I don't, much. But O. Henry holds a special place in my heart. My dad introduced me to his stories, so for that reason alone, he's a sentimental author for me. But his tradition of surprise or twist endings are especially delightful in the context of the Victorian period language-- I think we get used to "old-fashioned" or "classic" equating to "dry and stuffy." At least, I do.

Anyway, "Gifts of the Magi" is a holiday tale about a young, financially-struggling couple and how they celebrate Christmas one year. It's not what you'd traditionally call a romance, but it is absolutely romantic. It's a beautiful, deceptively simple little story about love, and sacrifice, and the true meaning of giving. It references the Wise Men of the Christian nativity story, but I believe it transcends religion.

Most of us probably know how it goes, but have you actually read the original story? It's really worth it. Read it again or for the first time this year. Read it to your kids one evening instead of watching "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" for the 11th time.

You can find the original text online, courtesy of Project Gutenberg, or you can download it.

[edit] Or alternatively, a nicely illustrated version at Fifty Two Stories. (Shout out to Jackie for the pointer!)

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate this time of year. May the gifts of the magi be yours this season.

..................................

Do you have a short story to share?

Short Story Saturday: Meow

If I were a character in a novel, I would be the cold-hearted sociopath. You would know this instantly because -- come closer, I'm only going to say this once -- I don't like animals.

I am not enticed by purrs or soft fur or charming wagging tails or mournful eyes. I look at a four-legged creature and think: crap on my carpets... funky smell in the house... ridiculous vet bills... pain in the ass when we travel...

Cutesy stuff also does not really appeal to me. Hummel figurines, Thomas Kincaid Painter Of Light, Precious Moments, wooden ducks wearing dusty blue neckerchiefs... these are not a few of my favorite things. These are things Most Likely to Make Me Hurl.

Given that I don't love anthologies, I don't love cats in general, I don't especially love stories about cats, and hoo boy, how much do I NOT love that cover--all of this considered, I think it's understandable that I didn't run right out and buy The Magical Christmas Cat last year when it came out. Plus: FIFTEEN BUCKS. Too much for a book that I probably will only like half of, at most.

But you know, it's NALINI. I can't just ignore that. And I happened upon a copy this past weekend at my favorite used book store and got it for under $6. That I could justify.

Put a little meow in their stocking this year with these tales of Christmas and felines-from beloved bestselling authors!

New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh and top-selling authors Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones have a special gift for readers this year: heartwarming holiday stories featuring passionate romance, paranormal adventure, and a distinctly alluring feline touch. With four new stories-including one featuring Lora Leigh's genetically altered Feline Breeds-this is a collection packed with more surprises than Christmas morning, and more chills than the snowiest winter night...

Stroke of Enticement lived up to its title. Strong, appealing characters and a nice dollop of Singh's signature steam make this a great story to curl up with on a winter evening. However, it's not long on conflict or plot, and readers unfamiliar with the Psy/Changeling series might wonder at the world-building. I don't think it would get in your way of enjoying it, but it's hard to say from my fan-tage point.

Conversely, if you're a fan who decides to skip this one, you're not going to miss anything important. There's not even a hint (that I could tell) of the overarching series plot and if Zach or Annie showed up in the last two full length books, I don't remember and didn't miss anything by not having their backstory.

Best thing about this story was Annie for me. She's such a contradiction: you think she's going to be the mousy-librarian type, but she is so totally not. I loved her. Zach is lovely and sexy and protective and all, but he's a bit of a cookie-cutter Singh hero.

If you're new to Nalini Singh, here's what I think you can extrapolate from this story about whether you'd like to read more: did you like the characters? Did you like the dialog and interplay with the pack and family members? Do you find the shape-shifting man/cat appealing? if so, check out more of her work. If you found it a little dull, I think I can reassure you that that is more of a function of the format than her style.

Do you have a short story you'd like to share? Link up!

Short Story Saturday: The Inauguration

Welcome to the first edition of Short Story Saturday!

I have to admit, I'm sort of a reluctant anthology reader. Mostly I feel compelled to read the short offerings from my favorite authors because 1) there's a reason that they're a favorite and 2) what if something happens in the world (in the case of series) that I don't know about? I just can't let that happen.

Last year, in my typical all-or-nothing style, I leaped into the world of anthologies and dedicated a whole month to reading only that format. If you're interested in backtracking, click on my "Antholopalooza" tag and knock yourself out.

Just when I was thinking about whether I wanted to do it again this year, Jackie started talking about an anthology fest, but like me, was finding it hard to work up enthusiasm. I really prefer longer work most of the time, and reading shorts for a whole month actually reinforced that rather than changing my mind.

However, I can't discount the fact that I really liked some of what I read last December. I got introduced to some new authors worth pursuing, and there are other favorites that I'm just not going to pass by. So between us, Jackie and I cooked up this idea of a weekly meme where we can nibble at the anthologies out there, rather than try to take them all at one gulp.


First Up: Never After

Blurb:

The bonds of love...

The bonds of matrimony...

The bonds between husband and wife...

Let's face it—some bonds are made to be broken.

Here, for the first time ever, are four stories from today's most provocative authors that take the classic idea of the "faerie tale wedding" and give it a swift kick in the bustle.



With offerings from Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu, and Sharon Shinn, I turned to the back and picked Shinn's to read first.

Why is that? Of the four, Liu is really my only go-to author-- I picked this up because of the fairy tale theme. I haven't read anything by Shinn before and I've been meaning to. I can't exactly tell you why or what particular buzz led me there. (I think I may also have a little tickle in the back of my head for The Shins, a band about which I have heard good things and even liked a cut or two, I think, but also have a niggling suspicion that I am not cool enough for them.)

Anyway, it was all vague but positive associations, so I was looking forward to a sampling of her work, and I was not disappointed.

I've always loved fairy tales, and another device that I enjoy is when an author takes a familiar story and puts a spin on it by moving it to a new point of view. Traditionally, fairy tales are told from a very omniscient and distant POV, telling you what happens and how it all ends. The Wrong Bridegroom is told from the point of view of that familiar character, the haughty princess who has turned down all the worthy candidates in the land. In desperation, her father has arranged a contest of three trials, the winner of which wins the princess's hand.

Shinn turns this upside down by putting you inside the head of the princess, who has indeed turned down all candidates, but it turns out her reasons are more complex that the good Brothers Grimm let on. There are characters you'll recognize: the stepmother, the exasperated father, a mysterious magician... and yet by the end, few of them are what they initially seemed.

Of the four stories, this one was definitely my favorite. It was light-hearted, cleverly written with characters who actually had development within the scant 150 pages or so, and didn't take itself too seriously. With its very satisfying ending, The Wrong Bridegroom corrects the fundamental anti-feminist tendency of fairy tales described eloquently by Jennifer Crusie:

I had Sleeping Beauty, who got everything she’d ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Snow White, who got everything she’d ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Cinderella, who should be given some credit for staying awake through her whole story, but who got everything she’d ever wanted because she had really small feet. The fairy tales I read as a child told me that boys’ stories were about doing and winning but that girls’ stories were about waiting and being won. Far from setting out on their own quests, women were the prizes in their own stories, and the less active they were–do NOT be a pushy, knife-wielding stepsister–the better their chances were of getting the castle and the crown.

All the stories in this little collection correct THAT literary error in a big way. You might even look at it as The Paper Bag Princess for grown-ups. If you're a romance reader, you'll probably guess the HEA pretty early on, but there are enough other great twists to keep you engaged.

Shinn's other work looks to be closer to straight-up fantasy, which might be why I'm not running across it all that often in my tours around romance blogs. But I might have to step out of my rut a little bit, because I think I would really enjoy her longer work.

And even though I'm not reviewing the other 3 pieces, I did enjoy them all. Liu's was very dark; Hamilton's was sweetly simple, and the Galenorn one was an interesting intro to her work (I've heard this author speak but this is the first of her stuff I've read). All in all I can recommend this anthology although [extended rant deleted] I'm not a fan of this new excuse to charge more $$ format that's in between mass market and trade -- it's like mass market only like, what, a half inch taller and costs three more bucks a pop. (Perhaps that's a post for another day.)

Got a short to share? Sign up!

Short Story Saturday: The Meme

What Is It?

Short Story Saturday is a chance to review novellas or short stories and share them with other folks who like short fiction. We're kicking off December 5, 2009.

Do I have to review a whole anthology?

No. The whole idea came from a discussion about how hard it is to review big anthologies with lots of entries. You CAN review a whole anthology and you can still link to the meme, but you don't have to.

What if I want to just talk about anthologies or the short story format and not do an actual review?

That's cool too. We're easy.

How do I join?

Sign up on the Mr. Linky and add "Short Story Saturday" to your tags (this gets you into the Technorati search). It would also be nice if you include a link back to the hosting post in your post.

Alpha Heroes is a romance blog, but I'm too cool for romance. Does that mean I can't participate?

First of all, I think you mean: you're not cool enough for romance, but that's just me. Short Story Saturday is genre-agnostic. Any work of short fiction is good. For now we're excluding poetry and non-fiction.

What's the deal with you and Literary Escapism?

We're swapping months. We figure it's a good idea to have backup. I've got even months, and she's got odds *resists obvious joke*.

Where did those awesome badges come from and where can I get one?

Jackie did them and they are indeed awesome. Feel free to lift them from right here, and use in your sidebar and/or your SSS posts.

Thursday Thirteen, Edition 16 AND a New Meme

It's getting to be that time of year again where the line-up of anthologies starts looking irresistible. What could be more festive than little tidbits from favorite authors, cozy warm/fuzzy holiday themes, and covers like this one:

Hmmm, that'll melt your icicles, eh?

Those of you who've been reading along here for awhile might remember my month-long event last year called Antholopalooza -- wherein I read and reviewed a whole bunch of anthologies and shorts; hosted a couple of guest posts; did a few thinky pieces about anthologies and included a number of T-13s along the way.

Ultimately, I couldn't bring myself to love the format enough to repeat the experience, but I do still pick one up here and there. Frankly, I think the anthology is a dish best nibbled upon, rather than binged. Then, a recent conversation (see comments) with Jackie over at Literary Escapism got some creative ideas flowing. So here's the deal: Starting in December, Jackie and I will be co-hosting a Mr. Linky meme for short-story-related posts, which we are dubbing Short Story Saturdays.

You can review a single short piece, a whole anthology, or post about your love or hate for the format. You'll find mostly romance from me, mostly UF from Jackie, but YOU can choose a short from whatever genre you please. Whatever tickles your fancy-- if you're the type who picks up an anthology and cherry-picks only your favorite authors to read, this is perfect for you. Just review the one story you liked the best (or worst!) and don't feel obligated to finish the whole thing-- I mean, how exactly would you go about reviewing one of those Mammoth books anyway? Makes my eye start twitching a little just thinking about writing -- or reading! a review that long.

Because I am lazy and can't be trusted to maintain any given event EVERY! SINGLE! WEEK! and also because I am totally noble and wish to share the work glory with Jackie and ALSO because it was an idea jointly inspired, Jackie and I will be sharing this dealio. We're officially kicking off December 5th, here at Alpha Heroes. In January, Literary Escapism will take over, and we'll be alternating months from there out. Watch for the cute badge that Jackie whipped up, in your choice of purple or green, and feel free to lift it for your post.

Jackie gives you her introduction to the whole thing here: Short Story Saturdays at Literary Escapism.

Now, it *IS* Thursday (in most places, anyway) and this seems like a pretty good spot to put up a list of this year's most tempting anthologies, just in case you need some enabling inspiration. Note that these lean heavily to romance, but there's a nice sprinkling of UF in there too if that's more your ticket.

Thirteen Tempting 2009 Anthologies

1. That Holiday Feeling – (contemporary) Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods, Robyn Carr
2. The Heart of Christmas – (historical) Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick, Courtney Milan
3. Holiday with a Vampire III – (paranormal) Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childes, Bonnie Vanak
4. An Enchanted Season – (paranormal) Nalini Singh, Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Jean Johnson
5. Kissing Santa Claus – (contemporary) Donna Kaufman, Jill Shalvis, HelenKay Dimon
6. Hot for the Holidays -- (paranormal) Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast, Allyson James
7. Never After – (paranormal) Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu, Sharon Shinn
8. Must Love Hellhounds – (paranormal) Ilona Andrews, Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook
9. Huntress – (paranormal) Christine Warren, Marjorie M. Liu, Caitlin Kittredge, Jenna Maclaine
10. Unbound – (paranormal) Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, Vicki Pettersson
11. Strange Brew – (paranormal) Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Karen Chance, PN Elrod, Charlaine Harris, Faith Hunter, Caitlin Kittredge, Jenna Maclaine
12. Deep Kiss of Winter – (paranormal) Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter
13. Four Dukes and a Devil – (historical, paranormal) Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, Tracy Anne Warren (Jackie’s review and the start of it all!)


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

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