OK, true confession: I’m a reality TV junkie. I keep the tube on for company while I’m writing, and I get drawn right in every time. Three of my favorite reality shows:
Mythbusters. If it’s wrong to have a crush on a beret, I don’t want to be right.
I’m a big fan of second chances. Mostly because—as often happens even with the best of folks—I screwed the pooch the first time around. Royally. I won’t go so far as to say that the Barenaked Ladies’ “Next Time” is my spirit animal, but it’s definitely in the ballpark. So I’ve jumped on second chances when they come, as they come. Sometimes I should have waited for the third boat, but it’s been an interesting ride.
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Okay, so: standard disclaimers apply. Labels don’t work for everyone. One size absolutely does not fit all. Hell, two sizes don’t fit all—and that’s pretty much the point here.
I used to think I was broken.
Then again, I suspect most teenagers do. It’s the culture we live in, and hormones don’t help. But let’s turn on the way-back machine and head to 1993.
What can we expect from As We Are?
One of my favorite approaches to a story is to look at it and ask how I can deepen the conflict, or up the stakes, or throw a curveball into the mix. Cade is a wild sort of fellow. No filters, no inhibitions, no excuses--but on the other hand, he's tenacious when he gets an idea into his head, and it often gets him into serious trouble. He knows he's flawed. He doesn't know he has virtues, too. He needs someone who'll be his equal, but who can also appreciate his approach to life. That man is Dennis, who takes no nonsense and is aware of his own quirks, but has a somewhat more balanced viewpoint. Being blind has nothing to do with how clearly he can see the world.
It’s four a.m., Willa. Do you know where your characters are?
(This is how I entertain myself before the first cup of coffee kicks in.)
Sometimes, those who haven’t gotten to know him well yet would likely put money on Cade being the kind of guy who’s curled up under the blankets like a pillbug with lockjaw in all four limbs. Not coming out before daylight at the earliest. Nope. And if anyone wants to wake him up, they’d better come prepared with a mug in one hand and a Pop-Tart in the other. Now that he’s found his soulmate, that’s a job best left to Dennis.
Three of my favorite TV couples:
• Dean and Castiel, Supernatural. How you define their relationship may be up to interpretation, but there's a powerful connection between hunter and wayward angel. They'd fight for one another. They have gone to hell and back for one another. No greater love has any man, right?
You have upwards of forty tattoos, so can you tell us about any of them?
Each one means something. The coffee cup on my left arm is in honour of my One True Love. The Celtic Knot cat over my heart represents freedom and creativity. The Latin text scrolling across my shoulders is a reminder to never give in to fear. Each one is significant, and was inked before or after a life event…
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