Today we have Anna Rondal on talking about quirks, oddities and oddballs. She is also giving away a copy of her e-novella A Most Naked Solution so don’t forget to leave her a comment.
Quirks, Oddities and Oddballs
Sure, we can be friends with someone solely because we share a cubical or our kids are on the same soccer team. But those really close friends? The ones that you call at three in the morning with the details of the latest book they must read? Or the one you let share your straw without a second thought? Those are a different kind of friend.
And while you might seem totally different on the surface, I’ll bet you can find at least one quirk you share. It doesn’t have to be a big one. But they’re there.
I became close with one of my best friends simply because we both made the mistake of wearing heels that were far too high to a standing-only event. Out of our shared adherence to fashion and that awkward shuffle from foot to foot to relieve the agony, we found the perfect common ground.
I also know many people who love to read, but when I find out one of those people loves to read romance? Or not only reads romance but they skip ahead to the end of the book like me? Now we have something to talk about!
In my new novella, A Most Naked Solution, my heroine has a few quirks she keeps well hidden. She secretly loves mathematics— shocking for a lady, I know. She doesn’t particularly like large gatherings of people— another thing that was difficult for the daughter of a famous diplomat. My hero has a few quirks of his own. For instance, he secretly thinks he’s hilarious even though he’s given up on anyone else understanding his humor.
In romance, I think quirks can also help the hero and heroine perfect know they are perfect for each other. For instance, my hunky, math geek hero in A Most Naked Solution doesn’t quite know what to think when the heroine not only understands his descriptions of his work, but wants to help with his equations, too. And when he discovers that she thinks he’s really funny? There’s no way he can let her go.
It got me thinking, what quirks do I have? Now many of these I try to keep hidden, but since we’re all friends here I figure can be honest.
Food quirks: Okay, so I swear I’m not crazy (or at least not too crazy) but I always eat my Pringles salt side down. I leave the marshmallows for last when I eat Lucky Charms. And I still save my favorite thing on my dinner plate for last.
Writing Quirks: I can’t delete scenes while I am writing my first draft. I just move them to the end of the document and keep going. (Hey, I might need those later…)
Clothing Quirks: I care way too much about shoes. While most days I slum it in flip flops, if I’m going out, I need the perfect shoes for the outfit (even if I know they necessitate total foot amputation by the end of the night.)
So readers, what is one of your funny quirks? Or what is a quirk that you love in your favorite fictional character?
One lucky commenter will receive a digital copy of my novella, A Most Naked Solution.
Blurb:
Sometimes the best solution is found in bed . . .
Lady Sophia Harding: beautiful, blond, and . . .capable of murder? That’s what Lord Camden Grey intends to find out. It is Camden’s duty to uphold the laws of the land. His neighbor’s pale beauty and winsome grace don’t make her the most likely suspect, but is the innocent and altogether beguiling look in her eyes the truth, or is she secretly a scheming seductress?
Lord Camden Grey is entirely too distracting and too smart. Sophia knows that to keep her family’s secrets, she must avoid any entanglements with the powerful and brutally handsome man. But the pull of their mutual desire is all-consuming. Can Sophia trust Camden with the truth when she knows it might kill the love that has grown between them?
Bio:
Anna Randol writes sultry, adventurous Regency romances for Avon. Her first novel, A Secret In Her Kiss, earned a starred review and Top Pick in Romance from Publisher’s Weekly, who called it a “…masterful debut…[that] spins a tale replete with mystery, espionage, and memorable romance.” When she’s not plotting fun, sexy storylines, Anna’s usually eating dark chocolate, having wild dance parties with her kids in the living room, or remodeling her house one ill-planned project at a time.
I was saved from one of my most stupid quirks by my kindle. When I read a paperback and it’s time to go to sleep, I tend to skim through it just to know what’s going on in the next chapters. In the end, I go to bed very late and very often I’m not so excited about reading the rest of the novel because I’ve read part of it! But now, with my kindle, it’s more difficult to do it so I can read a novel from start to finish without being bored by scenes I’ve already read!
Otherwise, I like it when characters like unexpected things, like mathematics for your heroine. It’s always funny and quite normal as well.
“A most naked solution” sounds good. The title is intriguing and the cover is beautiful. It makes me think of the gold pool in the adds for J’adore by Dior.
(No twitter or facebook accounts.)
Thanks, Aurore! I love my Kindle too and i must admit as well that it keeps me frem peeking ahead at the end!
Anna,
My one unemplainable quirk is I love to bake! I’m the one everyone in the family calls when they need a home-baked Cherry Covered cheescake for a party or homemade cookieswhen their children’s have friends coming over.
Now baking may not be a quirk for most people but I’m a Type I diabetic and can’t eat I thing I bake! When they were young my sons were thrilled because they had to taste everything to make sure I “got it right”!
To me I relax when I’m baking and it gives me a sense of peace and tranquility in the hectic lives we all live today. My favorites are ones that have been passed down through the years from grandmother to granddaughter. I have some old handwritten directions that say things like “add until the right consistency” that take me several, okay sometimes many, times to make and have them come out right.
Most of all I love having the enjoyment of someone else enjoying a treat that I’ve made but will never be able to taste! Their smiles are thanks enough!
How incredible that you have those recipes! And I thinks is so awesome that you are keeping them alive even though you can’t enjoy the finished product. What a cool quirk!
Anna,
I never mentioned what quirk I like in a character. I want my heroine to be someone like who likes to think “out of the box”. I want her to be interested in something out of the ordinary which really covers a lot of different things in life. I look at it this way when I’m reading. What about this character draws me to her/’him that makes me want to understand them and feel connected to them.
Anna I have to tell you read the last 15 pages before starting a book to make sure I’m gonna like the ending.