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| S.J. Drum/J.T. Fairfield |
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Because most of us will soon be dodging carts and elbows
during Black Friday shopping, I’ve found myself thinking about gifts. Not just
for Christmas, but any gift giving occasion.
We all remember receiving some sort of majorly disastrous
gift as a child. The things which seemed to lurk under the Christmas tree or appear
on the gift table at a birthday party as if the devil himself put them there
just to ruin our day. Socks. The requisite toothbrush placed in a stocking. The one gift which consisted of a Dollar Store plastic change purse filled with
quarters. WTF am I supposed to do with
this?! My fifteen-year-old mind would rage.
The curious thing is how our views change over the years as
to these previous Debbie Downer gifts. Now, I’m 29 and have two children of my
own.
I ASK for socks on my Christmas list. Know why? ‘Cause I
would never go to the store and pay $20 for the good socks just for myself. I
end up buying a couple packs of the incredibly cheap socks about every two
years. Regretfully, these cheap socks only last six months and they feel like
sandpaper inside tennis shoes. I spend an entire year wearing no socks at all
because I refuse to shell out the money to buy more. So, I ask for socks as
gifts. And to make it real special, I ask for the good ones. Nike, Adidas. The
kind of socks that are so soft and smooth it feels like clouds are giving my
toes a hug.
A change purse full of quarters? Shi-it… I could eat, like,
a week’s worth of meals with that kind of smack. It won’t be healthy, but I can
(and will) do it.
I also totally appreciate the toothbrush in my stocking.
It’s a Spinbrush and now I know they cost like twelve freakin’ bucks and I’ll
never pay that much for one for myself on a regular shopping trip. I’d brush my
teeth with a washcloth and baking soda before spending that kind of cash on a
toothbrush, but da-amn Spinbrushes are sweet.
The one gift I now receive without fail, but never received
as a child because someone would have gone to jail if I had been given one, is
a tattoo. Every Mother’s Day, my husband and my mother pool resources and pay
for whatever new tattoo it is I’m dying to have etched into my flesh. Again,
I’d rather spend my money on things for the kids or the house so body art is a
special occasion occurrence only.
What are some of the gifts you used to hate but now look
forward to? Is there something, like my Mother’s Day tattoos, which you look
forward to all year long?
Speaking of tattoos, check out my new series, The
Sinful South, published through Ellora’s Cave’s PRICKED line featuring
tattooed characters. Sinful
Southern Ink, first in the series, released in July. Sinful Southern Hero,
second in the series, is a full-length novel which should release in the Spring
in paperback and e-book.
I’ve also recently released my very first GLBT Upper YA Dark
Urban Fantasy, CAGED
IN MYTH, under the pen name J.T. Fairfield.
*Warning! This Upper YA title contains cursing, graphic
violence, and references to sex.*
The Bayou Zoo, where magic is real, the beasts are deadly,
and a bad day at work can literally mean the end of the world.
Octavian Julius McKellter— “Jay” to everyone who doesn’t want a punch in the face— struggles with keeping the secrets of his supernatural community and his own secret...he's gay. Throw in a dose of danger, deceit, and Louisiana heat, and you'll find yourself CAGED IN MYTH.
Octavian Julius McKellter— “Jay” to everyone who doesn’t want a punch in the face— struggles with keeping the secrets of his supernatural community and his own secret...he's gay. Throw in a dose of danger, deceit, and Louisiana heat, and you'll find yourself CAGED IN MYTH.
