Hi!

With only two days left on the countdown until I reveal the cover of my upcoming YA contemporary novel, Wrong in All the Right Ways, I’m starting to get super giddy. I don’t know, I’m just starting to act really strange…or strange-er than normal, anyway. We’re all kind of weird, and while most people try to conceal their oddities, I’m very open to sharing them, and that’s what this post is about: My Weirdness. So let’s begin.

This first one is going to be about food because I get a little picky when it comes to my food. Anyway, the first weird thing you must know about me is that my food cannot—I repeat, CANNOT—touch. Period. If, in the event that parts of my food do end up touching, I will not, under any circumstances, eat those touching bits. I just cut them off with my fork and eat everything else except that. That’s the way I’ve done it my whole life, and I don’t intend on changing that habit anytime soon.

In addition, I don’t like to eat chicken on the bone. Or any meat on the bone for that matter. Something about eating meat off of a bone makes me feel uncomfortable. I can’t quite explain it. Also, I don’t like messy foods. So if it’s slathered in BBQ sauce, I won’t eat it. Getting my hands and face dirty makes me feel weird so I really try hard not to do it. And if I absolutely must get dirty, there needs to be a plethora of napkins nearby for me to clean up. Again, that’s just the way I am. I’m odd; I know!

Next, (and this is going to sound a little weird because I’m in my mid-twenties) I’m afraid of the dark. Now, I’m not the kind of person who actively tries to face their fears, so I come up with strategic ways to avoid them. To battle my nyctophobia, I am a firm believer that as long as I have at least one light on, I’ll be okay. So that’s what I do. In the middle of the night, if I must get up to go somewhere, I turn on every light in my house that leads to my destination and then turn them off one-by-one on the way back. It just comforts me. And when I turn off the final light, I have to make a mad dash to my bed before the fear starts to set in. I know I’m not the only person who does this because I’ve talked to some of my students and they’ve admitted to doing the same thing. Then again, they’re twelve, so I’m not so sure what that says about me. Don’t care though. Like I said, I’m a weirdo!

The last weird habit of mine that I want to tell you about is my routine when I get really excited. I’m not exactly sure when I started doing this, but every time I get really excited about something, I start taking really short breaths and, to some people, it might sound as if I’m panting like a dog. If only you knew how many times I’ve panted about the goings-on concerning the production of WIATRW. But I will add, I don’t really do this in public (I try to appear to be at least half-normal in public lol); it’s more of an at-home thing. So if ever you find yourself in my presence when I get some really exciting news, just know that I’m not hyperventilating or having heart palpitations, I’m just REALLY excited and happy.

Yeah…so that’s me. I hope that hearing about my weird quirks has made you feel a little better about the odd stuff you do sometimes. Hey, we’re all a little weird, and I think the world would be a better place if we got over the embarrassment of it all and openly shared our oddities.

Anyway, I’ll see you back here tomorrow for the last blog entry on the Countdown to my Cover Reveal series.

♥Tiffany