Yesterday I said that I would answer 33 gathered questions from followers to celebrate my 33rd birthday.  Nothing was off-limits and this is what I received.

1. How and when did  you discover you loved writing?  Asked by Shane’s Book Blog
         I always say 2nd grade because that’s when I first introduced into making my own books.  As far as deciding on making it a career, it was in high school after reading Books of Lost Swords by Fred Saberhagen.  It just kind of clicked.
2. Who is your favorite author/book?  Asked by Shane’s Book Blog
           Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.  I read that book once every year or two and it never gets old. 
3. If you could write up a book that was a mash-up of two or more genres, which would you pick?  Asked by Helen Valentina.
   This is a tough one because I already through a little tech and vampire into my fantasy.  A mash-up that I would like to do and am trying to figure out is Fantasy/Western.  Unfortunately, I think Stephen King beat me to this with Dark Tower.

4. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where and why?  Asked by Briana Vedsted.
   I always wanted to see the ruins of Greece because I love Greek Mythology.  I’m also interested in Australia, but the size of their spiders has me re-thinking that.

5. What is your least favorite book?  Asked by Briana Vedsted.
        The Pearl by John Steinbeck.  I didn’t even get through the first two pages in high school because he spent it all describing a yellow brick wall and I thought it was the stupidest opening to a book ever.  I failed the section on this book out of pure spite and defiance.

6. What is your least favorite movie and why?  Asked by Briana Vedsted.
         ‘The Spirit’ was pretty bad.  I was pumped for it too, but I found my runny nose and popcorn more interesting.  The main character spent more time talking to the audience than the characters, so I kept getting jolted out of the movie’s action.  Women fell for him for NO reason, which made no sense because even James Bond has to put some effort in.  Even a smile counts as effort.  Also, the big fight scene at the beginning of the movie had somebody beating up another person with a kitchen sink.  Bring that gag out at the beginning and you’re making an unfortunate statement.

7. What is your favorite pizza topping?  Asked by Mark Nelkin and Briana Vedsted.
   Currently, grilled chicken and pineapple.

8. If you could toss this life for one single day, just one, and the next day everything would go back to life as you know it, what would you do, where would you go and who would you take?  Asked by Ionia Martin.
   I assume this means no consequences, but this is still going to sound lame.  I’d go off alone to a nature preserve or some type of place that is pure nature.  I’d spend the entire day wandering off the trail and being away from human contact.  Things are always so chaotic around here that I would really just want a day of pure peace.
   If that’s too lame then I’ll go with grabbing my friends and going crazy in Amsterdam.  Uh, I’m going to assume that if I die during this excursion, I’d wake up alive the next morning, so insanity will be the flavor of the day.

9. Boxers or briefs?  Asked by Ionia Martin.
         Iron chastity belt, which sucks in the winter.

10. What is your favorite super hero team?  Asked by zombiephreak.
    Exiles, but only if Blink is on the team.

11. What is your definition of a successful full-time writer, and how will you know when you’re there?  Asked by Gwen Bristol.
    My definition of a successful full-time writer is one that can put as much time into the trade as they want and pay the bills with their efforts.  This is different than a successful writer, which I define as someone who has gotten recognition for their writing whether it be published or unpublished.  The way you know is probably when you wake up one morning and realize you have nothing to do but write your next book.  It also helps if someone tells you when you’re successful.

12. What racial/class toon would you be if you could be a character in an RPG for a day, and had infinite respawns?  Asked by Tyroper.
    Not sure which RPG we’re talking about here, but in terms of D&D, I’d go with my classic half-elven ranger.  I know it’s cliche for me to pick Luke Callindor as who I would want to be, but I like the idea of using two swords at once, being connected to nature, and having more than human blood in my veins.  Besides, I can get a pet wolverine or porcupine at some point.

    Facts/No More Questions:

13. I have a scar on my left wrist from getting my hand caught in a hot oven.
14. My worst injury was tearing tendons in my right shoulder while fencing.
15. I didn’t learn how to drive until I was 22.
16. My mom used to be a proofreader for Playboy Publishing and my dad did something for Doubleday Publishing.  This was before I was born and they had no contacts by the time I came along.
17. I have a mild fear of spiders caused by being attacked by one during summer camp.  Hairy one jumped on my face and got up my nose.
18. When I was 2, I stole a Chinese hot pepper off my dad’s plate.  The only thing nearby to cool my mouth down was a cold beer.  This started my love of beer and spicy food.
19. I played the trumpet (poorly) until high school when braces forced me to switch to Baritone Horn/Euphonium.  Still played poorly.
20. My drink of choice is Rum & Coke.
21. My candy of choice are Twizzlers.
22. The first thing I ever said to my wife was “If you think he’s crazy, wait until you meet the rest of us.”
23. I was born a month early and needed two blood transfusions.  I didn’t get to go home for 3 weeks.
24. I tried to play Little League baseball for a season.  I quit after I thought I got on first base (after failing miserably for most of the season) and I had to be carried off the field by the coach because I wouldn’t move.
25. When I was a kid, I would help my mom make chicken soup with random ingredients tossed in.  She called it ‘Charlie’s Chicken Soup’ and there is no written recipe.
26. The Halloween costumes I can remember wearing are Pumpkin Patch, clown, He-Man, Pirate Garfield, Han Solo, Ninja, Donatello of TMNT, Spider-Man, Johnny 5 (Short Circuit), and a Star Trek Red-Shirt.  Quit after the Star Trek year because someone pulled a gun on my friends and I.
27. I was supposed to go to a Halloween party in college with a girl.  We were supposed to go as Spike & Dru from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’.  I asked the campus barber to give me Spike’s haircut, but my hair is thin while his is thick, curly.  The barber shaved my head down to a buzzcut.  In the end, the girl showed up to the party in regular clothes and already drunk.
28. My favorite video game series is ‘Legend of Zelda’, but my favorite game to play is ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’.  I lost my copy of SOTN and I don’t remember where the memory card went either, so I haven’t played it in years.
29. I have never been to a music concert because I don’t like crowds and loud noise that I can’t control.
30. I got to attend the Wrestlemania where Ric Flair had his ‘last match’ and the preceding RAW episode where he retired.
31. My wedding ring has my wife’s name in hieroglyphics on it.  Her ring has mine in hieroglyphics.
32. I have only been on the West Coast of the USA once.  It was a day in Seattle before leaving on an Alaskan cruise.
33. During my Bar Mitzvah, there was a delay because they realized that the Torah had lost a letter and it was no longer kosher.  We had to wait until the spare was brought out and the place was found.  This means my first step into adulthood in the eyes of Judaism included the retirement of a holy item.

That’s the 12 questions and 21 facts about me.  Congrats to anyone who made it this far.