Today, I’m so excited to invite author R.J. Blaine for a guest post. R.J. Blaine has written over a dozen books (wow!) and her latest, Outfoxed is now available! Learn more about the author through her Guest Post below.
Guest Post
Thanks so much for hosting me today, it’s really appreciated.
Everybody has secrets… and everyone has something (or several somethings!) interesting about them. This is my list of interesting things about me. Well, I think they’re interesting about me.
1: I love unicorns.
When I’m not in the middle of a frantic dash to finish several novels on time, and my desk is actually clean, you can find thirty unicorns and one honorary hornless ‘unicorn’ on my desk. They’re all made out of some form of gemstone—or lab-generated stone, like opaline. (Opaline is technically man-made glass meant to mimic certain qualities of opal!)
I really, really love unicorns.
Also on my desk can be found a labradorite Tyrannosaurus Rex and a chameleon. The chameleon is called the Karma Chameleon, and she brings chaos everywhere she goes.
2: I collect tea cups.
Currently, Tenmokus (Jian Zhan) are my favorite. Those are super-heated ceramic tea cups made in China. The history of the cups and their making is absolutely fascinating to me, but for a brief summary, it’s believed they’re named after the Tianmu Mountain in Eastern China, becoming popular in the Song Dynasty (960–1279) and still being crafted today. Fun fact: Tenmoku is the Japanese name for the tea cup, while Jian Zhan is the Chinese name. I have no idea why the West uses the Japanese name rather than Jian Zhan; it likely has to do with the Mandarin spelling of the Tianmu, which is tiānmù, which turns into ten moku in Japanese, which then became Tenmoku.
I get a little obsessive over bright, shiny objects, and Jian Zhan hits my every mark.
I will often make a pot of tea in a big container and sip out of one when I’m writing something difficult or I’m tired, as the whole process of drinking tea from Jian Zhanis all about the experience and the relaxation and love of tea.
3: Surprise, I love tea!
I currently have over fifty varieties of tea in my house, and my husband would be very appreciative if I would just stop buying tea for a while. (Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, spouse.)
4: My favorite movie is Jurassic Park.
Yes, I roar along with the T-Rex, and close friends and family have observed the mimicking of the tiny claws during such roaring events.
Recently, my husband took me to see Jurassic Park at Cinemark as a Watch Party. For two. Just us! There is something absolutely magical about watching a favorite movie in a private showing. We had a great time. And yes, I totally did roar along with the T-Rex, because why not?
Go T-Rex, go! P.S.: You did good too, Utah raptors! (Fun fact: velociraptors were the size of chickens. The ‘velociraptors’ from Jurassic Park are actually Utah raptors. The idea is generally the same… but the chicken-sized ones? Yeah. They’re incredible little mini predators, and Utah raptors are no joke, either!)
What are your favorite dinosaurs?
5: I love tacos.
This probably should have been at the top of the list, but I love tacos, and I have been lured out of my cave with the promise of tacos. Have a bad day? Tacos. Have a good day? Tacos. Tacos every day! In sad news, my husband does not love tacos, so I do not get tacos every day.
What are your favorite things?
Thanks for hosting me!
The Giveaway
R.J is hosting a giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card. Enter below to win!