Ahhh summer. Summertime is the time for road trips, vacations, and weekends away. It also means spending a lot of time in close quarters with other people, be it in a car or in an airplane or a too-small hotel room. Sometimes you all get along great and everything goes smoothly. However, sometimes you are car sick in the back seat and need to pull the hell over to pee and get a giant fountain Diet Coke. Not that I know from experience or anything. This summer though, I am fortunate to be a part of a different type of road trip without any of the stress, nausea, and packing. My girl Kathleen over at Middletini included me in her blog field trip tour last week and now it is my turn to answer some questions and send y’all to some other wonderful blogs. But before we move on, let me drop a few lines here about Kathleen.
Kathleen is a lawyer with a dirty mind who uses inappropriate humor as a defense mechanism. She’s also a single mom of two children, Tweak (10) and Tink (8). She began writing Middletini to process her feelings about heading into her 40s, nearly losing her damn mind because her life had not turned out as planned, and getting her groove back with a little help from her friends and the occasional adult beverage. Each post opens with a suggested cocktail, because she’s less offensive when you’ve been drinking. Kathleen likes to write about the things people think to themselves but have the common sense not to say out loud. Not content to overshare on the Internet, she is writing a novel in her abundant spare time. Be sure to check out these posts: There’s a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends and The Mother F$cking Tooth Fairy.
In order to prevent awkward silences in the car, I will give y’all some Q&A all about me
What am I working on?
My sanity? No that’s not it. I am working on trying keep both the two-legged and the four-legged occupants of my household alive this summer. I am also working on writing submissions for some anthologies that are coming up in the near future. I keep finding things to write about but cannot seem to find the necessary “free time” in which to actually write. Between BG turning two and Stabler working the night shift, I am basically running in circles constantly. My goal is to begin to set aside some legit writing time every day so I can give all the thoughts in my head a home. I’ll let y’all know how that works out 
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I’m not quite sure of what my genre is, to be honest. But I think my work can be seen as different from others in that I change from funny and self-deprecating, to sentimental, to factual from post to post. My writing is very much like having a conversation with me. And anyone who has ever spoken to me knows that I am loud, I talk fast when I get excited about something and I aim to make those around me laugh or feel better about their situation.
Who do I write/create what I do?
I write because I enjoy it. After sharing stories of my life with others, people kept telling me I needed to write about it and share it with ten readers the world. I really enjoyed the writing aspect of my former legal career and I began to miss the satisfaction of working on something to create an end product. I think I offer a different perspective on even the most mundane of life experiences. I also became very passionate about promoting awareness and education about narcolepsy after my diagnosis.
How does my writing process work?
I carry a steno pad around pretty much everywhere. I scribble ideas down either in the pad or in my phone to then write about later. When I finally have some free time, I usually take my steno pad, laptop, and iPod out on my back patio. I then pour some wine or open a beer and try to get the creative juices flowing. I take frequent patio dance breaks when I hear a song that makes me want to dance. Every so often, I will try to write while BG is otherwise occupied, but as soon as Dora starts screaming singing “We did it!” then I know my time is over and its time to wrap it the hell up.
Now everyone hop in the car, buckle up, and keep your hands to yourselves, because its Road Trip time! Are we there yet?!
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Yes! Let me introduce y’all to three wonderful bloggers!
First up is my blog mom Pattie. I named Pattie my blog mom after messaging on Facebook and meeting her in person at the BlogU conference earlier this month. Pattie is a laugh riot who occasionally turns blue in the face when you make her laugh really hard. Pattie is the owner of Bitter Ex-Nuke Wife and while she is bitter (about her husband’s Navy career among other things) she is not an ex-wife. She draws from her husband’s career riding submarines for inspiration for her blog and when there isn’t enough bitterness from her memories then she draws from current events. Her husband’s career was during the Big Hair and Shoulder Pads era of the 80’s and 90’s which meant that all the deployments were in the name of winning the Cold War. Her blog is still rather young, just 5 months old, but she is hopeful that her (paying) job will stop interfering with her time so she can write more often. Two of her posts that help explain the name of her blog are Riding a Storm Out and The Four Kinds of Submarine Deployments.
Next on our Summer Road Trip is Lauren, who is a former publishing rep-turned-toddler-wrangler. When she’s not playing Susie Homemaker (and failing miserably), you can find Lauren blogging about all things natural parenting/living at lo-wren.com, sewing or knitting woolen goodies, or scheming for companies as a freelance copywriter, blogger & marketing consultant. Be sure to check out these favorite posts from Lauren Why Mommy Juice Scares the Hell Out of Me and 10 Signs You’re Ready to Stop Breastfeeding.
Our final stop is with Erin of WoofTweetWahh. With a toddler, rescue dog, and high maintenance bird, her life has quickly turned into a three-ring circus. When she’s not managing the circus, she’s working at her job in higher education. Erin used to work around the clock in the fast-paced NYC corporate world, dining on sushi every night and functioning on iced coffee and diet coke. After a few years (and enough mercury in her system from the sushi), I saw the light at the end of the Lincoln Tunnel and traded in the golden handcuffs for my life back. Now Erin is a suburban NJ mom, who worries about school quality, the best deal for used toys, and dreams of getting a bigger, less fuel-efficient car. Don’t you worry – she still makes happy hour. It is now at 8:30 for the 2 minutes before she realizes the dishes need to be washed and emails need attention. When Erin is not working in the office or managing the circus (or running from it), she’s busy writing and editing one of her two picture book series. Be sure to check out these posts Bathroom Intelligence Failure and Character Assassination Carousel: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
I hope y’all enjoy this Summer Road Trip Blog Tour! Go check out what these ladies are all about and tell them that the Mafia sent ya It’s time for me to make a pit stop for some Diet Coke
