Tagged...I'm it, I guess!

The lovely Alison Tyler tagged me for the "8 Random Facts" write-up, and I can't possibly say no to Alison Tyler, who is not only lovely and literate and a lot of fun, but one of my favorite editors to work with.

First we post the rules:

We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
• Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So without further ado...eight random facts:

1) One of my closest and dearest people is most often known as Random. How's that for a Random fact? (He has another name on his birth certificate, but the nickname's more commonly used.)

2) I met my co-author Dayle at a writers' conference in Vermont...longer ago than I care to admit. By the end of the conference we were finishing each other's sentences.

3) Despite what you might imagine based on my erotica-writing career, I was a late bloomer, sexually speaking. I was quite sure, back in high school, that I'd end up a virginal spinster living contentedly in a tiny apartment with far too many books and ten cats. Only the far too many books part has come to pass.

3b) The total weight of my three cats is probably equal to that of ten normal cats.

4) I was a fairly serious figure skater from 4th through 10th grade. At that point, I realized that to progress further, I'd need expensive private coaching...and I knew my family couldn't afford it. Since I couldn't be a star, I gave up.

5) Probably as a result of #4, I have a damaged vertebrae in my lower back (L4). It's called spondylolothesis, it's quite common in adults who were athletic youngsters, and sometimes it hurts like hell.

6) I've been belly dancing for twelve years and hope to continue doing so until I shimmy myself to death in my 90s.

7) I used to work for a farm winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, doing everything from picking grapes to writing ad copy. The pay was terrible, but it was a great job in other ways, including the wine perks.

8) My favorite place to be is on the beach--but not necessarily on a hot summer day. I'm particularly fond of Ogunquit Beach in Maine. My user picture was taken there, on a blustery day in late April.

I'm not very big on tagging people I don't know, and it looks like most of the Lustbiters have already been tagged. So...

Kate Duffy
Stan
and anyone else who feels like playing, please jump in.