Lit*er*al*ly, Ororo #2

Questions # 16-30

Welcome to the 2nd issue of Lit*er*al*ly, Ororo, a weekly blog by me, Ororo Munroe, speaking my truth inspired by the 3000 Questions About Me journal. I mean, it’s a personal blog. And since I’ll be sharing all my personal bits, why not do so in the not-so-typical form of questions? Thanks for reading. Participation is encouraged.

16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

The one thing I want to change is the same trait I deplore in myself (#3 from the previous post) and that’s my impulsiveness. My sister calls it something else, but I honest to God wish that I could take a step back, do more research, ask more questions, SOMETHING? Before jumping in and then having regrets later.

17. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Independently publishing two YA (young adult) fiction novels. I started writing fiction in the 7th grade and, at one point, it was my dream to be traditionally published.

Until I realized the hoops I had to go through to get there.

Until I read about a cover issue gone wrong with another YA author and I was like “Yeahhhh, I think I’m gonna do this myself.”

My ex created the covers and I put them out in the world in 2009. I remember crying when I got hard copies. I knew fuck all about marketing back then—when indie publishing (or vanity publishing as they called it) was treated like the nappy-haired stepchild—so I hardly made any sales.

I know more now than I did back then and to be honest, if I was focusing on my writing and wanting to get back into it, my marketing tactics would more than likely still be the same. LOL I think I would create a simple author site—nothing too elaborate—and serialize the stories through Substack. Then, once a story was done, create a bookstore on my site and have readers purchase through my site. I wouldn’t want to be an author today, trying to get my shit on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Too much drama.

18. If you were to die and come back as person or a thing, what would it be?

A tabby cat. Did you know that I’m a cat lover? No? Well, now you do. All the animals I’ve had in my life have been cats.

Specifically, tabby cats.

And not on purpose. It’s just happened that way.

Our first tabby, originally named Tabitha, was a gift to my sister and I from our godmother when we were young. She’d gotten her brother, George, for her own kids. She was an outside cat, I think. I don’t ever remember her being inside, now that I think about it. We lived in Reno, NV at the time and I know that when we moved back to AZ, she did not come with us.

In my early high school days, my BFF at the time gifted me with another tabby cat. This time I got more original with the naming, and named her Moneypenny (because yes, by that time, I had discovered the James Bond franchise). At some point, I had to get rid of her because my parents felt they were taking care of her more than me, and since I couldn’t find anyone to take her, I ended up having to put her down.

I cried for a week.

And didn’t talk to my parents for a week.

Final tabby cat was with my ex-husband. He was raised by his grandmother, and he wanted to take care of her, so he convinced her to move from Springfield, IL to AZ and she brought her cat, Sweet Pea with her. They ended up buying a house together and within the year, she hated it so much she moved back to Springfield, IL.

But left Sweet Pea behind.

We were cool with that because by then we both loved her.

She entertained us for many years, but by the time we divorced in 2018, I think she was making her way to the Rainbow Bridge. We were never sure how old she was but like black folk, she was aging gracefully (if thinly). I willingly let him have her when I temporarily moved back in with my parents (by that time I felt like I was taking care of her more than he was and I was getting tired of cleaning up her shit all over the place as well as her vomit), and couldn’t take her when he ended up moving out of state the following year (the condo my sister and I rented together didn’t allow pets).

I suggested he take her with him, and he “said” he was going to, but I knew he wasn’t. And I was right. He had given her to a co-worker of his where she, apparently, happily lived out the rest of her days. My niece actually found that out through an FB post.

I’ve decided that when I get my own place, I’m not going to have a pet. I follow catgrams on IG, and that’s the only kind of distance cuteness I can handle. Like babysitting someone else’s kid and giving them back when your time is up. Because honestly, having a pet IS like having a child, amiright? Sweet Pea’s vet bills were sometimes equivalent to a month’s rent. Or a car payment. Which is probably why we only took her when something was wrong. Bad pawrents, I know. <guilty wince inserted here>

19. Where would you most like to live?

I’ve lived in the Hellmouth Arizona nearly all my life. I was born here, raised here the majority of my life, and currently make my home here.

I’m used to three seasons:

Instantaneous Combustion

Hot as Fuck

A Tad Cool

It really is a (soul-sucking) dry fucking heat. And possibly hot flashes, but I doubt it.

I no longer have blood in my veins because it’s been baked out of me by the solar flare we call a sun; I bleed water. Anything below 79 degrees requires me to wear a sweater.

I’d need to live in a place that has similar weather to here, so it’s going to have to be a tropical place.

Preferably overseas.

And I’m not mad about that.

Right now, I’d love either Costa Rica or Belize. I subscribe to International Living magazine International Living and have been keeping one eyeball on the Global Retirement Index Report they put out every year. That mag also helps me keep my options open and adds to my Bucket List of places to visit.

20. What is your most treasured possession?

I should say my laptop. I honestly should. And if I was still writing novels, that would be my first response hands down because authors have been known to lose their minds if their laptops take a shitter.

But for me, I’d say my mini iPad.

I’m a bookdragon-ess.

I hoard books.

I have the Kindle App on there and my library is always filled to the brim with adult romance ebooks from KU. And by “filled to the brim,” I mean the max I can have at one time—which is 20-something?

I rarely leave home without that thing and have been known to whip it out when I have to sit and wait somewhere.

Or when I’m eating by myself. #ShutthefuckupI’mreading

The iPad replaced my Nook eReader. For the longest time, Barnes and Noble was my drug of choice when it came to feeding my addiction for romance books. When I was going through the Harlequin Blaze/Desire line like dirty underwear, I was there every month.

Then eReaders came out and it took me all of a week to buy one. “I can carry how many books on my person at one time? Sign me the fuck up, pleaseandthankyou.”

So, yes, I was loyal to BN for a long time.

Until my bestie—also a romance book afficianado—said “I get my books through Kindle Unlimited. There’s a monthly fee and I can borrow books for free and return or keep them whenever I’m done.”

Needless to say, it was all over but the crying.

Just kidding. There was no crying.

I love my mini-iPad and I love KU.

That is all.

21. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Human trafficking. Period. End of story.

22. What’s your favorite occupation?

Proofreading and copyediting. I do this on the side for others and I lurve it. I want to do it until the day I die. And when that happens, you’ll more than likely find me keeled over in front my laptop.

23. What is your most marked characteristic?

My need for solitude. A topic I plan to explore on Sunday Stories (Muse Mondays? Telling Tuesdays? Shit, I dunno yet) so you should seriously think about subscribing.

24. What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty. And not the typical shirt-off-your-back-keep-your-secrets-talk-you-off-the-ledge kind of loyalty.

I’m talking about the times where you disappear for months (cuz you live long distance) and can still check in with them with no freak-outs to be had.

Or the times you ignore their calls because you don’t feel like talking. With no freak-outs to be had.

Or the times where you say “I’ll call you this weekend. I swear,” and you don’t. With no freak-outs to be had.

Or the times you haven’t seen them for a while, and you go visit them—or they visit you—and you bawl like a baby and hug so hard ribs are cracking all over the place.

Or the times you wish they lived closer so you could do things together…even though you didn’t do that a lot when they did live closer.

Or the time they stood up with you at your wedding and had The Talk with your fiancée a few days before. But not at the same time.

Or the times when you reminisce and realize “FUCK. We’ve been friends for how long?” And then promptly thank them for putting up with your moody-lying-ignoring-disappearing ass all the time.

My circle of friends is very-times-3 small. I have two best friends, a man and a woman, whom I’ve been friends with for 30 years.

Each.

I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

25. Who are your favorite writers?

<looks at my nonexistent watch then back at you> How long do you have? Just kidding. Maybe. Let’s get started: Jane Fox, Olivia T. Turner, Minx, Cassie Mint, Kat Baxter, Brynn Hale, Lana Love, Tamrin Banks, Cameron Shaw, Shaw Hart, Liz Fox, Sadie King, Skye Alder, Jessa Joy, Emma Bray, Elsie James, C.L. Cruz, Nichole Rose, Ember Davis, Fiona Davenport, Carly Keene, Hope Ford, Dee Ellis…there are probably much more that I’m missing. I actually had to scroll through my emails to look for some of these because I subscribe to a lot of author newsletters.

Within the last couple of years (ok, since COVID, dammit!), I got hooked on reading romance short stories (17K words or less). So, the authors listed above are short story indie writers. Before COVID, I was reading novellas (up to 40K words) and my fav authors in those categories were Carly Phillips, Lori Foster, Melissa Foster, Lynsay Sands, J.R. Ward, Shelly Laurenston. To name a few.

Every once in a while, I’ll read something from Melissa Foster. However, my author of choice lately for these longer reads is Anna Hackett. I completely fell head over reading glasses for her contemporary series. I like to read contemporary, paranormal (shifter and vampire only), and interracial/multicultural romances and prefer them to be in a series.

26. Who is your hero of fiction?

What the industry refers to as OTT Alphas (not shifters, but they could be). These dudes are big, muscly, growly, over-the-top, little obsessive protectors. <Ahem. ‘Scuse me while I go change my panties>

27. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I don’t have one. But if I did, it would be the black female writers. Because, y’know, WORDS.

28. Who are your heroes in real life?

My parents. Definitely. Another post being saved for Sunday Stories. Are you sure you don’t wanna subscribe?

29. What are your favorite names?

<me looking at my nonexistent watch. Again. Then looking back at you> How much time do you have? For real. LOL. Just kidding. When I was writing YA, coming up with names was the best part of the writing process for me. Always. I actually had a binder full of boys and girls names, and they weren’t your typical Tom, Dick, and Mary names, either. I’m hoping that binder is packed away somewhere and that I didn’t lose it because I would like to break it out again someday.

My niece and nephew have unique names, which I’m glad my sister decided to do because we were born with such boring, common names.

I know what you’re thinking. “Um. Ororo is a unique name.”

Yes. Yes, it is.

It’s just not the one I was born with. LOL

30. What is it that you most dislike?

Racism.

I’m just gonna let that sit here.

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It’s your turn. This inquiring mind wants to know your answers to these burning questions.