Why I Love Paulina Ulrich! (Grand Prize Giveaway Week)

Well folks, February is well…over which means two things…

1. I'm late with this post.

2. And it’s our final week honoring the amazing Paulina Ulrich.

Sad I know BUT we are giving her a proper send off with the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY! In case you may have forgotten, this week you can win a $15 Amazon/B&N gift card, fun swag, AND a signed paperback!

Just a side note, did you know that this past Sunday was Paulina’s bday?! Well it was so be sure to wish her a happy belated birthday!

Now, it's time for my favorite segment, Why I Love! So, why do I love Paulina Ulrich? Well, I could write you a novel on how sweet, amazing, talented, and inspiring the amazing Paulina is but I’ll try to be concise. So, here we go…

I met Paulina last year on twitter, you know that amazing place where I meet all my wonderful bookie friends. We started chatting about books and such and well the next thing I know we are penpals. Yep, that's right, penpals…new age electronic mail type of penpals. We started emailing and talking about books, our lives, and such and I realized one very important thing…this girl gets me. I mean truly gets me. I swear we were sisters in a past life because how else could a west coast chick who is ten years younger than me that I've never even met in person get me on sooo many levels?! Clearly a past life connection is the only viable explanation, right?  ;) Then after a few emails of book chatter and discussing our upcoming projects and such Paulina accepted my request to be crit partners and well the rest is history. (I must interject here…we are both history dorks as well as book dorks.)

I became deeply inspired by P when I read Flightless Bird…not only was this gal sweet but an amazing writer as well and all at a ripe young age I might add. I am serious when I say this girl is going places so collect her autograph now before she hits the big time! I digress…so in Flightless Bird I fell in love with Gregory I even found myself pining away for him every moment he was absent…a feeling I haven’t had since Edward's absence in New Moon.  Then just when I thought I couldn't fall in love with her characters anymore she drops Damon in my lap in Broken Wings…what can I say I will always choose the bad boy over the sweetheart good boy…EVERYTIME. Not only did she drop Damon in lap but a whole bucket of tears accompanied him, if you've read BW you will most likely understand my tears, if you haven't READ IT RIGHT AWAY…then you will understand. :)

And now, I'm halfway through Fair Feathered…I'd be the full way through but I've been a bit constricted on my reading time, which I shall explain further in next week's post which will also explain my tardiness with February's blog posts.

So, in all my ramblings why do I love Paulina Ulrich? She's sweet, personable, inspiring, and amazing both personally and professionally. She made me pine for Gregory and then fall head over heels in love with Damon. Her books send me on a happy adventure, a place that just feels like home. And that is the best way I can describe my penpal and February's Indie Author of the Month Paulina Ulrich she is my home away from home, a new friend that I didn't know I needed but can't live without, and an author whose books will always have a special place on my bookshelf.

Alrighty, folks! I've spilled my guts and told you why I love Paulina. Now, it's your turn! And don't forget this is your last chance to get your name in the pot for the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!! Good luck, my friends! Now, let's Share the Love for Paulina and enter to win the Grand Prize! Ready….set…go!

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Week 3 ~ Interview with Damon from Flightless Bird Series

So….I have a special guest coming to visit today! *bounces up and down* Can you guess who? He makes his debut in Broken Wings…which may be exactly why that has been my fave book of the series so far…he’s charming, he’s witty, he’s another one of those bad boys with a heart of gold types, he’s… *knock knock*

Here! Holy crap! *smooths hair and grabs notepad*

Why hello, Damon! I’m so glad you could make it!

 Don’t mention it babe. I’m happy to be here. You know I am more than happy to make time for such a special lady.

So, how are you doing? How have things been going?

Well…honestly I could be doing better. Right now I’m in a slightly sticky situation but don’t worry, I always pull through, right? Besides the usual drama, you know, fighting for my life and always trying to save the day and what not, things have been going well.

*giggles* How’s Livy, Gregory, and the gang doing?

Livy is doing…well, she’s a badass! No thanks to my advice. *laughs* Just kidding, she can thank Gregory for the most part since the whole pocket-watch dilemma if you catch my drift. She and Gregory are doing well, Andrew is a lovesick puppy and he wants me to teach him how to be ‘badass’, and the love birds, Cece and Kev? They’re great. So yeah, everyone is doing awesome. For now.

So, truth be told I’m in the middle of Fair Feathered right now. I would be done if it wasn’t tax season, I swear but anyways there is a particular part where you totally break my heart and all I want to do is give you a hug, just so you know. Anyhow, I’m rambling sorry. *looks at notes* Getting back on track, what are two things that you look for in a significant other?

Hey, I like giving free hugs. *winks and smirks* This is a tricky question actually there are a lot of things I look for but the top two, I can’t believe I’m revealing this…but hey, it’s the truth. The first thing is confidence. My girl needs to be sure of herself and feel like she can take on the world and second, she needs to be smokin’ hot. JUST KIDDING. No, she needs to be smart. I like a girl who I can hold an intelligent conversation with but also joke around with because you have to be a certain kind of gal to keep up with my wit. I don’t have three BA degrees for nothing you know.

No doubt! Smart and confident…ladies take note. Okay, since V Day was this past week, I have to know. What is the most romantic thing you've ever done for a girl?

Uh…well I never acknowledged my “mushy-gushy” side when it comes to the ladies. No way. I’m not the kind of guy to take a girl to the movies and buy her candy and flowers and stupid crap like that. But then came Livy and as the story goes, yeah she’s awesome. Call me old fashioned but the most romantic thing I’ve done for a girl…is just hold her. Just being there for her because I’m not the type to just stick around for just anyone.

*sigh* If you were stranded on a desert island who would you take with you and what would be a "must have" survival item?

 Ha! This is badass. I’m sure you already know the answer to this, I would take Livy. She can make me laugh and pretty sure if I was going to go insane on this island, I would want to be driven mad to the sound of her voice because then she might make me sane...if that even made sense. She’s my best friend. But then again, I wouldn’t necessarily go insane because I would just bring my magical little pocket watch and life is all good again. *chuckles* Can’t outsmart someone who is already two-steps ahead.

*shakes head* What is your favorite childhood memory? Did you have a favorite toy?

I’m not sure I can pick just one favorite childhood memory, when you’re a kid, everything is great. But I remember when Gregory, Cece, Roslyn, Andrew, Kev, and even Amelia (you know, pre-crazy and all) we were all just a bunch of kids growing up together and we played what I guess you could call baseball today. We sort of had our own version and made up the rules as we went. We had summers filled with that game. My favorite toy would have had to have been…well, honestly we couldn’t just go to the toy store and buy what we wanted when we wanted. I was always forced to study but I had a cat growing up that would always bring home some mice or something and my mom would freak! That was fairly entertaining.

*giggles* What is one thing you wish you knew how to do? I wish I could play the drums. That would be super cool.

I wish I knew how to not be so sexy all the time. Aren’t I everyone’s favorite bad boy? Ha! Actually, I really wish I knew how to cook. I mean, I can make basic stuff but that doesn’t always guarantee that it tastes good. So maybe I need to sharpen my cooking skills a bit.

Oh, Damon. *checks notes* What would be your dream destination?

 I have been almost every place that I’ve wanted to go so a dream destination for me would be…actually it’s my mom’s beach house on the Oregon coast. I inherited it and it’s the perfect peaceful place I go to clear my mind or just to have some peace of mind. The beach where the house sits, is un-crowded and very secluded. It’s just perfect for me.

*Shakes head before thoughts of Damon on a secluded beach cloud my judgment* Would you rather watch TV or read?

Don’t get me wrong, I know I love TV when it’s good but I would want to read a book. I was born in an era where there was no TV so what did I do to pass the time? Read.

What would be your favorite book?

My mom used to read me the Brothers Grimm tales growing up, I still enjoy a gruesome fairytale once in awhile. Mom always made sure I knew that real life doesn’t have happy endings all the time.

Smart lady! *raises eyebrow* What is one thing that no one knows about you?

Whoa, let’s slow down here. I can’t reveal all my secrets now can I? *winks* If I revealed a secret, how could I keep up my suave, ever charming antics? I suppose I will have to leave you in suspense, always wondering. But I can say that I am…afraid of heights.

Such a cop out Damon but I'll take it. Super random question, what is your favorite slang term?

 Hmm…I think I subconsciously use a lot of slang but when I purposely try to use it, just to make a joke, I sound like an idiot. Just like when I called Gregory ‘G-Dawg’. That was hilarious. Though I do realize that I say ‘ditto’ once in awhile even though I hate it…I’ve been hanging around Andrew too much because he has been saying that lately. Maybe my favorite is ‘babe’ a universal reference to all of my favorite ladies.

*Stares curiously at Damon’s watch* Well, it seems as if our time is almost up. Are you ready for the speed round? Answer with the first thing that comes to mind.

Color? Green.

Food? Does a glass of scotch count?

Animal? Cats-they are diabolical and I love it.

Book? I should write my own.

Movie? Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock

Song? MakeDamnSure by Taking Back Sunday

Season? Autumn

Person? Livy

Damon thank you so much for stopping by! It’s safe to say you have totally made my month. Come visit again!

You know I am always more than happy to stop by, anytime, anywhere. You know where to find me. I’m always down for a chat, after all I am Damon, the smooth-talking, suave, ever charming--alright, I’m keeping my ego in check now. See you around Michelle! Thanks for letting me stop by.

Major props to my girl Paulina for making my dream come true! Now it's time for this week's giveaway! Answer the following question in the Rafflecopter below. 

What are two traits that Damon looks for in in a girl?

                                                                                                   

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