If you frequent twitter or any number of romance blogs, you might have heard about the Kathleen Hale Fiasco.  Yes, it’s such a Fiasco that it must be capped.  Bolded.  Underlined and italicized.  I’m not linking to it, or her, because frankly SHE isn’t worth the attention.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet, cuz I need to be writing, but since Nicole challenged the readers of the LE blog to post bloggers (and authors) who’ve made a difference in their lives.  So, yeah… I can do that.

My bloggers…

Nicole with Literary Escapism, aka my keep and administrator and all around awesome friend.  We need a wine date.

Tori with Smexy Books…she makes me laugh and she ‘gets’ me.  Trust me, people, that’s not an easy task.  I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who seemed to ‘get’ me quite as well as she did, right off the bat.  Unless it’s Wicked Lil Pix aka Natasha.

Meka with Bookpushers…we only started talking much within the past year or so, but she’s an exceptional woman and is always there to lend an ear if you just need to talk.  (and I don’t consider it cheating to mention the entire bookpushers team, especially E & Minn…one of the funnest weekends of my life was when the guy and I hit Tucson and were lucky enough to hand with these ladies.)

Ridley with Love in the Margins.  Ridley will do a lot of things, if you let her.  She will challenge the way you view racism, privilege, ableism and sexism.  She’s a fantastic person to talk to, although if you’re comfortable with your world view…beware.

Jane/the Janes at Dear Author.  This one is twisty…now Jane, Janet, Janine (etc!) are wonderful, this is more about the blogging platform itself at DA and how they welcome so many differing opinions, people who can challenge you, make you think (piss you off).

Also, because I cheat, I’m adding another…Limecello of Limecello Reads.  Another fantastic friend.

And now my authors…

Monica Jackson.  She’s been gone a few years now, but she was another woman who challenged me, how I thought, how I acted.  She left a mark on the world–and she left that world too soon.

Lynn Viehl, aka PBW.  She’s a rare creature–the kind of friend who will honestly tell you what you NEED to know, not what you want.  She listens and makes you laugh.

Helenkay Dimon – another friend who will tell you what you need to know, will make you laugh and will just hang out and bullshit.

Nora Roberts, not because I can say, hey, we are buddies!, but because without works like hers, I wouldn’t be a romance writer.

Michelle Monkou – we don’t talk much.  We’ve met each other a couple of times.  But, as many of you know, I’m rather ‘opinionated’, although I try to objective.  Sometimes, when there are problems, I wonder if I’m talking to a wall and we met, really, because of one of those times when I was talking to a wall, or so I thought.  It turns out that people were listening…and some even appreciated it.  Her kindness still lingers.

And there’s a challenge thing if you want to do it…name five bloggers and authors who made a difference in your life.