You know how people always say you should do the things that scare you? There’s a lesser known corollary that sometimes you should do things that aren’t like you. Daytime TV is full of makeovers – Goth girl in a pink dress!  – eighties movies are full of dorky characters transformed into love interests. People love makeovers because they hint that inside each of us is someone else, someone more than the ordinary us. Sometimes we just get tired of inhabiting our own skin.

There is opportunity for profound growth when we realize how much of who we are is by choice, even if we find out we like the choices we usually make, thankyouverymuch. I like to test my idea of who I am on a regular basis. Sometimes I just like to see the look on my friends’ faces when I do something completely unexpected.

So, I’m going to break online character. I have always been an enthusiastic supporter of the books and music I like, and I rarely review or interview an artist I don’t think is good or at least interesting. But usually I like to keep a journalistic veneer on the proceedings. Until now. 

Street Team

I have joined a Street Team. For the PR uninitiated, that’s not the same as a street gang. It’s basically a cheerleading group. In this case, I’ll be cheerleading for a new book, a stand-alone story related to the Shultz Sister series by Tawna Fenske. Last year, I stumbled on Fenske’s book, Getting Dumped, by way of an article about how technology is changing publishing. I’m fascinated by the way a Kindle changes reading for so many people, and I was “romance curious.”

Tawna Fenske

I read a couple of Nora Roberts books, whose late-season virgins and rapey seduction scenarios mostly made me want to barf and/or hit things. And I read Fenske’s choose-your-own-adventure romantic comedy/mystery about a government employee who gets reassigned to work at the dump. The interactive element of the e-book was intriguing, and the writing made me laugh (okay, snort) out loud – a little out of character for me. Fenske’s humor will be familiar to anyone who has ever known a sixth grade boy, and paired with her Pacific Northwest-flavored feminist sensibilities, totally hooked me. I followed her blog, which also makes me snort. I wrote a glowing review that still gets more hits than anything I’ve written. This taught me that I should put the word “sex” in all my blog post titles.

Wait, no. It taught me nothing.

The Great Panty Caper

I like Fenske’s silly little sort-of-sexy series, and I think other people will, too. So from now until October 8, I will pimp The Great Panty Caper, and it will be fun. As soon as I can get over my hatred of the word “panty.”

Anyway, you totally should have seen your face when you read the name of the book.