Who the hell am I? Are you sure you want to know?

 Let me take a moment to welcome my new readers. Would you like to know a little more about me? Well, I'm going to tell you whether you want to or not because I'm a pushy person and I have a deep need to know as much about people as possible and feel they should know me, as well.

I grew up in the far western corner of the great state of Kentucky. It is a rural area rich in history, farming and, in my hometown, excellence in football (American football - not soccer. My apologies to my non-American readers.) I grew up in an area and at a time where locking your doors was an option, not a necessity. This has probably made me a much more trusting soul than is wise, but I am what I am. 

A typical Friday night for me as a teen was spent hanging with my friends at the local roller rink, skating the night away. Or, once I started driving, cruising in a large loop through the town, blasting music and laughing with my other friends as they drove that same loop, hanging out of our car windows, waving and being lunatics. I told you this was a rural area, right? There wasn't much entertainment so we took it where we could find it. We thought we were so cool. Now look at us! We are old, married, have families, and look forward to nothing more strenuous than spending our Friday nights vibing on our couches.

I'm still close friends with the kids I began elementary school with. We grew up together and though we've gone our separate ways, we've kept in touch. Luckily, this wonderful invention called social media came along and made things so much easier for us. I can pick up the phone and call any number of them and talk as if not a day has passed since we've seen each other.

My best friend's father taught me how to change a car tire at the tender age of 13 because he wanted his girls prepared for whatever life could throw at them. Yes, I was considered an extra child to most of my friends' parents; my friends were thought of the same way at my house. Sleepovers happened often and were the cause of many late night giggling sessions talking about boys, music and television stars, planning our futures. It wasn't unusual for me and my friends to spend all day riding bikes back and forth through our neighborhoods without a thought to anything more important than spending time together.

I was lucky enough to be blessed with a brother. At least that is what I tell myself as an adult. My thoughts as a child were not so pure. I clearly remember chasing my brother with a knife because I had reached my absolute limit with his picking and teasing. And much to his horror, there was an incident with a hairbrush that will haunt him and his genitalia for the rest of his life. What can I say? I played softball and had a pretty good arm with excellent aim. Sorry, bro!

Music has played a large part in my life and I don't know where I would be without it. Yes, I'm a musician. I play piano, clarinet, saxophone, flute, and have been known to grab mallets and have a little fun with a xylophone. In fact, I played xylophone for two years in marching band. Yes, I'm a band geek and I'm fucking proud of it. And while those, "this one time at band camp" stories are much exaggerated, they do have their basis in truth and band camp was always fun. I sing though I've never really done so publicly more than the occasional solo in church. But let me get in my truck and I will put on a whole damn performance for you. I listen to a wide and varied array of music, artists, genres and eras. Music is an obsession with me (have you seen my tattoos?) and I don't know what I would do without it as it helps me to relax, it pumps me up, and it helps me process my daily struggles and joys.

I went to college. I had fun at college. I had so much fun at college at the age of 18 that I left after my freshman year. (This is probably the basis for how I came to be known as Drinkerbell.) I did go back when I was a little older, a little wiser and even managed to walk away with an Associates Degree. That's right. I'm a Paralegal who doesn't use the degree that she worked her ass off for while maintaining and kicking ass at a full-time job in a law firm. Good times.

Now, this may shock some of you, but I'm married. What may shock some of you more is that this is my second marriage. We won't discuss the first one because I consider it a learning experience and we all have things we learn and grow from. What may shock some of you even more than all of that? My husband, my current husband, and I met on the internet. And to tell you how long ago it was? We met in a Yahoo chat room back when dating apps didn't exist. Crazy, right? I guess it has worked out as we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary yesterday.

I have two children and they are and remain my greatest accomplishments, joy and cause of frustration. They're teenagers; they can't help it. They are beautiful, intelligent, strong, independent, empathetic, and hard-headed. In my eyes they are perfect!

Now, you may be asking, "How the hell did you end up writing erotic romance?" I've said it many, many times - I have a dirty, creative mind and I'm not afraid to use it. It took me a while to step out of my comfort zone of writing stories for myself and into the publishing world, but here we are.

This week I did a Q&A on my Instagram and I think I may have shocked quite a few people with not only the questions that were asked of me, but also my answers to those questions. As I've said, I'm an open book and I will tell you most anything you want to know. Yes, I write very sensual and erotic scenes in my books. Yes, some of those scenes contain sexual toys and situations that aren't considered vanilla. Will I ever take those scenes further than what would be considered normal sex scenes? Maybe. I don't deal in absolutes. I grow every day on this journey. My thoughts, ideas, and feelings today, are not the same I had a year ago, not even a month ago, and I don't know where my crazy, messed up mind may take me in the future.

I hope this gives you some background on me, a glimpse of how I came to be. If you have questions, ask them! Don't be shy!

As always, much love from me to you!

Shelly (aka Dawn Love)