Wise words from Keanu Reeves! He has the right attitude towards being single. I wasted time with many predators when I should have been loving myself. I enjoy my own company, like Keanu. I am honestly the funniest person I know. I crack myself up. LOL

I am showing off my international  page views for the week here! United States	179
Germany	6
Ukraine	6
Brazil	5
Cambodia	4
Portugal	4
Unknown Region	3
France	3
Argentina	2
Canada	2

I get very excited when new people from different countries view my blog. Thank you for visiting! I just found an international meme that I thought might amuse you.

I would really love to travel somewhere peaceful, like Switzerland. I am sure all countries have danger and problems, but I sometimes think that I might be happier and safer, somewhere else.

I took my car in the shop and the shuttle driver remembered taking me to the last house that I previously lived in. When he saw where I was living now, he said to me, "What happened? I saw the house you used to live in. You lived in a beautiful house, in a beautiful neighborhood, just blocks from the beach!" His words reminded me of everything I had lost for reminiscing too much about the past and going off my medication. I regret divorcing my husband in search of a better life/mate. I have lost so much, mostly time with my children. There are years of their youth that remain fuzzy to me. I don't miss the pretentiousness of my old neighborhood though.

At first I thought that living up La Costa was much crappier than the neighborhood we left behind. The house we are renting now is shabby and ancient. Our neighbors all have pitbulls and other huge dogs. I wondered, at first, if they needed these dogs for protection, from the mean streets of La Costa. We have never been that friendly with our neighbors, so living here, with little to no contact with our neighbors, is nothing new. On top of that, some slob keeps having sex in his car or something, and leaving his used condoms in the middle of the street. I have no idea which slob is doing this. It remains a mystery.

Anywho. I was thinking about what the shuttle driver said to me and wondering about my path in life. It reminded me of the song, Once In A Lifetime by the Talking Heads. "How did I get here?"

 I am just lucky to be back living with my family, with a roof over my head. I am blessed to have family, friends, food, and shelter, for sure.

http://www.openculture.com/2019/02/how-talking-heads-and-brian-eno-wrote-once-in-a-lifetime.html#comments

We all want what we can’t have. “You’re not mine, I can’t deny it!”  Love ❤️ Chaka Khan!

Ha ha ha! Saturday Night Live!

So, last year, I submitted my book, The Voices, into a Writers Digest competition to see what people thought of it. I got some helpful feedback. It wasn't the best or the worst there. I think I lost points writing what the voices were telling me verbatim. I did not embellish so that it would make more sense or make the story more cohesive. She called the dialogue forced and wooden, meaning dull? My voices made my life hell. That is where all the action is at. How can I convey that better? The voices in my head are telling the story.  The voices say many strange and repetetive things to me. I will just shrug off that criticism.  Who knows? Maybe I will write another book. My book, The Voices, is available on Amazon!

Below is a brief commentary for your entry in the 6th Annual Writer’s Digest  Self-Published eBook Awards, thank you for participating this year!

(If you submitted more than one entry, please note that the commentaries may not be delivered at the same time. All commentaries will however be sent by EOB on January 31st.)

Entry Title: The Voices

Author: Danielle Flore

Writing as (if applicable): 

Entry Category: Mystery/Thriller

A few quick notes~

• Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”.
• The 1-5 scale is strictly to provide a point of reference; the scores are meant only to be a gauge, and are not a cumulative score, nor are they tallied or used in ranking. 
• A "0" is not a negative score. Our online review system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations. As a result, we've substituted a “0” in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry, a cookbook, or a travel guide would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal, and may therefore receive a “0” - indicating that the rating was not applicable.
• If you wish to reference this review on your website, we ask that you cite it as such: “Judge, 5th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards.”
• You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole.
• Please keep in mind that only the actual book judged, may accompany the reference. For example, hard bound versions, later/edited versions etc. would not qualify.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 4

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 4

Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

Plot and Story Appeal: 3

Character Appeal and Development: 3

Voice and Writing Style: 3

Judge’s Commentary*:

In The Voices, a mystery / thriller novel written by Danielle Flore, we are presented with a moody and haunting tale of black magic, the even blacker depths of a human soul, and the subtle manipulations we allow ourselves in the name of love. The title for the novel seems to this reader to be haunting and captivating, providing a suggestive entry point to the work that establishes keen alignment with the genre and strong expectations. The dialogue here is sometimes problematic and clunky, sounding a little off in a way that causes the reader to stumble and question the characterizations. It’s hard to nail dialogue, especially when juggling characters, but it’s crucial to maintain a sense of realism and, to my ear, this element often seemed a little forced and wooden. The overall design of the book is professional. It features an interior layout that is crisp and clean with text design on each page that is readable and presented soundly. It may seem minor, but getting the interior in order is an important step in getting the reader hooked and able to enter into the flow of the work! Also, the cover image for the book is moody and emotional, capturing the reader’s interest right from the get go.

The other day, on Twitter, a hashtag was trending, #exposeachristianschool, where people were sharing their horror stories. Fortunately, for me, the extent of it was dealing with snotty prep school kids and being snubbed by them. After moving to San Diego 20 years ago, I still am see many of them about. I saw one of them at Target last weekend and was greeted with a Resting Bitch Face. Alison Dalley still would never condescend to speak to me, because my family was neither popular, nor rich.

When I see some of the most vicious people from grammar school, on Facebook, they are usually touting their Catholicism, as they have children in the same Catholic grammar school. I was not that impressed by my Catholic grammar school. Long gone are the days of being taught by nuns, many of our teachers were not even Catholic, and therefore, could not reinforce or nurture our young Catholic minds. Fortunately, I made a handful of friends there though.

My Catholic high school was brutal, on the whole. I thought that by moving out of the Brentwood area, I would find nicer, more down-to-earth classmates. Sherman Oaks was not much better. I was snubbed in high school too. I think that just goes along with the high school experience. It was cut-throat. I was surrounded by "Mean Girls," as well as being a "Mean Girl" myself. Much of what was said in high school and many things that I said, echo in my brain permanently. I have high school horror stories, on repeat, in my brain.

I was more than snubbed. By the end of my four high school years, I was a social outcast. It was heartbreaking. I would rather not think about it. I believe that my social experiences and the hurtful words spoken to me though out my Catholic schooling helped shape my mental illness.

I went into college, looking for love, and I did not find it there. What a let-down! Bring on the depression! My old-fashioned mother would have loved me to find my husband, in college. But I never acquired the social skills or social cunningness rather, to acquire that cool, good-looking, most coveted boyfriend, in college. I wasn't up for the competition, like some people. I just wasn't ready for love either. I do think it takes a competetive, "type A personality" to land that super good-looking, rich husband. It is a calculated journey.

On a positive note, I am convinced that my husband and I are at a stage in our lives, where no one wants to steal my husband from me and vice-versa. Other women, may not be able to sleep that easy, where that is concerned. You know who you are.