Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Mission: Clean

By Christine DePetrillo

Let me start off by saying that I love to clean. I admit it. Some people have labeled me OCD, Type A, and anal retentive. I’ll confess to being all of those and much more. Maybe it’s a disease. I don’t know. What I do know is that you could eat off my kitchen floor any day of the week and I love that.

What motivates me to clean? Well, first of all, I loathe germs. I know they are lurking all over the place, just waiting to attack me, hoping for a weak spot in my immune system. They aren’t going to win. Oh, no. I slay them with my bleach sword. Mr. Clean (love me a bald dude) is my sidekick and we show no mercy. Maybe I can’t see you, Germ, but I’ll kill you anyway. That’s a promise.

Secondly, clutter is not acceptable. If I go into someone’s house that is what the owner calls “lived in,” you can pretty much guarantee I won’t come back. Not without my cleaning toolbox anyway. It is very possible to “live” without being a total slob. Even animals know not to make a mess of their dens. Sheesh. And don’t even think about offering me food if your house is less than pristine. Not if your countertops have half-eaten, unidentifiable items stuck to it. Shudder. No thanks.

Thirdly, I’m motivated to clean when I have the right music going. When the beats are pumping, I can turn my cleaning ritual into an entire dance routine/cardio workout. It might be club music that I’m shaking my booty to while I scrub the shower stall. Could be I’m slamming around to some alternative rock or heavy metal while creating perfectly parallel lines in the rug with the vacuum. I may also get a little exotic with belly dancing and some Indian music while dusting the bookshelves. I look pretty stupid I’m sure, but I’m crossing cleaning and exercising off my list at the same time. The only thing I love more than cleaning, folks, is crossing things off my To-Do List.    

So, you probably think I’m a nutcase, and that’s okay. Maybe I am. But I’m a clean nutcase. Super clean.

If you remember Death to Germs, Say No to Clutter, and Rock Out, Clean Up, your 2012 will be your tidiest year yet!

****

A great way to start the new year is with a release day! Today, ABRA CADAVER, my dark paranormal romance from The Wild Rose Press, is available for download.


Here’s the blurb:

Holly Brimmer never expected to be brought back from the dead. After a fatal car crash, a mysterious stranger gives her a second chance at life—but it comes with a price. To stay alive she must pay it forward, accomplish an important deed, thus making her mark in the world. Until she does, her savior is bound to her. Now she has a backyard full of dead bodies and one unwanted houseguest.

Keane Malson kills bad guys to keep the innocent alive, but he’s still a monster. Cursed by a witch moments before an honorable death on the battlefield, he’s lived thousands of years, roaming from place to place with no end in sight. It’s a lonely life…until he meets Holly.

When a wanted man targets Holly, Keane will do anything to protect her, even if it’s the last thing he ever does.

An excerpt:

Slowly, Keane sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Holly was enchanted by the way the black strands fell back into place. Her fingers literally itched with the need to feel Keane’s hair against her own skin so she stuffed her hands underneath her legs.

Keane slid his legs off the bed and, holding onto the headboard, he stood. Holly edged off the bed as well and prepared to support him. He held out a hand as if to tell her to give him a minute. He took a few steps deeper into the room and turned around.

“Feel better?” Sweet Mary, he looked better. Damn perfect standing at his full height and rubbing his stomach with his hand.

“Much.” He came to stand in front of her. He was close enough for her to wrap her arms around him, but she didn’t. “Don’t let me do that again, okay? I felt human for a few moments drinking that beer, but it’s not worth the pain.”

“Guess you need tighter supervision.” A heat washed over Holly’s cheeks as she glanced up. His eyes were back to the brilliant sky blue, his skin flawlessly pale.

“Yes, Miss Brimmer. That’s exactly what I need.” He grinned, and Holly forgot the rules.

Visit here to download today! Also available at Amazon for your Kindle and at my website.

Happy New Year!

Christine

6 comments:

Laura Breck said...

Hi Christine, I'm very impressed with your cleaning skills. I'm not as enthusiastic about it as you are, but I agree that music makes it easier to handle.

Congrats on your new release! It sounds like a fascinating book.

Jannine Gallant said...

Who would have thought we have a clean-o-holic lerking in our midst! LOL I can ignore dust for months, but clutter makes me crazy. Ask my kids and husband - I'm always yelling at them to pick up their stuff!

Best of luck with your new release!

Barbara Edwards said...

Just thinking about being so clean makes me shudder. Although I do keep the kitchen prime since I won't cook in clutter or mess.
New book sound great.

Margaret Tanner said...

Wow,
A cleaning freak.You can come visit my house. I don't like dirt or untidiness but I don't think I am as fanatical as you. I'd like to be, but it just doesn't seem to happen.

Cheers

Margaret

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Interesting blog. I think about becoming a clean freak again, but then I think what will people remember most about me when I die? That my floors were clean enough to eat off of or that I wrote interesting stories? Since I know I can clean, I prefer to donate my time to learning my craft--and I have so much to learn in that department.

Loved your excerpt. It, too, was clean...LOL. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Brenda Whiteside said...

I love clean but hate to clean!