Five Things You May Not Know About Mia Downing...

Today I'm doing something we've been doing on Facebook--posting things people may not know about you. Of course, someone knows some of this stuff. I don't have enough skeletons in my closet to surprise the world. But I do have a few neat things you may not know. I'm going to do five writing things and five personal things.

Writing:
1) I don't write scenes in order. I write the beginning, then the ending, then fill in the middle. Scenes are all out of order and come when the muse strikes.

2) I wrote my first story in 4th grade when I wrote the sequel to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I didn't like how the book ended and I wanted more, so I filled a spiral notebook with a really neat story.

3) I didn't always write erotic romance. My first penned romances were historicals and they were quite unsexy. I also have a few unsexy contemporaries in boxes under my bed.

4) I have my fingers in many areas of the publishing world. I was a technical writer and an editor before I published my first fiction novel.

5) I let my editor, Diana Carlile, have #5 because I got stuck. She said you'd find it interesting that I do write to a playlist (certain songs for certain characters) and I like to torture my characters. I think she means with conflict, though there are a few heroes I've written I'd love to tie to my bedpost and torture with kisses... Anyway. That's two things, but she's the boss so she gets to say whatever she likes.

Personal things:
1) I have SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) which is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks healthy cells in your body. I have been diagnosed since 1997 and have both skin and major organ involvement. To read more, visit The Lupus Foundation of America.

2) I am scared of heights. I hate the glass elevator in the mall and my kids laugh when I hide in the corner with my face stuffed toward the metal side.

3) I worked in a restaurant as a line chef for 2 years. My family won't eat any of the recipes I can make.

4) I am not a big fan of movies. I go to one or two a year. That means I have to work harder scoping out the hot male actors.

5) Neither my husband or I wear a wedding ring (I do have a beautiful ring, though.) A ring is a safety hazard in both of our day jobs. Both of us know people in our professions who have lost their ring finger in an accident.  :-O I wear mine for special occasions and when we go out.

What about you? Is there anything you want to share? :-) Don't be shy!

Thanks for stopping by!