Freaky Fun

The other day I was working on the edits for Lust, Loathing And A Little Lip Gloss at Starbucks when the guy next to me (who looked as if he either lived in the gym or off of steroids) leaned over with a flirtatious smile, pulled out a thermos and said, “Hey, you wanna share some of my protein shake?’

It is people like him who endear me to LA. After living in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and briefly in New York I thought I had met every kind of eccentric there was to meet but now, here in LA, I’ve been discovering that there are entire categories of freaks that I didn’t even know existed!

It’s not just the fitness-freaks. It’s the I-like-picking-up-girls-while-stuck-in-traffic-even-if-their-kid’s-in-the-car freaks. It’s the my-spirit-guides-have-told-me-to-turn-my-psychic-abilities-into- the-basis-of-a-new-reality-TV-show freaks. Or even the my-dog-has-his-own-therapist-and-acupuncturist freaks (who might actually be less shocking than the I-share-my-acupuncturist-WITH-my-dog freaks…but I suppose that’s a matter of opinion).

It’s all really quite wonderful. Freaks are the most entertaining of people. I always feel flattered when they honor me with their attention and unusual banter (although I do strongly discourage men from trying to pick me or anyone else up when a child is in the car…that’s not so much freaky as it is tacky).

That said it should be known that I consider myself to be an I-worship-all-things-Starbucks freak. I also can’t seem to pass a dry leaf without crunching it under my feet. I live in a neighborhood that is full of trees that shed their leaves so my late-afternoon walks aren’t so much strolls as they are half-hour stomping events. So with that in mind I’m certainly not going to be overly judgmental of other people’s peculiarities. I’m just glad that I don’t have to strain the limits of my imagination in order to come up with new outrageous characters for my novels. I just have to walk outside and wait for someone to offer me half a protein shake.

Kyra Davis
Bestselling Author of:
SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE,
PASSION, BETRAYAL AND KILLER HIGHLIGHTS,
OBSESSION, DECEIT AND REALLY DARK CHOCOLATE
and
SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING