That Time of the Year

On this day in the year 1862 the Mexican army defeated the French in the Battle of Puebla. A century (plus a decade or two) later, on this very same day, a squalling baby girl was born into (unto?) this world, and was greeted by the sights of piñatas and streamers and the sounds of the mariachi. While these things had absolutely nothing to do with her birth (and everything to do with handing the French their ass) the little girl didn’t know this, and grew up believing that Mexico loved and celebrated her existence, which may explain her unusual dependency on tequila, guacamole, and carnitas.

Eventually the girl did learn a few simple truths:

• Jose Cuervo is not your friend (or really even a tequila).


• Piñatas are a lot harder to break than they look.


• It’s hard to speak a second language while inebriated.


• And maybe, just maybe, Mexico doesn’t care about this strange cosmic coincidence, but it doesn’t hurt to try and let them know.

So basically what I’m saying is, “Feliz cumpleaños a mi!” Break out my men, Don Julio and Patron, and slice me up some orange (the viewing audience is free to try this at home). I made it through another year without doing any lasting physical harm to anyone (including myself), this deserves a round…and a celebration, so join me, Mexico.

I was going to be good and try to compile the list y’all have been building of your favorite midlisters, but you’re going to have to wait a day or two to see the final results. I’m not feeling too literary at the moment, so unless someone wants to offer me a ARC of Victoria Finlay’s newest, Jewels (which really is a very unselfish request as it’s really for me, the artist and the professor, the last two of whom will not buy the book until its out in paperback anyway, but why should they suffer that long), the new Shannon McKenna that’s not out yet (and if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right), or Wentworth Miller’s phone number (‘cause I think the man went to college for some literary degree or the like), this book chick will be out of commission for today.

And possibly tomorrow.

But rest assured, I’ll return a little older, a little wiser, and quite possibly a little hung over, but without a permanent police record.

So stop reading this and go add your midlist authors to this list!

Have you told an author you love them today?