We have a student worker in our office this summer. She isn’t just some random kid, no she’s the great-granddaughter of the company’s founder. Lately, she’s been helping me sort through some very dusty, boring paperwork which means she sits in my office.
She’s 18…I think, so I shouldn’t feel so bad, but she’s one of those kids who just looks innocent. Me + innocent teenager = corruption. Why? Because I can’t function without my music to get me through the day. My MP3 player will roll through anything from ABBA and Santigold to Jay-Z and Slipknot with a stop in just about every genre in between. This means um, some swearing…in some cases, it means a LOT of swearing.
But that isn’t all. Oh no, I also mumble to myself throughout the day. I know I do it, but I can’t really help it. Maybe it’s a product of having spent too many years griping about people under my breath, but I talk out loud. And naturally, not all of that talk is G-rated. I’ve never hidden the fact that I have a foul mouth. My writing even reflects it, but when I’m around certain people, I do attempt to curb it.
Except I keep forgetting she’s sitting in my office. So when I get an e-mail I’m not happy about, I mumble something along the lines of “oh for f***’s sake!” and anything else I can think of that may (or may not) help me vent some of my stress and irritation.
I’m not ashamed…per se. More like I’m thinking, ‘Please don’t tell your great-grandfather’…he’s 94 and still tours the yards and he’s an utter sweetheart…who once trained to be a priest. Yeah…a priest. You see? Corruption is just a word away.
Oh, I suppose I should mention that yes, my manuscripts contain a lot of salty language. It’s well, second-nature to have my characters speak like I do. If I get published, it’ll probably offend some people (I’ve read a few complaints from well-know authors who don’t believe romance heroines should talk like sailors), but it’s language I’m actually comfortable with. Does this mean I can’t have a completely non-offensive, intelligent conversation? Naw, I can hold my own. I even know some pretty good words when I want to use them.
I’m just a Southern girl who swears like a sailor, listens to music other people find offensive, and I’m fine with that. It’s who I am.
So now the question is…who out there will I need to use a filter for if I meet up with them at Nationals?