 |
| My first car :) A Holden Gemini, named Gem. Original, huh? |
I've never told anyone this, but I loved to ride the clutch and rev the motor at the traffic lights. And despite having a car with a relatively weak motor, I'd challenge myself to take off before the other cars so I had my pick of a lane :o)
I also liked to speed. Especially after I got a taste of driving my boyfriend's Crysler Valiant Charger. But I didn't, because I couldn't afford the tickets. So, in order to get my thrill, I'd push the speed limit to the limit, even when other cars around me were going slow (such as when approaching traffic lights), weave in and out of them, and screech the brakes on at the last second. It wasn't against the law, was it? I was still driving at the speed indicated on the sign. yes, yes, yes ...
... but one day, it almost got me killed.
I was on my way to work (waitressing job, here), in my black and white pristine attire, when I was approaching red traffic lights where there were quite a few cars lined up and idling. I think I must have been about 20 - 30 meters away, when the lights turned green.
So, I didn't slow down.
I approached the sluggish cars at 80 kilometers an hour, while the others were maybe going 10 to 15. I thought I was safe because my lane was empty and knew I was able to zip through with ease. But a woman decided to change into my lane, obviously without looking in her rear-view mirror.
I slammed on the breaks and spun my steering wheel to the right so as not to hit her, but one of my wheels got caught on the median strip and my car spun around a couple of times and into the middle of the four lane highway. Before I could even take a breath and realize what just happened, a truck came toward me at full speed. I gasped as my eyes sprung right open at the shock, and listened to the truck's raging motor and horn zoom by like a jet plane blowing through a tuba.
It missed me. By centimeters. I didn't have a scratch on me and neither did my car.
I was one lucky girl. Since then, my driving habits are not what they used to be.
Do/Did you like to speed? Have you ever had a car accident? Tell me about it. (Don't forget to guess which page in String Bridge the line in the title falls to enter the contest!)
________________________
________________________
Participating in my String Bridge blog tour today are the following magnificent and unique individuals. Please visit these blogs and follow, and maybe even read a few of their previous posts! I'm hoping this blog tour will also bring more readers and writers together, other than just promote my book!
Dawn Ius & Bridge Social Media ~ (Review) This gal is one of my closest friends, so don't expect any negativity here! :o)
"Brainy but sassy author of adult thriller and paranormal romantic suspense fiction. When not writing, you'll find me at creepy crossroads with my awesome family and three bullmastiff hounds. You know, just skulking around."
Jim Murdoch ~ (Review) Jim offers an honest male perspective.
"I am a 52-year-old writer. I began late in life but have made steady, if somewhat erratic, progress. I am currently putting the finishing touches to my fifth novel."
Judy Croome ~ (Interview) In which I offer my opinion on coarse language in literature.
"I talk too much. I get overexcited when something catches my interest. I'm vegetarian because how can I eat animals? I may as well eat my cat! When time allows, I escape to the bush or the mountains to restore a sense of calm and timeless rhythm to my life. ... I write because I believe that words have great power: they can bring comfort, joy and hope. They can reveal secrets and lies. And, while they may not change the world, they can - at their best - change people's lives, even if only for a moment."
Len Lambert ~ (Interview) In which I talk about why I don't really suffer from writer's block.
"I created this blog as a personal journal sometime in 2007. I used to write about life in general, places, fashion and dining out. I think this blog has evolved a lot since then. I now write more on film and book recommendations (reviews) and chats/interviews with authors and writers. Every now and then, I also post about how I'm doing with my writing and what I'm learning from reading and workshops on creative writing. And of course, there are also days when I blog about being a mother and a wife."
"I created this blog as a personal journal sometime in 2007. I used to write about life in general, places, fashion and dining out. I think this blog has evolved a lot since then. I now write more on film and book recommendations (reviews) and chats/interviews with authors and writers. Every now and then, I also post about how I'm doing with my writing and what I'm learning from reading and workshops on creative writing. And of course, there are also days when I blog about being a mother and a wife."
The Secret Writer ~ (blog love day) I have no idea what Calum will be posting here, but there will be a post nonetheless!
"My real name is Calum and I live in the UK. I started writing when I was fairly young, but have only started to write seriously over the past number of years. I have written and had published, quite a few articles for a variety of newspapers, journals and corporate websites. I also recently have started to write and publish a number of book reviews. As my full time day job is involved in the field of healthcare, reading, writing and blogging is my best way of chilling out after a hard day at 'the office'!"
"My real name is Calum and I live in the UK. I started writing when I was fairly young, but have only started to write seriously over the past number of years. I have written and had published, quite a few articles for a variety of newspapers, journals and corporate websites. I also recently have started to write and publish a number of book reviews. As my full time day job is involved in the field of healthcare, reading, writing and blogging is my best way of chilling out after a hard day at 'the office'!"
________________________
Contest DEETS in brief:
If you missed MY INTRODUCTORY POST, here're the basics:
- You read the line in the title and guess which page it appears in the book. (people who have read the book can not compete, sorry!)
- You write your guess in the comments.
- On Friday November 11th, the Amazon Chart Rush day, I'll announce the winner. The winner will be the person who first guesses a number CLOSEST to the page a line falls on. If you guess and comment on all TEN lines (from Nov 1st - 10th) you'll have ten chances at winning the prize.
Not going to be around on the 11th? Purchase String Bridge now via Lucky Press, LLC.
Please TWEET & FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!
I love to speed and usually do without even noticing it. I'll look at the speedometer and see I'm going 90 mph or more! Thankfully, no tickets or accidents. Guess I my guardian angel is watching out for me.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone who just got their licence is in love with the power that is in their control. We all do it for a while. Until we realize how little control we actually have.
ReplyDeleteI think that is so common at 18! I have had impatient, weave in and out habits... even got a ticket at one point for no seat belt. But I've definitely outgrown it for the most part. I suppose I still push it on the freeway, but not recklessly.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your release, and GREAT job on all those blogs participating in your push!
I have been reminded that I did not guess a page...so.....since I can't just say somewhere between page 1 and the end.....I will say page 115.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been a scary one.
ReplyDeleteMy similar experience was when I worked as a police officer. I was driving to a burglary in progress at about 2 am--no traffic on the roads.
Seeing no one, I slowed and made a left turn onto a side street, and all the suddent there was a car in front of me.
The driver was drunk and moving at a high rate of speed. He had run the red light and somehow missed T-boning me--I never saw him until he was driving in front of me.
It is a bad feeling.
I was in one accident in my life. It was after a job interview in Los Angeles. I was about 25 at the time, I guess. I glanced down for two seconds to change the radio station and in front of me, a truck slammed on his breaks. I spun out of control and it was only by sheer luck that no one in the five other lanes on that LA freeway didn't hit me. So scary!
ReplyDeleteGlad that truck didn't hit you. Yikes!
I was always a speed demon. Having kids was the only thing that slowed my butt down. And yep, I've been in two accidents. Well, three if you count when I rear-ended my boyfriend at a stop sign. (He double-stopped!) :D As for the page the title is on... hmm... How does that work on the Kindle??? ;p I'll say 40 percent! ;p
ReplyDeleteGlad you weren't hurt~ <3
A rainslicked road nearly got me, on the freeway, going near 70mph. I hydroplaned, fish-tailed, cut through the median, narrowly missed a bridge pylon, and was in the oncoming traffic across the freeway going full-speed, afraid to hit the brakes because I finally had some control over the vehicle. I managed to get to the shoulder before bad things happened.
ReplyDelete- Eric
I rolled a truck doing 70 om the interstate. I hydroplaned and flipped numerous times. It was a miracle I walked away with only cracked ribs. Truck was totalled though.
ReplyDeleteI drove into the side of a house once in HS, because chinese food tipped over in the front seat. Looked up in time to see the outside light post going over my hood.
ReplyDeleteI do like to speed! Sports cars were not meant to be driven slow.
ReplyDeleteBut with age and wisdom, I've learned not to weave in and out of traffic and generally drive like a maniac. No accidents though. Just safer driving.
Except that I still like to speed.
Wow, Jess! You were super lucky!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your launch day! xx
Happy launch day, suga! <3 Here's hoping many more people read the genius of your words.
ReplyDeleteUh, yes. I still do all those things. I like to speed, a lot. I like to beat people out of the light.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy launch day!!
I used to be mad at speed limit signs. I'd say, "The only speed limit is the speed of light, and even that is questionable."
ReplyDeletePage 22!
I am and always have been a slow, cautious, boring, sit one inch from the steering wheel driver.
ReplyDeleteI've had one car accident that was my fault, when I was 16. Then I got rear ended once, years ago. Other than that I am the most boring, conservative driver you could ever meet. I like to take my risks in other ways.
ReplyDeleteI can't drive. Not for the want of trying, something to do with a lack of spatial awareness. I've been a passenger in one nasty accident, though.
ReplyDelete