We all have our little quirks and secrets, those habits and ‘favorites’ that make us oh-so-lovable to friends and family. And, yes, I’ve decided to subject you to 10 items of uh, interest, that you might be surprised to learn about me.

1. I was born in the car. At 5 weeks premature and a scrawny 4 pounds, I didn’t wait for my parents to make it to Grant Medical Center. According to my mom’s version of the story, most of the emergency room staff abandoned a man who had been stabbed so they could attend to me and my mom. An unusual entrance into the world, and maybe it explains why I can’t stand being late.

2. I’m a terrible library customer. I’ve almost given up going to the library. As much as I love it, I’m awful at returning books on time. I once owed $38 in fines! (I paid it.) and I’ve lost count as to how many books I’ve, uh, lost over the years of my patronage. Stark contrast to the anti-late trait within me.

3. I’m not afraid of spiders. Give me someone else’s shoe, and that arachnid is a goner. Unless, of course, anyone else nearby wants to volunteer…

4. I’m competitive at board games. Doesn’t matter which one--Boggle, Life, Pictionary, Taboo, whatever--expect a throw down if you’re not on my team. I can also hold my own at badminton, but my athletic prowess ends there.

5. I stink at Wii bowling. How is this possible? I thought, finally, at last, here’s my chance to bowl a decent game without bumpers. Even when others play against me left-handed, I’m still a disgrace.

6. I can hold my breath almost 2 minutes. I love swimming, especially underwater, and whenever I have a chance to enjoy the pool (which isn’t often, living in Ohio), I challenge myself to swim the length of the pool in one breath. It takes some doing, and I have to build on it, but being able to hold my breath for that long sure does help.

7. I “heart” dessert. My eyes sparkle when it’s time to look over the dessert menu at a restaurant. Cheesecake is a weakness, I admit, and dessert is always more delicious when you share.

8. I’ve never had a manicure. Gasp! Yes, I am of the female race, wear make-up, and all that, but I’ve never gone to a salon and had my nails done. Never. For one thing, I can’t stand chipped nail polish, and I mean just one chip on one nail. It’s right up there with being late. Beautiful as they are, a long, glamorous set of nails would only get in my way. But peeking at them now, maybe I should treat them to a clear coat.

9. I worked at Wendy’s for 4 hours. That was all it took for me to realize that I had no long-term future in making burgers or asking people if they wanted to Biggie-Size their order. Actually, it took a lot less than 4 hours to figure that out, especially when my co-workers had me water the plants (that were plastic) and hunt for the bun fluffer (which didn’t exist).

10. I could live on a deserted island with Cheese ’n Crackers. If Cheesecake isn’t available, I could see myself living happily with those Handi Snacks. I am just that low-maintenance kind of a gal. (Wait, we are talking a tropical island, right??)

Mercedes King is an Ohio native and founding member of Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio (affectionately dubbed SiCCO). With a degree in Criminology from Capital University and a passion for writing, she crafted O! Jackie, a novel focusing on the private life of Jackie Kennedy. She has also written The Kennedy Chronicles, a series of short stories featuring JFK and Jackie before they were married and before 'Camelot'. Mercedes writes in a variety of genres, including historical and mystery / suspense. In fact, she's working on creating a new genre, 'modern historical'.

Her newest release, Plantation Nation, follows the journey of Emma Cartwright, a 16 year old Southern girl who disguises herself as a young man and joins the Union Army.

Visit her sites, OJackiebook.com or Mercedesking.com . Contact her at Mercedes 'at' ojackiebook 'dot' com. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.