Got your attention with that title, huh? 

At the age of 18, I spent more than an hour in line at a street fair tattoo booth in Ocean Beach, California, staring at the displays of available artwork. Eventually, I left. Not because of any aversion to tattooing, but because I simply could not decide on one particular image to represent ME.

I still don't have a tattoo. For the same reason. And now I have a problem.

Writers are encouraged to have a brand, or a tagline, these days. A witty phrase or descriptive slogan to aid in marketing one's body of work. (Here's a great article by Kathy Carlton Willis about brands/taglines: Novel Journey: What's in a Tagline ~ by PR Lady Kathy Willis)

There's a lot of competition out there, and it's hard for agents and editors and readers to know who's who and what's what. It's like having an excellent logo ... one that sticks with you and reminds you of the product whenever you see it ... it's crucial to your business.

Now, I realize that many (most) of you haven't read my fiction writing, but if you've read my blog, you have a reasonably good idea what I'm all about. If you've ever written anything, you know you are helpless once the words are out. You can't even find your own typos, much less identify your "call sign" as a writer!

I'm having a terrible time putting my finger on what separates me from the rest of the herd. I can't seem to pinpoint any identifiable markings, so to speak. If you had twelve brown horses, you'd look for stars and blazes and socks and stockings to set them apart. In the same way a horse can't see the star between its eyes, I can't see what characteristics in my writing set me apart. I hope that's because I'm looking from the inside out. From in here, everything looks pretty random and jumbled! Imagine trying to describe yourself if you'd never looked in mirror. Or explaining the location of your house if you'd never left it. That's what this feels like.

I'm asking for your help ... words, ideas, impressions. As a reader, a friend, a family member, or a fellow blogger/writer, what comes to mind when you think of my writing?

This is the equivalent of sticking my head in the stocks and asking you to stick labels on me. Yes, it's a bit scary, but I've run smack into a wall with my own ideas beyond the one I can't just give myself: "New York Times bestselling author."

Impressions? Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?