The Story Of Five Friends...

...picked to write in a blog and have their reading adventures taped in the real world, where reviews stop being polite and start being REAL. (Real NICE, compared to some OTHER people...sheesh)

LOL.

Everyone has a story and we're no different.

Since we've been blogging together for going on 7 months now, we here at Sanctuary's Finest thought it was about time that we shared our story with our readers. So, we're going to take a trip down memory lane and share the events that happened between us five friends that led us to where we are today....here at Sanctuary's Finest.

You see, it all started on a cold, dark and dreary December afternoon. I (Dylan) had been posting at my favorite author at the time's bulletin board for a few weeks and while I was friendly with everyone, I didn't really have a set friend of the people that posted on the bulletin board. I remember I was super busy during the day so by the time I got around to checking the bulletin board, it was already late afternoon and the party hoppin' post was a quiz. A Vampire quiz. I went in and saw that everyone was having a good time and because I couldn't be left out, I took the quiz and to my surprise found out I was a Vampire Ho....as were everyone else from California. It was then that friendships sparked up between all of the women from California on the board. As time grew, we all started growing closer and closer, I remember meeting Isabel through this set of women and becoming really close with her through chats and emails and of course, through the board.

So many memories come to mind when I think back to where we met, how we met and the conversations Izzy and I used to have on MSN, that girl is a straight up crack head....which is why we got along so well because I'm a crackhead too! I remember when I got the email about Izzy going on a blind date with her now husband, Joey. Oh gosh that was a memorable email, all of us hoey women were very vocal about Izzy wearing her CFM boots. That's Come Fuck Me boots for those who don't know. Joey still thanks us for those til this day. hehe. I remember when our Gracie girl was still in HIGH SCHOOL and now she's a big bad Uni girl now. We've been friends for the past 4 years now. My how the time flies.

It was through that same board that we met our favorite spawn, Holly. Holly's sense of humor is one that is so catchy that you couldn't help but befriend her. We could joke around all day and never run out of things to laugh about. This is one girl that is quick to jump in her car to meet a new friend and the first time Holly drove out to L.A. to see me, I was so excited. We did absolutely NOTHING but gosh it was so much fun. You would have thought that meeting someone you've met online would have slowed us down in our enthusiasm to meet each other, but it wasn't like that with Holly and myself. When she pulled up in front of my house, I was so darned happy to see her that I was all giddy.

You should know that the first few times, okay so ALL the damn time, we've met up, we hit up the bookstore, that's all we ever did, we spent the majority of our time together in a bookstore. The longer our friendship went on, the longer we spent talking on the phone about every damn thing you could ever think to talk about.

Holly was then initiated into our Cali Hoes crew and along with Holly came....our favorite Jersey girl, Jazz. You see, Jazz and Holly met online at the same boards that we all frequented and she introduced her to us and of course, a new friend was brought into the circle and so much was had between all of us girls. We're nothing but trouble when we're all chatting together, it's horrible.

Since we've met online, Holly and myself have driven out to Izzy's wedding to spend her special day with her, Grace has flown out from Australia, AUSTRALIA ya'll to spend a few weeks juggled between Holly and myself and we have plans to meet up with Jazz this coming fall in Vegas. I have some of the best memories with these four women and I am so blessed to have met them. They make my work days a whole lot better and my phone lines busy.

And I couldn't ask for anything more.

I (Holly) could, but since you aren't offering the lotto jackpot or some Scottish Highlander with ten inches, I'll just move right along with the story...

So, yeah, we all met on an author BB and became very good friends. I was amazed at the warmth and sincerity Izzy and Dylan offered when I met them, and Grace, well, Grace just astounded me. It was crazy. Jazz, well, she's like my evil twin sister, because while I'm outspoken and generally just bitchy, she's five times worse. What's not to love there?

So, anyway, somewhere along the line, in one of our many (I'm not kidding when I say many, either. My Inbox is FLOODED daily...I'm LUCKY to only have 100 emails from these crazy chicky's..IN ONE DAY!) emails, someone mentioned something about reviewing books. I think it's because Izzy had a blog already and she talked me and Dylan into starting one, and then we talked Gracie-girl into it. We do that, you know. Get suckered into doing something and then forcing Gracie-girl to do it, too. We're good like that.

Anyway, we were already reviewing books on our respective personal blogs when someone (I'm pretty sure it was Dylan, cuz she's the instigator of the group, no matter what she says about me) suggested we start a group blog to review books. So we did. In the beginning it was just me, Dee, Izzy and Grace, but we eventually talked Jazz into joining us (and starting her own blog..even though she was a big scardy cat! Aren't you glad now, Jazz?), and she's definitely been a welcome addition here at SF. We're lucky to have her!

Oh whatever, you big fruit cake (now I know you're going to be all confused but it's Dylan again) you know good and well that a Highlander with a ten incher would scare the ever living crap out of you and you wouldn't know what to do with it, because like Jaine Bright said in LH's Mr. Perfect (don't you just love it how we can quote romance novels off the top of our heads?), anything over 8 inches is for show and tell. So don't even try to be claiming any different.

Pfftt (Yep, Holly again), so you say. But I'm all about it. Really. It could work. And back to Dylan...

As for the instigator comment, I do not think so, you know good and well that you are the instigator in most everything (see how accommodating I can be, I'll take my share of the blame in that one), but you missy are the main instigator.

Holly here again. You didn't think I was going to let that slide, did you? I have never been the instigator here. Not one single time. They're the ones who start stuff. I swear. Would this innocent face lie? See, I knew you'd have my back.

So anyway, through numerous phone calls, endless three way phone conversations, hour long chat sessions on MSN and from posting non stop on boards such as our favorite author's bb and our very own board that we started last year, Sanctuary, the five of us girls have gotten extremely close and I must warn you, if you mess with one of us, you mess with ALL of us, but that shouldn't come as a surprise since isn't that the way of things between friends?

So there you have it fellow readers, the story of five strangers picked to be friends in this wonderful cyber world and becoming sisters in the space of a few years...ain't friendship grand?