My teeth are so clean right now.

In my forty-one years of existence, I have come to find that people do not love visiting the dentist as much as I do. This is weird to me because I love the dentist. I mean, my dentist (Dr. Mike) is super cute... but in addition to that, my dental hygienist (Bre) is amazing!

The last time I went to the dentist, there was a scheduling SNAFU and it was awful for everyone involved. When I say "everyone," I do mean Bre and me. I had things to tell her, you know? I had gotten a kitten (Harvey) and I wanted to tell her all about him!

Fortunately, I have Bre's cell number so I was able to text her with the pertinent information, but it was a grade-A bummer not to be able to talk to her face to face about my precious long-haired wonder.

Whatever. Let's focus on the positive, shall we?

Today, Bre and I were once again reunited. We had a lot to catch up on... and I'd like to point out that this is a challenge when one person (Bre) is pretty much required to have her hands in the other person's (me) mouth. Despite these difficulties, we made it work. And now I'm going to tell you all the reasons I love Bre and why your dental hygienist isn't quite as stellar as mine.

First of all, Bre reads my book. She encourages her husband Jake to read it as well, but he has yet to board the Hannah Rae Bandwagon. It's not that he doesn't read; he just prefers a different genre. Nevertheless, I think he'd like The Way Back because it's an adventure and he knows me.

Jake, if Bre has gotten you to read this, I'd like to point out that I recommended some really solid music (Caamp) that you apparently enjoy. Therefore, can we not deduce that you'd also love some really solid literature written by me? Hannah Rae? Um.. the answer is "yes."

Back to my book.

Bre loves the fact that it's chunked. As a mother of a small child (Layne is nineteen months), she is overwhelmed by an entire novel sitting on her nightstand. She loves the chunking of The Way Back, though! I've had so many busy moms share this same sentiment with me.

So... I'm planning to post 2/3 of the novel and then release the final third in one go (for cheap; don't worry!) because my stopping point is so suspenseful (in my opinion) that I think folks will be angry if I don't just release it right then and there. So... is it a marketing ploy? Maybe kinda-sorta? But I'm not making money on it. I'm making exactly ZERO DOLLARS on this endeavor. I just want to get my manuscript out there and share my characters with the world.

Let's get back to Bre.

Other reasons that I love her include the fact that she was listening to Caamp in her kitchen after I recommended them and Jake, her husband, walked in and was like, "Who's this?"

And Bre was able to say, "This is Caamp. Remember Hannah? Arlo's owner? She recommended them."

Of course Jake remembered me! How many patients have dogs the same age as their German shorthaired pointer (Oakley) who are cool enough to meet at Appalachian Brewing Company for "yappy hour"? I actually don't know the answer to this question, but I hope it's not many. I like to think I am unique in this regard.

Here are some other noteworthy things that occurred at today's appointment:

Bre used not-great-tasting toothpaste on my teeth, but she did it in a really sneaky way because she was doing an experiment. As she coated my teeth with this weird fruity-tasting concoction (it almost tasted pink, if that makes sense), I thought to myself, "Why is this not mint?" And then when she finished cleaning my teeth (which feel unbelievably clean, mind you), she asked, "What'd you think of that flavor?"

I said, "Well, I didn't really like it."

She admitted it was supposed to taste like bubblegum but I thought it tasted like fruit punch. Bre said she had another patient say it tasted like Fruity Pebbles. I told her that I've never tried Fruity Pebbles and she thought that was unbelievable/hilarious because Fruity Pebbles is her dad's favorite cereal. I think the fact that a dad's -- any dad's -- favorite cereal is Fruity Pebbles is ridiculous! So we laughed over that.

Another great thing that happened is that I tried a new fluoride flavor. I'd normally opt for mint (though the other flavor -- caramel, maybe? -- is really good too), but today I chose melon. It tastes like cantaloupe, friends! You've gotta try it. If you don't already go to Littlestown Dental Associates to get your teeth cleaned, you're going to want to switch now so you can 1) experience melon-flavored fluoride, and 2) have Bre clean your teeth.

I really do adore that girl. You're going to adore her as well. She's amazing.