I suppose genetics plays a role in a number of things, particularly medical conditions, but I wonder does genetics play a role in character traits? My grandmother was the quintessential hoarder, but I give her a bit of grace because she did grow up in the depression. I am not sure what my father’s excuse is. I’ve blogged before about being my father’s daughter and now I have to wonder if I also have the genetic propensity for hoarding. If hoarding is genetic, I’m doomed.

It’s ironic that my father, who always made fun of my grandmother, now displays equally impressive tendencies toward hoarding. The last time my brother-in-law went to visit, he was appalled at the lack of open space in my father’s house. When my mother was alive, she tended to keep my dad in check. Now that she has passed away-all bets are off.

My father claims that he is getting all the oil paintings, porcelain statues and whatever crap he buys on e-bay at amazing prices. He insists that when he passes away, we will make a fortune on all of his great buys. The night before I got married, he handed out these plastic backed cameos to all of his girls because he remembered how much my two sisters liked them.  He was so proud of himself because of course he got them for a steal. I looked at my older sister and it took all of our willpower not to burst out in laughter. We pocketed the priceless jewelry and said thanks. Of course it never mattered that cameos were never something I gravitated to and they’d gone out of style in the seventies.

I got married when it was legal in 2013.

At least now my father realizes that his paintings and other crap are not really going to allow him to make a killing on e-bay. He has no room in the house anymore, so his answer to this new dilemma is the purchase of watches. Watches take up less room than the other items. Thank God for small miracles.

I used to be the type of person who preferred sparse decorations. Knick knacks were my grandmother’s thing and I hated them. In my humble opinion all they ever did was collect dust and cause more housework. For some inane reason, I’ve selected partners who do not share my need to have the counters, desks, tables, etc. free from clutter. As I get older, it just isn’t important anymore, so I allow for the drift in my perspective.

 

So this doesn’t sound like I got the hoarding gene-but wait there’s more. Maybe I don’t gravitate to knick knacks or cutesy decorations, but I never met a tool, screw, nail, or any other home depot item I didn’t want to keep for all eternity. You never know when you might need them.

I also have a propensity for keeping documents that I might need at a later date-never mind the fact that I can’t ever find them again.

Hi, my name is Annette Mori and I am a hoarder like my father and grandmother before me. I need help. Is there a writer’s support group for other hoarders like myself?

Now that we are in the electronic age, I can keep every last version of my books on my computer. Do I need them, absolutely not, but who cares about needs when we are destined to follow our desires. I have a pathological need to track the evolution of my work. I suppose it can be a testament to how far I’ve come as a writer or more accurately how talented my editors are.

I also asked myself what else do I hoard and was aghast to realize that my need to save every single cat or kitten that crosses my path may very well be a manifestation of my hoarding. Earlier this year, I wrote about the definition of crazy cat lady and now I realize it’s just the hoarding disease my father and grandmother passed along to me that explains this phenomenon.

By now everyone who reads my blogs understands my eccentricities and unconventional view of the world, so maybe someday I’ll write a love story about a woman obsessed with collecting things, because after all even us hoarders deserve love. A recent editor described my style as chatty, eccentric and colloquial. I had to ask my mentor if that was a bad thing. I haven’t heard back yet, but I suspect even if it is, she will remain her wonderfully kind and tactful self and put it in perspective for me.

So if any of you have a propensity toward hoarding, can you consider collecting my books?  LOL.

A link to the first chapter of Asset Management: First Chapter of Asset Management,.  My first novel, Love Forever, Live Forever, is available in both e-book and print format. Links below will get you to all the places you can purchase the book.   Keep scrolling down for the links to Asset Management. Thanks for supporting a new writer!!  Coming soon is my two new books, Out of This World and Locked Inside.

Amazon              Affinity E-Book Press         Smashwords        Barnes and Noble     Bella Books

Here are the links to Asset Management:

Amazon         Affinity E-Book Press      Smashwords     Barnes & Noble     Bella Books