CMA--No, not the Country Music Awards

CMA as in Cigar Media Association.

Guess who just entered the club?

Me.

Stop laughing.

I started this dang blog about a year and a half ago(ish) because I had a couple of great ideas for books, but in order to give my characters credibility, I needed to know more about the (cigar) world they live in. So I started researching.

You say "watching TV." I say "researching."

At the same time, Valentino and I started going to more in-shop events, dinners, spending more time investigating new cigar lounges, hanging at our close-to-home lounge, and travelling for bigger events (for example, CigarFest in some remote town in Pennsylvania, the CFCF Havana Nights fundraiser in Miami, and we JUST returned from Nicaragua). Sometimes funny things happened, sometimes interesting things happened, sometimes nothing happened but a good cigar wafted by, and that would spark a story just as much as a grand-doing.

I'm a storyteller by nature. (You should buy my books. Just sayin'.)

Superfriend Karl (Hi Karl!) says I'm not a cigar blogger; I'm a cigar storyteller. He's right. I don't care about the first third or any third for that matter, although if it's notable for one reason or another, I'll certainly tell you about it. I like the stories behind the cigars or the things that happen in my own little cigar world.  Is it cool to meet the owners and blenders? Yep. A round of picture-taking just to flaunt meeting them? Nope. But! If a story occurs during shenaniganning, then abso-kerflunkin-lutely you'll hear about it!

The actual Litto, actually dancing.
I guess it's the Litto Shuffle.

So what started as me needing a place to keep all the learnin' has become a home for our adventures.

Because I'm a professional writer at heart, I aim to answer questions before a reader asks them-- you'll notice I like to include the cigars' stats along the way--just so I'm providing a clear picture. The CMA's mission is "Providing the cigar industry with an accredited group of individuals that can produce accurate media to consumers and retailers." One of the curses that comes with writing professionally AND teaching people to write at the college level is the need to be a diligent researcher who uses reliable sources and credits those sources. So that happens and sometimes it takes a long time in order for it to happen, which is why postings are sometimes sporadic."* [nb: Urgh. The white blocks are an added bonus. No extra charge.]

The crazy themes and pictures? Those are to make Valentino laugh.** (Hopefully, you laugh too.)

As a new member of the CMA, Love of the Leaf joins these awesome online publications:

• Blind Man’s Puff
• The Cigar Authority
• Cigar Coop / Stogie Geeks
• Cigar Dojo
• Cigar Inspector
• Cigar Federation
• Cigar Smoke
• Cigar Jukebox
• Cigar Vixen
• Covering Your Ash
• Fat Ash Magazine
• Half Ashed
• Kiss My Ash Radio
• Love of the Leaf (You are here.)
• Nice Tight Ash
• Stogies on the Rocks
• Stogie Press
• Toasted Foot

You should check them out. They're totally cool and joining them makes me feel like I just received a sparkly crown. Or I get to sit at the cool kids' lunch table. Or both. Yes! Definitely both! Simultaneously!! I'd do the happy dance, except...

This is literally me.

Okay, then. Figuratively.

*You know how when you go to look at one  video on YouTube and five hours later you're still watching cat videos? I'm the nerd version of that.

**And me laugh too.