So Marina, one of the protagonists in Nice and Mean (ooh, coming out in a mere 7 months, minus three days!), is deeply invested in Dr. Pepper.  It’s the perfect drink for her: attractively sweet but also kind of burning.  She eats them with Mint Milanos, cookies whose chocolate is slightly bitter–also like Marina. 

My gal came back from a business trip to Texas having visited the Dr. Pepper Museum (yes, there is one) and informed me that she had a present not just for me, but for Marina as well.  The present for me was a t-shirt saying, “I’m a pepper,” which I have always, always wanted.  And for Marina, there was this:

Actually, it is even better than that: it is Dr. Pepper Tasty Lipgloss with Twist and Squeeze.  When you pop off the top, there’s a little brush stuck into the tube.  You twist and squeeze the tube and out comes Pepper goo, and then you paint the gloss on your lips.  It’s so cool!  I couldn’t find an image of that product, but let me tell you, it will soon be taking over the world. 

The best thing of all was that even though Marina can be a little grabby, she let me use her lip gloss, and in addition to making my lips look shiny and read and beautiful, it tasted Pepperific.  Mm. 

Since I’ve applied what will surely be my daily dose of Pepper, the tube is currently sitting on my desk as a little token of Marina-ness.  Now I just have to figure out a signature item for Sachi, my other narrator.  Sachi’s a lot less interested in Things than Marina, but she does have a gold and onyx ring from her grandmother that she twists in times of stress.  I wonder if there’s a Museum of Gold and Onyx where my gal is going next…