No, really, that *is* my real-life accent.

[shivver]

I find it really strange that when I'm writing dialogue for an American character and sounding it out in my head to see if it flows correctly, first, it comes out with an English accent. Then I have to consciously think, "No, she's American. Make her sound American." And then I try again, and invariably, the character sounds like Peri, and I have to force the voice to not sound like Peri. :P