Annette Mori's Blog, page 23
September 4, 2020
Masks at Home?
I was talking with my wife the other day and she mentioned that a new recommendation came out suggesting we should be wearing masks at home. Um…what? Yup, I googled this. Sure enough, Dr. Birx said, “If you’re in multi-generational households and there’s an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home.”
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My wife is 6 years older than me, hopefully that doesn’t mean we are in a multi-generational home. Okay, just kidding. But honestly, I don’t think I can survive social distancing from my wife. Kissing through masks…purchase of sleep apnea masks…Purell before during and after sex…yup, hard no on all of that.
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I am all for masking in public, social distancing, making sacrifices in other ways, but I don’t believe it is realistic to expect families to wear masks 24/7. I do hope there is additional guidelines, or we risk people tossing those masks aside at times they really should be wearing them. This will surely give fodder to the anti-mask movement. I can hear them now stating, “See, I told you the scientists would take this too far.”
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I probably shouldn’t make light of this because COVID-19 is serious and we all ought to pay attention to the experts because too many are dying. I will say that if a shitload of COVID-19 fiction starts hitting the Amazon top 10 lists, the novels better be romcons. Living through this time in history is not something I would want to revisit for pleasure.
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Hopefully you will want to read about the things I’ve chosen to highlight that are not related to a pandemic. If so, you know the drill, simply click on one of the links below. Don’t forget about my newest release, One Shot at Love. I am particularly proud of this book. A rarity for me!
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Buy From Amazon
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The Combined Series
Asset Management
The Thanksgiving Baby Caper
The Organization
The Book Addict
The Book Witch
Compound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Kindle Unlimited!
Love Forever Live Forever
Artist Free Zone
The Thanksgiving Baby Caper
The Book Addict
The Book Witch
Compound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Sale!
Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)
Out of This World
Asset Management
The Organization
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Amazon Author Page
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Affinity Author Page
August 28, 2020
The Perfect Bra…
I’ve written about bras before and made it clear that since retirement, I usually forego undergarments of any kind. Today, I would like to relay the story of my search for the perfect bra. That happened before I had the pleasure of stuffing them all into a drawer to only rarely take out when I didn’t want my headlights showing to anyone but my wife.
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I am one of those people who constantly tug at the edge of my bra because either the wire or elastic below my breasts irritates the shit out of me. I used to only wear sports bras, thinking they were more comfortable. They’re not.
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Several years back, I was in Nordstrom’s looking for a dress to wear to a fancy event that would also double as the dress I would wear to my nephew’s wedding. Since the dress was an off the shoulder style, I knew I would have to endure a strapless bra for an entire evening. I was not looking forward to that. The kind lady who was helping me asked if I had ever been fitted for a bra because I was whining about having to wear some uncomfortable underwire option that was sure to press against my skin. I admitted that usually I wore sports bras or I did try this one brand that was mostly soft against my skin (silk or satin was the material with a loose elastic at the bottom) and had been relatively comfortable compared to everything else I’d tried. I agreed to the fitting.
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The end result was a purchase of my very first bra that could only be described as ultra-feminine lacy lingerie that I’d never once considered in my past pursuit of the perfect bra. I also learned that I was not a B-cup, but rather a C-cup. I’d always thought I was of less than average size because I’d smashed my breast into sports bras for years.
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This bra became my favorite bra because although it was not as comfortable as going without, it was a huge improvement. No more readjusting straps and only the occasional tug at the bottom.
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Now, I’m probably making an overgeneralization here, but I tend to think that many lesbians choose the sports bra variety which makes no sense to me anymore. Why? For two reasons.
Try suavely taking off your lover’s sports bra during love-making. That is never going to happen. And…if they are as tight as mine used to be to keep them from riding up, it makes for a comical evening trying to remove one.Do you know how hard it is to remove a sports bra while keeping your shirt on? Try impossible. But, with a bra that hooks in the back or front…no problem.[image error]
The other day, we were making our way back from Seattle and I had decided I was done with my bra. Once you start not wearing one for the most part and you’re forced to put one on while in public, any bra becomes irritating, even the perfect fit one that you bought at Nordstrom’s. For those who have mastered this trick, you know what I’m talking about. Step one: unhook your bra either in the front or back. Step two: pull one of the straps down and off one arm. Step three: pull the other strap from the opposite arm and yank the entire bra through that sleeve of your shirt. Magic…no more bra. I did this while driving. Yup, I am particularly talented at this trick.
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Thus, my final assessment is that the perfect bra is any bra you can remove without removing your shirt first. Bonus: my wife hanging my discarded bra on the rearview mirror after removal, causing me to laugh and swat it off. That playful side of my wife always keeps me on my toes. If she isn’t flashing me while on Facebook Live, she’s placing my bra on the mirror…like some kind of trophy. Even though I was the one to remove it!
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I can’t remember if I’ve ever written a scene in a book describing the above technique for bra removal, perhaps y’all can check out my books and jog my memory! You know the drill, simply click on one of the links below. Don’t forget about my newest release, One Shot at Love. I am particularly proud of this book. A rarity for me!
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Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
August 21, 2020
Erotic Cave Art
I decided that recently I’ve been way too serious in my blogs, and I needed to return to one of my signature quirky blog topics. Thus, this week I’m introducing the topic of erotic cave art instead of commenting on the historic speeches of the Democratic National Convention. It would have been so easy to talk about the convention, but as I mentioned before since the speeches were historic, they really did not require commentary from me or anyone else.
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So, erotic cave art, huh? I was reading one of Max Ellendale’s books in her Four Point Universe series and the book mentioned erotic cave art. I ran, not walked, to my computer because I just had to Google that shit. Sure enough there were numerous pictures of erotic art, including one that caught my eye of two slightly more developed stick figures portraying two people having sex doggy style. Two things struck me about this drawing: 1) You can’t really tell if it’s two men, two women, or one man and one woman; 2) Was that really a preferred position for cave men and women?
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My little demented mind is compelled to take that thread and run with it. I started thinking back to all of the lesbian/WLW romance books I’ve read, and I could not think of a single one that graphically depicted this particular position. Personally, it is not a favorite of mine because to me, it lacks the intimacy I require. I prefer facing my partner and being able to look into her eyes. Then I remembered reading Jeal Auel’s, Clan of the Cave Bear series and doggy style was a favorite of the Neanderthals, but as the main character met the more advanced humans, she was introduced to other positions that were presented in a more romantic manner.
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To be fair to this position, (which is merely one of a hundred possible lesbian sex positions according to the Kama Sutra…don’t worry, I’ll get to that little tidbit later) a person has easier access to a woman’s clitoris while engaging in some sort of penetration. At least that’s what a former fiance’ of mine argued when he was trying to convince me of the joys of doggy style. Yeah, I know, ew….but this was in my youth when I hadn’t quite figured out I preferred women over men.
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What about those one hundred different lesbian sex positions, is that real? Yup, sure is. While conducting routine research for my current WIP, Sculpting Her Heart, I came across a wonderful site on this. Here’s the link: https://sex.sofeminine.co.uk/relationships/album961435/lesbian-kama-sutra-100-sex-positions-for-women-0.html#p1 You’re welcome! I’m quite sure that at my age, I’d be lucky to achieve ten of these. My limbs don’t really bend the way they used to but for the rest of you who might be younger or more limber…have at it!
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Here a short clip where I wove in that little nugget in my current WIP that I’ve yet to send out to my publisher (waiting patiently for the remainder of my betas to get back to me):
“Is it important that I like oysters for this evening to go well?”
Frankie paused and set down the tiny fork. “I’m not quite sure how to put this.” She gathered her breath and continued, “If slimy bothers you, I’m afraid you might not like certain aspects of physical intimacy.”
“Oh, you mean like when licking someone causes the person to excrete juices. Are those juices slimy?”
“Maybe not slimy, but certainly slick.”
I used my fork to pull another oyster from its shell. “Sometimes, I need to get used to new experiences. I think it will be okay.”
Frankie grabbed my hand after I ate the second oyster and set down my tiny fork. “I sure hope so, but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t enjoy a particular form of intimacy. There are so many ways to be intimate.”
“The Kama Sutra says there are one hundred different sex positions for women.”
“Okay, wow! I’m sure I haven’t tried them all.”
“I will try them with you, and then we can decide on our favorites.” I was starting to enjoy the oysters and reached for my third one as Frankie smiled then grabbed the last oyster left in the tray.
So, what is the actual point of this blog? If a book causes me to Google something because I want to learn more, well then I consider that a huge bonus. I think books should educate and generate curiosity. At least enough interest to have the readers go on random Google searches or explore a topic from multiple angles. I hope my books do that for readers. I try to leave little Easter eggs and other enticements that cause the same reaction. Feel free to check out any of my books…you know the drill…click any of the links below!
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Buy From Amazon
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The Combined Series
Asset Management The Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe OrganizationThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Kindle Unlimited!
Love Forever Live ForeverArtist Free ZoneThe Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Sale!
Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)Out of This WorldAsset ManagementThe Organization
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August 14, 2020
Breaking the Rules
Usually I am a rule follower, even when the rule makes no sense. Why? Because basically, I’ve been a “good girl” all my life. Recently, my wife and I went to a place on the river that normally is open for camping, but apparently the coronavirus made this a day camping area only. The first night we got there, a guy told us the ranger would come around 5pm to tell us no overnight camping is allowed, but since they never return at night, we should just say thanks and it would all be okay. So…that is what we did. I was a bit uncomfortable and had the gut sense we should move along after a few days because they would see that we were in the same exact place several days in a row. The place was almost empty and one night we had it all to ourselves for which I was a bit spooked.
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Sure enough, after three days the female ranger came and told us if we were here one more day, she would have to give us a ticket. We left. We traveled to a previous location also maintained by the Army Core of Engineers, because no rangers ever come around and there are no less that five other campers at this other spot. So, once again, we are breaking the rules, but we have company now!
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That got me to thinking about rules that don’t seem to make sense. Out here on the river, everyone is way more than 6 feet apart, especially at night. So why does it close at night, but remain open in the day? Granted this particular rule is not a big deal, but there are so many other laws or rules that are dangerous or just plain wrong.
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The late John Lewis talked about good trouble. Is there such a thing as good rule breaking? I think there is. Take the most recent example of the Georgia teen who posted a picture of the crowded high school hallway because she was concerned for the safety of the students, teachers and family. No masks were visible and sure enough nine cases of the virus appeared soon after. Initially, she was suspended for breaking a rule. I believe this was, “good rule breaking.”
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Yesterday, we went to a restaurant in Oregon and learned that you can’t be served more than one beer at once. My wife had to finish her beer before the server would give her another. We had a good laugh at that one!
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I went on a search of rules/laws that make no sense. Here are my favorites, both ones that are ridiculous and ones that are seriously wrong and against human decency.
Volunteers who provide food and water to migrants can be arrested for helping undocumented workers.In Missouri, making more than two calls to the police for help with domestic violence is against the law and falls under the “nuisance” law category.Up until 2013, there was an old 1872 law that said that rape only pertained to married women, in other words rapists could and did get off when they raped a single woman because of that law.In a majority of states a rapist can sue for both visitation or custody rights of a child that is the result of rape. Some of the most abhorrent laws are the so-called “ugly” laws. In Chicago, one of those laws stayed on the books until 1974. Before the law was repealed it was illegal to be in public view if a person was, “diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object.”In Alaska a person can’t get drunk in a bar and remain there. I sure hope that getting in their car is not the most likely outcome of that stupid law.In California, a frog that dies in a frog jumping contest cannot be eaten and must be “destroyed” as soon as possible. Ew….In Idaho, you are safe from Zombies because cannibalism is not allowed, unless a person is in a life threatening condition and that is the only apparent means of survival. So…I suppose since Zombies need to eat your brain to survive, maybe you aren’t safe from Zombies.In Maryland don’t look to have your fortune told there, because it’s illegal.Perhaps Michigan is the place to live if you don’t want to have to deal with a cheating spouse, because, yup, you guessed it, adultery is illegal. To be fair, 17 other states have that same law. I wonder if that’s actually been tested in a same sex marriage. No wonder Oklahoma is a red state because in that state, there is a statute that states, it is a “fact that there exists an international Communist conspiracy” committed to overthrowing the US government. I wonder if tin foil hats are all the rage there?I am glad I don’t want to run for office or live in Texas because an atheist cannot hold any office in Texas. A person is required to believe in a “supreme being” to run for office.No sex outside of marriage in Virginia. Oh I would have broken that rule for sure!In my great state of Washington, all doors in nearly all public buildings must open outwards. We are a safety-minded state and I suppose this eliminates confusion during evacuations.
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In summary, I was delighted by Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris, but that got me to wondering if he was breaking any “rule”, written or unwritten by choosing her as his running mate. The question of whether a woman can ever be President has surprisingly been raised because in the description of the job in the Constitution, the word “he” is used to describe the holder of that job. I’ve no doubt the framers of the constitution certainly never envisioned a woman in the job, and certainly not a woman of color. Go Joe for being brave enough to cross that barrier. It is long past time that one of the major parties did that.
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I am fairly confident I break rules all the time, even though I am generally a rule follower. Ironically, I feel less compelled to stay within the lines as a writer. I break unwritten rules with my writing all the time. I weave in political messages, create unconventional characters, acknowledge and thank reviewers publicly, and challenge ingrained views of the romance formula. Let’s hear it for good rule breaking. If you want to check out my books, you know the drill. Click the links below.
One Shot at LoveBuy From Amazon
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The Combined Series
Asset Management The Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe OrganizationThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
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Love Forever Live ForeverArtist Free ZoneThe Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
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August 7, 2020
Everything in Context….
This past week I made an enormous error by posting a very small clip of a scene without the full context. This isn’t the first time something was misconstrued so I should have known better, but hey, I continue to be human. Fortunately for me, I have readers who will let me know when something might be taken the wrong way.
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This got me to thinking about context and how often what we say gets plucked out of context and posted all over social media creating a firestorm. It happens to politicians all the time. Now, in this instance it was a self inflicted wound, because I was the one who posted the quote without the context.
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Here’s the thing, it is a lot easier for us to judge posted quotes out of context when we don’t like who is targeted. Thus it becomes easier for us to continue to think terrible things about people we believe are abhorrent. I will admit that I relish those stories where horrible quotes are attributed to the rabid right politicians. I am right there shaking my head and believing in their inherent evilness. However, sometimes it isn’t right to go down that road. Although, there are times when we should go down that road and call out bad behavior when it is warranted. The point is to have a discerning eye and take the time to get clarification, either in the form of a question or a post letting someone know how something came across.
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Fortunately for me, there were brave souls who let me know that taken out of context my original post could have had a much different meaning. Others who know me were able to immediately decipher the meaning even without the context. Regardless, not being on the pointy end of someone’s smear campaign allowed me to clarify, and for that I am eternally grateful. I don’t believe I have too many enemies and that is probably what saved me from a social media campaign that could have made this so much worse, self-inflicted or not.
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I guess I learned more than one lesson with this debacle. One, I should always read the full context before making my snap judgement on news articles, and two, never post a clip that could be misconstrued. Even at nearly 61 (yes my birthday is around the corner), this dog can learn new tricks!
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For those who did not see the clip and the subsequent fuller scene. Here is the original quote posted:
“Oh, yes. He hands me the box and says I gotta plug the hole. Now, remember, I’m ten so I blink at him and ask, ‘what hole, Pa?’ He shuffles and points to his private parts and says, ‘ya got a hole somewhere in there,’ and he points again to his crotch. ‘My butthole?’ I ask.”
Here is a bigger part of the scene:
Maribel had a special smile when she talked about her father. “Pa was with me for every single competition I ever entered. All the way until the end when he was no longer physically able to get out of bed. He was good at supporting my shooting, but he floundered when I hit puberty. I got my period early, and it was a disaster.”
“No parent excels at those discussions because they always accompany the sex talk.”
“Oh, we never had the sex talk. He figured since I was a lesbian, he didn’t have to worry about me getting pregnant.”
“He knew you were a lesbian at…how old were you when you got your period?”
“I was ten and yeah, it was obvious even before I declared I didn’t want to marry a boy.”
“So, what happened?”
“I never cried as a little girl. Even when I would skin my knee or fall out of a tree. But when I went to the bathroom one day and saw the blood in my underwear I went running to my pa. I thought I had a terrible disease and I was going to die.”
“I can see how that would have been terrifying.”
“Pa grabbed a clean rag and a new pair of underwear. He told me to stuff the rag inside the panties. He assured me I wasn’t dying, and he was gonna get something for me. I’m standing there with tears streaming down my face, and I just nod and do what he says. He’s my pa, and if he’s says I’m not dying, well that’s the gospel. I believe him and begin to calm down.”
“Why do I think there’s more to this story?”
“Oh, there is.” Maribel chuckled. “I’m washing out my blood-soaked panties, and he comes back about fifteen minutes later. He’d gone to one of the neighbors, and she gave him a half-filled box of tampons. It was a variety pack.”
“Oh shit, no. I wasn’t allowed to use tampons until I was at least fifteen.”
“Oh, yes. He hands me the box and says I gotta plug the hole. Now, remember, I’m ten so I blink at him and ask, ‘what hole, Pa?’ He shuffles and points to his private parts and says, ‘ya got a hole somewhere in there,’ and he points again to his crotch. ‘My butthole?’ I ask.”
Blair began to laugh so hard she snorted. “No way.”
“Yes way. He says, ‘no, the other one.’ So, I ask, ‘how am I gonna pee out that hole, Pa, if I plug it up?’”
Holding her stomach, Blair shook with laughter. “Did he give instructions on how to use the tampons?”
“I still hadn’t quite figured out which hole to plug. Innocently, I asked, ‘I got three holes, Pa? Do you have three holes, too?’ He said, ‘yeah, you have three holes and if you put your finger down there, you’ll find the other hole.’ He told me girls are special ’cause they have one more hole than boys.”
“You know this conversation is priceless.”
“I know. But wait, it gets better. So, I’m smart enough to figure out that I need to remove the outer paper on one of the tampons. I’m even smart enough to figure out that I need to find the smallest tampon to plug the little hole I discover. Oh, and as a side note, that discovery leads to other joys.” Maribel grinned. “But what I don’t figure out until later is that I needed to remove the cardboard on the tampon.”
“How in the world did you ever figure out you were supposed to remove the cardboard?” Blair asked.
“I must have been walking strangely afterward, and then I told my pa I’d plugged the hole, but something didn’t feel right. Finally, he got the neighbor to come by. By this time, he figured he needed to bring in the cavalry. He found a way to get me sanitary napkins after that.”
So if any of you would like to read the entire book and not just what I caused a stir over…you know the drill the links are below!
[image error]One Shot at Love
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Buy From Amazon
Buy From Affinity
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The Combined Series!
Asset Management The Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe OrganizationThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Kindle Unlimited!
Love Forever Live ForeverArtist Free ZoneThe Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)Out of This WorldAsset ManagementThe Organization
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July 31, 2020
The Wonderful Lesfic/WLW Community…
First, let me apologize for my inconsistent Friday Blogs…For those of you who have paid attention and follow my blogs, you know that since retirement I have been very hit and miss. I could chalk it up to laziness, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story. The truth is, I have no good excuse other than distractions away from writing the blog and other more emotional reasons that are hard for me to unravel, so I can’t expect y’all to untie the knots for me!
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Honestly, I had planned to write a blog last week after learning the tragic news of my Facebook friend Shay Burton’s untimely passing. But, I just couldn’t because it was too raw for me. I lament the fact that I never got to meet her in person. We had plenty of behind the scenes conversations, and I felt like I got to know her enough to call her a friend. I hope wherever she is right now she feels the same.
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Before the news hit social media, another Facebook friend let me know because she knew that Shay and I had communicated quite a bit, and she wanted to prepare me for the news. I cannot say how much I appreciated that kind gesture. The wonderful lesfic/WLW community started right away working on a way to let Shay’s dream come to fruition. See, Shay had written a couple of stories and shared them with a few honored friends (I was one of those friends). There was great potential in her stories, and all she needed was a good editor to help her clean them up. Finances were a big consideration.
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We may never know exactly where she would want the royalties to go, unless somehow there is a will one of us has access to, but that did not stop the community from pulling together to make her dream become a reality. I’ve often talked about the best part of having published works out there is that I’ve left a piece of myself for others to read long after I’m gone. Many have offered to help and took charge.
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The other great example of the lesfic/WLW community coming together is the auction for KD Williamson. Here is a link to that for those who don’t know about it and want to get in on the action: https://www.facebook.com/events/706052596885127
So many great authors donated signed books and other goodies to auction off. I have two books up for grabs that hopefully will generate funds for KD.
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These two wonderful examples cause my heart to burst with emotion. It’s nice to focus on the positive and forget how there are times when the community hasn’t been as nice to one another (which is rare). Not that bad behavior should be ignored, but perhaps, focusing on the good will encourage more good.
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I debated whether to add my customary closing to the end of this blog, because I did not want my message watered down by shameless promotion. In the end, since this is my only real attempt at marketing, I shouldn’t squander those opportunities. So, I hope you will forgive the standard, if you want to check out any of my books, click the links below!
One person at a time…maybe that’s what it takes to change the world.
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The Combined Series!
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Love Forever Live ForeverArtist Free ZoneThe Thanksgiving Baby CaperThe Book AddictThe Book WitchCompound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)Out of This WorldAsset ManagementThe Organization
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July 3, 2020
Privilege
Although my parents were very poor when I was young, I’m still a white woman who comes from privilege. Because after my father got his degree compliments of the military, he was able to make a very good living. We moved out of that trailer park to an apartment complex and then to a brick house in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. My college education was paid for and I didn’t have to worry about student loans to pay back.
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I never faced any discrimination until I chose to come out of the closet. And that’s when I first heard the word, dyke. Or faced a truck full of red neck adolescents reaching out to push my then-girlfriend and me off our tandem bike. So, maybe I lost a little of that privilege, but here’s the thing, I can crawl back into my closet and step right back on that privilege train. Sure, I can’t do anything about the fact that I’m a woman, even if my breasts aren’t that big, it’s hard to pass as a man. Persons of color can’t hide in a closet. They don’t have the option to hide.
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Regardless of laws that are passed to try to protect LGBTQ+ or persons of color, none of that will really make a difference until we as a society face the undercurrent of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, or homophobia. That has never gone away. We are only seeing the outward evidence of it with the current administration because the leader of the free world models it without consequence. It has become our new normal.
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This is outrageous to say, but at least these blatant examples are now out there for everyone to see. Maybe they have always been there. I don’t know. All I can say is that plenty of LGTBQ+ and persons of color lose or don’t get the job simply because of the color of their skin or the fact that they are not ashamed to own being LGBTQ+. Fighting back is a mountain most can’t climb without a video proving their case. And, while losing a job isn’t the worst thing to happen to a person, losing one’s life is final. Irreparable harm. We should all concern ourselves with that.
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So, how do we attack the undercurrent? Like love, it can be out there for all the world to see, or private and subtle. Most of the time, it’s private and subtle. I think I know it when I see or feel it, but convincing others can be quite the challenge. When I lost my job, there was no doubt in my mind it was because I was an out lesbian. My state has laws to protect LGBTQ+ but the absolute proof would have been nearly impossible to prevail on any type of suit. Thus, I angled for a higher settlement and tucked tail and ran with it.
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My real question, is besides voting in November, marching in protest, examining my own behavior, and being sincerely willing to listen and learn, how do we combat institutional racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and misogyny. If anyone has the answers, I really want to know what they are? We won’t be locked away in our homes forever, so now is the time to know how and when to act. I’m retired. I have the time!
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In the meantime, I can certainly write books that perhaps have a subtle impact on the views of that one person. One person at a time…maybe that’s what it takes to change the world.
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Love Forever Live Forever
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)
Out of This World
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June 26, 2020
Summer is here!
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Summer has finally landed in our neck of the woods. I was worried because we were having unseasonably cold and rainy weather, but now it’s unseasonably hot. Go figure. Normally, temperatures in the upper nineties would not bother me one bit, but this year is different.
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Our beloved pool is closed due to Coronavirus…even though it’s really easy to stay 6 feet away from another person. It’s not like this is a public pool where people flock to it. I began to wonder about how effective the chlorine and high temperatures are on the raging virus. Apparently not as effective as we were led to believe when the whole, ‘UV rays kill the virus’ mantra hit the airwaves. Just look at Florida, Texas and California. The sun is having zero effect on those states.
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What’s a woman to do in 98-degree temperatures with no pool. I know that many of you are shaking your heads and asking why we don’t jump into the lake. The answer: Blue algae. The lake is closed. Plus, the lake is gross in the summer. I predict this will be a very strange summer.
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Even though the pool is closed, I’m not really complaining. My wife and I have our health. We’re retired and got to take our maiden RV journey before other states closed themselves to us risky Washitonians. And, it’s still summer. My favorite season.
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The pandemic will undoubtedly change how we celebrate summer. I’ll have more time to write to congressmen and yell at the television. I’ll admit, I’m leary of joining large crowds. There is still a virus out there that I don’t want to take a chance at getting and/or spreading. However, I have more hope today than I’ve had in a long time. Maybe this time, the protests will result in meaningful change. Yes, I am an optimist at times. However, it is sad that so many have to lose their lives because of this Administration’s complete incompetence during a crisis. I keep yelling, wear a damn mask you selfish pricks.
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My lovely wife keeps supplying me with Mojitos, and let me just say, they are the perfect summer beverage…cool and refreshing. Our RV is clean and ready to go again. Hopefully, Oregon, who has not had a spike in Coronavirus cases, which let us in when we travel there in July for more possible upgrades to the RV.
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Meanwhile, I’m back to writing again. Whew, I really thought I might be done, but I guess I have more to say. I hope y’all will be on the lookout for my book that will be released later this summer titled, One Shot at Love. It seems that I’m always a little delayed when addressing particular social issues. This one deals with the controversial topic of meaningful gun legislation, which hasn’t received much air time lately. I still think it is an issue for our country to grapple with, but we have so many more pressing issues to resolve. I feel a little out of pace. Such is the life of a writer who doesn’t have the talent to put a book out in mere months. I began this one several years ago. Sigh…In the meantime, feel free to check out my other novels, subtext with various social issues is a common occurrence!
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Love Forever Live Forever
Artist Free Zone
The Thanksgiving Baby Caper
The Book Addict
The Book Witch
Compound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Sale!
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)
Out of This World
Asset Management
The Organization
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June 19, 2020
RV Lessons Learned
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I’m baaaaack….It’s been well over a month since I wrote my last blog because contrary to what I thought I would do while on the road…well, best-laid plans and all that, I never quite continued my blog or did a video blog while traipsing around the country. Today, I’ll list my top ten lessons learned in no particular order.
No matter how new your RV is, shit happens because driving a home on a rolling earthquake creates problems. Before we leave, checking every single nut, screw, and bolt to ensure they are tight is a must. And…every time you stop, shit falls out of the cabinets.
Who knew that one loose bolt could create such a mess of issues?
Cold showers are not refreshing in the south when the temperature drops below 70.
Winds with up to 65mph gusts are f–cking scary.
Golf courses can be a whole lot of fun to spend the night.
Friends and family are lifesavers.
Retracing part of your journey back home has its advantages (more Tippy Creek cider was purchased on the return journey).
The Good Sam Road Side Assistance folks do not come running when your house batteries don’t work and they can’t help you find an RV place to fix that issue.
Adult sex stores are more than plentiful in the South.
I always pack way too much.
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Since the above ten lessons are light on details, I have to expand on a few. So, what actually went wrong…a better question might be what didn’t go wrong?
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On one of the first nights where we really needed to run the generator and our air conditioner, we experienced a fault in our hybrid solar inverter system. Apparently, air conditioners take a lot of energy to start without something called a soft start (which we will be having installed next month when we travel to AM solar in Oregon). We were supposed to turn the charging off after starting the generator and then we can start the air conditioning.
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After that we had a faulty propane regulator, our CO detector kept going off, and the entire house lights, refrigerator, generator, and pretty much everything including flushing the toilet would only work after getting some sun during the day or while driving, nothing, nada, at night even while plugged in. Spoiler alert…this was all due to a loose bolt on the battery bank. Not even a week after having our brand new electronic leveling system installed, we had a hydraulic leak. This caused us to hightail it back to Indiana to have them fix the issue while using bungie cords to ensure the steel pads did not drop during travel.
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Asset Management
The Thanksgiving Baby Caper
The Organization
The Book Addict
The Book Witch
Compound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)
Out of This World
Asset Management
The Organization
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May 8, 2020
Rolling Home
My wife and I have taken the stay the fuck at home orders seriously. We only go out to the grocery store, take out places, and post office. We religiously wear our masks, wash our hands, wipe everything down while in the store, etc. We canceled our trip to Texas after the Lonestar Book Event was canceled. That was very painful to do because we were both looking forward to seeing friends and family. Even more painful was having to cancel the remainder of the journey to see my father.
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My father’s health is not great and I would feel horrible if something happened while we’re still on lockdown. Thus the great debate in our household.
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We’ve been waiting to see what happens with various states re-opening. Neither of us is in favor of the states relaxing their stay at home rules, but we’ve had a raging debate about whether to make the trek to Florida or not. My wife is more hesitant than I am. She doesn’t want to get stuck in a red state like Montana for fourteen days. For some reason, Montana is stuck in her brain. She’s painted this picture of a highway patrol chasing us down and making us quarantine ourselves. I’ve argued that what is the difference between staying in the RV and staying in our condo? It’s not like we’re going to be going to bars and restaurants along the way. Besides, how will they make sure we don’t simply roll away in the middle of the night and head to another state while they’re tracking down some other unsuspecting cross country traveler? Is there such a thing as RV jail?
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I’ve renamed the RV our rolling home. We’ll continue to adhere to social distancing and only go to the store when we need to. We’ve decided to fill up the refrigerator so that we won’t have to go to the store in other states that are less restrictive than Washington. We plan on doing everything in our power to avoid the gun-toting, naked face protesters that don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. We’ll continue running the other way when coming across another person without a mask. Those yahoos are still abundant in every single state. If we do end up connecting with friends and family, there will be no hugging. We’ll lift our drinks to the sky at least six feet away from one another while making manual clink clink noises (you know, saying clink clink instead of smacking our glasses together).
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This Epic journey will start this Sunday and I’ll try to keep everyone informed where we’re going and where we’ll be. We have one destination so far and everything else is up for debate. My job is to track our course. I’ll do that before we leave. Probably right before we leave because procrastination is my constant companion. Funny how staying at home has had the exact opposite impact. The busier I am, the more I get done!
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I’ve no clever way to weave in my books, so I’ll just encourage you again to check out the links below! Reading is still a pleasant way to pass this time. At least that’s my opinion! And don’t forget about the panel with Isabella, Virginia Black and myself on May 9th (yup tomorrow), 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time (US); May 10th 2020 GMT (United Kingdom) 00:30am -1:30am; May 10th, 2020 (Australia) 9:30am-10:30am AEDT. Registration for the event is required. Attendees will have a chance to win books from Isabella and myself. Click here: To Register
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Buy From Amazon US
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Buy From Amazon Australia
Buy From Amazon Canada
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Buy From Amazon
Buy From Affinity
Buy From Amazon UK
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The Combined Series!
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Love Forever Live Forever
Artist Free Zone
The Thanksgiving Baby Caper
The Book Addict
The Book Witch
Compound Interest – Lesfic Bard Action/Adventure Finalist
On Sale!
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Locked Inside (Goldie Winner)
Out of This World
Asset Management
The Organization
Join Mailing List
Amazon Author Page
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
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