Annette Mori's Blog, page 30

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The Book Witch on Amazon UK

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Published on February 08, 2019 06:35

February 1, 2019

The Power of Stories…

Recently I was doing my schtick at New Employee Orientation where I weave in stories (some are 100% true, some are embellished and some are made up). I’ve been doing this for quite a long time and for the most part, it is successful. People enjoy the stories, videos, and exercises intended to make several points and stay with them in an effort to educate people about the culture we want, positive attitude and exceptional customer service.

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I provide the new employees with what I call tried and true tools to help them choose a positive attitude. In one exercise I ask the group to look around the room and find everything that is the color blue. Then I tell them to close their eyes (no cheating) and call out everything in the room that is the color red. Nervous chuckles ensue and sometimes I get the, “no fair, you asked us to look for items that were blue”. I laugh right along with them and ask them if it was hard and why? Most of the time I get the answer I am looking for. It’s hard because they weren’t focusing on red. Bingo. I tell them that if we focus on what is wrong with the hospital, our colleagues or our tiny town, we’re going to find it. And….I pause to let this sink in, if we focus on what is right with the hospital, our colleagues and this quaint town, we’re going to find it.

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The next tool I provide them caused a major aha for me. I tell them about how we can tell ourselves a story to change our perspective and create a brand new reality. I show a clip from one of my favorite movies, Life is Beautiful, about a man and his son who end up in a concentration camp. The father weaves this beautiful story about how they are part of this wonderous game and the winner receives a real live tank. The gift he provides his young son allows him to perceive the experience in a more positive light. In the end, when a tank comes rolling around the corner, the young boy exclaims, “It’s true.” The story became reality and the narrative changed for the boy. The facts before him were altered to fit his new narrative.

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Now…think about that. What did I just say…the facts were altered to fit his new narrative. I still believe in this tool because it can be used for good. For a positive change. Alternately, I had to realize, storytelling can also have startling negative consequences. I now understood that in many ways, our staunch refusal to see the other side is an outcome of deeply ingrained stories we will not let go of. I believe that is what is happening in our country. No matter what the story is, we hang on to the narrative we tell ourselves. We fit those facts into our own perspective.

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So…what will it take to come out of the fog of our own making? That very same tool. Tell yourself a story to change your perspective and a new reality will emerge…One where you don’t see the other side as evil incarnate. I know, I know, easier said than done.

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The other option is to keep telling positive stories to others and help them change their narrative. I am not sure that all of my stories have hidden positive messages, but I’d like to think I give it the old college try. If you want to take a peek at how I’ve attempted to change the narrative, you know the drill, click on one of the links below!

The Book Witch on Amazon

The Book Witch on Amazon Australia

The Book Witch on Amazon Canada

The Book Witch on Affinity Rainbow Publications

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on February 01, 2019 04:44

January 25, 2019

Dark Shadows

I don’t know how many of you remember the campy soap opera Dark Shadows that was popular in the late 60’s to early 70’s. I am certainly dating myself when I say I used to watch this show. Imagine my utter joy when there was a remake of the popular show in the early 90’s. I religiously watched that first season and waited patiently for the story to continue. But, guess what? The series never returned and all the fans were left hanging. I was so pissed. I tried very hard to discover what had happened to the series. Unfortunately, this was back when the internet was in its infancy. I couldn’t google it.

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Nearly 20 years later, I did some research because I was curious after catching the over the top campy remake of the Dark Shadows movie with Johnny Depp. Of course, the movie was nothing like the original series or the spectacular remake. All I could find out about the remade series was that it was canceled due to low ratings after only one season. Canceled even after the series had snagged two Emmys (okay maybe they were for hairstyling and costume design, but still). Well, duh. I could have figured that out. So what does this have to do with writing you ask? Now, you know, I always get there…be patient.

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I think book series sometimes fall into the same conundrum as my beloved Dark Shadows series. The Dark Shadows remake had rabid fans who wanted to see the story continue, but there weren’t enough fans to make that happen. There were even fans who picketed network headquarters. Sometimes, I start to read a series and I am profoundly irritated when the author leaves me hanging and never finishes the story. This happens more often than I would like. I’m sure there are varied reasons for this, but there is one reason I think I understand now.

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I’ve been told that with each book in a series, you lose readers. While the first book may be wildly (or in my case marginally) successful, often readership declines. No matter how many people cry, we want a sequel, that does not guarantee the success of the next book in the series. This is why I tried to avoid writing sequels or series books. I failed. Because I am a weak, weak woman.

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Unfortunately, I am feeling the pain of that phenomenon and wondering why in the world did I capitulate and continue the Asset Management series. No writer wants to see their book go splat. I am going to tell you why I persevered knowing full well it would not end the way I wanted. Because of readers like me who deserve to find out what happens to the characters they get so invested in. I promised to finish the story and give Dani her happily ever after. I did not quite get there in The Book Witch, so I wrote one last story. The fate of that story is unknown, but I won’t do the same thing to you as those Dark Shadows network jerks did to me. I will find a way to get that final book out there, even if I have to give it away!

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The message I have for writers who decide to say screw it and don’t complete their series, I hope you will reconsider. Perhaps the best reason is to thank those loyal readers who do stick with you through thick and thin. They deserve that final book, even if it means a loss.

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If you want to continue the story with Asset Mangement, especially if you were one of the readers who said, I want a sequel be sure to read The Organization, The Thanksgiving Baby Caper and now, The Book Witch. Look for Compound Interest down the road, because I’ll find a way. I’m nothing if not someone with incredible stubbornness and perseverance!

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The Book Witch on Amazon UK

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Published on January 25, 2019 06:44

January 18, 2019

Promiscuity…

Last week I introduced the notion of talking about promiscuity in this week’s blog because frankly, I am disappointed in myself. Why? Good question.

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See, I found a passage in one of my books that seemed to suggest a person who enjoys casual sex is somehow less than. One of my favorite characters is the wise-cracking Joy. She is the best friend of the seriously wronged woman in The Ultimate Betrayal. At one point, I had considered writing a new story with Joy as the main character. Of course, I was going to follow the age-old trope and give Joy her happily ever after. She would finally find a woman to stop her womanizing ways. No more one-night stands or casual sex with hoards of beautiful women.

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The armchair psychology represented in the book was that Joy’s promiscuity was a wall she erected in order to keep herself from commitment and gasp, possible heartbreak. Yup, I succumbed to the notion that someone who is not in a committed relationship cannot possibly be fulfilled. That’s just one step from the old 50’s era notion that if you didn’t marry and have 2.5 kids, you could not possibly be a healthy, happy, woman.

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Here’s the definition of promiscuous: having or involving many sexual partners: not restricted to one sexual partner or few sexual partners. Seems relatively factual. There isn’t any judgment and yet, in our society, there is a ton of judgment and history regarding how women who are promiscuous are viewed.

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I did some research on promiscuity and it’s most definitely something that gender plays a significant role. I learned something interesting in my research. The “American Plan” began with a woman named Bessie Smith who in 1942 was jailed and forced to undergo medical tests for sexually transmitted diseases. After the test came back positive for syphilis and gonorrhea, they quarantined her. She described this as sending her to a “concentration camp” and filed suit. Unfortunately, this practice expanded across America, giving government officials the authority to scour the streets looking for anyone reasonably suspected of having an STI or those who the officials believed were “promiscuous.” Unbelievably, thousands of women were locked up and detained all the way into the 1970s.

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They didn’t round up men and have them tested. Nope. Men could cheat on their wives and transmit STDs without any negative consequences, especially back in the 40’s and 50’s and in certain cultures. Catholics are famous for advising women to stay with their husbands no matter what. Promiscuity was acceptable male behavior.

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As our country grapples with racism, sexism, and homophobia, including one’s own introspection on the issues, it was hard for me to ignore how I’d fallen into that trap. I understand it wouldn’t be a contemporary romance that any reader would want to explore without the notion of the heroine finding her true love and giving up her one-night stands. That would turn lesbian romance upside down. Monogamy and soul mates are such prevalent themes to the happily ever after. However, an interesting question to ask is, are they sexist or discriminatory? Maybe. I suppose a book about a well-adjusted woman who enjoys sex with many different partners would not be considered a romance. And, we all know romance is queen in lesfic. Still, I don’t have to put a spotlight on this or somehow suggest a choice to live out one’s life with multiple partners makes a person less.

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I’ve joked before about becoming one of those promiscuous women. Why? Because relationships are hard and if I ever found myself single again, I’d simply seek multiple partners to satisfy my need. Now, of course, I say that now, but I suspect my Catholic upbringing would not allow me to actually do this…even though I am no longer a Catholic. It was after all a joke. But, let’s say for argument purposes this was a path I decided to take. Would all those well-meaning lesbians look upon me with pity? Would I be considered a pariah of sorts? Would you judge me harshly?

Not too many of my characters follow the trope of the woman with many casual partners. I did dance along the edges with a main character in The Book Witch. In many ways, Imara is a character that definitely has to grow on you as she develops. Here is one of those scenes that doesn’t quite show her best side, but hopefully by the end of the book, you have a more favorable view of her.

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“I really am sorry. I want to explain what happened. When you met Misty, I was afraid.”
“Ha, you afraid.”
Imara held up her hand. “Let me finish, please. You have such an annoying habit of interrupting people. At least that hasn’t changed.”
“Is this an apology?”
“Oh right, yeah, back to my explanation. Anyway, you started spending all your time with that little hussy. I wanted my best friend back. All of a sudden, it was Misty this and Misty that. Good old best friend Imara was left out in the cold. Besides, I knew she would hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen, even though I do understand how overbearing that seems.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, you hurt my feelings. I do have them, you know. I thought if I wooed the little tart away from you we’d go back to normal, like we always did when you got your puppy dog crushes and they didn’t last. She really wasn’t worth it. I swear. The way she talked about you made me so mad.”
“But I told you. She was different.”
“I know. No offense, but when you were younger, you weren’t the best judge of character.”
“Harumph.”
“You weren’t. Remember when you started buzzing around what’s her name?” Imara gave Elle that arrogant, knowing look she’d always hated.
“Corinthia.”
“Yeah, she was a piece of work. Tried to get you to steal my spells so she could further her career by combining book chants with spells.”
“Isn’t that what you’re proposing? To combine our book magic with yours?”
“I’m not gonna steal your chants. You’re giving them to me. Totally different.” Imara waved her hand in the air. “Come on. You have to agree; she was a complete bitch.”
“Okay, I’ll admit a pretty face sometimes got in the way, but not with Tanya.”
“Agreed. She’s the first one with substance. You know, falling for people with no substance is a lot like living in godforsaken Forks, Washington.”
“Forks?”
“Yeah, the rainiest place in the United States. I spent four miserable months there. I was hoping to find real vampires and shapeshifters, but that movie series totally lied. Besides, I wanted to see what the big, flippin’ deal was. I still can’t understand why that author is moving there.”
“What author?”
“The one who wrote the book I plan on plucking the perfect character from.”
“Now who’s naive? And what does Forks have to do with appreciating attractive lesbians?”
“Living in Forks is like being married to a beautiful woman who’s always sick. Gorgeous location, but it rains all the time.”
“That’s horrible. Do you mean to say you would leave your wife if she got sick?”
“Figure of speech. Okay, how about I say who’s always cranky instead? Better?”
Elle laughed. “I have missed your shallow ass.”
“I am not shallow.” Imara put her hands on her hips and glared.
“Yes, you are. Chasing after beautiful women without substance is what you do.”
“Maybe I’ve changed.”
“Doubtful. A leopard does not change her spots.”
“Jai has substance…” Imara shifted her feet.
“Busted. You’re gonna make a play and chase after her. You’re not here to offer her an adventure.”
“Maybe I want my own Tanya. Do you blame me?”
“What’s so special about Jai?”
“She has this kind of quiet confidence. When she teaches, there’s magic. I swear she enchants her students. She makes a difference in those kid’s lives, especially the vulnerable ones.”
“Ah, so you’ve stalked her.” Elle said.
“Not any more than you stalked Tanya when you were deciding about her worthiness as one of the chosen,” Imara defended.
“Touché. My advice is to go into this with pure motivation. Exercise a bit of altruism by thinking of her first. If something evolves, it will be as it should.” Elle slung her arm over Imara’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go find my girlfriend and see about some lunch. She’ll appreciate the blood splatter missing from our clothes. This is gonna be fun.”
“So you forgive me?” Imara asked.
Elle nodded. She had missed her best friend, who could liven up any adventure.
“How about I give some of my wise advice? You’d better make that girlfriend of yours your wife pretty soon.”
“Hey, don’t push your luck. I just forgave you.” Elle narrowed her eyes.
“Just saying. She’s a keeper.”
“That she is and paws off. Now I really don’t give a shit if you go after Jai, as long as you leave Tanya alone.”
“I promise. Cross my heart and hope to keep it from my cauldron.” Imara crossed her index finger over her heart.

Maybe you’ll be intrigued enough to want to read more about Imara. You know the drill by now…below are all the links for you to do just that!

The Book Witch on Amazon

The Book Witch on Amazon Australia

The Book Witch on Amazon Canada

The Book Witch on Affinity Rainbow Publications

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on January 18, 2019 06:44

January 11, 2019

All in All He’s Just Another Prick For The Wall….

Sorry, sorry, I know I should not have gone there, but in my defense, Pink Floyd’s LP, The Wall would not exit my head. I could not help myself. I started to redo the words almost instantly.

We don’t need no cement barrier,
We don’t need no big fat wall,
No dark suppression on the border,
Trumpsters, leave those kids alone…

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I was catapulted back to my dorm room when my roommate and I would listen to Pink Floyd incessantly while stoned out of our minds. We played the LP so often, the record started having that scratchy sound I absolute abhor to this day. I cannot understand the love affair with vinyl these days.

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For my wife, I swear it is nearly a religious devotion. She swears the sound is richer and better and chastises my boorish lack of refinement for the subtle tones that only a truly devoted connoisseur of music can enjoy. I shake my head and wonder if you can hear the subtle differences between sounds systems, why the hell can’t you hear those damn scratches. Ah, but I digress, and I am not going to go all political today, nor am I going to dig into the virtues or plague of vinyl. I want to explore the metaphors in writing as related to the use of a “wall”.

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It’s a common trope. The brooding heroine who’s been so deeply hurt, she constructs an invisible wall around her heart. One that her love interest must tear down, brick by brick, cement block by cement block or….the latest, steel slat by steel slat! I admit, I’ ve used that metaphor before. It works.

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So…here’s the question I ask. In fiction and also in real life, good things have come from tearing down walls. Remember Ronald Reagan’s famous quote, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” A Republican said this. Let me repeat that…a Republican said this. He also talked about his views on a wall in a debate stating that we should allow a process for legal immigration, let them come in and pay taxes. Hmm….how far the Republican party has strayed. Damn….there I go again talking politics…back to the wall metaphor.

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I looked back on my books and found this metaphor in only two books: The Termination and The Review. Classic emotional walls. I was surprised to learn I hadn’t written this into more books. I suppose I could technically say I used this metaphor in The Ultimate Betrayal with a side character, Joy, who was the wisecracking, promiscuous best friend who used her healthy sexual appetite as a barrier to commitment or letting love in. Groan…don’t get me started on how I fell into the trap of labeling Joy promiscuous with this line: “All anyone ever sees is that wall of promiscuity you portray to the world.” I promise to explore this in my next week’s blog because upon further introspection, I have a lot to say about this topic. What I find interesting about these particular metaphors is that the wall is not seen as something appealing to have. Regardless of the importance of protecting the heroine’s fragile emotions after being hurt, building a wall is clearly not the answer.

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A similar metaphor is the kind of personality characteristic included with someone of either great strength or stubbornness. I’ve included this metaphor in my debut novel, Love Forever, Live Forever when Nicky, the main character encounters the seven-person brick wall of the high council. I don’t think the stubbornness of the high council was perceived in a positive light.

Then there are cliches like “off the wall”, “fly on the wall”, or “hole in the wall.” I wanted to explore those further. Of course, I did research on each one.

Off the wall: Based on what I could find, the origin is likely a sports-related metaphor and was first used in the 1950s. Perhaps a wild ball hitting a wall in something like squash.
Fly on the wall: There is some debate on this. Most of the sites I saw had this saying used in the early 1920s with the etymology related to “fly on the wall documentaries” where the actors and actresses got used to the cameras and no longer paid attention. While someone found this first used in 1881, there wasn’t an explanation behind how the saying was used.
Hole in the wall: First used in the 1800s and was most likely related to a hole made in the wall of the debtors’ or other prisons, where poor prisoners received the money, broken meat, or other donations as charity.

I thought I was quite clever when I created an obtrusive magical device in The Book Addict, called the “wall ears”. You’ll have to read that book to find out what they are. But, they aren’t something anyone wants in their house. Think Big Brother or government spying.

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Finally, my favorite way to weave a wall into my books is during a few sex scenes where I talk about vaginal walls pulsing around someone’s fingers during an orgasm. Or someone pushing the woman against a wall and kissing her until her toes curl! Now those are the kind of walls I have very fond memories of. Asset Management and several other books have this use of the word. Whew…fanning myself writing this.

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After researching all my books and my use of walls, I’ve discovered I like the metaphor or cliches related to walls. One would think I am as obsessed over a wall as 45. Interesting. I think I might have to suggest a “Wall Week”. I don’t know if it will be as fun as “Panty Week”, but I’ll bet there is a lot of material for authors to use and join in.

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Since my next book release, The Book Witch is just around the corner, here is a clip that incorporates a wall into the passage.

“That’s it. I’m done with these loonies. Sophie, go get Ronda and the one that Cindy patched up. We’re escorting them to the closest bus depot. I don’t even mind giving them a few thousand to get the hell out of our hair.” She turned her impressive glare in Imara’s direction. “If you so much as dip a toe on this property again, a tiny nick on the head won’t be the only thing you’ll have to worry about.” Val stood and stepped toward Imara.

Stop her progress with a wall;
on her ass she will fall

Imara was sick and tired of Val’s attitude and instinctively voiced her irritation with an impulsive chant. The invisible barrier Imara erected did its job. Val was sprawled on the floor. She reached up to touch the invisible brick wall, a needed barrier between Imara and a very pissed off operative.

“What the fuck is this?” Val jumped to a standing position and looked like a mime, as she patted and groped what she could feel but no one could see.

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Published on January 11, 2019 06:45

January 4, 2019

The Big Countdown…

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On January 1st, my wife and I started the big countdown until we both retire at the end of the year. Yup, the goal is to retire by the end of THIS YEAR. We are both so friggin’ excited, we can hardly stand it. Did you know there are multiple ways to do a countdown? I know about a few of them now.

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For my laptop, there were four apps to choose from. I chose D-Day Countdown lite because I could add my own personal pic.

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Finally, I really liked this one, but I don’t think I’ll be eating the skittles that I plan to put in the little jars.

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I’ll spare you all the other cutesy ideas I found on the internet because honestly, I’m not even going to pretend to use any of them. I think the above ideas work just fine without being overkill. Of course, I could be talked into adding one or two more because I am that excited about this countdown. So…go ahead and tell me what you would do?

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In the meantime, this countdown year is shaping up to be a very busy one for me with at least four book releases and my very first audiobook. Artist Free Zone comes out on February 21st. I am particularly excited about that one because every single cent goes toward two very deserving charities: The Trevor Project and It Gets Better.

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Prepare for your mind to be blown away by The Book Witch, which is the ultimate squeries – a cross between sequel and series. This story cleverly weaves the characters from two different book series into one. As I’ve posted before, if you want to catch up, reading the following books will allow you the full experience: Asset Management, The Organization, The Thanksgiving Baby Caper and The Book Addict.

Award-winning author, Annette Mori, brings back the gang from Asset Management and The Organization together with the colorful women in The Book Addict. What if someone had the power to bring characters to life? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? Are those beloved characters only in the minds of the authors and their readers or can they become living, breathing entities?
Imara is a book witch who is convinced of her superiority over the run of the mill book magicians—even if one of those magicians is her former best friend, Elle, the bookstore owner of The Enchanted Page. Imara has her sights set on Jaiden, but she needs Elle’s help along with Elle’s girlfriend, Tanya. And, Elle is not speaking to her.
Jaiden isn’t your typical high school teacher. Reluctant to immerse herself in love after growing up with her free-spirited mother, Jaiden finds herself drawn to two different women. She can’t decide whether she loves or hates what Imara has done. When Imara decides to bring the beloved character, Dani, to life, sparks fly.
All is not well in the sleepy town of Coupeville when Elle’s foe sets a trap for Jaiden and Imara, forcing the women to engage the help of the badass women from The Organization, and the talents of the book magicians. Will love be the force to help them all prevail?

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Latest Book Links:

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

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Published on January 04, 2019 06:31

December 28, 2018

A New Resolve…

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Every year I soundly refuse to write a bunch of New Year’s resolutions that I know I won’t keep. This year is different because the one resolution I need to make is that important to me and my wife. What could be so life-altering that I would change my long-standing rule on resolutions? Well…I’m going to tell you.

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Most people know my wife and I live apart. People also know I am a huge introvert. My wife is an extrovert. She says she’s not. When she whines about needing people contact and hating working from home, I think maybe she doesn’t really understand the differences between introverts and extroverts. I could go months without talking to another human being and be totally fine. Ah…but I digress.

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Here’s where I’m going with this…I hate the telephone (because I am an introvert). Thus, during the times when we don’t see each other, I don’t call. I don’t text. Sometimes I will initiate a Facetime session, but I admit, I don’t do it as often as my wife. She would like to hear from me every day, a short little text, a Facetime call, something to let her know I am still madly in love with her. Because I am! But to her, my behavior does not support that perception. She seriously stated she cannot survive another year apart without more frequent contact.

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Thus, for the first time ever, I have a New Year’s resolution. I will send my wife a text or Facetime her every single day when we are not together. She deserves to know how much I love her and I damn well better let her know that. It’s an easy resolution. One I think I can handle.

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Here’s the thing…2019 will be our countdown year. The year we start counting down until we both retire. While it will be another difficult year apart, there is a big, bright, light at the end of the tunnel. Along the way, I hope the little tiny sparks of light I leave with my New Year’s resolution will make this final journey a little easier to navigate. That’s what I’m counting on!

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The upcoming year will busy year for book releases. The Book Witch comes out in January. I am very proud of Artist Free Zone and the fact that 100% of the proceeds go to two very deserving charities: The Trevor Project and the It Gets Better project. The novel is published under Stone Soup Community Press and scheduled for a February release. I do hope this novel does well because I have a passion for those charities. Youth who struggle have a special place in my heart and these two charities are primarily for LBGTQ youth. Since it is a contemporary romance, I have high hopes for it! A Window to Love is penciled in for May, and then The Panty Thief comes out sometime later in the year. Still up in the air are: Pleasure Workers and Compound Interest. They may or may not come out in 2019 or at all….time will tell.

Want to catch up, be sure to read The Book Addict, Asset Management, The Organization, and The Thanksgiving Baby Caper. That should set you up nicely for The Book Witch coming in January!

Latest Book Links:

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 28, 2018 06:35

December 21, 2018

Tis the Season…..

The title above auto-corrected to Tits the Season and I almost left it. Then I thought I better change it back! Christmas is around the corner and I hate to admit I’ve become one of those….a cranky old woman who’d rather move quickly through the holidays, instead of embracing the joy of the season. Not only is it the holiday season, but it is the nasty ugly weather season in Forks, Washington (where I live). I’ve posted about my fun times lately and have gotten quite creative over the past few weeks in my journey to walk to work each day which is a 1/2 a mile away. I know, why would I choose to walk in 70 mile hour winds and pouring down rain? Because I can, and it is not that far away. See my version of rain gators….stop laughing it worked until Santa Claus can bring me rain pants.[image error]

Speaking of Santa Claus, let’s talk about Christmas for a second. Neither my wife or I are Christian. She is a Buddhist and I am, well, I don’t really know other than I am not Christian. And….yes I know that not only Christians celebrate Christmas. In fact in my research good old St. Nick dates back to when the first Europeans came to the new world. Although, many were reluctant to adopt the traditions of St. Nick in the new world, they persevered in England. After the American Revolution, there were efforts to bring back the jolly old man and in 1810 the New York Historical Society held the first St. Nicolas anniversary dinner on December 6th. Let the tradition of gift giving begin! Thus the merging of the Christian holiday and the traditions of St. Nick. This event paved the way to a modern day Christmas.

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When my wife and I started our journey together many years ago, I would buy a live tree and decorate both the tree and the house. We exchanged gifts, joined in the merriment, etc., etc., etc. Soon each of those traditions went by the wayside. Now we don’t decorate, don’t exchange gifts, and barely acknowledge the day as any different from another day. She asked me if I wanted her to pick up rain gear for Christmas and I said no. I am re-thinking that option now. The only thing we do is prepare a nice meal (with wine of course) because it would be barbaric not to have good food on a designated holiday. And…our aversion to celebrating in the traditional way, makes me think I have turned into one of those…a cranky old woman.

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Want to know the best Christmas presents for me? They don’t come in a box. They come from: 1) making the 12 Days of Lesfic 2018 list from Rachelle at Les Reveur; 2) an e-mail from a reader who was touched by Unconventional Lovers; 3) Victoria mentioning Unconventional Lovers on her podcast as a book of note in Lesfic Bingo and; 4) every single positive e-mail, post and message I’ve received throughout the year. Those are the best presents of all. I don’t need no stinkin’ bobbles to make my Christmas the best ever (maybe I need rain pants). I have all the readers out there that continue to support me. Thank you. Peace and joy to everyone during this holiday season!

If you want to read what all the fuss is about with Unconventional Lovers, here’s the link: Unconventional Lovers

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Latest Book Links:

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 21, 2018 06:28

December 14, 2018

Can I Brag A Little….

No, not about my writing. I wish! This is about my rare technology prowess. Can you believe it? Me! I entered the technology goddess phase.

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Last week my faithful laptop went belly up. It was time I retired her because she was over five years old. Frankly, I’m surprised she lasted that long. I was screwed because…of course I hadn’t been backing up my files. I have two external drives, and neither one of them was getting any action lately.

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Yup, you guessed it. There were files I desperately wanted to get out of my old laptop after I couldn’t boot that dang thing up. It would not take a charge or even boot up when plugged in.

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At first, I was going to ask one of the tech guys at work to retrieve the files for me. He has a side business and I figured it would be worth the $150. Last time this happened, I had a computer guru replace the plug in receptacle. My cat had caused the plug to bend and that made the laptop unusable. Then I decided to do a little research, because you know how much I love research.

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Google is truly my friend. I learned I could buy this little device called a SATA/IDE to USB 3.0 unit. This little baby allows you to plug in an internal hard drive and then attach to a new laptop. I’d already purchased a lightning fast HP Laptop after calling my wife and asking permission. She told me to get whatever I wanted (I know I’m spoiled).

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So, I ordered one and it came two days later. I’m a handy little dyke and figured I could unscrew the back of my old laptop and pluck out the internal hard drive and voila, I’d be on my way in no time. I was able to get the internal drive out easily, but all the electronics were winking at me and taunting me. I know if my fingers touched something the wrong way, I was screwed. Again, my creative brain went to work and I cut out a piece of cardboard to protect the exposed electronics and wrapped it up in duct tape. Duct tape to the rescue again. It ain’t pretty, but it works!

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The next hurdle was locating my files under the my documents folder. Pesky little security protections hid the damn files under my users/Lisa folder. I poked around until I found a way to unhide the files and allow access as an administrator on my new laptop. Don’t ask me how I did it because I haven’t the foggiest idea. I kept trying different things until it worked.

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Now, if only I could have the same amount of success with my books! Want to help me with that, go ahead, give one of my books a try. I think you might like them. Don’t forget the release of The Book Witch it just around the corner. Coming out in January and it’s even more fun that The Book Addict because the characters in Asset Management and The Organization are baaackkkk!

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Latest Book Links:

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 14, 2018 06:30

December 7, 2018

Slacker, Slacker, Manuscript Hacker…

I know, I know, the weekly blog is late today. I have a good reason, honest. Usually, I write my blog on Thursday evenings and then put the blog out first thing in the morning on Fridays. Last night I buried myself in my new WIP, trying to clean it up before sending the script out to new betas.

To help a fellow writer find a tool that would identify overused words and phrases, I came across this amazing tool called Pro Writing Aid. I bought it and off I went. Well, let me tell you. This tool served me a healthy dose of humble pie. Apparently (yup this is one of my overused words), I have a tendency to ramble and include a lot of unnecessary words and phrases in my writing. I’m doing it in this blog…he he he. After all was said and done (another unnecessary phrase), I’d hacked out over 1,000 words.

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When I first ran my script through the program, there were over 1,200 items to review. Twelve hundred! My score was a pitiful 70%. I felt like a terrible writer. Sure, I can spin a good yarn, but that yarn tangles a lot, making it hard to follow the story. If a sentence can be said in ten words, I use twenty.

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The culprits for me:

Unnecessary words and phrases like: Apparently, very, a bit, I think, really, actually…and the list goes on and on.

Use of passive verbs.
Lots of sticky sentences – this is the only thing I did not fix because I didn’t know how. Sticky sentences are those that have a lot of filler words. I didn’t know how to eliminate those words without making the sentence sound odd.
Too many adverbs

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In my defense, the frequent use of passive verbs is a necessary evil in my line of work. Tentative less aggressive and direct language is useful when trying to put a nervous employee at ease. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! He he he…thus my affinity for sticky words….

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Here’s a little clip from all three books to whet your appetite!

From The Book Addict

As the woman came closer, Tanya recognized the bookstore owner. She had a determined expression on her face. Tanya didn’t want to seem impolite, so she managed to lift her hand in a semi-wave.

Elle slowed her pace and smiled. “You bring your cat out for a walk?” Elle asked.

Tanya chuckled. “He insists, and if I don’t, bad things happen. He’s a spiteful little bugger.”

“May I join you?”

“Um, sure. We aren’t quite walking at the same pace, so if you, uh, were needing to, you know, walk faster for exercise or something.”

“Oh no, this is a good pace. You’ve started the book already,” Elle stated.

Tanya was confused. How would this woman know she’d already started to read the book? Did her whole presence scream bookworm with no life?

From The Book Witch coming in January

Hey Jaiden. Whatcha doing? Reading again?” Franklin asked.

Jaiden kept her groan from becoming audible. Captain Obvious strikes again. “Um, yeah. I was taking a lunch break and thought I’d sneak in a few chapters.”

“Anything I might be interested in?”

“Not unless you’re dying to read a good lesbian romance.” Jaiden reminded the science teacher he didn’t stand an ice storm’s chance in hell of wooing her away from her interest in women. She wished that interest went further. In her thirty-five years, Jaiden had never found the one.

“I’m open-minded. Maybe I would like the book.” Franklin smiled and showed his crooked yellow teeth.

Jaiden tried to rein in the unkind thoughts that snuck into her brain. I’ll just bet you are if there’s lesbian sex in the book. Franklin tended to surround himself with science journals and all things academic, but he was a man after all. She shuddered, imagining him trying to interject himself in a sex scene. She almost burst out laughing, as she looked at his ridiculous 70s-style glasses and silk, disco shirt. She thought maybe he should try to catapult himself back into that era, because it was definitely a time in history he obsessed over.

“This one doesn’t have a lot of sex scenes, mostly fade to black,” Jaiden answered.

“Oh. Hey do you think—”

“No.” Jaiden cut him off. “Franklin, you’re a nice guy, but you are definitely barking up the wrong tree.” She held up her tablet.

“I hear bisexuality is all the rage…”

Jaiden sighed and pointed to a mark on the dock. “Let’s go through that continuum again, Franklin. This is someone 100 percent straight.” She moved her finger a foot. “This is someone who is bisexual. Moving her finger another foot, she added, “And this is someone who is 100percent gay.” Jaiden placed her finger six inches farther from the last place she’d pointed to. “Now pay attention, Franklin. See this spot that my finger is on? That’s where I fit on the continuum. Six degrees from 100 percent lesbian, which means I possess less than zero interest in men. Does that help your scientific mind grasp what I’m trying to communicate?”

“No need to be sarcastic. You could have said I’m not interested because I’m not bisexual,” Franklin huffed.

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From Compound Interest, the final book in the series I hope to have published!

“You put a tracking device on my ex-girlfriend? Didn’t you learn your lesson with Char? You need to stop messing with friends and family.” Dani tried to keep the irritation out of her voice but sometimes Toni didn’t think.

“Fuck the ethical dilemma. She did it for a good reason. Maggie and Antonio heard an unsubstantiated rumor that made them very concerned. Maggie asked Toni for her assistance and told her to keep it under wraps.” Val leaned against the desk.

“Why wasn’t I told about this?” Char pinned her intimidating gaze at Val first and then Toni. “You didn’t think to tell me what you were up to? You earned yourself a little couch time.”

“I told you this would backfire on me and now I’m relegated to the couch. No sex for me. You turned Char into the Sex Nazi, which is far worse than Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. I don’t give two shits about not getting delicious soup for breaking the rules, but sex…fucking secret mission,” Toni grumbled.

Val stood and crossed her arms over her chest seemingly unaffected by the drama unfolding before her. Dani suspected not much about family dynamics rattled Val. “Because it affected Candy and most likely Dani. She didn’t want you going off half-cocked.”

“I’m a master strategist, how is it that I’ve suddenly been tossed into the emotional bucket?” Char’s jaw clenched.

Val raised her eyebrow. “Seriously? It’s common knowledge you don’t think clearly when your sister is involved. And your objectivity has taken a sharp turn ever since you caught the domesticity bug.”

“You’re one to talk. I’m not the one deciding to bring a baby into our little fortress of righteousness.” Char’s hands waved theatrically in the air.

“Yet. I saw those fertility pamphlets on your table. So, which one of you is having the turkey baster shoved up their twat?” Val smirked.

I am super excited about both of these series, but I will let you all be the judge….if you want to catch up, be sure to read The Book Addict, Asset Management, The Organization, and The Thanksgiving Baby Caper. That should set you up nicely for The Book Witch coming in January!

Latest Book Links:

Don’t forget about Love Forever, Live Forever FREE on Kindle Unlimited…take advantage of this! Cheap way to read one of my books!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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