Annette Mori's Blog, page 32
May 25, 2018
To Blog or Not to Blog
The conclusion: Not to Blog. It isn’t a huge surprise that I’ve been going through what I’m calling my existential writing crisis. Let’s face it, a blog is simply another form of writing.
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I began writing a weekly blog almost 4 years ago, shortly after my debut novel came out. I’ve written 177 blogs and this will be the 178th. Honestly, it was a way to market my novels (or so I was told). People talk about giving something to your readers in newsletters, a blog is something free to read. I thought that was enough, that it was a nice gift. I don’t think the blog did what it was intended to do. In the beginning, it was fun, so I kept writing despite the data suggesting it wasn’t meeting the original intent.
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Four years later, I have 147 followers. I have fewer followers than the number of blogs I’ve written. I know, kinda pathetic. Granted in 2017 I had 9,776 views for the 52 blogs I put out that year and 5,149 visitors. Now….here are the depressing stats: In those 52 blogs I wrote in 2017, I had 176 likes and 174 comments. So, I had to ask myself, why spend the hours each week thinking up a topic, writing on said topic and an outrageous amount of time picking out pictures (that are probably not legal to use anyway)? I couldn’t come up with a good answer. Would anyone besides a handful (yes literally a handful) even know I stopped writing a weekly blog? The resounding answer that kept pounding in my head was…NO.
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Then I read with rapt interest a comment about a reader who had, reader’s block. Shit…I never even heard of that before, but apparently, others have experienced this as well. Writer’s block I know well, but this was a whole new fascinating concept to me. I’ve never, ever, not been in the mood to read. The concept is so foreign to me. That was the nail in the coffin for me. Writers need readers. It is just that simple. In lesfic especially, there seem to be a lot more writers than readers. Simple economics, really, too much supply and not enough demand. Words offered for free are no longer considered gifts worthy of putting the effort into reading. Too many offer that option. Readers are bobbing in a sea of books trying to decide which one to latch onto.
There have been times when my weekly blog has been effortless. The words have almost written themselves and flown from my fingers so fast, I almost couldn’t keep up. Other times, I’ve had to claw my way from the well to eke out a weekly blog, blood dripping from my fingers with the effort it took to write the damn thing. No more. I simply cannot do it. The world will not stop spinning if I stop writing. I’m not creating world peace for shit’s sake, only a few laughs and temporary moments of entertainment for a tiny number of people. People are busy and have a whole lot to choose from. The market is not only flooded with books, it’s flooded with blogs. As a former colleague used to say, “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”
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Maybe I will resume someday, if and only if I have something to say and think I’m adding to the world. I sort of like the notion of creating a legacy as a fellow writer I admire recently said. If this isn’t simply a long vacation from blogging, I want to express to all 147 of you how much I appreciate you hanging in there with me over the years. I hope I made your days brighter. I’ve cherished every single comment, like and encouragement! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
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Just because I always include links, I’ll do that one last time, because I hate breaking tradition.
Still excited about my new release and really hope you consider getting this book: Dream Catcher Listen to me read the prologue and 1st chapter of The Dream Catcher here.
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Want to hear Annette Radio Interview at Speak Up Radio, click here.
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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What’s Happening in Lesfic!
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Affinity Rainbow Publications SALE! Get these great deals on backlist books from your Favorite Affinity Authors! Click here to see all the titles available: SALE
[image error]Medusa’s Touch
Medusa Pilot TiCara X273 just signed on for more trouble than she ever bargained for. A beautiful corporate rep with a secret, her ailing boss, a covert mission to a hidden destination, an implacable foe with some unexpected allies and a sizzling attraction, seasoned with more than a touch of deceit and betrayal, make for a trip that some of them may not survive. Can TiCara learn to trust the woman she’s falling in love with before it’s too late?
Buy Links: Books2read Bella Books
May 18, 2018
Lady Bits and Related Topics…
I think I opened Pandora’s box with my joke #pantiesweek. Goddess bless Sophie for taking that gauntlet, running and skipping down the road with it. What evolved was a plethora of discussions for #pussyweek that started with the word pussy and the whole question again of what words we prefer for those lady parts. I don’t believe I am the only author that struggles with this. Sometimes the word to use is clear, other times, not so much.
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I loved how the week evolved to different questions, sometimes recycled questions that have been talked about before…briefly…but never to the full extent, we’ve explored them this week. I am standing and clapping…giving Sophie a standing ovation right now. I was easily able to provide scenes or clips with the word pussy. I posted a passage in an upcoming book citing an unusual place to make love. I found several passages where I referred to shaved legs or armpits. The one that stumped me was a call for a passage that somehow included the monthly visit from Flo. Now in my defense, I haven’t had that visit in years since I am well past that time in my life. I didn’t start writing until after I was able to save a shit ton of money on feminine products and copious amounts of Advil.
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So…I had to delve deep into my creative warped brain to write a scene, that I will admit was based on a true story! Here is the scene I wrote…don’t laugh too hard at my expense…or if you do I hope you are laughing with me and not at me. Of course, at the time, I was mortified. This happened over 25 years ago…..
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My head was back on the pillow and my girlfriend was getting busy between my legs. I needed this because, well, it had been over a week. Last weekend I was on my period. I’d come a long way, but that was just gross. You know, letting someone lick down there when blood could sneak out.
I’d taken off early and made my way down to Portland on Thursday, excited to see her. The moment I’d arrived she yanked me down to her basement bedroom and we were both naked and writhing against one another in minutes.
I was squirming again as her head was between my legs and her mouth securely fastened to my clit. Then, I felt it, the small tug.
“Um, babe,” she hesitantly began.
What? Now you stop. For shit’s sake, I thought.
“Are you still on the rag?”
“No, I huffed.”
I felt the tug again, and as if a cold bucket of water had been tossed on me, I sat up. “Shit, oh shit.”
She playfully tugged on the string and laughed. “I thought you smelled a little, uh, ripe,” she said. “You didn’t taste like your normal sweet self, either.”
I groaned and jumped from the bed, making a quick dash to the bathroom. Angrily, I yanked the offending tampon from my vagina, wrapped it into a wad of toilet paper that would have been enough to fully encase a mummy. Rancid was an understatement. That damn string had hidden in the fold of my labia and in my haste to travel to Portland I’d completely forgotten about it. I was at the end of my period two days ago, so I didn’t give it a single thought.
I was about to jump into the shower and thoroughly clean myself in an attempt to wash away the effects of the cloth tube with days old blood. The little sucker had effectively hidden itself up my hoo-haw. I felt the arms of my girlfriend wrap around my waist.
“Come back to bed,” she purred. “It’s no big deal. We can tell our friends the story, they’ll roar with laughter.”
“Don’t you dare,” I threatened. My voice was low and ominous. I was mortified.
“Okay, I promise, mum’s the word, but only if you get your cute ass back in bed. I wasn’t finished.”
“I’ll be right there.” After she left I quickly looked around the small bathroom and found the hand soap. It would have to do. There was no way I was heading back until I’d thoroughly scoured every single inch of my pussy. Nothing less than a complete wash would allow me to relax enough to let my girlfriend’s glorious tongue back between my legs.
How the hell I remembered to shave my legs, but not pull out the tampon was beyond me. I guess shit does happen. Twenty-eight years later I can laugh about this—at the time, not so much.
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I guess #pussyweek brings out the most outrageous stories, true ones and others that are completely off the wall. Is this true or the figment of a demented writer’s imagination? I guess you’ll never know!
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The above poorly crafted scene was the best I could do on short notice…so if you want to read something a lot better with real editing…you know the drill…click one of the links below!
Very excited about my new release and really hope you consider getting this book: Dream Catcher Listen to me read the prologue and 1st chapter of The Dream Catcher here.
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Want to hear Annette Radio Interview at Speak Up Radio, click here.
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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What’s Happening in Lesfic!
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Affinity Rainbow Publications SALE! Get these great deals on backlist books from your Favorite Affinity Authors! Click here to see all the titles available: SALE
May 11, 2018
My Mother’s Perfect Imperfection
[image error]Every year I honor my mother in the blog before Mother’s Day. I’ve been doing this since I started my blog four years ago. This will be the fourth year I’ve done this. Sometimes I tell stories about my mother, other times I share the essence of who she was. I’ve talked about her passing and I’ve talked about her struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and how that influenced my need to write a book with a character a lot like my mother in Captivated. I wanted to portray the quirks I came to appreciate growing up and emphasize that I believe my father loved my mother for her quirks not despite them.
[image error]My mother wasn’t perfect. No one is. She struggled for many years after I came out to her and internalized the pain. She also wasn’t very kind in a few of the things she said because sometimes our pain and misinformation causes us to say things we don’t really mean. When you love someone, you forgive. And make no mistake; I loved my mother very much. Ultimately, she was a very kind and compassionate human being who had far more delightful traits than those areas that needed some fine-tuning.
[image error]Sometimes that forgiveness takes a little while. Right now, I am trying to muster up enough compassion and forgiveness for a family member who has been diagnosed with bipolar. I started writing about this challenging disorder before my difficulties, and the hurt and pain I experienced recently with this person. I haven’t been able to forgive…yet… I hope to get there eventually, but in the meantime, I wanted to offer up a book that shines the light on bipolar and changes the narrative for both myself and others. The main character in The Dream Catcher is as delightful as my family member. Thus, I hope to someday remember that wonderful person inside the disorder.
Ah, but I digress. I hope you will forgive my tiny bit of ADHD. Today, I would like to share a story about my mother to let you in a little further. My mother was a special education teacher and for many years she used her inherent compassion and talent to teach young kids who for the most part were “dumped” into her classroom at the private school she worked. Although the children were supposed to be kids who had learning disabilities such as transposing letters, or reading comprehension, what she ended up with was a classroom of emotionally disturbed children. Since these kids were the hardest to place, they ended up in her school, because she would never refuse any child.
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Most of the children came from broken families who were undoubtedly under the poverty line. Not having decent clothing or shoes was the norm. Mom often went shopping and made sure the kids had clean clothes and shoes that fit. Illinois has very harsh winters and I suspect without my mother, many of those kids would have frozen their tushies off waiting for the bus.
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My mother loved Bingo so she employed a rather unconventional technique to get the kids to learn letter and numbers. The kids responded exceptionally well to her teaching technique because she handed out money and candy to the winners. She employed other incentives to learning using money and candy and they all worked. All of this came out of her pocket. I wonder if it cost her more to teach than if she were unemployed. My father was making a lot of money at the time, so I suspect she considered this her way of contributing to society in some small way.
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When the school closed because the owner had Alzheimer’s, I think a tiny light extinguished in her heart. She ended up working at the high school as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Principal who doled out all the discipline. The kids always had great respect for Mom, because there wasn’t a single child on the planet that she couldn’t find redeeming qualities in. She genuinely liked them all, even the ones who acted out.
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Bottom line, I miss my mother every single day and I suspect so does the entire world. She made a difference and the world is just a tiny bit less wonderful because she is no longer here on earth.
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It’s easy to see how my mother and other members of my family have influenced my writing and what I choose to write about. If you are at all curious, you know the drill click one of the links below!
Very excited about my upcoming release and really hope you consider getting this book: Dream Catcher Listen to Annette read the prologue and 1st chapter of The Dream Catcher here.
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Want to hear Annette Radio Interview at Speak Up Radio, click here.
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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What’s Happening in Lesfic!
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Ali Spooner’s latest in the Strong Southern Women out now. Thanks in advance for your help!! Gator Girlz (Strong Southern Women Book 2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRTR3ST/
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A special collaboration between Ali Spooner and Annette Mori, Free to Love, out now!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079T4NSWZ/
[image error]Don’t miss Alison R. Solomon’s new crime novel, Timing is Everything. Three women’s lives will be changed forever following a hit-and-and run: Wynn, the victim, Gordy, the suspect terrified of being deported, and Kat, best friend to Wynn and in love with Gordy. How can Kat help both her friend and lover if supporting one means selling out the other? The book will release May 20th. You can pre-order here: and read the first chapter here: Alison is donating 20% of all May 20th sales (including pre-orders) to the Sonia Plotnick Health Fund which provides funding to women for healthcare needs.
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Anne Hagan’s, Loving Blue in Red States ‘series is available now. This one is ‘Savannah Georgia’. It’s exclusive to Amazon right now so free via KU. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CW49RPV. It’s $.99 and free via KU. Her shorts are in KU. Everything else is wide.
[image error]Just Beyond the Shining River by Lynnette Beers is a Goldie finalist in the debut novel category. The book tells the story of Gemma Oldfield as she unlocks scandalous family secrets from her late grandmother’s past. The journey to discover the truth leads Gemma to London where she realizes that the matriarch’s past, if revealed, could destroy the Oldfields. In her pursuit to learn more about Nan’s past, Gemma meets an intriguing woman who has the potential to change the course of her life forever. But can Gemma open her heart to love? Is she ready for a new beginning and a chance for true happiness? Available as an e-book and in print, Just Beyond the Shining River can be purchased from Amazon, Bella Books, Nook, and Kobo. For information on how to purchase the book, go to: http://regalcrest.biz/product/just-beyond-the-shining-river/
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Ali and Susan Jenkins have it all. Their life together is mapped out on a one-way path to happiness, that is until Susan is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ali refuses to accept it – her world is shattered. Susan’s last act of love is to make her wife promise that one day she will open her heart again and let somebody else love her. But will Ali keep her promise? http://getBook.at/ThePromiseCHS
May 4, 2018
Panties, Panties, Panties
[image error]I am constantly amazed by the posts on Facebook that receive the most action…or maybe I’m not. The topic was not new, we’ve discussed this before. But who wouldn’t want to talk about PANTIES? I was laughing in my chair the whole time I both read and participated in the latest post. The usual suspects who goad me into writing either short stories or blogs about a particular topic didn’t have to spend any time encouraging me to talk about panties. I’ve been licking my chops in preparation for this blog. My mission this time is to weave in the word panties so often, that those readers who hate the word will become numb to it. Maybe, in the same way we are numb to the barrage of insane tweets by our American President. RESIST!
I’m even going to start a #pantiesweek campaign and try to get all my lesfic sisters and brothers (just for you Jesse) to post each day a line from any of their books with the word panties! It’ll be like Shark Week, a way to desensitize people…you know you can resist watching Shark Week and people won’t be able to resist #pantiesweek. Beware of the Facebook threads you start…because I cannot resist taking the joke too far! Oh and by the way…my panties are not granny pannies…see below the three styles I have. All black of course, because you know black is a slimming color.[image error]
[image error]To say I’ve been obsessed with how to approach this subject would be an understatement. Not only did I feel compelled to go on Facebook Live and discuss panties and show the panties I wear (when I wear them), but I had a ridiculous dream the other day about this blog. True story: I dreamed there was an app that displayed the number of times a book contains a certain word and converts it automatically to an excel spreadsheet. I even saw the word panties in my dream. Now wouldn’t that be convenient?
[image error]See…I’ve been doing research on how many times I’ve used the word panties in my books. I also looked up every other version of women’s undergarments that I could think of, even the ones I know I’ve never used; just to make sure I am thorough in my results. I even included the absence of panties….commando, in my research. I carefully transferred those results into a spreadsheet which I am sharing with everyone in this blog! My wife, who picks up science journals for her pleasure reading, would be proud. If you remember before, she offered to manage a scientific study on how certain fruits impact…um…the flavor of a woman. Of course, she mentioned this would include height and weight of the subjects, amount of fruit consumed, the duration between tastings, etc (you get the drift). She was quite serious about the scientific pursuit of pineapple consumption.
The other research I am doing is on the origin of the word panties, which I must admit stems from a post by Danna who added a picture of pantaloons. I suspected right away that’s how we Americans developed the slang version of women’s undies.
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Here are the results of my oh so careful research: Contrary to what I assumed, pantaloons only share part of the history of panties. Pants became a slang version of the pantaloon which evolved into the diminutive of pants or panties, which meant underpants for women or children. This all happened around 1845. It was also used as a derogatory term for men’s underwear, which later morphed into pantywaist as a demeaning term for a weak or effeminate man. Now here’s a fun fact: The first documented panty raid occurred at Augustana College in Illinois on February 25, 1949. Side note: I was born and raised in Illinois! No wonder I have an affinity for the word panties.
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Drum roll…Here are the results of my personal research…No knickers, bloomers or pannies (I am American). As you can see “underwear” is my overall favorite with “panties” a distant second. And…I really like talking about all kinds of underwear in The Organization, with no surprise, The Ultimate Betrayal in the second spot.[image error]
So….have I managed to desensitize those readers who hate the word panties? Because, you know, being the rebel I am, I ‘m not going to stop writing panties in my future books. I quite like the word, much better than undergarments. Yuk! Or knickers, because I’m not British and don’t think I can pull that one off. What other words should I have looked for? Inquiring minds… I need a new word to poke fun at, so what word would you use to replace PANTIES…muffwear, beavercap, pleasureblock (although sometimes stroking outside the panty is uber hot), pussypant, buttfloss… Stop me please!
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[image error]I want to do a special callout for Free To Love that forced us to use undergarments because the term panties would not have been authentic for the time and I’m really hoping people will check this book out because I am so proud of the collaboration I did with Ali Spooner: Free To Love!
If you want to read for yourself how many different ways I describe women’s undergarments…click one or all of the links below!
Don’t forget available for pre-sale: Dream Catcher
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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What’s Happening In Lesfic!
The Lesbian Light Reads, By Elizabeth Andre, Volumes 1-6, Boxed Set is on sale for 99 cents (usually $9.99).
Available now: Shadow Ascending by Prudence MacCleod.
Rescue Her Heart by KC Luck is available now! Two women. One galaxy. As a decorated Space Ranger in the 8th Galaxy, Captain Natalie (Nat) Reynolds has an exciting, albeit lonely, life. Yet, when Nat answers a distress call from a craft in trouble on a nearby planet, it has the possibility of changing the trajectory of her life forever. Catherine Porter is down on her luck in the worst way. Evicted, almost penniless, she worries all hope is lost until a charismatic stranger flies into her life. Inexplicably drawn to the one woman who can possibly save her, Catherine must face feelings she never considered. Will their stars align and lead them to a happily ever after? Or will their differences tear their hearts apart?
[image error]The sequel to Diamond Dreams, Gator Girlz, part of Ali Spooner’s Strong Southern Women series is out early! Woo hoo…it’s a goodie…
[image error]Secrets: 99cts sale! There is nowhere to run: Disillusioned with the direction her life is going, Marsha Taylor wants to get away, to find out what’s left of her dreams. Picking up a hitchhiker along the way wasn’t her intention, but Jessie, a woman with troubles of her own, is hard to resist. A mishap on the road forces them to make a stop in a small town called Diamond Lake. Residents are on edge since a brutal murder happened in the area not long ago. Everyone has their secrets…some of them are deadly.
April 27, 2018
I am a weak, weak, woman…
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I am a weak, weak, woman. When I started this whole writing thing, I never in a million years thought I would, after 4 years, have 12 published novels. But….what I really never envisioned was writing a sequel. After jumping into the deep end with my flotation device (a co-writer), I wrote my first true sequel with Erin O’Reilly. Then I vowed…okay I’m done…are you happy now? I guess it’s like that first foray into lesbian sex, once was not enough!
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Sure, I’d re-visited my characters in short stories like Nicky’s Christmas Miracle X3, Vampire Pussy Cat, The Thanksgiving Baby Caper and Who is Nicolas Clause, I argued that was like taking a toke on Marijuana but not inhaling. Then I got one step closer again…I snuck in references to previous books in a novel that is yet to come out called, The Book Addict. Not really a sequel, but damn that was the slippery slope into addiction.
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All on my own, I got an idea for a new book that would be a sequel to The Book Addict. Honestly, this idea occurred to me without prompting for a sequel. And then in true Annette Mori fashion, I had to put in a twist to the whole notion of sequels and created what I’ve been calling a Semash. Because…not only is this book a sequel to The Book Addict, but it also weaves in the characters from Asset Management and the true sequel to that book, The Organization. Can it get more convoluted than that? It sure can…because a month or so ago, I started writing another Semash. But this time, the main focus is a continuation of the Asset Management series, with some tangential mention of characters in The Book Addict and the sequel, The Book Witch. Are any of you keeping this straight…because I’m not. But then again, I’m not straight, so there you have it!
Now, I’m seriously considering another book to follow The Dream Catcher. Why? Because I can’t quite let go of those characters. Thus, the conclusion, I am a weak, weak, woman giving in to my newly developed addiction: sequel or series writing! Who knows, maybe I will make Elle Hyden happy and do a follow-up novel to Out of This World….
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Feel free to check out all my novels and not just the sequels! Simply click one of the links below and you’ll find them!
Don’t forget available for pre-sale: Dream Catcher
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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April 20, 2018
Tell Yourself A Story
I experienced a stark reminder this week while I was teaching my weekly Customer Service training. I’m not following my own advice. Or rather, what I’m doing when I tell myself a story is dramatically skewed in the opposite direction. Let me paint the picture for you.
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One of the building blocks I consider critical to providing great customer service is choosing to have a positive attitude. For the most part, I think I do have a positive attitude. That isn’t where things begin to crumble for me in not following some of the messages I teach. I tell the employees I’m going to provide three tools to help develop the habit of choosing a positive attitude. I even cite one of those tools as my favorite. But I don’t use it nearly as often as I should.
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This favorite tool is telling yourself a story to change your perspective and create a brand new reality. For those of you who have seen Life is Beautiful, this movie is by far the most astounding example of this tool. In the movie, a father weaves an elaborate tale to convince his young son that their presence in the concentration camp is all part of a game. The game is hard and requires many sacrifices, but in the end, whoever manages to rack up 1,000 points wins the prize. A tank. Not a toy tank, but a real live tank. The clip I show is powerful. People remember it. I also talk about a famous experiment where teachers are provided the names of students who are considered gifted or “bloomers” and expected to perform better than others. At the end of the class, those gifted students do indeed “bloom” but amazingly it’s all a ruse because those students were randomly selected.
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So what’s the point? We can use this trick to positively influence our lives. Some people call it visioning. Others talk about self-fulfilling prophecy. If I believe I will make it as a writer, I will.
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I haven’t done that. In fact, I think I’ve done the exact opposite. It’s no wonder I remain relatively unknown with anemic sales. Here’s the story I’ve told myself. I’m an “acquired taste”. My books probably don’t appeal to the masses. I have a very loyal, but small following. I’m not talented enough to make it as a full-time writer. And guess what, with that perspective, I never will!
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Maybe I should reframe everything and tell myself this story: My next book, Dream Catcher, will be my breakout book because it’s unusual enough to catch people’s attention and is a rocking good time. The cover is awesome. The story moves along so quickly, the reader won’t want to put it down. Those same readers will tell everyone else how fun the book is and voila’ a smashing success. After that, readers will gobble up my backlist and I’ll tell my wife it’s finally time to consider retirement, travel around in our RV and slide into retirement in relative comfort! My bucket list has an item that I hope to someday experience…the top spot on Amazon’s top 100, or I’ll even take in the top 10. With the above story…it’s possible!
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Okay peeps….I’m counting on you to ensure my new story creates this new reality. Wanna help…you know the drill…click the links below! Hot off the press….it’s available for pre-sale: Dream Catcher
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
Sign-Up for the Annette Mori Author E-Mail List
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
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April 13, 2018
Relateable Characters
I was reading an interesting blog today. This topic of conversation seems to crop up here and there in the Facebook groups I tend to participate in (not as often as it should in my humble opinion). Why are persons of color, older women, persons with disabilities, etc so under-represented in lesfic (or in literature in general). I was absolutely flabbergasted by one remark in the blog. Apparently, one of the readers did not provide feedback to the author on a book featuring a person of color because she couldn’t relate to the character (she was white).
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That got me thinking…I know very, very dangerous. Many of the popular lesfic books feature beautiful, rich, powerful women. Famous women. Women with abs of steel. Women with smoldering eyes and animal magnetism. Women who are exquisite and twenty or thirty-something. Women who walk into a bar, pick up a woman and get laid every night of the week. Well…shit…I’m not any of those things, so by that logic, I shouldn’t enjoy those books because I can’t relate to those characters and their experiences. Now, I admit, I do like to read about those perfectly chiseled characters. But, I wondered…What do I really need to relate to, for me to enjoy the book?
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For me, I like to connect to characters who struggle with common human emotions. Love. Hate. Injustice. Karma. Fear. Bravery. Failure. Success. Loneliness. Belonging. Anger. Joy. Frustration. Satisfaction. Self-doubt. Confidence. And on and on. There is no end to the common emotions and yes, experiences, we can all relate to. It does not come in one color, one socio-economic status, one physical ability, one age range, one country, one gender, one religion or spiritual belief, etc. Variety is truly the spice of life. Come on people, let’s expand our horizons. Go outside the norm. Try it, you might find those books you don’t normally try are beautiful gems. I guarantee…human emotions are universal.
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The blog also mentioned the controversy with Riptide Publishing which I’d just recently learned about. Apparently, Riptide Publishing would not use persons of color on their covers because “we like the book to, you know, sell”. This revelation was so disheartening to me, I can barely keep myself from a rant on that. That topic alone probably deserves an entire blog. I mean, what the f%$#. I rather love the cover for my most recent book that was a collaboration with Ali Spooner. I’d like to think the sales have been slower for that because historical romance is a tough sell in lesfic (even though I swear it has a nice contemporary twist at the end)…because I cannot even stomach the alternate possibility.
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Long story short…Readers have said I often go outside the norm with my characters and the topics I’ll tackle. I dare you to give my books a try! He he he….
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
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April 6, 2018
Dishing the Dirt…
Okay, maybe this interview wasn’t exactly filled with super juicy information, but there still might be a few things to learn about me. Although I am generally very candid whenever asked a question….maybe too candid since my wife often thinks I land squarely in the Too Much Information category. Since I am traveling to Austin today for the Lonestar 10th Anniversary Lesfic Conference, I thought it was good timing to use this interview as my weekly blog. Back to regular programming next week!
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Where did you grow up? What made you want to become a writer?
I grew up in the Midwest, Illinois to be exact. We moved to Elgin, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago when I was 9 years old. Remaining in the state, I attended Illinois State University for both my Bachelors and Masters degrees.
I’ve always been a book nerd AKA voracious reader.When I moved to Moses Lake, WA for a new job and was separated from my wife during the week, I was bored and started writing. She had to commute in the opposite direction of my new job and the commute for me would have been too far. We kept our house in Cle Elum and only had the weekends together. I was fortunate enough that Affinity Rainbow publications saw something in my first attempt at writing. Erin O’Reilly worked with me for several months to improve the manuscript and re-submit for consideration. The rest, they say, is history!
Name one book that had a big influence on you growing up.
My favorite author when I was growing up was John Steinbeck. I appreciated how he tackled social issues and used his power as a writer to influence societal views on a variety of topics. Yet, one of my favorite books of all time is Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris. This book, told from the perspective of three generations is in my humble opinion the best representation of empathy I have ever encountered. Each time the reader dives into the next story they begin to walk in that person’s shoes and have a greater understanding of where the person is coming from. We should all aspire to do that.
What cultural value do you see in reading and storytelling? What are some ways in which your life has been impacted or changed by literature?
Stories have a way of illustrating important beliefs or concepts and they stay with a person. In my job that pays the bills, I do orientation for new employees and often use stories to underline the points I make. People remember those stories. Those concepts are then cemented in their brain in a way that is not possible by simply lecturing about positive attitude and customer service.
What characterises your writing and how do you think it is different from other things being offered on the book market?
I’ve been described as quirky. One reviewer remarked that the reader never knows what to expect from one of my books. Some readers mention my humor and I often scratch my head on that one. I guess I consider myself like one of those bumbling detectives, I sort of stumble into humor…a bumbling humorist. I’ve been asked to sit on a panel at the Lonestar Lesfic Festival on humor in lesfic. I have to admit I’m terrified because I am so not funny. They will undoubtedly toss tomatoes at me and call me a poser, poser, humor loser. I’ve often joked about being an “acquired taste”. I vacillate between light, fun, stories, and those that tackle controversial topics. Not wishing to be pigeonholed into one subgenre, the only constant in my books is an element of romance. I’ve chosen to combine many of those romances with sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, action-adventure, intrigue and mystery. I enjoy setting up twists and turns and sneaking in messages that deal with various social issues. I suppose my identity is best described in my blog called: Identity Crisis.
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Why did you start writing LGBT romance? In what ways have your own experiences shaped your writing and your books?
Early on when I found lesbian fiction, there weren’t a lot of choices. I would treasure the books I bought at the local bookstore and eagerly await the new arrivals. When lesfic began to explode with more choice, I stopped reading other genres. There was plenty to choose from and I enjoyed reading about lesbians who finally got their happily ever after. I wanted to get lost in those stories and to add to the variety available for people to read. I had a silly notion that I could contribute to the explosion of lesfic now available. I talk about this in my blog: But I AM a Lesbian
What were some ideas you played around with in “Out Of This World”? What are its similarities with the book “The Ultimate Betrayal”? Which one took more time to write?
Out of This World was intended as a light hearted book. I hoped to portray one consistent theme I tend to come back to: the notion of beauty and a person’s value in society. Using an alien who can look at love and beauty in a very different manner allowed me to challenge the concept that only the “beautiful people” have value. There are absolutely no similarities with The Ultimate Betrayal. That book was a completely different story with very different themes. I learned a lot about compassion and empathy from my readers after receiving feedback on The Ultimate Betrayal. I had assumed that everyone would hate the character Lara. After all, I portrayed her as a horrible cheating spouse. Readers wanted to see Lara get her happily ever after and looked for ways to understand her more fully. It is hard to think back on how long each took, but I believe they both took about the same amount of time.
Of all your books, which one was the most labor intensive to write and why?
Hands down, Free to Love was the most labor intensive (if you take into consideration the smaller word count) because of all the research I did for that novella. Historical fiction is very hard and labor intensive to write. The next one that was almost as labor intensive was Unconventional Lovers because of the research and my constant re-working of the story. The book meant a great deal to me and I wanted to get it right.
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What was your experience collaborating and publishing the book “Free To Love” with Ali Spooner? What are some important issues you tackle in this book?
I loved working with Ali Spooner. She shared her Novella with me and I loved it. When she suggested I add on to the story after I said I wanted more, off I went. The notion of a missionary woman falling in love with a freed slave popped into my head because of all the layers I could explore. Conflict with her religious teachings, the morality of slavery, etc.
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How did working with Ali Spooner in “Free to Love” and other authors in “It’s in Her Kiss” help you as a writer? Are there any disadvantages to collaborating with another author?
Since both Free to Love and It’s in Her Kiss are collaborations where each author tells their own story, to me that is the easiest collaboration. The collaboration was more challenging with Free to Love because Ali and I needed to connect the two separate stories together and make sure there were not plot holes that would create inconsistencies. The blending was relatively easy to do and Ali is such a joy to work with. Collaborating on The Organization, the sequel to Asset Management was a bit harder. Erin and I would Skype and write scenes together and then go off on our own to draft other scenes. We divided up the characters and that made it easier to write together as we could organically create dialogue based on the characters we each were responsible for.
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What was the inspiration behind the story “Locked Inside”? What kind of message do you hope your readers will take away from this book?
I was listening to a story on NPR one day about a man who went to college, married, etc. who had Locked Inside syndrome. I got the bright idea that would be a great lesbian romance. The story evolved to help people see through the eyes of someone with physical and medical challenges and how those normal every day activities are quite different for persons with disabilities. However subtle it may be, there is still a fair amount of discrimination against persons with disabilities and I hoped to change some of those views.
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How do you build your characters? Name one character that’s most like you and another that’s the stark opposite.
I am a total panster (fly by the seat of my pants) as opposed to a plotter. I don’t outline my characters. The writing sort of evolves naturally. I suppose I hear the voices of the characters at all times of the day and night and then scramble to write the dialogue and essence of their character down before I forget it. Mabel Butt, from Out of This World is most like me and Lara from The Ultimate Betrayal is my stark opposite. Mabel is a bit of a nerd and somewhat unsure of herself and her worth. Lara is very confident and honestly very slimy. Lara does not believe monogamy is possible or natural and that couldn’t be further from my views. I am very loyal and it would not cross my mind to cheat on my spouse or partner. I also tend to be very naïve and trusting of others.
Have you ever thought about writing a series? What do you like about writing standalone novels that writing a series doesn’t bring?
Now that is an interesting question. I suppose you could say I’ve sort of already written a series and what I call a semash. Yes I make up words all the time. I wrote about my semash which is a combination of two sequels or maybe outright series (the jury is still out on that). For more information on that topic, see my blog about the semash: Squeamish about the Semash. After numerous calls for a follow-up to Asset Management, I finally capitulated and agreed to write another book. I decided I would only write the sequel if Erin joined with me on the project. Since then, I’ve written a short story follow-up called The Thanksgiving Baby Caper and recently completed another book that sneaks in the characters from Asset Management and The Organization in a way that is very unusual. This book is called The Book Witch and the anticipated release date is sometime in 2019. I’ve also decided to give a character in these books her own happily ever after. Dani was a beloved character and did not seem to achieve that ultimate closure as much as the other characters. So…long story…it has evolved into a series, albeit an unusual and unconventional spin to what readers might normally consider a series. The Book Witch is also a sequel to The Book Addict, so I guess I’ve written two now despite my protestations that I am not a series writer. I am a weak woman!
What are some of your goals as an author and do you think you have accomplished them?
My biggest goals are to entertain and touch someone with my stories in a way they may not have been touched before. I also like to challenge people to think of social issues in a different way. From the feedback I’ve received from readers, I think, for the most part, I’ve succeeded.
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And….abeeea….abeeea….abeeea….That’s All folks!
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March 30, 2018
Accidental Humorist
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I’ve never once considered myself an author who writes romantic comedy. Yet in one week’s time, I will be sitting in front of real people with that deer in the headlights look as I try to cobble together my thoughts on humor in lesfic. I was put on this panel at the Lonestar Lesfic Conference in Austin probably because I answered an outrageous challenge and on a lark submitted a short story for the Anthology called Coochie Couch. I think I may or may not have written something about not knowing whether to lick or f@$% it (see picture below to understand the line). Apparently the short is considered a humorous tale and some thought it would be a nice addition to the anthology. I’ve often wondered are people laughing with me or at me? To hide my nervousness, I babble. Ironically it does not at all hide the nervousness, but rather puts a big, fat, frickin’ spotlight on it. It’s not a pretty sight at all!
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One of my favorite topics to poke fun at is myself. I am a goober personified and have never, ever, tried to hide that. How could I? The quirkiness nearly oozes from my pores. It bubbles over so much that sometimes that quirk finds itself inside the pages of my books.
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When people say my books are funny or that they make them laugh out loud, I want to know where. I envision myself as the author version of Inspector Clouseau from the famous Pink Panther movies. Any success I have at creating humor in my books is purely by accident. I ask where the book was funny because I’d love to find the magic formula to writing romantic comedy. If in some small part I’ve already achieved that, I want to know how to do it again.
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Recently, I wrote a novella with Ali Spooner called Free to Love. My part of the book is without any quirk whatsoever. Consequently, the book was serious and a departure from my usual style. I wonder if that will impact sales. I guess people don’t like it when you deviate from what they have come to expect from you. Although, one reader did say she would have known who wrote which part without our names attached. So, I guess an author cannot completely stray from their style of writing. I worry that because it is a historical romance, even with the powerhouse name of Ali Spooner and a contemporary twist at the end, the historical part will turn people off. So far the book has received positive reviews, so I sure hope y’all will give it a read. The first part is classic Ali and I know she has a ton of fans. I’ll take any success achieved by riding on those huge coattails…
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If anyone is near Austin on April 7th, please join us at Lonestar. Oh…and go ahead and laugh at the trainwreck that is me sitting on the panel babbling about absolutely nothing important because that’s what I do sometimes. I’ll tell myself you’re laughing with me!
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If you want to find those spots where I was accidentally funny, feel free to purchase any of my books. You know the drill, click the links below!
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
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March 23, 2018
SciFi Lesbian Style
Side Topic: Okay I am going to take a short diversionary journey right now because I’m on a mission. I’ve been joking lately about breaking the plexiglass ceiling by having a lesbian romance cover finally make it into the top three. Plexiglass because it seems so much harder and more difficult to break than its more fragile cousin, glass. I have over 2,000 Facebook followers, over 300 followers to my page, over 500 on my mailing list and a good number of Twitter followers. So I thought piece of cake, slice of pie, right? I’ve been singing the song We Are Family by Sister Sledge believing this was possible. You know, because I got all my sisters and me. I only needed about 300 total votes to catch up and make it to the top three (the ultimate goal). Late breaking news: I have 211 votes and sit at #10. I figure I’ll need another 100 when all is said and done. So how about it my Sisters? It’s FREE and EASY to vote….You are two clicks away! Let’s bust open that plexiglass my lesbian sisters!
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Now here is the real blog! Two weeks ago I proofread a new book coming out from Goldie Award-winning author, JM Dragon. She and I share the excitement over the science fiction sub-genre. Her newest book, Tempest lands squarely into this category and it is awesome.
A few years back, I listened to Radcliffe who reinforced the notion that Romance was indeed Queen in lesfic. I didn’t like hearing that because I knew that meant that most of what Publishers would choose to support was Romance and there would undoubtedly continue to be slim pickings for those of us that drool over science fiction.
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Now, I’m not suggesting that JM Dragon or any other person who loves science fiction is some kind of geeky outlier, but well…the data doesn’t lie. Of course, that is a completely geeky thing to say…and, of course, I resemble that comment.
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I decided to ask for some help and put a call out for those unknown nuggets I knew were out there, because I could only come up with a handful of authors that wrote lesfic science fiction. I explicitly did not want fantasy, speculative, paranormal, dystopian, or the cousin to fantasy, urban fantasy. I didn’t want anything other than lesfic (yup lesbians only, sorry my blog, my choice). Sometimes, people tend to lump them all into the same category or sneak in all science fiction with definitely non-lesbian main characters (probably because they are scarce). I love my go-to Facebook groups because they are always willing to help out. There were several authors I’d read and forgotten about and a few authors I’d read, but not their science fiction books. I was pleasantly surprised. Yet, I suspect, if I had more time and collected data on all the true lesfic science fiction, the list would support the data Radcliffe provided, lesfic science fiction is a small percentage of the total lesfic available to us avid readers.
I was amazed at the number of authors who have specifically ventured into this bold frontier (had to use a Star Trek saying). Initially, I was going to list all of them, but then the list became way too long, so just know there are a lot to choose from, even though I had these narrow criteria. I wanted space, aliens, futuristic technology with women loving women. Now don’t get me wrong, I love dystopian, fantasy, speculative, paranormal, etc. but those sub-genres deserve their own blog! I also wanted to only include female authors who were brave enough to categorize their work under lesbian fiction because we get overlooked too often.
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Some of you might not know that I took a stab at my own lesfic science fiction novel, which admittedly is probably considered sci-fi light. The other big players in the sub-genre are letting me play and be a part of this exciting project called the lesfic sampler sci-fi edition. I’ve included a teaser from Out of This World which is my science fiction contribution to lesfic. The sampler is coming out on April 1st and I think y’all should definitely check it out! Let your geek flag fly high and proud.
[image error]Look for more information on this and a link to the Sampler….Coming SOON
Here’s the shamless promotion…Now you know I don’t just write Sci-Fi, Dystopian, or Fantasy. I’ve almost ventured into every subgenre…so feel free to check out my other books while you’re looking at the Sci-Fi Sampler.
Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!
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