Annette Mori's Blog, page 33

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Published on March 16, 2018 06:32

March 9, 2018

Lesbian Prostitutes?

The most interesting conversations occur on Facebook. This past week as I was combing through the posts, I came across an invite to a group titled, Prostitution Research and Education. Granted, from time to time I get added to groups I have zero interest in or receive invites to others that seem only marginally relevant to me, but Prostitution? My first thought was what the hell? Why was I invited to this interesting group?

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I joked about it on Facebook and posted this: “Do I look like Prostitution is or was my vocation? I’m 58 for shit’s sake…how much money could I really make at that age? Perhaps someone wants me to write a book about lesbian prostitutes…actually not a bad idea. So I’m thinking about joining because…come on…it’s bound to be fascinating…what do y’all think???”

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Well…I got a boatload of comments on my post. Some were hysterical, others intriguing. I learned a few things and decided more research was imperative. The three major areas I simply had to follow up on were:

Back in the forties and fifties, some femmes supported their butches with prostitution because the butches could not find work (thanks, Yolanda Rochna). Oh, and there were butch pimps (thanks. Kathy Brodland).
A true story from Lee Winter (thanks, Lee) about a group of lesbian friends who started a sex service for women in Sydney. The service folded after 6 weeks after they fell in love with their clients!
There’s no need to pay for sex as a lesbian, maybe plying them with wine or pizza, but apparently, sex is easy to obtain as a lesbian (thanks, Danna Micoletti).

Here’s what I found out in my research:

I typed in every combination of words to see what I could find out about those selfless femme’s who supported their butch lovers with prostitution and sadly I could not find anything. Side Note: You’ll also see an anemic amount of pictures and memes because nothing came up when I typed in lesbian prostitute and not much else with prostitute…at least that I was willing to share. However, I don’t doubt that it definitely existed because one of the posts remarks told of her personal experience in the 60s that would support this history.
The UK seems to have jumped on girl on girl escort services more quickly than the US. As far back as 1997, Gigilo Girls were indeed helping women figure out their sexuality using this service. The young woman featured in the story did not seem to want to fall in love with her clients who ranged in age from 25 – 50+.
Um, my personal luck with the ladies was definitely non-existent back in the 80’s, so maybe that belief about it not being needed might not be true for everyone. Let me introduce y’all to The Resort and Spa, Shari’s Ranch , in Nevada. They wrote about a growing trend in requests from women for female escorts. Their female to female business amounts to 15% of their total revenue (and that stat was from 2014 which had grown 10%). I can’t help but share their marketing on this:

“Women don’t go to brothels. Women don’t have a desire to go to brothels. Women only go to brothels if it’s their husbands’ idea. False. False. False. Society seems to have this idea that women cannot possibly entertain the idea of wanting to visit a brothel. Brothels are something only for men, and women don’t possess the desire to have an extremely sensual experience with another woman. This crazy idea circulates around and many times intimidates women into thinking that their feelings are wrong and that they should hide them. However, it’s about time that we change this idea and encourage rather than discourage women to visit brothels and have the time of their lives.”

So there you have it! This brings me to my final thoughts on all of this. I couldn’t help myself and I went there. I joined the group. Yup, I had to see what it was all about. Turns out, it’s a feminist group that has very specific views on prostitution. Those views land squarely on the side of, it’s not good for women in any form. Degrading, abusive, mostly forced, etc. I’m guessing they have research to support this and for the most part, I would tend to agree. Many women or even young girls are forced into sex work and it is not a good thing. However, I will say that for any lesbian who wants to start their own female to female escort service, more power to you!

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As for writing a book about lesbian prostitutes, I admit the idea is very intriguing and well, you know me, I’ll probably take that on as a project because it’s just the kind of story I would choose to write. Unconventional. Oh hey, that reminds me…Unconventional Lovers is truly the best book I’ve ever written and I honestly think you won’t be disappointed if you gave it a try. You can also find all my other books by clicking one of the links below. Happy reading.

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on March 09, 2018 06:34

March 2, 2018

Girls Scouts, Lesbians & Conspiracy Theory

This past week I was joking around on Facebook about how those unsightly extra pounds have developed a loving and committed relationship with my waistline. I further remarked that who was I to break them apart. After all, at my age, commitment is important. My rationalization, as Lila Bruce joked, “to eat my weight in girl scout cookies” emerged as a brand new battle cry. Of course, it didn’t help my Girl Scout cookie addiction when right about the same time, I received a scathing review on Goodreads. I suppose it was inevitable that my favorite child, Unconventional Lovers, would get knocked down a peg. The review cut to the bone, even though there were things to learn from it. With the help of my FB friends I quickly got over it!

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Soon, I came up with a plan to meter out the cookies in reasonable quantities. Two cookies a day. I called that plan A. I promptly violated Plan A the very first day. The tempting treats are like Lays Potato Chips. You can’t eat one or two or 10. I kept nibbling them until the entire box was gone (almost without conscious thought). So…I came up with Plan B…gobble up all four boxes and then go back to my diet after no more cookies survived my locust-like behavior. They taunted me in my cabinets and freezer. See, I knew they were there and I swear I heard the sirens whispering in my ear.

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Somehow, these discussions evolved into a connection between girl scouts and lesbians. I know a boatload of lesbians who were girl scouts, so I sort of figured it was a thing. I decided to do some research and find out exactly when did the Girl Scouts of America make a formal statement to include lesbians, transgender, bi-sexual, and gender fluid girls. Unlike the stuffy old boy scouts, I presumed it was fairly early on. In case you are wondering, it was 1991.

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Well…surprise, surprise. Guess what? There a shit-ton of conspiracy theories out there about how the Girl Scouts are promoting lesbianism and the radical feminist agenda…you know corrupting all those sweet young girls. Didn’t you know the Girl Scouts are the perfect hunting ground for new lesbians? Shoot, joining the Girl Scouts might be the next best thing to going to the local lesbian bar (according to these right-wing fanatical groups). I couldn’t believe what they were saying. One claimed that aTagalong cookie box promoted lesbianism and homoerotica. I swear this nutjob had this to say about the box:“Go for it!” “Water sports.” “Pros.” “Strokes.” “On our backs.” Someone, some deep-cover operative of the International Homosexual Conspiracy (IHC), has clearly infiltrated whatever agency designs Girl Scout cookie boxes. Oh for shit’s sake, are you friggin kidding me? Here’s the box in question.

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Another idiot launched a boycott of the tasty treats back in 2014 called CookieCott2014. I doubt they were all that successful…I mean, it’s Girl Scout Cookies…who can resist! The Catholic Church repeatedly cut ties or banished the Girl Scouts.

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A couple of years ago, I might have laughed all of this off, but more and more these lunatics are having their say and gaining traction. They have the ultimate role model to make it all perfectly acceptable.

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Shaking my head in disgust as I go searching for a few more boxes of cookies to purchase because I clearly did not order nearly enough. At the same time, I’ll grab a new lesbian romance and read all that erotica because the Girls Scouts already recruited me long ago. I’m sure I took one look at the Tagalong box and said, “Yes I want to be a lesbian cause it looks like so much fun.” Okay, it actually is! Feel free to pick up one of my books and begin munching on your own box of cookies.

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Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on March 02, 2018 06:27

February 23, 2018

New Lesbian Idioms

The other day I was reading a post on the lesbian equivalent of a home run. You know, that male idiom for someone getting lucky with a lady. It was a darn good question and we bantered around things like maybe third base is under the panties, and a home run requires either a little tongue action or the addition of toys (of course that was my contribution). I found a meme that might fit..well sort of…something about oiling a glove…

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Then someone said, “Does it even apply if we bat for the other team”. I was rolling on the floor laughing at that. It got me to thinking about all those sex idioms and euphemisms that either don’t apply to lesbians or don’t quite fit. I thought that was a great topic to explore today.

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When we were interviewing this OB Physician and he used this phrase: I don’t dip my pen into the company well. I thought that was interesting considering I think the idiom is actually, dipping one’s pen in the company ink. Of course, I consider that saying completely malecentric and/or heterocentric. So… what would be the lesbian equivalent? How about, I don’t lap the juices from the company water cooler? No? Drink the ambrosia from the company well? No? Okay, what would you say, then?

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Isn’t it time to ferret out all those heterocentric sayings and create a whole new twist from the lesbian perspective. So…here are my favorites. Instead of “it’s not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean.” How about, “it’s not the type of boat you travel in, but the way you move through the water.”

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I’ve always been repulsed by the saying, “Yeah, I hit that one,” or “Nailed her good.” Really? Any of you want to be hit or nailed? Don’t answer if you’re into BDSM. For those not into BDSM, how about, “Yeah, I licked her clean,” or “The vacuum cleaner can’t compare with my sucking.”

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Another repulsive saying to me, and I admit it’s probably because I am 100% lesbian, is “playing hide the sausage.” First, I don’t eat meat and second, I’d probably try to hide that ugly organ too if it dangled between my legs. I can’t even begin to think of an alternative. It reminds me of how wrong the saying, “bumping uglies” is to me. There is nothing at all ugly about a vagina and all the surrounding petals of love. So maybe an alternative is, “take time to smell and taste the flower.” Some flowers are edible…for real. Not joking here!

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And then there is this one that I can’t even say…but the little picture below not only put forth the saying but gave us a lesbian alternative! I love the internet!

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That brings me back to the baseball analogy. I think if we’re going to bat for the other team, we should also be gracious and host a potluck after the game. After all, we are lesbians.

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I bet you’re wondering how the heck Annette will tie in a plug for her books. Well, I have to admit, I don’t have a clever way to do that in this blog. So…how about I hope you will simply want to check them out because I’m so good at writing a blog every single week and it’s about damn time you took a peek! Oh, and don’t forget about the book tour going on all month. Here’s a link to the page with all the relevant info: Unconventional Lovers Book Tour

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on February 23, 2018 05:14

February 16, 2018

Business or Hobby?

I had no frickin idea what to write about this week and several topics came to mind. At first, I was going to write this heavy topic about history and how it can teach us valuable lessons if we’d only let it do that for us. But, I didn’t want to get all maudlin on everyone. I could not bring myself to talk about the school shooting in Florida, it saddens me too greatly.

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So….instead I decided to talk about how I’ve been wondering lately how many more books I really have in me and whether I can truly as I’ve said before call myself a real author.

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My 10th book, Unconventional Lovers, came out on January 24th and has thankfully received almost 100% positive reviews on both Goodreads (which I affectionately call Meanreads sometimes) and Amazon. My next book is a combined project with Ali Spooner, called Free to Love, and is currently on pre-sale. That’s 11 published novels and yet I am in my third year of recorded losses as an author on my tax return.

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So…guess what I did? I looked up the IRS standards for hobby versus a business. I wanted to know if I can legitimately call myself a real author. The initial search revealed something I had vaguely heard about. The IRS has a general rule of thumb regarding how long a business can claim a loss. Apparently, I would need to make a profit in 3 out of the first 5 years in business.

There are of course other factors such as:

You carry on the activity in a businesslike manner, (Do you think all the swearing I do in blogs counts against me?);
The time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable, (Sheesh how much time can a person hang out on FB, surely I meet this)
You depend on income from the activity for your livelihood, (Snort…not bloody likely!);
Your losses are due to circumstances beyond your control (or are normal in the start-up phase of your type of business), (Can I claim limited talent for the craft?);
You change your methods of operation in an attempt to improve profitability, (Recently added Instagram and Tumbler…does that count?);
You were successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past, (Seriously? Don’t you think if I’d tried before and tanked, I’d throw myself in the fire again?);
The activity makes a profit in some years, and how much profit it makes, and (Not even close!);
You can expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity. (I think this means my backlog and uh, nope don’t anticipate that happening!).

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Well…shit, I thought. I’m toast. Then I dug a little further and guess what? Authors and artists, in general, aren’t supposed to make money. There was a court case that established we can lose money for several years without the risk of being labeled a hobbyist. In August of 2013, in Gullion vs IRS, the Court recognized that it takes longer to achieve success in the arts than in other fields. He had seven years of losses before making a small profit in his 8th year. So….I figure I have 4 more years before I have to stop referring to myself as an author!

Of course, y’all can help me stay a real author, just buy my books so I can turn a profit before my 7-year timeframe expires! He he he…it was worth a try! But seriously, feel free to check out my books, all of them have gotten consistently positive reviews with only a few bad ones to keep it all real ya know!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on February 16, 2018 06:35

February 9, 2018

Baby Dyke Wanna Be

With Ali Spooner’s upcoming book, Diamond Dreams, I got to thinking about my youth and sports. I always enjoyed playing basketball and baseball, climbing trees, fishing, and riding motorcycles…yeah all the things a little tomboy would do. I didn’t like dolls, I liked trucks. When we played dress up, I wanted to be the boy and slick back my hair.

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I loved playing most sports growing up. I just wasn’t any good at it. In grade school, I played basketball, but when I got to high school, I pretty much sucked and barely stayed on the JV team. I remember having the biggest crush on the star of our team. I stuck it out my sophomore year, just to watch her dribble down the court.

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The basketball coach kindly steered me in another direction, so I joined the badminton team. Stop laughing. Those women were brutal with the shuttlecock. Hmmmm, I wonder if badminton is a sport particularly suited to baby dykes who aren’t good enough in the popular sports. At least we got to smash a cock over the net.

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Let me paint the picture for you…the same year I was on the badminton team, I was on another team. This club was considerably higher on the geek meter than the Chess Club. Yup, I was part of the Latin club. And not the Latin club for Salsa dancers, either. I think we’ve clearly established I have zero rythm.

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I remember clearly how I wasn’t needed for a badminton away game, but apparently, I was indispensable for a Latin competition. True story. They had Latin competitions where conjugating verbs was a highly sought after skill. The two events were on the same night. I chose the game, much to the disappointment of the Latin teacher. I desperately wanted to fit in with the sporty types. Well…the Latin Club advisor went behind my back and worked a complicated bus transfer at a rest stop on the way to Chicago…just so I could attend the Latin competition after the game. Ugh…I would have rather been good at a sport, any sport (clearly). And…that’s why no budding lesbians ever wanted to approach me!

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When I got to college, I practiced. A lot. Eventually, I became marginally proficient in volleyball. I started playing with various USVBA teams. I even went to the gay games in Vancouver, BC with Team Seattle in 1990. What I lacked in skill, I made up for with passion and grit. I’d sacrifice my body and often plummet to the ground in an attempt to dig that ball from its downward spiral to the hard floor.

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After college, I joined a softball team and once again had a major crush on the star player who could effortlessly hit home run after home run. I was the catcher and no big surprise, I stunk. But I had heart. Everyone knew they could wing those balls to home plate and I’d never flinch. Of course, I didn’t always catch them either.

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At the same time, I joined a rugby team. I wasn’t the fastest or the most skilled, but boy was I a scrappy little thing. The forwards had all the fun because they got to stick their heads between another woman’s legs (I swear that’s sorta true). I wasn’t a forward, I was the winger. I got the shit kicked out of me a lot. After several broken ribs and stitches to my face, I hung up my cleats.

If you’re a baby dyke, but aren’t any good at sports, well…it’s a real inconvenience. I desperately wanted to be part of something, especially something with other girls who might be like me, but my lack a skill was a huge barrier. Couple that with how shy I was and it’s no wonder I ever came out of the closet. I didn’t realize until my 20’s why I kept having crushes on all those glorious stars of the various sports teams that would elude me.

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As a mature adult, I decided to throw in the towel and take up physical activities that did not require skill: running, cycling and cross-country skiing. You’ll often see my main characters take a bike ride because that’s what I can do and have a passion for these days. This doesn’t stop me from loving books about women who are superstars because it brings me back to my youth and how I often pined for those star athletes. On a few occasions, I actually had a chance to date one or two. So what sports-themed books have you loved?

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I have a few fun scenes in Unconventional Lovers with a bike ride or two…here’s one of them:

Olivia groaned and rolled on her pillow-top mattress when she heard the chime on her smartphone. Picking up the offending device, she glanced at the text, squinting to read the small words.

How RU doing this AM?

She smiled, despite the ache in her legs. When she’d gotten out of bed in middle of the night, she’d realized what a terrible decision it was to ride the extra ten miles.

It reminded her of the time she’d accepted that shot of whiskey. As the liquid burned all the way down her throat, she’d declared to her friends, “Oh that tasted like a bad decision.” And it was. She’d ended up stripping down to her underwear and singing Kum Ba Yah at the top of her lungs at her friend’s pool party.

The extra miles hadn’t seemed that much farther, until they turned into her driveway and dismounted. Deb had offered to give her a leg massage, but Olivia had politely declined. The mild flirtation in her offer was enough to sober Olivia. She’d participated in the day’s banter just a tad too much. She needed to nip that in the bud. What the hell was I thinking? If she gave this woman an inch, she was sure to take a mile.

Olivia grimaced as she swung her legs onto the floor and sat on the edge of the bed thumbing her response.

I blame you for my condition. Don’t laugh when I hobble along today.

Hair of the dog. We’ll work out the kinks when we test drive the recumbents.

Ugh…

On my way. CU in 10

Olivia moved the phone away, making sure she read the text correctly, then pressed the power button twice to read the time. When it registered in her foggy brain that it was 8:45, she called out, “Bri, why didn’t you wake me up?”

Silence was the response. Oh, holy hell, she must have left early for her outing. Serves me right for not setting my alarm.

Each tiny step to the bathroom sent a shot of pain up her legs, as she attempted to swivel and shuffle to her destination. She imagined most people would find her odd walk hilarious—like a decrepit penguin.

Olivia was determined to work out the stiffness and pretend that she wasn’t as out of shape as she appeared. Walking like a ninety-year-old woman was sure to give her secret away. Maybe she’ll think old penguins are cute. Oh, stop that, why do you care what she thinks?

When she finally made it to the toilet and slowly let her bottom hit the seat, she cringed and wondered whether the paramedics would need to burst into her house to remove her from the cold porcelain. At least Deb wasn’t working today, but being the butt of an ED nurse’s jokes was not Olivia’s idea of a good time. She chuckled at the inadvertent pun.

“Ahhhhh.” It felt good to empty her bladder after the sparing trip in the middle of the night. Normally she got up several times a night, but after learning the consequences of her poor judgment, she’d avoided a second or third jaunt with her sore muscles.

Olivia knew there was no way she could move fast enough to take a nice hot shower and certainly not a heavenly bubble bath, so she pulled herself up using the edge of the vanity. Bracing herself against the sink, she rummaged around in the drawer, selected a hair tie, and gathered her thick mop into a messy bun. As she stood in front of the mirror with her feet wide apart to provide the necessary balance, she managed to brush her teeth.

She hoped that Deb would take pity on her and give her some time to sooth her sore muscles in a hot shower, as she attempted to make herself a bit more presentable. When she heard the doorbell, she hobbled to answer it.

Deb was smiling when she handed her a purple gift bag with yellow tissue paper poking out of the top. It felt heavy.

“Please tell me that you’re just a little sore. My ego needs a bit of stroking, and it would help for you to admit that. I don’t even care if you lie to me, in fact, please lie to me, because you look entirely too chipper and well put together this morning.”

Deb chuckled. “The bag contains some healing bath salts. Kathleen called me this morning. Bri let the cat out of the bag that you might not be up early this morning. Go on, I see you haven’t showered yet. Take a bath, relax, and I’ll go out and get us some nice, rich coffee. We can still make brunch and have plenty of time to thoroughly check out the bikes.”

“Aren’t you sore at all? Not even a tiny bit?”

“My legs are okay, but I wouldn’t even let you, as hot as you are, go anywhere near my crotch. God, I swear if you want to make it easy on someone to stay celibate, just send them on a thirty-five-mile bike ride,” Deb confessed.

“Oh, thank God. Well, I mean sorry about your, um…sensitive parts, but at least you aren’t iron woman. I guess I can be thankful for the nice wide seat on my bike. Too bad I’m horribly out of shape. Thanks for the bath salts. Are you sure you don’t mind the delay?”

“Not at all. I woke up early and took my own bath. It really does help. I’ll be back in half an hour. Will that give you enough time?”

“It might take me that long just to walk back to my bathroom.” Olivia laughed.

“Oh, okay, how about…”

“I’m just kidding. See you in thirty minutes. I owe you big time.”

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I hope you decide to buy both Diamond Dreams and Unconventional Lovers because then you can compare the different sports! Somehow I think the glory of softball, a very lesbian sport, will undoubtedly win out.

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on February 09, 2018 04:42

February 2, 2018

Humble & Kind

This past week has been quite an eventful one for me. Three major items have taken up space in my brain: 1) The release of my favorite baby, Unconventional Lovers; 2) Coming out to my boss and assistant and; 3) Planning and preparing for the annual hospital banquet.

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Let’s start with #3 because the title of this blog originates from a Tim McGraw country song and ties into our banquet planning. Before I started at Forks, there was a beloved employee who passed away shortly after receiving the Employee of the Month award. We were preparing the slideshow and wanted to include some pictures of him to honor his memory. Forks is a rural community and the hospital is small and family like. There are numerous connections with cousins, spouses, sisters, brothers, mothers (you get the drift) all working at the hospital. His wife still works for the hospital and will be at the banquet. We needed a song that would be perfect for him and since he was a huge country music fan we landed on Humble and Kind.

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I downloaded the song from iTunes and I am sure my wife is asking, “What the hell?” I don’t particularly enjoy country music and neither does my wife. That is the only thing we agree on when it comes to music. She likes that jazz fusion crap. I think it sounds like a bunch of egotistical jazz musicians doing their own thing because surely they are the brilliant star in the group. I digress….

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Anyway, that stupid song got stuck in my head and I can’t shake it. Yet, it got me to thinking, where I’ve landed is the epitome of humble and kind. Culture starts at the top. Like Peter Drucker says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” In my short time, the CEO has shown me time and again how humble and kind he is. That’s how I would describe the organization, humble and kind.

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When I stumbled over my words and came out to him. He was so wonderful and gracious. He made it a point to state there are several gay couples in the organization who are “well-loved and embraced.” His words. The hospital is truly like a family who embraces and protects their own. Sure, like every family we have our issues because families tend to get all up in each other’s business. That’s how small organizations operate. But…I will take that family type atmosphere any day of the week over an inconsequential number. Forks suits me.

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That brings me to #1. Over the last week, the outpouring of kindness from readers has truly humbled me. Many have mentioned my book and encouraged others to read it. I am embracing that kindness regardless of whether I deserve it or not.

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I try very hard to be humble and kind and sometimes I stumble. I joked about being a cranky pants because I didn’t want to spend more time re-working my current WIP. Although, I know I need to. I do hope my crankiness has not negatively affected anyone in my close circle of pals. That would be the opposite of kindness. Side note: Let’s be honest my crankiness is completely related to the fact that I haven’t seen my wife in 3 weeks and won’t get to see her until February 10th.

I have renewed faith in human kindness after this past week. Not everyone is a bigoted, loud-mouthed racist, sexist, homophobe. Those individuals are not the majority and we will prevail in the mid-term elections. Always stay humble and kind, so that you may add, not subtract to the world.

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I humbly ask you to give my book a try because I believe Unconventional Lovers carries a beautiful message about love and acceptance.

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on February 02, 2018 06:27

January 26, 2018

Lemons

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I wasn’t going to write a blog today because I already have a guest blog coming out from I Heart Lesfic which I will share with everyone here. Here is the link to that blog: I Heart Lesfic Guest Blog. Then I got to thinking that maybe I’d do a short one. Isn’t it cool that you get two blogs in one!

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So, I was joking with one of my betas (behind the scenes), who is trying to help me grow as a writer. She’s really good because she pushes me. I’m being a right pain in the ass with her. While I am listening and re-writing portions of the draft, as well as adding to it, I wrote this line to her the other day: ” You know, no matter what, even a lemon is still a lemon regardless of whether you can make lemonade out of it!”

My point was that I’m not particularly good at writing vivid scenes and even if she helps me make lemonade, I’m still basically a lemon. Let’s take this analogy a bit further. Some people actually like that sour little fruit! So…can I be the lazy blob I desperately want to be sometimes, and not stretch myself, or should I aspire to become that tasty cool lemonade on a hot day?

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I know what I should do, but I’m acting like a two-year-old because I’m tired of the book and want to move to a new project (really short attention span). And that’s all I really wanted to say today!

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I’m not going to even try to muster up a vivid way to do some shameless promotion. I’ll simply beg and implore you to buy my new book, Unconventional Lovers, because I actually care a great deal about this one. You know the drill…click the links below!

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Published on January 26, 2018 06:23

January 19, 2018

Learning to Love Ourselves

I’ve been catching up lately on a series I absolutely adore from an author that to my knowledge is never mentioned in any of the Facebook groups I belong to. That is a crying shame.

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I started following Rosalyn Wraight many years ago when I was gobbling up every single lesbian fiction novel I could get my hands on. Fortunately, for me, I did the intelligent thing and signed up for her newsletter and mailing list. This has enabled me to receive notifications when a new book in her Lesbian Adventure Club, Dykes Who Dare (DWD) series comes out.

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Don’t you just love that series title? I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about daring Dykes or a Lesbian Adventure Club. Here’s the thing…this series is not about action-packed fighting or ass-kicking women unless you count the kind of supportive ass kicking they do for each other. It reminds me of when I lived on Whidbey Island and had my own “gang” of women. There were 13 of us at our friend’s home birth and we jokingly referred to ourselves as “the coven”. The most recent book in the series brings back fond memories of that day when my adopted nephew was born. I miss them so much because I haven’t found that same camaraderie since I moved from the Island. I’ve come close with many FB pals, but it’s not the same when you can’t hang with them in person.

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The series is about the emotional trials and tribulations around family, a chosen family. And this is especially timely for me as I struggle with my own family dynamics. There are ten main characters in the series and I’ll be honest, sometimes I get them mixed up. However, the narrator of the series and probably 3-5 other characters are easy to remember and get to know on a level that goes beyond the superficial. That is what makes this such a great series. The evolution and development of these characters allow the reader to step into their world and feel something. Really feel something for them.

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I got to thinking about the main character, the narrator, and I had an aha moment. More than any other character, I relate to her. She has a serious lack of self-confidence, is awkward at times, often describes herself as a wuss, and wonders how she managed to snag the beautiful cheerleader. So where is the aha moment?

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Okay…try to follow my logic. Lately, we hear more of a roar about writers creating characters more like us, ie not the perfect, beautiful, 6-pack abs leading ladies, but flawed, not physically perfect, human beings. Why? Because we want to see people like us getting their happily ever after. I’m going to take this a step further. I love the main character, Kate, in the series and because I love this character who is so much like me and so flawed, I can love myself…flaws be damned. That’s what writers can do for us. They can write characters that evolve and allow us to love ourselves when we fall in love with those characters so much like us.

Who did you fall in love with that you can relate to? Are you on my mailing list so you don’t ever miss my future novels (he he he…shameless self-promotion moment)? By the way, following this blog, does not automatically put you on the mailing list (sorry I haven’t figured it all out yet, but do know that little fact). Want to hear more about this and other random thoughts I have…join me on the Writer’s Block I’ll answer anything with the same unfiltered awkwardness that I never seem to avoid! Tomorrow at 11:00a CST. Here’s the link: Annette Mori on Writer’s Block[image error]I do hope there is some character you can relate to and fall in love with. Feel free to check out my novels and find one! You know the drill…click one of the links below…Oh, and a quick reminder about Unconventional Lovers coming NEXT WEEK – hands down the best book I’ve ever written! Video trailer coming soon!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on January 19, 2018 06:36

January 12, 2018

That Elusive Sex Scene

I haven’t made any secret this past week regarding my complete avoidance of writing the sex scene…which I was going to write on Monday. Instead, I wrote several teaser scenes because, yes, I’m procrastinating.

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I’ve heard from other writers who have a hard time writing explicit sex scenes and that made me feel only slightly better. I also received some advice to write fade to black, but I know that would disappoint some people. Besides, I figure since I like to read more explicit scenes, I better pull up my big girl panties and just get er done.

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Here’s what I struggle with most…how to write a new scene after 10 books where you’ve already described the intimacy as differently as possible in each one. I’ve read posts before where readers hate the word pussy or on the other end of the continuum the more clinical terms like vagina. Then Beth Burnett kindly reminded us that sometimes vagina is used incorrectly. That got me to thinking. A woman can definitely suck pussy lips. But unless your tongue is all up in there and you curl it at the same time you’re sucking, that might not easily apply to the vagina. Side note: I do realize not everyone can roll their tongue…it’s actually not hereditary in case you didn’t know that. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones who can roll their tongue, maybe because I knew I would need that skill someday! Perhaps I should write that new technique into my scene and see how it works!

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K’Anne Meinel has kindly provided us writers with a long list of words for our intimate parts and honestly, there are a few I simply cannot write without giggling and admitting, “that just won’t do”. I was surprised to learn a few readers like the c-word (and I’m not talking about clit). I can’t even imagine writing that one into my sex scene. “Oh yes, suck/lick/kiss etc my c-word harder….” I’m shuddering right now! Ew just ew….

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I do know that what I respond to in the more detailed scenes is the emotion and beauty of the intimacy. I keep messing with my craft in an attempt to achieve that. Other writers like Ali Spooner and TJ Vertigo (my Affinity sisters) seem to write those scenes with ease. I keep trying to get Ali to ghostwrite them for me! Of course, there are also the other master sex scene writers like MJ Williamz, Kris Bryant, Harper Bliss, Paris Rivera and Megan O’Brien and I wonder how they do it (definitely not an exhaustive list)? MJ replied with a kind post saying it wasn’t easy for her either (which was a huge surprise since I think she is kinda known for her hot sex scenes)!

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So…any of you have new ways of “doing it” (probably should not use that phrase) that you can toss my way? If you’d like to read about my attempts to write those scenes just a tiny bit differently in each book, feel free to check out my books by clicking one of the links below. Oh, and a quick reminder about Unconventional Lovers coming out later this month….don’t forget (that has both sweet and spicy sex scenes in it)!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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