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Published on January 05, 2018 06:37

December 29, 2017

Highlights and Lowlights of 2017

I’m not going to lie. This past year was a total suckorama for me, and most definitely not the good kind of sucking. I’ve had a few bouts of situational depression in my life and this past year, one reared its ugly head. Normally those times center around a broken heart, but this year I experienced a whole new situation…one I never ever thought I would face in my lifetime. Needless to say, I am very glad 2017 is almost over.

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Here are my top three lowlights and highlights. Let’s start with the lowlights and end on a positive note. I’m hoping 2018 will dramatically improve not just for myself, but for everyone. Although I have my positive and sunny disposition back I am only guardedly optimistic based on my top lowlight.

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January 20th Donald J. Trump was sworn into office as the 45th President. This began a wave of nationalism and not the good kind. This kind of nationalism is the same type that worked for Adolf Hitler and has also spurred on other hate groups. Ironically his nationalist rhetoric riled the fringe element of those radical groups he’s sworn to wipe from the face of this earth. The narcissist has no filter and continues to amaze me with his stupidity and utter lack of compassion or regard for those not like him (or those who dare to oppose him). Let us persist in our opposition to his hateful rhetoric and policies so that we are not faced with another four years of his tyranny.
April 7th brought an entirely new level of humiliation as I was let go from my job. I was on the verge of ending a nearly 30-year career in shame. Despite my best efforts, nearly thirty years of experience, nationally recognized by my peers, I could not even secure an entry-level management position at a local manufacturing firm. I was nearly despondent for 6 months and on the verge of giving up. More tears transpired in that 6 months than in my entire time on this earth.
October 13th I moved to Forks, WA which is a six and a half hour drive on a good day. In case you don’t understand the gravity of this…I am now six and a half hours away from my beloved wife. We are back to living apart, but this time our ability to see one another every weekend is not an option. We are hoping for at least once a month. Three more years of this will be challenging. We are confident this is doable because we love each other and can see the light at the end of the retirement ahead tunnel.

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Now on to the highlights…whew. I need to purge those lowlight demons from my soul.

Spending a glorious week and a half with my wife in Palm Springs at the LCLC Conference before I started my new job.
Getting the job was bittersweet, but this has to be included in my top three because it yanked me from my depressive state and garnered a, “it’s good to have you back”, from my wife. She was on the other end of my depression. Forks Community Hospital has been wonderfully welcoming and truly appreciative of what I can bring to the organization. We’ve already made some great strides and I feel like I am making a real difference here. I’m allowed free reign to do what I do best and it makes my workweek fun.
During the time I was unemployed I wrote four and a half books and several short stories. My 2018 schedule is completely full now and I am writing for 2019. As a side note to this highlight, this past year Affinity Rainbow Publications let me know they were going to publish, Unconventional Lovers. Hands down this is my all-time favorite baby. To say I was delighted would be a massive understatement. Don’t worry…more to come on this in future blogs. Look for this book on January 24th.

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I hope your 2018 is filled with joy and books. Speaking of books, I do have quite the backlist…simply click on one of the links below to download one!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 29, 2017 06:40

December 23, 2017

Annette Mori | Author Profile – AllAuthor

Annette Mori book list – Author of Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, New Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romance, LGBT books.

Source: Annette Mori | Author Profile – AllAuthor

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Published on December 23, 2017 06:31

December 22, 2017

A Lesbian Scrooge

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Can I be honest with y’all? I don’t particularly look forward to Christmas. It’s not that I don’t participate in some of the festivities around me at this time of year. I do. I wear the Ugly Sweater on the designated day expected of me. I go around with the Senior Leadership Team and personally hand out cards with real money (yup my new place of employment stuffs cash in the cards) to all the employees. I definitely eat all the sugary treats placed in front of me. I can’t resist. Besides, it would be rude not to partake when the employee spends so much time baking the tasty treats.

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Several years ago, when I first met my wife, we did the whole putting up a tree and buying gifts for each other thing. I agonized over what to get her, in the same manner I ruminated over what to purchase for my family.

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Before I met my wife, I bought cards and religiously sent them to my Christmas card list. I climbed on the roof and put up lights. I put decorations in every nook and cranny of my house. All of this has slowly dwindled over the years.

It’s been a gradual transition to the Scrooge side of Christmas. First, we stopped moving the live tree from outside to the garage, then to the inside of the house like we were supposed to (needing to acclimate the tree to the temperature inside). Instead, we evolved to decorating the live tree we bought that sat on the patio outside our sliding glass doors. Then, a few years ago, we stopped buying a tree altogether. Instead we hung a lone Christmas ball in our condo and kept it there all year. My wife then bought three more of those large Christmas balls and I hung them in my new apartment. They will undoubtedly remain there all year as well. Presents for one another have dwindled as well. Now we don’t even make a show of buying a token gift for one another.

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The final nail in the Christmas coffin came this year when we decided it was not prudent for my wife to come to Forks for Christmas because she had to travel this year and that would leave our cats alone for far too many days in a row. I couldn’t make the trek to Moses Lake because I agreed to take Administrative Call from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.

Before anyone gets all sad and begins to pity me or my wife for spending Christmas alone, I’m really fine with it. I don’t know how she feels. I hope she is okay with it. I am, because it isn’t my favorite holiday, at all. I don’t like the shopping that is required. I don’t like trying to figure out what to get people. I don’t like addressing Christmas cards. And…I don’t like going to the massive trouble of putting up decorations only to take the damn things down two weeks later. I am looking forward to quiet time and plenty of writing opportunites.

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Now, here’s the strange thing…even though I don’t really like Christmas, I love reading Christmas stories, watching Christmas movies (the sappier the better), and best of all I like writing Christmas shorts. I totally immerse myself into that every year. I know, I am an enigma. Don’t try to figure me out.

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So…I ask you…am I a lesbian scrooge? Do you think less of me for my lackadaisical attitude toward this very popular holiday? Well, hopefully you don’t because then you might decide to check out my Christmas shorts or my other books! As usual the links are below!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 22, 2017 06:24

December 15, 2017

Reframing Expectations

In light of the recent win in Alabama, I began thinking about the world we now live in. Many of us whooped and hollered. We celebrated the win. We puffed out our ample bosoms (I like to think that no matter what the cup size or no cup size at all, every woman possesses ample breasts). We roared 2018 is gonna be our year to win.

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Normally, I am a Pollyanna about many things and like to see the glass half full. I tried. I really, really did. The reality is, Doug Jones won by a razor-thin margin. The message…almost half of the people of Alabama were prepared to look the other way and essentially ignore or try to convince themselves the compelling evidence was false news is frightening to me.

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What does that say about the United States? First, we elect a President who is an embarrassment at best, and a narcissistic sociopath at worst. His base doesn’t care what he does. Sexually assault women…fake news. Collude with Russians…fake news. Support neo-nazis…they’re good people. Make fun of persons with disabilities…misinterpreted. Slut shame a female Senator…get your mind out of the gutter. Admit to knowing Flynn lied to the FBI thus setting up an obstruction of justice claim…not my tweet, and oh by the way you can’t charge a sitting President with obstruction of justice.

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Not enough people are shouting WTF and holding those in power accountable. Why? Because we have lowered our expectations. How could we not? We’ve come to expect bad behavior, horrible policies for the middle class and poor in favor of the rich, new hateful and discriminatory executive orders and rhetoric. The face of America is now an angry white man with a red baseball cap.

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CNN does their job and reports all the WTF moments, but nothing changes. That’s how it all starts. Complacency. Lowered expectations. Alabama wasn’t a victory or a wake-up call. We didn’t win, really. The Republicans lost because a fatal error was made in candidate selection. The victory was not because we did a bang-up job with the election. Think Nazi Germany. It could happen again.

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Reframed expectations. We are waiting for 2018 so Democrats can take back the Senate. We hope. If that doesn’t happen, I predict we will adjust again. Hold our nose and wait until 2020.

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The rest of the country will continue to reframe expectations. They’ve already started with 1) What Republicans ultimately stand for; 1) What is acceptable behavior for a politician leading the charge on morality and Christianity, 3) How new policies affect the poor and middle class. An alarming number of those Trump supporters will never change their minds about him no matter what happens, including if Trump converted to Islam. That is the most disturbing part of what America has evolved to.

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This all reminds me of those Mad TV skits called “Lowered Expectations” which were parodies on the on-line dating craze. I used to laugh my butt off, now I’m not laughing so much as I watch the real Donald in the role of President.

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So if you want to escape to a good book. My expectations of you won’t lessen. I promise. I sure hope you never have to reframe your expectations of me. I’d like to think I’m getting better as a writer, not worse. If you would like to test out that premise, feel free to click on the links and read all my books so you see first hand how I’ve evolved.

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 15, 2017 06:37

December 8, 2017

Elf on the Shelf

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At first, I thought the Elf on the Shelf was just another example of how sexist our society is because I’d only ever seen male elves. Regardless, I’m going to voice my concerns over this creepy little doll regardless of the fact they have added a female version. They certainly don’t have any elves of color in their repertoire. The female elf is a very typical femme, except she has no breasts. I wonder if that’s because she’s supposed to be pre-pubescent. But then why does she wear lipstick. Geez, sexualizing our little girls runs rampant and now it extends to this elf.

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I might be more inclined to soften to the idea of having this creepy little doll watch my every move if maybe they added a lesbian version. She could report back when I’ve been very bad and maybe something fun would find it’s way in my stocking. You know…along the lines of something from Victoria’s secret or a sex toy shop.

I think that even if they make a lesbian version, I won’t want one. In the same way that clowns freak me out, this creepy little doll does as well. According to the rules, you can’t touch him or her and the damn thing pops up everywhere. The elf appears on a different shelf every day. Now if that isn’t something to scare the shit out of your kids, just add that he or she is watching to make sure you’re good or no gifts for you.

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I read somewhere that some people object because we shouldn’t be bullying our kids into thinking good behavior equals gifts. Another objection is to the subtle message that it’s okay for other people to spy on you because you’re not entitled to privacy. That is truly scary considering we are already being spied on by the government and big companies looking into our buying patterns. For me, it’s the creep factor. Anyone old enough to remember the horror film Chucky. Don’t you think the elf kinda looks like good old Chucky?.

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The HR Assistant at work had to find one of these damn dolls because her 6-year-old daughter kept looking for him when she went to a friend’s house. The poor little girl thought she wouldn’t get any gifts if the stupid little elf didn’t show up. My assistant went looking everywhere for a doll and couldn’t find one that would arrive in time. How sad. She finally found a co-worker who said she would bring one in for her because she had an extra. Someone is making a boatload of money off this racket.

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Maybe I’ll write a horror story about a lesbian elf on the shelf who comes to life and terrorizes the nice lesbian family…a kind of Chucky meets Elf of the Shelf meets Fatal Attraction (because of course, she will have an affair with one of the moms). I know I have a demented brain.

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Since I don’t have a racket to fall back on, perhaps you’ll want to help me make some money and pick up one of my stories. You know the drill, click one of the links below…

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 08, 2017 06:32

December 1, 2017

Blogblend

Normally this never happens to me….today I have not one, but two topics I want to talk about. I’ve invented another word for this…Blogblend. I’m adding that to the list of Annette Mori words and now I have: Romash, Inebetweenquel, Instafacetweet and Blogblend.

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A Blogbled is a blending of two or more completely different topics in a blog. Technically this blog has three: 1) The introduction of the term Blogblend; 2) The increasingly irritating practice of starting Christmas celebrations and decorations before fully experiencing the best holiday, Thanksgiving; and 3) A new political party…Hippocrats.

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Let’s start with number 3 because I am still laughing about that one. Besides, we already covered number one and number 2 I want to save for last. The other day I was talking to my sister and brother in law and he cracked me up when he said he was going to be the founder of a new political party named, Hippocrats. I was so darn proud of him for following in my footsteps and inventing not only a new word but a whole new political party. Now, of course, he would argue that this party already exists, they’re just mostly calling themselves Republicans.

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So what is a Hippocrat? A Hippocrat is a politician who aligns with the Republican Party as a fiscal and social conservative, espousing values of Christianity and fiscal restraint, but votes for a tax package that increases the debt by over a trillion dollars and doesn’t denounce a pedophile or pussy grabbing President. Most of the evangelicals are staunchly behind Roy Moore…likely a pedophile. That, to me, is downright astounding. Many of those same Christians who spout family values conveniently ignore a President who brags about grabbing a woman’s pussy. It is clear to me that all of these Republications need to jump ship and join the Hippocrat party. Their leader will, of course, be Donald Trump.

Now on to my personal pet peeve. When did it become fashionable to blow by Thanksgiving and start putting out the Christmas decorations in November? I think we should pass a law that no-one can even talk about Christmas until December 1st. It can’t be any crazier than the laws Trump is trying to get through. Now I’m not some lesbian Grinch, I just want my favorite holiday not to feel that blatant discrimination.

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Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I’ve written several Christmas shorts because I do love the holiday, but I feel bad for Thanksgiving. Even though theoretically we could remember it for several days, maybe for even a week or more with all the leftover turkey that hangs out in our refrigerators or freezers. Maybe that’s the reason the holiday is dissed. People are so damn sick of turkey they want to move on as quickly as possible. I have a solution for that…adopt our new tradition and go out to eat, but dammit, don’t talk about Christmas plans while enjoying your dinner with family and friends!

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Speaking of Christmas, which I can now officially talk about since it is December 1…Affinity Rainbow Publications has an anthology called Christmas Medley and it’s live today! Click the link to download your copy. Juliet and Tanner from Captivated made an appearance and the story has my special brand of fun and quirk! The other stories are equally awesome.

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Wanna go back and give Thanksgiving fair treatment, check out my short story titled The Thanksgiving Baby Caper with the characters from Asset Management and The Organization…or feel free to check out any of my books by clicking the links below!

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Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on December 01, 2017 06:34

November 24, 2017

Black Friday

Today is Black Friday and personally, I think that is a gruesome name for the day. I was talking to my nephew’s wife yesterday at our annual traditional Thanksgiving dinner where we go out to eat instead of the muss and fuss of cooking. She was a wealth of information on why the day was named Black Friday. I think she received her degree in Finance.

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Apparently, the name is derived from the fact that for most establishments, on the day after Thanksgiving, they begin to turn a profit or “go into the black”. Now I thought that was quite interesting given that when the stock market crashed in 1929, they called it Black Tuesday. Why not Red Tuesday? Wouldn’t that be a more accurate name if you follow the logic of black ink on an income statement means profit and red ink means loss? There was a whole lot of loss happening the day of the stock market crash.

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I think we should rename the day, Super Sale Friday or Screaming Deals Friday, or….how about Shop Until You Drop Friday. Then there is…The Day After Thanksgiving. Perhaps that one is too on the nose and not clever enough. I know there are a lot of writers out there that read this blog, so what do y’all think? Do you have a better name?

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Personally, I find every conceivable reason to avoid the crowds on Black Friday, because nothing is less appealing than pushing and shoving to grab that last item on sale. Or how about the craziness of getting up at four in the morning to stand in line waiting for the doors to open to grab that new TV that is a ridiculously low price, but the store only has 10. Okay maybe I was exaggerating a tad, but not much. Ah…the light bulb just went off for me…that’s why it’s named Black Friday…some poor little old lady probably lost her life in her quest for the perfect gift for her grandson as she dueled over the last PlayStation. Or…it is aptly named for people like me who would rather have a root canal than get near any store.

Although the explanation my nephew’s wife gave made sense, I still needed to do some research for a more complete explanation, because that’s what I do. And…do you know what? My ridiculous notions may be closer to the truth on the origin of the term Black Friday. This is what I learned: Black Friday first showed up in print in 1966 when a story appeared in an ad in The American Philatelist, a stamp collectors’ magazine. The Philadelphia Police Department used the name to describe the traffic jams and crowding in the downtown stores. The actual term had been used by the police as early as the 50s in Philadephia.

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Interestingly enough another day in history was coined Black Friday, but apparently, that name did not stick. September 24th, 1869 was the very first Black Friday and had nothing to do with profits. In fact, it was the exact opposite. On this day in history two ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk bought as much of the nation’s gold and they could, hoping to drive the price sky-high and sell it for astonishing profits. The conspiracy was unraveled on that Friday, causing the stock market to go into free-fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.

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I know I’m not a retail store, just a lowly author hoping to make a profit on my stories, so at least one has a screaming deal because it is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and only 99 cents to buy outright. The others, I think are also reasonably priced. So make this a profitable Black Friday for me and click the links below to shop!

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Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on November 24, 2017 07:54

November 17, 2017

Thank You…Thank You Very Much

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Right about now we start thinking about that wonderful holiday, Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. Because I’m old, I had to look back at previous blogs so I wouldn’t follow in my father’s footsteps and repeat or rehash stories I’d written about before.

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For many people, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday or a close runner-up. That is certainly true for me because Thanksgiving is a holiday for family. Sure, Christmas is also a holiday for family, but it gets lost in all the what did you get for Christmas…because the presents seem to overshadow the festive gathering of generations.

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Family can sometimes drive us crazy. This is especially true when you spend more than a few days together…and that is why I always loved Thanksgiving more than the other holidays. It was a lot shorter. During Christmas, people stay for a week or more. Thanksgiving, in my family, was an in an out affair. Fly in, eat some great food, and leave after a few days before we drive each other nuts.

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I’ve learned that as I get older, my views are more cemented and so are the views of my family members. When we agree, life coasts along without fireworks. But alas, we do not always agree. That makes for some ever-increasing rabid debates that often take dangerous detours and cause angst in the family reunions.

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When I was younger, we tended to get together as a family more often. My sisters and I would try to fly to Florida to be with mom and dad who had retired there. Now that my mother is gone, we don’t do that anymore. She was, after all, the glue that held the family traditions together. She was also a fabulous cook. I miss those times almost as much as I miss my mother.

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My mother used to establish the rules and keep us in check, especially my father. Although she never did manage to keep him from repeating the same old family stories every single year. Now that my mom is no longer here to rule with that iron fist, it’s a free-for-all. That free-for-all sometimes gets ugly after a few days.

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My wife and I established a new tradition a few years ago and it works for us. We make reservations at a nice restaurant and go out to eat. No mess to clean up. No leftovers for weeks afterward. The nice part of this tradition is that we have family that joins us every year…my nephew and his wife and on a few occasions my younger sister and her husband. Last year my other nephew moved to Washington and he joined our merry band of lazy partiers. I say lazy because I used to do the whole Italian cooking thing with too much food and days of prep. Now that I’m old and lazy, I much prefer the new tradition.

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This year I have a lot to be thankful for: my health; my wife’s health; my two nephews who live out here and their partners; my new job; readers who have supported my books; a fabulous publishing company who gave me contracts for the multiple books I wrote while unemployed; and a loving and supportive wife. What are you thankful for?

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Oh hey, by the way, I wrote a Thanksgiving story and there are some parts that are a bit close to home and my experiences with Thanksgiving. It’s a good story…honest…and it has the characters from Asset Management and The Organization in it for your added entertainment! Click here to get it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited: The Thanksgiving Baby Caper.

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Want to read my other books to give me another reason to be thankful…you know the drill…click the links below!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!

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Published on November 17, 2017 06:37

November 10, 2017

The Wall

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I don’t really know what has happened to me over the last several months. Not only am I experiencing a writer’s block like none I’ve ever come across before in the three years I’ve been writing, but it has now extended to my blogs. I didn’t know what to write about today, so I decided to tackle the elephant in the room…my inability to string together more than two words!

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I ramble a lot and now even my rambling is down to a trickle! No more diarrhea of the mouth. I am now calling this the wall. I was thinking that my wall could rival that monstrosity that 45 has planned for the border (even if the thing hasn’t been built yet). I suppose that is an appropriate analogy because the wall I am experiencing is more than likely something in my idiotic imagination.

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So…how does one break down an invisible wall. Real life walls like the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall of China can be demolished easily enough if humankind has the fortitude to take that step. Invisible walls are a whole different kettle of fish.

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Everyone says I should give myself a break because, after all, I’ve written a whole shitload of stories while I was unemployed…enough to fill the schedule for 2018. When I start writing again, I will be writing for 2019. I guess I have some time. You know, though, it is hard when I readily admit to having OCD. I am and will continue to obsess over this until the words begin to flow again.

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Until that time, readers will have to be satisfied with whatever dribble I happen to spew in my blogs or on Facebook. Or…you could always visit my back list of books. Want to read my earlier works…you know the drill…click the links below!

Proud to be an Affinity Rainbow Publications author!