Annette Mori's Blog, page 39

Good…Good…Good…Good…Vibrations

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Psyche…okay this blog is not about the Beach Boys, the topic is a lot more interesting and yet…there is a big WARNING: if you are easily offended by sex talk, don’t continue. After culling through numerous ideas on what to write about this week, one suggestion really peaked (pun intended) my interest. I suppose the idea took root when there was a long string of posts on Facebook that started with poking (again pun intended) fun at a lesbian erotica book that was apparently written by a man. I’d missed the original string and felt left out, so a new flurry of posts ensued that ended with the mention of a vibrator shaped like Santa Claus.

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I couldn’t imagine that was real, so I had to Google it. Sure enough, it does exist. I wondered if the texture of the beard would feel nice and of course I posted that comment. Someone responded that a Santa Claus vibrator was not appealing at all because…well…let’s face it…would you want an old man up your hoo ha? I suggested one that was shaped like Mrs. Claus. I don’t think that was particularly pleasing either, but I Googled that just in case. Nope, the sexist little sex shop manufacturers don’t have a Mrs. Claus version.

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Anyone who has read my blogs or posts knows that I have a disproportionate need to educate myself and often scurry off to do research (internet or physical). In this instance, I had to Google all the different kinds of vibrators. A worthy cause…I hope you will agree![image error]

I’d already learned about the rabbit from my older sister. Yup, my older sister heralded the virtues of that little toy. Now the rabbit is not a cute fuzzy animal, but a toy designed to stimulate two places at once. A picture is worth a thousand words. The top of the line is apparently the Rabbit Pearl. Hmmm…I wonder how those little rabbit ears feel?

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So, in my research here are the most unusual vibrators I’ve found….no joke. The first is called…I kid you not…the womanizer and it claims to suck and vibrate at the same time.

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Now I love ice cream and for those of you who share that passion, well guess what? There’s a perfect vibrator for you called the ice cream vibrator. This one is on a key chain. The disclaimer on this little gem is it is more cute and fun than designed to elicit orgasms. If you want a real vibrator and love ice cream, try the IScream vibrator that is shaped like a vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate on top and promises a powerful motor sure to do the trick. Certainly, not for those who have more vanilla tendencies….or is it?

One of my personal favorites is the Dillio inflatable riding vibrator. You can sit on it and ride it at the same time. Ride em cowgirl! Oh, the fun in the pool I could have with this little baby. I wonder what my condo neighbors would say if I dumped this wonderful toy in our community pool?

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If you prefer tongue action, well don’t despair because there is the Sqweel 2 that simulates oral sex and the Robo Lick that combines oral sex with penetration

This type is so popular there is a third option, called the Clit Kisser. This one has a vibrating jelly tongue. Wow, I mean just wow.

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Want to wake up in the morning and have an orgasm? Well…the Wake Up Vibe is a vibrating alarm clock that you wear in your undies. Oh and it comes in pink, how delightful. Damn….I don’t wear underwear to bed.

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So…are y’all sufficiently educated about the different options. I sure learned a lot. I’ve been terribly remiss by not including vibrators as an essential part of my intimate scenes, but if you want to read about what I have woven into to those steamy scenes…you know the drill…click on the links below.  I am particularly proud of my newest book, The Termination, not because of the sex scenes, but because of its relevance in today’s political climate.

Amazon link to The Termination: The Termination

Affinity link to The Termination: The Termination

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Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Review of ‘The Termination’ by Annette Mori

Kitty Kat's Book Review Blog

‘The Termination’ is just wonderful and a book that hits the shelves at just the right time.  Annette Mori has captured the mood of the times perfectly and with great humour and insight.  Wh…

Source: Review of ‘The Termination’ by Annette Mori

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She Persisted

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This past week Senator Mitch McConnell uttered this historic quote about Senator Elizabeth Warren, “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” She persisted became the new battle cry of the resistance.  A new heroine was born as Elizabeth Warren was unfairly silenced and joined the ranks of Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Malala Yousafzai, Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton.  There are most certainly many other historic figures that have resisted and landed on the right side of history. I have no doubt that Elizabeth Warren’s persistence and its companion attribute, resistance, will soundly land on the ethical side of history.

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Certainly, at the time, Oskar Schindler’s resistance and persistence would not have been regarded by the German people as the “right” thing to do, but alas after the war, he rose to the ranks of hero. I am equally convinced that the British did not believe those resistors that were a part of the American Revolution were on the “right” side of history, and yet, I dare anyone to find an American who would agree with that assessment.

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I think back to the times in my life when I have persisted, and I’d like to think it was the right thing to do.  One of my earliest memories of resisting and persisting was when a young girl, who had Encephalitis, climbed the steps of the bus and was bombarded with jaunts and teasing from my “so-called” friends. I think I might have had a huge crush on Julie, a tough kid, who stood up and threatened to pound the shit out of anyone who continued to make comments. I resisted the urge to follow my friends, and instead stood beside Julie, fists raised in defiance. We persisted for that entire year we rode the bus. It was the right thing to do.

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When I met my first love, I was already in a relationship with someone else. I resisted the urge to start an affair with this woman who literally made me shake with desire. I was smitten. She persisted and I did the right thing and ended my relationship before starting one with her.  Was her persistence and my resistance the right thing? I don’t know, but at least I would never be accused of being a cheater.

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That is the funny thing about persistence and resistance, sometimes we don’t know if we are on the “right” side of history until many years later. All we have is our own moral compass to guide us.  What does your gut say? What does your own personal Jiminy Cricket say? If I follow the Hippocratic Oath, perhaps I am golden. Do no harm. I like that as the linchpin for my moral compass.  I’d like to think that even though we will inevitably hurt the ones we love at times, like in my previous dilemma over ending a relationship, ultimately staying in the relationship would have done more harm and not allowed me to live an authentic life.

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I am very stubborn and I often persist beyond a healthy sense of self-preservation.  However, what I’ve come to understand is that my persistence and resistance is often supported by others. When I’m almost ready to travel the path of complacency, I find the strength in others.

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I’m not perfect and the times that I was tempted to ignore resistance, it took the love and support of others to pull me out.  When my lover of 8 years dumped me out of the blue, I admit, I did not resist the temptation to wallow in my vat of self-pity and consider the happy pill road that was so appealing at the time.  It took my family and good friends to help me resist temptation.

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Complacency is an evil temptress. The path of least resistance sometimes takes us to this beautiful waterfall, and Oh My God, it is so compelling in its glory. What we sometimes fail to understand is the treacherous waters at the bottom of that raging beauty as we tumble over the falls.

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Thank goodness for wonderful readers who won’t let me take the path of least resistance as I navigate these new treacherous waters of lesfic.  It’s tempting to get frustrated as a writer sees sales diminish in the flooded market, but then that one reader will reach out and make it all worthwhile.

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Resistance is not futile because we are humans, not robots. We are independent thinkers and can choose not to follow blindly along. We can choose to evaluate those” beautiful” words and dig deep beneath the meaning. Politician’s words are powerful and seductive, but it is imperative to resist and persist against any destructive manipulation.  I prefer to believe that my stubbornness is really persistence.  I choose persistence…to follow my heart and do what is right… to look beneath the surface and beyond my own personal needs and interests.

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I’m a right pain in the ass sometimes. My current path of resistance will be to persevere with a very dear project of mine and see it to fruition. Time will tell whether my persistence lands me on the “right” side of the equation or the wrong, but with the love and support of family and my loyal readers, how can I go wrong?

Codee, one of the main characters in my new novel, The Termination, is the default leader to the resistance and in my opinion nothing is hotter than a righteous woman.  Feel free to check out the book.  As has already been said in a few of the reviews, it is extremely relevant to our current times.

Amazon link to The Termination: The Termination

Affinity link to The Termination: The Termination

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Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Waiting….

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Warning: This will probably be the lamest blog I’ve written so far, but in my defense I am still trying to recover from my sickness so I hope I get points for effort! If you don’t really care and want to read on…just remember…reader beware…..

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Most of an author’s writing life is spent waiting (well at least for this author). Waiting for a good idea to meander through my brain. Waiting for the beta readers to give their impression of your new baby. Waiting for the beta editor to give you recommendations for change. Waiting for the final editor to give you their marked up version. Waiting for the proof editor to show the last minute corrections. Waiting for the release of the book. And….the most nerve wracking of all….waiting for the reviews to come in.

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I pace, lose my appetite, nibble on my nails and basically stress out to the max during the final waiting period. The longer the wait, the more the story in my brain grows. In the absence of information, humans (me especially) make shit up. When I tell myself a story it isn’t full of rainbows and lollipops. Instead, I start telling myself….aw shit…my most loyal readers hate it and are too nice to give me an honest opinion, so not writing a review is the most kind thing they’ve decided to do.

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The debate over reviews has been played out ad nauseum.  Critical feedback, as is often argued, gives the writer valuable information on how to improve and it isn’t personal. I one hundred percent agree with that. We all know that in our heads, but in our hearts it always hurts because writing is such a personal expression. Pieces of who we are and our experiences nearly always come through in our characters and parts of each story. Emotion is unavoidable.

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For me no feedback is worse than critical feedback, because I am so creative that I manage to conjure up in my head a monster of epic proportions. Normally, I am considered extremely even keeled with the patience of Job. Who was Job anyway? When it comes to waiting on reviews, I am very impatient. A very disagreeable trait…I would be the first to admit that!

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Since my latest book has been out for two days now without any feedback, I’m about ready to beg for someone to put me out of my misery! So I sit waiting not so patiently. If you haven’t picked up The Termination and would like to take a chance before any reviews come in, well of course I’d love that….or feel free to check out any others that do actually have reviews!

Amazon link to The Termination: The Termination

Affinity link to The Termination: The Termination

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Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Closets Are For Clothes….

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One of my favorite organizations for leadership training is Vital Smarts. The organization does a lot of social science research and I have a personal fascination with that particular body of education. The Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability seminars are among the best I’ve ever attended.  Why is this important? Recently, the group sent out a call for stories about being a victim of bias in the workplace. They went on to include a clarification of seeking out people who had felt unwelcome, excluded, discounted, or disadvantaged AT WORK because of who they were-because of age, race, gender, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, or sexual orientation. They wanted to hear from people like me and I eagerly responded.

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As I told my story, I realized that the bias I experienced was hidden, difficult to prove, and basically well  below the surface…in the closet, so to speak. I thought that was interesting that this insidious bias was as closeted as I used to be. It got me to thinking of the recent political climate.

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I’ve been out and proud for nearly 25 years now. I am not sure what brought me out, but I am glad for whatever movement was the cause. Some people might hate the current environment where men and women are climbing out of their own closets of hidden bias, racism, mysogyny, homophobia and hate…but stay with me because I am about to make a startling statement. I am glad that the Trump supporters are no longer exercising political correctness and staying in that closet. Don’t start throwing eggs just yet….let me explain…

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It is more difficult to fight what is beneath that surface. In the past, I wasn’t able to prove the discrimination because it wasn’t out in the open. But just because I couldn’t see it, didn’t mean it did not exist. I remembered the special substance the employee health nurse used to rub on our hands to show how ineffectively we had washed. It was eye opening. Well…Trump is like that substance, because the hate and bias are now easy to see. He’s squirted the substance all over his crowds and they’ve come out of the closet in droves.

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I was watching the clip on Saturday Night Live, where  Aziz Ansari joked about the Trump haters needing to go back to pretending they weren’t racist anymore and not realizing how much effort it took to pretend. I laughed, but as I think about it now, I disagree. I’d rather fight what I can see, versus the insidious discrimination that is hidden below the surface and thus protected. When it’s hidden I can’t prove it and I can’t challenge it.

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One of the more interesting examples I noted when I responded to the Vital Smarts survey was when I was ironically teaching a class on Diversity and Tolerance and was forbidden to “come out”.  I had to bring in a friend to answer questions about homosexuality. It’s so outrageously ironic that it probably doesn’t seem possible that this happened, but I assure you it did.

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I taught this class back in the 80’s, so don’t blame me for the title of the topic. I hate the notion that lesbians need to be tolerated or accepted. No-one has to teach a person to “tolerate” someone born with brown eyes or brown hair. I want to scream at those so-called accepting individuals that you don’t get a gold star for accepting or tolerating my sexual orientation. It is not something to accept or tolerate and it should have never fallen into that category. My nephew understand this back in grade school when he challenged a classmate who was spouting homophobic slurs. Maybe his outburst wasn’t very eloquent, but I loved what he said, “Shut up, my aunt’s gay and she was born that way.”

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I probably should have spent the time to talk about my book coming out in 4 days…oh wait…I think I kinda am now! I will say that there is a political element to it with a Trump like character and of course because I always do mash-ups, there is a romance intertwined. If you want to relax and stay fired up about the current political shit show, but want a bit of escapism, I hope you’ll consider buying The Termination due for release on February 1.

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Here is the blurb:

Codee is having a bad day and it’s only going to get worse. As she makes her way across the icy parking lot to a meeting, she falls, knocking herself out. Disorientated, she arrives at her meeting to facilitate a termination proceeding for Sawyer, a former employee of the month.

Sawyer, a compassionate young woman, is resigned to her fate. Her only question is what fate is that?

The termination Codee is asked to do, is so far from the norm, she shakes her head in wonder. Is she hallucinating after her fall? Has she fallen into an Alice type rabbit hole? The only thing she can think to do is to save Sawyer. They escape from the meeting and attempt to find answers to the dilemma, only to find more questions.

Enjoy this satirical romance, with all of its twists and turns, that just might make you go hmm…

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Hidden Treasures

Last weekend I saw this remarkable movie titled Hidden Figures about three women of color who were instrumental to NASA and our race to put a man on the moon. It was an inspiring story and yet it made me hopping mad that it took this many years to acknowledge the contributions of these amazing women. When I looked up influential women in history, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn or Mary Jackson’s names (the women featured in the movie) did not make the top 100, but Billie Jean King’s did. At least Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks made the list and another heroine of mine, Marie Curie.

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I remember when I was nine years old and I read a book about Harriet Tubman. She was my heroine for a long time. I never forgot that book or her contributions, yet they did not teach us about Harriet Tubman when we studied the Civil War in school. I was delighted when they put her on the US Treasury $20 bill in April last year. Marie Curie was a small footnote and only science geeks truly appreciated her contributions.

It got me to wondering about so many issues related to equality and specifically gender equality. How many other women in history has our society downplayed their contributions or even failed to recognize them altogether. I can’t think of a single openly gay woman who was highlighted in any of my history classes. Ellen DeGeneres received the medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2016 and for me personally that was a historic moment.

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The pecking order for voting rights established by the Constitution gave women the right to vote 50 years after persons of color. The Declaration of Independence is a pinnacle of American principles of freedom and justice, yet the phrase, “All men are created equal” makes it clear that equality only applies to men.

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I remember years ago making changes to documents that referred to employees as “he” or “him”. I was always told that it was understood it referred to both men and women. That never sat well with me and I changed the language every time. I don’t think I was very popular for always pointing it out. It doesn’t happen anymore, but it was very common back in the 70s and 80s.

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We consider the wise “founding fathers” as the engineers of our superior system of fairness and justice.  There is no mention of women at all accept to sew a damned flag. Really? Women still make 80 cents to the dollar compared to their male counterparts. And we wonder why Donald Trump is now in office. Bluster all you want about it having nothing to do with Clinton’s gender. I’m not buying it.

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This led me down another path…like the women in the movie, Hidden Figures, lesbians have a double whammy of discrimination to deal with. LGBT romance books make up 4.5% of the market with 69% of that gay (M/M) romances and only 20% lesbian, 10% bi-sexual and 1% transgender. Guess who buys the majority of romance books – women. It’s a fact that straight women are buying more gay romance than lesbian romance. Blows my mind.

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This makes me want to go on a treasure hunt for stories about women who’ve made a difference in history, especially lesbians. I want to hear about it, learn about it, and have books and movies written about it, because education makes a difference. I would have never known about Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn or Mary Jackson if Margot Lee Shetterly had not written the book and 20th Century Fox had not made the movie. How sad is that? Now I know that none of these women were lesbians, but I still feel infinitely richer for knowing their story and taking one small step toward a more balanced view of history or herstory…

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Perhaps someday I will take on the monumental project of picking an influential lesbian in history to write about, but for now at least you can lose yourself in fiction and hopefully some of the amazing characters I’ve created. In light of what happened today, perhaps losing oneself in a good book is the thing to do. I suspect I will be doing that a lot over the next four years. Happy reading everyone!

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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A Book Budget….Nah…Why Would I Do That?

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Brrrrrr….It is unseasonably cold here in the Pacific Northwest. The other day it was -1 degrees and all I want to do right now is burrow under my down comforter with a good book.  Fortunately, I have a very big cue on my kindle because I’ve been buying books like mad lately. That got me to thinking….I wonder if people establish a certain amount that they allow themselves to spend each week on books? I’ve never been very good at sticking to a budget. Oh who am I kidding, I don’t have a budget because I buy books without a second thought to their costs because I’m an addict.

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Hi, I’m Annette Mori and I’m a book addict. Whew, I feel so much better for having publicly acknowledged that. While I am both a reader and an author, I think I relate more as a reader in all the Facebook groups I participate in.

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I’ve developed a talent for having the fastest one click finger this side of the Mississippi. My finger literally vibrates over my iPhone, iPad, and laptop every time I go to the Amazon page of a book I want to read. My Facebook addiction pairs very nicely with my book addiction. Every time I get on Facebook and start reading the posts about new books or books that others recommend, I am surrounded by enablers who not only recommend the books, but make it surprisingly easy with a link to the page. I’m like a rapid-fire clicker. It’s a talent I’ve perfected over the years.

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So…here’s the thing, I don’t mind having this addiction…at all. I don’t want to recover, I want to hang out with other addicts because then I get to feed my addiction and honestly, I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing.

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I started thinking about the number of books I purchase in a year and began to put this into perspective (otherwise known as rationalization). When I go to the local Dutch Bros coffee shop and buy myself a double vanilla latte, it usually costs around $4.00+ with tip. I slurp that drink down in less than 30 minutes.  Lesfic books have never cost more than $9.99 and I receive at least 6-8 hours of pleasure. The math is simple. I get a lot more bang for my buck by purchasing books versus feeding my coffee addiction. If I’m going to give up anything, it should be that thousand-calorie drink. Books won’t make me fat and they will enrich my life…it’s a no-brainer for me.

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I’ll admit that sometimes $9.99 seems a bit high, especially if I buy three to four books a week when I’m on a bender. On the other hand, I’d spend that much and more on a daily latte with a muffin, or my bar bill on date night.

When I was a smoker, I’d easily spend enough on cigarettes to fund my book addiction. This got me to thinking about putting into perspective how much I spend on one of my primary forms of entertainment. I don’t go to bars, I rarely go to movies, I won’t plop down an outrageous amount for a Seahawks game, so why shouldn’t I spend a healthy amount of money on this form of entertainment. I could have at least 3 months of reading pleasure for 1 Seahawks ticket if I wanted to go to the NFC Championship game. That is at least 216 hours of entertainment versus a pitiful 4 hours at the game.

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So you see, anyone can come up with a logical, rational explanation for whatever their book expenditures have been. All you have to do is take a look at your total entertainment costs and put it into perspective. I am fortunate that I’ve never had to rationalize my book purchases with my wife and that is just one of the many reasons I love her.

If any of you need logical arguments for your book expenditures…feel free to share this with your spouse, partner, love of your life, etc. and if it helps convince you to spend a few dollars on one of my books…even better! You know the drill…click one of the links below.

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Arghh…Autocorrect

 

Let’s talk about autocorrect, the modern marvel of technology. Or is it?

I’m old enough to remember writing research or English papers on an electric (not manual – I’m not that old) typewriter, where I had to…gasp…use white out to correct my errors. We didn’t have those very helpful red or green squiggly lines under the text to tell us that we spelled something incorrectly or used the wrong sentence structure. Oh, I saw red marks all right, but they tended to show up in the margins from my teachers and professors.

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I suppose you might assume that autocorrect is a welcome technological advance, but you’d be wrong. For me, personally, it is a big fat pain in the rear.

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My darn iPad, iPhone, iWatch and laptop (yes I have all four gardgets) often believe in their infinite artificial intelligence wisdom, they know exactly what I want to say. The little buggers will either suggest a completed word, or autocorrect what I’ve written. It’s the computer version of my editor.

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When my manuscripts contain helpful suggestions, I’m free to accept to reject them. Sometimes I talk to myself when editing, and the conversation will take one of two tracks. Either I say to myself, “Oh I like that better,” or, “No, no, no, that is NOT what I meant and I definitely don’t think my character would say THAT – way too stuffy.” Sometimes editors will simply correct the grammar, because they need to. Commas and their correct placement is not my thing! However, no matter whether the editor simply corrects the manuscript or offers helpful suggestions, I still get to accept or reject those changes.

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When I send text messages or private messages, I’m usually in a hurry and don’t pay a lot of attention until after I’ve hit send. Sometimes I wish the computer would talk to me and say, “I think you really meant to say, pubic, I’ll just change it, is that okay?” If it did that I could catch the message before it goes out, and change it back to “public” before the embarrassing response.

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Honestly, like my editor, I don’t mind at all when they suggest a word, but when my darned phone just changes the word, it irritates me. Fortunately, I’ve found the edit option in Facebook posts and with my WordPress blogs. I use it far too often because I am always in a hurry. However, when the sneaky little technology autocorrects my words in a text or private message, I can’t call it back to correct it. So…I’m left with the only option available to me, a follow up text or two or three in an attempt to explain myself. My wish is that when I send a text to my wife asking her to go to the post office, the stupid autocorrect doesn’t change it to…pussy office (yes that has happened to me).

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This whole autocorrect feature got me to thinking. What if a person could autocorrect their life. Oops, no, I didn’t mean to sleep with you….autocorrect. Yikes, I wasn’t thinking clearly when I asked you to move in with me after two dates…autocorrect. Really? We’ve been together for the last eight years and now you say you’ve found your soul mate and it isn’t me…autocorrect. Sure, I’ll have another lemon drop…definitely autocorrect.

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It’s tempting to have all your mistakes autocorrected…but after all is said and done autocorrecting our life doesn’t allow us to make mistakes, learn from them, and ultimately evolve into better, wiser, human beings. The richness of life with all its ups and downs cannot be autocorrected, similar to the text that is autocorrected, it might just muck up our lives even more than the original path.

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Just for grins, one of these days, I’m going to just leave the autocorrect alone and not send that clarifying text. It might be fun to see how the person tries to figure out what the hell I was trying to say. That ought to make those conversations a bit more interesting. Let’s all try that for a month and then post our findings on Facebook….it could be hilarious.

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If you want to check out my books that have not been autocorrected, but definitely edited…you know the drill, click the links below. Pissed be with you….oops, I meant peace be with you!

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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See Ya Later 2016

I ruminated (I often do that) over what I could write about 2016 that would be remotely interesting, witty, or fun to read.  How could I possibly create a blog reviewing the year without it sounding like a list of boring things that have happened? So….I decided to do a combo review because everyone knows how I love the mash-up of ideas, stories, etc.

Here are the highlights of the year for me:

After receiving data on the sales for Locked Inside , I had to ask if the numbers were correct because on first blush it looked like the book was doing really well at least in my small micro sphere of experience.

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I received an invitation to attend the Lonestar Lesfic Festival where I lost my virginity, twice! I did my first reading and earned a few laughs for the outrageous scene in Out of This World , that started the whole lunchgate joke. I also participated in my very first panel with Radcliffe of all people sitting to my right. I was literally ready to hurl at both events. I don’t believe a person should feel nauseous when losing their virginity….just saying.

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In March I signed a contract for The Review to be released in October.

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In April I discovered that Locked Inside made the short list for a Goldie and I was of the firm belief that hell would freeze over before I won that very honored award.

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In June I received two contracts for The Termination and Captivated , both set for release in 2017.

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When I attended GCLS in July, I felt only slightly more confident about sitting on a panel and doing a reading. I had a blast at the conference with my Affinity sisters, Renee Mackenzie, Ali Spooner, and Jen Silver. I also was delighted to meet authors and readers I’d corresponded with over the year and had a blast hanging with everyone. There are far too many to mention, but you know who you are! Oh….and… hell froze over because I won a Goldie, embarrassed myself not only with my speech, but also did quite the hatchet job with reading Lee Winter’s speech as I presented her award.






In October, I participated in more readings and panels when I attended LCLC in Palm Springs. This is a fabulous conference where I was able to meet more readers and writers that I’d corresponded with on Facebook and generally had a wonderful time.






In November, my wife and I took our first serious step toward retirement and purchased a Unity Leisure Van RV. We know squatola about RVs and this has been an interesting learning experience. Think fire-hose of information, where most of the water goes everywhere and anywhere but where it is supposed to….yup several frantic calls later to the RV place and I think we may finally be starting to take a few swallows.

Now for the Facebook highlights because as my wife often reminds me….I’m an addict….here are the more memorable post threads:

Words we hate to see used in Lesfic which led to a challenge to write a story with only the clinical parts of a woman’s um…nether regions. Thanks to Darla, Fran, Lacey and Amy who all provided their wonderful contributions.
Debate about reviews and whether writers should or should not leave positive or less than positive reviews.
Favorite books of the year and whether to share or not “the stinkers”.
The thread on skeet shooting, the sport…oh yes when I was trying to do research for a book, the pictures that came up…oh my!  Thank you Velvet Lounger for helping me out on this one because I had no idea what skeet shooting meant.
The thread on BDSM.
Pretty much every thread that Amy Herman Pall, Fran Heckrotte, Danna Micoletti, Ali Spooner, Velvet Lounger or Darla Baker weighed in on…oh and newcomer Donna Jay…because they would often take a decidedly sexual turn. There were certainly others that fanned the flames, but the major contributors were the above noted individuals because they could be consistently counted on to add their unique brand of humor.
What types of fruit create the best taste….

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Recently the #ibaremychestchallenge.  Bare My Chest Video
A new religion that Amy Herman Pall is proposing…go ahead ask her about it. AE and I have decided to join and cannot wait for the first Tent Revival….
I am quite certain there are so many more, but I’m old and thus only remember the most recent threads.

So that’s my relatively placid recap of the year…to uncover the dirt you have to go back to the earlier threads where it often turned extremely racy and outrageous. Onward and upward to 2017 and may everyone have a wonderful new year.  Oh….and  please feel free to check out my books!

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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Passion….

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WARNING: The latter part of this blog contains an ick worthy section . My propensity for finding humor in the most outrageous things knows no bounds. So… I’ve found a way to answer the challenge tossed out regarding the ability to weave into a few short paragraphs all those words or phrases we hate in lesfic.  Granted, those words are very unique to everyone so there may be some that are over the top, and others that a fan might enjoy reading, but in combination it truly hits the mark. I am sure I will hear a collective ewwwww from my little corner of the world. If you don’t wish to burn your eyes, skip the last quarter of the blog! However, like a car wreck, I know you won’t be able to resist craning your neck and reading all the way to the bitter end!

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Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been doing some serious soul searching about passion. What am I passionate about at this stage in my life. Certainly, I am still passionate about loving my wife, but what else encourages me to get up in the morning?

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As I get closer to retirement, I’d like to say I’m still passionate about my day job, but that might be an embellishment. I’d also like to claim a passion for writing, but that also is a topic of deep pondering for me at this moment. There are certain issues I love to write about and I do believe I have a passion for those. Yet, I have to dig deeper to find a passion for other topics and I’m not sure my mining has produced discern-able results.

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A friend recently shined a light in my direction and let me know what I probably already understood…readers can tell when the passion is not there. So here’s what I’ve discovered after some careful introspection. I care passionately about education, social consciousness, love and respect for all humans and animals, regardless of our differences. I’ve managed to sneak some of my passions into my books…hidden beneath the romance. When my attempts at education are subtle, it works, and when I try to push it…I think the jury is still out on that. I believe for some it is what they are screaming for, and for others, not so much.

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A recent thread asked the question about why lesbians felt the need to tell their parents about their sexual orientation.  This was a topic I have passion for, so I typed several responses. I’ve never written a coming out book filled with angst, although I probably could have done this based on my personal experience in the 80s. I don’t consider myself a rainbow flag waving militant lesbian, and yet I believe passionately about not hiding who I am. Talking about my spouse without playing the pronoun game and introducing her as my wife is a sign of respect to her and our relationship. I believe if I stutter step or hesitate in any way, the message is our relationship is something to be embarrassed about or hide, and it is wrong. I won’t do that to her or me.

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In most of my books, being a lesbian is a non-issue. Only once have I made a character closeted and that had to do more with her lack of self-esteem. Mabel Butt had a lot to overcome besides her laughable name. She was an awkward teen who never realized that she had turned into a beautiful swan.

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I have come to one conclusion, writing is a fragile passion, and thus I will treat it with the respect it deserves. I choose to write about things that touch me deeply. I hope there is also an entertainment component, but what truly is an inspiration to me are the stories that educate and open people’s minds to different ways of thinking.

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I’ll bet you’re wondering how the hell I’ll be able to weave in that outrageous passage? Well…while I was soul searching over the last few week, I spent a great deal of time on Facebook…reading posts, answering posts, and generally letting my fellow Facebook friends drag me out of my funk. I realized another thing about passions. I found that I have a passion for surrounding myself with laughter and humor and when the gauntlet was tossed out to incorporate all those words into one scene, my competitive side took over and I found my passion for writing again. I joked about doing improvisational writing because it took a bit of pressure off of me to produce something worthy of reading. I’ve worried a lot about my ability to write another book as good as Locked Inside and suffice it to say, I have serious doubts about that.  This along with other questions has caused a screeching halt to my writing. So…..without further ado…here is what I came up with (the words in bold are the ones I was required to weave into the scene-in case you were wondering):

Through the cameltoe in Heaven’s panties, Maya could almost see the dewey moist folds in her dripping cave. She wanted to use her own shaft from her caruncle, like a stalagmite. She hoped Heaven’s juices would run down her inner thighs so that she could taste the honey dipped petals and lick her tiny pearl beneath the soft moist moss. Her fingers hovered over the hole.

Heaven screamed, “Do it, ram your finger into my box all the way to the seeds buried within because my vestibule is your vestibule. I am like a delicate flower opening my snatch for you to probe my split tail. God, you make me so damn discombobulated that I can’t help but shudder until my molten lava covers your own soft sticky moss.”

Maya’s own pussy felt like it was connected to her turgid nipples. “I think my slit just found your slot and they are both dancing with joy right now.” She thought it was quite the juxtaposition to see her distended quim next to Heaven’s engorged clit nearly waving to one another. Maya couldn’t wait one more second as she pressed herself against Heaven’s warm, fuzzy, mound and put her hand on her fanny in gesture that was anything but companionable. Raw unbridled hot monkey sex was what she desired. At this rate there was no way a sluice with cold water would remove the evidence of their passion.

Just so you know who to blame for the above passage…Robin Hicks started it! Oh and because I am not naming all of her accomplices doesn’t mean you get a free pass….y’all know who you are. You were cheering quite loudly on the sidelines. Side note: I know that the c-word was included in the list, but I just could not bring myself to incorporate that word into the passage – I do have my limits.

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Now for my own challenge to all the writers out there or budding writers….using the picture below, write a scene with every clinical term listed. The gauntlet has been thrown…who will rise to the challenge? We could produce an anthology called….Bad Sex or maybe Bad Passionate Sex and offer up the proceeds to a deserving charity.

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Celebrate your passions during the holiday season and give your love and acceptance freely to those around you.  Peace be with you.  I am so fortunate to have so many readers who accept me Quirks and all.  Thank you.  Wanna read more…you know the drill…click the links below.

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

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