Annette Mori's Blog, page 40

The Power of One…

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I was reading an article this week about forgiveness and there were some pearls of wisdom that was helpful to be reminded of in the aftermath of the election.  As the cabinet assignments are being made, the anger and discontent continues across our country the likes of which we have not seen…ever. Don’t get me wrong, I am still frightened about what the future may bring and continue to believe that in the face of abuse or abhorrent behavior none of us should turn our cheeks in a passive response (or bend over at least not in this circumstance), because I still have no doubt that what we permit, we promote. Yet, there was something to the words I read that hit home.

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I was reminded about what was written on the Martin Luther King memorial, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Our emotions and reactions to the election are real, but hate and anger are not, nor will they ever be the answer.

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I haven’t asked my sister or her husband who she voted for, because I was afraid of the answer. I, like many others, considered a vote for Trump as a personal affront to me and my choice of a spouse. It was so easy to go down the hate path, to feed that dark wolf like in the old Cherokee story of two wolves. Here’s the link: Two Wolves…it’s a very wise story. My sister and her husband are both very deeply religious people and I suspect their votes reflected not their hate for my choice of partner, but their other very passionate views on other issues. I know my sister loves me and I love her, so why would I begin to hate her or de-friend her for her views that may be different than my own.

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Fear generates hate and we are no better than some of those hate mongers who do support Trump for nefarious reasons when we lump every person who voted for Trump in that same category. Instead, we need to ensure that those who did vote for Trump hold him accountable to their own personal values of love and acceptance…because make no mistake I have to believe that not every person who voted for Trump is a white supremacist just waiting to trample over the rights of others not like them.

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I have to challenge my stories and not villainize any person who does not think exactly the same as I do. Only when I seek to understand, rather than to be understood can I have the conversation that needs to happen. To let my sister know I still love her even if I believe that there are very real possibilities that Trump will take the country in a direction that none of us want to see after fighting so hard for decency, civility, and basic human rights.

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Education and love is the way we’ve won the war, never hate and proselytizing. Let’s leave that to the other side.  When I let people get to see how normal my wife and I are, we become the norm and not a deviant to avoid. It is that gentle, subtle education that has always worked, oh and a little boycotting here and there has also been an effective tool. However, I don’t consider boycotting hate, but rather an effective tool using a language that is the only one understood by those in power. I like to remember the teachings of Margaret Mead and her famous quote,  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

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I also believe in the power of one. Here is another link to a very fascinating social science experiment: The Power of One. This teaches us that we all have the power to right a wrong and role model human decency in the face of mob mentality and peer pressure that may cause otherwise good people to make the morally incorrect decisions.

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Perhaps my books don’t quite have the impact of the power of one, nor do they create the kind of change Margaret Mead is talking about, but I hope that some small amount of social consciousness sneaks in here and there. If you want to search for those subtle passages, feel free to check out my books.  You know the drill….click the links below!

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Oh the guilt….

On Friday I was doing a workshop in Dayton, Washington on Customer Service, Choose Your Attitude, and Change, and after the day I was completely exhausted….so I did not do my weekly blog because I just did not have the energy. My wife and I proceeded to Walla Walla, Washington to have dinner and then on to an RV site to hang for the night.

The next morning I could have written a blog, but I admit I got lazy and was simply enjoying my coffee while doing a almost final read through of my book coming out in February. I say almost final read through because I found so many things to change that one more person is going to re-read it for errors and then I just can’t help myself…because I will probably do one more read through.

When I arrived home, I posted about the guilt I was feeling over skipping this week…and guess what? Yup, I tossed and turned all night long and decided I just had to write about Catholic guilt this morning so I could put out a blog  and release myself from the awful guilt I was feeling.

Here’s the funny thing about Catholic guilt, it is so persuasive that even if a person is only peripherally exposed to it, the guilt works. My mother, may she rest in peace, was raised Catholic and she told us this story when she was growing up. She was such a good girl that when she went to confession, she struggled to think of something to tell the priest. My mother was not a normal child, she didn’t even pick on her younger brother. She would use the old standby, “I had unkind thoughts”, which I really doubt she ever had. She would tell us that in her all girls Catholic school (now that I would have loved going to), the nuns would tell them that they shouldn’t use a white tablecloth for dinner because the boys would then think about bed sheets. Really??? Can you believe that???  My sisters and I would roll around the floor laughing our asses off at the stuff my mother would tell us about her youth.

My father was and still is a cad who thinks non-stop about sex and he would often joke about my mother’s early notions on the topic. I think she may have been taught that french kissing would lead to pregnancy….so my dad said, “no problem, we can do other things!” He would try to sneak his hand under her bra and she would politely push it away.

Since my father is an atheist, we were not brought up in a strict Catholic home, although we were baptized because there was no way around that, but that didn’t stop my mother from sneaking around and reading us bible stories when we were young. She taught us Catholic guilt through that religious osmosis thing…role model the concept and presto, your offspring learn it.

Who wouldn’t want to be absolved of every indiscretion with a few Hail Mary’s or Our Father’s? Doesn’t everyone want to sit, kneel, stand a hundred times during Mass? I liked the structure of the Catholic faith and when I fell for a Catholic girl in college, I went through the whole confirmation exercise because she was hot…it made sense to follow her to church on Sundays.

I haven’t stepped foot in a church in over thirty-five years with the exception of the few weddings and funerals I’ve attended over the years, but that Catholic guilt thing will undoubtedly stay with me for the rest of my life. I suppose there are worse things in life. And now….I feel so much better after doing a blog…..

So…if you have that Catholic guilt thing going because you’ve never picked up a single book of mine…well….here’s your chance to absolve yourself of that terrible feeling. Yup, you know the drill, click one of the links below!

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Pot Pourri

I didn’t want to talk at length about any one topic this week, so I decided to do an enhanced blog….a rambling on steroids, where I intend to toss in several topics to make a literary salad.  I suppose literary is a bit of a stretch since I’m not that talented as a writer!

First, I’d like to share a little of the maiden voyage in our new RV that we picked up last weekend. I always talk about how new employee orientation is like a fire hose of information that the employees promptly forget two hours after hearing about the various topics. That was what our orientation to this strange new beast was.  I tried to take notes on my iPad for later reference, but it only took us ten minutes before we were calling Johnson RV and asking….”Now where was that lever that moved that thingamajig.” Ten minutes after that we texted him back and asked, “Where did you put that extra key and the laminated checklist again?” When we couldn’t figure out how to use the navigation or keep the step from going up and down every time we opened the door, we decided a little trial and error wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

When we reached our friend’s house, I suggested gently to Jody that maybe it would be better to just park in the street rather than pull up into his steep driveway. She mentioned that he said that it was okay to park there. Later when the bottom scraped as she backed out she noted that, “I should have listened to you.”

Probably the most hilarious thing was our night at the camp ground where we had to continue to get up several times in the middle of the night to squat and pee next to our brand new RV complete with full bath, kitchen, etc.  Why, you ask? Well, we didn’t want to fill the tanks and have to winterize the damn thing again…so remnants of tent camping blessed our first full night. Here’s the thing….my idea of camping is the Holiday Inn, but the next best thing was an RV and I still had to do the midnight squat.

The other reason we bought an RV is because I don’t particularly enjoy sleeping on the ground no matter how thick that super luxury camping air mattress is. Ironically, the first words out of my mouth the next morning were, “We’re buying a memory foam topper. My back is killing me.” Needless to say the mattress is crap. On Monday night, I ordered the topper and a small efficient vacuum cleaner (of course).

It’s the holiday season and how do I know that? Because the lone ornament that we have hanging above our kitchen table is suddenly of great interest to our cat, Nico. We can’t figure out how in the world he has managed to ignore the darn thing for the entire year we’ve had it hanging there, but he has. So…I’ve come to the logical conclusion that it is in his DNA to try to bat it down during the holiday season, because that’s what cats do. It’s instinct right. If there is a Christmas tree, we must climb it. If there is an ornament, we must bat it down and play with it. Hey, we didn’t make the rules, we just follow them, Mom. I got horse yelling at him to get down.

Today we had our annual holiday extravaganza…we don’t call it a Christmas party because we genuinely wish to be inclusive of all holidays around this time of the year. I literally ran my ass off all day, but my reward was the ability to eat dessert three times! I ate a cheesecake at lunch, an apple pie at dinner and for the 10pm shift, I plan on gobbled up a slice of chocolaty deliciousness.  Normally I call these events, mandatory fun because my department is the one who is ultimately responsible for them and I am required to be at every shift. I’ve decided to rename them mandatory food coma.

One final random topic to pursue…While I was talking with my nephew about this crazy political climate we find ourselves in that just keeps getting more bizarre every day, he shared an anonymous quote that I thought was so profound to explain how we got to this place we are in. Here’s the quote: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.”  On that note I’ll end my weekly blog because I know you will want to have a lively dialog about this with your chosen family and friends.

I’m not even going to attempt to try to weave in a tie in to my books. I’ll just remind everyone that my two newest books are on sale everywhere for $5.99 and it can’t get any better than that! If you feel compelled to take advantage of this great sale that Affinity is putting on for the whole month, you know the drill….click the links below.

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In Gratitude We Trust….

As an Italian, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The combination of food and family is like the perfect swirl of yummy goodness. When my mother was alive, we would try to gather as a family even though my sisters and I are scattered throughout the US. One sister lives in Georgia, another in Texas, and my mother and father retired to Florida. Since I live in Washington state, I always had to travel the farthest to visit my parents in Florida.

Mom would always make my favorite dish, lasagna. Although I don’t eat beef, there was no way I would insult my mother and not eat her home-made lasagna. My love for my mother overrode my food preferences. Of course, along with the lasagna she prepared turkey and all the fixings. There is never a shortage of food in an Italian gathering.

I joked the other day about being a geekoramus (yes that is another of my made up words, but I’m sure you can figure out what it means).  Due to my geek tendencies, I had to look up the historical origins of Thanksgiving. I find it very hard to resist doing google research on  certain sayings or various holidays.

So….of course I did some digging on Thanksgiving. I learned that Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. I find this particularly interesting, since in my humble opinion, we are currently in the middle of the most divisive moment in our nation since the civil war. He proclaimed that the United States, “observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Certainly, we all learned in grade-school that the first Thanksgiving started in 1621 with the Pilgrims and Native Americans and evolved into what was known as, harvest festival, celebrated nationally on and off since 1789 after the original proclamation by George Washington.

Throughout my books, I sneak in little tidbits here and there and they often catch the attention of my editors who  wish to delete them because they are, “unnecessary to the advancement of the story.” I try to preserve them because who wouldn’t want to know why there there are 10 hot dogs and only 8 hot dog buns, or where the saying, “break a leg”, came from. Inquiring minds, right? On occasion I hear from readers about how they enjoy these random passages. That always makes me smile.

I suspect that in many households there is a tradition of noting what we are thankful for and so I will share my list, but I am also going to break tradition by adding a new list as a balance.

I am thankful for: my wife, my wife’s health and my health, a great variety of lesfic books to read, a wonderful publisher, supportive family, stupendous readers, awesome betas, fun co-workers, living full-time with my wife, my five furry kids and the five other feral cats we feed, our new RV, and finally my Goldie award.

Here’s what I wish was different….I wish my mother was still alive to celebrate the holiday with because it was also one of her favorite’s. I miss her most around this time of the year. I can’t help wishing that some of the hateful rhetoric I’ve listened to lately remained unacceptable…and yes, political correctness continued to govern thoughts and actions (for the most part). I don’t want our country to take a giant step backward in the progress we’ve made toward acceptance.

If any of you just can’t live without learning about those random tidbits, you know the drill…click on the links below. There are several in Out of This World! Oh and by the way, for anyone who wants a free Thanksgiving story featuring the characters from Asset Management, pm me and I’ll send it pronto….because along with being a geekoramus I am also a punctormus….he he he.

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To Retirement and Beyond….

Ever since I started at my current place of employment, I’ve been honest about my plans to retire in 7 years (that was over 4 years ago). This past weekend, my wife and I took our first real step toward that journey….we bought an RV. We’ve been talking about traveling after we retire for it seems like forever.

If my wife was a writer, she’d be a plotter. She’s been looking at these Leisure Vans for at least four years. She’s been showing me the videos, talking to sales people, and asking random people if she can check out their vans. Her biggest worry was how could we possibly take five…yes five cats in a 24 foot RV. Although the Leisure Vans were hands down the best quality we saw in the market, they were in her opinion….too small.

So…how did we end up buying one with her reservations on the size? The answer is…she dragged me to a show and told me I needed to see for myself. I’m the kind of person who could be perfectly happy in one of those tiny houses. A bed and a place to write is all I require and the Leisure Van had that and more.

We sold our house this past summer and then my wife moved into the tiny condo with me and the five cats…and now we have the RV. The only problem with this little plan is that we both have a little over 2 ½ more years until retirement….unless…things get too squirrely out there in the good old U S of A where Trump promises to make America great again. However, if his great America only applies to a certain subset of people…well…early retirement here we come!

Now for the TMI in the blog, because I know all of you look for that! When I race home every night and practically hold my crotch like a two-year-old needing to use the washroom, that is by far the strongest evidence that I’m closer to retirement than I think. I know all you women out there who are at that certain age know what I’m talking about. Admit it, on a few occasions, I’ll bet you haven’t made it either and tinkled in your jeans. Yup, that’s another sign that I’m one step closer to retirement.

So…for all your avid readers who have already reached that blessed retirement age and get to read all the books you want…be sure to check mine out. Yup…you know the drill…click the links below.

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OoohRah!

The one thing I believe our divided nation can agree on is our gratitude for the sacrifices made by the men and women in the military. I want to write my blog today about something positive like gratitude for those brave and selfless folks who either currently serve or who have served our country.

Let me be frank and share that I’ve never been in the military. I don’t think it would have suited my personality. Blindly accepting orders or even making command decisions is just not my thing, and then there was the whole you can’t serve if you’re gay thing, or the disastrous Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that the military adopted as a compromise position. However that does not stop me from genuinely appreciating the sacrifices of others or the honorable path that some have taken to clear the way for future generations of LBGTQ to serve.

I am fortunate to have as a friend one of those brilliant pioneers. My good friend, General Trish Rose, was promoted to the highest ranking gay officer in the Air Force a few years ago. For those of you who have served in the military, you surely understand what a tremendous feat that was for a women, who was not a pilot. She became a two star general. Can I get a OOHRAH for Trish? Yeah, yeah, I know that’s a Marine term, but it is the only one I know because my father was a Marine.

I hired Trish as a Volunteer Coordinator/Process Improvement person for the hospital I worked at over 20 years ago and considered myself damn lucky to recruit her to the team. Throughout the years we worked together we would enter into lively discussions about the military. I just could not understand how she could work for such a blatantly discriminatory organization. I learned about the ultimate irony. While those brave men and women risk their lives for our freedoms, they have none. You have no freedom in the Military. They can basically tell you when and where to take a crap (I think that might have been Trish’s words – if not it was definitely something she would say).

I would argue about things like, how can you just follow all orders, even if they don’t make sense. Doesn’t that lead to bad decisions? I of course was coming at this from a civilian perspective where it suits my style to collect the opinions of others before proceeding. That is my “go to” preferred style of decision-making. I call it, adding to the shared pool of knowledge. I think in all the years I’ve been in management I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve made a command decision. I’ll bet some of my staff on occasion wish I would be more decisive rather than a long drawn out process where I collect a bunch of feedback before acting on something.

Her passion for her country, which I suspect is a motivating factor for many of those in the military, was what motivated her to ignore the fact that her own civil rights were severely impeded by agreeing to serve. Ironic, huh? I can only think of one other time where if it hadn’t been so painful, the irony would have had me falling off my chair laughing.

In the 1980’s I was teaching a college course for Resident Assistants in the dorm. The curriculum was already firmly established and one module was on diversity. It was intended to create an atmosphere of tolerance for minorities and “sexual orientation” (that’s what they called it back then) – you know us gay folk. My supervisor knew I was a lesbian and specifically prohibited me from “coming out” to the class.  Instead she asked me to bring in one of my friends to answer questions – a guest speaker. My friend was brilliant…that was not the point. So I ask all of you…can it get any more ironic than that? The message was very clear…being a lesbian was not something a person should ever admit to!  I was young and capitulated to her directive, but I never, ever forgot that experience and it molded my view of the world. A few years later, I came out and subsequently staunchly refused, no matter what, to have someone push me back into the closet. I lost some job opportunities, got called a dyke on numerous occasions, and was nearly accosted while traveling in rural Washington state riding my tandem. I wanted to chase after the truck load of rednecks, but my partner cautioned that they might have guns. No doubt they did, but I was pissed – all 5’6”, 120 pounds of me. She held me back….barely.

To think that military personnel give up their own rights and vehemently protect ours….well for that we all owe every single person in the military a debt of gratitude. They not only sacrifice their lives for our country, but they sacrifice their freedoms. It should not matter whether we belong in a particular war or skirmish, these brave men and women deserve our respect and gratitude and we should damn well let them know that!

I’ll bet you are wondering how in the world is she going to weave in a shameless promotion for her books with this topic….well…here goes…I’m making a command decision….buy one of my books! He he he….just kidding. If you are interested, you know the drill…the links are below. Oh and don’t forget to let those in the military know how much you appreciate them! Oh….and by the way…visit the Big Tent Lesfic group tomorrow because they are going to Ask Me Anything at 1p-3p Eastern Standard Time.

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A Nation Divided…

Warning:  It won’t be difficult to figure out who I voted for…It’s hard to escape all the political maneuvering that  has invaded every single inch of our lives over the last several months. This year the Presidential race is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Regardless of who wins, it seems that our country ultimately loses.

There is such a polarity in our country right now that we will ultimately be a nation divided. One half of the country, no matter who wins, will feel so distraught by the outcome they will a) seriously consider moving to Canada or b) prepare for widespread anarchy. Is this just rhetoric? I’m not entirely sure.

The other day, one of my colleagues was talking about how her daughter’s soccer team was in a state of chaos because a pack of guys told the three starting forwards that if it weren’t for them, the team wouldn’t be going to the district championship. The front line agreed and unfortunately, the back line, the defenders, overheard the conversation. The very next game they lost 4-1 because the defenders made their protest known on the field. They laid back and essentially said, “Oh really, let’s see how well the team does without defense.” They sacrificed moving on in districts to make their point and it was painful for the whole team, but guess what? They got it. Point, set, match…the front line realized how much they needed the whole team to win.

I think about our country and how this is a real possibility for us. One half of the country will disengage and it will weaken the whole. The gulf between the two parties has gotten so wide, I fear our nation will never come together again to become one team with committed offenders and defenders. Ultimately, we all lose when as a nation we act like a bunch of kids who have not gotten their way.

Maybe things will settle once we have an outcome and I won’t have as much to worry about as I think I do, but there is a tiny part of me that wonders. I wonder about the parallels between Nazi Germany and the rhetoric I hear today. It starts with convincing people that some segment of the population is less than, dangerous, or unworthy, and it ends with atrocities that are either overlooked or encouraged.

Will my marriage to my wife suddenly become a dream that we were unable to hang onto? Will it now be okay to beat up the “dykes” and the “gays” because we are less than worthy? I always show this Chinese proverb in orientation because I want to emphasize the power of words. I think it is appropriate to share with all of you:

Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny. — Chinese proverb, author unknown.

It is not just “locker room talk” or suddenly tiring of “this politically correct crap.” When a presidential candidate says, and I quote, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters,” the message is clear. Human decency will no longer rule our world. He’s just given the masses a license to do whatever they believe is right.When he talks about punching protesters in the nose and lamenting about how in the old days they would be “carried out in stretchers”, but now “we’re not allowed to push back anymore,” I am concerned, because words are powerful, especially coming from the President of the United States. The mob is suddenly given permission to invoke violence against their opponents. If you want to be very scared just check out the social psychology experiments related to mob mentality.

Yes, I think I am legitimately afraid that as a minority I will feel the brunt of this new wave of oppression because his message is clear…If you are a powerful white male, you can do anything to anyone. I want a united country, not a divided one, but I fear that dream, like my civil rights, will soon go up in a puff of smoke….or hot air.

Right now I am in the midst of editing a book titled, The Termination. When I began the book, I intended it as a satire because I never thought in a million years that Donald Trump would win. Election night is almost upon us and all I can say is that I hope I don’t turn out to be some kind of unbelievable seer. More to come later on my new book coming out in February, but for now….If you want to escape all the doom and gloom, you know the drill….click the links below and tuck into one of my happily ever after romances!

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Lesbian Vampires…Oh My!

So…everyone raise your hand if you are someone fascinated by lesbian vampires. I am now jumping up and down, waving my arms in the air. Halloween is almost upon us and I thought this topic might be interesting to explore.

When I wrote my first novel (which by the way I’ve never submitted to anyone for consideration), I thought it would be interesting to explore the notion of immortality and how that might affect a loving relationship where one is immortal and the other is not. A favorite character in that never seen story, Nicky, spurned my first published novel.  At the time, I was under the mistaken notion that lesbian vampires and paranormal lesfic books were a huge and popular sub-genre. Wow did I have a lot to learn. Now I know that just because I love paranormal, science fiction, historical fiction, urban fantasy and all the other sub-genres that aren’t traditional romance, others might not necessarily share my passion.

I want to give my fellow author, Ali Spooner a shout out because one of the many reasons I chose Affinity to submit my manuscript to was because I loved Ali’s Sasha Thibodaux Series.

About a week ago, my nephew sent me a private message about something he thought I would find interesting. Well…interesting is an understatement. Did you know that before Bram Stoker wrote his classic novel, Dracula, there was a novel about a lesbian vampire published in 1871, well before his historic book, published in 1897? Both authors were from Ireland…coincidence? I immediately went to Amazon, found the book, and bought it. There are some stark similarities between this book titled, Camilla and Bram Stoker’s classic novel. I was astounded that in the 1800s someone had the audacity to write a book about a lesbian vampire. There are some not so subtle passages that make it clear that Camilla was indeed a lesbian vampire and her beautiful victim was very enamored with her.

How is it possible I did not know about this book? Or for that matter, why didn’t the rest of the world hear about Camilla? Am I the only lesbian in the dark about this way ahead of its time novel? Sure it was written by a man, but still I had to hand it to the author for going out on a limb and writing a book like this. Scandalous, simply scandalous!

Now I am wondering if I should resurrect my very first novel and polish it up. I’m still resistant to the notion that not every single lesbian out there shares my fascination with lesbian vampires. I suppose this first book would be considered a prequel to Love Forever, Live Forever and I’m toying with the notion of posting it as a serial novel over a span of time.  Here’s the first part for you to tell me if that is a good idea or not:

Prologue

I stand here on the precipice—not a literal precipice—but a figurative one. I have a moral dilemma. I have not faced this quandary for nearly five hundred years. I fear I have promised something I should not have pledged. I could not help myself. She came back.

When you find the one lost to you so many years ago—the one you know you will never forget—then do you give that up twice? 

I have not been intimate with another for nearly five hundred years. This is an important fact to remember and a central part of my story, but first you need to learn more about the others, specifically Nicky, the Little Wild One, Annie, her lover, and my dear sweet Victoria.

Chapter 1

Cass stood before the High Council. Seven vampires sat around the beautiful stone fireplace in the great room of the mansion overlooking Lake Washington. It was a rare day as the sun shone over the lake producing twinkles of light like tiny stars hovering above the water. The mountain had a fresh covering of snow and glistened in breathtaking glory. She turned briefly to look upon the lake and gather her calm before facing the council.

Helena, the oldest vampire, directed her gaze at Cass and she felt compelled to abandon the view to meet her penetrating eyes.

“It is so good of you to join us today, Cassandara. We have missed you,” Helena whispers.

Hearing the subtlety in Helena’s words, she understood the implied command.

“I have missed you as well, Helena. How can I be of assistance?” Cass asked with sincerity.

She had missed Helena. Lately Cass was becoming weary of her responsibilities. She hadn’t drained a host in over three months. At this rate, her aging process would begin soon. Although it was not a conscious effort, she was aware of the council’s fears—they’d heard rumors about her a fatal decision.

Cass needed a greater purpose than the one given to her nearly eight hundred years ago. She was by far their best crusader and knew they were not about to allow her to make that decision in haste.

“You have heard of the Little Wild One have you not?” Helena queried.

“Ah, yes, her reputation most certainly precedes her, but I have not yet had the honor of meeting her in person,” Cass responded with honesty. She wanted to meet the charismatic vampire that so many were talking about, but in her despair, she lacked the energy or initiative to make the journey.

“Her motives are pure, but she is in need of a mentor. We are concerned that her methods may cause our race great concern. The Little Wild One has not been covering her tracks as is required. She has also been quite exuberant in her hunts.”

Helena’s beautiful face frowned.

Cass now understood that this was the true the purpose of the meeting. “You wish me to be her mentor,” she stated.

“Yes, Cassandara, we have need of you as her mentor. You will need to leave straight away.”

Helena’s use of the terminology straight away made Cass cringe. At first, she believed her reaction was barely noticeable, but then she noticed Helena’s reaction. Cass imagined that Helena was chastising herself for her word selection.

Cass and Helena had many heart to heart conversations about how to ensure their lesbian sisters did not become disengaged. She believed Helena was sincere when expressing her concern that she was moving further from her sisters. The self-imposed isolation seemed particularly troubling to them.

“Can you tell me where I may find this newling?”

“Yes. The Little Wild One is close. I feel her right now as she is about to seek her revenge on another. She has lured him into one of our dwellings on the lake here. You will find her at the Athena House.” Helena waved her right hand.

Cass knew the council meeting was finished and she had all the information she needed to complete her assignment.

Before Love Forever, Live forever was published, I wrote a couple of short stories and one of those had a Halloween theme, so if you’re in the mood to read about lesbian vampires, Halloween, AND support a worthy charity, pick up the Affinity Collection, It’s in Her Kiss, that has my short story, Vampire Pussy Cat. Cass, Nicky, Annie, Victoria and the rest of the gang are all in that story. I think you will find that it is a fun read.

If you like vampires as much as I do, you know the drill….just click on the links below and you’ll find two short stories and my debut novel that will be sure to serve up a healthy dose of beautiful lesbian vampires.

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

 

One Fan at a Time

It’s now been five days since I’ve returned from the LCLC conference and I’m still thinking about all of the things I learned there. Pictures are continuing to pop up recording my journey and making me smile. The one with me in handcuffs is a particular favorite (that was super fun).

Almost immediately after the conference I received a nice pm (personal message) about my latest book, The Review. The reader told me this was the first book she’d read of mine and how she loved it. This led to my aha moment about what I could use as a tagline, even though I went there kicking and screaming. Marketing and promotion is not something I enjoy AT ALL! Originally I wanted to use One Reader at a Time, but One Fan at a Time just seemed to roll off my tongue more easily.

I realized that what keeps me writing is the e-mails, private messages, and various posts I receive from readers. Even my debut novel (which tanked) generated several positive responses. My first reader (fan) appeared shortly after my debut when she posted that little old me was her favorite author. I will never forget that post from Gail, it made it all worthwhile.  I was shocked, bowled over. and riding high for weeks after that post. The disappointment from the anemic sales drifted away like a puff of smoke. Since then, the memorable posts include that I wrote something they could relate to, touched them, or created an embarrassing moment in the middle of a lunchroom when they laughed out loud and a co-worker asked what they were reading. Lunchgate was born (thanks Sue for sharing that). The passage is now the most talked about non-sex, sex scene. Feel free to ask me about it.

Maybe I’ve only touched thirty people deeply enough to generate some correspondence, but for those thirty people I struck a chord and that is a BIG DEAL for me. When I am at my lowest, I can pick up a book and immerse myself in the wonderful fantasy. If I can do that for others, it makes it all worthwhile.

I am embarrassed to say that in the past when an author touched me, I never had the nerve to write an e-mail or pm them to let them know how their work affected me. I don’t let the superstar status of authors affect me as much anymore. I will step out of my comfort zone and let them know how much I enjoyed their writing or I’ll post my positive thoughts on the various Facebook groups I belong to.

I was talking to my friend and mentor about receiving those special messages from readers and she shared she didn’t receive many and I thought that was a crying shame. I am convinced it is because she is so well-known that perhaps the readers took the stance that I used to take…this author will think I’m some crazy stalker. She wrote one of my all-time favorite series and I never told her that prior to getting to know her. I keep reminding her of that now because she needs to know that her work makes a difference to people.

Of course when readers leave a review it helps the author but nothing can compare to a personal message. I am only 12 reviews away from that magical number of 50 (when they will start to recommend my book) but honestly I’ll take one personal message over 50 reviews any day of the week. Now…don’t get any ideas…I still want the reviews…I’m not crazy enough to ignore their importance.

This past week I picked up 19 likes on my Facebook Page, Annette Mori One Fan at a Time and oh my God, it left me with such a warm tingly feeling, almost as good as….oh never mind! So I guess the one fan at a time post was working at supersonic speed. I know it isn’t monumental like some of the other big name authors, but I would have been overjoyed with just one new like…because it really is about touching people….one reader at a time.

So…if you’ve never read any of my books but are a tiny bit intrigued…y’all know the drill by now…click on any of the links below to check one out and I will have picked up one more reader!

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page

LCLC Early Recap

I wasn’t sure what to think about this conference because I hadn’t ever been to the LCLC before and now that I am here, all I can say is this fits me to a T. The small intimate atmosphere and welcoming environment sucked me right in from the start. When we arrived at 1:30am and walked into our room, there were two goody bags with our names on them and a snack bag waiting for us.  Even through our bleary eyes, we recognized the special touch to make us feel a part of the gang.

On the very first session where LCLC had an audience participation session on police procedures, I was quick to shoot my hand up and offer my willing participation (I mean who doesn’t want to play with handcuffs). In all seriousness, the session was fascinating. I don’t write cop stories, but if I did, I now know the pitfalls and how to write a more realistic scene.

After we returned from the evening event on Thursday night, most of us went back to our rooms to post pics, relax, do a little writing, and then I had a hankering for some candy. I snuck outside to the pool area and was enticed by cigar smoke. No, I don’t smoke cigars, but I have fond memories from when my grandfather did. Lee thought I said my grandmother and I corrected her even though having a grandmother toting a cigar would have been more interesting.

On Friday, I was riveted by Lee Lynch’s talk on the history of Lesbian Fiction, and Lou Anne Smoot’s very personal coming out story that she shares in her book, Out, A Courageous Woman’s Journey.  I participated in a panel on hooking and engaging the reader and had to honestly state that I have absolutely no flippin’ clue how I hook readers. I appreciate that many of you have been kind enough to let me know that I “suck you in right from the start.”  Maybe a few of you can shoot me a clue on how I do that. I’ll buy that clue from you, so that next time I’m asked that question I won’t look like a total doofus.

As far as what I chose to read, I went to my go to, most talked about non-sex, sex scene from Out of This World and also a short passage from my new book The Review. I stumbled through both. Have I mentioned lately how much I stress over readings? I think there might be a GoPro video that will surface on this.

The readings and panels were all top notch. Chris asked us if we would read poolside and we all said, “Hell Yes!” Where else can you go for a lesbian fiction conference and the audience is already wet and waiting in the pool? Go ahead all you gutter minds…I give you permission to go there….

It’s now Saturday morning and although I usually put out my blog out on Friday, I’m going to wait for one more day to sneak in the highlights of my fun-filled adventure at the LCLC.

Saturday brought some enlightening information about marketing and promotion, including developing a tagline and a unique “brand” as an author. I’m not exactly sure what brand or tagline I should develop. The only words I could think of to describe who I am as an author or person are unconventional, colloquial, goober, and doofus. For some reason I don’t think that is what the experts would suggest. Perhaps some of the readers out there have better ideas to shoot my way.

I was also able to spend some time in the pool so I could say I’d been to a warmer climate with my newly formed tan. In the pool we started talking (again) about pineapples and the way the fruit influences how…um…you know…a person tastes. Of course my wife who is a clinical researcher had to throw in her two cents and the discussion quickly devolved into designing a true research study. She wanted us to research how body weight, amount of fruit, and the time between consumption and um…you know…the fun activity, changed the taste. So…we are looking for 100 lesbian couples to engage in purely scientific research for the betterment of the lesbian community. Who wants to sign up?? We won’t divulge anyone’s name and if you’re single, you can still participate. We’ve just given you the best line ever. ”But…it’s for science, don’t you want to assist in advancing the science of lesbian sex? It will be a noble endeavor….”

The highlight of the conference was meeting authors I correspond with on Facebook and reconnecting with authors I’ve met before. Who wouldn’t enjoy connecting with Renee Mackenzie, Darla Baker, Linda North, Sandy Duggar, Isabella, Lee Lynch, BL Clark, SY Thompson, Baxter Clare Trautman, Karelia Stetz-Walters, Lou Anne Smoot, Lucy Madison, Tara Wentz, and Shelly Thrasher. Of course the other highlight was meeting some wonderful readers who I received new Facebook friend requests from. I didn’t get their permission, so I won’t call them out.

In conclusion I am conducting my own little research after listening to the promotion panel…will this blog generate sales or not? So…if this prompts you to check out my books, start to follow me, or the pinnacle of success, buy my book…you know the drill. Please, pretty please, with pineapple juice on top, click on the links below.

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page