O.M. Grey's Blog, page 5

2013 in Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 150,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 6 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Filed under: Lost in the Aether, News & Reviews Tagged: o.m. grey, olivia grey

Poem Featured on Bar None Group

My poem “I Pretend You’re Watching Me” is featured today on the fabulous poetry site Bar None Group. This is the third poem of mine the site’s lovely editor Mark Butkus chose to publish.  The first, “New York Rain,” quickly entered their “Hall of Fame” in 2011 and has stayed there for over two years, much to my delighted surprise. The second was the mournful fantasy “Behind the Carousel” published in February 2012 between two horrific events (those who follow my blog know of which I speak), so I wasn’t able to promote it effectively. In fact, I had even forgotten they had published that poem. Events around and for months after that horrific week have become fuzzy in my memory. Such are the effects of PTSD.

My latest poem, “I Pretend You’re Watching Me,” signifies a time in my life where I’m finally able to feel love and desire again, and it’s wonderful to do so after the last few traumatic years. However, as you can tell in the poem, it’s an impossible love, one that can never be realized due to many reasons. For the same reasons, it’s a safe love. It’s a poem about longing and fantasy, but it is rooted in the reality of our situation. The dream that he feels the same way, even though he’s unable to express it, keeps me going on some days. On others, it’s pure torment to be in such close proximity to him when my heart is bursting with love for him, when my hands are trembling with the urge to touch him. Just once.

Thus the line about having to soon say goodbye, for self preservation.

I hope some of you can relate to the poem, but I hope even more than your lives and hearts are filled with love and joy, the kind that can be openly reciprocated.

May you all find peace.

~Olivia   xo

Filed under: News & Reviews, Short Fiction & Poetry Tagged: author, bar none group, i pretend you're watching me, intimacy, love, o.m. grey, olivia grey, passion, poem, poetry

Happy Christmas!

Quick note to say I wish for all my readers to find peace and revel in the joy of the season. 

May you feel all the love your hearts can contain. 

xo

Filed under: Uncategorized

Kindle Countdown Deal!!

Get The Zombies of Mesmer for low, low prices! Starting at $0.99 at 8am PST this morning (December 2), then slowly increasing in price over the next three days (December 5) until it’s back to it’s regular price of $3.99. Get it fast to get the best price!

Gearhearts Steampunk Glamour Revue just put up their lovely review of The Zombies of Mesmer and called it a “fun adventure story” with “a lighthearted balance” and “poignant moments.” They concluded: “This is a good book for any and all ages, especially if one enjoys a bit of mad science.”

Then, between December 6 and 8th, get the sequel during it’s very own Kindle Countdown Deal. Starting at $0.99 at 8am PST on Friday, December 6th, then slowly increasing in price over the next two days until it’s back to it’s regular price of $5.99. The Ghosts of Southwark

Time it right, and you can have both books on your Kindle for less than a good cup of coffee.

Also, the paperback version is now available for The Ghosts of Southwark on Amazon for just $11.66. For a limited time, get an author-signed copy of this latest installment of Nickie Nick, Vampire Hunter! Use THIS LINK to buy your copy by 11:59pm PST on Thursday, December 5th, and you’ll get your author-signed copy delivered to your doorstep in time for Christmas!

Enjoy!

Filed under: Events & Contests, News & Reviews Tagged: ghosts of southwark, nickie nick, o.m. grey, olivia grey, omgrey, vampire hunter

Poem: I Pretend You’re Watching Me

I

pretend you’re watching me, While I clean the store at night, While

I sweep the floor. I sway my hips for your delight Pretend you beg

for more. I pretend you’re watching me, Watching every move. I

pretend you long for me The way I long for you. I pretend you talk

to me And whisper secretly Everything your heart desires  Your

fears, your hopes, your dreams Confide in me Reside in me Bear your

soul to me I become your confidant, The one who holds your truth. I

pretend you talk to me The way I talk to you I pretend you’re

touching me When we meet at last For a coffee late at night When

the day has passed. First our knees find their way, Then our hands

do meet. A rush of heat to our hearts Then our lips to cheek; I

pretend you’re touching me Finally. Tenderly. Touching me.

Tittilating taboo. I pretend you’re touching me, And I am touching

you. I pretend you’re watching me. Secretly, tenderly watching me.

Waiting, wondering, wishing… But it is not reality, This fantasy

of mine. I know the time draws ever near, The time to say goodbye.

And yet, tonight, I’ll still have hope  That you’ll be

watching me. I’ll sweep the floor and sway my hips, Look into the

night and see, Beyond the glass, in the dark, You secretly watching

me.

Filed under: Short Fiction & Poetry Tagged: longing, love, o.m. grey, olivia grey, omgrey, poem, poetry

The Ghosts of Southwark

The Ghosts of Southwark, book 2 in the Nickie Nick Vampire Hunter series, is officially out! This Gothic Steampunk Teen Romance Novel picks up where the first book, The Zombies of Mesmer, leaves off.

Nickie Nick’s broken heart keeps her from her sacred duty until a tragic event pulls her out of her lament and propels her into action. The Clan of Ashen, a deadly vampire cult, and a group of lost souls lead her to discover the deranged actions of a sinister priest. A handsome, masked stranger captures her attention and her heart while they work to stop the priest and free the trapped ghosts. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

Thoughts and reviews on The Zombies of Mesmer:

“Nickie is the perfect vampire slayer for the post-modern world. A prim Victorian girl, just coming of age by day, a plucky and touchy defender by night—she is the perfect package, all rolled up into a proper corset. The Zombies of Mesmer was the kind of book one should never begin at bedtime. Not just because it has a perfectly tuned choir of creepiness, but because once started you cannot put it down! Look out Buffy, there is a new slayer in town. She is every bit as tough, resourceful and kick-ass—in a full corset. If the Zombies of Mesmer is the new trend in vampire novels, I have hope for the genre again.” ~Muffy Morrigan, Author

“A decidedly breathtaking, and action-packed ending brings the tale to a satisfying end, and it will leave you wanting to know how soon before the next installment in Nickie Nick’s adventures comes out. A story for young adults and adults alike. And exciting read that will keep you up well into the night clicking through the digital pages.” ~ Michele Hauf, VampChix

Get your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer and The Ghosts of Southwark today!

Filed under: Events & Contests, News & Reviews Tagged: author, book, nickie nick, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, steampunk, teen romance, vampire hunter, vampires, victorian

Misogyny Defined

The meaning of the word “misogyny” is literally “hatred of women.” Although that is the actual definition of the word, most misogynists think they love women. Misogyny usually manifests less as overt hatred and more as a general belief that men are better than women. They objectify women, belittle women, and control women.

The results of misogyny are rape, abuse, murder, lower pay, less opportunity, general discrimination and loss of power, restrictive gender roles, and more.

In it’s most basic form, it’s treating women as if their purpose on earth was for male pleasure and service, whether sexual, social, or professional. “Smile, sweetheart. You look so much prettier when you smile” is an example of every day misogyny, where the man is saying this to a strange woman on the street, suggesting that her very existence is to look pretty for him. He doesn’t take into consideration that her mother might have just died or she’s going through a divorce or struggling with a disease or a million other things that humans deal with. He interrupts her world to tell her to smile. It’s offensive.

This is an example of where he genuinely thinks he’s doing a nice thing, but the underlying cultural meaning is much deeper. He doesn’t realize it and she likely doesn’t either. It’s perpetuating the cultural understanding that women are supposed to be pretty and sexy and fuckable for men. Just look at any magazine on the shelves to see this. All those horrible star magazines about who’s fat and flabby in their swimsuits…they’re all women. They’re not showing men with beer bellies, they’re showing celebrity women aging or without their normal airbrushed perfection, and they’re mocking them for it.

The “smile, sweetheart” is a basic example, but the same intentions (whether conscious or not) are behind men who shout, “nice tits” or “I’d tap that” or the like at women on the street. It’s called street harassment.

As for the over-sexualization of women in our culture…It’s halloween, just look at the difference between the male costumes and the female costumes.

These are cultural examples. Both men and women perpetuate misogyny and rape culture without even knowing it. This is why it’s so important to talk about it and make people aware. Because, for the worst men, all of this gives them social license to continue more overt forms of misogyny, like abuse and rape. And they’ll get away with it, too. Most of them. 97% of rapists get away with it. Only 3% ever see even a single day in jail. Only 14% ever even see a trial.

Think about how the media handled the Steubenville Rape Case, where they lamented how those poor, poor rapists’ lives were ruined by that vindictive bitch. That is the mentality of the culture. Women rarely lie about rape, about 1.5-2% lie. That’s less than other false crime accusations, like theft or whatever, which are around 8%. What happened in Steubenville happens every weekend and hundreds of high schools around the country. That one just got some media attention. 600+ women are raped every single day.

Back to misogyny, “dizzy broad” “she must be on her period” “she’s overreacting” are all examples of every day misogyny. Shortly after we got Buster, our new dog, he got out one day we were away. Some guy found him and called the number on Buster’s tag. I thanked him over and over and went to pick Buster up. The guy wasn’t there when I did, but his father was. I thanked the father again, and he said I should thank his son, since it was he who found him and put Buster in the yard to keep him safe. So I did. I texted the sone and said I couldn’t express the depth of my gratitude. He responded, “I can think of a few ways. You sounded hot over the phone. I’d like to see if I’m right.”

I was flabbergasted! He turned my gratitude for doing a decent thing into sexualized debt. Since I’m already a survivor of rape, I was terrified because he knew my address. I called the police to report it just in case it escalated, and they minimized it and dismissed it (just like the police did when I reported the rape, by the way…which is why 60% of women don’t report rape).

That’s misogyny.

Other examples of misogynistic speech:

“Calm down. You’re too emotional.” (Classic gaslighting.)
“She’s a spinner!” (normally said about a very thin, petite woman)
“Look at those tits/that ass!” (objectification)
“She needs to know her place.” or “Did you put her in her place?”
“I’d like to get me some of that.” (objectification)
Any comment meaning to control a woman or tell her what to do
Any comment that belittles a woman to a sexual object or a collection of body parts
Talking about a woman as if she has no other purpose than a life support system for her vagina
Supporting misogynistic industries like the bulk of (notice I did not say all) porn and overtly sexualized images of women
Treating women as if their sole purpose for existence is for your visual or sexual pleasure
Suggesting that a woman was “asking for it” or “deserved it”
Uttering the phrase “cry rape” under any circumstances
Phrases like “skull fucking” and “bone smoking,” “fish taco” and “carpet muncher”
“This is not just about sex. There are 30 women I could call right now who will fuck me.”
“Nice guys finish last, awesome guys finish on her face.“
“Why can’t you look like her?”
Rape or roofie jokes of any sort.
“You throw/run/hit like a girl.”

My father is a misogynist. A serious misogynist. He is also a generous and kind and loving man. He has little idea he’s a misogynist. He was socialized that way and he has hurt a lot of people because of it, me and my mother not withstanding. He has become more aware of it over the years, but he’s still a pretty serious misogynist. I call him on it these days. One of the hardest things for me to grasp is that someone can do horrible abusive things and they can also do wonderful, loving things. It’s complex. The struggle to understand two completely opposite things like this is called cognitive dissonance. You might have come across the term in your medical studies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

Saying some of the things above doesn’t necessarily make someone a misogynist, because it’s been so immersed in our culture (especially the seemingly innocuous things like ‘you throw like a girl’), but as intelligent, compassionate people, it’s up to us to challenge the underlying cultural problems with perpetuating this type of thinking and become more self aware around the language we use.

Kids are being exposed to this kind of thinking and speech every day at every turn, it’s important to understand this so boys, especially, can be taught to view women as complete human beings, not entities put on earth to please them. That’s what’s called male entitlement, and it’s running rampant on college campuses and in high schools these days.

A recent report shows that 1 in 10 adolescents (between the ages of 12 and 17) have sexually assaulted a classmate, mostly because they don’t know what they’re doing is sexual assault. Forcing someone to kiss them, grabbing someone’s ass or breasts, snapping a bra strap, those are all instances of unwanted sexual contact; i. e. sexual assault. Having sex with someone too drunk to consent is rape. People can say “No Means No” until they’re blue in the face, but when a wo/man says no and the other doesn’t stop but continues pushing pushing pushing past hours of NO until they finally get a yet, that’s coercive rape. It’s not a yes. It’s a coerced yes. If s/he says no. Stop. Period.

We must start teaching enthusiastic consent to where it’s not a “yes” mumbled through fear or tears or coercion, it’s a YES! YES! YES! said either through their lips or their actions. It’s a beautiful dance for two people to come together in this way. No coercion. No begging or breaking down barriers. Enthusiastic consent only, then there is no question. We must start to teach our sons and daughters that sex isn’t something a man pursues at all costs and women are not the gatekeepers. Sex is something two adults choose to do together an expression of love and/or desire for one another. It is not a power tool. It is not a duty or something owed. A woman is not an ejaculatory machine to be discarded after use. We must teach respect.

Just think:

“What’s the worst possible thing you can call a woman? Don’t hold back, now. You’re probably thinking of words like slut, whore, bitch, cunt, skank. Okay, now, what are the worst things you can call a guy? Fag, girl, bitch, pussy, I’ve even heard the term “mangina.” Notice anything? The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult. No tell me that’s not royally fucked up.” – Jessica Valenti, Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters

Filed under: Romance & Relationships, Trauma & Recovery Tagged: author, misogyny, o.m. grey, olivia grey, rape, rape survivor, relationship advice, relationships

New Short Stories & More!

Remember the next two weeks, I’m giving away free books! Find out hints as to when which books are free on what days between now and 10/31 by clicking LIKE on my FB fan page: http://facebook.com/OMGREY

Alternatively, check my Amazon Author Page to see what’s listed for free. While you’re there, why not get a short story for under $2 to read over lunch?

New O. M. Grey Short Stories:

“The Clockwork Heart” – Written in the style of H. G. Wells, this Gothic Steampunk story will make your heart bleed and your skin crawl. $1.49 (FREE with PRIME, as are the rest below)

“Inevitable Enlightenment.” Trace the existential thoughts of a zombie after the apocalypse. $0.99

“Come to Me.” Jason’s boring Monday turns into one full of adventure and horror when his mother’s strange affliction takes him and his sister around the world. Based in Scottish Mythology. $0.99

“The Handy Man.” After losing his hand in a work accident, Linus Cosgriff adapts a new invention to please women and relieve them from symptoms of hysteria. Adult Content. $1.99

“Heart of Stone, Flesh of Ice.” Several men mysteriously disappear after a night of passion during a ski vacation. Based in Japanese Mythology. $1.99

“Hannah & Gabriel.” Dark Fantasy Steampunk retelling of Hansel & Gretel. $1.99 (This story is also available along with 11 others, poetry, and articles in the collection Caught in the Cogs: An Eclectic Collection for only $2.99.)

PSSSST, here’s a little secret: you can read my books anytime you’d like for FREE with Amazon Prime! Even if you don’t want to fork out the $79/yr (although it’s *so* worth it with the free 2-day shipping, free books, and loads of free Amazon videos), you can get a FREE 30-Day Trial and read them during those 30 days!

—> USE THIS LINK 

Filed under: Events & Contests, Short Fiction & Poetry Tagged: amazon, amazon prime, author, h. g. wells, kindle, o.m. grey, olivia grey, short story, steampunk, victorian

Get My Books for FREE – Samhain Special

Over the next two weeks, from 10/18 through 10/31, I’ll be offering select titles for FREE on the Kindle. LIKE my Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMGREY to find out more.

Don’t have a Kindle? No problem! You can download the Kindle APP for free on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Just don’t read eBooks ever? You can get all my titles in paperback from Amazon.

Keep an eye peeled on my Amazon Author page to see brand new short fiction released this week, like the never-before-seen stories “The Clockwork Heart,” “Heart of Stone, Flesh of Ice,” “Come to Me,” and “Inevitable Enlightenment,” among others. All for $0.99-$1.99 for your reading pleasure. Perfect lengths for a lunchtime or coffeetime reading escape.

Additionally, my brand new novel AVALON REVAMPED will be free on ONE DAY ONLY during that two week period. Check in each day to find out when.

In preparation for the November 1st release of THE GHOSTS OF SOUTHWARK (Book 2 in the Nickie Nick Vampire Hunter Series), its predecessor THE ZOMBIES OF MESMER will be free for two full days somewhere in that two week time period. Read it and be ready for the sequel’s release 11/1!

And, finally, if you want a taste of my short fiction and poetry for free, you can always on the sidebar where there are links and posts of free fiction. Get the collection CAUGHT IN THE COGS for FREE three days during that two week promotion between 10/18 and 10/31.

TIP: Like my Fan page at http://facebook.com/OMGREY – I’ll be hinting to those fans when exactly the books are free…

Also, as of January 1, 2014, the Olivia Grey Facebook Profile will be deleted. If you want to keep up with me and my work on Facebook, please LIKE my Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMGREY

On this Fan Page over the next two weeks, there will be hints as to when you can pick up which book for FREE.

Filed under: Events & Contests, News & Reviews, Short Fiction & Poetry Tagged: amazon, author, avalon, avalon revamped, avalon revisited, bdsm, book, caught in the cogs, come to me, free, free books, heart of stone, inevitable enlightenment, kindle, o.m. grey, olivia grey, short story, steampunk, the clockwork heart, the ghosts of southwark, the zombies of mesmer, vampires, victorian

Steampunk Spotlight: Sex, Horror, & Steampunk

Today the long-awaited sequel (of sorts) AVALON REVAMPED is officially released to the public both in Kindle and paperback versions. Go. Right now! Order yours and you can have it immediately (on Kindle) and by tomorrow with overnight shipping in paperback.

About Avalon Revamped:

Arthur Tudor, a vampire for nearly four-hundred years, finds himself bored with life and love, yet again. His tolerance for his newly-turned girlfriend Avalon wanes, and he’s on the prowl for fresh blood to drink and succulent flesh to pierce. While investigating a series of mysterious disappearances, the couple comes face to face with Constance, a succubus committed to exacting justice for violated women. The supernatural trio joins forces to stop a serial rapist and murderer. Set in Victorian London, this Steampunk horror novel is about justice, retribution, and redemption.

Let true justice prevail…

C. L. Stegall, author of The Blood of Others, says this about Avalon Revamped:

Every once in a while I get the opportunity to read a piece of work that makes me think, “This is the one the will put this author on the map of the reading world.” Avalon Revamped is that book for O. M. Grey. It deals with some horrific truths and should be read by every person on the planet. It is a great adventure, with serious underpinnings that elevate it into a higher realm of genre literature.

Still haven’t read Avalon Revisited? It’s high time! It not only won the Steampunk Chronicles’ Readers’ Choice Award in 2012 for best novel, it also was an Amazon Gothic Romance best seller! You can get your copy from Riverdale Ave Books, on Amazon.com, or on a variety of eBook formats. Or, if you prefer to listen to your books, there’s an audio version of Avalon Revisited available via AudioRealms.

Still not convinced? Read what others have said about my scribblings.

Find my other works for purchase, and even some for free, and view my complete works all on the pages of this blog.

Explore! Comment! Buy!

And, above all, share on your networks and with your friends.

May you all find peace.

-_Q

p.s. If you see an ad below, I did not put it there nor do I welcome it. It’s a new WordPress policy. One has to pay WordPress to disable these ads, so please ignore them.

Filed under: News & Reviews, Steampunk Spotlight Tagged: arthur tudor, audio realms, audiobook, author, avalon, avalon revamped, avalon revisited, bdsm, book, c. l. stegall, horror, justice, love, misogyny, mystery, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, rape, rapist, redemption, retribution, riverdale ave books, sex, sexual assault, steampunk, succubus, the blood of others, vampires, victorian