Lara Zielinsky's Blog: Newsletter, page 28

Domestic Violence Awareness

October 2019 is Domestic Violence Awareness month. One of the myths of DV is that there is little to none in the LGBTQIA+ communities, but there is. DV is about power, even if one of its tools is sex. Lesbians and gay men can both suffer abuse at the hands of their partners. Bisexual women… Continue reading Domestic Violence Awareness →

National Book Month

October 2019 is designated as National Book Month. I’m an author. But I was a reader first. As an introvert, I prefer reading to almost any social activity. Lately though, I have been struggling to find books I like from beginning to end, but I still read a lot of fiction. Since June I have… Continue reading National Book Month →

Bi Visibility Day

[image error]

Bi Visibility Day is September 22 this year. To mark the event my local community LGBTQ+ Center is hosting a panel discussion on the topic of why visibility matters.

All indicators point to persons identifying as bi/pan being about 50% of the LGBTQ+ population, why are so few visible in mainstream spaces?

Part of the reason that I think the bisexual portion of the population is largely unseen is monogamy. A bisexual can be attracted to another person regardless of genitalia. We can and do co...

Character Labor and Plot

It’s Labor Day here in the U.S., and while I am sitting around waiting for a hurricane to decide whether or not to give me a glancing blow, a full miss, or steamroll as a Cat 5 right across the house, I was thinking about Labor Day and how it intersects with writing.

As in, how much of a character’s job is appropriate to include in a story. Many aspects of a person’s work just aren’t moving a plot forward. Most people, especially in the U.S., spend a great deal of their daily lives working. B...

Adding narration to my skillset

I quite enjoy podcasts on a number of topics and was a host (4 years) of a podcast about books.

I had the opportunity to help out The Lesbian Historic Motif project by narrating one of the historical fiction short stories Heather Rose Jones wanted to feature. So here it is:

The Black Handkerchief by Gwen C. Katz

The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 37e

Many thanks to HRJ for the opportunity!

Kiss and Make Up

Everyone can end up in a disagreement or making a mistake. Particularly if you care a lot about someone. So today’s the day to celebrate the wonderfully tropey “kiss and make up” moment.

Early in the story We Three, Jess and Elena have a misunderstanding and get frustrated and feel awful, but don’t know how to fix it. Eric brings the two together to clear the air. Here’s a peek at part of that scene.

[image error] Jess worried her teeth against her bottom lip as the minutes continued ticking well past cl...

National Aviation Day

In honor of the birthday of Orville Wright today is National Aviation Day. Wright was of course brother of Wilbur Wright and together they invented the airplane. That bit of technology has come a long way since 1903’s flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Dreaming to fly has driven many men and women into careers around airplanes.

Two of my characters, Eric and Elena Tanner, met while working at the same airline, following their own dreams of flying. This was many years before the events of...

Relaxation Day

August 15 is National Relaxation Day. How do you take a break and relax? I’ll read, or veg in front of Netflix.

My characters take walks, visit parks, as well as just share snuggle time. Here’s a peek at a relaxing moment for harried moms-in-love Brenna and Cassidy, from Turning Point.

[image error] "Absolutely." The redhead curled back in the cushions and pulled the pillow into her lap as she spoke. "How's Ryan? Any lingering effects from his adventure today?"
"Not a thing. I think he's still unaware j...

Lazy Day

August 10 is National Lazy Day. Lovers lazing around in bed enjoying time together is a perfect way to spend the day. Here’s an excerpt from We Three to enjoy:

[image error] The Latina, partially under a sheet, wearing a spaghetti-strap silk negligee, stretched slowly, luxuriating in the laziness of their Sunday morning. Jess sat on the bed beside her, pulling back the sheet to gaze on lush curves.
“Morning?” Elena’s voice barely managed the syllables, and Jess wriggled a little with delight. She skimmed...

Queer Words

I did an interview with Wayne Goodman, the host of the Queer Words podcast while in California. Here’s the link to the show which went live today (kind of a belated birthday present).

I just listened to it myself and have a few reflections. Back in March when I visited California, I met Wayne in the Castro District on a unbelievably rainy day. Meeting up became sort of an adventure in itself. Once we settled though, we talked for around 45 minutes. I really like the 21 minutes of interview h...