S.M. Johnson's Blog, page 30

Bloody Monday - can you come out to play today?

"Dracula, your favorite pain in the neck, is about to bite your funnybone."


I must have been all of ten or eleven years old, out of school on some break, when I saw the movie Love at First Bite and fell head over heels for vampires.






I know this: I was at my best friend Cindy's house, and it was the middle of the day, and we were lazing around on floor pillows eating cream of mushroom soup mixed into hot buttered elbow macaroni. It was beautiful. Mostly it was beautiful because Cindy's parents worked full-time, regular hours, and we knew we would be undisturbed for all of the afternoon. My parents were a fire-fighter and a school librarian - who could be counted on to interrupt us with chore requests, and concerned parental questioning about our choice of television, which also included The Days of Our Lives. "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives..."


Being unsupervised was bliss, and not even because we were up to much in the way of being naughty.


But we did get to to spend an afternoon watching a vampire movie completely uninterrupted (well, except for those pesky commercials).


Anyway. I can't remember if my friend was quite as hypnotized as I was, but the story of the poor recently evicted Count Dracula moving to New York City to find his bride fascinated me.


The film is a vampire spoof, and intended to be comical, although I'm not sure I was aware of that the first time. But I knew that I liked Count Dracula's accent, his elegance, loved his blood jokes, shivered with the knowledge that his brand of chivalry was supposed to be scary.


Oooh, yes, and that his human servant was intensely loyal. And his bride, though counseled by people she trusted to stay away from Vladimir Dracula, just.... couldn't. She couldn't. She was compelled.


Oh, man, thinking on it from here, I guess I've always been a sucker for the bad boys.


The Vampire, Count Vladimir Dracula






The New York Bride:




The Competition:




Tomorrow I'll share a favorite quote from the movie... but in the meantime... enjoy some YouTube clips and /or search for the answers to the following questions:





 What was Count Dracula's brides's first name in the movie?


Who was Dracula's rival for her affections? What was his occupation?


Let's gab all week long about Love at First Bite! On Friday nominate YOUR favorite vampire and we'll do it all over again next week! Thanks for coming out to play!

A Year of Sundays, ch 5 part 2

Part 2 of 2
We surveyed the chaos we'd been creating in the dining room, the boxes of china and shoes, bags of clothing and coats, lined up and piled against the wall. We had to move some of it out before we 'd have room to eat at the table again.
"I don't like him," I murmured, "and I'm not real comfortable about him being in the house."
"I would say that about any number of Melanie's stellar choices in men."
"Yeah, I'm especially feeling the vibe about this one. I have all of mom's jewelry in nice neat rows on her dresser. Maybe one of us should take it home, and we'll go through it after we've taken care of everything else."
"That's probably a good idea," he agreed. "Why don't you go gather it up, and I'll start loading my truck. Liz should be here soon."
I went up to mom's room, half expecting to find Melanie picking through mom's jewelry, with Helper Travis at her side. But no. The room was empty, and the jewelry looked undisturbed. Mom had more than one velvet pouch reminiscent of the Name Bag, and I gently gathered her pretty things and tucked them away. Funny how I never had a second thought about leaving these things around, not even when we met Jeremy. I felt a little bit guilty about that – like... we had such low expectations of Melanie, and high expectations of Silas... but Melanie had proven her bad choices over and over again. She had a track record of dating people she met in rehab, and we'd learned from experience that the guys she chooses generally aren't worth much. Sad but true.
I heard a shuffling sound from down the hall, and went to investigate. I found Josie putting her room together, her bed a mountain of clothes and books.
"Are you really going to be okay living here, Jose?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm good. Except that I can't watch mom's stuff get loaded into a truck and taken away, so I'm going to hole up here and get myself organized."
"I hear you, I said, and sighed. "I'm feeling sad about mom today, too, but I'll help Si and Liz, and leave you to your own stuff."
"Thanks," she said with a tired smile. "Aren't we lucky to have each other?" 
When I got back downstairs, a dent had been made in the piles. Silas and Travis were carrying boxes, and Elizabeth was supervising.
"Where is Melanie?" I asked Travis, as I held the door open for him."Ah, I think she went to the store for something. Or maybe she fell asleep somewhere, she was dragging hard this morning."
"Hung over?" I asked. "Or still drunk?"
He grinned a wolfish grin at me. "One or the other."
"Enough talking," Elizabeth jumped in to crack the whip. "Let's get this done with." She turned to me. "Jessie, I'm sorry, I just don't have time for lunch today," she said, with an exaggerated head nod toward Travis.
"That's fine, Elizabeth, in fact, Silas and I were thinking the exact same thing."
The look of relief on her face was comical. "I don't know how much more of this kind of thing I can take."
"Yeah, I know. Well, anyway, Si said Jeremy's not going to be around, so there's one less thing for you to deal with."
"Um," she said.
"Um?" I asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She answered my question with a question of her own. "What did Silas say about Jeremy not being around?"
"Not a lot. He said he sent him home to his mommy. Why?"
"Because Josie said something about him staying here with her for the summer."
"Here, here? Like here in the house?"
"Exactly like here in the house. That's why I thought we'd better get some of mom's things moved to the church."
"Wow." I said. "Wow. Well. Maybe we don't want to mention that to Silas right off. He might flip out." I stared at her. As the bearer of news such as this, she was surprisingly calm. "You're okay with that idea?"
"I wasn't, at first. But the more I think about it, the more it seems like a good idea. I know Josie doesn't want to stay here alone. But she doesn't want to bunk with any of us, either. I think Jeremy's okay. He seemed nice and all. And with Silas to vouch for him, I don't know. I guess he'd be safe enough. And he's gay, so it's not like Josie's asking a boyfriend to move in. It could be worse."
"I think it's a great idea."  I felt a happy sense of relief inside. Poor Silas. He was not going to be happy, inside or outside. Not if he really wanted Jeremy to go away. I giggled.
"What?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'm just remembering that Silas said he'd had some trouble getting Jeremy to go away. And I'm thinking that's not going to change. He's going to freak."
"He deserves it for what he's put me through with this whole gay thing."  
But you're suddenly comfortable with it now?" I asked. I couldn't help myself. 
She sighed. "I had a long talk with my pastor this morning. I felt so humiliated admitting that my only brother is a homosexual that I cried."
"Aw, Liz, that sucks." We were standing at the door, watching Silas and Travis shuffle boxes and trash bags around in the back of Si's pick-up, trying to make everything fit. Seemed like we were all having a rough day.
"It was miserable. But it was good, because he reminded me that homosexuals are God's children, too, and that it's God's job to judge, not mine. I guess I needed that, because I can already feel myself accepting this gay thing. I don't want to lose my brother. I have to love him, even if I don't agree with him."
"Good for you."
"And Josie is crazy about Jeremy. I think they're best friends already, and Josie needs that. All her high school friends went away to school, and she doesn't have anyone here to be close to. I asked her why she's not dating, and all she said is that no one's really caught her eye. I think it's Josie glowing over Jeremy that's helping me the most. He can't be evil if he melts her heart."
"True." I said. "I don't think she's dated anyone since Aaron went to basic training. Friends make the world better. Now, where the heck is Melanie? Silas looks like he's ready to kill Travis, and I don't blame him. I hate when there's some random guy hanging out. In fact," I held up the jewelry bag. "We need a safer place for mom's jewelry." 
 "Oh, I'd love to take it home and look through it."
"Yours." I said, and handed it to her. "I thought maybe when everything else has been organized, we'd lay it all out on the table and take turns choosing."
"You have good ideas, Jessie. We're lucky to have you keeping track of all the details."
I think I glowed. "Thanks."
"I'm going to check upstairs for Melanie," I said. "And see how Josie's getting on organizing her room."
Josie was fine. And I found Melanie passed out in her childhood bed. "Wake up," I said loudly and shook her foot. "Damn it, Mel, don't leave us with your sleaze-ball. Get up."
She opened her eyes to little flat slits. "Wha-?" she managed to get out, before she dissolved into a fit of coughing.
"You should be entertaining your friend Travis. You brought him."
She laughed a little. "Cute, ain't he? Has he played you with his Georgia accent yet?"
"Georgia?" I said. "I was thinking West Virginia backwoods. Sure, he's adorable, if you like meth teeth."
"What?" Her outrage was palatable and she sat up. "He hasn't done meth in months! Who are you to judge? He's had a hard life."
"Whatever, Melanie. He's your guest, so what the hell are you doing taking a nap?"
"He was napping with me." ] She pouted. "Did anyone make coffee?"
"I don't know, I doubt it. And he's not napping now, he's bugging Silas, who looks ready to kill something."
Silas can't figure out if the hollow in his stomach is  anger or hunger. Travis was a regular twat. He said twenty different stupid things in less than thirty minutes, and apparently cracked himself up, because he kept braying like an ass. Silas feels wound so tight that if he doesn't get away from this freak he's going to snap and pound his head in. Every time Travis makes some gay reference that's supposed to be funny, Silas is reminded of Jeremy.Jeremy, who loves to tease and bait and shock, embarrass him, even, but with a finesse that makes it forgivable. Or maybe it's his pretty blue eyes, or his smiling mouth that makes it forgivable. Something.
Never mind. He wasn't going to think of Jeremy. Jeremy is home where he belongs, which is exactly where he should be. How can he grow up normal if he makes Silas his mentor? Silas is more fucked up and emotionally stunted than any of Jeremy's own peers. 
Sending him home was the right thing to do.
Now if only he could get rid of the heavy ache in his chest.
Maybe he was getting the flu.

Bloody Monday - My First Vampire, George Hamilton

Actually, George Hamilton as Count Vladimir Dracula is my 2nd vampire.

The creature that popped my vampire virginity was from an old vinyl LP that I checked out of the public library..."Famous Monsters Speak" (1963) (older than me) and it went like this:

"Who is there? Who comes to disturb the sleep Great Count Dracula? Ahh... tis you."

Available on iTunes, amazingly enough.

Anyway: What is it about a vampire that speeds up the pulse? Is it the adrenaline of fear? Is it that sometimes in the hum-drum grind of an all-too typical day we wish to experience mysticism?

Come visit me again on Monday and we'll talk more!

Bloody Monday - My First Vampire,

Looking ahead to the first Bloody Monday, which will be on January 2nd, I must say... gosh darn it, I love me a good vampire. And so I thought I'd introduce you to My (personal) first vampire:





Actually, George Hamilton as Count Vladimir Dracula is my 2nd vampire.

The creature that popped my vampire virginity was from an old vinyl LP that I checked out of the public library..."Famous Monsters Speak" (1963) (older than me) and it went like this:

"Who is there? Who comes to disturb the sleep Great Count Dracula? Ahh... tis you."

Available on iTunes, amazingly enough.

Anyway: What is it about a vampire that speeds up the pulse? Is it the adrenaline of fear? Is it that sometimes in the hum-drum grind of an all-too typical day we wish to experience mysticism?

Come visit me again on Monday and we'll talk more!

A Year of Sundays, ch 5 pt 1

Chapter 5 - June 1


Part 1 of 2
I pulled up in front of mom's house and turned off the car. And then I sat there thinking... she'd been gone almost a month. We were all orphans. My throat felt tight and I got that weird twisting ache behind my eyes and nose, the feeling right before tears come. Maybe because we were planning to move a lot of stuff to Elizabeth's church basement, and there was something painfully final about that. Maybe it was because Sundays without mom already felt normal, as ugly as that sounded. Silas came out of his deep dark closet, Jeremy joined the family, Elizabeth registered for school, Melanie still struggling with her wayward self. And I was doing, well... not a lot, as usual.
Write something normal, that was my mother's last request. Your writing is beautiful, and you're wasting it on vampire trash. Write something that makes a statement, that makes people stop and grab a pen to underline the words, and say 'Hey, I feel that way, too.'  Write something that makes people feel less alone. You can do it, Jessie Mine, I know you can.
I wanted to. Lord knows I wanted to. But my inspiration was always a little off the beaten track.
Sundays, I realized. I could write about Orphan Sundays, and how all the dynamics are changing, now that we are parent-less.
I could. I might.
But would it be fair to share my siblings' secrets? 
Jessamine. My mother named me. I knew the story from way back, that my mother got pregnant with me not long after Melanie was born, and she was happier about it than my father was. That my father threw all his psychic energy into hoping for another boy, but that mom secretly wished for just one more girl. She liked her girls, liked sewing dresses for girls, liked pink and yellow and soft pastels. Didn't care a whole lot for baseball or hockey. She always said a house full of girls was a house full of joyous shrieks and happy laughter, love songs hummed while dreamy hearts danced, and eyes that twinkled with romantic ideals.
And there I was, a girl.
They'd decided on names well before I was born, of course. Joseph Jr. for a boy – poor Silas wouldn't get the Jr. spot – and Jessica Lynn for a girl.
They brought the birth certificate papers while dad was out in the lobby calling around to let everybody know he was a father (again) to a new baby girl (again), and my mother had been holding me in her arms for an hour, staring at me, unwrapping me and counting fingers and toes, and singing, "Good morning my Jessie, good morning Jessie mine."  And so that's what she wrote in for my name. Jessamine. Actually, she wrote in for my father, too. Jessamine Joseph. And if it was weird having a boys' name for my middle name, ah well, there probably wasn't another Jessamine Joseph in all the world, and I kind of liked it that way.
She always said, "Oh, your daddy loves you, have no doubt about that, but you were always my baby first, and that's how I named you."
And so I was thinking, Who's baby am I, now that my mother is gone?
Silas came out of the house, sat down on the front steps, and lit a cigarette.
Theirs. I answered my own question.
We all belonged to each other, and that's why it was important to keep the sacred Sundays.
He was staring at me, so I got out of the car and joined him on the steps.
"What are you doing, Jessie?" he asked.
"Just thinking about mom. Feeling sad."
"Ah," he said. "I try to never do that."
"Think about mom?" I asked.
"No, feel sad."
"Lucky you."
He shrugged. "I'm sorry you feel sad."
"Thanks."
The door creaked open behind us. I looked over my shoulder and saw some guy I'd never seen before.
"Hey, is this where the party is?"
Silas rolled his eyes at me and said, "If you're looking for a party, you're at the wrong house."
The guy laughed, way too loud. It made me flinch and feel annoyed. "And you are...?" I asked.
"Travis," he said. "I'm with Melanie."
As if I couldn't have guessed that much. I thought it was sibling only day. Talk about Jeremy day.
"Aren't we supposed to rip Jeremy to shreds today?" I asked Silas.
"No matter," he said lightly. "I sent him home."
"What do you mean, sent him home?"
"I mean I told him there was no way in hell he was moving into my place, and sent him home to his mommy and daddy."
"Nice." I was disappointed. I liked Jeremy. I kind of hoped he'd be around. A lot. I told Silas as much.
"Too young for me, c'mon, you had to have noticed."
"He's good for you. That's what I noticed."
"Germy who?" Travis asked, and I realized he was half in the bag. At noon on Sunday. Oh joy. It was going to be a fun day.
"Never mind," I answered. "Is Elizabeth here yet? We have a lot of stuff to haul today."
"Stuff to haul?" Travis asked. "I thought we were going to party."
I was sick of him already.
"Party somewhere else," I said, in a crabby tone that hardly ever comes out of my mouth. "We have work to do."
"No, no, isss alright. I'm'a gonna help. No prob. Just call me Travis the helper."
I shuddered. "Let's start moving boxes," I said to Silas, and we both stood, walked around Travis, and went into the house. Thankfully he didn't follow.

A Year of Sundays, ch 4 pt 2

Chapter 4 - May 25


Part 2 of 2 



The wine made its way around the table again. I didn't know much about wines, but this one wasn't bad. I emptied the bottle into my goblet. "Hey, Si, would you grab the other bottle out of the fridge? I just killed this one."
"I'll get it," Elizabeth said, and fled to the kitchen again.
Silas followed her.
I went to get up and follow as well, but Sam stopped me. "Do we have to hang around or can I take Annabelle home?"
"You guys go when you're ready– that's fine. I'll be back in a minute."
As I stepped into the kitchen, Silas was saying, "Would you just look at me, Liz?"
Her face was buried in her hands. "No. I don't want to see you this way. I hate this. I feel like I don't even know you. That boy, sitting next to you, teasing and flirting – and you! You running the conversation, showing off, all full of yourself. That's not you. He doesn't even know what you do for a living! You just have your gay sex on the weekends, and don't even know each other!"
"We're getting to know each other. That's the point. And he does know what I do for a living, he was just baiting me. He loves getting me riled up, embarrassing me. It's part of his charm, somehow."
"I don't think it's charming, I think it's disgusting."
Silas's voice was surprisingly soothing. "As far as not knowing me, well, you don't. None of you do. All you know about me is what I let you see, because I knew this wasn't going to be easy, and it's never been worth the trouble. And to be totally honest, I never wanted Mom to know. I couldn't deal with disappointing her. But guess what? She knew anyway. And she said if I couldn't get real and tell you all the truth, then I might as well not bother showing up. It was her final request. And I can't convince Jeremy to go away. I know he should be with someone his own age. Hell, it's embarrassing to have a twenty-two year old tagging after me. But here he is, swearing that he loves me, and that he'll do something crazy – have unprotected sex, or kill himself – if the only reason I won't see him is because of his age."
"Make something else up, then," Elizabeth suggested.
Silas let out a long, drawn out sigh, and ruffled his hand through his hair. "You think I haven't tried that? And the thing is, I like him. Maybe I even love him. I don't know. He's got guts, and heart, and idealism. He marches in the Pride parade and wears t-shirts that say 'Yes, I'm gay.'  I spent my twenties filled with shame and self-loathing. He embraces who he is, and it is inconceivable to him that some us of wish we were straight. And he makes me laugh. My life is better with him in it. Now say something, talk to me."
She spoke through her hands. "I just... God. I look at the two of you, and it's... just all I can think about is that you have sex with him. And it's just... revolting. I can't help it."
Silas scrubbed his own face with his hands. "Yeah, well, let me tell you, the thought of Eric fucking you isn't all that pleasant for me."
She laughed. Then she dropped her hands and looked at him. "Oh come on, you don't think about that, do you?"
"I try not to, but Jesus, with you talking about trying to have a baby week after week, it's hard to avoid."
"Huh," she said. "I never thought of that."
"See? Here's something else you probably don't think of – all the goofy, silly, romantic stuff people feel when they're in love... well, we feel that, too. I'll never admit this to anyone else, and if you tell on me, I'll deny it, but... just looking at him gives me butterflies. That wonderful, excited, fluttery feeling. I haven't felt that since I was his age. I thought I was happy these years, growing my business, living my professional life here in Duluth, and my personal life in the Twin Cities... but it wasn't happiness. It was just barely getting by."
"Really?" Liz asked, and leaned close enough to put a hand his shoulder. "You've really been that unhappy?"
 He nodded. "Hey, remember when we were kids and made pacts all the time? If you stay out of my fort, I'll stay out of your room, right? So, how about this: I won't think about you having straight sex, if you won't think about me having gay sex. We'll pretend we're all happy virgins."
She actually smiled. "I remember. I'll try, but it's going to take practice."
"Well, everything takes practice. Now, let's bring out more wine."
Silas turned toward the fridge and saw me. "Ah, the secret-keeper. Look, Liz, we have a witness to our pact. Shall we slice our hands and become blood brothers and sisters?"
"You're already related by blood, goof-ball," I said. "Get the wine, jeez, we've been waiting for it forever."
Melanie, Josie, and Jeremy were the only ones still at the table.
Annabelle was getting her shoes on, and called out. "Mom! I'm going home with Daddy." 
I hugged and kissed her, even though she fought it. Caleb was in the den playing a video game. "Where's Eric?" I asked.
Melanie pointed to the living room. "Dozing, I think."  Josie had stolen Silas's spot next to Jeremy, and she clapped when Silas opened the wine bottle and sat down across from them. She wasn't old enough to drink, of course, but Mom started letting her have wine with Sunday dinner when she turned eighteen. Her eyes were bright and she didn't look like she needed any more wine.
Neither did Jeremy. He was talking a mile a minute, and had Josie's undivided attention.
"You know, the first time Silas kicked me out of his bed at eight o'clock on a Sunday morning because he had a 'family thing,' I didn't believe him. I sort of figured it was a ruse to get me out of his apartment. I don't know anybody who gets together every week with their family. It seems like families hardly even know each other anymore. But not you guys. You're all so close. Thanks for inviting me."
"Oh, you weren't exactly invited," Josie said. "It was Silas's duty to bring you to meet us. This is trial by fire. And next week we talk about you, so you can't come."
Jeremy ducked his head and grinned. "You can only talk about me if you say nice things."  Josie smiled at him. "So far I can't think of a single rotten thing I'd say. So, where are you going to live, anyway, if you move up here? The dorms?"
Jeremy glanced at Silas. "I don't know. I've been in dorms for the past four years. I'd like something a little different."
"So you guys are thinking about living together?" Melanie asked.
"No," Silas interrupted "He's thinking about living together. I've already said there's no way in hell."
"Oh come on, Silas," Jeremy said. "How else am I going to keep you from fuc- er, seeing other guys?"
"Who I see is my business, not yours. And I don't see anyone up here anyway, so you're chasing a dead end."
"Ahem," Elizabeth said. "On that note, I'm heading home. I cooked, so I'll let the rest of you clean up." She called to Eric from the doorway to the living room. "Wake up, sleepy-head, it's time to go. I'm supposed to be ovulating."
"Ahem," Silas said, and Elizabeth looked at him over her shoulder. 
They both laughed.
I felt a huge sense of relief, and smiled to myself as Jeremy and Josie exchanged a look.
Elizabeth and Eric said their goodbyes and went out the door.
Josie and Jeremy continued their discussion of on- versus off- campus living.
Silas slouched in his chair, watching them.
Oh, he pretended he wasn't watching them, but his lips curved into a tiny smile, and I could tell he was staring at them through his lashes. His fingers toyed absently with a fork, and I wondered what he was thinking.
"I'll start clearing the table," Silas said suddenly, and got up. He dropped a quick kiss on the top of Jeremy's head as he passed behind him. Then he paused, turned back, and grabbed Jeremy by the ear. "You can help, Chatterbox."
"Ow. Okay, okay." Jeremy stood up and started stacking plates.
My brain hit rewind. Silas getting up and kissing Jeremy's head.
Rewind: Silas kissing Jeremy.
He did it so naturally, like it came easy for him. It gave me a shiver. This is not the way the Silas I knew behaved. The Silas I knew never did or said anything unplanned. He was right. None of us knew him, not for real.
But this was a glimpse of the real Silas, the Silas with nothing to hide. Who the hell would have thought he'd be so unselfconscious? It made him even more beautiful.
"Oh! The cake," Melanie suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to bring out the cake."  She disappeared into the kitchen.
"There's a cake?" I asked.
Josie nodded. "It says 'Congratulations' on it – we're congratulating Silas, for growing up.
My head continued to replay that simple kiss, and I felt an intense longing to be Jeremy, to have the attention of someone like Si, to be the one who made all the difference.
 Josie had been into the kitchen with the wine glasses, and came back out to collect salad plates while I was lost in the daydream. "Are you helping?" she asked.
I sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm helping." I gathered up the lasagna pan and salad bowl, and headed into the kitchen just as Melanie brought out a small cake.
"Careful," she said with a big grin. "It's a little warm in there."
Silas and Jeremy were kissing, hands tangled in each other's hair, Jeremy bent backwards over the counter, little soft moans coming from his throat.
"All right, boys," I said. "Get a room. Or a video camera." 
Jeremy started to twist away, but Silas caught him by the belt loops.
"Are you offended?" Silas asked me.
"Ah, no. I do write about gay vampires, you know. I'm jealous and a little turned on, which is creepy, considering you're my brother."
"Yuck, that is creepy," Silas made a face.
"Maybe I can be a gay boy in my next life. A cute, lucky gay boy like Jeremy."
"There's definitely something wrong with you, sister of mine."
Jeremy grinned. "When I see something I want, I go for it, and there's nothing in the world that will stop me."
"No shit. Exhibit A," Silas laughed, pointing to himself. "Now stop talking. Jeremy can wash. I'll dry. Jessie, you know where stuff goes, so you can put away."
Silas has laughed in our presence more times today than in the whole of the last year. Being real was good for him. And I couldn't help but think that Jeremy was good for him, too.
Josie came in. "Do we have paper plates for cake?"
"I'm sure. Mom was crazy for paper plates. If you help me put dishes away, I'm sure we'll find them."
"Okay, but let's hurry before Melanie drinks all the wine."

Almost Friday Fiction

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Today

Someone asks the date, and someone else answers. And there comes a tiny whisper from deep inside my heart: Happy Birthday.

And it startles me, almost physically, and then I laugh at how young we were and how much I loved you. And at the same instant a song starts running through my head, a song that hasn't passed through my mind in more than twenty years:

Maybe I hang around here, a little more than I should, we both know I have somewhere else to go, but I got something to tell you, that I never thought I would, but I believe you really ought to know.... I love you. I honestly love you.


You don't have to answer, I see it in your eyes. Maybe it was better left unsaid. But this is pure and simple, and you must realized, it's coming from my heart and not my head... I love you. I honestly love you.


I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable - I'm not trying to make you anything at all, but this feeling doesn't come along every day, and you shouldn't blow the chance when you've got the chance to say... I love you, I honestly love you.


Now if we both were born in another place and time, this moment might be ending in a kiss. But there you are with yours, and here I am with mine, so I guess we'll just be leaving it at this... I love you. I honestly love you. I honestly love you. (Olivia Newton-John)

And my smile is a little sad, a little melancholy, but I know even though I didn't go where I planned, I've ended up exactly where I need to be. Life is funny that way.

HUGE BOOK SALE - and prizes! (I know you love prizes!)

Hello my friends! Okay, so here's the skivvy on the sale...

A whole bunch of people have partnered with the Indie Book Collective (IBC) for the Indie Book Blowout (IBB) and are offering their books for sale for 99 cents from Dec 12 - Dec 24. You can also enter a drawing to win a Kindle. Click the image below to see the page featuring my book, Out of the Dungeon, or click here to visit the IBB 12 days of Christmas home page.

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Okay, IN ADDITION to great deals and a chance to win a Kindle, a small group of IBB authors (me included!) have pooled resources to offer ANOTHER chance to win a KindleFire or $200 GC if you purchase OUR books during the 12 Days of Christmas Book Blowout. Nope, not kidding! If you purchase any or all of the books below, you have a chance to win in 2 separate giveaways.

Here's a link the extra secret special giveaway:

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Click READ MORE for a quick preview of  the books featured in the extra secret special giveaway.


The books:

Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.





Even a genius can be played for a pawn. Lauren James is a former psychiatrist, still reeling from her husband's suicide. On the anniversary of his death, she opens a threatening puzzle along with the identical suicide note she had burned the previous year. When Lauren discovers the reason behind her husband's shocking death, she must struggle with her deepest convictions and whether killing is acceptable if it saves more lives.






A killer has something to say—and he's using Monroe Donovan's obituary column to get his point across. When an obituary notice with the wrong date of death is printed, she dismisses it as a typo. Then, a second incorrect obituary comes in, and a woman with the same name as the deceased is murdered—on the date listed in the obituary. She turns to Detective Lane Brody for help. When the killer turns out to have a disturbing connection to Monroe, complications turn deadly.



Neville Lansdowne fell off the world. Actually, he did not so much fall off as let go. Doodling is an engaging comic fantasy which relates the events that befall Neville after he finds himself abandoned by the world and adrift in the middle of an asteroid field meeting a variety of eccentric characters and experiencing some most unexpected adventures.







12-year-old Fezariu thought his mother died when he was little, but when his beloved 
stepfather dies the boy discovers she is alive and well - and working at the most famous brothel in all of Elenchera. He runs away to join The Merelax Mercenaries but when a campaign in his old home town arises years later, he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybe there are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu took his revenge.



One part serotonin, two parts adrenaline with a dash of grenadine served over ice, Fistful of Reefer is a double-fisted, dieselpunk weird-Western residing between No Country for Old Men and The Three Amigos.





Reading this alien manuscript changes you; it can make you a millionaire or mad man. Jezebel is thrown into a top secret conspiracy to collect its pages. Strong-willed, smart, and sexy, Jez acquires pages faster than anyone. She uses her new paranormal talents to climb the corporate ladder. Now, companies and governments are killing people to find and keep the secrets that will guarantee supremacy for the next century. Jezebel needs to adapt fast if she's going to survive success.


When BDSM Master Roman and slave Jeff increase the eroticism of their play by bringing Dare into their bed, Roman has everything a man in his position could ever want, until Jeff is injured in an accident. Traction is like non-consensual bondage, and Jeff calls "red." With the ménage completely unbalanced, which relationship will survive?





Where would you hide if you learned the CDC and a major pharmaceutical company unleashed a hyperdeadly microbe on the human race? CIA operative, Ridley Fox, barely escapes after learning that The Arms of Ares has acquired the hyperdeadly microbe, Pandora. Fox discovers that people within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Japanese Intelligence want Pandora for themselves. The only person Fox can trust is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed.




28-year-old San Francisco native, Allie Taylor, at least thought she was human. Against a gritty and original backdrop of a modern-day Earth populated by a second race of beings, Allie is forced to come to grips with being a member of an enslaved yet deeply powerful race, the members of which believe her to be their most venerated leader. With her guide, Revik, a mysterious and deadly seer who acts as bodyguard and teacher, Allie is forced to come to grips with who she really is...or end up a slave like the rest of her kind.




A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout the world allowing people to eat what they want, and yet still lose weight. It is everything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different. Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking the drug. As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle it claimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makes up humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world, a species bent on filling its belly.  

A Year of Sundays, ch 4 pt 1

Chapter 4 - May 25
Part 1 of 2
Silas was supposed to bring Jeremy, so absolutely everyone was here: Elizabeth and her husband, Eric; Melanie with her ten year old son, Caleb; my husband, Sam, and our nine year old daughter, Annabelle; and, of course, Josie. The whole fam-damily had turned out to meet The Boyfriend.
We hadn't gathered large like this for a while. By March, Mom was fading like a week-old helium balloon. She had no energy for new people, and saved the little she had for her children, grandchildren, and her closest friends.
There was the sound of a car outside. Drum roll... and...
It wasn't them.
Elizabeth kept herself busy in the kitchen. She decided we should feast on homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. Every time I went in to offer to help, her scowl of disapproval seemed deeper. I felt sad that this was so hard on her, but when I tried to talk to her, I didn't get anywhere. "It's no different, Sis, than if we did or didn't like a guy one of us was dating. We check him out this week, and tell Silas what we think next week. Same as we've always done for each other."
"Silas already knows what I think," she said, practically spitting the words across the kitchen. "It's not the same at all. In fact, I can't believe you and Melanie are willing to expose your children to their behavior."

"Um. What behavior would that be?"
"Gay behavior – you know what I mean."
"Well, honestly, I doubt they're going to have anal sex on the dining room table right in the middle of dinner."

"That's disgusting. What I mean is I can't believe you all are just going to act like this is normal."
I really didn't want to touch this line of conversation, but it would have to be addressed at some point, so this was as good a time as any. "Gay people don't hide anymore, Sis – it is normal. My kid isn't going to turn out gay because she met her gay uncle's boyfriend when she was nine. Just... remember that they're human, okay? I mean, Silas and Jeremy aren't bugs in a pond. They're people, and they have joys and hurts like everyone else. They bleed, same as the rest of us, inside and out. And Silas is the same brother we loved when we were kids. Being gay doesn't change that, does it?"
"I don't know yet, Jessie. I haven't even got time to get used to the idea, and now you all want to throw this... this person... into my face. This is my family, too – and I'll do my best to be nice – but I have standards and morals that the rest of you don't have, and I'm not going to be made to feel sorry for it."  Before I could answer, Josie's light, musical voice sang out. "They're here! And he's absolutely adorable!"
I left the kitchen and sat down at the dining room table to nibble some peanuts. The husbands and Melanie were in the den watching a ball game. Caleb and Annabelle were exploring the attic. They'd never been allowed to play up there before, and it was nice to have them happily occupied. Josie joined me at the table. None of us went to the door. Sundays were mandatory in this family, but they weren't formal.
Silas came into the room first, and he looked cranky. He set two bottles of wine in front of me. "My two youngest sisters, Jessie and Josie," he said, pointing at us in turn. Then he pointed at Jeremy. "The pain in my ass."
Josie and I both laughed, and greeted him in unison.
"We've heard so little about you," I told him. "But welcome to Sacred Sunday."
Josie was right about absolutely adorable. Jeremy was a full head shorter than Si, with merry blue eyes, blonder than blond hair, and a pretty smile with even, white teeth. He looked all of twelve years old. Elizabeth was going to have a stroke.
Jeremy said, "Hi," to us, reaching in turn to shake our hands. Then, "Wow, big turn out."  He looked at Silas. "I thought you said everybody would be here?"
I pointed to the den. "Boys and Melanie are in there, watching some game or another."
"Twins game?" Jeremy asked.
"Not a clue," I said. "I don't watch television, so if you have any juicy political gossip, feel free to fill me in."
Silas said, "I believe my sister, Elizabeth, is the one crashing pans around in the kitchen, and being very insulted that I'm gay. Consider yourself warned."
He took Jeremy into the den to meet Sam, Eric, and Melanie. I set one wine bottle in the middle of the table, and brought the other into the kitchen and put it in the fridge. "He's young, but cute," I told Elizabeth. She just sighed.
When I returned to the dining room, Silas and Jeremy were sitting side by side at the table. "They're watching NASCAR," Jeremy told me.
"God help us all," Silas said with a smirk.
I couldn't stop staring at my brother. It was like he was altogether a different person than the man I was accustomed to. I was used to him lurking quietly in the background, tense like a slingshot, ready to fling mean comments like stones at a moment's notice. But he was not in the background now. Oh, no. He filled the room with a weird energy that I couldn't identify, eyes flashing, mouth twitching with amusement. The comments were there, but some of the edge was off, like they were meant to entertain, not hurt.
"You can stop staring at me, Jessie," Silas said. "We're not going to do anything naughty, I promise."
"Well, damn, that's disappointing."
"I might do something naughty," Jeremy said with a cute little grin, and leaned up to whisper something in Silas' ear.
Silas cuffed the side of Jeremy's head. "You wouldn't dare."
"Are you daring me?"
"I don't know about him, but I double-dare you," Josie said, grinning.
"Don't egg him on," Silas ordered. "The easier we can make this whole thing on Liz, the better. If you two, er, three, behave, you'll be my favorite girls of all time."
Josie and I hooted at that, and raised eyebrows at each other, and she stage-whispered, "Well, I guess we know which one's the bottom."
Silas shook his head. "I knew better than to bring him here. What on earth was I thinking?"  He groaned loudly. "Sisters, damn it. I have way too many sisters."
Elizabeth came out of the kitchen, wearing oven mitts and carrying a lasagna pan. She dropped it to the table with a thud, said, "We can eat," and fled back into the kitchen, managing not to look at either Silas or Jeremy.
"Josie, can you call the kids? I better help her," I said, and followed Elizabeth.
"Isn't he cute?" I asked, picking up the salad bowl and a basket of garlic bread.
"My God, Jessie, he's two!" she exclaimed.
"Nah. At least twelve."
She sighed. "I don't know if I can deal with this. I didn't picture him so young."
"Just try. He seems very nice," I told her. "Really."
The adults, including Josie and Jeremy, sat at the dining room table. I set up a card table for Caleb and Annabelle, and Caleb was instantly annoyed. "Why do I have to sit at the baby table?"  Annabelle would have been fine, if Caleb hadn't complained, but she took offense to the word 'baby.' "We're not babies!"
"Deal with it, kids," I said. "The big table is full."  I fixed their plates, and poured their milk. They could have fixed their own plates, but Annabelle still spills more often than not. "Remember to use your napkins, please."

We adults passed food around and filled our plates in a stiff silence that seemed to last for hours. Silas popped the cork on the wine, and the bottle started its way around the table, also in silence. It would have been deadly except for Annabelle's constant commentary, mostly directed at Caleb. "Ooh, lasagna. Don't you just love lasagna, Caleb? Well, spaghetti's my favorite, except for garlic bread – garlic bread is really my favorite, except for the crust, I don't really like the crust."
It was Elizabeth, finally, who spoke. "Forgive me for asking, Jeremy, but how old are you?"
He stopped inhaling food to answer. "I'm twenty-two. Man, this lasagna is great. Can I have some more?"
The lasagna pan made its way along the table to him.
But he wasn't off Elizabeth's hook yet. "And what do you do?"
"I just graduated from the Main U with a degree in Entrepreneurial Management. I'm checking out graduate programs up here."
"You're planning to move from Minneapolis to Duluth?" Josie asked, surprised. "Everybody I know wants to do the opposite."
"I love it up here," Jeremy said.
Silas snorted.
Jeremy looked sideways at Silas and batted long, pretty eyelashes at him. "What?"
Silas widened his eyes, apparently in an effort to look innocent. "Stalking me in two cities isn't enough, you have to add a third?"
Jeremy stuck his tongue out at Silas, then asked, "So what does everybody else do?" before attacking his plate again.
The boy liked his food. I suspected the questions were a ploy to get someone else talking so he could eat. After all, he still had garlic bread and salad to devour.
Silas ran down the quick and dirty details, sister by sister.
"Elizabeth is a church secretary, and only God knows what her husband, Eric, does – I've never been able to figure it out."
"I'm the head of business operations for St. Mary's Medical Center," Eric said in a droll voice. "I make sure the paper-pushers push paper in a timely and efficient manner."
"There you go," Silas said, spreading his arms. "Something you can do with your little degree in business, Jeremy, it's all coming clear to me now.
"Melanie," he went on, "is momentarily unemployed, but she's got a degree in psychology, so she knows all about the dangers of staying in the closet. If you're having head problems, she's your girl."
"Hmm, so far I haven't had any trouble with that head."
Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Could we not have penis jokes at the dinner table?"
Jeremy had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"Moving right along," Silas continued, "Jessie – well. Jessie doesn't really work. She writes books that she doesn't publish."
"Hey!" I defended myself. "It's not for lack of trying."
"Well, you should write something people want to read." 
"What do you write?" Jeremy asked.
"Mostly gay vampire novels," I said.
"I'd read that," he said with a cute, sassy smile.
"I'll get you a copy."
"Cool."
"She's gayer than we are."  Silas told him, winking at me. "She's also the family secret-keeper. Jessie knows more about everyone than anyone suspects.
"Jessie's husband," Silas nodded at Sam, "owns a towing company. He doesn't come to Sundays very often, but I guess he has a good excuse. Today must be an extra-special occasion."
"Excuse, my ass," I said. "It's a cop-out, pure and simple. Sam is terrible at sitting still and doing nothing, so he chooses to work all the time."
"I choose to work all the time," Sam countered, "because you choose not to. Somebody's got to pay for everything, and it sure isn't you, Slacker."
Everybody laughed, because it's been well-discussed around this table how much I hate being tied to a real job, especially one that has regular hours and requires getting up in the morning. "I'll sell something one of these days. Maybe I'll write the next selection for Oprah's book club."
Si groaned. "From gay vampires to Oprah – now that's versatile."
"I do aim to please," I said.
"Okay, okay," he said. "It's Josie's turn now. My baby sister is a college student at UMD. I forget what you're going for, Jo-Jo."
"Communications."
"That's it. Josie will become an expert at communicating."
Silas had a tone during all of this that was condescending, and clearly not nice.
"Stop it, Si, your arrogance is not attractive," I said. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," he said. "Not a fucking thing."
"This is Mother's table," Elizabeth said with a scowl. "And there are children present. You can please watch your language." 
"Sorry, Liz," Silas said, but he didn't look sorry.
"The food is good, Elizabeth, thanks for cooking."  Melanie, the peace-keeper, attempted to distract us.
"You're welcome."
"And what do you do again?"  Jeremy asked Silas, with a wicked sly smile.
Eric's fork clattered against his plate. "You don't know? But you're... um. Well, you know, dating or whatever."
"Yeah, but I only see him on weekends. And it's not like we do all that much talking. I mean, I'm young, and I have a voracious need for – "
Silas cut him off with a voice like steel. "Jeremy, that's enough."  His eyes were on Elizabeth, who stared at her plate, face pinched.