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The Author's Nook
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Getting to Know Pamela Clare
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It is a good idea, Nissie. Dhes is full of good ideas. :-)Maybe I can put a page together for my Website — a virtual PC Reality Tour. Valmont Butte is sacred, so it can't be photographed, but the rest of it is fine.
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Speaking of the Denver women's prison, I was fascinated by the work you did to get the bill passed banning the shackling of pregnant inmates. That's when it really hit me that these books you write..."Yes, they do mean more to me than dollars. I hope one day to be able to make my living writing them, but they all focus on things that have meant a lot to me.
A lot of people followed the progress of the shackling bill (SB 10-193) on my blog, so this might put some of you into a coma.
Basically, I'd spent more than 10 years covering issues pertaining to women in prison, and it sickened me to know that pregnant inmates were shackled to their hospital beds during labor and delivery. I've given birth twice, and it's not fun no matter what situation you're in. But to be chained to a bed WHILE you're also kept under guard seemed like a violation of human rights to me.
I've written about the issue of shackling inmates in labor before, but none of the lawmakers I spoke with wanted to deal with it. So last January, I started from scratch. I went to the prison. I interviewed pregnant and post inmates, ostensibly about the level of health care they receive. My real purpose was to talk to them about shackling. (I'm sneaky that way.)
I researched the topic and ran the story in mid-February. I sent copies to every lawmaker I knew — and nothing happened.
So I packed up a bunch of materials, including talking points and counter arguments to all the things I knew the prison officials would say, and I met with the Senate President. I explained the issue to him, and I knew I'd found an ally when he looked at me and said, "Wait a minute — you're telling me that laboring inmates are kept under guard AND they're chained to their beds?" And I said. "Yes!"
He told me that he would grant late-bill status if I could find a lawmaker to carry the bill. He suggested Evie Hudak. I went to her office and dumped YEARS of frustration about this issue directly into her aide's lap. Poor woman. Evie was in session so I didn't get to talk to her.
Then Sen. Hudak called the next day and said she'd carry it. "Great!" I thought. "I'm done."
WRONG!
I was asked to write the bill, which I did. I've written books, articles, short stories — but never a bill. I put in a couple of unique features that no other state shackling law has (there are 10 states now that prohibit the procedure of shackling inmates in labor). Then I took that to the Capitol and met with Evie and some other people who were interested in the bill and became wonderful allies.
I spent from Feb. to mid-May meeting with lawmakers, working on the bill's language, chasing lawmakers around the building trying to convince them that a woman giving birth is not going to be a threat to anyone but herself. I testified at both the House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearings...
And the bill passed with a SINGLE "no" vote in May two days before the session ended. The governor signed it into law in early June. I cried.
Now, only very high-risk inmates can be shackled during pregnancy and delivery. No belly belts. No ankle shackles period. The prison people have to keep a public record any time they use shackles on a laboring inmate to justify their use (Can you tell a reporter wrote the bill? That's an open-records request I'll be making next year to check up on them.) Also, inmates get to have a member of the medical staff with them during the full strip search that comes with their return (without their babies!) to the prison to make sure the guards don't inadvertently (or deliberately) hurt them. Having to expose your vagina when it's full of stitches can be painful and traumatic, so now there's someone with the inmate who is on the inmate's side. That is also unique to this bill.
So that's the story.
I invited all the people involved in the bill onto the stage at the newspaper's anniversary party and thanked them all personally, telling the audience of a couple hundred that these folks were the unsung heroes who helped me get the bill passed. Then the Senate President took the mic and said, "Thanks, but we all know who the hero of the shackling bill is. It's Pamela." I had to fight not to cry.
Journalism can make the world a better place. I believe that with all my heart.
And anyone who read through that entire narration gets a NAKED EDGE bookmark. LOL!
Nissie wrote: "Did somebody say "cookies"?"I make killer cookies. Sophie and her brother David love chocolate chipless chocolate chip cookies. That's my specialty. Benjy, my younger son, and I call them simply WGCs — warm, gooey cookies. :-)
Great job Pamela! You really made a difference in those women's lives.The tour sounds great! Sorry I didn't get to see it. I am kicking myself for not going to the one Romance convention that was in Pittsburgh right by my work. I had just started following stuff online at that time and had no clue what those things were all about.
The PC Reality Tour sounds great! Twilight has done wonders for Forks, WA, the DaVinci Code has tours through Rome, why not an I-team tour? Sounds like fun! Where do I sign up?
That isn't boring at all! Thank you, not only for sharing the story with us, but for caring enough about human rights to do whatever it took to restore some dignity to women in such a vulnerable, undignified situation. Hearing this again nearly brought tears to my eyes, so I can only imagine how you must have felt.
Pamela wrote: "Nissie wrote: "Did somebody say "cookies"?"I make killer cookies. Sophie and her brother David love chocolate chipless chocolate chip cookies. That's my specialty. Benjy, my younger son, and I call them WGCs..."
Another idea for your website... a recipe section ;)
A big thank you to you, UM, for setting up this awesome chat with Pamela!I've had a very busy weekend, so I've been trying to catch up on all the posts--so many people participating...what a huge success!
Thank you Pamela for being such an approachable author and sharing all your knowledge and secrets with your readers.:) I've been a fan since 2008 when I went on an I-Team reading spree in the month of April and read 3 of the books (and loved them all, but Julian, my God...whew...:)
Then at Kathrynn and MelissaB's urging, I decided to try your historicals, starting with Ride the Fire. MelissaB thought I would enjoy the fact that most of it takes place in the Pittsburgh area (where I'm also from)--and she was right! I adored Nicholas and Bethie, and like a dork I got out my atlas mapping their course as they made their way to Fort Pitt. I remember thinking as I was reading that "wow, she really did her homework here". I love a book that not only gives you a great love story, but also teaches you something. So I really appreciate all the historical details (I learned more about the French & Indian War by reading Surrender and Untamed than I did in high school history class!)
As for the I-Team series, I love all the behind the scenes stuff at a working newspaper. Those kinds of tidbits just enrich the story. I have to say that with each of your books, not only was I highly entertained, but I was educated quite a bit about subjects I knew almost nothing about.:) So thank you for that!
Now, as for Jed Hill...thank you so much for bringing him to our attention! As far as I'm concerned, you can dress him up (or down) and put him on every one of your covers from now on! A big kiss to your editor for snagging him for your cover! Now when/where can we get the posters?:)
Over at the Alpha Heroes and Spitfire Heroines group, we have a whole area devoted to Jed pictures...;)
You're welcome, Auntee. It's been such a pleasure having everyone chatting it up, and spending quality time with Pamela :)I'm going to be starting
tonight. Goodreads says it's #3 in the trilogy, but I thought I heard it could be read as a stand alone. :)
Pamela, your earlier historicals are listed on your website as the Blakewell/Kenleigh Family Trilogy. Do they have to be read in order or could I read Ride the Fire first? How are the books connected?
Oops! I should I looked here first and seen Dhestiny's post. LOL
I read Ride the Fire first and had no problems, it can be read as a stand alone if you want to
Thanks, MelissaB!
Hey, allFirst, YES, you can read RIDE THE FIRE all by itself. You'll miss out on a few details put in for those who read the first two books, but it won't impact your enjoyment of the story. Each of the books is a stand-alone, as well as part of the series.
Second, Auntee, it is music to my ears to know that you've learned something about the F&I War from my books. I love, love, love history, so sharing it is fun. I had a map out plotting their course when I wrote the book, as well as sketches and historical drawings of Fort Pitt, where I should dearly love to visit one day. They kept copies of the book there for a while because the curator helped me so much with the fort. I had no idea what parts of a fort were named, and I couldn't say, "He stood over by the, um, thingy." I had to know the parts. And Doug there was fantastic. If you ever go to the museum, tell him hello from me.
I'm so glad you've enjoyed all the stories and that you had time to pop in here and say hello.
Jed Hill — SO hot. My brain shuts off at the sight of his abs.
NEXT: I'll get the recipe for WGCs up on the Pamela Clare Fan Club recipe page.
Now important stuff:
If you're interested in the PC Reality Tour next August, email me at pamelaclare at earthlink dot net. (Trying to avoid spam.)
If you want a NAKED EDGE bookmark for you and your friends, email me. I have plenty. Overseas addresses are welcome.
Or send an SASE to: Pamela Clare, PO Box 1582, Longmont, CO 80502.
If there's anything you want to follow up with me about, you can feel free to e-mail me. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get back to people. But I always respond.
I will be driving to NY in May to get my son and bring him home from Ithaca. He'll be studying for his last semester in Los Angeles, so he and all of his junk have to come home first.
I'll be crossing six states: Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the finger-lake area of beautiful upstate NY. As nutty as it sounds, I met with some readers in truck stops along the way.
Yeah, that's me. Classy. Truck stops.
It gave me a chance to meet with people face to face and sign their books. And some bought me coffee, which was nice.
I think I take I-90 a big chunk of the way so if you're on that route, contact me and maybe we can hunker down at nice, cozy truck stop.
Jayne, Dhestiny, anyone else starting RIDE THE FIRE, I hope you enjoy it. It's KarLyn's ultra-fave. Heck, she put it as her No. 1 book ever. I'm kind of floored by that. But my entire soul is in that book.
We have prizes to give away tonight... Some books, I believe.
:-)
Stay tuned...
OK, so here's how the book drawing works...I randomly chose four numbers from 2-216. IF your post coincides with one of those four numbers, you win the signed book of your choice from my backlist.
IF the number corresponds to a post that I or Dhestiny made, then the first person prior to that post who isn't one of us wins. Make sense? So if I'm the one who made post 137, but someone else did 136, the person who made post 136 wins.
Here are the winning numbers:
32, 64, 137, 204
Check your posts. If you are one of those numbers, you win. If those numbers are my posts or Dhes's, then the last person to post who wasn't us is the winner.
Then e-mail me to claim your prize and tell me what you want.
And thank you to Dhestiny and all of you for joining in. It was a lot of fun. I'm so glad I got to know a little bit about you all, and I hope you've enjoyed chatting with me.
All my best,
Pamela
Thanks so much for being here Pamela! It was a lot of fun and I loved finding out more about Connor and Breaking Point. Thanks for all the great conversation.
Aargh. So sorry I missed this whole discussion, but I've had great fun reading through all the posts.Thanks, Pamela for being so generous with your time and for writing some of the best books ever!
OK, so I check because I couldn't wait. And if I have accurately followed my own rules, the winners are:Zeek
Pamela-Honey
Lady Danielle the Book Huntress (get out of her way if she's stalking a good book...)
And Nissie
Am I right?
Mod
Hi, Quinn! Better late than never. And thanks for that. Best books ever? I'm going to get big head. I hope you found it fun to read through. Dhestiny is going to leave it up so people can read it whenever they choose.
Melissa, you're welcome!
Thanks to all of you for having me here. :-)
Me, too, Pamela!Congratulations to the winners!!
Pamela wrote: "Yes, they do mean more to me than dollars. I hope one day to be able to make my living writing them, but they all focus on things that have meant a lot to me.A lot of people followed the progress of the shackling bill (SB 10-193) on my blog, so this might put some of you into a coma.
Basically, I'd spent more than 10 years covering issues pertaining to women in prison, and it sickened me to know that pregnant inmates were shackled to their hospital beds during labor and delivery."
Thanks so much for explaining all that! Pamela, working within the legislative process, I KNOW all the work that can go into getting a Bill passed! I commend you on fighting so persistently, not only to bring this issue about the shackling of women inmates in labour to the fore through your journalism, but in all you did to get the law changed. BRAVO!!! You made a difference to these women’s experience of child birth, which is difficult enough as it is.
THANKS for all your time!!!
Thanks Pamela!! This has been fun!
Thanks, Jayne. That means a lot to me, especially given what you do. It was the last big thing I wanted to accomplish as a journalist... Except that I haven't been able to quit yet. Oh, well.I guess I need a new project. :-/
So, Zeek, Pamela, Lady D, ad Nissie... We have confirmation that you are the winners. I'll wait to hear from you.
In the meantime, I need dinner and I have to sort through some hot man photos, because tomorrow is MTM. I think the theme will be butts. Anyone have any hot butt shots to share... Not bare butts preferably. I don't want Blogger to shut me down.
Thank you, KarLyn. So good to connect with you again. Let me know if you're in the area again and want to get together.
Mod
Pamela wrote: "Thank you, KarLyn. So good to connect with you again. Let me know if you're in the area again and want to get together."I'd love to! Haven't made it back all year, but I have several business trips planned for next year. Maybe Feb again. I just loved seeing Denver covered in snow. This California girl doesn't get to see the snow as often you do. ;-) I'll keep in touch.
I sent some butt shots, Pamela. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I already had them on my computer. Notice I said, "almost embarrassed..." ;)
Pamela,thanks so much for spending the weekend with us! I had a lot going on, so my appearance was spotty at best, but I enjoyed every minute of it. And I'm sooo excited about being a winner! :D That doesn't happen much lol!Again,thanks so much!!
I'm glad you qualified that with "almost embarrassed," Dhes.No embarrassment is allowed when it comes to the expression of lust for a hot male body. That's the new rule I just made up now.
Are guys embarrassed when they ogle some woman's breasts or butt at the beach? Heck, no. It makes them feel even more manly.
So no embarrassment.
We women have the same right to lust as guys. We are nature's most sexual creature, the only living thing that has an organ created solely for sexual pleasure.
(Please e-mail me immediately if you don't know what that organ is. Help is on the way.)
---
Karlyn, that would be terrific. :-)
And Pamela, you're welcome!
You all have been so welcoming and wonderful.
Dhes, that offer of help (for those who don't know what that special organ is) was not directed at you specifically, but at any woman anywhere. LOL!
I want to thank Pamela for her very valuable time. We know you're a busy lady, but it's been such a treat for us to have you here, chatting about you, your life and giving up the goods on Connor and Zach. Thank you also for your generosity with the book marks and books, but especially for all you do to better people's lives.
And ladies, thank you all so much for joining the chat. I've had such a great time hanging out with you all.
Thanks again, everyone!
Pamela wrote: "Dhes, that offer of help (for those who don't know what that special organ is) was not directed at you specifically, but at any woman anywhere. LOL!"I know you're a busy lady and I'd be ok with it if you sent Julian, Gabe, Reece or Marc (or all 4) to help explain what you're talking about. ;)
Oooh! What a fun idea. I think they're experts at making the most of that particular female organ.
Pamela wrote: "Oooh! What a fun idea. I think they're experts at making the most of that particular female organ."Heh. Heh. Heh. ;)
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Oooh! What a fun idea. I think they're experts at making the most of that particular female organ."Heh. Heh. Heh. ;)"
You crack me up!!
Mod
Thanks for joining us and being so open in the discussion! I truly enjoyed it!
I want to thank everyone again. This was such a great chat event, and that's because you all asked great questions, and because Pamela gave so generously of her time to answer them!I'm closing this thread now, but you can continue to chat about Pamela's books in the Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group here: DHASG Pamela Clare, or in the Pamela Clare Fan Club Group, here: Pamela Clare Fan Club
Thank you again!
For those who are interested, the book trailer has been released for
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajBlLJ...
Here's the live action book trailer for DEFIANT!!!Yummy stuff :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYQA2W...
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Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Breaking Point (other topics)Ride the Fire (other topics)
Ride the Fire (other topics)
Surrender (other topics)
Untamed (other topics)
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I wish I knew more about how it worked. Maybe I'll check with my agent and let you all know.
Regardless, no one should worry about it. One of these days the publishing world will catch up with the online world. We can only hope!