So excited for for my friend, VJ Allison.

Two in one Day

Since I have been AFK for so long, I've got lots of news!  I have been very busy writing.  I am working on a children's book tentatively called, One Lonely Drop.  I am also brewing some ideas for a science fiction book. 

The most exciting writing that I've done lately is for the NYC Flash Fiction contest.  If you've never tried writing FF, you really should.  You are given a genre, a setting, and an object and you have 48 hours to create a 1000 word story.  I am having a blast.  I placed ninth in the first round and have already submitted my story for the second round.  If I am allowed, I will post the stories here later. 

Off the Grid

School has started back and we are hip-deep in homework and crew practice.  I am excited that this will be my final year of teaching.  I look forward to being able to devote my complete attention to writing.  I say all of this by way of an apology for being off the grid so long. 

I may have been MIA on my blog but I have been writing.  My new book, An Apple a Day, was just released by Extasy Books.  Although this book is part of my series Reading, Writing, and Erotica, it is not a sequel to Hot for Teacher.  The new book details the adventures of the beautiful young new teacher, Lauren Mills, and Sawyer Scott.  I won't tell you about Sawyer because it would ruin the fun.  You will have to read the book.

Buy it now at Extasybooks.com or Amazon

Deuxième Jjour (Day Two)

David and I like to watch a television program called Ancient Aliens. The premise of the show is that much of what cannot be understood or explained on Earth must be the result of ancient visitors from space.  Now, clearly we do not believe that aliens helped build the pyramids (or did they?). But, one of the things that always intrigues us is the repetition of similar structures, images, and stories in far flung places.  There are pyramids in China, there are shaman in Australia, and there are pictographs on every continent.  While we question that this is the work of aliens (or is it?), we are fascinated that societies around the world have evolved in similar ways.  My argument is that all humans have the same needs and, consequently, have come up with the same answers.  Humans need shelter and places to worship. Ask any child playing in the sand, a pyramid is the simplest structure to build. Humans want to understand the world around them and so they devise gods and religions to explain it.  Humans need to express themselves, and so they draw stick figures to represent themselves.  

This has become more obvious to me this week.  I am in Quebec.  Je ne parle pas tout français. (I do not speak any French.)  I have gotten by on a smile, a lot of merci's and Google translate.  But being metaphorically deaf to the verbal context clues of conversation, I have had to become very observant.  For instance, I do not know the meaning of the sign that reads mettre vos serviettes sales dans le panier.  However, it is in the bathroom next to a basket of dirty towels, so I can take a good guess.

So here are some things I have observed about the commonality of experiences.  Pizza is the same thing in English and in French.  Young girls giggle in the presence of cute boys no matter the language they speak.  Babies like sweets regardless of whether you call it a cookie, or a biscuit, or a biscotto.  Teenage boys drive too fast and play their music too loud in every city in the world.  People are gracious and kind when they are treated graciously and kindly.  It truly is a small world.

Jour un- Adventures en touriste au Quebec (Day one -Adventures as a tourist in Quebec)

I am fearless. I am intrepid. I am courageuse.  The day is beautiful. The sky is blue. I am a master of the universe. Nothing could go wrong.

My grandmother used to tell me that to brag is to tempt the universe. With that in mind, I have a few confessions. First, I have now ridden not one, but two buses the wrong direction. I don’t mean I rode them a few blocks the wrong way; I rode one an entire hour the wrong way.  Now, before you jump to the conclusion that I am not too bright, you must know that I recognized quickly that I was going the wrong way. I just spent an hour debating whether to get off and try again or just stay on the nice warm bus until we circled around. Second, I have not bathed…uhmmm…in a while. Between leaving Louisville at the crack of last night, a layover in Philly, and then a shower that pumped its water directly from the Antarctic, I haven’t had an opportunity.  Don’t worry, I have deodorant. My final confession for today concerns stairs. What is about Quebecoise and stairs? Have Canadians never heard of elevators? Explain how you can possibly go somewhere and climb up stairs -both directions? Trust me, you can in Vieux Quebec!  So my confession is…after walking down all four hundred steps to admire Montmorency Falls, I am taking the cable car back up!

Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war.)

Here is something to ponder... 

If you want peace, prepare for war. 

Despite today being Memorial Day, this post is not about veterans or flags.  This post is about the battleground that is life.  For fifty years, I have believed that life was about keeping the peace. I lived by the adage that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar. Who the hell wants to attract flies, anyway? (But that is besides the point.)

I just finished reading, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The book is fabulous for many reasons.  But the piece that struck a chord with me was when Kya asks herself how much she will sacrifice for love/peace/stability/acceptance. Kya learns, as I have recently, that life is not about peace.  It is about fighting the battles that need to be fought. Sometimes the battles are against others, but sometimes they are against ourselves. You have to stand up and demand what you want and need from this life- a smile and a curtsey are not enough. Sometimes you have to step on toes. Sometimes you have put yourself first.  

As I said earlier, this post is not about wars fought with guns and tanks.  But let's go there for a minute.  I have never understood war. In my naivete', I couldn't understand why the two sides couldn't just talk things out.  Being a woman (yes, I said it), I felt that there was always a compromise.  But recently, I have concluded that there is not always a win-win to be had.  Sometimes there has to be a loser. 

Writing is about battles too.  As a writer, I set up the conflict and step back and allow the characters to find their way.  A story without conflict, even a romance, would be boring.  A life without conflict would be meaningless. The difference between life and fiction though, is that in a book I can devise a happy ending.

First Post Ever

Wow! I am an author.  Not just a writer, but an AUTHOR.  (Dum dum dum- dramatic music)

 I have dreamed of this my whole life.  I have wanted to be writer from the minute I first held a pencil!  I never imagined that I would start with erotica.  But as I am fond of pointing out, I am a PK (preacher’s kid) and so I was bound to go there eventually.  In case you are confused, PK’s are the worst.  The only thing more dangerous than making friends with a PK is hooking up with an MK (missionary’s kid) because their parents are out of the country.  Although I am in my fifties, I still feel justified in using my upbringing as an excuse for my poor choices and excesses.

So here’s the dilemma.

I have NO IDEA how to sell a book, but please don’t tell my publisher. Hahaha