Publication News! – “Double Vision”

Hello!

I have wonderful and exciting news – at least, it is for me!! The latest and never-before-published book in my TAITS series is now available for purchase through Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. It’s called “Double Vision” and you may remember it from ages ago on Literotica but it’s been extensively reworked and polished. I hope if you liked it back then, you’ll give it another try.

“It’s been a long time since Emilio Jones was recruited by the TAITS organization. It’s been an even longer time since he’d last seen the mysterious woman who stole his heart but left her underwear behind. Now, on a regular morning, in a regular city, she explodes back into his life, bringing trouble along with her.

Victoria is just trying to get by. She doesn’t know that when she heads to work on another typical day that she’ll be attacked, threatened and reunited with a man she never thought she’d see again. When things literally blow up around them, she’s suddenly left relying on this man from her past for her very life.

As Emilio and Victoria run from hired guns and struggle the undeniable sexual heat between them, another mysterious woman makes an appearance who may put their lives at risk, along with the rest of Emilio’s teammates. A normal day becomes anything but when the team is pressed to find the answers behind Emilio’s mystery woman and the people trying to kill them all.”

Click here to purchase on Amazon Kindle, and here for all the options through Smashwords. For right now, these are the only sites it’s available. Once they’re available for purchase through Barnes & Noble’s Nook Bookstore, and on Apple’s iTunes, I’ll let you know. Also, if you do decide to purchase it, and read it – and like it! – please do me the huge favor of reviewing it on any of the websites. Indy authors like myself rely on those reviews and word of mouth so I’d be eternally grateful for the free advertising.

And now, I’d better get back to work.

Take care and happy reading!

Update

Hello!

I’m not going to be exploring any ‘deep’ relationship topics or writing foibles today. I’m just checking in to say that I’m going to have a busy May. I’ll be moving June 1st and dealing with everything that goes along with that until then. If I do end up with any free time – evenings, weekends or whenever – I would rather focus any remaining energy on writing. So, for now, I’m going to take a break from regular posts on my blog. Once I’m all settled in my new digs, with internet – hopefully without any delays!! – I’ll be back to a regular schedule.

I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend, wherever you are. It’s a beautiful day here, and it’s been a beautiful weekend. I spent all day outside yesterday – reading, walking around with my niece, throwing the toys for the dogs – and we even roasted hot dogs and smokies on the fire, had s’mores (with chocolate marshmallows!)  for dessert. It was awesome!

Take care, and happy reading.

 

Eye of the Beholder

I came across an amusing article on Slate.com not too long ago. In it, the author creates an elaborate chart detailing the increase of pretty women marrying ugly men and how handsome men were more likely to marry pretty women. Of course, as you read the article, you realize the author is poking fun at the very topic itself and they are fully aware of that.

However, it does raise a question or topic that I’ve heard or seen before before. I remember reading an article some time ago about how TV sitcoms seem to follow this formula of the hot leading lady marrying or being married to the ugly/overweight/non-typical leading man. They cited King of Queens and According to Jim as examples. I never watched those shows but I knew enough to recognize the reference. For my part, when watching those shows or others like it, I never really gave any thought to how the lead characters looked. (Unless it was Angel because, well, I’ve crushed on David Boreanaz since I was 15. )

Now that I think about it, it’s not just sitcoms like I mentioned above. Does anyone out there watch Game of Thrones? How many beautiful women are in that show? Now, tell me if there are an equal number of handsome men. You can’t, because they’re not equal numbers. What about Doctor Who? OK, some people might find Matt Smith attractive but I think it’s more that the Doctor is a sexy character. However, everyone would probably agree that he’s not conventionally handsome. The current companion, Jenna Louise Coleman, is a cutie though, is she not? Those are just the first two shows that came to mind but I’m sure you can think of others.

Some of you are probably agreeing but thinking to yourself, well, yes, that’s because Hollywood puts a premium on beauty and good looks, a problem in an of itself. It’s not just Hollywood though. In the writing or romance/erotica world, characters are written with descriptions telling us how hot, beautiful or mind-bendingly sexy they are, men and women alike. I can’t tell you how many novels I’ve read – not even just in the romance genre – where an author goes on and on about the hero or heroine’s looks. It almost becomes a living part of the story. I get so tired of reading those parts that I skip them or my eyes glaze over until I get to the real story again.

Yes, in romance, there is the need to create chemistry and part of that is creating an attractiveness between the two lead characters, but you can do that without repeating the color of eyes, the bulginess of pectorals or the length of sexy legs or whatever else you consider hot. I like to think I manage to strike a good balance in my books and stories. I may describe the characters a certain way in the beginning, and even then, I try to keep it on the vague side, leaving it up to the reader to ‘fill in the blanks’, so to speak, however they may want to. I know I’ve mentioned that before, and in my own writing it works for me. I don’t know if my readers wish I had put more descriptors in with regards to my characters, but it has never been a complaint before so I can only assume I do all right with regards to that. All I know is I hate seeing it overdone in so many of today’s popular writing so I try to avoid it in my own.

The sexy/good-looks factor in Hollywood and the publishing world becomes a bigger problem when the world at large starts to think they’re only considered handsome or pretty when they look like the stars on these shows or have features like what’s described in the latest hottest read. Maybe to the world at large, you wouldn’t be considered good-looking. But who. The. Hell. Cares.

I’m so tired of hearing that phrase or some variation of it, of rating people based on their looks. Sure, you can say someone’s good-looking because maybe they are, but when does that make them a good actor or actress? Or a good doctor, contractor or friend? Or a good choice for a life mate?

Wait a second. Did I just say that? Oh, yes. Yes, I did.

I’m sure I’ve touched on this topic before but this article just reminded me again how people view each other in terms of looks, so often. Not just when dating, though it’s a bigger problem then.

I’ve had relationships end in my past, not because it had anything to do with looks – although maybe it did, because I’m not pretty enough but who knows? – and then I’ve listened to comments from friends, thinking they’re being supportive. Comments like, “Oh, you can do so much better than him.” Or, “He wasn’t all that good-looking anyway. You can find someone way hotter.” Or this: “I never found him all that attractive.” Well, as he was my significant other, I think I’m glad you didn’t find him attractive. Would you be comfortable with it if I was constantly mentioning how hot I think your husband/boyfriend is? That is, instead of what a good guy he is, or how nice and friendly? Interesting. For my part, I don’t meet a friend’s significant other and immediately think, oh wow, he/she bagged a really hottie! No. I do the craziest thing and talk to them, get to know them and say, wow, what a great person my friend managed to hook up with.

Perhaps I sound a little ranty in today’s post, but it’s something I feel strongly about.

Maybe it’s because I’m not pretty or beautiful by conventional standards. I’ve never been a head-turner and that’s fine. I’ve also never put much stock in that and I mean it when I say I don’t care what other people think I look like. Sure, I dress nicely, but I’m not terribly fashionable. I’ve struggled with my weight off and on for years but I’m comfortable where I’m at now, even while acknowledging I could still go down another ten or fifteen pounds. I get my hair cut by a pro but I don’t put any make-up on every day. I seriously have to buy new mascara or other assorted cosmetics every time a special event comes up because I haven’t used my current goods since the last special event.

Somehow, with all these foibles, I still managed to snag a man who calls me gorgeous, tells me daily how beautiful I am, how he falls asleep thinking of my big, green eyes, and how he only needs to think of me naked to… well, put himself in an awkward situation if he’s out in public and thinking of me naked and let’s leave it at that I’m nothing special to the world at large and we both freely acknowledge to each other that we’re not models or movie star beautiful. However, we also tell each other every day that we wouldn’t want to be with anyone else and that to each other, we are the most handsome/beautiful people in our lives. That’s all that really matters anyway.

There’s so much more to a person, and to a couple, than what’s on the surface. How many times have you heard of friends or acquaintances breaking up and you think, but they looked so perfect together? Well, good-looks don’t mean you’re nice, or smart, or trustworthy, or good at relationships, all thing that make a good significant other, in my opinion. In the end, beauty is all about perception. The old adage is true, in so many ways: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Take care and happy reading.

Anywhere in Space and Time

Are there any Doctor Who fans out there? I’m a recent convert to the Doctor Who universe and I’ve been enjoying it ever since my SO and Eve McFadden got me into it. Last week’s episode saw the Doctor traveling with a new companion for the first time. He asked her, where would you like to go? We can go anywhere in space and time…

Today, I’d like to know, where would you go? If the Doctor showed up on your doorstep and offered to take you anywhere in space and time, what would your answer be?

Take care and happy reading!

Hello on Sunday

I don’t have much time to write anything today. I’m going to be babysitting my niece in a little bit and if it’s like all the other times I’ve done it, I won’t have much energy for anything later. And if I do, I’ll try to spend it working on something instead of blogging.

So I don’t have anything special to say today – if you consider anything I write on here special… – except to say I hope you are all having a nice weekend. It’s cold and foggy here, and there’s supposed to be snow again this week. Such is life Alberta.

And off I go to see what I can get done before babysitting duties hit.

Take care and happy reading.

I am Woman, You are Man

I’ve been lucky over the past couple of years that I’ve been living close enough with my family to see my niece and nephew as regularly as once a week, or more sometimes. I’m sure most people would agree that the early years of a child’s life are the most impressive. You never realize how much an individual can grow and change and learn until you see it happening in those first few years. Of course, over time, our growth process slows.

I’m sure I’ve written about my niece and nephew enough for you to know how much I love and adore them. Living so close allows me to see all the changes in their personalities and learning, as I said, and to see how different they are, as a boy and a girl. Make no mistake about it, girls and boys are different and they develop differently. I’m not saying that that means they’ll always have different interests or limited in their life’s options. It’s just an evolutionary fact, that the two sexes are different.

There are many reasons for it, and I don’t care about the reasons really. I find it fascinating to watch though. Who wouldn’t? Kids are awesome!

The very first book we ever read and discussed in my old book club was “The Female Brain”, by Louann Brizendine, M.D. She’s a neuropsychiatrist and the subject of the book is the basic differences between men and women, from birth to old age. I’m not saying I’m an expert or that I can confirm or deny any of what she’s written, but I found it a very interesting book and study. Brizendine discusses her findings with regards to the patients she’s had over the years – their identities protected of course. As a writer, I found this a useful book in some ways, as well as a good read, period. And you know me, I’m not a fan of non-fiction, so that’s saying something.

It’s not just children I find interesting when thinking of the difference between men and women. As we grow too, the differences remain obvious. I don’t just mean physically. Men and women have different thought processes and reactions to the same events and memories. No, don’t argue with me. It’s true. I’m not saying all women have the same thoughts or reactions, or all men, but you can’t deny it. I have enough men in my life and enough discussions with them that I can see and hear the differences. I’ve had enough arguments and long talks with all the women in my life to get the same from them.

I know what you might be thinking. Some of that is due to individual personalities, and you’d be right. I never form opinions about men or women simply based on their sex. Actually, I try not to form opinions about anyone, at any time until something settles it for me, in some way.

As a writer, I love to observe the differences around me, in personalities and the sexes. Speech patterns and turns of phrases are different. The way a man relates a story is different from the way a woman will. Think about the men and women in your life. When you talk to them next time, and I don’t just mean a ‘hi, how are ya’ in passing, just keep it in the back of your mind.

When I write, I try not to rely solely on the stereotypical differences between men and women. I think women can be just as inclined to be commitment-phobics as men, and men can be just as emotional as women. I remember having discussions – or debates, if you like – with a friendly reader at one time about the conversations I wrote between some of my male characters, the hockey players, to be specific. Not only were they all men in this case, but they were athletes, or ‘men’s men’ if you’ll forgive the generalization. I had written them having a certain kind of discussion, about a woman, and the reader – a man – said that conversation would never happen between two men. I had a hard time buying that. He argued endlessly with me over it and I did end up altering the conversation somewhat, to make it more believable that two men were talking about relationships. But I still had a hard time believing men would never discuss relationships with each other. Wrong or not, I disliked pigeon-holing my male characters as the kind that never discussed their relationships with friends. Who else would they talk to about it? Their mothers??? I also don’t like to write my female characters in the same manner. I don’t want to make them only emotional basketcases or the ones constantly talking about their feelings. I hope I strike enough balance between my male and female leads to keep them interesting… and believable. What do you think?

As we’re getting ready to sit down to Easter dinner together, and with my 4 year old nephew and 18 month old niece, I wonder how they’re going to turn out in a few years. They’re constantly surprising me, every time I see them. I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow. Then again, I love them and just can’t wait to see them all the time.

I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. Take care and happy reading.

A Good Start

I came across an article a little while ago while browsing headlines on-line. It was a brief rundown of a survey that had been conducted of some 11000 couples in committed, monogamous relationships. The focus of the survey was whether or not the couples had had sex before or within the first three weeks of their relationship, and how satisfied they were overall with their relationship now. The result was that apparently, the longer a couple waited to have sex, the more content they were now with their relationship, in terms of communication, stability and current sexual satisfaction. The results were the same for several different age groups, race and religious affiliations.

I found this very interesting, not just because I write about relationships and romance, but because I think everyone has at some point or another faced the decision of doing it now, or waiting. As always, every couple is different and who’s to say someone who starts with a one-night stand isn’t going to last fifty years? I did actually work with a man once who – in the time I knew him – dated a woman he’d had what he thought was only a one-night stand with, got engaged and married her, and proceeded to have a family. As far as I know, they’re still happy together but I’m no longer in touch with them, so who knows?

The article went on to suggest that because of this evidence, there’s something to be said for waiting. Now, they don’t say specifically whether a couple who’s happy now waited 3 and a half weeks or 12 before having sex, so saying that only couple who wait at least 3 weeks are going to be that much happier is a very broad generalization. They also theorize that it’s the women making this decision to abstain longer or not. I don’t know if that was the case in every couple surveyed. Though, they do make a good point at the end of the article: “Healthy relationships lead to good sex. Good sex doesn’t create healthy relationships.”

True. And yet, incomplete. I dislike broad generalizations, in case you couldn’t tell by now.

I think placing all the blame on an early physical or intimate connection is a bit of a mistake. It’s up to the people making these decisions to decide if they’re going to give the relationship a fair try with or without the early sex. All the same relationship rules apply whether or not you’re naked within one day, or thirty. You can’t spend all your time sexing each other up. I don’t care how early you do it, sex alone is not a relationship – be honest with yourself before disagreeing with me on that! You need open and honest communication, unabashed affection, respect and support. Sex is important, I’m not saying it isn’t, but it’s only one part of a relationship.

Maybe the article is right in that the earlier you have sex, the more you tend to focus only on that aspect of your relationship. Things like discussing finances, future goals and dreams, or being able to spend the quiet moments together, become less important. To me, that is a mistake.

I won’t lie, this article did remind me a bit of a movie that came out a couple years back, He’s Just Not That Into You. I don’t know if any of you have seen that movie but it’s all about different relationships and relationship dynamics, and whether or not women should believe all those things they tell themselves, and each other, about men. It’s an ensemble movie with numerous different intersecting storylines. There’s a couple who have been married for some years, they’re renovating their dream home and talking about having kids. But they don’t have sex. There’s a woman who thinks the married man she befriended would leave his wife for her, because they have awesome chemistry and sex. There’s also a couple who have been together for seven or eight years, with no sign of a marriage proposal in sight. I’m sure, even if you haven’t seen the movie, you can imagine any number of ways those storylines would turn out. You’d probably be right. There are a couple of surprise endings to these romantic threads, but for the most part, they end the way you think they might. The theme of the movie is that you can tell yourself all the stories you want about relationships starting one way or another, but the stories of ‘it working out’ are few and far between, while the reality of is something else.

In my writing, as you may know, I’ve tried to hook my heros and heroines up in a few different ways. I did have a couple starting with a night of sex after just meeting each other, and that did lead to some complications early on in their relationship. I also had a couple becoming friends over a period of time before dating, and then even longer before sleeping together. Of course, in my writing universe, I’m able to write a happy ending, no matter how they get to the first kiss and the first time they have sex.

I often find I’m writing these scenarios because I’ve asked myself, can it work? Again, I’m dealing in fiction, so I can guide the characters somewhat towards a satisfying conclusion. In real life, things aren’t always so cut and dry, and it’s not always easy to find the solutions.

I’ve always said that every couple is different, and they are, from the way they meet, to how they handle each other, to how long they’re going to last. I’m definitely no expert but having been through a few endings and even more false starts, I have some idea of what works or doesn’t. For me. And in the end, that’s what’s important. If you know yourself, and know what you want, that’s a good start. I would just make one suggestion: if you meet someone and want to get naked with them now, ask yourself why? Is it because they’re hot? Or because you’re scratching an itch? Or because you think that’s the way you want to start a relationship with them? Just food for thought…

Take care and happy reading.