To Live and Die: An Authors Take

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

I write Paranormal Romance for a living and vampires are my specialty. Because of this, I tend to think about immortality more than anyone should. The idea of living an extremely long life, scares me. Beyond technological wonders and scientific discoveries, what else is there? War? Civil unrest? Cataclysmic events? Famine?
I know this shit sounds dreary, but it’s worth thinking about. Living a long life sounds cool and fun until they tell you, ‘guess what? The suns got about thirty days left’. Or, any and all fresh water sources have been compromised. Orrrrrr. Fucking hell, CORDYCEPS!!!! (They are real btw) I tumbled and fell headfirst down a rabbit hole and now I’m scared of something else. Thanks Last of Us! I thought that shit was FAKE!
Anyway, to answer simply, no, I don’t think I’d like to live for 200+ years. The world is too fucked up and Mother Nature is dying.
No thanks!

To The Beautiful 11!

I want to thank each and every one of you for even subscribing and reading. You’re amazing! You keep me going, seriously. Without you I’d have no reason to continue, so again, thank you. Also, your patience hasn’t gone unnoticed. I finally posted another P&p chapter after taking a minute off. i had to focus on publishing my first book for about two weeks but it’s out now! I’m incredibly proud of myself for blogging this long and publishing. If you’ve read my older posts then you know just how scared I was to publish.

Now that it’s over and done with, I can’t wait to put my second book out there. I’ve written and finished about 44 novels. Will I publish them all? Maybe. I don’t know yet. Most of them are in the same universe save for five, Last year, I dabbled in first person pov and monster romance for the first time ever. I’m quite sure I’ll publish that title in the fall. Anyway, I just wanted to let y;all know that I am stil here! I won’t disappear on you without notice. I’m not the sort to leave a story unfinished, that actually chaps my whole ass. It makes me itch and feel like a quitter. So, Patchwork and Pitchforks will go on! I think this web novel is great because I’m a planster and at this point, the story can go anywhere.

As we explore Indigo Plains and Ravensguard keep in mind that I have no idea where we’ll end up. Thanks for taking this journey with me! And once agian, THANK YOU, WONDERFUL ELEVEN!

This Needs To Be Said!

Sinners! Yes, the movie. I know it’s not a book, but this is my website, and I can write whatever I want. And right now, I’m gonna talk about this immaculate piece of media. Shot on actual film, it is deep, beautiful, perfect, and everything I needed. Ryan has catapulted into genius territory. He will be in the same conversation as Lee, QT, Scorsese, and Spielberg. His work has a soul, and I find myself missing the Sinner experience so much that I will pay for another ticket in three days. I need more of this. More cinema with heart and teeth. More movie magic! And more Black folks on screen! Everyone knows about my vampire obsession. It was only natural that I go see it. I was on board since they announced Ryan’s plans for this film, and here we are.

I figured it’d be special but i never thoughtt he’d exchant my ass. Sinners is a gut punch of a film and worth every god damn cent spent. It’s profound and painfully relevant. Sinners will be talked about for a while, and I will be the one doin’ the talking. Five stars all around! Cast, crew, and music! 100/100 A+!

Keep On Keeping On

This month didn’t begin how I’d hoped. Before the election, I was filled with anxiety and now, I am trying to pick myself up. I am trying to write, trying to live, trying not to dwell on the future. It is hard! As a Black queer woman, I am TRYING to find peace while I stand in the aftermath.
This will be a rough four years and I don’t know what lay ahead. I can only hope the universe will see fit to align and intervene. This can not be it. I have faith in humanity and in our community but I am allowed a cynical moment. We are allowed to be angry with EVERYONE!
While the silver lining may not be within reach I must believe it is there. I have to keep my eyes on the horizon. This is not toxic positivity bullshit. I am not preaching, I am talking myself into power and strength. Which I, as an individual, need so very badly. I tend to lean toward pessimism but I don’t want to be that person right now. I can’t afford to think as I always do.
As I move forward in a nation divided I can only TRY MY FUCKING BEST to get along the only way I know how…
I will write word, after word, after word, until I make myself smile.

The Sleeping Car Porter: Please Let This Man Sleep!

Historical fiction isn’t something I read often. But I enjoyed this book. Y’all, if you can get past the oddball formatting you’ll be fine. The author breaks many writing “rules”, and I loved it.

The Sleeping Car Porter is a fictional tale told from a single POV. Mr. Baxter. An overworked, underpaid, undervalued, TIRED porter. I found this story intriguing because I knew nothing about porters. As a Black millennial, I’m not shocked. There are many things we just never learned about growing up. This book though fictional, was a teaching moment. I looked into Pullman porters because of this novel. I watched documentaries about them on YT at two in the morning. They were IMPORTANT and completely overlooked during civil rights discussions. If you don’t know of their hand in our community please, do yourself a favor and learn about them. They changed Black labor unions forever and paved the way for those who needed it most.

Not only was this book a look into the lives of porters but also it shone a light on the struggling gay man. Relationship troubles, loneliness, and the hunger for connection filled the page.

The world still ain’t perfect and our community still needs support, but being a Black gay man during the 20th century was isolating. My heart broke for Baxter. By the end, I wanted him happy, well-rested, and fed. I think (I’m choosing to believe) that he moved in with his “friend” the doctor, and became a successful dentist.

My Favorite August Reads

I made it, I’m here y’all! Six days late but here we are. I’m still getting the hang of this blog thing. Anyway! August was DARK! I read a ton of horror that involved darker themes such as murder, death, and trauma. An honorable mention is Briardark, but it didn’t quite make it on the list. Now, before I crown my number one pick let me tell you to read all content warnings. If you’d love to read Library At Mount Char but have triggers i will give you a heads-up. Intense acts of violence, violence against kids, murder, gore, blood, death, assault, SA (caught me off guard)

i don’t have triggers and don’t read them, so I just grimaced and turned the page. LAMC is a horror book. I know some will say it’s dark sci-fi fantasy but there are horrific moments )in my opinion) that catapult this into the horror genre. It’s by no means extreme horror but it toed the boundary.

Midnight Rooms is another you must understand from the beginning, it is gothic horror darning on the jagged rim of Dark Romance. Which remember, is seldom healthy. If you don’t read said sub-genre great, move along. The other two are light romance reads I thoroughly enjoyed. No complaints. There might be one or two acts of violence in each book but nothing heavy.

I adored these books for my emotional response. Each novel pulled a visceral reaction from me and that’s what I call good storytelling. It’s my type of glorious word weaving. I will say the ending in LAMC left a sour taste on my tongue, and maybe that’s what the author wanted, I have no idea. I wanted blood-stained justice and didn’t get it. BUT! My expectations are a me problem, not an author problem.

With the talking bits done, I wanna give that five outta five, number one spot to Midnight Rooms. I have to! I was smelling mold and drinking down honey thick tea. it was a terrific dive into a surreal fantasy world with many secrets and some were left shrouded in mystery. Whatever this author writes i will buy!