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!

Please Donate to Fire Relief Funds: If You Cn’t help financially, Please Post links.

Donation Links Download

Two of my family members have lost their homes due to the Los Angeles fires, so I will spread the word about donating. If you can, even a dollar will help those in need. Families are suffering and have been left with nothing. If you can’t, post links to foundations and organizations. I posted links to a few sites helping with the fire relief funds. Every post and penny counts. Humans and animals are in need tonight. Even if you can’t give, just repost, and tell others. There are organizations all over helping out. Thank you for your time and effort.

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!

I Know I’m In For It

Y’all, I don’t know what the fuck is going onnnnnnn…I mean, I do, but I don’t. I’ve already read some terrible shit and this early in, I know it is only going to get worse. This is like cosmic horror, sci-fi, and fantasy in one package. I love that, but mannnn…it is NOT bad by any means. This is kinda artful, actually. Grotesque at times, some scenes have made my stomach churn. I will give y’all a review in a bit. Shiaaat! This is shaping up to be some mess. I know mess when I see it.

If you’ve read LaMC what is your overall rating???

Sad Girl Summer is Almost Over!!!

Here’s to a beautiful new month and Bi romance month! I love y’all! I am coming into my season and feeling better! I have said it a few times already, but I’m gonna let y’all know, summer makes me sad. I get in my feelings and I feel like shit from May to July. I’m just noooot, at my best. I’m unhappy and sappy. My vibes are at their lowest during those insufferable summer months. Granted, we are still in the summer swing, but the hot hoe is reaching its end. I can feel it in the air!.

Most hate fall and winter, but not eyyyye. We prefer them colder months over here. The sun and I have a contentious connection. I do not like her, and she don’t like me. I love the nocturnal and gloomy with my entire heart. I thrive during frigid winter nights. Dreary and dark is where I draw inspiration and vitality. I prefer dusk over dawn and rain to sunshine. It is who i am, and with summer approaching its inevitable end, I can breathe with ease.

My goal for this month is to be. Just, be. Be gentle with myself. Be at peace. Be calm. Be the positivity I wish to attract. Also, I just wanna write. I want to write what I WANT AND NOT CARE! I do that already, but when you’re a SM junkie, all the advice and takes can dampen ones creativity and mood. There are A LOT of opinions out there about the art of writing, but I don’t give a shit. I just don’t care.

AUTHORS & WRITERS CAN’T CARE! AND WE SHOULDN’T.

iyI’ve been doing this too long, I know better! Yes, I am a reader as well i know how we can get about our opinions, but as an author and a writer, that spce is not for me to dwell. Reader opinions are just that, and I can’t take any of it to heart. It will only hinder my ability to create. I have decided to block those posts and tweets, because they can be harmful. This is not me saying they shouldn’t post them, I don’t care, post whatever you want. That’s what the mute button is for. Some of y’all need to learn about it too. Anyway. I’m rambling but, you get it. I’m a mess. It’s Inevitable. I’m gonna veer. I’m a habitual veer=er! With all of that, I say have a nice day, drink water, and don’t be KHHNT!

“My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” – Malcolm X

Daily writing prompt

List 30 things that make you happy.

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I love many mannnnny things. This is so easy. It might seem kinda plain, but, this is true happiness in my book.

My Sons
Movies
Books
Writing
Videogames
Nachos
Headphones
Stickers
Funko Pops
Novelty Items
Dogs
Birds
Music
Star Wars
Tiny Houses
Forestry
Minerals/Crystals/Gems/Rocks
Bread
Tea/Coffee
A Clean House
Graphic Tees
Venom/Deadpool/Vampires
Rugby
Peanut Butter
Traveling By Train
Adult Coloring Books
Handmade Items
Socked Feet
Amusement Parks
A New Pen

You Can & You Will

Five months ago, I set out to write a shorter novel and have done it! Brevity, as I’ve stated before, is my weakness. I am a long writer who enjoys 100k+ word counts. I am not apologizing for that. I still prefer them, but I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to put my ass through it. I needed this exercise. It was a great lesson. Now, my shortest book is 43k not, 91k. I went in with a 15k goal. Clearly, I was off by a couple thousand. Lol. But, I still set out to accomplish this thing. This goal I made for reasons other than to prove to myself I could do it. For those like me, writing short stories is unfamiliar and hard. Cutting details and world-building down to a chapter or two is not fun.

My typical genre is paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Those books are known to be longer but in the world of indie, standards such as word counts do not exist. We can write a 30k hard fantasy if we want. We can write a 20k hard sci-fi epic if we so please. My point is, the industry standard is no longer my goal post, however, I will STILL prefer longer novels for paranormal romance but that doesn’t mean I won’t write shorter ones. It’s difficult, not impossible,

If you’ve set a personal goal, and it seems unreachable, REACH FOR IT! You can do this thing! I doubted myself for a long time. Said I could never write a shorter novel, it was too hard. Well, I did it and I pushed through until typing ‘The End’. Believe in yourself and whatever it is you want to achieve, I promise it’s worth the work.

“From my point of view, your life is already a miracle of chance waiting for you to shape its destiny.” ~ Toni Morrison

Silver in the Wood

This book wrapped me up in a warm hug and fed me snacks. I found Silver in the Wood to be a comforting read. I loved it. I adored it. Will rec often. Keep in mind, if you want spice, steam, and heat, you will get nothing. That’s not what this sweet-pea romance is about. I’m someone who💗LOVES💗 spice, smut, and erotica, but I don’t NEED it.

Steam is not a requirement for me. Character development and story matter here. If a romance is closed door or light with glimpses and kisses, fine, but the story had better come together.

Silver in the wood did just that.

There was life in this book and much of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the lore and world-building. I’m sooooooo excited to read the next book. It’s on hold at the moment so I’m counting the days!

Fat Women Belong In Every Genre

I don’t care what y’all say. We belong in every trope and genre. We should have space in the fictional world. I hate how folks tend to erase our existence. I started reading a certain paranormal series and all the FMCs HAD to be fit and thin to become a mate. This turned me off. Because women come in ALLL shapes and sizes. And they should be represented. As an author, I understand, we are free to write what we want.

I know that.

And as readers, we are free to read (or not) whatever we want.

My issue here is not with the author, it’s with how thin and fat bodies are portrayed. Good vs Evil. It’s absolutely INFURIATING. Please, give me a good reason why. Beyond what others perceive as beautiful and what society has told you is an acceptable physique, why must a character be thin? Why?

This is why we write and are so vocal about body-positive representation. They want us to sit in a corner and be friends who never get the guy/girl/them. They’d rather we stay the funny fat friend and nothing more. I love how self-publishing has given us the freedom to be loud and happy.

Trad pubs hate footing the bill for us. Nowadays, since the movement is over and done (money-wise). They’re back to sneering at fat main characters. Well, I say fuck them and anyone else who thinks we don’t belong in certain genres.

FAT FMCs ARE ALLOWED TO EXIST IN A MIDDLE EARTH-DYSTOPIAN-WESTERN-RGENECY ROMANCE-SEASIDE-SCIFI ALIEN-HORROR BOOKS DAMN IT!

To Be Grown and Queer

In my youth, I was so worried about what my bible carrying father would do to me if he found out I was bi. I played the straight role for more than half my life. Though, my choice in attire had folks assuming I was a lesbian.
Because you know, keeping shit androgynous instantly makes someone queer.
[INSERT EYEROLL]
When I was ten years old, I watched as a family member was shunned and condemned by relatives after coming out. Their cruelty made a lasting impression. My own father stopped talking to this person and had nothing but terrible things to say about them.
Can you imagine how scared I was? His reaction caused me to withdraw and cower. I pushed my queerness down and forced myself into a box I never fit in.
It was rough for many years. I am proud to say I have gotten over and grown out of that hellish religious trauma.
Three immediate family members still don’t know I’m bisexual. Yes, one being my father. The other two, I just don’t care enough to tell them. I know how they’d take it and I don’t need that, type of negativity in my life.
Fuck that, I don’t want a lecture, I don’t need to be read scriptures that gave me nightmares as a child. I don’t need their opinions or upturned noses.
We’re not obligated to disclose our sexuality. You don’t have to tell a soul. I live in my truth daily. I don’t need their validation or support, because I have learned to love and accept myself.
Those of y’all who know, KNOW. Growing up in a Baptist environment will have you hating yourself and projecting. This is a struggle! I don’t withhold this information due to shame, no.
I JUST DON’T CARE ANYMORE.
I’ve reached a certain age where I truly don’t give damn. I look at my reflection and smile. I love her. I love this woman. I love who she is and what she has done and will do.
I’ll be damned to let anybody badmouth me for extending myself grace and love. You cannot let them steal your joy!