BY BOTH SIDES

Yep. Everyone freaking offended me at some point or another. See, one group I’m on made a remark that offended the people on another group. That group in turn used the same remark to say something offensive about the first group. Sound a little 5th grade-ish? It was. And I’m probably going to burn in the hell of their loop when all the shark-mouthed typists get wind of this…both loops. Double crucifixion. I guess it means I get to come back twice from the dead on a Sunday. But only if they crucify a couple of thieves as well. And now, I’ll get raped over a barrel by a rhino for using the bible and Easter as an analogy of sorts. I just know I’m gonna get reamed. If I don’t…if they choose to ignore my inflammatory words…HUZZAH! THANK GOD! Because yanno, nothing inflammatory over the weekend was ignored. Every little nuance and syllable was scrutinized in case someone was picking on someone else.

Now, it’s true that the above words are a tad tongue in cheek. You see, I’m trying to find some bit of humor in all of this in order to restore my psyche to some sort of equilibrium. ‘Cause it really is true that both sides offended me. And the saddest thing is that last year I left one of the groups because a member offended me and a friend and was allowed to do so unchecked. I came back this weekend in a show of support because of an issue of discrimination. I’m not even there 2 full days and someone there offended me. Again!

You’d think I’d learn my lesson and just not join that group again. But I’m in for a penny (well $12.50 to be honest) so I might as well take a leaf from my own post of January 23 and let it go. So I am. And I’m not leaving this time. I want to see what happens. If I email the head of this group, she’ll probably tell me that the offenders didn’t mean to offend me. That’s probably true but it doesn’t take the sting away. Guess I’ll have to pull up my big girl panties and deal.

What did I come away from the weekend with? One, a heck of a lot of respect for a woman who started an RWA chapter under a lot of gunfire. Two, a healthy appreciation for two authors whose words and cool heads I have always admired. Three, my sense of humor…intact.

Everyone and their mother and brother and cousins five times removed are blogging about this brouhaha. People who aren’t in the organization are blogging about it. It’s ugly. I feel dirty from the fallout. And very, very sad.

Should I be blogging the political trail like the other authors? Maybe. But seriously, I think they have enough people spouting fire and brimstone. They don’t need me to jump on the blog-bandwagon. I’d rather do a Rodney King. Use my humor to make little cryptic remarks on my blog that not many people will understand and pretty much no one will understand 100% unless they ask me in an email. Which I will reply to. Right after work.

I will do several things in support of what I feel is right though. One, I’m not leaving RWA, RRW or PAN. If things need changing, it ain’t gonna happen if all the movers and shakers take their toys and wallets and go home. Two, not gonna let any of em offend me to the point that I start considering leaving those three groups despite #1. Three, I’ll send whatever emails and letters I need to in order to assist in the call for RWA to make some policy changes so another brouhaha like this doesn’t happen. Four, gonna ignore the blogs by readers who are spouting fire and brimstone over something that is kinda, sorta not their bizness cause they aren’t RWA members or even authors trying to enter the contest in question. Five, not gonna take this stuff personally. I have a family to support therefore I need to sleep at night. Six, not dwell on this stuff. Which means it’s time for me to stop blogging about it in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

It’s Marcus Monday and have I got a yummeh one for you today!

Now, I’ve got to go to work.  You all try to have a good Monday and dodge the ugly, okay?

Usually, when I dedicate a book to someone it’s because they’ve done something that somehow influenced the story. It might be that they just encouraged me when I needed a boost to finished. Or they could have said something that spawned an idea. The smallest influence could be the reason I dedicate a book to someone.

In this instance, the other author said something about authors needing to step out of their comfort zone sometimes. I don’t think it was one of those profound things you say where everyone goes “WOAH.” You know what I mean – the “I coulda had a V-8″ moment. I think it was just something he said in conversation (I forget if it was on a loop, in a chat or in email) and probably didn’t intend for me to take away as inspiring. But I did.

You see this story is about how two men (it is a gay rom story) step out of their comfort zones one Valentine’s Day and discover a bright future together. The backstory is that the two guys meet in college and are instantly attracted to one another. They both react really dorky and are embarrassed by their actions so they each hide their attraction. They go on to spend their college years as roommates and best friends. As adults, their friendship continues. Then, one of the men leaves the area for a year for work. While he’s gone, the one left behind realizes he still has deeper feelings for his friend. The one who’s away realizes he loves and misses his friend so much that one, he needs to move back home and two, he needs to tell the other guy he wants to be with him.

The hero who moved away enlists the help of his friend’s siblings, who of course know their brother loves this guy. They set s scene that forces both men out of their comfort zone and confessions ensue. Of course, a hot night together also ensues. Followed by a morning with doubts and fears exposed. But they work it out because I don’t write anything but happy endings. LOL

The catalyst, the thing that forces the men out of their comfort zones…a dress. One man dresses as Joan Collins playing Alexis Carrington in Dynasty in order to get the attention of the other man. The sight of his friend in a dress has the other hero leaping the barriers of his comfort zone to try to get with him. So it’s almost as if the Joan Collins outfit is a character all its own in this book.

At any rate, it’s a charming little fun story about a guy in drag trying to nail his best friend. It will have the standard Valentine’s Day cover for sales at MLR Press and I made it a fun cover for third party distribution sites.

I’ve got other projects I need to get to next but I’ll probably take the next day or two and figure out which one should be next. Meanwhile, let’s round up this post with a lovely Marcus on this Monday morning.

Oh yum. Marcus and a fast machine. What a great combo! Everyone have a great Monday!

by: George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788-1824)

HE walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellow’d to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

 

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impair’d the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

 

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

By all accounts Lord Byron wasn’t all that respected by his peers but he certainly cut a dash in his world. And in the modern world we read his poetry and other works. His lover, Lady Caroline Lamb, famously described him as “mad, bad and dangerous to know” and we pay homage to him by using that phrase even today. The thing about Byron is that – love him or hate him – he definitely wasn’t someone you could ignore or forget.

I wonder at the things we find unforgettable. A woman such as the one Byron describes in She Walks in Beauty wouldn’t likely be forgotten by anyone and might even be immortalized in print, on canvas or film or through awards won. For myself, I don’t expect to be immortalized in any way. However, there are people in my life who, although they’ve no idea of it and no one would likely be able to tell with any real certainty, have been immortalized within my body of work. They may not have made an impression on the world at large but they made an impression on me and that led to them – or some small part of them – being used in one of my books.

I’m no Byron. My work isn’t likely to be read centuries from now as his is. But I still like to think that I’ve given a taste of immortality to those whom I’ve put into a book. And I thank them for whatever it was about them that captured my imagination enough to lead me to put them in a book because it was never an idea I came up with on my own but rather something they said or did that captivated me. So I thank you all for the inspiration you’ve given me, continue to give me and will give me in the future. Who needs a muse when they have friends!

So now that I’m done being weird today, I have a Marcus for you and then I’m off to tame my Monday.

Hope you all have a great day!

You can get the het version HERE and the gay rom version HERE. It’s just a short story so it won’t even take up much of your time but it will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

And now, here’s yet another retro Marcus to start off the year.

That is a double YUM for this holiday Monday! WOOT! Have a good one!

Honestly, I wasn’t thinking. My head’s been buried in writing, something it’s not really been buried in for about a year. But I have a lot of plans because lately, I’ve been uh…planning. LOL Thinking about my writing career and my publishers and the stuff I have out that isn’t selling, the stuff I have out that is selling, and yes, I’ve been thinking about retirement as well. Perhaps not retirement from writing altogether, but maybe retirement of this pen name once I’ve fulfilled all of its obligations. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things related to my writing career. So you all may start to see some changes in how I do things and what I release.

No changes to Tales of the Darkworld. The next book is still going to be #7 Fire Storm which is a continuation of Holden and Garrett’s story. I’m planning that for spring 2012. No changes to the Encounters series. Still plan on putting out Magic Lessons, Rituals, and Blood Lust. No changes to my plans for the other two books in my Spellbound Treasures trilogy. The second story is going to be M/M and the last of the trilogy will be Branson’s story which I’m wanting to write with my pal Jennifer Leeland for reasons you’ll discover when we actually do the thing! LOL Your hint is to take a look at what Jen writes. HEH. Branson is a lot more than anyone knows…

My plans for the Magia series are really backburnered at this point. I want to write it, but I want more experience with the Edwardian era first which is one of the reasons I’m doing Lords of Aether. Steampunk set in the Edwardian era in an parallel world still gives me some experience writing that era. Eventually, I’ll write about the Magia. Some day anyway.

Meanwhile, I will have a freebie story for everyone on New Year’s Eve. One version for those who read het and one version (slightly changed) for those who read gay rom. It’s called Finding Your Heart and it’s just a short story about a love that never died.

Anyway, since my post is late, I’ll not write too much. Just gonna give you all another retro Marcus, a photo I’ve posted previously but some years back, then sign off.

I could look at that all day. Seriously.  I think Adam Bouska needs to photograph him for NoH8. Anyway, sorry for the lateness. I didn’t even promo today. How I’m gonna sell books without promo beats me. Anyway, that’s it for me! Happy Monday after Christmas!