LBGT People Are Not Our Sex Objects

Let me preface this post by saying that I am not trying to insult anybody. In fact, I’m really having trouble figuring out how to express my thoughts. So, I thought that I would just be a bit blunt and deal with the fallout. I also want to let my readers and most of my fellow authors know that I am not directing this at them. So, please don’t think this is aimed at you.  I admire and love you all too much for that. As such, here it goes.

Gay men are real people. With real feelings. Real lives. Real jobs.  They have real everyday problems. One could even go further and say that they have more everyday problems than the rest of society.  What they are NOT is a fetish, your personal sex objects or people you can exploit.

Yes, I have posted pictures of guys kissing and such. But, I did it more for the ‘this is love, too’ factor or ‘gay couples can be sexy, too’ as opposed to the ‘look at this gaggle of barely legal sexy boys…now go buy my books’. 

I know I bring my son up often. As a mother it’s hard not to. But, I watch as society slams on him and other LGBT people every day. I see the struggles he and his friends have to face. Most of all I see him as my…well, son. He is just like you and me. He hurts. He cries. He smiles. He laughs. He grieves. He loves.

The LGBT community is on the cusp of making great strides in the fight for equality. As authors we have the most amazing opportunity of helping out with that. I want you all to step back and think about that for a moment. We can help rectify one of the wrongs that will be a part of history. How amazing is that?

However, the only way we can do that is by pointing out the injustices the LGBTQ community faces and showing how they are just as normal as everybody else. We can’t do it by turning this already marginalized group into a fetish.

So, I’m putting this challenge out. Start writing about the real issues…the fact that gay men can’t give blood, that LBGT people can be denied housing, can be legally fired from their jobs (at least in some states), are heckled every day. Or how transgender people are afraid to use public bathroom, are shunned by society and sometimes even treated poorly by their own doctors.

I already see a great amount of authors doing this. Surprise! They sell as many if not more books as the authors who treat gay men as sexual objects. Not to toot my own horn (sorry for the cliché) but I’ve even had some gay men write me and thank me for showing the issues in my books.

I don’t mean to come off as harsh or judgmental. It just pains me to see my son being turned into nothing more than a sex object.  He’s a wonderful person, smart, caring, loving. I don’t like it when he’s seen for less than that.

So, I’m putting this challenge out to my fellow authors. Now is the time that we need to show the real issues that the LGBT community faces every day. Show that in your books. You don’t have to climb on a soapbox and scream, there are way to be subtle about it.  Believe it or not, you will make a difference. Even if your books are a bit risque or sexually charged, I have seen some amazing authors who have been able to still show the everyday struggles that LGBT people have to deal with on a daily bases. So, I promise that it can be done.

Please, excuse any typos and grammar crimes I may have committed in this post. As always, when I go on a rant, my fingers move too fast sometimes.

Shocker! I have a video to share, I couldn’t help it. Since it shows couples who are just being couples, and not sex objects.

Attention! Release Update!

I have some bad news to share with you guys—Tatum Got Bit By A Spider has been delayed. The good news is that it’s only going to be for two weeks. I am so sorry and I hope you all forgive me.

You’re probably wondering why there have been some delays the past few months. While some of them have been due to the creative process that goes into all my books, some of them have been due to health issues. I’m not going to mire you all down with all the details. I will let you know that it’s a chronic condition that I will be dealing with for the rest of my life. That being said, just like with my fibro, I am determined to make sure that I learn how to control it so I’m the one in charge of my body. As the saying goes, Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

This whole process does have a silver lining, believe it or not. I’ve learned how much my family loves me. I’ve also learned who my true friends are. For that I shall be eternally grateful.

I do have some really great news to share. We just brought home a new dog. Bruce is a rescues dog and he is already a huge part of our family. Sure, he may look a bit goofy in his cone, but that just makes him all the more lovable.  He’s so sweet and I can’t wait for all the good times we’re going to have with him.

Sorry for not Party Rocking

Sorry, it's been so long since I gave you an update on upcoming releases. I am in the process of updating my webpage, so it's a tiny, tiny bit behind on things. Okay, it's way out of date. LOL As such, I thought I would give you a glimpse of my upcoming releases. Please remember, all dates are subject to change.

First off on September 1st-the next Drone Vampire Book, Blood of an Angel, will be out. To fit in the timeline of the war, this will show the first half of Lachlan and Jeremy's HEA. Then the next one we will visit Ian and Kale again. The last book of the series will show the final part of Lachlan's story.

Here is the rest of the books due to come out:

September 15th- When Tatum Got Bit By A Spider-Lost Shifter Book

October 1st-I will be releasing another Shane Book. I spoke about this one a little bit on FB. The question I posted there was--What would Shane and Trevor do if Ava was kidnapped? Better yet, what would Ava do? After all, she is a little assassin in training.

October 15th- We will be going back to the Night Warden series in a book called, The Devil's Nightmare. In this one Jonas who was originally in the Drone Vampire Series will finally get his HEA.

November 1st-Amber Kell and I will be releasing the first book in our PORN series, Patrick's Plight. This one we came up with after a few drinks too many. We asked each other--Wouldn't it be a hoot to write about a porn star who was totally inept at his job?

Also, I'm honored to be a contributor to Geoff Knight's book, Why Straight Women Love Gay Romance. so, make sure to keep an eye out for that. 

Yoga-Part Two

Yoga-Part Two

Sorry, my posts have been so sporadic lately. Not only have I been sick, but we lost Ugly Cat. She went into renal failure and we had no choice but to put her down. But, as Joie so briskly said the other day, “We need to stop mourning and move on.” As such I decided to post something funny today.

So, I’m still taking yoga and decided in a moment of extreme insanity that I was ready to take a hot yoga class. As I entered the ‘tea room’ I should have realized I was in trouble. While I’ve lost some weight, I still have some very generous curves. On the other hand, everybody else getting ready for the class was thinner than Twiggy on a diet.

I’d worn all black in an attempt to look thinner, but as soon as I spotted their narrowed eyes expressions, I realized I’d failed. I could almost feel them scrutinizing every bulge, ripple and roll on my body. But, fool that I was, I still smile and got out my matt.

As I walked out, they already had the heaters on and I could feel myself sweating. This is even before I began my pre-class meditations. As the supermodels all laid out their mats, instead of getting into my Zen all I could think about is, “I’m going to die. There is no way I can survive this kind of class. They’ll have to peal my limp, stinky body off the floor at the end of class.”

So, the class begins. At first I’m doing fine and keeping up. Sure, I may already have sweat trickling down my back, but I am woman and I can do this!  Or…maybe not. After five minutes they really get started and so begins my decent into hell. I am serious, too, I swear there was more than once where the Prince of Darkness actually laughed at me. That sneaky bastard.

Halfway during the class, I want to run away and hide out in the bathroom than assume the fetal positions. And before you all judge me that would still count, since that is a position in yoga.

To make matters worse, they keep telling me to do multiple things…engage my core…breath deep…find myself…keep my eyes closed. I really tried to do them all. Just so my instructors know, whenever they tell me to relax my jaw, I assume what I call the Kristen Stewart face. Seriously, have any of you ever seen her with a closed mouth? I suspect she may have a sinus issue and is a mouth breathing.

Anyways…moving on. Just as I was about to crumble into a pile and cry harder than Ben Stiller in There’s Something About Mary, I notice something—I’m not the only one who is having trouble. In fact, ALL of the class is struggling. That’s when I remembered one of the most important lessons of yoga, there is no judgment, there is only you.

Then I pushed on. Sure, I may have had to modify some of the poses, but I go through. In fact, I told the instructor, who is actually one of the most amazing women I have ever met, that I will see her next class.

It seems that every time that I go to yoga, I learn something new. Today was, it’s okay to look a fool, because deep inside we all feel that we look the same way. All that matters is that we push on. But, don’t think I’m going to convert to vegan anytime soon. I need meat in my life.

So, I dug up this Erin Foley clip. Not only does it talk about her own experiences at the gym, but she also makes a swipe at vegan cookbooks. I love that lady.

How to reply to spammers

Spammers, we all deal with them. They are like a bunch of cockroaches that just never seem to want to die away. No, I don't want to join your Christian date site, buy your tractors, buy your pills and I certainly don't want any Viagra pills. And since I don't have a penis, I'm perfectly happy with its size. So, stop bothering me.  I decided to kill two birds with one stone and answer them here. So, the first sentence will be their subject line and the second one will be my reply.

BANG some TEENAGE Pamala into her little kitty

Now that’s just mean. Who would want to hurt a tiny cat….oh! Real mature there, Spammer. Your play of words is about fifth grade level.

Share the ONLY LOVE with Sean who will come to anywhere you are.

I’m at that Star Wars Cantina. Let's see you you make it there Seany-boy.

SHOCKING scenes where two GIRLS and three BOYS dancing in a bed

Serioulsy, dude, as a mom all I’ll do is tell them to knock it off before somebody gets hurt. “You’ll poke your eye out!”

YOUNG LADIES are ready to do anything for getting access to your genitals

Are they doctors or nurses? Otherwise, that’s just plain creepy. And kind of like an Uncle I used to have.

CALL ME AFTER GOING THROUGH MY PROPOSAL

How about, no! You scream too much. Now, shhh….. You gave me a headache. 

FOR THE SMOKER YOU LOVE

Talk to the guy  above. You can wax poetic about your love of the CAPS LOCK key. You can even buy matching t-shirts.

TEEN sluts having love in real time.

Ewww…just ewww.  Hear that knock on the door? It’s the guys from To Catch a Preditor

Don’t let Michele to feel  lonely?

How about you and Michele both take grammar lessons? Then she can meet all kinds of new friends.

Social Network with Naked Teen boobs

Isn’t that EVERY social network? Okay, maybe not Grindr.

Hope to hear from you soon

Yeah…don’t hold  your breath.

Kindly assist me

No way! The last guy who asked that had a trench coat on with a most unpleasant surprise underneath.

A good thing

Via YouTube- (Written by George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam). Now available on iTunes benefitting Larkin Street Youth Services of San Francisco. iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/blrb7x4 OR CdBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/mattalber3 Find out more about the difference Larkin Street Youth Services is making in the lives of homeless youth by visiting: http://www.larkinstreetyouth.org

Chick-Fil-A and Proverbs 25:21

Not much to say with this video, either. Mostly because this young woman provides a perfect rebuttal to Chick-Fil-A's recent anti-gay statements.