“I don’t know what it is about her, but she sets my soul on fire by simply existing.”
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Happy New Year folks! I hope everyone is having a splendid new year so far.
Like every new year, I change the appearance of my website. Unfortunately, this year, the change came early due to some unforeseen circumstances.
Last week, a cover model took to social media with a rant on obesity that spread like a wildfire through the author community and publishing industry. Not only did he get the attention of many authors, but he also gained the attention of readers.
This cover model didn’t say anything new in his explosive post. People have been preaching about the obesity problem in the US for years. However, the tone he used to express his thoughts on obesity is what really got people’s attention. The words “fat” and “lazy” were often used throughout his post. Instead of encouraging those who are overweight to seek a healthier lifestyle, he used his platform to belittle and berate women of a particular size. And I say women because his rant was directly geared toward women.
Although he’s not the first model to go on such a rant, I thought he was better than that. I was disappointed in him. Of course, once he set that dumpster fire, authors and readers alike lashed out at him. He, in turn, lashed back and his comments grew nastier and nastier. This showed me that I didn’t know him like I thought I did, and that he was indeed a crappy human being.
I won’t say his name. He knows who he is, and by now, I’m pretty sure a lot of you know who he is as well.
After that debacle, I decided to cut ties with him. I will no longer use any of his images on my work, my blog nor my website.
Thankfully, his face is only on one of my book covers. I will leave it as it is since that story is more than five years old. However, his face was plastered all over my website. Yikes! Thanks to the quick work of my cover artist, that is no longer a problem.
I plan to make more changes to my website within the next few months, but until then, back into the writing cave I go. Catch ya’ later, folks!
Happy New Year, everyone!
I’m so glad to have made it through another year, and I’m glad you guys made it with me. May not be a big deal for some, but for me, that’s enough reason to celebrate. Cheers!
At the beginning of 2018, I made a resolution. Though I tried, I wasn’t able to reach my goal. Part of the reason was due to something that happened in my personal life, and the other part was due to my lack of drive to make it happen. Earlier last year, my hubby fell ill, right after my boys got over a bad flu. It caused a big scare. As a result, I directed all of my attention to my better half’s health, totally disregarding my chatty characters and even my own health. I was so concerned about him, I didn’t even realize I was sick myself. It was a respiratory infection, which truly sucks for someone with bronchitis asthma. *sigh* Thankfully, I caught it before it got really bad.
Nevertheless, throughout it all, my writing suffered. Life happens so it couldn’t be helped. That just means I have to push harder to get ahead just in case life throws another monkey wrench my way.
That said, I’m going to do things differently this year. Instead of announcing my new year’s resolution, I’m going to keep to myself and make it happen. I won’t TALK about it, I’ll BE about it. That’s my motto this year and I plan to stick with it.
I have high hopes that you’ll be able to stick with your plans to reach your goals as well. Let’s do it together!
*Release date will be announced soon. Stay tuned.*
After attaching my bipod, I slipped on my black leather gloves then took my post.
One-thirty p.m. Like clockwork, Deverati’s snowy Bugatti whipped around the corner and parallel parked across the street from Café Josephine.
“Alright Half-a-mil, let’s do this.” I watched the car through my scope, anxious for the moment my mark revealed himself.
The butterfly door on the driver side swung open, he stepped out and the world shifted into slow motion.
“Daaayum,” I breathed out.
The Italian leather shoes, tailored black slacks and tan trench coat fit him to perfection. A gust of wind breezed by and flared his coat’s tail, adding to the magnificence of his striking presence. A pair of dark Aviators hid his eyes. Sheer arrogance poured off of him in waves as he strutted across the street.
When he disappeared into Josephine’s Cafe, the world returned to its normal pace and I caught my breath.
Fuck the pictures! This man was gorgeous. Even his swagger was a thing of beauty.
Before returning to my sniper scope, I blinked twice. “Focus, Monroe,” I whispered as I mentally reminded myself of the mission.
Eliminate the target.
His superciliousness alone justified him as being more than worthy of a visit from my bullet. But, as I watched him walk across the street with his standard large latte in hand, something about him intrigued me, and it wasn’t just his looks.
Three men were huddled over a table in the far corner of the bar area, where they conversed, laughed and enjoyed their drinks. Like they’d just stepped off the stage of a Shakespearian play, they sported costumes that were stylishly dated for a Masquerade ball, capes and all. Neither one of them appeared to be in our age bracket. In fact, they looked like cougar bait. That made me feel old.
The one Allison had her eyes on, a smooth cocoa brother with a wavy fade, snapped his attention our way. The two men at his sides―one looked Latin and the other white―followed suit.
Uh-oh. I fidgeted uncomfortably under their steady gazes. Allison, on the other hand, flashed a megawatt smile, assumed a provocative stance and stuck her voluptuous chest out for their scrutiny.
“Looks like they’re going to a Masquerade too.” The words slid off Allison’s tongue like she’d just tasted something scrumptious. “One of every flavor. A yummy man swirl.”
Oh goodness, trouble!
Mischief played in Allison’s steely blue eyes. No doubt about it, I was about to be yanked into an awkward, uncomfortable situation. I started getting the jitters. The pounding beneath my chest grew faster at the sparkle in Allison’s leer and the developing interest from the beautiful young men across the way.
Desperate to get out of the building before Allison made her move, I inched closer to the exit. “Let’s go ahead and get our cab, Ally. Running late, remember?”
Her white gloved hand caught me by the wrist. “Trying to run off on me, honey.”
“I’m trying to go hail a cab. You cussed me out for making us late and now you wanna set us back further?”
“They are worth the set back.” Her eyes glued on the handsome gents, she murmured, “Besides, the party doesn’t jump off until we arrive anyway.”
“No girl, I see what you’re ‘bout to do, and I’m not comfortable with it.” I tried to sound stern and serious, but the alcohol sailing through my system made my voice waver and slur. Dang, I’m a lightweight.
“Uh-huh, right, let’s go see if they’re going to the same ball.”
“Please don’t do this,” I begged as I was pulled across the cream tiles to the bar area. “Allison, don’t…”
The closer we got to the threesome, the hotter they became. By the time we stepped onto the carpeted area, I wasn’t resisting anymore. What’s the use anyway? Allison was going to drag me into the mix one way or another.
Many of you already know that I love anime! It’s the thing that keeps from killing people on a regular basis. So, when Netflix dropped Aggretsuko into my catalog as a recommended show to watch, I jumped all over it.
Aggretsuko is about a 25-year-old, socially awkward, red panda named Retsuko, who is insanely adorable and MAD AS ALL HELL. The series focuses on how she deals with everyday challenges in her life, like her annoying co-workers, her chauvinist boss, and her self-confidence.
What I enjoyed most about Retsuko was the way she coped with her stress. Death Metal, baby! At the end of a hard work day, she would head to the karaoke bar, quaff a large beer and then dive into some screaming death metal. My girl even kept a microphone in her bag for emergency death metal sessions. That’s boss-level swag right there!
I knew I would be entertained as soon as I pressed play on the first episode, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. I think the reason it appealed to me so much was because the character was relatable. On a daily basis, she was harassed by her manager and her boss who was a pig. No lie. He was literally misogynist pig! She did her best to cope with him. She even tried to appeal to his better nature, which only worsened the situation. Now in this day and age, with the Time’s Up movement afoot, women no longer have to put up with that kind of bullshit at the workplace. #GirlPower
That aside, it was interesting to see how she dealt with those uncomfortable situations.
Long story short, Retsuko made some friends in high places at her company who more or less took care of the pig for her. However, such as life, she still faces struggles.
Even if you’re not an anime fan, there is something in this series you can relate to. Give it a viewing! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Unless you’re a chauvinist pig.
“Don’t take my love for you as a weakness, Tristan. I will kill you.”
Flashing a glimpse of fang, he offered a boyish grin. “Good. Because you may have to.”
