Quirky Heroines, Happy Endings
Do you know a song with heavy guitar, a plaintive melody and just this side of despair lyrics? I’m there. And the same song done acoustic? Oh yes. Here’s my pick for Tuneful Tuesday.
Mondays are great. If you hit the ground running, you can get ahead of the folks who waste too much time complaining. Find yourself in the dumps? Here are some quotes that will get you up and started on this first Monday of the new year.
“Monday is the key day of the week.” – Gaelic Proverb
“To many Mondays are not the worst days of the week, they are the best starts to the week. All you need to do is change your perspective and you are set for a good start.” – Marge Holland
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” – William B. Sprague
“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King
Cheers!
Dahlia
Hello, my name is Dahlia and I’m an erotic romance writer. For those who don’t know what that means, “erotic romance” is an indicator that if you pick up one of my books (and please do) you will most likely stumble upon to an open door sex scene. You will most likely see the words “p*ssy”, “c*ck”, “d*ck”, “breasts”, “balls”, read about the exchange of bodily fluids and climaxes and orgasms (always a good thing). You will also read about people becoming aroused, thinking about having sex and invading others’ personal space, with sexy results.
I’m sure you’re wondering what’s up with the picture. Stick with me. You’ll see.
As a curious (nosy) person, I used (note the word ‘used‘) to peruse my Amazon book reviews as well as the reviews of other erotic romance authors. It is interesting to read how others view the erotic romance novel. Some of the reviews I’ve read have literally caused my jaw to drop.
I’ve read that some books are “pure p*rn”, nothing but “smut” or have “too much sex”. I’ve also read reviews in which reviewers commented that the heroine doesn’t “have respect for herself” because she f*cked a hot dude on page two. Furthermore, I’ve also read reviews that said “I don’t like books where the woman seeks sexual satisfaction”. I guess this last means the woman has to wait for the man to bring it.
These types of comments truly puzzle me and bring me to a couple of questions:
1. Why are you reading erotic romance novels if you don’t want to read about sex? That’s like watching the NFL channel and getting angry that it has too much football.
Sidenote: To the reviewer who didn’t like the woman who pursued sexual satisfaction, aren’t you doing the same thing by reading a sexy novel? What the f*ck?
2. If you thought an author’s book was pure p*rn, then why did you buy the rest of the books in the series? Who’s the dummy? I’m allergic to peanut butter. So, I go out and buy a Snickers bar, eat it, get sick, then complain?
3. If you don’t like the depiction of blow jobs/p*ssy worship….yeah, why are you even reading an erotic romance? There’s a high chance you’ll run into some c*ck-sucking or **gasp** p*ssy-licking if you read enough of them.
Point is, writers write because they love what they write. Readers read because they love what writers write. I am so glad that there is a place where writers can express the sexuality of their characters and appeal to the readers that like the hot stuff. There is no shame in that game. I have a ton of writer colleagues who write stuff that make me blush, but like I always way, chacun son goût…. les yeux sans visage…. voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir …that’s my French for the day.
I’m not even going to call these people haters, because why bother? My advice? Stick to the sweet romances. Avoid any romance that mentions the word “heat” in the blurb. And, if the cover has a couple enjoying a sweet, sexy embrace, stay far, far, FAR away. You don’t want to get bumped in the face with a stray erection.
As I typed this, I found a brilliant way to tie this all in with Football Friday. My fantasy football stud quarterback, Peyton Manning will wrap this up nicely. Let me give you a little history. Peyton has played in a dome – Lucas Oil Stadium (aka the house that Peyton built) for most of his career. When he went to Denver, there was all sorts of talk that he couldn’t play in the cold. For while, that’s been true until this past game with the Titans. With a kickoff temperature of 18 degrees F, Peyton threw for 397 yards with four touchdowns with no interceptions., The Broncos won, 51-28. Furthermore, the 39 completions established a new franchise record.
Now, does the graphic make more sense?
D
The holiday season is in full swing. The Santas are out ringing the bells for the Salvation Army, lights are up at municipal halls, the Christmas tree lots are full of people looking for the perfect tree. In addition, Cyber Sales week is never-ending and I seem to get three emails every hour about one online sale or another. Social Media posts scroll by talking about finding gifts, finishing shopping or filling out holiday cards. On the news, they talk about the hot toys of the season and what people are doing to get them. Kitchens are fired up with holiday baking and cooking and stores are packed with people stocking up for impending snowstorms.
After a while, it can become overwhelming. The holiday season becomes more of a time of creating cheer than actually experiencing it. If you find yourself at that point, take some advice from my dog: Paws to Reflect.
What does that mean? Grab a fleece blanket, curl up in a comfortable spot and just breathe. Eyes can be open or closed, your head can be on your hands or not. Even if it’s just for couple of seconds, just take that paws to heart. Blank your mind and just be.
Then if a squirrel runs by or someone opens the refrigerator, you’ll be well-rested enough to continue your pursuits.
I’m not going to go on about the ‘reason for the season’. Everyone celebrates in their own way. All I ask is that you remember to ENJOY yourself because that’s what all holidays are about.