The writings & ramblings of a Philadelphian

The Summer of Butterflies

2012-01-26T07:04:00.001-05:00

Recently, something came up that reminded me of a dark time in my life. During that time, most of Impeccable was written.

After that time, though, something remarkable happened. My "Summer of Butterflies" happened.

After the discussion about that dark time in my life, I felt the need to revisit the Summer of Butterflies. I began to share it with others too, hoping to bring a little light and inspiration to their days.

Today, I share it with you.

This piece was featured in the 2011 Nature's Gift Anthology by Vanilla Heart Publishing.

Happy reading! ;)

The summer of 2010 was my first summer in North Country. A born and bred city girl, I now found myself living in a county where the bovine population significantly out-numbered the human population.
I would be inclined to say it was an ordinary summer, and it was, save for one giant gift from Mother Nature: butterflies. Monarch butterflies, to be precise.
I‘ll never forget watching my partner come in with a plant saying that she had something to show us. On a milk weed leaf was a large black and yellow caterpillar. The kind of caterpillar that turns into a beautiful monarch butterfly. We gathered a jar, placed the milk weed and a moist paper towel in it. Then we let the caterpillar do his caterpillar business. Our four year old watched him day after day in his ―changing room.‖ Our entire family was filled with excitement watching and waiting to see this miraculous transformation. Ten days later, a big, beautiful monarch butterfly stretched his wings and was ready to take flight.
Just a day or two after the first butterfly hatched, my mother-in-law acquired yet another caterpillar! Just as we had done with the first, we got this new little guy all settled into his new jar home and we once again found ourselves waiting and watching for butterfly number two. He hatched two weeks later, and our little girl was fortunate enough to watch him flutter away towards the horse pasture into the light blue summer sky.
Butterflies are amazing little creatures, you see. Prior to cocooning, the caterpillar eats as much as it can (they apparently love milk weed). When you notice they stop eating, you know the time is soon. They‘ll find a spot and begin to dangle themselves upside down. For us, it seemed they like to make their cocoons at night for
we would see an upside-down caterpillar one day and a little green cocoon the next morning. While these incredible insects are in their ―changing rooms,‖ they basically eat themselves to near death. I don‘t quite know or understand this phenomenon, but they leave just a few cells remaining to regenerate and to create this entirely new body as a butterfly. The process takes anywhere from ten days to two weeks, and then they break out of the cocoon and are ready to face the world in their new suit.
While butterfly number two was changing, the greatest of my butterfly gifts arrived. We were unloading our air compressor from the truck when I noticed there was another monarch caterpillar. This one was hanging upside-down on the back part of the compressor. From that moment on, I watched diligently over that new butterfly. I didn‘t want anything to happen to this precious life hanging on my compressor. This little guy didn‘t realize he had picked a very noisy and shaky home. So I always watched over him when the machine was in use. Plus, unbeknownst to him, he was cocooning on our machine during the biggest show of the chainsaw carving season. Poor little bug was trying to change on a machine that was being used frequently. I‘d talk to him every time I needed to use the air compressor, and I would check on him after every use. I would breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that he was still hanging tough. I named him John Wayne, because he was such a tough little guy. On his third day in a cocoon, the rain down poured on us. We received over seven inches of rain that day. Thankfully, though, my partner made sure that she placed John Wayne under the safety of her carving tent so that the little guy wouldn‘t get washed away.
After that show, we used the air compressor at home, but we finally stopped using it all together because he was due to hatch very soon. I was so excited to see this little one make it. He really had the odds stacked against him, but he seemed to be flourishing despite his choice of home.
On day twelve of John Wayne‘s cocooning, my partner and I were on location, working on a large carving. It was an exceptionally hot day that day. We were trying to stay as cool as we could. We were keeping ourselves hydrated and even misting ourselves with water so we wouldn‘t over-heat while we were carving. As we were working, one little butterfly flew all around me and wouldn‘t leave me alone. Then, amazingly enough, it landed on me. Not just for a moment, but several moments. Several moments turned into several minutes as the butterfly made himself quite comfortable on my arm. So comfortable, in fact, that it began drinking moisture from my arm! It was amazing to watch. While he quenched his thirst, the butterfly and I studied each other. I looked at his pencil-thin legs with little black hairs. His eyes were a deep, dark red and resembled those of a fly. His tongue was a thin, long black apparatus that lightly tickled me. He was freckled with innumerable white spots. His bright orange wings rested closed while he drank. He cocked his head to look at me. I can only imagine what I must have looked like to him! That was a wonderful once in a life-time experience.
Days thirteen and fourteen came and went and John Wayne still hadn‘t hatched. I was concerned, but his cocoon was still bright and looked healthy. Perhaps
John was simply a late bloomer. I knew that nature knew what she was doing, so I took comfort in her perfection.
I was away all day on day fifteen, so I was unable to check on the little guy. As much as I had wanted to watch him hatch and take flight, I was sure he already had and I was quite content.
On day sixteen, my partner and I went to check on our air compressor friend. My heart sank as we approached. He didn‘t look good. The cocoon was thin and the color was starting to turn dark. The more we looked, the more it appeared that John Wayne hadn‘t made it. When a cocoon turns black, it indicates that the butterfly has died inside. Whether it had gotten too cold one night or what, we weren‘t sure. What we sure of was that the little caterpillar, in whom I had put so much faith and hope, was never going to fly.
I cried for the little man. I had such high hopes for him. He seemed so strong and determined to live. If any caterpillar deserved the chance to live as a butterfly, it was John Wayne.
The next day, I moped around and asked my partner if we could bury John Wayne. It seemed silly to bury a butterfly, but this little guy had touched my heart and I wanted to do something special to honor him. I remembered the butterfly that drank from my arm and I resolved myself to that being a great gift from nature to help balance out my loss from John. Nature is balance. Life is cyclical. All of the seasons balance each other. The moon balances the ebb and flow of the ocean. Within nature, we find perfect harmony and perfect balance. So, it only stood to reason that nature would gift me an experience like that in order to balance out the death of John Wayne.
Day eighteen started out like any other. I was still sad over the loss of John Wayne. I was trying to determine the best place to bury the little man. I had just pulled up to my parking space when my partner called me.
―Hey Laur?‖
―Hey. What‘s up?‖
―You‘re not going to believe this. I was going into the barn by the shelves and this monarch butterfly slowly flew in front of me and over my head. Then, I went to check the shelves and John Wayne‘s cocoon was empty.‖
I was floored. How could this happen? How could this be? His cocoon was thin and black! John Wayne‘s re-birth as a butterfly defied the odds and defied all reason. However it was that this miracle came to be, I cried tears of joy and the giant smile on my face could not be erased. Nature gifts us miracles in all sizes, and John Wayne was one of those miracles. I later saw his empty cocoon. I still couldn‘t believe it even when I saw it, but he did indeed hatch. I‘m sorry I wasn‘t able to witness his first flight, but I know that he flew around my partner to thank her for taking such good care of him. I still miss his company, but am ecstatic over his existence!
John Wayne was my greatest gift from nature. My miraculous monarch.

And the winners from the blog hop are...

2012-01-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

First off, I would like to thank EVERYONE who participated in the blog hop. It was a tremendous success thanks to all of you! :)

It was great to "meet" you all! I hope to see all of you again soon! :)

And now, without further ado...

The winner of the free E-book copies of Imperfect and Impeccable is "Savannah." Congratulations!!! Enjoy the books! :)

And the big winner of the free Kindle is...

Michelle Bledsoe!

A big congratulations to Michelle!!! :)

Again, thank you all so very much for joining us!

Please stay with us as we do give aways from time to time, so you never know...You could be the next winner! :)

Happy reading!

Friday the 13th Blog Hop

2012-01-13T00:00:00.013-05:00

The Hop STARTS at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com
and she will display the link to the next stop in the Hop in her post. Each blogger will do the same, so you'll be visiting every link in the Hop's chain. If that host is offering a giveaway on his/her blog, go ahead and enter to win their contest
Next: www.AuthorSRClaridge.com/BlogHopPrizeEntry.htm Or www.FeelingTheFiction.blogspot.com
Contest: One random reader's name will be selected by leaving a comment and they will win a FREE e-book copy of Imperfect and Impeccable!

You made it! :) This is the last stop on the hop!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog, The Writings and Ramblings of a Philadelphian. My name is Lauren Harvey, I write under the name L. E. Harvey.

I write,

I ramble,

and yes, I am a Philadelphian.

Since today is Friday the 13th, I want to discuss something very strange...and a tad frightening! ;)

As a writer, my background is in non-fiction. Historical non-fiction, scientific papers, newspaper, magazine and textbook articles...if it was a boring regurgitation of information, I wrote it!

As a side project, strictly for myself, I began writing a series of intertwined short stories. When my publisher got word of this "project," she asked me to see them. Incredibly hesitant and nervous, I submitted my stories. Next thing I remember, Loving Her was published.

Now, here's where it gets...interesting. You see the more I was challenged to write fiction, the more fiction I wrote. I began to develop a voice and to improve my craft. I found that stories and characters came flooding to me and I was simply a vessel to put those stories and those characters' lives on paper.

I wrote stories and about people that simply came to me. I always considered it inspiration. That is, until...

It started happening to me. As my own life began to play out, I discovered that it incrediby paralleled my stories. It could easily be said that I simply wrote about my experiences. I kinda did, except that, my experiences came AFTER the stories had been written.

I cannot begin to describe just how frightning this actually was. Now granted, there were no chainsaw massacre killers knocking on my front door or anything like that.

But things that I could not have planned or forseen suddenly became true.

Imperfect and Impeccable were the most "prophetic" of my books, if you will. But really all of my books are a glance into my past, present and dare I say, my future.

Forget tarot cards,

forget fortune tellers,

forget the magic eight ball.

If I want to know my future, I just have to crack open one of my books!

Strange?

Absolutely!

Scary?

I think so.

Appropriate for Friday the 13th?

Undoubtedly!

Does it make you want to read Imperfect and Impeccable? I sure hope so! ;) One of you will be lucky enough to win free e-book copies of Imperfect and Impeccable! The link to the entry form is at the bottom of this post! ;)

Good luck and happy reading!

Ok, now that we're all done hopping, don't forget to fill out the contest entry form at www.AuthorSRClaridge.com/BlogHopPrizeEntry.htm Or www.FeelingTheFiction.blogspot.com

Thursday's Blog post...

2012-01-12T07:33:00.003-05:00

Has been postponed until tomorrow.

Why? You ask. Here's a little bit of info for ya...

I'm on the hop! Hope you hop on over and say hi! ;)?
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=kBZTQYWM_RI&feature=youtu.be

Preditors & Editors Poll

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Good Thursday morning, everyone! The week is almost over and 2012 is in full swing! :)

Today's blog is all about supporting the VHP family. Why? Because th P & E poll is back and as usual, VHP is ROCKIN'!

PLEASE vote for these incredible VHPers in the following categories:

Sarabande by Malcolm R. Campbell in Science Fiction and Fantasy.
http://critters.org/predpoll/novelsf.shtml#vote

Hyphema by Chelle Cordero in Mystery.
http://critters.org/predpoll/novelmys.shtml

Malcolm R. Campbell for best author
http://critters.org/predpoll/author.shtml

Last and certainly not least,

VHP for best e-book publisher!
http://critters.org/predpoll/ebookpublisher.shtml

Ok, let's get out there & vote and show the world that VHP simply rocks!

My New Years Resolutions

2011-12-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

I can't believe another year has come and gone. Time goes by faster and faster, doesn't it?

2011 brought both good and bad. The good of course, is that Impeccable came out! :)

What's next? To be honest, I don't know. I have several projects I'm working on, but I also never know when inpsiration will hit yet again. So for now, I shall make some new years resolutions for myself and my writing.

I want to ensure that my writing only improves in the new year.

I want to create works that continue to touch and inspire my readers, and I want my circle of readers to continue to expand.

I want to be the writer and the person that I have always hoped I would be.

I don't just want to want these things, but to do them and to be them. May my drive and deterimination never wane as I continue to work, to write and to grow.

May 2012 make all YOUR dreams come true!

Happy reading and happy new year!

2011-12-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

Good Thursday morning!

So, the holidays are here yet again. Another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

For me, 2011 has been a good year.

New York passed marriage equality.

I met the love of my life and we became engaged.

Impeccable was released.

I became a columnist for both gayleeds.com and gaylifenewsletter.com

I was named one of the Top 100 Authors on Facebook for the second year in a row! Last year, I was #3, this year I am #15! I must admit it is an incredible honor to be ranked so high two years in a row! I am flattered (and pretty darn excited!)! :)

So, as 2011 winds down it is time to look at the future.

What lies in store? I don't know everything that will happen in the coming days, months and years.

I know that there are projects - stories - I am working on and I hope to see come to fruition in 2012.

I will be getting married in 2012.

Aside from that, I don't know.

What I do know is that I will continue to grow and improve as both a person and a writer. I will give my best daily, and although that may not be much on some days, it's better than nothing!

So I wish everyone a bright, beautiful and blessed holday season (especially since today is Yule and Hannukah is already under way!).

And may 2012 exceed all your hopes and dreams! :)

Happy reading!

L. E. Harvey's Holiday Extravaganza!

2011-12-08T07:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday, y'all! ;)

With up-coming holidays such as Yule, Hannukkah, Kwanzaa, and of course Christmas, I have decided you all needed a break!

SO, I am doing a holiday extravaganza where you can purchase copies of my books and have them personally autographed. I will ship them to you and BAM! You have the perfect holiday gift for the book worm in your life!

So, what's the catch?

Well, you MUST e-mail me at leharvey77@gmail.com as I do not have the ability to mind read.

I know there are rumors, but they simply aren't true. Mind reading is NOT one of my talents.

So, please e-mail me at leharvey77@gmail.com and tell me which book(s) you'd like, who you would like them signed to and where to ship them.

I will tell you where/how you can pay me.

PLEASE NOTE, my quantities are incredibly limited, so this will not last long! As soon as the last book is out of my house, that ends it! So, if you really want an L. E. Harvey classic, e-mail me (leharvey77@gmail.com) ASAP and I will hook you up, my friends! :)

Happy reading!!!! ;)

Page 69 Trial Part II and World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, December 1, everyone!

Today is World AIDS Day. For that, I ask you all to remember, research and respect the disease and the people it affects. I didn't fully understand it until I began writing Imperfect and Impeccable. Truth be told, there is still so much more I could write about and so much more still for me to learn. I ask that in honor of World AIDS Day, you please purchase your copies of Imperfect">Imperfect and Impeccable">Impeccable today!

Since Impeccable is now available in print, I wanted to revisit the Page 69 Trial. Today, we're going to look at page 69 in the print edition.

“You and Alex went to that group together. You didn’t abandon her in the darkest hour you both shared. You stayed with her night and day at the end, Carol. You never left my sister’s side. Not in twelve years. That is incredible.” Candace finally paused for a breath. “Don’t you
get it, Carol? You’re a far greater person than you realize.”
Carol simply sniffled into the phone.
“Carol, you are not a fake and you certainly are not inferior. Not to Alex. Not to anyone. You got that?”
Carol inhaled a few deep breaths. “Yeah,” she feebly replied. “You know, Candace, I couldn’t have these conversations with anyone else but you. You remind me a lot of your sister in certain ways. You listen to me. No one else would understand. Alex was like that, too. Thanks.”
“Thank you, Carol. That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me. It’s an honor to be like my sister.”
“I love you, Candace.” Carol’s voice began cracking again.
“I love you too,” Candace gently replied.
“When are you coming back?” Carol’s sobbing sounded pathetic. She sounded like a lost, scared child.
“Soon, sweetie. I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”
“I need you,” Carol sniffled into the phone.
“I’m never far away.” Candace said sweetly, hoping that she could bring Carol some solace. Candace took a deep breath and prayed a silent prayer while Carol sobbed into the phone.

Powerful stuff, eh? Click on the titles to purchase your copies of Imperfect and Impeccable.

Dec. 3 Holiday Author Event!

2011-11-25T07:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Black Friday, everyone!

Today, in addition to being the day after Thanksgiving,

the day of very scary shopping stories,

and just plain old Friday,

it is my beloved's birthday! :)

Happy birthday to the most wonderful woman in the world! :)

As much as I would love to ramble endlessly about the love of my life, today's blog does have a literary purpose.

You see, in just 8 days, I will be at the Fairport Public Library in Fairport, NY for the local authors holiday book festival! It's an event to celebrate local authors who have had releases in 2011, and of course it's a good holiday shopping event for the book-lover on your list.

So, if you're in the greater Rochester area, please stop on by! I'd love to meet you and autography copies of any and all of my books for ya! ;)

Come join us December 3rd, 2012 Fairport Public Library Fairport, NY from 2 - 4 pm. See you there and happy reading!!! :)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

November – the fall, really – is a time for reflection and gratitude. The colors of the leaves remind us of the changes in life. As we begin to settle down for winter, we reflect on what the year has brought us; we give thanks for all of the blessings we enjoy. There is a reason why both the Canadian and American Thanksgivings are in the autumn season.

So, with the American Thanksgiving fast approaching, I gladly reflect on my own life. In the last year, I have moved three times. I have been to weddings and to cemeteries. I have been left and found true love. Yes, this year has brought me many things. Good, bad and indifferent, I am grateful for it all nonetheless.

As a writer, I am thankful for my newest release, Impeccable coming out in e-book and print formats.

Its predecessor, Imperfect, was released last fall.

I am grateful for having been inspired to write these books and to have seen them be published. So very fitting that these two books which are so much about change, love, family and gratitude have been released two Novembers in a row. It is an honor to have these books out, and the symbolism of their release dates is simply spectacular. I have an incredible publisher in Vanilla Heart Publishing. Having the two books which are my pride and joy is something for which I will be eternally grateful. Honestly, I am just grateful that I even have the opportunity to pursue my childhood dream of writing. How many people can say they have had that chance? I have been given some amazing opportunities and experiences. I am a very grateful writer.

On a personal level, I am grateful for having met my fiancé. She has changed my life for the better. She has blessed me so much, I could not imagine my life without her. I am grateful for my family. Without them, I would be nothing. They helped to form me into the woman I am today. Without their support, I would not be or have all that I do. I am grateful for the roof over my head, the cars in my driveway, the little furballs that brighten my days (we have multiple pets and they are all incredible), and all of the other blessings I am so fortunate to enjoy day in and day out.

Life is good and this Thanksgiving, I will be sure to remember that and to pass it along. Gratitude, you see, is not something you should keep to yourself.

I try to ensure in my writing that I focus on family and gratitude as they are very important to me in my daily life. Imperfect and Impeccable teach us that family is not always defined by blood or color. That there are numerous people who enrich our lives, and thus are family too. These books also teach us to focus on the positive, to remember to be grateful for all that we have. So often in our lives, we get wrapped up in the busy-ness of the day that we forget to appreciate all that we have. Mind you, these are not self-help books. They are novels. A fictional pair of books that tell the life story of a regular woman – someone just like you or me. Regular people need to be in books too. To remind us of who we are, where we came from and where we’re going as a society. And for us to be able to relate to them and the story. To be affected and grateful for the power that the written word contains. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it can’t impact us. And these two books impacted me just writing them, I hope and imagine how much they would impact you reading them! I hope that Carol’s story brings you as much gratitude, peace and hope as it gave me writing it. I am grateful for these books and what they have given me. I hope the same can be true for you.

This Thanksgiving, I will take quite a while listing all of the wonderful things for which I am grateful. From people to places, trinkets to things, I am thankful for so very much. Not the least of which will my newest books, Imperfect and Impeccable.

Riding the Wave

2011-11-10T07:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Today, yours truly is in a particularly good mood. Why? Well, because things on the writing front have been going incredibly well. :)

Most importantly, Impeccable has just come out in print! Excited?! Me?! Never! LOL. I don't know whether to dance or simply wet my pants! It is phenomenal! I am so very excited! Please purchase your copy today!

Also, I will be at the Fairport Holiday Author Book Signing in Fairport, NY on Dec. 3. This is an event to celebrate new releases for 2011. You can come meet me, buy my books and get them signed for yourself, or as a holiday gift! The event will be from 2-4 pm. I'd love to see you there!

I've been getting a lot of recognition from the LGBT community as of late, as well.

It is exciting and flattering to have the LGBT community recognize my work. What's especially exciting is that a lot of this recognition comes from overseas. European book stores, organizations and individuals are suddenly paying attention to little old me.

You have to understand that as much as I like to boast about my work, the truth is: I realize that I am not Pulitzer Prize material. I am not even close to being a NY Times best seller (though I desperately wish I was!) For these people to find me, let alone say & do what they are, blows my mind! It's thrilling. It's an honor, really.

Perhaps with Imperfect and now Impeccable, I am becoming the author I have always dreamed of becoming. Yes, I would love to see my books become best sellers, but to see my work impacting and helping the LGBT community is amazing.

That impact is the reason I write. To see it come to fruition is simply phenomenal. For now, I am simply going to ride this wave! ;)

Happy reading!

Blood on the Roses

2011-11-03T19:32:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday, y'all!
As an LGBT writer, I have often wondered how straight authors view the LGBT community and our causes. Even more so, I have wondered how a straight author would handle an LGBT story.

Author Robert Hays has answered my question with his novel, Blood on the Roses.

What I have discovered is that a straight author can tackle LGBT issues with poise and beauty. Mr. Hays tackled not only homosexuality, but homosexuality in the American south in the 1950s. This was an era and an area that is not necessarily LGBT-friendly. The entire LGBT community was still recovering from persecution from Hitler, and although J. Edgar Hoover was considered a good director for the FBI, his personal life was deeply questioned and unaccepted. To be gay in America in the 1950s was difficult, to be gay in the American south in the 1950s was even more difficult.

So Robert Hays set a very difficult task before himself in tackling a gay character in that era and environment.

What resulted is not only an incredible, gripping thriller of a mystery, but a beautiful and caring story. The characters involved in this story are likable, believable and genuine. Their beliefs (both good and bad) are true to the time and place. These characters are real.

The story itself is one of great depth with incredible back-story and intrigue. The descriptions paint an incredibly vivid painting for the reader. The storyline grabs you and never releases you. This is an excellently executed book.

So, what does it mean for the LGBT community when a straight writer writes a novel such as Blood on the Roses? It means that our cause and our struggles have not gone unnoticed. It means that we as a people, and our history, are just as important to straight people as we are to our own community. This book is a beautiful demonstration not only of good, solid, story-telling, but of tolerance and understanding.

For more information, please visit:

http://home.comcast.net/~roberthayswriter/site/

and

www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com

2011 Halloween Special!

2011-10-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

Good Thursday morning, readers! Today I have a real TREAT. ;)

For Halloween 2011, I have a guest author. This is the first time I have had a paranormal romance writer here, and I am thrilled to be able to host her!

Please help me welcolme paranormal writer, Lynda Hilburn!

Hi Lynda! Thank you so much for being with us today!

Hi, Lauren! Thanks for having me.

Lynda, let’s start with your background. On your website you say, “After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer.” My partner is absolutely obsessed with Ghost Hunters and I have seen one spirit myself. But I would LOVE to hear about your sightings and visits. Would you mind sharing some stories or insights with us?

I’ve sensed energies since childhood. At first, I had no idea everyone didn’t see the “friends” I saw. Sometimes I just knew someone/something was with me without seeing them with my physical eyes. When I was a teenager I had a blast doing séances and seeking out mysterious/mystical experiences on purpose. I really think we humans start out quite open to the unusual and we become less willing to explore the unknown as we get older and our cerebral processes take over from our old brain. I saw non-physical beings regularly until I got too busy to give the invisible realm much attention (single mom, working a couple of jobs and going to school). Talking to the dead was normal for my female ancestors, so it didn’t really surprise me. One memorable experience I had was when I was around 21, and I saw my then-husband’s dead father standing at the foot of the bed. I recognized him from photographs and never did figure out what he was trying to tell me. Now, I mostly see the non-physical out of the corner of my eye and just feel it. And usually they show up for a reason. But, I also believe if I began focusing on all that interesting stuff again, it would manifest more clearly (we get more of what we focus on).

Wow, that is incredible! I don't think many people can say they have had or continue to have experiences like the ones you have. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!

You have worked a myriad of interesting jobs including: musician; copy editor; newspaper columnist; university instructor; psychic and tarot reader; psychotherapist; hypnotherapist, and more! Which of these occupations was your favorite and why? I’d also love to hear how you got your start in each of these careers! Do you continue to do any psychic or tarot work to this day? Why or why not?

I tend to be inner-directed. I’m liable to try anything that strikes my fancy. Some of the jobs, like typesetter, editor, were just to make money. I am pretty good with words and I type fast, so those were natural outlets. I started doing psychic/tarot readings when I was a teenager and I still do them. I have cut back over the last few years, though, because I’m not as fond of being put in the position of telling people what to do. As a psychotherapist, my job is to help the person uncover her/his own answers. People come to a psychic for the opposite reason and it began to be uncomfortable for me. For some reason, a lot of my psychic clients didn’t really want to accept that they have most of the responsibility for the way their lives are playing out – that our choices determine greatly how things unfold. They just wanted me to tell them something that was written in stone, and there’s no such thing. It’s all about possible futures. I can’t really pick a favorite career, since I still do all of the things I ever did. I just keep adding skills. I have a short attention span, I guess!

LOL. I don't think I'd say that! You've been very successful at all of your endeavors, so I'm going with multi-talented! :)

On your site you discuss making the switch from non-fiction to fiction. I, too, got my start in non-fiction. How was the transition for you? Did you find it to be difficult to go from non-fiction to fiction? Did you find your creative juices flowed freely or did it almost seem as though your novels read as non-fiction pieces?

Switching from nonfiction to fiction was an absolute delight and terribly challenging. My first few fiction efforts read like newspaper articles: just the facts! Where, when, how, why, what. My characters would sit there and have extremely long conversations, with no physical movements or indications of being in an environment. I still have to be careful not to turn my people into talking heads. Having good critique partners who reminded me to use all five senses helped me learn to add the physical to the cerebral. I still count on my crit partners to catch my in-the-head tendencies. But writing fiction was the most fun, ever. What could be better than making up stories featuring my favorite paranormal and supernatural characters? In many ways, writing fiction is much harder than writing nonfiction.

Oh, I agree completely! Fiction is definitely harder! But like you said, it is way more fun! LOL. :)

You say, “I’ve been a rabid fan of all things paranormal – especially vampires – since I first got my hands on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To me, there’s just something fascinating about those extraordinary nightwalkers.” I agree! I am infatuated with them myself, also due to Mr. Stoker! I remember as pre-teen trying to write a vampire novel due to my passion for them, but it fell terribly flat (even for a pre-teen’s standards!). Any tips on how to write a GOOD vampire novel?

Vampire fiction has exploded over the last ten years. I keep hearing how “vampires are dead” (so to speak) and readers have lost interest. I don’t believe that. For some reason, vampires really struck a chord with paranormal fans, especially women. I think the best way to learn to write good vampire fiction is to read a lot. You also have to decide what kind of vampire fiction you want to write. The rules for romance are different than for fantasy, sci fi or horror. Do you want to write “monster” vampires or “sensual” vampires? Are you targeting adults or the YA market? All those choices will determine the tone of your writing.

Ok Lynda, now onto your books:
The first one listed on your website is VAMPIRE SHRINK - Book 1, Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist Series
It is listed as book #1. Can you tell us when we can expect book number two and how many will be in this series?

The Vampire Shrink has been reincarnated 4 times. First it was published by a small publisher in 2007 in trade paperback and managed to achieve modest success. Since my then-agent held onto the e-rights to the book for me (and I had no idea back then why I’d want such a thing), I put the e-book up myself on Amazon and Smashwords in 2010. It became a best seller, which lead to my getting the 3-book deal I have now with a joint venture between Quercus Books in London and Sterling Publishing in the USA. The British version of The Vampire Shrink came out September 1, 2011 and the USA version will be out April 3, 2012. When that book comes out, it will be the 4th time the book was published. That’s got to be some kind of record! My UK editor, Jo Fletcher, read the book that used to be book #2 (previously called Dark Harvest) and we decided it jumped too far ahead in the series arc. She asked me to write a brand new book #2 (called Blood Therapy). I’m madly working on that for a Dec. 31, 2011 deadline. The number of books in the series (either printed by a traditional publishing company or self-pubbed by me) is unlimited. Kismet can continue to have adventures as long as there are paranormal situations to mix her up in.

The heroine in this book is named Kismet. Is that because the outcome will be her kismet/fate?

Her parents named her after a Broadway musical they attended. And actually, I saw the musical Kismet when I was a kid and was enthralled. I always intended to use that word as a name at some point.

Is she, or any of the other characters, based off of yourself or anyone you know?

I believe all characters are aspects of the author. They are either conscious aspects, pro or con, or unconscious aspects. Wish fulfillments or fears. Desires or repressions. Facets of our inner parents. In the case of my main female character, Kismet Knight, she is totally me. We share the same profession and I get to live vicariously through her. Although she’s younger, prettier, thinner and having lots more romance and sex than me!

Of course, when I read the synopsis for UNDEAD IN THE CITY, the first thing that jumped out at me was that Tempest was a musician. Did you use your experiences as a musician to help create this story?

Since I don’t like to do traditional research, I write all my stories based on what I know. I absolutely used my musical background and experiences when I created Tempest. I need to go back and expand and deepen that story. It was only supposed to be a short work for a possible anthology. I haven’t had the time yet to give it the time it deserves. Tempest and Malveaux are a frisky couple! And, I was raised in the inner city of Detroit, so I’m very familiar with the setting of the story.

Once again, you have a strong heroine (with again, a very beautiful, unique and interesting name) as your lead character. Do you find it is easier to write stories with female leads rather than males?

I know more about women than about men. Most of my therapy and intuitive clients have been women. I’m an expert on female psychology. It’s much easier for me to write women. I tend to make all my males intelligent and verbal with dry humor. I don’t know how to write a typical alpha male, since that isn’t the type of man I’m attracted to. I try to make my males extraordinary in some way: either intellectually brilliant or talented in some special way.

Who is your favorite character in this particular story and why?

LOL. I’m rather fond of Uncle Stix. You’d have to read the novella to figure out who he is!

Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker is third on the list. I absolutely love the title! What inspired you to write this novel and with this kind of angle?

Diary is a 12,000-word short story. I needed something snarky/funny for an anthology and I just started writing a flow-of-consciousness story about an incredibly self-absorbed vampire. Most vampires are narcissistic, but Zara, the main character in this little story, is the poster child for self-absorption. She doesn’t pretend to be anything other than she is. She isn’t seeking redemption. She likes having a personality disorder! LOL

What is one thing you can tell us about this book that you think would surprise readers?

I never expected it to be published. When the anthology I wrote it for didn’t happen, I was able to sell it to an e-publisher, where it did very well as a humor story. It was even in the Fictionwise top 10 for humor for quite a while. I eventually asked for the rights back so I could put it up on Amazon myself.

Lastly, Trick or Treat is listed, but the author is Hera St. Aubyn. Is this your book? What can you tell us about this book?

Trick or Treat is a tiny mini-story, written under a pen name, because I thought it was erotica. LOL. I since discovered that my version of erotica is pretty vanilla. I just don’t seem to have the gift for writing that level of heat. I’m better with spicy and hot. I mean, how many different ways can you describe those actions? But this little story was published by an epub and now I give it away for free.

Do you have any WIPs or up-coming releases?

I’m working on Kismet book #2 and on a short story in that world, about Devereux the main vampire, for promotion for the USA version of The Vampire Shrink. I am looking forward to writing other things when I can.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

Here’s my contact info:
website: blog: http://paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/lyndahilburn
facebook: http://facebook.com/lyndahilburnauthor
book trailer at you tube: http://youtu.be/zhkVHTlWwVg

Any final thoughts you’d like to share with us?

I’m having a giveaway at Goodreads of 5 copies of the USA version of The Vampire Shrink when it comes out in April, 2012. It would be great if you could spread the word. Here’s the link to that page:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/15589-the-vampire-shrink

I’d love to hear from readers! I try to answer all my emails, so please let me know what you think about my books!

Thank you so much!

Thank you, Lynda! Take good care! Happy Halloween and Happy Reading to you and our readers! :)

Not Dean Koontz

2011-10-20T17:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday afternoon, fellow biblophiles!

I apologize for today's delay. My other job required more time of me than usual. And that is actually what I want to discuss today.

You see, I have just been asked to come do a local author's event; in addition, a reader has requested autographed copies of ALL of my books! I turned to my fiancee and said to her, "But I'm not Dean Koontz!"

And the truth is, I'm not. I am sitting here wearing scrubs as I type this. My other job, for those of you who didn't know, is as a licensed veterinary technician, or veterinary nurse. Again, not Dean Koontz.

I drive a 2000 Subaru Forester and my beloved 1977 Chevy K-10 pick up (sound familiar, Loving Her readers? ;) ). Also, not something akin to Dean Koontz.

I have bad hair days. I am short. I don't always look like a model. I am not a nationally known author...yet. ;) I have a regular job, I have bills to pay. I even have to pump my own gas! I know, it's terrible.

Seriously, though, I'm just a regular gal. There is absolutely nothing special about me. If you saw me walking down the street, you would simpy think I was a short, Hispanic female in her thirties. Not Dean Koontz.

Would I like the notarity that he has? Yes and no. I love the idea of people across the board knowing my work. I love the idea of my books selling themselves.I love the idea of my writing being recognized. However, there is tremendous pressure in being Dean Koontz or Stephen King or any other GOOD big-name writer. I will not discuss formula writers as...well, I just have an opinion about them and that's all you need to know. BUT, to be a truly good and famous writer, you need to be churning out book after book after book and they all need to top their predecssors. I don't know if I could do that. Right now, I am working on a project, but it's only a short story. I like my novels to come and just kind of happen. This one may turn into a full-length, but I want the freedom to explore all the possibilities with this story. That is a freedom Dean Koontz doesn't have.

Dean Koontz is very mainstream. To be him, I might have to tone down my Hispanicness or gayness or shortness. I don't know if it is a choice or an inability, but either way, that won't happen. Period.

Dean Koontz can only be Dean Koontz. Honestly, I like being L. E. Harvey the author or Lauren the vet tech or Jerry Skid the roller derby girl. I like wearing many hats. I don't see Dean Koontz doing that. He may, but I doubt it.

The point is: I am flattered and honored to be in this upcoming author's event as well as signing copies of my books for a reader I have never met. I may not be Dean Koontz, but that may not be a bad thing.

Coming Out Day

2011-10-13T05:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday (10/11) was National Coming Out Day.

Like any good LGBT author, I promoted several events and articles relating to NCO, but I also promoted my books.

Why?

Not because I am THAT much of a narcissist.

Close, but not quite. ;)

In all seriousness, I hope that Imperfect and Impeccable help others to come out. They helped me to come out, believe it or not.

I have known who and what I am since I was a pre-teen. I remember being in junior high and having "those thoughts." I had hit puberty early, mind you, and when you have a class that is full of beautiful girls, you can't help but be...interested.

I had said things or asked questions of my mother in pre-teen and teen years, but she dismissed them.

In my twenties, I had a few long-distance reltaionships with other women. Since they were short-lived and long-distance, it still didn't quite register with my mother.

Mind you, I hate to make my mother out to be some kind of ignorant fool. She is anything but. However, for whatever reason, my orientation just didn't click with her.

So, when I wrote Imperfect, my mother asked me why all my characters were gay (consider the fact that Loving Her was fairly hot off the press at the time).

So, I thus had to explain to mom AGAIN that I am bisexual (she still doesn't quite fully understand since I'm with a woman now, but that's a whole other blog! LOL).

So, writing love stories about lesbians helped me to come out as a "half-lesbian,' if you will.

Is that a bad thing? Not at all. If you look at Carol and Alex, you will see that they are strong women. They are not ashamed of who they are. They love each other regardless of race or gender. They show us what true love can endure, and what it should be. That can be a very powerful tool in coming out.

So, if you're closeted, please come out! Yes, the world can be a scary place. But it will be such a better place if you're true to yourself!

And if you can read, please read Imperfect and Impeccable. You might just like them! ;)

Impeccable Page 69 Trial

2011-10-06T08:50:00.003-04:00

Happy Thursday, readers! Today, as with every release, I put my book to "The 69 Trial."

The PAGE 69 trial, that is ;)

Below is page 69 from Impeccable. Enjoy!

“I take it you don’t like that,” Dr. Parker said without any hint of emotion.

“The Elysian Fields, their version of heaven, sounds nice. But I’d hate to be permanently hungry and thirsty and to have what I want or need right in front of me but out of reach.”

“That makes sense,” he responded emotionlessly.

“In ancient Rome, life was considered a punishment and death was freedom.”

“What do you make of that, Carol?”

“I can easily agree that life is hell. I hope that death does bring freedom. I’m so sick of the darkness, pain and misery in life. I just want to be free of it all.”

“What about modern religions?”

“Well, any form of Christianity would send me straight to hell simply because I loved another woman. I don’t get it. Love is love, no matter who the person is, right? Apparently, some faiths believe we can turn off our emotions and ignore our hearts.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Carol.”

“Why not? Are you one of them? Do you want to condemn me to hell simply because the person I loved was a woman? What about love thy neighbor and all that bullshit?”

“I wasn’t saying that, Carol.” He gently replied. “I understand. Let’s face it, the gay community faces a lot of obstacles because people react out of fear. A lot of those fearful people use their religions to defend their actions and words. I don’t think they are actually against love. It might be that they are afraid or possibly even envious of a love that can endure such social scorn.

“Straight white Christians are basically well accepted in our American society. It’s easy for them to forget what hardships other races and groups of people have endured because it was never their problem. Perhaps people who are different from them, people who can remain stoic in the face of social adversity remind them that there is more to life than whatever is in their sphere of knowledge. Perhaps they’re jealous because they know they couldn’t do what you do. Maybe they’re not strong enough to stand up for themselves in the same way you and Alex did, for example.” He paused to watch Carol. “What do you think? Think it’s possible?”

On Birthdays

2011-09-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday morning, fellow word-lovers. Today, I am making a confession.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I say that with tremendous trepidation. Why? Birthdays have not always been my best days, shall we say. ;)

This year is a little different. There are some "bad" things going on, but not nearly to the level I'm used to. LOL. Tomorrow actually brings about a ton of change for me in my personal life. So, good bad or indifferent, I'm facing CHANGE as I get older.

But one positive thing that I have for my birthday is Impeccable.

Yes, I know. I blogged about Impeccable last week. Today, I want to talk about why Impeccable is such an incredible birthday gift.

Just as its predecessor, Impeccable was written during an extremely dark time in my life. As I wrote a story that brought about Carol's healing, I was healed. Her resolution became my own resolution. Writing that story was a gift I gave myself.

Then, it came time to wait. Wait for the contract. Wait for the editing. Wait for the release date. Wait.

In case you haven't figured this out about me yet: I am a rather impatient person. Waiting and I don't mix. LOL.

But I did because I had to.

I had NO idea that this book which is so near and dear to my heart would be released so closely to my birthday. Did my publisher plan it that way? She is good, so it is a possibility. It could have also just been plain old serendipity. I'm not sure. Either way, it's simply incredible.

So here I am, facing another year and a lot of change, and I have the greatest gift of all: my book. My book which I loved writing every word. My book which challenged me and helped me to grow as a writer...and as a person. My book which brought me such incredible solace. My book.

I love it. I am so excited to have both Imperfect and Impeccable out now and to have them both for my birthday. It was the greatest gift my publisher ever could have given me. And now, it is my turn to pass that gift on to you. If you are looking for a gift, if you are looking for solace, if you are looking to understand Carol's life, now is your chance. Download your e-book copy of Impeccable today! It is the best birthday present you could give me or yourself!

Happy reading!

Impeccable

2011-09-22T10:06:00.000-04:00

The day I have been waiting for (for my entire life) finally arrived last weekend.

No, I'm not pregnant.

No, I'm not married...yet. ;)

Impeccable was released over the weekend!

I have been squealing with excitement like a piglet! It's just freaking awesome!

Impeccable is out in e-book formats right now, and always the good author that I am, I have the buy link on the the home page of www.leharvey.com

What is so special about Impeccable?

What isn't?

Seriously, Impeccable is the sequel to Imperfect that no one saw coming. It's ironic, because I thought it was at least pretty clear that the story wasn't done with Imperfect, and yet so many readers were floored that there was a sequel! LOL. There is and you can now read it (and get the FULL story)!

Imperfect and Impeccable were both written during dark times in my life. What's interesting is that they were very therapeutic for me. As much as I wanted to touch my readers, writing these two books touched me. That I could be impacted by these books astounds me. Not to sound egotistical, quite the contrary. I have never thought myself an incredible writer, so to be surprised not only by the story but by how it impacted me surprised me! Maybe I'm a bit better than I thought! LOL.

Both Imperfect and Impeccable surprised me in a lot of ways. Without giving it all away, those notes were not originally supposed to be tied to the person they were tied to. Things happened in Imperfect and I never quite knew why. As I wrote Impeccable, it all just fell into place. I did NOT plan it that way. It just happened. Lastly, I knew the basic end to Impeccable but how I actually close the book is as much a surprise to me as I think it would be to anyone else. I love that as a writer, I just go with the story and end up just as surprised as my readers! Life is not planned out to a "t," why should a story? The journey is a part of what makes a book great!

That being said, the journey in both Imperfect and Impeccable is emotional; it is trying; it is triumphant; it is cerebral; it is spritiual; it is fun; it is somber. It is incredible. If you are looking for a story that will truly touch you, look no further, my friend. There is a reason why I say this set will touch your heart and change your mind.

So, go download your copy of Impeccable today! I PROMISE you, you will not be disappointed!

Happy reading!

Trepidation

2011-09-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

Good morning, everyone! There is an incredible irony to today's blog,

but you'll have to wait to the end to find out what it is. ;)

Recently, I was approahced by gayleeds.com to do a biweekly column for their site. I was flattered! I'm just a regular gal, not an extroadinary writer by any means. Yet, they asked me. So, I gladly accepted! :)

Then it came time to actually WRITE my first column. They said they were looking for something "blog-like." Phew. Ok, I can do that. ;) So I did. And I came up with something fairly decent. I set it aside for a few days and then went back in to edit.

After my edits, which did make the column a better piece, I began getting nervous. Did it make sense or did I sound like rambling fool? It made sense to me, but would anyone else get it? Would I offend people with my first article?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep. My wonderful insecurities were beginning to get the best of me. It was done, and needed to be sent in soon for them to review. I wasn't sure if they would edit it any further and I wanted to be sure there was time before my initial date of 9/12. It was with tremendous trepidation that I hit that send key. Suddenly, my finger nails were looking like a really good snack!

I didn't hear anything for a couple of days. Was it good news? Bad news? I second-guessed myself CONSTANTLY.

Then, this morning I woke up to an e-mail saying it was great & was being published today! It is, in fact, up on gayleeds.com and last I saw was at the top of the page! So, please check out my newest writing venture. I promise there are some very interesting column articles to come... ;)

Happy reading!

Love Without Boundaries

2011-09-01T07:19:00.000-04:00

Good Thursday morning, y'all.

Today, I want to discuss my tag line. "Stories of Love Without Boundaries."

You see, in my world, love knows no boundaries. Love does not discriminate based on color, religion, income level, age, etc. And, amazingly enough, it doesn't in the real world either.

Love is an entity unto itself. It lives, it breathes, it exists. It is not a thing, it is a living spirit. Some may even call it a divinity, whith which I cannot argue. As such, love has its own beliefs and ways of living. And that is the way of no boundaries. Love is unlimited. It is only limited when we as humans place limitations on it. But, love the entity is endless. Let me show you.

I can think of two "interracial" couples with whom I am friends. Do I see them as such? No. I see them as the people they are. I know that not everyone sees them that way, but their love did not discriminate because of pigmentation. I know there are countless other couples out there like my friends. Since I like to emulate reality in my fiction, why should it come as any surprise then, that Carol and Alex are an interracial couple? Love does not know the boundary of color.

A dear friend of mine, who happens to be an incredible writer, has a book called Hyphema. I first heard of this book and these characters during a week-long writing workshop. What's so great about Hyphema? Many things, actually. One of which is that author Chelle Cordero uses that book to prove that love does not know the boundary of religion. Her characters are amazing and very easy to relate to. She breaks down walls and stereotypes and you see that love knows no religion.

In my personal life, love has never cared what is in one's bank account. Since when did love come with a price tag? Love does not know about finances. Trust me, it does not know ANYTHING about money! ;)

Love does not discriminate based on age, either. My own mother found the right person in her early fifties and has been living happily ever after. Love doesn't have a cut off after a certain age.

Nor does love have an expiration date. My 90 year-old grandparents are proof of that. They are still madly in love with each other. They may not always hear each other or remember what the other said, but they do love each other now more than ever.

These are my examples. This is what I write about. Love that never dies; love that isn't bigoted; love that is simply the entity of love. Some may call me a fool or a hopeless romantic. Truth be told, I don't mind those labels. I know love to be limitless and thus I am more than happy to write books that reflect that.

Happy reading.

On Character Depth

2011-08-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Good Thursday morning, fellow book lovers. Today, I want to discuss characters.

We all have characters in our lives. We ARE characters. Art imitates life, right? So if that is the case, what is the recipe for making a fictional character seem real?

Depth.

Look at any person you know. A neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, your spouse. Can you really fit them into a box? I hope not! I don't think that's legal...

Anyway, my point is, your spouse may be a die-hard Metallica fan, but love sappy movies too. Or maybe you know someone who watches UFC but loves a sad country song. Does this make any sense? We all have very different sides to us.

Do you interact the exact same way with your mother, your child, a co-worker and your spouse? No. Why Because you have depth. You have many roles in life. How you relate to your mother is going to be different than how you relate to a co-worker.

For example, my mother and I break out into show tunes and I occasionally give her tap dancing lessons in her kitchen. Needless to say, that doesn't fly at a high-paced veterinary practice. Instead, I am intense and focused at work. Different roles, different sides to my personality.

So, the idea of someone like Liz from Loving Her: a red-headed, heavy-metal-listening, classic pick-up truck-driving ballerina may not seem so far fetched. If I can love show tunes and tap dancing, but also an intense pace of veterinary medicine, why can't she have those different sides to her personality?

She can, and she should. What service would I, as a writer, provide you (my reader) if my characters were boring, two-dimensional and predictable? None. Who would want to read that book? I wouldn't!

That's why, even Tony in Unbreakable Hostage has moments where you can see he's more than just some kind of monster. Not everyone is all evil or all good. And that MUST be portrayed in writing if it is to be accepted as somewhat realistic (and believable).

It has been said that my stories are character driven. Some authors might take offense to that. Not me. Look at life. Everything in our lives happens because of someone's words or actions. It's not a bad thing at all. My characters create and live their own lives just like we do. And just like us, there are MANY sides to them. They may be fictional, but they are human, just like us. ;)

Happy reading!

Not Accepting the Status Quo

2011-08-18T01:17:00.000-04:00

Greetings, dear readers! I apologize for the tremendous gap in between blogs. Some of you may be aware that my life has taken some incredible twists and turns over the past few months. But, I am back on top and ready to conquer the world AGAIN! ;)

One of the things that I have noticed since moving to this rural area is just how much people, at least around here, are willing to just accept things as they are. I don't know if it's because they don't know any better/any other way of living or if they truly are satisfied with how things are.

For example, there are people around here who will travel up to 3 hours just to go to their vet. Seriously? Seriously. These people may not be the majority, however, the majority around here averages anywhere from 20 min to 1 hour. Now, we're not talking 1 hour stuck in rush hour traffic, people. We're talking regular, open road, 55 mph driving. But that's the way it is around here. There is just nothing here. Things are so spread out, you have to travel. And most people around here simply accept that.

Me? Not so much. I'm a city girl. I'm used to vets and Starbucks on every corner! LOL. In all seriousness, though, I still struggle with the sparseness of life around here. I can't and won't settle for life this way simply because I know of a better way to live (city life, or at least suburbia).

That applies to everything in my life. Not one to just accept the fact that NY didn't allow marriage equality, I made sure my voice was heard. Then NY passed the marriage equality bill. Now, I know it wasn't all due to me. That's not my point. My point is, I didn't accept the status quo and I helped to bring about a positive change.

I do the same with my writing. There are too many imperfections in this world. I realize that we will never fully fix them. but I can still mke sure I help to bring about more positive change by not accepting the status quo in my writings.

In Loving Her, there is not one character who doesn't fight to bring about change in her life one way or another. None of those women will settle for the status quo. They are strong and fiesty. They want more. And you know what? They get more, all because they would not accept life just as it is.

In Unbreakable Hostage, Lareina does not accept her life as a captive at all. Had she settled and just accepted things as they were, there would be no story! She refused to settle, and you get a great suspense story as the result!

In Trajectory, Joe does not settle for his job. He realizes that his status quo is something far greater and darker than he can stand. He brings about changing his whole life by not accepting the dark, morbid life he leads.

In Imperfect (and the up-coming sequel, Impeccable), neither Carol nor Alex accept things as they are. If they had, Carol would never own her own company. Alex would never get sober. They never would have been together due to their own issues, as well as the bigotry an inter-racial lesbian couple faces. But they push on. They challenge themselves and the world around them to see more, to do more, to think more. The end result are two beautiful and powerful stories of love, change, devotion, heartbreak, family. There is tremendous change within these stories, but they also bring about tremendous change in the reader as well!

I, personally, simply cannot accept things as they are. I cannot accept prejudice of any kind. I cannot accept intolerance. I cannot accept the fact that people still label other people. So I don't. And I use my writing as a tool - a vessel - to help others see and hear what I see and hear. For them to think. To be challenged. You never know. Wanting more than the status quo could just be the greatest thing since sliced bread! ;)

The Political Importance of Writing

2011-05-15T16:56:00.004-04:00

I have been overly vocal this week about marriage equality in the state of New York. I have not hidden who or what I am. I openly tell people about my partner and our little one. I am not ashamed of who I am. I have nothing to hide.

As a writer, I use my craft to make political statements. I want the world to see how bogus ignorance is. I want the world to know that I am against discrimination of any kind. I think my books do just that.

In keeping with the themes from Imperfect of love, acceptance, tolerance, etc. I would like to share some letters I have written to local newspaper editor as well as my regional state senator who is FOR bigotry and prejudice.

To the Editor:

New York is on the brink of history as a new marriage equality bill has been introduced. Gay marriage is been heatedly debated for years. Bills have been passed three times by the house, but denied by the state Senate.

Whatever your take on gay marriage, there is one argument in favor of gay marriage that no one can deny: commerce.

Let’s face it, economic times are tough. People have been losing jobs since 2008. There is work to be had, but in many areas of our region it is sparse. Personally, it took me about a year to find any kind of work when I moved back to the area. Ironically, we are hard-working people. People want jobs and are in dire need of an income. New Yorkers needs commerce: we need our economy to pick up again.

What does this have to do with the bill for marriage equality? Believe it or not, everything.

With our current standing on gay marriage, thousands of New York residents are going elsewhere to get married. When they return, the state acknowledges the marriage. So they have the same rights. What we as a state don’t have, though, is the money. We are allowing New Yorkers to leave the state and spend their money on ceremonies and receptions elsewhere when we need it right here!

Since New York already recognizes gay marriages from other states and even other countries, nothing is changing politically if the bill passes here. Homosexual citizens will have the same rights that they have now. The only difference is that they can have their ceremonies and receptions here in New York. Imagine how much better our economic situation would be if New Yorkers could spend their money in New York!

It is projected that marriage equality would bring the state $184 million within the first three years alone. The longer we allow all New Yorkers the same rights, the more money we as a state will revenue. Imagine too, that as another state that performs same-sex marriages the income our state will revenue from out-of-state couples seeking political asylum. New York businesses are dying for customers and New York workers need an income. How we could be helping ourselves economically by passing this bill is mind-boggling. The potential income and creation of jobs are astronomical. We cannot deny New Yorkers an income!

For people who fear the religious implications, fear not. Religious institutions will continue to have the right to decide who they will and will not marry. Churches, temples, synagogues – every religion can choose which ceremonies they will perform. You or your place of worship will not be forced to perform a ceremony if for whatever reason, you deem it improper.

Marriage equality does not mean that a homosexual will show up on your doorstep & place a gun to your head forcing you to marry them. Quite the contrary. It allows them to have the same rights as everyone. It allows them to have the same protections as any other married couple. It allows businesses across the state to have a larger income. So in reality, gay marriage in New York is a win-win for all New Yorkers.

If you are tired of seeing your profit margins decrease; or if you have had to close your doors completely; if you have been looking for a job but haven’t been successful considering our current economic climate, I urge you to look again at the benefits of marriage equality for the state of New York. Money, income, jobs. Things that all New Yorkers are looking for. Things that all New Yorkers need. Marriage equality won’t hurt the state of New York, it will help it tremendously.

Let your senator know that you want a job. Tell him that your income is important to you. Show him that state-wide commerce that can revenue millions in a short period of time is too vital to disregard. It is time that we, as New Yorkers, picked ourselves up from our hurt economy and began prospering again.

Joe Griffo is our state senator, and right now he does not want to allow commerce to stay in our state. He wants to deny all of us that $184 million. He refuses to allow more jobs to be created and to have our profit margins increase instead of decrease. Is that what you really want? We cannot afford to bleed out money when we have already lost so much. If you want to keep your job or get one; if you want to see your business prosper, you need to let Senator Griffo know. Show him who you are. Tell him your story. Mail him your statements showing the decline in your business. It is time that he sees that he is actually hurting our region. As our senator, he needs to look out for our best interest. I personally don’t think denying us a flourishing economy is in our best interest. If you agree, tell him. Let him know that he needs to bring commerce back to our region and our state. Tell him that as a business person, you want him to vote for marriage equality in New York so that we can all profit. Contact him today; we cannot afford another day without pay.

Senator Joe Griffo

Legislative Office Building

188 State St.

Room 612

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (315) 793-9072

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lauren H.

Resident of District 47, concerned and economically affected citizen of New York

________________________________________________________________________________

A letter to Senator Griffo himself:

Senator Griffo:

My name is Lauren. Two years ago, I met the most incredible person. It didn’t take me long to see the uniqueness in this individual. They were strong, funny, intelligent, incredibly caring – a genuine person. A person like this only comes once in a life time, if you’re lucky.

I knew very quickly that I needed to pack up and move from Las Vegas to up-state NY in order to pursue a love and a life that I had only dreamed of.

I did just that, and it was something I will never regret. In fact, I am happy to announce that we became engaged as of December 7, 2010. There’s only one problem: New York will not allow us to get married here.

Your website says that you are “dedicated to fighting for change.” Sir, it is time that New York changes and allows all of its residents to have equal rights. You need to fight for this change. Change for people like my partner and myself. She and I deserve the right to get married in out home state, not to have to flee to another state as political refugees.

If you listen to the arguments against marriage equality, they are not based on the constitution. The opposition bases their campaign on religion and ignorance. We are not asking anyone to change their religious beliefs. Religion absolutely has its place in life – and in society. However, we live in a democracy, not a theocracy. There needs to be separation of church and state.

Marriage equality is constitutional. Bigotry is not. This is not a luxury. This is a right. Our constitutional right. Though I am by no means a political scholar, I do happen to know that this denial of rights is unconstitutional. The declaration of independence clearly states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” That includes people like me – people like us.

I pay my taxes. I vote. I obey the laws of this country. If I am called to Jury Duty, I go. I do all of these things because they are my obligations as a citizen. I understand the role that I must play in this society. However, I am not given the same rights as a heterosexual, even though my duties and obligations are the same as theirs. This makes absolutely no sense. If I am obligated to our government equally, then our government must be obligated to me equally as well.

Finally, there is one political and economic argument in favor of marriage equality that cannot be denied: commerce. Imagine the revenue that would come if all of us here could marry in our home state. We could spend our money to support New York businesses and help New York workers. The state would benefit greatly from marriage equality just from the revenue alone.

Sir, New York has always been a leading state in this country. We set an example for the rest of America. It is time that we show the world that NY is not a home of prejudice and hatred, but rather of acceptance and equality. It is time for a change. It is time for New York to be a truly equal state. It is time for us to all have equal human rights. Marriage equality is important for society on the whole. If we are truly the land of the free, then we must give all citizens equal rights regardless of gender, color, religion or orientation. Thank you for voting in favor of equality.

Whatever happened to Maynard G. Krebs?

2011-05-02T19:08:00.004-04:00

Most people know Bob Denver as Gilligan from Gilligan's Island. Sure, he deserves credit for that show. But what about his role on Dobie Gillis?

I grew up watching TV that was from before my time (I am convinced that has contributed to the pin up in me ;) ). Dobie was as much a part of my childhood as Dora is to kids today.

The thing is, I remember Maynard G. Krebs. In fact, I made a reference to the beatnik over Easter weekend.

Why am I talking about a lesser known role for an actor?

Because no one wants to be remembered as just one thing. Are you JUST the color of your skin? Just ONE talent? No. Not at all. We as people are diverse creatures. There is depth and complication to each and every one of us.

Now granted Maynard G. Krebs may not have been the pinnacle of method acting for Mr. Denver, but it is a role that he played that deserves as much credit as Gilligan.

Quite personally, I don't want to be remembered simly as a vet tech. Nor just as an LGBT writer. Saving animals is just as important to me as writing LGBT fiction that creates social change. They are equally important and I hope that both endeavors are equally remembered long after I'm gone.

Each of my books deserves credit just like every role an actor plays deserves credit. Loving Her, Unbreakable Hostage, Imperfect, Impeccable, Trajectory, A Summer of Butterflies...EVERY single piece that I write deserves its place in the annals of history.

So, let us look at a writer's works on the whole. Together, each piece of writing helps to create the beautiful puzzle and life of that writer.

Besides, where would be without Maynard? ;)

Happy reading (of ALL of my books), y'all! :)

Trajectory

2011-04-18T18:53:00.004-04:00

I've been working on a piece since the fall. I had a million little pieces, but wasn't quite sure where any of them fell into place.

Recently, VHP asked me to write a short story for e-book publication. I finally had my outlet for a character who literally took up every inch of my brain.

The final project is a short story entitled, Trajectory.

A lot of research, time and emotion went into this story and it shows. So far it's already been well-recieved by readers. It's a good, quick, itense read...I'm sure you'll like it!

Check it out:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52456

Atypical Romance Novel Discussion with Charmaine Gordon and L. E. Harvey

2011-04-13T02:00:00.000-04:00

Today, Charmaine Gordon, author of To Be Continued; Starting Over; Now What? and Reconstructing Charlie; and L. E. Harvey, author of Loving Her; Unbreakable Hostage; Imperfect and the soon-to-be-released Impeccable, discuss writing “atypical” romance novels.

Charmaine Gordon is an incredible lady. She is full of life and enthusiasm. Her energy dwarfs that of twenty year olds. She has experiences galor, and a highly contagious laugh. Her stories are beautifully executed novels about women starting over, whether from death, divorce or otherwise. Most romance novels focus on young, beautiful people who spend forever together and it’s ll just perfect. Charmaine knows that even with as dark as reality can be, there can still be bright beautiful romance. Her stories give hope to all of us, and are the kind of reads we can all relate to.

L. E. Harvey is a very out-spoken person. She refuses to hide her identity or her beliefs on equality for the sake of being “P. C.” Her experiences have shown her the highest highs and the lowest lows of humanity. Using these experiences, she writes stories about people who love regardless of race, religion and gender. L. E. Harvey’s stories show us that with inner strength and true devotion, couples can survive any trial.

Question 1: How do you feel defining your romances as "atypical" or "different?"
CG: My stories have been referred to as Survive and Thrive.
LEH: So, they’re not necessarily strictly romance novels, then. I personally much prefer a story to be richer, fuller and more complex than a straight romance.
2) What is the reward for you in writing about characters who aren't young, pretty and perfect?
CG: The women can be any size, age, and shape. We're all people not cookie cutters of some ideal but rather we are snowflakes, each unique in our differences.
LEH.: Beautifully stated.
3) What would you like to say to readers about your work?
CG: Each story is different, not formulaic. What brings them together is the women in each have suffered a loss either in death, abandonment, maybe divorce. They must find courage to rise above and begin the task of placing one foot in front of the other until they find where they are going.
LEH: How true that is of life! It’s great to read about characters whose struggles mirror ours!
CG: Answer the same questions you asked me, m'dear.
Question 1: How do you feel defining your romances as "atypical" or "different?"
LEH: I don't like defining my romances as different. Love is love and it crosses all boundaries, defies race and religion. All romances are different, but they should all be treated equally.
2) What is the reward for you in writing about characters who aren't young, pretty and perfect?
LEH: The reward for me is creating people who are just like me. They are people to whom my readers can relate. I think empathy and relate-ability are very important to any story.
3) What would you like to say to readers about your work?
My novels are contemporary fiction. Although my characters are typically LGBT, the stories are universal and will touch the hearts of all readers. I'll openly admit that there are political tones to my stories, though they are entertaining as well. Although they are different, My books deserve to stand on a shelf next to any "typical" romance novel. I think most people would be surprised at how univeral my stories really are.

Is Hollywood Killing Literature?

2011-03-28T19:29:00.004-04:00

We ALL love a good movie. And since Hollywood first began, they have taken some of the greatest pieces of literature and turned them into moving pictures. Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men...the list is endless.

Nowadays, though, times have changed. How many of us have seen movies to books that we never read? I'll admit I'm guilty of that. Sat through the Twilight series, never read the books. It was all for the Mrs. ;)

We live in a world of instant gratification. A phone call will no longer do. Now we must tweet. Drive through wedding chapels, electronic everything, you name it. We are more inclined to sit through a two hour movie than we are to read a book.

Now I'll admit that I would LOVE to see my books become movies, reach a broader audience, etc. That's why I LOVE storycasting.com. Fantastic site that lets my imagination play! :) BUT, if my books do turn into movies, I want them to be true to the books. There will not be any exploding cars in Imperfect. If there are, that ain't my book.

If my books became movies, though, would I see people flock to get their copies or would Hollywood simply be the only focal point? I don't know. But I will admit that the idea of my books losing their clout is scary. I write with intention. I hope that actually comes across.

So, is Hollywood killing literature? I think it's a possibility. I would like to see the two art forms help and support each other. Hopefully our society isn't becoming completely anti-literature.

Don't forget, everyone, I'm about to start my next big tour. I'll be posting & tweeting my various stops along the way. I hope to see you there, and I hope you pick up your copy of Imperfect while we're at it too! :)

Happy reading!

Blog Tour Info

2011-03-21T19:02:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone! I just want to let you know about ALL of the exciting stops and events for my tour!

It starts with me being featured in the newsletter for Marketing For Romance Writers in April.

On April 5th, Imperfect will be featured on Lisabet's Spring Excerpt Festival.

From there, my stops will include a chat with author Charmaine Gordon on 4/13,

a guest post with author Malcolm Campbell on 4/22,

a review by author Robert Hays and an interview with author Lloyd Kaneko both on 4/28,

a feature with author Chelle Cordero on 5/2,

an interview with S. R. Calridge on 5/11,

a guest blog on Savvy Authors on 5/18,

a review by BK Boooks on 5/18,

a feature on Elaine Lee's blog on 5/26,

a featured listing on Ron Knight's Up Author's 100th Blog,

an interview with Collin Kelley on 5/31,

and it ends with me doing an IN-PERSON event - The Suffern Book Festival in Suffern, NY!

Stay tuned as I will have all of the links on here and they will be tweeted as well.

Thanks for all of your support and I look forward to seeing everyone on my tour! :)

Happy Reading!

L. E. Harvey is going on tour!!!!!!!

2011-03-14T19:16:00.004-04:00

Heya folks! This is a quick notice to let y'all know that yours truly is doing a blog tour which will coincide with an-person event I am doing at the end of May.

Starting April 4th, I will be doing a blog tour which will include features, intreviews, reviews and more! I am SO excited about this. I'll be making some INCREDIBLE stops along the way, so I hope you all follow along!

The end of May, I will be at the Suffern Book Festival to meet you, sign books, answer questions and more! I am so thrilled to have this opportunity, and I hope to meet you there!

Take care and happy reading!!!!!

The Political Importance of Imperfect

2011-02-28T18:57:00.004-05:00

Good Monday evening, fellow readers.

You've heard me talk about the importance of Imperfect. Perhaps it didn't quite resonate with you at the time. Considering the current political state, it is more important than ever that we examine Imperfect not just as a work of literary fiction, but as a political commentary.

DADT has finally been repealed, though the military is still working through everything. President Obama has just announced that DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is no more. The state in which I currently reside is under a giant microscope for potentially being the next state to allow same-sex marriages.

What does all of this have to do with you and Imperfect?

Everything!

I think it is pretty safe to assume that you have all figured out where I stand on such issues. In case you've missed it, I'm pro EQUALITY.

Anyhoo, Imperfect is VERY political. I BLATANTLY discuss sexism, racism, prejudice against LGBT people and prejudice against HIV/AIDS people. In a time where we as a country need to reflect on what we truly stand for, I put it out there for all the world to see in black and white.

It does not matter what side you stand on. Imperfect speaks to both sides. It makes you think. It challenges your thoughts and ideals. It will move you one way or another.

So read it, people! Allow yourself to become uncomfortable! Allow yourself to be challenged! Allow yourself to think and consider all the options and perspectives! I guarantee you, this book will change your life. Guaranteed. That's pretty bold for me to say. But it is true. So buy it, down load it and read it.

And...don't come to any conclusions just yet. Why? Because there's still Impeccable to come. Once you have read these two books together, you will never be the same. These books are meant to move you, to touch you and to cause you to think. Individually, they both do that. In conjunction with each other, it's like nothing else you've ever read before.

Go on...click here

February Contest Check In

2011-02-09T19:17:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody! How are we all doing on this Wednesday evening? Well, I hope! :)

I just wanted to check in with all my candidates for the February contest to see how you're doing. How do you like the book so far? What do you think? Any questions or comments? I LOVE to hear back from my readers, and with this contest at stake, why not tell me what's on your mind with Imperfect? :)

So, how are ya?

February 2011 Contest!!!!!!!

2011-01-31T11:29:00.001-05:00

I have a contest for February, everyone!

Download a copy of Imperfect and read it! Pick one word to describe the book and why you're choosing that word. For example, I'll choose the word universal. "Imperfect is universal. It is a universal story and touches everyone regardless of race, gender, orientation or politics. This is a great book with a universal theme." Please do not use this in your e-mails. I DO read them, folks. I want REAL answers...from YOU! :)

My e-mail is leharvey77@gmail.com

You can purchase your copies at:

http://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-L-Harvey/dp/1935407732/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296491031&sr=1-6

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Imperfect/LE-Harvey/e/2940011095559/?itm=2&USRI=imperfect

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21580

http://www.omnilit.com/product-imperfect-448553-173.html

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-imperfect-448553-173.html

One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win either $10 amazon card or $10 i-tunes card! :)

Happy reading!

Words for a Waning Moon

2011-01-20T14:28:00.009-05:00

Hello, everyone. It is Thursday afternoon here in the Tundra. Hopefully it's a bit warmer where you are! ;)

Let's see...there's so much to say, and yet almost nothing to say. Quite a kunundrum, eh?

First off, if for some reason you've missed my blabs, yours truly is getting hitched. Tying the knot, and all that jazz. The Mrs-to-be proposed on December 7, and we have a tentative date of August 25, 2012. Hope you all can make it! ;) Needless to say, my political side has been revved up even more than normal because of this. I have had to hold myself back from writing COUNTLESS political blogs. Things have been said to my face and behind my back. And I'm not one to keep quiet when such things occur. ;) LOL. But, I have been a good girl and watched my words VERY carefully!

In other news, I have submitted Impeccable to my publisher. Insert high-pitched squeal here. I am so excited. I hope she likes it as much as I do! LOL. More over, I hope all of you like it as much as I do. I've been getting incredible feedback from readers about Imperfect, so I really hope you guys like Impeccable just as much! :)

Yours truly is on the hunt for a decent full-time job until I can become the NY Times best-seller I know I will be and Matt Lauer comes to visit us. :) LOL. Until that day comes, if you're hiring, I'm applying! ;)

Also, the Mrs-to-be and I are finalists for something uber-cool! I'll keep y'all posted on it. Just be sure to keep your eyes open for us as our picture may be found all over! ;)

I think that covers all the bases. There will be more, of course. There always is. For now, I hope you all have a great book like Imperfect to read this weekend! If you've read it or are going to read it & you like it, don't forget to show me some love on Amazon, k? ;)

Happy reading, everyone!!!!

My New Year's Resolution

2011-01-08T08:16:00.011-05:00

Howdy y'all!

Here we are one week into 2011. How's it been for ya? I sure do hope this new year has treated you well.

In all the busyness of life, I realized yesterday that I hadn't made any steadfast new year's resolutions.

Is that wrong? I have goals, mind you. Just nothing concrete.

In my various writer forums I keep seeing people ask and talk about their writing resolutions. Honestly, that's a bit of a turn off to me.

You see, I don't think we should make (as writers) resolutions about the number of words per day that we'll write or the number of books we hope to churn out in a year. That promotes quantity, not quality.

Yeah, I'm a stickler for quality.

So, that's actualy my new year's resolution as a writer. Focus on writing well. Write things that are poignant, emotional, important, creative and simply well done. As well as I can do, anyway. I don't want to focus on numbers. That's a scary game that can often have you trapped and detract greatly from your work. Whether I have one book published this year or ten, I want them all to be the best stories they can possibly be. I want to continually grow and improve as a writer. I want both my work and myself to be the best that they can possibly be. I think that's a good goal. It creates a better product. Don't you as a reader want the best book out there and not some sloppy, poorly-put-together junk?

Yeah, that's what I thought. ;)

So, fellow book-lovers, this is my official new year's resolution. Out here on the internet for all the world to see. I, L. E. Harvey, hope to improve my writing and will focus on writing quality stories rather than quantity.

Hope you are all kicking some serious arse on your new year's resolutions!

Happy new year and happy reading!

The Power of a Blank Page

2010-12-27T14:38:00.008-05:00

It seems wherever I've been going in the literary world lately, I've heard how intimidating a blank page is. Really? I keep hearing this, so it must be a universal phenomena, yet it is not anything I experience. What is wrong with me?

I LOVE blank pages! There is limitless potential there. Dear God, I could stare at a blank page for hours. Not out of fear, but out of wonder! Will it be a romance? A thriller? Dark and mysterious or light and sweet? Who will be born? What will people look like? Where will this story take me?

One of my favorite gifts during childhood was a blank journal-type book. I had so many over the years. I still wouldn't turn one down! ;)

Blank pages are as exciting as they come. That page represents all the potential in the world. How can I be afraid of that? It's exciting to see what I will be able to paint with my words. That is fun, at least to me. :)

Blank pages are extremely powerful. They hold the key to our next world. They are what our imaginations should be: infinite!

So the next time you're staring at a blank page, don't be intimidated. Be inspired!

Happy reading and writing, y'all!

My Yule Holiday Gift

2010-12-22T19:18:00.003-05:00

Howdy, folks! So, the powers that be gave me a wonderful gift for Yule yesterday: an interview on sellingbooks.com! Please check it out! :)

Thanks! And happy holidays, of course! ;)

http://www.sellingbooks.com/l-e-harvey-imperfect

Holiday Gifts

2010-12-20T12:44:00.005-05:00

Today, I was simply going to write about the power of a blank page, but instead I find myself GLEEFULLY distracted! :)

Don't get me wrong, there is much to be said about a blank page (I'm serious), as well as the power of words. BUT...I'll bore y'all with that another time!

Today, instead, I want to tell you about happy, wonderful, holiday things!!! :)

First and foremost, Vanilla Heart Publishing is running an INCREDIBLE special on e-books for the holidays. They're just $3.99, folks! Only three dollars and ninety nine cents! That is an incredible price! It's the perfect gift for yourself and all the other readers on your list! Just think of how many copies of Imperfect, Loving Her, Unbreakable Hostage, and all the other FANTASTIC VHP titles you can buy! http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com/Celebrate_EBOOKS_.html

Secondly, I will be on sellingbooks.com tomorrow for a great interview about Imperfect! Don't miss this one! :) http://www.sellingbooks.com/

Last, and certainly not least, I am thrilled, honored and excited to announce that I, little old me, yours truly was listed as the NUMBER THREE Facebook Author for 2010! HOLY CRAP! I was floored. I'm still giddy with excitement! :) Check out the link and let out a little squeal of joy along with me! :) http://www.upauthors.com/“/ron-knights-top-50-facebook-authors”

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, that's it for now. I'll be back to harass you some more later.

Happy reading! :)

2010-12-11T10:42:00.003-05:00

Happy weekend, everyone!

This is a brief blog today because...well, I don't want to bore you. :)

First off, I have the honor of having Imperfect featured on Authors Promoting Authors!

Please check this link! :) http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-release-imperfect-le-harvey.html

Next week, I will be guest blogging on Romancing the Book. I'll be there on Thursday, the 16th. I'm THRILLED to be there and...we're doing a contest!!!! You don't want to miss out on that one! Here's the link-y poo: http://www.romancing-the-book.com/

Lastly, for those of you who have not yet heard (and who don't mind a good, hot political debate), my partner proposed to me this week! :) Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! That was my girlish squeal of excitement. I'm thrilled. She makes me so happy! :) So...Yayness!

Of course, I've already run into people who can't simply be happy for us. Yeah, I've gotten some lovely lectures from people who disapprove.

Perhaps I should disapprove of heterosexual marriages. I don't know. Just a thought.

Anyway, I am who I am. I am madly in love, we ARE getting married. If you don't like that, I'm sorry. You are entitled to your opinion, however, I don't need that opinion shoved in my face 24/7. I get enough of that from Fox news. ;)

Those people, those naysayers are the exact reason I write, folks. Their bigotry is my motivation. I use their prejudice to write stories that I hope will open peoples' eyes and create some more understanding and acceptance in this very cold world of ours. You know what? It seems to be working, too. Thus far, Imperfect has been read and reviewed by STRAIGHT people. The reviews have been wonderful. Yes, straight people LOVE an LGBT book. Be horrified, be thrilled. Makes ya wanna go out & read it, doesn't it? ;) The newest review came yesterday from Dr. T. Davis:
"I like a book that makes me uncomfortable. And this book does just that." SWEET! I made a Ph. D. uncomfortable, folks! He likened Imperfect to a psychological thriller, sans the morbidity. That is what I love to hear. STRAIGHT people who are intrigued by LGBT writing. Proof that our stories are, in fact, universal.

Ok, I'll stop rambling. I promised y'all I wouldn't bore you. Hopefully I didn't. Hopefully I did interest you in picking up a copy of Imperfect, though. ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-L-Harvey/dp/1935407732/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292083339&sr=1-2

How Writing is like Sanding

2010-12-03T09:23:00.008-05:00

Happy Monday, y'all!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA, but with an ever-changing schedule and ill children, my butt has had great difficulty finding its way back to my computer. LOL.

Today, I want to discuss how writing (GOOD writing) is like sanding.

For those of you who don't know, my partner is a chainsaw artist and incredible home-do-it-yourself-er-just-as-well-as-those-construction-baffoons-for-less-than-half-the-price people. Yeah. She's that good.

Anyway, between home construction and carvings, there is much sanding to be done. Enter the giddy nerd who just loves to sand.

That would be me, folks.

Yep, she taught me how to use the orbital sander, and I haven't looked back!

It's a blast! Sawdust flying all over - making you look old because it covers your hair. Getting black lung if you inhale it. Yeah, good stuff. ;)

So, one day, I was sanding the antique floors in out new home-to-be and I watched my little sander dig and grind away to peel off the old layers of dirt, weathering, and even some of the old dents. God I love what sanding can do to wood!

But, as I watched my floor become revitalized, I thought about how that applies to writing.

GOOD writing should peel away those old layers. The layers of dirt and weathering. The layers that are scratched and imperfect. Good writing slowly grinds all of those defects away and you're left raw and vulnerable. Naked and as unmarked as the day you were born. Seriously. That's what sanding does to wood, and that is what we as writers should be doing (and readers get to reap the benefits).

First, you have your coarse sanding pad.

That's the rough stuff that gets rid of all the big black, nasty dirt. It leaves the wood with a feeling of texture. This is your rough draft. It's rough, it's coarse, but it gets the main job done. The first part is always the hardest, right? The hardest part of writing a book is actually writing it! Using the rough sanding paper can be tough at times, but it's worth it in the end. Just like seeing your completed first draft.

Second, is your mid-grade sanding pad.

This is where you're editing. You go back into those crevices and make sure they are truly cleaned out. You go over the wood again to make sure it's looking good and clean. You'll notice, it starts to feel smooth to the touch. Just like a well-edited draft is smooth to read.

Finally, you have your fine sanding pad.

This is the final detail work. You go over the wood with the fine pad just to polish it up. When you're writing, this is adding those few final touches that really make your piece shine. Know what happens when you touch wood that's been sanded with fine grit paper? It is so smooth! It's an incredible feeling. So is that final, complete, beautiful manuscript! Those details are what make your story smooth and gorgeous. It completes the process.

You need all three steps just like you need all 3 grits in order to have a solid, complete work.

You have all heard me say that Imperfect and Impeccable are my "standing in front of the world naked" books. And they are. I took a figurative sander to myself and kept digging until I was light and raw and unblemished. What you have is a set of two very increbly powerful and touching books. The first of which has been receiving some great accolades thus far. These books are nothing like what you've read in the past. They are touching, tragic, sweet and sad. They are personal. They are gritty. They are raw.

So, the next time you sit down to write, stop and think. Do you want to look like another old, weathered wooden board that someone is just going to throw away or you do want to look revitalized, new, different? Sanding yourself equates to damn good reading!

Happy weekend and happy reading, everyone! :)

Book Review: Dream Bigger by Julie Wise

2010-11-27T11:07:00.006-05:00

Happy Saturday after Turkey day, everyone! :) I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday and that your holiday weekend is going well. :)

Today, I am reviewing Dream Bigger by Julie Wise.

And just to be uber sweet to y'all, I am giving away a $10 Amazon gift card! What must one do? 'Tis simple, really. Just read this review and post a comment. The winner will be chosen at random (PLEASE make sure I have some way of contacting you via e-mail! LOL). So, read on and good luck!

Again, I remind you that I am a novice reviewer, so please pardon me if this isn't perfect. ;)

To get right down to it, I like this book. Dream Bigger is not your stereotypical self-help book. It is anything but cliche.

Ms. Wise uses absolutely incredible examples from her own life, as well as her clients and truly inspirational people. I love her honesty in the book. She does not paint her life out to be perfect, which is great for imperfect people like me! I could relate to her stories, her struggles, and her triumphs.

What is most incredible is that I was reading this book during a rather important time in my life. One day, my partner began reading it along with me. Next thing I knew, we were both fighting to read it! LOL. This book really touched and inspired my partner. At a time when she was at a cross-roads, Dream Bigger gave her the tools, guidance and inspiration to follow her heart! I am truly indebted to Ms. Wise for this book and the good it has brought to my partner's life!

If you or someone you know is looking for good holiday reading, and reading that will truuly inspire you, this is the book for you! Enjoy, Dream Bigger!

Happy reading! :)

VBT Author Spotlight: DR. J. Sivak

2010-11-24T09:13:00.006-05:00

Good Wednesday and Thanksgiving Eve morning, everyone! :)

Today, we have author and MD, Dr. J. Sivak with us,

discussing his book, When Can I go Home? This is very touching, so I ask that you please help me welcome him here today. I think you'll enjoy what he has to say. :)

I first started writing When Can I Go Home? back in 1989 when I was in my last year of medical school. That was about a year after my mother died from Alzheimer's disease.
The book is a memoir about my mother's futile struggle with the disease. After she passed away I had a tremendous need and sometimes furious drive to record the journey in a timeless and permanent way. As a teenager, I had been my mother's primary caregiver for a few years , as the disease progressively robbed her of her cognitive abilities, personality and her very essence. At the time writing about it was very cathartic.
The disease process is profoundly isolating for families and I wanted to scream out and tell the world. That element is there in so many Alzheimer's memoirs. Unfortunately the issue of isolation has not improved in our society and much as we like to pretend it has in the last thirty years since my mother was diagnosed. At that time most people had not heard of Alzheimer's disease and of course now it is a household term, but as a society we are still ignorant and terrified about it till it affects our own family. The isolation is still there.
The book is a bit unusual or even paradoxical from an Alzheimer's memoir point of view in that It presents a dual perspective. First is a family caregiver specifically a teenager son, which is a bit unusual and at times even bizarre, since that is not the prototypical demographic of a caregiver. The other perspective is a clinical one from a physician. I have treated thousands of patients and their families affected by many psychiatric and neurological problems including many Alzheimer's victims. The clinical information is broken down and translated for the reader.
So you essentially have these two very different points of view sort of flip-flopping but sort of coming into what I hope is a harmonious symmetry. The third aspect of the book is an underlying and ongoing commentary on all the relevant sociological and psychological issues this book interfaces with. Such issues as the state of health care delivery, being a doctor, and the aging population are addressed and sometimes not in a very convenient way for those that need to hold onto pretense and prejudice for security. For example as a society we really don't treat the aging population with the honor and dignity they deserve. We are pretty much obsessed with youth and appearance. We also have a lot of bias toward the medical profession if not at times completely vilifying the field. So in that sense speaking candidly about things albeit my opinion yet based on experience may open the readers eyes, on some issue conversely it may propel some to try to look the other way even more. It's not always politically correct, but it is a memoir and it is honest. It is sort of visceral, some people will cry some will laugh some will get more angry, it makes you feel first, then think.
The manuscript was hard to finish, it lay dormant for some fifteen years, I never had an ending. Even after the death of an Alzheimer's victim, there is never an ending for the five million families affected by the disease. something hit me, after all these years. We are all universally humanly connected by this disease process, and I had the clarity to finish this book.
I love writing, but most of my energy and creativity is spent in my day job. I am currently working on a novel about psychiatric residency. Fiction is obviously a much different prospect than a memoir but it taps a different part of your brain and soul to create something like this compared to a memoir.

Joseph J. Sivak MD
www.niagarapress.net
http://alzheimmers.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/When-Can-I-Go-Home/357170603956
twitter @whencanigohome

Busy Blogging Week

2010-11-23T09:42:00.012-05:00

Good Tuesday morning, folks! :)

First off, I want to thank everyone for the Blog Jog. It was great. I had an absolute blast and it was an honor to have so many of you stop by, comment and even follow me! Thank you all so much! :)

Our winner has been selected and notified. Congratulations and happy reading!

For everyone else, thank you so much for commenting! I greatly appreciate it! If you are interested in reading my books, I have some GREAT news! My publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing, is running this INCREDIBLE offer right now where you can purchase three e-books and get a fourth free! Here is the blurb from their website, http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com/

Seasonal Ebook Supersavers!

Secure Shopping Cart- Credit Cards or Paypal

THANKSGIVING SEASON SPECIAL

We're Thankful for Great Books!

Buy 3, Get 1 FREE through December 16, 2010
Just copy and paste (or type) the code 8GI4SE3R

All These Vanilla Heart Publishing Authors!

Vila SpiderHawk, Smoky Trudeau, Chelle Cordero, Marilyn Celeste Morris, Misha Crews, Robert Hays, L.E. Harvey, Victoria Howard, Collin Kelley, Sandy Nicks, Malcolm R. Campbell, Charmaine Gordon, Janet Lane Walters, Anne K. Albert, S.R. Claridge, Melinda Clayton, Barbra Annino, our VHP Anthologies, and our non-fiction titles (more coming soon).

51 Great Books to Choose From!

Please check it out! There are some incredible books to be read! :)

As for yours truly, I have a couple of new blogs coming up here in the very near future. ;) For now, I'd be honored if you visited GLBT reading blog where I have a guest post.

Tomorrow, I am hosting a guest: Dr. J. Sivak, author of When Can I Go Home? Please stop by and visit him. His book sounds simply amazing! :)

Thank you all so much!

Happy reading! :)

It's Blog Jog Day!!!!!

2010-11-20T13:01:00.027-05:00

Welcome, joggers! My name is Lauren Harvey, and I write as L. E. Harvey. And this is my humble abode - I mean blog! :)

ONE very lucky jogger will be selected to win signed copies of all three of my current titles! The winner will be chosen at random, so be sure to leave a comment to put your name in the running! :)

I am THRILLED to be in this blog jog, and I am honored to have you here! :)

Let me tell you a bit about myself and my blog.

First off, I am an LGBT and contemporary fiction author. My writing background is non-fiction, but I began writing fiction in 2006 and haven't looked back. ;)

I am from Philadelphia, and have lived all over the United States. I like to bore people with my various stories and expeditions. ;)

My partner and I have a beautiful four year old daughter, 4 cats and a dog (I'm a licensed vet tech by day, writer by night). There are countless stories about said family members.

I call my blog the Writings and Ramblings of a Philadelphian because (a) I'm a writer and I write; (b) I talk a lot, and thus ramble and (c) as previously stated, I'm a Philly girl. Go Eagles! LOL.

My blog is informal. I like to make my readers feel comfortable and know that I am very approachable. Most of my blog posts are about my books (Loving Her, Unbreakable Hostage, and Imperfect), but there's the occasional funny life story, moving life story or political ramble. I want my readers to get to know me,

so that I'm not some strange being who just asks for book sales.

For Blog Jog Day, here are some randome tidbits about yours truly:

1) I do not jog. Unless my house is on fire, that is.

2) I like to post silly pictures in my blog. Because silly pictures (and the Hokey Pokey) are what it's all about it.

3) I am short.

4) I like to wear animal socks.

5) I can curse people out in Slavish.

Thank you so much for stopping by on your jog today! From here, I'd like to send you to Pat Bertram's blog. Pat Bertram blogs about writing, life, and the writing life. Also, she will be offering people a chance to win a copy all the titles published in 2011 by Second Publishing. So you don't want to miss out on that! Bertram's Blog

Happy reading and happy blog jog day! :)

A giant leap...bakcwards?

2010-11-14T15:21:00.012-05:00

Yesterday, I had the tremendous opportunity to sell myself, and my books, to a local book store.

Considering the local atmosphere (mentality, politics, call it what you want), I'm quite lucky this gal gave me the time of day. She did order a copy...of Unbreakable Hostage. She was going to look into my other books and decide from there.

Did yours truly tell her they were LGBT contemporary fiction?

Nope.

Did yours truly even identify herself as a member of the LGBT community?

Ha! Yeah, right?

Remember that recent blog post of mine about coming out to my readers? Yeah, I completely nullified that one in one fell swoop. Good job, right?

The thing is, I don't want to push people away. I don't want to make people uncomfortable. I simply cannot handle the rejection. They'd be rejecting me - and my work - to my face. Have I not endured enough prejudice over the years that I must be personally rejected because my writing is LGBT fiction?

Ok, the truth is: I'm a wimp.

So, what am I to do? I'm a writer. I need sales and to have my books in stores! How can I approach this sensitive subject with tact? How can I handle my tremendous fear of rejection?

My partner told me I need to get over this, and she's absolutely right. I just don't know how. Any suggestions?

Book Review: Living Inside the Testimony

2010-11-11T17:51:00.006-05:00

Living Inside the Testimony, Betty Collier

Please excuse any errors. This is my first formal review, so please bear with me. :)

Living Inside the Testimony is by new author, Betty Collier.

Though she calls herself an unexpected author, I must say that I'm glad she branched out and wrote this book.

Mrs. Collier takes us deep into her personal life. Albeit small, this book is chock-full with a deep and touching story.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. What I found surprised me, quite pleasantly.

Her story is one of strength, determination and faith. She is very open and honest about her struggles.

What I like about this book is that it's as if you're sitting at a table having coffee with Mrs. Collier and she's telling her story. It's warm, familiar, and personal. You get a good sense of who she is as a person. It's a very endearing trait of this book.

The one thing I didn't like? I wanted more. That's actually a good thing. They say that the mark of any good artist is to leave your audience wanting more. Mrs. Collier DEFINITELY does that with her book. There is so much to her and her incredible story. There are some parts where she just glazes over the story and you find yourself smiling, silently begging her for more!

It was a pleasant, quick read. Thank you, Betty Collier, for taking me on this journey with you.

Happy reading! :)

NaNoWriMo

2010-11-09T09:12:00.007-05:00

Good Tuesday morning!

Like many people I know, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month,

or NaNoWriMo as we uber cool people like to call it.

Here's the thing about Nano. I originally wasn't going to do it. I'm still editing Impeccable and working my tail off in about 50 other places as well. Then a good friend said an unexpected word. She said ass, folks. LOL. Just not a word I'd expect to hear from this lady. Just because she said the word ass (the context was that you write your ass off during Nano), I decided to do it. Nearly a week late, I jumped in and typed away.

I've been using this idea for a novel that I've had floating in my head for Nano. Basically, I'm using Nano as my launching pad for this book. Will it be done, completely edited and ready for my publisher on November 30? No. Absolutely not. But that's ok. It's started. That matters more.

As I write it, I find myself slightly at war. You see, this book-to-be is COMPLETELY different from anything else I have ever written. It's as much of a reach as can be. And I wonder if it's really any good. It's so different from Imperfect and Impeccable that I can't help but wonder if it can stand next to them, so to speak. These are emotional and cerebral books. They're deep and touching. This new one is a story. Not that it's bad or weird. Just different. Different genre, different feel. It feels very real to me as I write it, but again, I'm incredibly good at doubting myself. It could be fine and I am simply letting my insecurities get the best of me.

Regardless, I'll keep plugging along. If it flops, at least it's flopped in my hands and nowhere else. I gave her a try. If it's not meant to be, then it's not meant to be. But the WORST story is the one never written, right?

November 21st is Blog Jog Day

2010-11-07T12:58:00.005-05:00

Readers, writers, and the like: Sunday, Nov. 21 from 12 am (midnight y'all) until midnight (or technically 11:59, I guess) it's BLOG JOG DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Yours truly is proudly participating! :)

Wanna learn more? Wanna participate? Check out the link http://blogjogday.blogspot.com

And I will see all of you on the 21st for Blog Jog day!!! :)

Coming Out to My Readers

2010-11-04T10:19:00.018-04:00

Hey y'all!

So I know it's Thursday, but for anyone who knows me, they know that my weekend extended into Tuesday with an awful "must-retrieve-my-truck-that-stranded-hours-from-home" adventure. Not how I prefer to spend my time. We did finally get home Tuesday night (and we voted!) and then my day yesterday was spent working, as usual.

Before my baby decided to die on Saturday, I came out to a fellow vendor at my partner's show.

This gal knows me, and is super awesome. Really like her. She's a lot of fun and she makes GORGEOUS glass items: from bowls to rings to necklaces. They're just plain great.

Anyhoo, this gal has a Kindle.

And she likes to read.

Score for the non-crafty person at the show!!!! :)

So, like any good sales-whore, I gave her my card with my book info.

Then she asked the dreaded question.

What genre do you write?

I hemmed and hawed. I HATE this question. I always call my work contemporary fiction, and that seems to appease most people. But, here I am face to face with a SERIOUS sale. I had to tell her the truth.

So, I told her. I jested and said that I am what I am. To which she replied, "I'm not anti."

I swear, I heard the angels singing!

A straight person who wouldn't mind reading LGBT books! Thank God!

So, then I went on with my spiel, and life was good.

This experience put some things in perspective for me.

Yes, I'm out.

Have been since '03.

Not going back.

I am who I am.

I don't bleed green acid.

I don't have 3 heads and 17 eyes.

I'm a human.

A rainbow human, if you will.

I need to be honest about my work.

Yes, most of my fiction is LGBT fiction, world.

There. I said it.

HOWEVER, this does not mean that my books do not pertain to straight folks as well.

In Loving Her, you have a cast of characters from a ballerina to a mechanic. I'm sure even straight people can find ONE character they can relate to in that group!

In Imperfect, we have black, white, Asian, gay, straight, Christian, atheist, Buddhist, teachers and computer people. HUMANS. Yes, it's LGBT fiction. Yes, it's HIV/AIDS LGBT fiction. But, it still translates to all readers. Even if you're straight, you will love Carol. You will relate to her. You will find comradery. It will reach you as much as it would an LGBT reader.

We're ALL people here, folks. It doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from. My books are for ALL readers. They're for YOU.

VHP Author: Janet L. Walters

2010-10-27T13:34:00.008-04:00

Good Thursday morning, reading world! Today, I have Janet Walters as my guest. She's a fellow VHP author, and an amazingly interesting woman!

Please welcome her here and enjoy our very interesting conversation! :)

1) You worked as a registered nurse for a number of years. Have you used your experiences in the medical field in any of your writing?

Definitely. When I first began writing nurse romances were my thing and I've published a number of them from sweet to spicy. Obsessions is a medical suspense with a twist. The nurses and doctors are being killed. My cozy mysteries feature a recently retired nurse Katherine Miller who doesn't want a third career but ends up having one. Even in the fantasies there are healers who know about medicines. In Mistress of the Moons one of the three heroines is a Healer. In the Warrior of Bast though Tira the heroine isn't in the medical profession she uses something she read in a book on the history of medicine that is useful in helping one of the minor characters.

2) You've written over 39 books, both fiction and non-fiction alike. Do you prefer one genre over another? If so, why?

As to preferring one genre over another, I can't be held to one. Sometimes I seem to be on a role in one genre and lately it's been fantasy but since I read most everything I write most everything. Though I've done some non-fiction, I doubt I will ever do another one. Some of the ones I've written were when I worked as a ghost writer for several doctors. Though those books earned me some money, I doubt I would ever go back to that kind of work. Now if you want to know what I would never write, horror tops that list. I don't like horror and never read that kind of book. I don't think I could do a police procedural or a military fiction. That is totally out of my experience.

3) Your current release, The Warrior of Bast,

and your next release, Mistress of the Moons

both have a Wiccan feel to them. Do you consider yourself someone of an alternative belief system?

A Wiccan feel. I'm not sure what that is. The Warrior of Bast is all about my fascination with ancient Egypt and the gods and goddesses. Cats and hawks play a major role in the story. And camels. Since there were no camels in Egypt during the time I wanted to set these stories I had to devise an alternate Egypt and thus the gods and goddesses are different. Mistress of the Moons was begun way back when women's lib was so militant and I believed both men and women should work together. No alternate religions for me, though I do have a fascination with learning about the other religions of the world and those that no longer exist. Mithranisn plays a part in the Mistress of the Moons with a bit of other religions. I guess I'm just fascinated with so many things and wind them together.

4) I love the fact that The Warrior of Bast has elements of suspense, romance and time travel. What inspired you to write such an intricate story line for The Warrior of Bast?

The Warrior of Bast is actually the first of a trilogy with two books to follow. The Ruler of Horu and the Priest of Toth. Titles may change. I didn't realize it was complicated but I love plots in books. Many times I get so involved in creating the plots that I forget to develop the characters fully until my critique group slaps me down. They're always yelling Emotions, emotions. I'm not sure time travel is really what we have here since it's an alternate world. I also love to read about alternate worlds. One of my readers, thought there wasn't enough romance in the book but she understood the reason for the holding back.

5) In Mistress of the Moons, it says that Ashiera, Dian and Egeria learn that they must act with their male partners in order to defeat the priests of the Lord of Shadows. As one who believes in the balance of masculinity and feminity, that's a point I greatly enjoyed. Was there anything specific that sparked you to create three strong heroines who also need their heroes in order to be victorious? Was that planned, or did it just happen as you wrote the story?

This is one of those strange stories. The dolls came to me when I was in Santa Fe and saw the various Kachina dolls there. I was also into the balance between men and women. Also I had been reading much mythology about the three women, maiden, mother and crone. The heroines evolved from them and to put a strange touch to the story, I had the spirits of three dying women sent into the bodies of three damaged women. Then they needed strong heroes and the three were born. This story was written years before it was published and put away after having been rejected since few publishers were publishing fantasy at that time. At least that's what my rejections said. I also think part of it was because of the romances in the books.

6) You seem to have very strong and courageous heroines. What are the positive and negative points to having strong female characters?

Strong heroines need strong heroes. Creating heroes who match the heroines is the only negative thing I can see. I read few books were the heroines are weak and the few I have I haven't liked. I think my heroes generally match my heroines in strength of character. I think most readers like to read about strong heroines who face life head on. Weak heroines don't make an interesting story.

7) What do you think is one thing people would be surprised to learn about your writing/writing process?

I'm not sure this would surprise anyone who knows me but maybe some writers and readers might find it strange. I write the first few drafts by hand rather on the typewriter. I write and think faster than I type. I'm also a draft writer and my books are re-written and revised from five to seven times during the process.

VHP Author: Vila Spiderhawk

2010-10-19T08:53:00.007-04:00

Good Tuesday morning, fellow lovers of the written word. Today, I have fellow VHP author and all around good gal, Vila Spiderhawk! Come get to know this VERY nice lady & wonderful writer! You won't regret it! :)

Vila SpiderHawk and her husband share a log home of their design in the woods of Pennsylvania where they live with their five cats and enjoy frequent visits with their many woodland friends.

After all the gremlins leave this Halloween, curl up with a SpiderHawk book or two!

Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones
Forest Song: Finding Home
Forest Song: Little Mother
Forest Song: Letting Go
Forest Song Cookbook

http://www.vilaspiderhawk.com

Dagmar

“Where’s your papa?” I switched Karl to my other aching breast. “His last class was two hours ago! Even if a student held him up with a meeting, he should have been home by now! Come on liebchen. Eat for Mama. Or are you worried too?” He spat up. I wiped his mouth then threw a towel over my shoulder. “Do you have gas?” I willed the door to open to my husband and absently burped my son. “It’s not like Papa to be late. Our whole dinner will be wrecked,” I fretted rubbing circles on his back. “Oh that’s a good one. Good boy!” I put him back to my breast but, however much I coaxed, he would not suck. “Well, how about a nice nap until your papa gets home? Then we can play.” I rose and took him to the bedroom. I put him down on his belly and covered him up with the afghan I had knitted for him. Sitting down on the old rocker, I sang to the child.

Sleep, baby, sleep
Your father tends the sheep.
Your mother shakes the branches small.
Lovely dreams in showers fall.
Sleep, baby, sleep.

Sleep, baby, sleep.
Across the heavens move the sheep.
The little stars are the lambs, I guess
And the moon is their shepherdess.
Sleep, baby, sleep.

Sleep, baby, sleep.
I shall give you a sheep.
And it shall have a bell of gold
For you to play with and to hold.
Sleep, baby, sleep.*

Karl grunted as I sang. I smiled and looked around the room, as I often did when I was alone. The floor was bare; the paper peeling; the curtains, Mama’s hand-me-downs. The bed was saggy in the middle, but I liked our little trough. It forced my Gustav and me to sleep like spoons. By any standards, our apartment was shabby and small, but to me it was a gold and crystal castle. “Imagine me, Dagmar Weiner, Dagmar Rosenfeld now, with my own home and with a husband and a son! How did I come to be so blessed?” I shook my head in disbelief.

Don’t be so recklessly complacent, the old-cellar brown voice of caution resonated from my girlhood. The things you treasure lavishly can disappear in the next breath. Be watchful. I went over to the window.
The street was five o’clock busy, people rushing home from work in street cars, and on bikes and on foot. Frau Schmidt locked up her bookstore and nodded to the door. She patted her yellow tiara of braids and pulled her collar up against the wind. She had no one to go home to, and I always felt sad that her husband had died before his time. I’d often thought to invite her to dinner or for tea but had somehow never managed to do it. I thought to open the window and to call out a hello, but the worry over Gustav stayed my hand.

Going into the kitchen, I turned off the stove. I’d made a pot of linsensuppe, since it was Gustav’s favorite dish. But it had simmered too long. The carrots were soft, and the lentils had turned to mush. At least the brötchen were all right, though they were no longer warm. Yeast rolls last. They would be fine for several days. But I feared that the bienenstitch was going to be soggy by the time we got around to dessert.

Like a thief, the sun had crept behind our neighbors’ tiled roofs. I sat down. My stomach growled. I had to eat. I felt sorry for Frau Schmidt as I ladled soup for one and dipped a chunk of roll into the bowl. “Gustav, come home right now!” I demanded of the door. Knowing that anything that kept him out so late was certain to be bad for our marriage, I laid my head down and wept until my heart was wrung dry, as I would do every night for many months.

*Old German lullaby, no attribution possible.
© Vila SpiderHawk 2009
All rights reserved

To learn why Gustav was so late, pick up Forest Song: Little Mother.
Available in paperback or Kindle from
http://www.amazon.com
and from my website,
http://www.vilaspiderhawk.com

VBT Author Spotlight: Julie Wise

2010-10-15T11:58:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday, internet world! :)

Today, I am featuring Julie Wise from the VBT tour. I think it's suiting that her surname is Wise. ;) Here's why:

Julie Wise is a professional life and relationship coach who works with people around the world to manifest their dreams. As a motivational speaker and freelance writer, she draws on her innate wisdom and personal life experiences to inspire others. Wise currently lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Where has the spark gone in your relationship?
Where are you on your priority list?
What's missing in your life right now?
You do have choices.

In fact, I believe the possibilities are limitless. If you have the desire for things to improve, you're already on the road to a better future.

DESIRE + STRUCTURE + ACTION = RESULTS

When life's challenges get you down, and you feel like giving up on your heartfelt desires, it's not time to quit. It's time to dream even bigger! This book is filled with inspiring true stories, simple tools and exercises, and plenty of motivation. Learn how to re-chart your course and bring more joy and ease into your life as you pursue your dreams.

"When life's challenges get you down, and you feel like giving up on your heartfelt desires, it's not time to quit. It's time to dream even bigger! This book is filled with inspiring true stories, simple tools and exercises, and plenty of motivation. Learn how to re-chart your course and bring more joy and ease into your life as you pursue your dreams."

"Take a moment to remember daydreaming as a child. Recall the joy, freedom, and sense of possibility you felt. Imagine being able to experience that every day. You can with Dream BIGGER, Julie Wise’s heartfelt and inspiring guide to realizing your deepest desires. Using her experience as a life and relationship coach, Wise provides personal anecdotes and numerous client examples to create a living, breathing roadmap for those seeking insight and wisdom on their daily path.
The workbook format deftly illustrates Wise’s motivational message, giving you the chance to work through past doubts, disappointments and fears using simple yet effective techniques. She shows you how to stay focused and achieve your dreams by creating a workable action plan. Divided into easy-to-read chapters, Wise offers inspiring stories from those successfully living their dreams and covers topics such as revealing the dream; befriending the gremlins; reawakening your potential; seeing the signs; and much, much more!
Your dream is within reach. Let Dream BIGGER show you how to make it a reality!"

Happy weekend reading, everyone! :)

VBT Author Spotlight: Betty Collier

2010-10-04T11:52:00.007-04:00

Today, we have author Betty Collier with us.

Unique and sweet, I have really enjoyed getting to know her and her book, Living Inside the Testimony.

Here's what she has to say about her book:

An editor for a magazine in which I ran an ad to promote my book, Living Inside The Testimony, asked me to come up with “A HOOK” that she could use as the headline for the ad. She said it needed to be something “catchy” that would peak the curiosity of radio and TV producers. This is what I came up with:

• I Became an Author Overnight, and I Remember the Exact Night it Happened
• How to Become a Best Selling Author Overnight
• When You Live Inside a Testimony, You Can’t See It
• Why Read a Book Written by Someone Who Never Wanted to Write One?
• Is it Luck or is it all Part of THE MASTER’S Plan?
• Is Your Life Part of a Master Plan?

She considered all these suggestions, but after she read the book for herself, this is the headline she created and used for the ad:
Marrying Your High School Sweetheart is Great: Until Your Kids are in High School
Don’t Miss this Woman’s Fun Advice About Life

Having said all this, my point is simply that the book takes on so many different faces. It was written to be inspirational and encouraging, but it offers much more than that. It’s hard to categorize it only in the inspirational genre because it has so many other facets that are neatly tied together to flow very smoothly. The editor said she was definitely inspired, but felt the main thing I had been missing in my promotions was to stress the humorous side of the book also. She thought it was very funny, but also full of life, love, and faith. It has enough variety to appeal to the general population, whether you share my faith or not.

I never considered myself an author, and if you had asked me prior to January, 2009 if I would ever write a book, my answer would have immediately and adamantly been "absolutely not!" Perhaps my honesty will make you wonder if the book is even worth reading, but I can assure you...I am an author. I became one overnight, and in fact, I remember the exact night it happened. It was after midnight when January 9th turned into January 10th, the night I dreamed about this book. I am confident that if you allow me to share my journey with you, you will understand perfectly, but only if you have the faith to believe. I wrote this book based on faith, well aware that not everyone would share my faith. If you read the book, you will see that my journey has been inspired by faith, hope, humor, romance, and alot of love. As one reader told me, "It's like being on a roller coaster. I didn't know what to expect next. I was laughing on one page and crying on the next...This book is a masterpiece!"

For more information about my book, please visit http://livinginsidethetestimony.com

Why Imperfect is Important

2010-10-02T12:09:00.004-04:00

We've all heard/seen/watched the news latetly. There is a SICK epidemic of harrassment of GLBT students that is resulting in their suicides. It's horrific. Absolutely horrific. That these KIDS are being so tormented that they feel the only relief is death is just horrifying.

This needs to stop. We are all human beings. Did you know that the differences between you and I are minimal? Seriously. Our DNA is about 99% THE SAME!!!!! I don't care where you come from, what color you are, your orientation: we are ALL human beings!

This weekend, a light vigil is being held at Washington Square Park in New York City for these college students. Though I cannot attend, I am doing my part.

How so?

My books.

Imperfect is the kind of book that NEEDS to be out right now. Especially in light of these tragedies. Imperfect FIGHTS prejudice. No matter what your school of thought, this book teaches you about equality, humanity and compassion. Imperfect does not back down from discussing discrimination, sexism, prejudice, hate crimes, etc. Like me, it is blunt. But it gets the point across. The point of love, tolerance, acceptance.

There's Impeccable, the sequel to Imperfect. Though not out yet, it too tackles these issues. Even more beautifully than Imperfect, if you ask me. Together, these two books will transform minds and help to eradicate hate!

Loving Her, my first work of fiction in fifteen years is an old, reliable source as well. Loving Her shows that no matter what walk of life you come from, we are all people. We all share the same hopes and dreams. Whether you're a mechanic or a ballerina, we're all in this together. Loving Her may be short stories, but they're still incredibly powerful.

PLEASE, help to end the hate. Help to make a difference. Teach love. Teach acceptance. Teach equality. Attend a service for these students if you can.

PLEASE READ MY BOOKS FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN AS A MEANS TO END THE HATE!!!!

PURCHASE IMPERFECT PURCHASE LOVING HER

My Birthday Wish

2010-09-28T09:42:00.010-04:00

I hate to admit it, but my birthday is this week.

Birthdays and I have a rocky relationship at best. But that's a personal issue. ;)

Problems aside, I do have a wish for this birthday that puts me deeper into my thirty-somethings.

I wish that you read Imperfect.

Seriously. This isn't a joke, or even a sales gimick. I'm terrible with sales, remember?

The truth is, Imperfect is so near and dear to my heart. It is such a reflection of who I am as a person, and what I believe. My heart is deeply interwoven in that book. Imperfect isn't just a story. It is me.

It's available for PC, MAC, Kindle, Nook, Sony, and all the e-readers that I don't even know exist.

It's on amazon, barnesandnoble.com and pretty much anywhere you look for it. So, it's not as if you can tell me you couldn't find it or it wasn't formatted for your reader.

It's an e-book. Ergo, it is cheap. Thus, you cannot tell me it's a tremendous expense.

It's a simple wish; a simple request, really. I just want to know that YOU are reading or have read my book. This book that I clutch close to my heart. I want to know that you opened your mind to the possibilities that this book presents. I want to know that you allowed yourself to feel all of the emotions that the characters feel. I want to know that you allowed yourself to be challenged logically, emotionally and even spiritually. I want to know that this book has touched you in some way.

Purchase Imperfect

So, if you wouldn't mind, I'd greatly appreciate it if you took a moment to download your copy of Imperfect and began to read it. Feel free to tell me what you think or ask any questions. It would really make my birthday something special. ;)

Purchase Imperfect

VBT Author Spotlight: George Hudson

2010-09-27T10:08:00.005-04:00

George Sherman Hudson was born and raised in Atlanta Ga.. After being continuously rejected by different publishers because of the subject matter contained in his books while serving time, this father of two did some research and started G Street Chronicles, the urban book publishing company that's ran by him with the help of his COO and fiancé Erica Jones . While George is continuously working hard to make G Street Chronicles a recognized name in the literary industry, he's also working hard on his highly anticipated REAL series. George has authored five books in all. His debut book Drama is in stores now. Having published more than 10 titles in the first year of business George is determined to make G Street Chronicles an urban lit powerhouse.

What is Urban Fiction?
Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside. Profanity, sex, and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material.

It doesn't matter whether you call it urban fiction, hip-hop fiction, ghetto lit or gangster lit, this genre has had a profound impact on publishing similar to the way that rap music did in its early days. What is significant is that a new audience for books has evolved. The material may be a little crude or harsh sometimes, but many find it to be true to the experience that it depicts.

Urban fiction the once misunderstood and under estimated genre has solidified itself in the publishing industry. The old traditional major publishing houses that once turned their nose up at urban fiction is now making six and seven figure deals to be a part of the growing genre. Most people think urban fiction is all about drugs, violence, and poverty when its not. For example my first novel Drama is about three women going through life's ups and downs. Right now it's a best seller within the company that's now only a year old. One of my premiere authors book titled Married to His Lies is on the verge of making essence best seller list and it doesn't contain the stereo typical urban drama plot. We at G Street highly recommend our new line up of books for our spring release.

About Drama

The drama just doesn't stop in the lives of Deb, Tammy, and Lisa. Deb, the hard worker and savvy entrepreneur is blessed with a multimillion dollar contract, but has to enjoy the success without the comfort of her man whose fledging music career has him busy from state to state. Tammy has everything a diva could want, a multimillion dollar home, expensive cars, clothes, jewelry, and she thought love.

Drama is a book a lot like sex in the city with black characters, each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character. They take turns telling their side of the story. It has everything, humor, emotions, great characters, and a lot of drama.

website: http://www. gstreetchronicles.com

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Drama-George-Sherman-Hudson/dp/0615314082/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281797093&sr=8-3

VBT Author Spotlight: Diane Griffin

2010-09-24T09:35:00.009-04:00

Author Bio: Diane Griffin, President and owner of Security First & Associates, says her motivation for writing Everything You Wanted to Know About the Security Clearance Process, But Are Afraid To Ask: Professional Guidance for Obtaining and Maintaining a Security Clearance came from the more than two decades of people she has assisted, both in her role as a private security contractor, and as the head of personnel or security within major governmental contractors, in finding their way through the complicated security clearance chain. Diane, is nationally recognized as an expert in the design and delivery of security throughout the intelligence community and has worked with a variety of clients throughout the US Government and industry. Diane is a past membership chairperson and current secretary of the National Classification Management Society (NCMS) and is active in several professional security organizations.

Diane received her B.S. degree in Human Resource Manager from Colorado Christian Univ. and MBA degree in Management from University of Phoenix. Author of several articles on Security and she volunteers with shelters, collecting used Cell phones for Women of Domestic Violence. In addition, volunteers with the foster care program, creating a program called Bags & Bears for Foster care, collecting pack backs and teddy bears for children in the foster care program. Diane is single again and has one child.

Book Synopsis: If you have plenty of time to click around through myriad government websites and the patience to cut through red tape and make sense of confusing bureaucratic talk, you may be able to find some of the answers to your questions about the security clearance process,” Griffin says. “Chances are, however, that you will still be left with some of your questions unanswered, because there are some questions that the government just doesn’t address. So, unless you know someone who is well acquainted with the process from a first-hand perspective, good luck.
“What I sought to do was compile all of these answers into one easy-to-read compendium of advice and guidance, giving my readers signposts along the way to assist them in navigating through the clearance process. I believe I’ve come up with a volume that will greatly help its users, and being able to assist folks in working through this process is extremely gratifying to me.” GROUNDBREAKING SECURITY CLEARANCE EBOOK A ONE-STOP KNOWLEDGEBASE FOR THOSE CONFUSED BY THE SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS

Business owners are smart to want to protect their sensitive, propriety information, yet are not exactly sure how to protect it. Applicant pre screening is one way you can find out who a person is, before they become a part of your team. Why is that important? Ask yourself, what do e-mail lists, proprietary information, customer contact lists, employee records and financial information all have in common?

The Answer: They are the Top 5 things stolen by freelancers, bookkeepers, even employees after leaving a job or when the job is completed - according to a recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute, a Tucson, Arizona-based research group whose survey was reported on by The Washington Post.

Having everyone that you do business with sign a NDA, (Non-Disclosure Agreement), is more important than ever. With economic agents putting emphasis on business secrecy, you must strive to protect your information through a series of tools. One such tool is the non disclosure agreement, generally understood as an agreement signed by company employees, prospective employees, business partners, freelancers and so on, in which they agree not to disclose company-related information.

Also, you may want to start with the standard pre-screening process. This includes checking references. You will want to thoroughly check with all of the references, as well as verify your applicant’s education. You may also want to check personal references. You will gain valuable information that can tell you a lot about a person. A more intense pre screening process may be in order for your type of business. There are great security firms out there that will help you define what your needs are and help you establish a plan for athe dequate screening of any applicant. You may need to do a background check to ensure that they do not have a criminal record. You may find that this disqualifies many applicants and save yourself from a great loss in the future.

Applicant pre screening and NDA’s are tools that any business owner should use to ensure they choose the most trusted people to do business with. Much of the pre screening process is not as intense as you may think. If putting these processes in place prevents problems before they occur, you will have a business that will stay secure. Present in a multitude of business relationships, non disclosure agreements are highly common in outsourcing operations. It’s simply smart business for even smalles to ask their business partners and freelancers to sign NDA agreements.

Everything You Need to Know About the Security Clearance Process, But Are Afraid to Ask is now available for $19.95, from my website, amazon & lulu.

Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars Actionable guidance in 65 pages, June 14, 2010
By L. Evans "collaborative-action" (Pacific NW) -
This review is from: Everything You Need To Know About The Security Clearance Process But Are Afraid To Ask (Kindle Edition)
When I read an instructional book, I'm looking for help. That means it needs to be easy to understand and formatted in a way to quickly find what I'm looking for.

Diane Griffin's book, "Everything you need to know about the security clearance process, but are afraid to ask" does this and more.

She even adds a bit of humor that may address some people's real fears about the security clearance process.

... all in a fully-packed 65 pages of actionable instruction. Well done!

-Lori Leavitt Evans, Performance & Risk Management Expert
Abrige Corp. ([...]) & C-Secure Systems ([...])

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Guide On The Security Clearance Process- Highly Recommended!,June 12, 2010
By CFH "chillnhill" (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Everything You Need To Know About The Security Clearance Process But Are Afraid To Ask (Kindle Edition)
"Everything You Need To Know About The Security Clearance Process But Are Afraid To Ask" is an excellent resource for individuals and companies that need to understand the often intimidating process of obtaining a security clearance. Back in the early 1990s I went through the Security Clearance process to get access to DoE and FAA facilities in order to work on Data Networks and truly wish that Diane Griffin's comprehensive book was availible to me at that time!

The book is easy to read, leaving out unnecessary jargon, and covers all of the questions that an applicant will have and many that I didn't think of on my own. The inclusion of sample forms was very helpful but most importantly, the chapter containing the "odd" questions Diane has been asked will likely put a few minds to rest about what will and won't be a considered an impediment to obtaining a clearance.

Highly Recommended!

CFH

The Main Reason You NEED to Read Imperfect

2010-09-22T18:18:00.010-04:00

Last night, I posted the following blurb on Facebook, Twitter, etc. :"This is the main reason you NEED to read Imperfect: It will touch your heart and change your mind!"

It's true. It's absolutely true. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm honest. I'm a city girl. I call it like I see it and I don't hold back. I'm not an ego-maniac and I am a terrible sales-person.

So, you can rest assured that when I tell you Imperfect will touch your heart and change your mind, it's true! :)

Let's be honest, Imperfect is tragic. BUT, when paired with Impeccable, it will actually raise your spirit. Individually and as a set, it will reach you on every emotional level. It will make you think. It will make you feel. It will make you stop and take a look at the world around you. It will cause you to challenge your current thoughts and values. That's not necessarily a bad thing. A good book is supposed to make you think and feel and challenge yourself.

Tragic stories are not horrible stories. They're not bad books. This is not a bad book. It's real. It's honest, it's raw. The story and characters stay with you. It's true. It's true to itself, true to reality and it's even true to you.

Go. Be bold. Buy a book not because the cover has some pretty picture on it, but because you know this book will reach you on a deeper level. Use a gift card for an e-book to download your copy and read it at your leisure from the privacy of your own home (or wherever you take your electronic reader). Go and read Imperfect because you know it will touch your heart and change your mind.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

Sweet, sweet romance

2010-09-16T15:45:00.017-04:00

I am a hopeless romantic. And this, well, it's endearing. It's sweet. It makes you say, "awe!" It's lovely. And it's from Imperfect! Does it get any better than that? ;)

Happy reading, y'all! :)

Carol had anticipated this day for years. Just like so many college students, the day she could legally drink was a great rite of passage in her life.

Marlene, Carol’s roommate, along with other friends and fellow students, had planned a wild night for their typically reclusive friend. Carol knew it would be a long, unpredictable night despite her early class. Carol didn’t care, though. She never went out and never partied. Her social life typically consisted of long nights with her textbooks. She deserved this one night to live it up.

At around seven, there was a thunderous pounding on Carol’s dorm room door. Wearing makeup and nice clothes for a change, Carol opened the door. A herd of people stood in front of her, some of whom Carol didn’t even recognize. She didn’t mind. This was her night. Tonight was her night to live, to laugh, and to enjoy.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted, but the surprise was on them. Marlene was floored to find Carol wearing an uncharacteristically soft, delicate, slightly ruffled black blouse and a cute asymmetrical black skirt. This was Marlene’s first time in four years seeing Carol in anything other than a tee-shirt and jeans. Her outfit confirmed her ownership of this night. Carol grabbed her winter coat and purse and the crowd left to go paint the town.

Marlene had decided on the evening’s venue. Since her roommie was openly gay, Marlene led the crowd to the best lesbian bar in town: City Girls.

Carol’s troops wasted no time in splurging on shots, beer and a variety of hard alcoholic beverages.

Carol, normally introverted, drank the shots and other intoxicating spirits; it didn’t take long for her to become inebriated.

Alexandria, a 24-year old local, watched the loud, raucous group and quietly chuckled to herself. She went to City Girls tonight to people watch and she certainly got an eye-full.

Suddenly, Carol got off her bar stool to go to the ladies’ room. Carol tripped over her own two drunken feet and began to fall forward. She saved herself by slamming her hand on the table in front of Alex. Embarrassed, Carol slowly pulled herself up to find the dark beauty smiling back at her. With skin like rich, dark chocolate, eyes that were beautiful, tranquil, bottomless pools, and neatly braided jet black hair, Alexandria took Carol’s breath away. The two paused and the world around them melted away as they intensely stared at each other.

“Sorry,” Carol weakly whispered. Mortified that she had made such a fool of herself in front of this stunning woman, Carol hastily stumbled to the ladies’ room.

Carol leaned onto the sink and held on to it with all her might in fear she might fall over again. She took in a few deep breaths as she stared at herself in the mirror. Carol’s beauty was her simplicity. She had brown hair to her shoulder in a simple style, but there was a special charm to it. Her skin was fair and delicately painted with tiny freckles. Her face seemed plain, but it was brilliantly symmetrical. The very tip of her nose turned upward in a playful manner. Her deep brown eyes sparkled like jewels. She had a slight gap in between her front teeth; Carol was embarrassed by it, but her father had always compared her to model Lauren Hutton. He told his beloved daughter that the imperfection made her unique and beautiful. Carol sighed thinking of her father’s words. She pushed the faucet on for cold water and took a few handfuls to sip with the unrealistic hope she would miraculously sober up. She really wanted to go back and talk to that gorgeous mahogany queen. Focusing on her father’s words telling her that she was pretty, Carol mustered up the courage to go back out and speak to the woman who currently occupied every thought in her mind.

Carol took a step slowly and then stepped again. She focused on each step and she walked back out to the bar, this time with a bit more grace.

As she turned the corner, she saw the beautiful black woman still sitting at the table. Carol’s crowd hadn’t even noticed her absence.
Alexandria happened to look up at just the right moment, and saw Carol carefully approaching her. Alex’s dark eyes lit up and she smiled a big, beautiful, wide smile at the birthday girl.

Carol carefully sat across from the intriguing woman. “Hi,” she said feebly. “I’m so sorry about before. I normally never drink, but today’s my twenty first birthday.”

Alex began to laugh lightly. “It’s ok. I understand.” Her voice was smooth and rich. Carol was becoming more intoxicated on this woman than she was on the alcohol. “I’m Alexandria. My friends call me Alex.” The dark beauty extended her hand to Carol.

Carol grasped her hand. Alex’s skin was soft and as smooth as silk. “I’m Carol,” she replied. “My friends call me Carol,” she joked as she gently shook Alex’s hand. Alex couldn’t help chuckling at Carol’s wisecrack.

Suddenly, a large wave of cheers and shouts sounded from the bar. Both Alex and Carol looked over. Carol’s group was intently engaged in a drinking game. The team of people who had come with her were busy celebrating, having completely forgotten the cause of the celebration. They did’nt appear to be slowing down either. It didn’t matter though, Carol was enjoying this quiet time with Alex more than anything. Alexandria’s company was an exceptional birthday present for Carol.

Alex stole a glance at her watch. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

Carol looked up at Alex, startled.

“It’s 11:30 already. I need to go.”

“I should go too. I have an 8 o’clock class,” Carol replied.

“Do you want a ride home?” The question was unexpected. Carol wasn’t sure if she should trust this woman she had just met. Whether alcohol induced, or caused by infatuation, she accepted the offer.

The two ladies quietly left City Girls and walked to Alex’s white Camry. Alex opened the door for Carol. Even in her drunken state, Carol thought about A Bronx Tale, and quickly unlocked the door for Alex.
“Thanks,” Alex winked as she got in. “So, where to, birthday girl?”

Carol blushed. “I live at the Martin-Haagen dorm at the University.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex enthusiastically answered. “What are you studying?”

“I’m a computer science major with a history minor.”

“That’s an unusual pairing.”

“I know. I’d love to be an historian,” Carol admitted, “but I know I’d have a better career in computers.”

“Smart plan. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.” Carol blushed again. “What about you?”

“I’m a paralegal.”

“That’s really interesting,” Carol said sincerely.

“It’s ok. It’s a living.” Alex pulled up to the front of Carol’s dorm. “Well, I guess we’re here.”

“Oh,” Carol said, surprised that the trip had seemed so quick – too quick. “Thanks.” She began to open the door.

“Wait,” implored Alex. Carol turned to look at the striking woman again. “Did you get what you wanted for your birthday?”

Carol paused for a moment. “Yeah – I spent my birthday with great company,” she answered flirtatiously.

“How about something sweet for your special day?” Carol looked at Alex, puzzled. Alex slowly leaned in and gently kissed Carol. Her lips were warm, soft, and inviting. It was the sweetest birthday present Carol ever had. Slowly, Alex pulled away and the two women just smiled at each other. Alex took Carol’s hand and placed something in it. “Here’s my card,” she said tantalizingly. “Feel free to call me – any time.”

Carol sat in the car staring at this amazing woman. “Thanks,” she quietly replied. Reluctantly, she opened the door and slowly stepped out.

“Happy birthday,” Alex called through the open door. Her smile seemed endless now. Carol gleamed back as the car door closed.

Carol watched Alex pull away. This was definitely Carol’s best birthday ever. She looked forward to seeing Alex again.

A week passed by since Carol met Alex. Carol desperately wanted to call her, but her inhibitions held her back. Now it was Valentine’s Day and Carol was spending it alone, studying as usual.

Carol looked over the words in her textbook about servers, hardware, CPU’s, and other endless computer terminology when she was startled by a knock on her door. All of her floor-mates knew she’d be studying.

Carol wondered who was at her door.

She opened the door hesitantly. Before her stood Alex, radiant as ever in a beautiful red dress that contrasted nicely against her dark skin. Alex held a dozen roses and handed them to a dumbstruck Carol. Slowly, Carol’s face began to reflect the bright, beautiful smile and glow from Alex’s face.

“It’s a good thing your friends like to talk,” Alexandria said.

Carol just stood there silently for several minutes. Finally she said softly, “I’ve wanted to call…”

“I heard,” Alex laughed. “Now, are you ready to go?”

“But – I’m – you...”
“Oh, just put those books away, and come with me already.” Alex jokingly commanded Carol.

Carol simply laughed and walked out of her dorm room with her stunning companion.

Alex drove them to her apartment. It was the ground level of a house and she had her own driveway. It seemed to be a nice, quiet place to live. As they entered, Carol was greeted by candles lit all over the apartment. The dining room table had two tall pink taper candles glowing beautifully. Rose petals surrounded the two places settings on the table. It was the most beautiful, romantic picture Carol had ever seen.

Alex grabbed Carol’s hand. “C’mon, it’s ok.” Alex led Carol into the cozy apartment. Carol heard smooth jazz music playing in the background. Alex had tended to even the most minute of details. “Sit,” Alex quietly said.

Carol sat herself at one of the elegant place settings at the long, rectangular, wooden dining room table without saying a word.

“Ever have Riesling wine?” Alex asked.

Carol shook her head no.

“It’s my favorite. I have a major sweet tooth so I even like my wine sweet. It’s very light and fruity. I think you’ll like it.” Alex sounded like a wine expert as she poured the two glasses. “So,” she said setting the glasses down and sitting across from Carol. “Tell me about yourself. Not that your friends haven’t already told me a lot. You have them to thank for this by the way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I had this all planned out, but all I had to go on was your first name. I drove back to your dorm in the hopes that I would somehow find you. Thankfully a group of people were just heading out of your dorm as I pulled up.”

“Marlene,” Carol whispered.

“Is that your roommate?”
Carol nodded.

“Well, thank God. She saw me and came right up to me. She asked me if I was the ‘incredible Alexandria’ that you met at City Girls last week. I told her I was anything but incredible, but my name is Alexandria.”

Carol giggled quietly.

“Anyway,” Alex continued to ramble. “She asked me if I was there to get you. I said yes, but only if you didn’t have other plans. So then she laughed and said your plans were a hot date with your books. She told me all this stuff about how quiet you are, you take classes every term, even during school breaks, you rarely date, blah blah blah. So please explain to me how a cute and obviously very intelligent girl like you isn’t living it up during your college years.”

Carol silently stared back at her companion. How on Earth would she even begin to explain everything? “It’s – uh – complicated,” she said softly in the hopes that it would satisfy Alex.

“Well, that’s ok. We’ll start with the simple stuff. And we’ll do that over dinner.” Alex stood up and walked into the kitchen. She returned with two heaping salad bowls. “Caesar salad ok?”

“Oh yeah – great. Thanks,” Carol sheepishly answered. Carol felt so awkward next to this beautiful, elegant, graceful, articulate, boisterous woman. Her ambitious attitude and her positive personality was all too irresistible for Carol. Alex was so intriguing and inviting to Carol. She wanted to be wrapped up in the light and beauty of this woman. She wondered what she had to offer Alexandria. What did Alex see in her? She felt lacking compared to Alex, yet there was an incredible comfort and safety she felt with her. Carol had never felt so at ease before – not even with her own family.

“Ok,” Alex started in again. “So, explain the computers and history thing to me.”

“Well, like I said, technology is constantly changing, improving and becoming more and more of a cornerstone to all businesses. There’s steady work there, but I love history, always have.”
“Really?” Alex cocked her head to the side; she was intrigued.

“My dad was really into history. Since I’m an only child, I spent a lot of time with him when he wasn’t working. He loved me like a daughter, but treated me like a son. He’d read me historical stories and books. We watched a lot of historical movies together. He taught me a lot.”

“That is so sweet,” Alex soothingly commented. “Is he proud that his little girl is a history minor?”

Carol looked down at her salad. She pushed a few pieces of lettuce around the bowl before answering. “My father died almost four years ago now.” Her bottom lip began to quiver.

Alex reached out and placed her hand over Carol’s. “Oh, I am so sorry.”

Carol heard the sincerity and compassion in Alex’s voice. Slowly, she looked up and her eyes locked with Alex. “Thanks,” her voice was shaky.

After a few quiet, awkward moments, the conversation started up again and the two made small talk during the rest of Alex’s delightful dinner.

Carol found herself laying on Alex's couch with her head resting in Alex's lap as Alex continually ran her fingers through Carol's soft brown hair. Carol felt as if she was in heaven. It felt perfect. Carol couldn’t feel more comfortable or content.

“By the time I had graduated high school, I had kissed and briefly dated three girls. I just kind of knew,” Carol began. “I decided it was important that I told my folks before I went off to college. So, one night – just a few weeks before I left for school, I decided to tell them.”

“Uh oh,” Alex mumbled.

Carol sighed heavily. “I don't know what I expected, but it didn't go well. It got nasty pretty quick. Dad, as usual, was trying to keep the peace between my mother and me. We never had a great relationship, and my coming out just made it worse.”
“So, anyway, mom started screaming. I was crying, and Dad couldn't fix any of it. He tried. He tried so hard to understand me and to keep my mom cool.”

“I wasn't trying to piss my mom off any more, but it seemed that she refused to accept that her one and only daughter was gay. I refused to take it back, to deny who I really was – am. My mother's inability to accept me and my refusal to pretend to be something I'm not just escalated everything to an all out shouting match.

“My poor dad tried so hard to let me be me and to comfort my mom at the same time, but it just wasn’t working. Mom was calling me all kinds of horrid names. He told her to stop, but she wouldn't. I was just crying so hard – I was inconsolable and you could just see how much that broke his heart. It all became way too much for him. So he said he was gonna go for a ride on his motorcycle to clear his head.”

“Was that normal for him?” Alex's voice was soothing and reassuring to Carol.

“When things got out of control, yeah. Mom's so overbearing and bitter. Dad's bike was his sanity.

“He was going to leave,” Carol's voice cracked. “I begged him not to go – not to leave me. My dad was my best friend – my savior. I didn't want to be left alone with my mother.” Tears began racing down her face. “He told me he wasn't leaving me. He said he'd be gone for just a few minutes. He looked at me and said, 'it's gonna be ok, kiddo.' Those were the last words he ever said. We got a call a few hours later. Dad was killed in an accident while he was riding. Some asshole who was driving a big SUV wasn't paying attention...” Carol began to sob so much that she could not speak.

“Oh honey,” Alex tried to comfort her by rubbing her shoulders. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered.

After several minutes of uncontrolled weeping, Carol was able to compose herself enough to continue. “My mother blamed me for Dad's death. She blamed me for a lot of things and she just added dad's death to the list. I guess I was just too evil in her eyes. In a way, she was right. Had I not come out, he wouldn't have left - or gotten killed. So, she kicked me out of the house that night and hasn't spoken to me since. I can't say I blame her.” Her crying started up again.

“Sssshhhh. Don't say that. It's not your fault.” Alex paused. “You do know it's not your fault, right Carol?”

“I don't know,” Carol blurted out between tears.

“It's not. What happened is horrible and I am sorry for that. But, it's not your fault, Carol. I promise you that.”

Carol wept uncontrollably for the next few minutes until she couldn’t cry any more. “So,” she blubbered, “I went to school and I've just buried myself in my studies. I took classes even during school breaks like Marlene said. I had nowhere else to go. So I stayed on campus all day, every day. I took classes I didn't need just to stay busy. Studying and working so hard also helped me to not think of the pain of Dad's death, or the cruelty of mom's words. It helped and I'm graduating Magna Cum Laude so the work's been worth it.” Carol took a deep breath.

Unsure what to say, Alexandria decided the conversation needed to change direction to ease Carol's pain. “So, how did last week happen, then?”

Carol chuckled through her sniffles. “Marlene and I met at Freshman orientation. We've actually been roommates since day one. She and her boyfriend, Brad, are always out. It's one reason we get along so well. She's never home and I'm always home. Kinda funny how that worked out.”

“She insisted that I go out for my birthday. She said 21 was way too important to miss. I figured one night out wouldn't kill me. Marlene knew about City Girls and she's straight. She decided that was the best place for me to spend my big day and the rest is history.”

Alex laughed as Carol wiggled in to cuddle with her.

“Hey, what time is it?”

Alex looked over her shoulder to see the big digital clock on the oven behind her. “2:38.”

“Oh shit,” Carol mumbled. “I should go.” As she sat up, she noticed a snow storm had started some time earlier. The snow was falling heavily. “If it keeps up like this, classes might be canceled,” Carol thought to herself. She looked up to Alex for an answer.

“You want me to bring you back? I will if you want.”

Carol sighed. Not once in four years had she ever played hooky from school and classes might be canceled anyway. “No,” she finally decided. “But I promise I won't be a burden.”

“You're no burden. Girl, I'd love it if you stayed.”

Carol turned to the beautiful Alex, confused. Alex saw the confusion in Carol’s eyes. She slowly leaned over and tenderly kissed her.

“You have got to get over this,” Alex said. “I invited you here for a reason. You're beautiful, intelligent, sensitive – you're different, Carol. In a good way. I really want to know you better.”

Carol still looked puzzled. Alex placed her hand on Carol's face as she leaned in to kiss her again. This was a longer, softer kiss. There was emotion in this kiss. It was passionate, yet tender. Finally after several moments of pure bliss, Alex slowly pulled away. Carol finally opened her eyes. They sat in silence, visually studying each other.

Finally, Carol broke the silence. “I, we, should get some rest.”

“Ok. I'm sorry to say, this couch isn’t comfortable to sleep on.”

“Actually,” Carol stammered, “I was wondering – ummm, can I sleep next to you?”

Alex's eyes grew wide and bright. “Of course!” She stood up and held out her hand. Carol placed her hand in Alexandria's and stood up. They walked hand-in-hand to Alex's bedroom.

Alex pulled back the thick, warm duvet and bed sheets. Carol crawled in underneath all the warmth and soaked it in. Alex followed suit. She pulled herself right behind Carol and placed her arms around her. Carol had never felt so safe, or so wonderful, as to just lay in Alex's arms. Quickly and comfortably, the two slipped into sweet sleep.

Page 69 Trial for Imperfect

2010-09-16T15:27:00.011-04:00

Good Football Sunday morning, readers!

Today, I am posting the page 69 trial for Imperfect.

Now, I have to be honest. Page 69 on Smashwords kind of cuts into two different sections, so this is more than just page 69, but you get the idea. ;) Enjoy!

“So, how are you holding up, Carol?” Will asked. A month had passed since Ed's death. Although Carol saw Will every day at work, she never spoke of her loss. This was the first time in a month that Carol felt up to hosting Will and Robyn again as they had previously done every Tuesday night.

“I don't know,” Carol sighed. “It's very surreal. I just can't believe it – it still doesn't make any sense.”

“I know this is hard. But sometimes life doesn't make any sense, sweetie.” He replied.

“Thank you again for taking care of Sugar.” Alex interjected, hoping it might temporarily alleviate her woman's pain.

“No problem.” Robyn answered kindly. “She's such a great dog. We love her. We're always happy to help.”

“Thanks,” Carol mumbled. Although time had passed, she was clearly still very depressed.

Will also wanted to get Carol out of this rut. “Hey, Carol, didn't you say you had a question about that new Windows application?”

“Yeah,” she muttered.

“Want to go look at it?”

“Sure.” They left the dinner table and went into Carol's office to fiddle around with her computer.

“Boy, she's taking it hard,” Robyn whispered to Alex.

“I know. Ed was her only real friend in high school and his family took her in after her father died. I think there was a stronger tie there than any of us could imagine. She's closer to them than she ever was with her own mother. It's just a lot for her to take in.”

“Poor girl. She hasn't had an easy go of it.”

“No, she hasn't. I wish there was something I could do to ease things for her.”

“I know, Alex. It's never easy. Just know that both Will and I are always here if either of you ever need.”

“Thanks, Robyn.” The two women hugged. Their silence brought Alex some comfort. At least Alex knew she wasn't alone in her love and concern for Carol.

Dave, John, Alex and Carol slowly wandered through the aisles of a gay bookstore in town.

“See, isn't this place great?” Dave asked Carol.

“It is nice. I just hate the fact that we have to have separate bookstores. Know what I mean? It's as if we're hiding from the rest of society,” she retorted.

“I don't disagree, but at least we're safe to be out in the open here. Besides the fact that some of the books in here are great works of literature.”

“You mean books like, The Art of Cunnilingus?” Carol asked holding the book up for Dave to see.

John rounded the corner laughing. “Ssshhh. Not so loud. That is funny, honey. You have to admit she has a point.”

“Well, that may be true, but there are some fine works of literature in here as well,” Dave argued his point.

“I don't doubt it,” Carol said. “I just wish we didn't have to be defined by our sexuality.”

John placed a hand on Carol's shoulder. “I know, Carol. But let's at least enjoy what the gay community has to offer.”

“Hey, you guys, do you want to grab some coffee? There's a great coffee shop right around the corner.” Alex asked the group as she returned from one of the aisles.
“That sounds like a great idea, baby,” Carol responded.

The four walked out into the spring air. Time was ticking away. Slowly, Carol was recovering from Ed's death. The flowers were in full bloom and the trees were filled out with lush green leaves. The signs of new life were easing the pain in Carol's heart.

They sat at a small table right in the window. A young woman came up to take their order.

“I'll have a Chai tea,” Dave ordered.

“Decaf mocha cappuccino,” John requested next.

“I'll have a regular mocha,” Alex said.

“I'll just have regular house coffee, light and sweet, please,” Carol ordered. “I feel so bland next to all of you,” she said to the group.

“No worries. We love you 'bland,'” Dave joked.

“I've been coming to this place for years,” Alexandria said. “All the coffees and teas are to die for. Even the bland ones, babe.” She nudged Carol.

“Well, I would like to thank you guys for a nice day out.” Carol said. “It's great to be with people who understand what it's like to be gay in Missouri. You guys are fun company and I really appreciate your understanding.”

“We know. We appreciate yours as well. It's nice having you ladies around. You get it. That means a lot. And hey, if nothing else, it's just pleasant to get away from all the crap from work.” John agreed.

Ironically, Carol's cell phone rang at that moment. She looked at it. It was a client. “Speaking of work,” Carol said before she answered. “Hello?”

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