tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216539882024-03-13T04:43:16.500-07:00Will Belegon's Whimsical BoxRanting and Venting by Author/Editor Will BelegonWill Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-48881153536670333362013-12-28T21:30:00.000-08:002013-12-28T21:30:09.115-08:00Felicity Heaton Visits Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RQd3ke2Liw/Ur-yfOav77I/AAAAAAAAALQ/_wgu8x7jOmo/s1600/kissedbyadarkprince-felicityheaton+(213x320).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RQd3ke2Liw/Ur-yfOav77I/AAAAAAAAALQ/_wgu8x7jOmo/s1600/kissedbyadarkprince-felicityheaton+(213x320).jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Thank you for
having me here again at your blog, Will! This time, I’m here to share an
excerpt from my new release, Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is the first book
in my hot new paranormal romance series, Eternal Mates. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1)</b></a></span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Felicity Heaton</span></b><br />
Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae
ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to redeem herself with her employer,
the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly
immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects
when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical
technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is
the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood.<br />
<br />
One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them
that will leave him weakened until it is completed… or broken, and pulling
Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud.<br />
<br />
To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren
must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break
the bond blossoming between them.<br />
<br />
But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one
thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate?
And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them
and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Kissed by a Dark
Prince is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook,
Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the
links to your preferred retailer at: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp</a>
</span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Kissed by a Dark Prince – Excerpt</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Specimen appears to have advanced healing
ability. Age of blood around the wounds is indicative of a recent injury, but
the wounds in question are already closed and beginning to scab over.” Many
demon and fae species had heightened healing. He could be any number of them.
Olivia carefully pulled his upper lip back and studied his teeth. “No fangs.
Canines appear normal.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She drew back and something caught her eye.
She parted the wild strands of his short black hair and traced the pointed tip
of his ear. Was he a demon? They had pointed ears.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Olivia hovered over him, looking down at
his handsome bloodstained face. She had never seen a demon as beautiful,
mysterious, or deadly as he was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Deadly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She could feel it like an aura around him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He was dangerous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And waking up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Olivia scooted backwards and reached for
the call button on the wall near the head of the bed. She didn’t make it. His
eyes slowly opened and she froze in mid-swing for the button, transfixed by
them. They were incredible. She had never seen eyes like his. His irises were
the most amazing shade of purple.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His gaze slid towards her but he didn’t
move.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“What are you?” Olivia whispered it again
as his eyes began to change, shifting to a normal shade of blue, and then his
ears changed too, the points dulling until they appeared human. Adapting. He
was studying his environment and her, and he was adapting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It was incredible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Fascinating.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She lowered her hand to her side and stared
at him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Specimen appears able to blend into his
environment, changing his appearance to conceal himself.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She had never seen a demon do this. Many of
them did it and she had heard the tales from the field agents, but she had
never witnessed it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“You are being held in a secure facility
and no harm will come to you.” She hoped he understood English. His blue gaze
narrowed with his frown, locked on her mouth as she spoke. Maybe he didn’t
understand her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He sat up in one fluid motion, swinging his
legs over the edge of the inspection table, the movement so swift that it
startled her and she shot backwards, distancing herself. Her heart thundered in
her throat. She should have pressed the call button.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She should have strapped him down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Stupid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Her gaze darted to the red button off to
her right. Could she make it there and sound the alarm before he attacked?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Where am I?” The sound of his deep voice
sent a fiery tremble through her. It was at odds with his lithe figure. The
commanding edge to it had her forgetting the call button and automatically
answering him, because he didn’t sound like the sort of man you could piss off
and live to tell the tale.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“At a secure research facility in London.”
She hoped he didn’t ask what she had been doing to him while he had been
unconscious because now that he was awake, very awake, that sense of danger he
radiated had only grown stronger. Her shot at resuscitating her ailing career
looked as though he might kill her if he didn’t like any of the answers to his
questions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His blue gaze moved around the room,
cataloguing everything, a keen edge to it. Strategising. He had adapted to
blend into his environment and now he was plotting a way out of it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“How did you do that?” she said, unable to
get her voice above a whisper. His attention snapped back to her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“How did I do what?” He could definitely
grasp her language. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Your eyes... your ears.” She pointed a
shaky finger at them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He planted his hands on the edge of the
table on either side of his hips and she struggled not to look down. Her guest
didn’t appear to have any qualms about being naked in front of a stranger. He
sat on the table, frowning at the equipment in the room. His gaze caught on the
wires attached to the machines and he followed them to his chest. He raised a
single black eyebrow and pulled the sticky pads off his body.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Strange to ask me how and not why,” he
said at last and looked up at her through his long black lashes, his blue eyes
holding a glimmer of curiosity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I’m a medical doctor... a scientist.” She
pulled at the chest of her long white coat, drawing his attention to it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He glanced at it and then back around the
room. His gaze lingered on the tray of tools to his left, narrowed, and then
slid to her. A threat. She had enough experience of the world to know when
someone was silently threatening her. He didn’t intend to use the scalpels and
other implements on her. No. He meant to warn her that if she dared to attempt
to use them on him, she would come off worse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Olivia held her hands up in front of her.
“Listen, I’m just curious about your species, and the things you can do. I
wanted to help you.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He grimaced and his grip on the edge of the
table tightened until his arms shook. He ground out dark words in a foreign
tongue and paled further. The edges of his irises turned purple.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The heart rate monitor still linked to his
finger went crazy. He scowled at the machine and tried to move to take the clip
off. His hands trembled violently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“You’re not well.” Olivia reached out to
steady him, instinct telling her to help him. She caught his upper arms and
gasped. He was burning up, shaking beneath her fingers, his skin clammy. “You
need to rest.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I will be fine... with a little fluids.”
Pain grated in his deep voice and he swallowed hard. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I wasn’t sure what to give you.” Olivia
pressed her palm to his forehead. A fever? Was it part of his healing process
or was his condition deteriorating? “I wasn’t sure what would harm or help
you.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He leaned forwards and his breath skated
over her bare neck. She shivered, a hot rush sweeping through her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I know what fluid I need,” he whispered
low, his voice barely there and teasing, stirring unbidden heat in her veins
and quickening her pulse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Tell me and I’ll get it.” She tried to
draw back and his hands shot up, fingers closing tightly around her upper arms.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Oh, you already have it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He struck hard on the left side of her
throat and her eyes widened. Shock stole her senses for a second before reality
came crashing back. He was biting her. He was drinking her blood. Dark memories
surged to the surface and she fought his hold on her, struggling like a wild
thing. She wouldn’t let it happen to her again. She shoved at his chest,
clawing with her short nails, and pounded her hands against it, striking as
hard as she could.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He pulled her against his chest, caging her
there, his arms steel bands across her back, pinning hers between their bodies.
She wriggled, desperate to escape him, fear pounding down on her and making her
heart stutter. He was going to drink her to death.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Tears streamed down her cheeks and her head
spun, wooziness threatening to pull her down into the darkness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Please,” she whispered, breathless and
weak, barely clinging to consciousness as her panic and fear overwhelmed her.
“Release me... don’t kill me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Kissed by a Dark
Prince is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook,
Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find all
the links at: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp</a></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Books in the Eternal
Mates romance series:<span id="goog_54903458"></span><span id="goog_54903459"></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kbadp"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kissed
by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1)</span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Claimed by a
Demon King – coming February 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">About Felicity
Heaton:</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nxeQijCXFu8/Ur-zIau_IaI/AAAAAAAAALY/06-_ENnH2eU/s1600/Felicity+Heaton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nxeQijCXFu8/Ur-zIau_IaI/AAAAAAAAALY/06-_ENnH2eU/s1600/Felicity+Heaton.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a><span lang="EN-GB">Felicity Heaton
is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USA Today</i> and international
best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books
she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense
emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly
vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot
demons!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you're a fan
of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena
Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you love your
angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you.
If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm
series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for
vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the
best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed
worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to
demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal
Mates series.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">If you want to know more about Felicity,
or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">W</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">ebsite: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk</b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Blog: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/</a>
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Facebook: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton">http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton</a>
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/felicityheaton"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://twitter.com/felicityheaton</b></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton</b></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Mailing List: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php</a>
</b></span></div>
Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-66819056094455809682013-09-23T19:22:00.000-07:002013-09-23T19:22:32.663-07:00Guest Post: Felicity Heaton Talks Angels & Devils!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VzxrmGr_-8Y/UkD2w_dulkI/AAAAAAAAAKs/gdDCa24QKmM/s1600/herwickedangel-felicityheaton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VzxrmGr_-8Y/UkD2w_dulkI/AAAAAAAAAKs/gdDCa24QKmM/s1600/herwickedangel-felicityheaton.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Today, please join me in welcoming the dynamic Felicity Heaton to my blog! Felicity has a wicked imagination to match her ambition and don't be fooled by all the talk about angels... there is plenty of the diabolic lurking in her writing as well... *wink*</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It’s wonderful
to be here at Will’s blog to talk about my latest release, <i>Her Wicked Angel</i>, which
is the sixth in my<i> Her Angel </i>romance series. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I’m going to be
sharing an excerpt from the book with you today, but I also wanted to let you
know that I’m celebrating the release by holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at my
website, offering <i>Her Guardian Angel</i> at an incredible discount, and I’m also
giving away the first book in the series, <i>Her Dark Angel</i>, for FREE at selected
Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books and Apple iBookstore sites.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Find out how to enter the Her Wicked Angel international
giveaway (ends September 29th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or
$25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 6 chapter
sample of the novel: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">SPECIAL OFFER:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> If you’re a
Kindle, Kobo or Apple iBooks user, don’t forget to download your copy of <i>Her
Guardian Angel</i> for only $0.99. That’s a $4 discount. Offer ends September 27th.
Find all the links at: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel</a>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">FREE EBOOK:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> You can find
all the links for the <i>Her Dark Angel</i> free ebook offer (and two other free
paranormal romance ebooks) at: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Here’s more
about <i>Her Wicked Angel</i>, including an excerpt from this long angel romance
novel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Her Wicked Angel</span></strong><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Felicity Heaton</span></strong><br />
The King of Demons and the Devil’s right hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel
born of evil and created for destruction. When his master orders him to venture
into the mortal world and retrieve a female for him, he seizes the chance to
leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned for her…
until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a female who
awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that
it controls him and desire he cannot resist.<br />
He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him.<br />
Liora is a witch with a bad reputation and an obsession with fighting demons. A
mission gone wrong sees her sent to Paris to cool off, but when a dark and
deadly warrior with a gaze of golden fire lands in her life, she ends up
burning hotter than Hell for the wicked angel. Nothing will stand between her
and the immense, forbidding male. Not her cousin. Not Asmodeus’s sworn enemy
and twin, Apollyon. And certainly not the Devil.<br />
Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion, can they survive
against the odds and seize their forever after?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Her Wicked Angel
is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple
iBooks stores and many other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the
links to your preferred retailer at: </span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Her Wicked Angel – Excerpt</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“What business do you have with me?”
Asmodeus casually preened his feathers, preparing them for the flight home, and
ignored the Devil’s scowl.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The male hated it when he spoke to him
without an ounce of respect. Everyone else under his command simpered and
scraped at his feet. As far as Asmodeus was concerned, the Devil had enough
pathetic creatures kissing his expensive Italian leather shoes. Asmodeus wasn’t
about to join them. He was above them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Devil’s right hand man.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A male created for destruction and
bloodshed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“You are to travel to the mortal realm and
retrieve a female for me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus’s black eyebrows pinched in a
frown and it took him a moment to absorb exactly what the Devil had said and
the connotations it contained.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">One, he was ordering him to lower himself
to the role of minion, retrieving him another female for his harem. Treating
him like a servant. That irked him. He was not just another of the Devil’s
servants.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Two, he was offering him a taste of the
mortal world, granting him leave to step outside the environs of Hell for the
first time in his existence. That intrigued Asmodeus. He had always wanted to
see the mortal realm with his own eyes and experience it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus stared at him, weighing his
options. Swallow his pride and finally fly in the world above, seeing the
buildings and the colours, and all the things he had only ever seen in the pool
on the plateau, or tell the Devil to stick it and spend the next week in the
cells, probably tortured, possibly maimed permanently for his disobedience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus swallowed his pride and it tasted
bitter. “Fine.”</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Devil grinned, revealing short fangs.
“Good. You will find her in Paris, in the middle of the park near the base of
the Eiffel Tower. She will be wearing crimson and black. Bring her to me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus nodded, took a step backwards and
then turned away from the Devil.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He threw his hand out in front of him and a
black vortex appeared, swirling like smoke. It had been many centuries since he
had bothered practicing glamours and veils, having given up on ever leaving
Hell and having no need for changing his appearance in this realm. He hoped he
hadn’t forgotten how to cast them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus focused on himself, casting a veil
so none would see him when he stepped through the portal into the mortal realm.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Bring her to me quickly, Asmodeus,” the
Devil said behind him and Asmodeus nodded again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Perhaps he would dally just a little. Who
knew when the Devil would allow him to leave Hell again? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He stepped through the black portal and
tensed as he appeared in the mortal realm. His eyes watered and he blinked
against the assault of strong light, leaning back into the shade of the tower
that speared the blue sky above him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Blue.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus tipped his head back and stared up
at it, and then looked at his surroundings. Green trees. Dark metal. Pale
stone. Mortals dressed in a multitude of colours. The warm air carried strange
scents. Dust. Something sweet. Smoke. Sounds came from every direction. Blasts
of noise and distant rumbles of what he suspected were vehicles. Constant
chatter. Laughter. Squeals of happiness. All alien to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">All choking and closing in on him.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He didn’t like it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He took a step back towards the portal
behind him and glared at everyone as they passed. Ants. Hundreds of them.
Swarming. Shoving. Jostling each other. He wanted to kill them all. They were
noisy. Brutal. Irritating.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Insignificant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Powerless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus grinned, his golden eyes narrowing
with it, and flexed his fingers. His fangs began to lengthen and his black
claws followed them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Prey for the hunter.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He would drown out the disgusting scents with
the smell of blood. He would replace joy with fear, with screams and sobs and
pointless pleas for mercy. He would bathe this colourful world in crimson.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Crimson. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A flash of that colour caught his eye and
his gaze zeroed in on it. It was gone, lost in the sea of other hues. It
flickered again, further off to his right, and his eyes shot to it. Wavy
chestnut hair bounced against crimson ruffled material with each light step. He
caught a sliver of black jeans. Crimson and black. The female the Devil wanted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She turned and he glimpsed her face, and
his desire to bathe his hands in the blood of these puny creatures slipped
away, calm suffusing him, making him forget his irritation and dark desires.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She blinked, black lashes shuttering
luminous hazel eyes, and turned away, continuing onwards towards a strip of
green land to his right beyond the shadow of the tower.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus felt a tug behind his breastbone,
pulling him in her direction, but something told him it wasn’t the Devil
commanding him to follow her. It was something else that made him want to track
her through the crowd.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He focused and altered his appearance as he
walked, hiding his pieces of gold-edged black armour with a black dress shirt,
black jeans and leather boots, and shielding his wings. He lifted the veil that
concealed him from mortal eyes and stalked the female as she moved through the
thinning crowd, keeping his distance but remaining close enough that he
wouldn’t lose her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She stepped out into the bright sunlight on
the vivid green grass and it cast golden highlights in her hair. Asmodeus’s
heart missed a beat and then thumped hard against his ribs. His palms sweated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Why?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He had hunted thousands before for the
Devil. This female was no different. He would capture her and take her to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He wouldn’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus shook his head and paused at the
edge of the crowd, staring after her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He wouldn’t?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He had pushed the Devil to the limit of his
patience a thousand times but he had never disobeyed an order. He would not
begin now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He would take the female to his master.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The female in question turned on the grass
and peered up the height of the tower, using a slender hand to shield her eyes,
and Asmodeus’s heart missed another beat. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He slammed his hand against his bare chest
and coughed. What was wrong with him?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Was the mortal world making him sick? He
had never been sick before, but he had heard that demons could become ill. He
wasn’t a demon though. He had never heard of an angel growing sick. Was it
possible?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">All the more reason to grab the female and
return to Hell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He took a step towards her, and then
another one. She turned her back on him and he closed in until he was only a
few metres away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He just needed to grab her and then deliver
her to the Devil. It wasn’t difficult, so why was he hesitating? He had never
hesitated before. He had carried out his master’s orders without pause or
regret, spilling blood and carving flesh, destroying lives. This was easy.
Grab. Deliver. End of mission.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Devil would have a new female for his
growing harem. Asmodeus would return to his castle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His stomach turned at the thought of that
male laying his filthy claws on this delicate, dainty female.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He stared at the back of her head,
replaying how she had looked when she had paused to glance up the height of the
Eiffel Tower.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Wide hazel eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Soft rosy lips.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Delicate perfect features and porcelain
skin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Chestnut hair cascading over her shapely
shoulders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Beautiful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Pure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Asmodeus wanted to close the gap between
them, gently lay his hands on her shoulders, and slowly turn her to face him so
he could drink his fill of her beauty and purity all over again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Instead, he took a step backwards,
distancing himself from her. Foreign feelings and thoughts collided in his
mind, filling it and sending him in circles, tearing him between completing his
mission and doing something that astounded him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He could leave her here, in peace, and come
up with an excuse. He couldn’t let his despicable master ruin her. He wouldn’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He turned away and held his hand out before
him, focusing on the air there to call a portal back to Hell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Where do you go, Asmodeus?” The soft
female voice caught him off guard. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His shoulders tensed and his outstretched
hand shook. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She knew his name. She recognised him. And
she spoke in English, even though they were in France.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">English was not the native language of this
land.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He had never left Hell before.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">How did she know him?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He looked over his right shoulder and found
her standing where he had left her, but facing him, her hands clasped in front
of her, over the point where her crimson short-sleeved gypsy-style top met her
black jeans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A serene smile curved her rosy lips and it
was then that he felt the incredible power in her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Her Wicked Angel
is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple
iBooks stores and many other retailers. Also available in paperback. </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Find all the
links, a fantastic 6 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to
enter the Her Wicked Angel giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50
or $25 gift certificate at her website: </span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel</a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Books in the Her
Angel romance series:</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel">Her
Dark Angel (Her Angel romance series book 1)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel">Her
Fallen Angel (Her Angel romance series book 2)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel">Her
Warrior Angel (Her Angel romance series book 3)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel">Her
Guardian Angel (Her Angel romance series book 4)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Her%20Demonic%20Angel/with%20main%20giveaway/Find%20out%20how%20to%20enter%20the%20Her%20Demonic%20Angel%20giveaway%20and%20be%20in%20with%20a%20shot%20of%20winning%20a%20$100,%20$50%20or%20$25%20gift%20certificate%20at%20her%20website:%20http:/www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Demonic%20Angel">Her
Demonic Angel (Her Angel romance series book 5)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel">Her
Wicked Angel (Her Angel romance series book 6)</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Find out more about the Her Angel series at Goodreads:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/54822-her-angel">http://www.goodreads.com/series/54822-her-angel</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Arc4dnJR9g/UkD264P3ePI/AAAAAAAAAK0/pyRA4_nVZ4s/s1600/felicityheaton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Arc4dnJR9g/UkD264P3ePI/AAAAAAAAAK0/pyRA4_nVZ4s/s1600/felicityheaton.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">About Felicity
Heaton:</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Felicity Heaton
writes passionate paranormal romance books as Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton.
In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action,
intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from
dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful
angels and hot demons!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you're a fan
of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena
Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you love your
angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling <i>Her Angel
</i>series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the
Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone
vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for
vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity
Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In 2011, five of
her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl
Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The
Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from
numerous websites.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">If you want to know more about Felicity,
or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB">W</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">ebsite: <a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk</b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Blog: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/">http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/</a>
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Facebook: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton">http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton</a>
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/felicityheaton"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://twitter.com/felicityheaton</b></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton</b></a></span>Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-59065581453676587072013-09-21T19:30:00.001-07:002013-09-21T19:35:43.665-07:00Victoria Blisse's 100th Sunday Snog<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/R3JdpjOpOvXAnKNbxn3ziLykghW3KiSYhhUpw8Xvf7yXe8Z6bpd2tn4XkVueA-aCvC3dFZvxN9oqko_g9sKrvRHoZc1UNs6gQuOh" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="100button" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12485" src="http://victoriablisse.co.uk/files/2013/09/100button.jpg" height="200" width="250" /></a>One of my oldest friends in the biz is Victoria Blisse, who was also one of the first writers I edited professionally. With so much history between us, I was pleased to be asked to participate in her <a href="http://blissekiss.co.uk/100th">100th anniversary Sunday Snog</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Vic asked if I could put up an excerpt and offer a prize, so here is an excerpt from my erotic short entitled <i>En Garde</i>, originally published by Phaze and now available from Purple Prosaic, either on its own or as part of my single author anthology, <i>When There's A Will</i>.<br />
<br />
The theme for the 100th Sunday Snog is kissing, so here is the scene where Kelly corners John... and gets him to give her the kiss she's been offering. An offer he keeps talking himself out of acknowledging...<br />
<br />
<i>"John? You've got one chance to tell me what it is you see that you don't like."<br />Startled out of my thoughts, I glanced up hurriedly. Kelly stood in the entrance to the hallway. The pink of her nipples was brilliant against her pale skin. A tattoo of a thin vine sporting thorns and tiny purple flowers circled one breast and trailed down her side and across her mid-section. I tried not to stare at the trimmed patch of brunette hair where it ended and her legs began. I forced my gaze up her naked body to meet hers. </i><br />
<i>Those intense hazel eyes held mine, burning with a mixture of anger, frustration, and seduction.<br />"Kelly, what? What the hell?"<br />"Oh, come on! I've been fucking throwing myself at you all night. Now you tell me, what is there about me that makes you so unwilling to take a hint? You don't like girls with small tits or<br />something? Or maybe you just don't like girls, period? Please, John, tell me you're gay. It'll make me feel much better."<br />She stomped across the living room in her naked glory and I felt the blood in my body rushing to both my face and my cock.<br />Throwing herself to the couch next to me, she put her hand in my lap with the same decisive, no-nonsense attitude she showed in her fighting.<br />"Okay, so you aren't gay. And you do like what you see. So tell me, why haven't you kissed me yet?"<br />A million possible replies crossed my mind in an instant. None of them were adequate, so I ignored them. I lifted my hands to the back of her head and pulled her lips to mine.<br />Her mouth opened with a moan and I thrust my tongue in to wrangle with hers. My hands twisted in her hair and I crushed her lips against mine, pouring all the longing energy I had spent<br />the evening conserving into the effort. I didn't stop to question</i> <i>the reality of the situation; I just kissed her as hard as I could.</i><br />
<br />
For a prize, I am offering an e-book copy of the anthology containing <i>En Garde</i>. I'll leave it to the lovely Ms. Blisse to determine how the winner is determined.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fvictoriablisse.co.uk%2Ffiles%2F2013%2F09%2F100button.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/R3JdpjOpOvXAnKNbxn3ziLykghW3KiSYhhUpw8Xvf7yXe8Z6bpd2tn4XkVueA-aCvC3dFZvxN9oqko_g9sKrvRHoZc1UNs6gQuOh" -->Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-25448500126489546982013-09-04T05:17:00.000-07:002013-09-04T05:17:02.313-07:00R.I.P. Frederik PohlFrederick Pohl died Monday at the age of ninety-three. One of the last remaining links to the beginnings of science fiction, Pohl was not only a great author, but an agent and editor as well. He was also a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army in Italy.<br />
<br />
Pohl was one of the memorable writers who helped me come to love the idea that there was more to the world than what I could see in front of me. Thank you for that, sir. My thoughts and prayers to Elizabeth, your wife of twenty-nine years, and to the three daughters, son and grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will miss you so much more than I will.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-14403676585509000702013-09-03T05:47:00.000-07:002013-09-03T05:47:04.510-07:00Juggling LivesIt's not a new thing for me to feel as though I've too many masters. Nor is it something I find dismaying. But it can get a little confusing at times.<br />
<br />
As an author of erotica, there are certain things you just have to keep separate. I learned a hard lesson in this a few years ago, when I actually lost a job because of what I wrote. Not that my writing was the only factor, but as the emotional distance from that time has increased I have been able to more clearly see that it was the deciding one. It was a perfect storm of a situation, and there were other influences. But the spool that the varied threads converged on was my writing, and without it I would not have lost that job.<br />
<br />
That's hard. Especially when you go to apply for other "real world" jobs and they want to know why you left your last one.<br />
<br />
This summer has been one of transition for me. I've had the same day job for about three and a half years and it was time to make a change. I was in a bad financial place and the current job was only enough to keep my head from disappearing beneath the waves. There was never going to be a swell I could ride to the beach.<br />
<br />
So, I took steps. I made the legal decision to liquidate my debt. I found a new job in a completely divergent industry. I had a plan. Like any plan, it lasted about as long as it took to write it before circumstances forced it to change. The job I was supposed to transition to got delayed by multiple factors. Despite the forward movement on solvency, finances again reared their head in the form of an unanticipated large-scale vehicle repair. <br />
<br />
And, of course, while the new job is worthwhile, it has a public side that again forces my writing to be treated as, at the very least, a privacy issue.<br />
<br />
The more things change....<br />
<br />
<br />Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-65838936930349594002013-08-19T07:00:00.001-07:002013-08-19T07:00:26.910-07:00Morning MistWith the sky a low-hanging quilt of white and grey, time stands still. The dew still stands on the deck, and the insect chorus seems unsure whether day has arrived or not. The sun is a stranger this morning, and the hour could as easily be six as nine.<br />
<br />
An illusion, of course. Today is a day of monumental change in my household, as one of us steps beyond education as threat and social requirement and into that realm where it becomes a true choice. I thrived in that change and I hope and believe he will too. We shall see.<br />
<br />
But he is still abed and the rest of the house is vacant, with some at school and some at work and me musing about mists on the porch.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't mind if time really did stand still here for a bit.<br />
<br />Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-20829731446078377492013-08-14T08:46:00.001-07:002013-08-14T08:46:13.406-07:00Para-Palooza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JTRlQAW2_g4/UgujKL8x7TI/AAAAAAAAAKE/WmJh7G5VI18/s1600/parapalooza3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JTRlQAW2_g4/UgujKL8x7TI/AAAAAAAAAKE/WmJh7G5VI18/s1600/parapalooza3.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
In my time in the business of telling stories, I've had the very real pleasure of meeting and enjoying the company of several others who have chosen this rather masochistic life.<br />
<br />
Several of them are participating in the upcoming Smutketeers.com event called Para-Palooza. Including yours truly, who is really trying to get back to a place where people know he exists in this rather crowded field.<br />
<br />
The lineup in that graphic is impressive. Even intimidating. There are a lot of writers on that list that I know personally and admire. I am, quite possibly, the least accomplished of them. Which makes it all the more flattering that I was invited to contribute, and quite a bit more intimidating.<br />
<br />
There's a truth to my own personal philosophy that sometimes seems self-defeating. I am far more motivated by the welfare of others than I am by my own. Yes, that can be turned into an asset and I would like to think I've successfully done that at times, through my contributions to charities like Coming Together and coaching little league and helping teach martial arts. But at times when I start to doubt myself, it is anything but good.<br />
<br />
I'm trying hard to believe I belong in that company.<br />
<br />
But whether I do or not ( I do, really. I'm a good writer. I suck at promoting myself and I trip over my tongue at times, but I can spin a yarn.) I am going to enjoy sharing their virtual company. I hope you will join us for the fun.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-69901602091258275572013-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:002013-07-03T05:34:02.643-07:00Too Much Equals Too LittleI had largely ignored my diverse net history for the last several years. I have a website that links back to this blog, a Wordpress, a Livejournal, Twitter, Facebook... I probably even still have a MySpace page out there somewhere.<br />
<br />
Consolidation. It needs to happen. <br />
<br />
I need one place to go post thoughts and then disseminate it. That way, instead of an email about a spam comment reminding me I have a Wordpress blog I haven't touched since 2009, I would write one post and update multiple destinations. Then, if I want to rant, share or muse, it reaches far more people.<br />
<br />
Instead, because I have too many possible destinations, I have too little content in any one place. Time to learn how to change that. I know it can be done, I know others who do it. Time for me to follow their example.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-10293957139733530912013-06-16T06:47:00.003-07:002013-06-16T06:47:21.696-07:00High Hopes and Realistic Goals<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Vampires-Dont-Surf-Belegon/dp/1490432728/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371389694&sr=1-1&keywords=Real+Vampires+Don%27t+Surf">Real Vampires Don't Surf</a> released Friday. The culmination of years of false starts and real changes and a great example of how I've grown as a writer. It's the best fiction I've ever written.<br />
<br />
Of course, I hope that I will always say that with every new book. That should be the goal, right? To always be improving, to keep learning the craft, for each and every blade you forge to be a bit sharper ad more durable than the last.<br />
<br />
There are some other goals with this one. Promo has never been my strongest point, despite the fact that I write decent ad copy. I'm just not very aggressive about getting out there in front of a virtual room full of people with a finite amount of dollars and going "Hey! MY book deserves those dollars!"<br />
<br />
I do believe that. My book, especially this one, absolutely deserves your purchasing decision. At $3.99 for ebook and on sale for $10.49 in paperback, it's a bargain. It will give you a great entertainment return on investment.<br />
<br />
I need to see something come back on this one. I don't need to top Amazon's charts or get a movie deal. But I sure would like to break into four figures on the unit sales. I think that's both ambitious and realistic. If I can sell 1000 copies, it would justify the sweat/time investment in the sequel. And it would pay for the re-manufactured engine my Subaru needs.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-328934610308097362013-04-01T07:49:00.000-07:002013-04-01T07:49:36.262-07:00A Cruel and Selfish GodMarriage equality has made many headlines lately, thanks to a Prop 8 case and a DOMA case making it to oral arguments in the Supreme Court.<br />
<br />
As usual, this brings both proponents and opponents out in force. I think if you have read anything by me, you know where I stand. So rather than address that, I want to address something that is what you might call a sub-argument.<br />
<br />
The most hardcore opponents tend to base their reasoning on religion. And in the United States, the ones doing the most noticeable arguing are certain sects of the Christian faith. I qualify that for two reasons. One, the most stubborn opposition world wide is not Christian. The Muslim faith definitely seems more angry and violent and, unfortunately, united about it. Two, there are many Christians who have no problem with marriage equality. And some of those remain strong on the idea that God doesn't sanction these unions. They simply are able to differentiate between marriage, the civil institution, and Holy Matrimony.<br />
<br />
The ones that are not making that distinction and are being the most vocal about it in the U.S. tend to trumpet scripture as proof. And here is where we get to what is rubbing me today. Why would you want to prove to me that God said this?<br />
<br />
If I say to you, "Murder is wrong," do you answer back "Yes. I studied and in my studies I came across Exodus 20 and that says you are right?" Or are you more likely to just say, "Yes, it is." You don't feel the need to quote scripture to prove murder is wrong. Likely, this is because there is nothing in you telling you that you need an excuse to believe murder is wrong. You can feel it. You know it is wrong. <br />
<br />
But with marriage equality, you feel like you need scriptural proof. And the reason is simple. You want justification. Because your own mind argues with you about it. Deep inside, there is a little voice that raises questions about why and what if. The reason that voice is questioning you is because, intellectually, you know that Ben and Robert getting married does nothing to prevent the happiness of George and Martha.<br />
<br />
So, you get out your Bible and you argue. You find verses that support your position. (more on that another time. For the present, assume the verses are not tainted by translation or time & place or by later scripture disavowing the earlier rules.) You present these as proof that your loving and just God never intended Ben & Robert or Julie & Theresa or any other same sex marriage. And then you usually throw in something about eternal damnation and disobeying the will of God.<br />
<br />
Now here is what I don't get. You work so hard and prove this. And let's accept that it is proven. You get out your Bible and you prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that God says that marriage equality is wrong. Maybe you even acknowledge that none of the individual couples being argued about have done anything wrong. Maybe you agree they deserve every chance for happiness. But God SAYS no.<br />
<br />
What have you actually proven? What does your argument prove to me if you prove that, even though everyone is human and deserves love and happiness and equality before the law, God says that they should not be allowed to marry?<br />
<br />
You have proven to me that your god is cruel, unjust and not worthy of my worship. You have proven to me that your god discriminates and indulges sadistic impulses among the very children he created. You have proven to me that your god is selfish and angry and hateful. You have proven to me that I John 4 is wrong. God is most certainly NOT love. <br />
<br />
So, what I am saying is maybe you should not work so hard to prove that to me. Maybe, just maybe, you ought to listen to that little questioning voice. Because maybe, just maybe, the voice you fear is that of Satan... isn't.<br />
Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-52590162743224174132013-03-24T07:45:00.001-07:002013-03-24T07:45:33.169-07:00Real Vamps Word Cloud<pre id="embed"><img alt="Wordle: Real Vampires Don't Surf" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/6522093/Real_Vampires_Don%27t_Surf" height="300" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 4px;" width="400" /></pre>
<pre id="embed"> </pre>
<pre id="embed"> </pre>
<pre id="embed">
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Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-56180488094943004352012-11-05T07:45:00.003-08:002012-11-05T07:46:42.703-08:00Election EveAnd now we come to it..<br />
<br />
The arguments have all been made. The odds that I'm going to sway anyone's vote, small in September, unlikely in October...are now infinitesimal in November. Decisions have been made and tomorrow they will be implemented.<br />
<br />
By some.<br />
<br />
Why? Why do people not vote? I can honestly say that I have missed voting opportunities...rarely, but it has happened for various reasons. But when it has happened I have been regretful and perhaps most importantly, noticed the fact. Which meant I could plan to avoid repeating the mistake.<br />
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But I know people who blow it off. Who just don't do it. And it isn't, for the most part, that they think it unimportant. They will tell you, if confronted, that voting is important. So why don't they vote?<br />
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The reasons are legion. Yet the one thing they share is that all of them are less reasons than they are excuses.<br />
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Vote. Maybe you'll vote as I do, maybe not. Maybe you will vote for Barack Obama. Maybe for Jill Stein. Maybe for Roseanne Barr (yes, she is on the ballot in many states.) Maybe you will even vote for Mitt Romney, in which case it could be said that my telling you to vote worked against my own purposes. But vote, no matter what.<br />
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It is important. People have sacrificed for the opportunity, even died. You have this moment, this moment of power. You have a voice and it will be heard, even if only momentarily. That is something almost unique in history, especially if you are a woman or a non-property owner. <br />
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VOTE!Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-49782507972354378002012-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:002012-10-01T08:06:04.519-07:00The Staying Power of HateIt's amazing, really. <br />
<br />
Every time I read a post on a site like Politico and venture down to the comments, I find the same thing. And I hear it and notice it every single day outside the domain of the internet as well.<br />
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The hatred of the right for Barack Obama is all but mind-numbing in its complexity and longevity. I have seen comments that defy description. The reach that some people are willing to make in their attempt to rationalize their own dislike is both confusing and, in a disturbing way, admirable.<br />
<br />
I wonder if it was like this in 1962? Now, fifty years later, the common thread is that Kennedy was beloved. But I know from reading sources that were contemporary to him that this was not universally true. Comparisons between Obama and JFK were very popular four years ago, but I haven't seen any lately.<br />
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There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that the kind of talk you find in the comment section of political websites today was very much in existence during Kennedy's time. However, it wasn't recorded for posterity the way almost everything is in the internet era.<br />
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We do know that JFK was a radically polarizing figure, and that those who disliked him often had deep-seated and all but unaddressable reasons for it. Reasons that had far more to do with the belief structures they were raised with than any sum of factual information.<br />
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This seems to be true for Obama as well. The Obama haters are devoid of any interest in providing the slightest edge for an alternate opinion. It is as though the core of their own self-image is reliant upon this need to see the President as evil and unamerican. They dismiss anything and everything remotely positive about him and emphasize and trumpet anything that feeds their delusions.<br />
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It is enough to make me actively wonder about our ability to provide enough medication to help these people through the next four years if Obama wins.<br />
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Judge it for yourself. Dismiss the most extreme comments from either side...because edges do exist for every point of opinion. Then look at the mass that remains.<br />
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From those fervently opposed to Mitt Romney, I find a lot of comments that sound something like, "Oh, I'm sure Mitt loves his family but I just don't want him running the country because I think he is wrong." At worst, the comments are "He is just like the rest of them." (Them meaning anything from Republicans to big business to political opportunists, depending on the speaker.)<br />
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From those opposed to Obama, it is more like, "Well, he might not ACTUALLY be the anti-christ, but I'm not so sure..."<br />
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And that is barely an exaggeration. Out of the 35-40% of America that forms the Republican base, I honestly believe that three fourths of them actively hate the President. Not dislike or disagree with...HATE.<br />
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That isn't rational.<br />
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On the positive side, if we could isolate the chemical behind it we could probably revolutionize medicine. Because something that able to kill rationality ought to be at least partially effective against cancer.<br />
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Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-33703542609240881092012-09-25T07:05:00.002-07:002012-09-25T07:05:19.321-07:00A Quick Word About Advertising...So, just after I publish my last post, I go and look at the blog page. And the ad above my post is for Mitt Romney.<br />
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First impulse, find a way to opt out. Then I thought harder.<br />
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Go for it, dude. *grin* Because the one thing I would absolutely love is to get in a discussion on this blog about the "real facts" of Mitt Romney's record. Like how as Governor of Massachusetts he was for gay rights, a woman's right to choose, universal healthcare... well, basically the Democratic Platform.<br />
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So, yeah. Let Google Adwords put Romney stuff on my page. The irony is sweet.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-15403520531230804342012-09-25T06:58:00.000-07:002012-09-25T06:58:07.750-07:00A Change in Demographics?I was reading something earlier from a G.O.P. point of view that was expressing disbelief in how they could be losing an election when the incumbent was saddled with an economy that is still in horrible shape.<br />
<br />
The conclusion was that if Barack Obama wins re-election, it will show that there has been a dramatic change in what they referred to as the demographics of the country. That term, in this context, primarily coming from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who gave us this immortal observation:<br />
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"The demographics race we're losing badly.We're not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term." (Washington Post quote)<br />
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That's a fact, but it is short-sighted. Yes, The GOP has most definitely narrowed its focus far too much and they are undeniably most appealing to "angry white guys." But there is far more to it.<br />
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The Republican Party is focused on the problems of its leadership, and despite their attempts to run every member with the slightest pigmentation, anatomy or surname that hints of diversity in front of a camera, that leadership is angry, white, male and both upper class and middle-aged. <br />
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And to an upper-class, middle-aged white male, this election should be about the economy. And if you are against Barack Obama, you want it to be <i>only</i> about the economy. Because if this election is only about the economy and you look at indicators of past performance in presidential elections as they refer to economic conditions at the time of the trip to the polls, it isn't even close. Obama should lose. Especially if he is up against a man with a strong business record, indicators of religious piety and a history of bipartisanship. All of which is true about Mitt Romney.<br />
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But Americans seem to have learned something. The President does have some power economically, but he is helpless without the assistance of Congress --- and that means not just the Senate, but the House. And the Republicans have quite successfully denied him that cooperation, very publicly and without excuse or even any attempt to conceal why. To defeat the President in 2012.<br />
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Apparently, America has noticed. And the result of noticing is that they aren't blaming the President for the economy. They are dividing the blame equally.<br />
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Which means that other factors are of equal importance. And this is where the demographics kick in. Because the President has far more power over some other things...especially what the GOP likes to refer to as "liberal social issues."<br />
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They call them "liberal" social issues because they are trapped in their pandering to one extreme of the social strata...the religious right. And of course, in our nation that means Evangelical Christianity.<br />
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In the next four years, we may have as many as four new Supreme Court justices. We will probably decide the legality of gay marriage. We will see significant challenges to the existing definitions of legal immigration and abortion. We will see the end of U.S. direct involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan. We will see consistently escalating fossil fuel prices as India and China continue to expand their consumption of these limited resources. We will continue to see the growth of retired Americans as a percentage of population, which means increased need for health care and income that does not rely on physical labor. We will see dramatic upheaval in the way the people of the Middle East govern themselves.<br />
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All that is far more within the influence of a President than the simple focus on budget and unemployment numbers.<br />
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It isn't demographics that have changed, Mr. Graham. After all, the majority of the country hasn't been angry, white and male...ever. And the majority of the <i>voting</i> population hasn't been white or male since <i>all</i> Americans became eligible to vote, including those formerly in bondage, both literal and domestic. I may concede that, at times, the majority of the voting population has been angry.<br />
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No, what has changed is that they are educated. And though you would dearly love to return to a time when they believed what you and your ilk told them because they had no other source of information, that isn't going to happen. Indeed, the likelihood of it is about the same as that of you discovering a new, inexhaustible supply of angry white guys.<br />
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Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-48544794884399679022012-09-19T08:06:00.000-07:002012-09-25T05:53:48.951-07:00Relative Silence BrokenAs most of you who have read this blog know, I lean slightly to the liberal side in political thought. I know, right? I mean, who would have ever imagined that was true based on my prior posts?<br />
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I've never been shy about it. But I haven't posted much on the election this year...in sharp contrast to 2008. True, in 2008 I was still living in California and I was motivated by my almost desperate opposition to Prop 8, which I always felt had a scary possibility of passing. Fears which were, of course, ultimately proven to be prescient.<br />
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This year, there is no Prop 8 to post about and I have also fallen prey to a bit of the ambivalence that many of my liberal brethren have. Four years ago, Barack Obama was not just a candidate, he was an impossible dream. Not only his race, although that was undeniably a part of it. No, it was his appeal to the positive side of us that helped generate so much enthusiasm.<br />
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I am much more motivated by hope than I am by fear. I know that may sound a little off based on the fact that I just invoked Prop 8, but I still believe it to be true.<br />
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The other thing is that while I bitch and moan about negatives as much as anyone, I rarely want to write more than a soundbite on them. And this 2012 campaign seems to be all about the negative. Obama is not preaching hope and change, he is attacking Romney... and Mitt? Oh, wow. I have so little positive feeling about the man. The last time I posted, it was about the bullying that had come to light. And now, I am writing on the heels of his 47% gaffe...<br />
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Only, it is hard to call it a gaffe when the attitude behind it has been so consistently made clear.<br />
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I am amazed that this is still a race. Yet, it is. There is a long time to go before the election. We haven't even had any debates yet.<br />
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I started out today thinking I was going to express my feelings about Mitt and his abhorrent comments... but there is time for that still. Now, as I type, the thought most in the forefront of my mind is bewilderment.<br />
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How have we, the grass roots who drove Obama to the White House, managed to show so much apathy this year? Mitt Romney makes John McCain look progressive. I went into 2008 thinking that it wouldn't be the worst thing ever if McCain won. I had far more confidence in him than I do in Mitt. Yet, I fought hard for Obama. In words published and spoken to friends and strangers alike.<br />
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I haven't been motivated to do that as forcefully this year. And I am not sure I understand that, because I think Mitt Romney would be an absolute disaster for this nation.<br />
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I need to speak out more. And all of us who look at the possibility of a Romney presidency with the same trepidation I do need to join me. <br />
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In 2008, despite all I did do, I spent the weeks after the election wondering if I could have done more to defeat H8. And that was after I could honestly say I had worked at it and sacrificed much, including a friendship that had lasted since 1982 and has never recovered from the hurtful feelings exchanged over that election.<br />
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I don't want to do the same with Romney. So, polls that show a widening Obama lead don't comfort me. They scare me. Because I think the worst enemy we have, and the thing the Republicans are counting on, is complacency among those who swept Obama into office.<br />
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It's time to get off the couch.<br />
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Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-73202746160891310632012-05-17T06:13:00.001-07:002012-05-17T06:27:18.596-07:00Marriage: Facts vs. EmotionWe hear it all the time, and we slap back with examples all the time.<br />
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"The Bible says marriage is between one man and one woman." Or "Marriage has been about one man and one woman for (insert number of thousands of years.)"<br />
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Which supporters of same sex marriage, certainly including myself, respond to with facts. About the institution of marriage, about the Bible, about anything that makes us feel better. Because that is what it is...we are addressing how we feel about their statement. Because while the things that we are stating are completely true, their truth and the fact (that word again) that they invalidate the argument make absolutely no difference in the mind of the person who made the original statement.<br />
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Because their position has, in reality, nothing to do with what the Bible says. Or what the tradition is. Or whether or not the "traditional" view of marriage they espouse is actually less than two hundred years old.<br />
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It has to do with emotion. It has to do with how they feel about same sex marriage, not about whether or not it makes logical sense.<br />
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They can't bring up a logic argument, at least one not involving religion (logic and religion are a whole separate conversation,) that supports their position. We know it, and deep down most of them know it too.<br />
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But what we can't dispute is how they feel. A cartoon I saw this morning had a gay marriage opponent admitting in the final panel that "Gay people are icky." And that is what we are fighting.<br />
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Because, if we are going to truly believe in the freedom of personal opinion, we can't tell them that they aren't allowed to feel that way. We can tell them why we feel they are short-sighted, bigoted, insecure, fearful, insular and dozens of other things. We can not tell them they are wrong to have an opinion. We can only disagree with it based on our opinion.<br />
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There are thousands of young people out there who think Tupac is still alive. Thousands of middle aged people who feel the same about Elvis. Thousands who believe that aliens are among us. Millions who think the GOP has the best interests of the people at heart. You will not win a single one of those arguments with facts, and we won't win this one with facts either.<br />
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It's emotion. They can deal with the fact that faceless people in California or Massachusetts or Iowa are gay and married and that their position is threatening those couples happiness...because they don't have any personal feelings about those people like they do about the pastor that is nice to their kids or comforted grandma when grandpa died. They don't care about denying happiness to people they don't like or know. (The morality of that when most of them follow a religion that specifically tells them they are, above all, supposed to care about that...is, again, a separate conversation.)<br />
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They care about disappointing people they love or admire. And let's face it, most of the older generation are never going to know or care about any gay people.<br />
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Except Doogie Howser. Yeah, that one gets to them. (Go Neil!)<br />
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They are too isolated. The people they listen to and discuss these things with all think the same way they do. The percentage of the people they knew that are gay either fled their little circles for the edges of the country thirty years ago or are so deep in denial that they punish themselves with self hate and express it outwardly as just plain hate. (Until they get caught in an airport bathroom in Minneapolis.)<br />
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Which is not say there isn't hope. Or that there aren't ways to reach them. It is just difficult. And facts will only help after we reach them emotionally enough to get a little bit of doubt in there with all that anger and hostility.<br />
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So I'm not saying to leave behind the facts. But remember that it isn't logic you are talking to. It is "Gay people are icky."<br />
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<br />Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-56784200343772222372012-05-14T06:37:00.001-07:002012-05-14T06:40:12.684-07:00Why Romney's Bully Past MattersLast week, the Washington Post reported an incident in which GOP Candidate Mitt Romney engaged in a scene out of teenage nightmares.<br />
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Some might call that statement a bit strong.<br />
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I disagree. The report from the Post was corroborated by five of Romney's classmates, including at least one who actually helped. The details of that incident are available freely around the net and I encourage you to Google them. But let's talk about why those details are still important, rather than what they are.<br />
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First, there is the denial from Romney that he remembers the incident. Admittedly, I would find this only mildly troubling if it were not for the fact that his time at Cranbook has been pointed to as the genesis of his leadership skills. Romney learned not only to fit in but to fit in despite being, in many ways that mattered a lot in 1965, "different." Also, our senior years in high school tend to be rather memorable, as anyone who makes teen angst comedies can tell you while they count their box office dollars.<br />
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The problem with that is how Mitt Romney was handed an opportunity to be forthcoming and to stand up and say, "fifty years ago I did something wrong, and I am sorry." And instead, he played it off with the political equivalent of "boys will be boys."<br />
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Really? So, holding down a screaming kid and hacking off his hair is just good-natured fun? In Mr. Romney's words, "hijinks?" No. This was not putting a picnic table on the school roof or green food color in the cafeteria eggs. This was a violent attack on a young man who was different and forcing him to conform despite his protests, fear and the very real possibility of permanent injury. (Yes, I consider wielding scissors near the ears of a struggling victim a risk of disfiguring injury.)<br />
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What makes it worse is that Romney himself had overcome issues about being different. He was of a different religion than his classmates, one that has always struggled with being perceived as almost a cult. He was not very athletic yet hung out with boys who clearly were (Thomas Buford,who assisted Romney, was the school's wrestling champion.) Romney, to his credit, found ways around these things and rose to become a school leader. But that also means, he should have known how the boy he attacked felt. Either he did not, which indicates a lack of empathy, or he ignored those feelings, which is cruelty.<br />
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So why should this matter, fifty years later? Romney has a lifetimes worth of seasoning, and it seems self-relevant that he is probably a far wiser and less violent person today. And, after all, how many of us didn't do something stupid in high school we later wished we could take back?<br />
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Certainly, we all have adolescent regrets. Those times form the people we are now. And I certainly do not feel Mitt Romney should not be allowed some of them.<br />
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The problem I have is this: his behavior has become less dramatic, but his rationale for it seems to have remained.<br />
<br />
Romney attacked the boy because he was different and he didn't want to allow that to go unpunished, perhaps especially after Romney himself had made the effort to change. According to the article, Romney said, “He can’t look like that. That’s wrong. Just look at him!” And that is incredibly characteristic of this man's behavior even today.<br />
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Mitt wants to force people to conform to his perception of right and wrong now, just as much as then. He wants you to pursue the same reproductive choices as his family and friends, he wants to define social institutions in favor of his friends perceptions. He thinks you should meet his expectations, or the expectations of his society, and if you don't, you "can't" be allowed to get away with it.<br />
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That's a bully. And whether he is wielding scissors or the power of the executive office, it is still a matter of him imposing his will on you.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-8519157631051658562012-04-10T12:33:00.002-07:002012-04-10T12:47:43.751-07:00Santorum Bows OutSo now its set. Romney vs. Obama.<br /><br />I saw an article yesterday that called Romney the weakest candidate since Dukakis put on a helmet and sat in a tank. And that's true. So why?<br /><br />Why do I feel like this is going to be close? Mitt Romney, who created the blueprint for "Obamacare" in Massachusetts. Who is a poster boy for "rich and out of touch." Who couldn't put away Gingrich and Santorum without spending a ridiculous amount of money. Who some doubted would win the GOP primary in his home state.<br /><br />Obama should win this in a walkover. He won't. He'll have to fight for it. I wish I could understand why. He's accomplished more against worst resistance than any President I can remember. Reagan and Clinton accomplished things, but didn't have this opposition. Carter had the opposition, but all his successes were in foreign policy. He couldn't get his own party to cooperate domestically.<br /><br />Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. He got Bin Laden. He restored much of the good will the U.S. lost among our allies during Bush's foreign policy "adventures." He signed landmark domestic legislation regarding equal pay for women, health care, consumer credit protection, and was appeal to finally remove the barriers against gay Americans serving their country. Many of those were things Clinton tried and failed to achieve.<br /><br />I wish I could believe that race wasn't the issue.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-26346590065970873542011-06-02T20:01:00.000-07:002011-06-02T20:14:42.432-07:00Story Submitted, Brady Bunch Time Coming...I finished the short story I was working on in time to submit it before heading to Balticon over Memorial Day weekend... yay me! We'll see what the editor/publisher's opinion of it is and I will announce it here when I hear yay or nay. If they do not decide to include it, I will find an alternate venue, I promise.<br /><br />Speaking of Balticon, this was the third year I have attended and I come home every year having enjoyed it just a little bit more. It is not my "normal" con because I am all but an unknown there. Very few of the people I see there have ever read much of my writing. Those that have are more friends and colleagues than audience, so to speak. So it is a very low pressure environment. I really should try my hand at fantasy or science fiction eventually. Yeah, I've written several paranormal things, but I mean classical science fiction...or at least space opera. I've always read SF and Fantasy for pleasure. Perhaps I fear writing it will remove that pleasure. Hmmmm...<br /><br />This weekend, the under twenty-one population of the household expands from three to five. My absolute favorite six weeks of the year, when the children of my body come to stay and I have my step-spawn and blood-spawn all under the same roof. I feel more complete during this time. Yes, it makes free time almost non-existent. But I suffer that gladly. I miss my kids, and as much as I enjoy the company of my three younger housemates, there is always that emotional distance that comes with the fact that I am not their father.<br /><br />But for the next six weeks, my kids are more than voices on a phone. *GRIN* I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!<br /><br />Yeah, I must be some kind of crazy. I am actually looking forward to six weeks with five teenagers in the house. Wow.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-53647826521034836512011-05-11T14:01:00.000-07:002011-05-11T14:22:08.514-07:00Keeping the Habit Going...Since blogging Saturday about my recent frustrations on the writing side, I started yet another story... only this one is specifically for a call I noticed that ends June 1st.<br /><br />The idea is that by putting a deadline there, I can try and force myself to write. Sure, I'm writing for an open call. There is no guarantee in that and the piece may not be chosen. But that doesn't mean it will necessarily be a fruitless exercise.<br /><br />The call is for work between 2500 and 8000 words, so I am not committing to a novel or anything. But finishing even a short work will be a step in the right direction. It's a call for college years themed erotica, and my college experiences were a fertile field for my early ventures into erotica. This time, I chose an event from my actual past and I am tweaking it to turn out differently. The central idea is the chance to relive a decision that I don't necessarily <span style="font-style:italic;">regret</span> but where I have wondered about alternative outcomes. <br /><br />I'm not changing the initial point of decision, the place that could have really gone either way, because I like the choice I made. It was one of those moments where I feel like I lived up to my ideals... doing something the right way, despite there being a personal cost.<br /><br />However, I am changing the aftermath of that decision. That is where the "What if..." portion comes in to play.<br /><br />So far, I written just over 2000 words and have almost reached the point where speculation will diverge from reality. Not that the story is exactly what happened and certainly the dialogue is not accurate. I mean, it was twenty years ago and I have trouble remembering things with that detail after twenty minutes.<br /><br />So it isn't really a "true story." It is more like based on what maybe could have been a real story if the persons in the story might have concentrated a little less on what things appeared to be and a little more on what they really wanted.<br /><br />But I'm having fun with it. And it has been a while since I wrote for fun.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-30122879707769369682011-05-07T08:43:00.000-07:002011-05-07T09:16:20.506-07:00It Isn't Really Writer's BlockMy writing has been at a standstill lately. I keep making myself promises to get moving again, and then other things get in the way or I sit at the keyboard and just stare until I finally click over to Facebook or open the news or a blog. I've constantly wondered what I am lacking.<br /><br />There are several things one needs to write. Some fall under motivation, some ability or talent, some logistical.<br /><br />The opportunity to write, the time in other words, is there. Oh, I'm busy. Very busy. I get up Monday through Friday and head to work, of course. Then I come home and four days a week the turnaround time until heading to the dojang for taekwondo is short, but not THAT short. Three of those days I have at least an hour of down time. And there <span style="font-style:italic;">are</span> all the other things that need doing. Sleep, sustenance, laundry. But I have not picked up my PS3 controller or booted up Fallout or Neverwinter Nights in weeks. And I usually have the whole weekend with only minor commitments. So although my time is tight, there are places where I could sit down and bang away at wordsmithing.<br /><br />All the incentive is there, at least rationally. And I sure as hell could use the money, more now than ever. I have two WIP's that are already sold; contracts aren't signed, but the publishers have been waiting on the finished work for quite some time and have not made any indication that they have changed their mind. One was even up on a Coming Soon page --- and was "coming soon" for way tooooo long. Eventually, when the site got updated, it came off.<br /><br />I also have plenty of work started, in various stages of completion. Most of them stalled at around 30K. I have even more tales with the outlines of a plot on paper (virtual and otherwise) and no shortage of ideas. So, the creativity is there. The ideas have never stopped flowing.<br /><br />I think it might boil down to two things, and they are related. Audience and enjoyment. When I first turned my mind back to writing, I had both of those. I started with sportswriting, of course. And audience was never a problem with those blogs, especially after I started working for a national website and had their linkages. I didn't always get heavy feedback on each post, but I could see the numbers as far as pageloads. And I did get comments, sometimes dozens of them.<br /><br />When I started writing erotica and erotic romance, it was at Literotica and I again had feedback... some of it very strong. The negative stuff rarely bothered me. In some ways it was more energizing then the good stuff. And the community and the standards of the AH and the audience made me a better writer.<br /><br />But the money at Lit is non-existent. Yeah, a couple of contest wins -- but that doesn't pay bills, it just feeds the ego and lets you splurge on a minor indulgence. The sports money was better and more predictable, but was strictly a secondary income source. You could make more money collecting aluminum cans than I did as a "professional sportswriter."<br /><br />The enjoyment of creation is fine. I still get that. Liking my own turn of phrase or plot point. But the second step in enjoying writing, for me at least, is having someone react. The greatest compliment you can receive as a writer is when people believe your fiction is real. I've had people argue with me. <span style="font-style:italic;">"That's wrong, because she would never do that!" </span> What a compliment, when a reader gets mad at me because the creation of my imagination is so completely real to them that they honestly believe that character has a life and a personality outside my skull.<br /><br />I need to find that part again. I am no Emily Dickinson in talent... but also, I am not one in temperament. I can not sit alone and create my art for it's own sake. My art is only complete when it has created, or failed to create, an emotion in my audience.<br /><br />Of course, the dilemma is that in order to find an audience... I HAVE TO FINISH SOMETHING!<br /><br />Grrrrrrrrr...Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-55761559545642040902011-01-30T14:42:00.000-08:002011-01-30T15:23:29.576-08:00Redefing Rape: New GOP-sponsored Anti-abortion BillWe all know that certain groups in this country have a focus on abortion that overrides any other issue. They will go to any lengths to overturn Roe vs Wade -- and the most extreme of them will even call murder justified if it is the murder of a person who is pro-choice or, worse yet, works at a clinic or a Planned Parenthood.<br /><br />(That these same groups are almost without exception in favor of the death penalty still boggles my mind. Seems to me there should not be a size or age limit on life being "sacred.")<br /><br />But this blindness to reason or "compromise" has always excluded a few select circumstances. When the life of the mother is in danger, rape and incest. And very few Americans disagree with those exceptions. Or did...<br /><br />One of the new bills the GOP has hit the ground running with is H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act. On the surface, it is a bit strange...taxpayer funding of abortion in all but the circumstances cited above is already illegal.<br /><br />H.R. 3 looks to redefine and increase these restrictions. First and foremost, it now forbids using federal funds OR funds that are tax-deductible for an insurance plan that includes coverage of abortion. This would include any funds that are pre-tax out of your paycheck. The language is quite deceptively clear...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">‘(1) no credit shall be allowed under the internal revenue laws with respect to amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or with respect to amounts paid or incurred for a health benefits plan (including premium assistance) that includes coverage of abortion,</span> (from the bill as published at opencongress.org)<br /><br />This means that any health plan that <span style="font-style:italic;">covers</span> abortion is taxable... not just any portion used for abortion, not any deductibles, not any actual procedure. The language clearly says "includes coverage." <br /><br />Bad enough. This is nothing less than an attempt to force health insurers not to cover abortion... but this type of legislation has always been subject to the "rule of three." The three exceptions.<br /><br />Later, those are addressed... but they are addressed in a very specific way. Read for yourself.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />‘The limitations established in sections 301, 302, 303, and 304 shall not apply to an abortion--<br /> ‘(1) if the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest; or..."</span> (goes on to cover the life of the mother being endangered.)<br /><br />Now remember, the letter of the law is exactly that... the letter of the law. Not "Rape." "Forcible Rape." So, you were drugged? Not covered. Thirty year old man has consensual sex with a twelve year old? Not covered. No force was used? NOT covered. Threats, remember, are not force. This is why there is a difference between assault and battery. Assault is threats, battery is an unwanted touching or contact.<br /><br />So, be quiet and do as you are told or I will hurt the kids sleeping in the next room? NOT COVERED. As I hinted at before, the date rape drug dropped in your gin and tonic... NOT COVERED. What's more, some states don't define a difference in rape and it can thus be argued that no rape in those states would be covered since there is no definition for "forcible" in those locations.<br /><br />Does this sound extreme? Think I am pushing the point too far? I'm not. Once the law is approved, what is written is what is... intention is not a part of it. This is why it is so important for legislation to be well written.<br /><br />H.R. 3 is dangerous. It isn't only an attack on the issue of choice. It is a precedent setting attack on the definition of rape itself.<br /><br />Tell your congressional representative to vote no on H.R. 3.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-6749610816420017832011-01-24T13:55:00.000-08:002011-01-24T14:21:51.889-08:00Tangled RootsThe latest release in Coming Together's Neat line is now available through All Romance eBooks and Smashwords.<br /><br />Giselle Renarde's <a href="http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tangledroots-509746-144.html">Tangled Roots</a> is a multilayered tale about Simone, who has come to a crossroads in her life. In order to move forward, she is going to have to chose more than just a path right or left... she is going to have to confront the heritage and the past that has caught up to her at last.<br /><br />Moses, the main male protagonist, is both what she wants and what she most fears. He will challenge both her assumptions and her misconceptions... and force her out of a comfort zone that has been holding her back in ways she has both cultivated and in areas of which she is completely unaware.<br /><br />The short length of this piece does not keep it from being a complex, well thought-out journey through Simone's past and her state of mind. It also addresses the subject of race and pride from an internal perspective, exploring how the outward assumptions of those around Simone shape her world and affect not only how she treats others, but her own sense of worth.<br /><br />A good read for a good cause; all Coming Together:Neat proceeds are used to fund micro-loans through Kiva. This work is also available through eXcessica, and if you think it sounds familiar, you might own it already... Neat does not require exclusivity and the folks at eXcessica were more than willing to share based on the charitable focus of Coming Together. <br /><br />If only Amazon were able to understand that concept, it would already be available there as well... and hopefully will be soon. Until then, you can get it at Smashwords or ARe.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21653988.post-9468371997599685892010-08-25T10:34:00.000-07:002010-08-25T10:56:48.573-07:00Five "Whole Truths" We Will Never LearnI see lists, I click on lists, I waste time on lists... so why not waste time writing one and at least get some word exercise out of it...<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />1) The JFK Assassination</span> - There is no doubt that Kennedy had lots of enemies and an awful lot of people stood to benefit from his death. But does that mean there was a conspiracy? I don't think we will ever know.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />2)What was Greek Fire?</span> - For hundreds of years, a substance some have described as "ancient napalm" was the greatest fear of a sailor going into battle. But the secret of making it disappeared. Some modern substances have similar properties, but there just isn't any way to learn what the original was. We may actually have the same thing today and just not realize it.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />3)Did Shakespeare write everything Shakespeare wrote? </span>- I am not one of those people that have theories about this or that member of the royal family, nor do I think Kit Marlowe or Ben Johnson took Will's name. But this was at the beginning of theater as an art form and the plays we have are primarily transcripts of performances. How much changed during rehearsal? Didn't actors ad lib, even then? It's fun to wonder who would claim what if we could speak to the members of his acting company.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />4) Babe Ruth's Called Shot</span> - A former Supreme Court Justice swore Ruth called it. The pitcher that threw the pitch says if he had, that pitch would have been in his ear. There are home movies, but the angle and quality makes it impossible to tell if he is gesturing at right-center field or the Cub's dugout. Ruth played the "you tell me" card for years before half-assedly saying that he did call it. And this was not a man given to doing things halfway.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">5)Why can't Will Belegon finish a new novel?</span> - Okay, maybe this truth we can learn. Or maybe not. But it probably has something to do with writing blog posts instead of fiction....Twitter may be implicated... and video games are definitely part of the problem.Will Belegonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890456110514975056noreply@blogger.com1