Hello June!

June has finally arrived and with it my plate is pretty full! 
Here's what I am up to!

I will be down at the beautiful Vitambi Spring Resort, Florida's newest and largest (260+ acres) Gay Resort for their NVS TabooWeekend.

June 8-10th! Come down & join the fun!

I will only be there as myself on Sat. (6/11) afternoon (with books available!) but you may see my alternate ego, Novice Sister Lolly Lickalot, since she will be there with the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence!

Two weeks later, on Sat. June 23rd, my alter ego will be kicking off the Tampa Bay side of Pride week with the Sisters by attending the first annual Red Dress Ball! More Info Here on Facebook!

The of course I will be attending St. Pete Pride a week later (June 30th) to sell and sign books. I'll be in booth 440... just look for my banner and if you don't see that, well the Sisters will be hanging with me as well!

So, if you are looking to catch up to me and hang out, come see me at one of these venues!

As for July… well, I will be kicking off my first annual Sizzling July Interview Series right here on this blog. For the whole month of July, I will be interviewing erotic romance authors! Can you say 'yummy'? Be sure to check back to see if one of your favorite authors will be stopping by My Twisted & Kinky World!

What a bust... but still a good time!

Well, my first convention of the year was a bust. I knew I was taking a chance going to Oasis, a Sci-Fi convention, to sell my books but I seriously did not think it would be a financial bust! Last year, I sold several book and even though I took a loss, it was still worth the trip to Orlando. However, this year, I only sold two books at the convention! I actually sold more books to some of my mother's co-workers at the hotel I was staying at in Daytona Beach!

But… I still had a very good time over Memorial Day weekend. I stayed in Daytona Beach and commuted to Orlando for Oasis. The drive was only about 45 mins. (don't tell FL highway patrol I said that!) and staying on the beach was preferable to staying in downtown Orlando! Surprisingly, cheaper too!

At Oasis, I hung out with many of my fellow authors and artists. Anytime I get to hang out with Bill Hatfield and Paul Vincenti, it is always a good time! Paul is an AMAZING artist and if I could afford his work, I would cover my walls with it! Bill writes Sci-Fi and is actually one of the only Sci-Fi writers I will read. Bill's wife, Karen (who stayed home this time), makes handcrafted jewelry and Bill brought me the custom piece I had commissioned.

I was able to meet David Webber (briefly) and hung out a bit with Janny Wurts & L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

I also was able to collect almost 100 books for my Books for Troops drive. The book dealers in the vendor room were very generous! Thanks guys!

I opted not to attend the last day of Oasis and instead spend at least one day in Daytona Beach. Sunday, tropical storm Beryl played havoc with the weather. It was cloudy, but warm, with sporadic wind gusts and rain. Well, being stubborn as I am, I was determined to enjoy Daytona anyway and hung out around the pool & hot tub. I am glad I did because I got to meet 3 of the 4 members of Winter Rose. They are a rock band... well heavy metal band... out of Port Richey and frequently play in Ybor City. Two of the guys bought books from me and they gave me a CD to check out their music. 

Four Worlds Album Cover - Copyright Winter Rose 2012 

I had a blast in the pool & hot tub drinking beers with the guys and it made my weekend worth the trip! I won't be going to Oasis next year but I will be spending Memorial Day weekend in Daytona Beach again. If you are down that way, let me know and we can have a beer together too! I can't wait!

Convention Season Starts...

My first convention of the year is this weekend on Orlando (FL)!

Oasis 25 starts on May 25th @ 1 PM and runs through May 27th @ 4PM. This is pretty much a Sci-Fi convention (you can check out the Facebook Event for more info & a guest list... which they left me off of, yet again!). You may be wondering why a fantasy & paranormal erotic romance author, such as myself, is attending a Sci-Fi convention to sell books. 

Well, the answer is really very simple... Sci-Fi fans read erotica as well. Especially the fantasy & paranormal kind! I did not sell many books last year but I did sell some and my husband and I turn this into a mini-vacation for Memorial Day weekend! 

However, this is the second year in a row that I have had to piggy back on my friend Bill Hatfield's table because of the lack of response from the guest/vendor coordinator. As I mentioned above, I am not on the list as appearing which means they won't have me on any writer panels. Guess maybe this is their way of giving me a hint that they don't want me there?? Well, last year they did not turn me away and I doubt they will this year because once a vendor table is paid for (Thanks Bill!) it doesn't matter who is at the table with the vendor.  However, I can't help but wonder why they wouldn't want two vendor fees instead of one *shrug* At least Bill is kind enough to share his table with me!

But... I doubt I will be returning to this convention next year (Sorry Bill!). The lack of communication from the coordinator does not fit into my organizational hang-ups. Is being organized a hang up???? 

The convention itself is wonderful and they have many great guests. They also have an art room and a RPG (Role-Playing Game) room. I enjoy seeing fellow friends and artists that I have not seen since Necronomicon last October (another convention I attend.)

So, I will be off to Oasis 25 this weekend to kick on my busy month of June. If you are in Florida and want to check out this small Sci-Fi convention, be sure to stop in the vendors room and say hello!

Thanks for Hopping By!

Thanks to everyone who hopped by for our Hop Against Homophobia blog tour to speak out against Homophobia! Even more thanks to those of you who left me a comment!

SMDerr ~~ That is always a great question because who we, our children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, friends or even strangers choose to love is no ones business but those who are in love.

KimberlyFDR ~~ Yes, I too, believe that love can triumph!

Dawn ~~ Yep, I am one of the very few (about 3 dozen) biologically female Sisters throughout the world! Many people, even in our gay communities, have never heard of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I have only been apart of this wonderful organization since January but loved every minute of it so far! The attention that the Sister gain whenever we go out is a wonderful way to educate people on acceptance and safer sex practices and the fundraising we do for other non-profits that give back to the community is very gratifying.

Foretta ~~ I think it is wonderful that you are teaching acceptance through teaching about bullying. I, too, hope that one day we will have equality for everyone and hope that I live long enough to see it… because it will eventually happen!

L.M. ~~ I guess my daughter is grateful but to be honest, I don't really know if she is since she has not had to experience the other side of the coin. Regardless, ALL children should be loved for just who they are and hopefully one day that will happen.

Kerry, Wulf, N.J., GiGi, Erica, Peggy ~~ Thank you for the comments as you hopped through the tour.

Now, I am sure you are all wondering who is getting the FREE copy of New Beginnings, The Sapphire Tower, v.1. Well…. The winner is…

GiGi!

Enjoy!

  

And to say thank you to everyone else who left a comment, I will be sending you a coupon for 50% off for my book When Beasts Bite!

Enjoy and look for an email soon!

Speak out!

Welcome to my Hop Against Homophobia Blog! It's 2012 and it is hard to believe that we still have to stand up and fight against homophobia. Today, May 17th, is International Day Against Homophobia!

"The word homophobia appeared in the 1960’s. George Weinberg, an American psychologist, seems to have been the first to use it in a study in 1969. He used it again in his 1972 book “Society and the healthy homosexual”. K.T. Smith also used this word in 1971 in an article called “Homophobia: A Tentative Personality Profile”. Francophone authors quickly followed suit. Here is how Weinberg defined homophobia in 1972: 'The fear expressed by heterosexuals of being in the presence of homosexuals, and the loathing that homosexual persons have for themselves'"[1].

Homophobia can manifest in many ways (attitudes, actions, words, etc.) and the only way to fight it is to raise awareness and speak out against it! Believe it or not, you are doing that by just joining this blog hop tour! Thank you!

For my own part, earlier this year I joined the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Nothing like being a 21st century drag nun to make a statement and do some good for my community. The "Sisters" are an international Non-Profit organization, founded in 1979, whose volunteer members perform many out-reach programs to educate safer sex practices and provide free condoms to the community. If you want to give back, the "Sisters" is a great organization to become involved with!

I also am not ashamed of my daughter, who came out to us when she was 13. We knew it wasn't a 'phase' but that was okay. We love her just the same because all that matters to us is that she is happy. I refer to her girlfriend with the same tone and inflection as I do my other daughters boyfriends. When someone makes a face while I am talking to them, I always comment, "That bothers you? How is my daughters love life affecting you?" Usually they have no answer or a very weak one, but if nothing else, it makes them stop and think!

So, for taking the time to hop around and stop by, I will be giving a copy of New Beginnings, The Sapphire Tower (v.1) away! Just leave me a comment (and email) to enter! 18+ only please (I don't want another nasty email from a parent!) A random winner will be chosen on May 21st! 

Happy Hopping to the hundreds of other blogs! Just click to Hop Away!