T.L. Cooper's Blog

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For now, all on Substack are free, and you can pledge to support me when I turned on paid subscriptions if you'd like.

I just posted a new post, Poetry and Politics, and have scheduled a couple of poems to share over the next few weeks to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Please check it out!

Thanks! 

 

Read an Ebook Week has arrived! All my ebooks on Smashwords are on sale from March 2, 2025-March 8, 2025. Check out most of my titles for 50% off. 

My short story, Alone, is free during this Read an Ebook Week.

Check out most of my books on Smashwords or my latest book and short story at Smashwords. (Smashwords and Draft2Digital are merging resulting in me temporarily having 2 pages.)

Or individually by clicking on each book below.

While you’re there, check out the many other authors participating in the Smashwords Read an Ebook Week promotion!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years since I started publishing my books beginning all the way back with All She Ever Wanted in 2001! I am grateful for every reader!

I will continue to write about the things that make life worth living, the lessons I learn, and the challenges we face in the world.

I have a new book of poetry, Earth in Silhouette, coming soon!

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website. To be notified when I publish new work, follow me on Amazon.

Kit, Little Loves Forevermore  (for Kit)

Your sweetness and light
Shined through every day
Whether you were setting
Or enforcing
Your boundaries
Snuggling Baby
Or your humans
Protecting your kitty siblings
From doggies walking past
Or your human Mama 
From a garter snake in the yardTelling the vet who was boss
At every single visit        Just in case he forgot
Chirping at the birds in the yard
        Or on the television screen
Chasing the sunny spots in the house
Or sitting in front of the blazing fireplaceYou were alwaysSo very regal in play or rest From the very first moment
You chose our home as yours
And us as your family
You brought sweetness and light
To our livesMaking you 
Then and forevermore
Mama’s Little Loves

Kit died on January 16, 2024 at West Hills Animal Hospital with her humans by her side. Kit's birth place and date remain a mystery. 

She found her furever family in December 2008 when she came to live in our home. The vet estimated her be to between 2 and 3 years old at the time, so our best guess is she was born some time in 2006. Read Kit's origin story here.

Kit always brought much personality to any space she inhabited. 

She was fiercely independent and just as fiercely affectionate when she chose to be. She gave strong lessons in boundaries! As in respect hers! As in it became a common refrain to remind myself and others "Not without her permission."

But, a little conversation usually resulted in cooperation.

She generally got bored with toys quite quickly, but she loved her Baby (a stuffed mouse with coloring similar to hers) and Ballie (a soft brown ball). She carried them around the house and cuddled with them often ignoring all the other toys. She would bring them to us when she wanted something or hold them and cry when she couldn't find us. Baby even accompanied her to the vet! 

She loved going outside on her leash and exploring the backyard and chirping at birds. It became her one-on-one time with her human Mama. She also really liked it when her kitty siblings were waiting at the door when she came back in and would sometimes wait for them if they weren't there. 

She loved to sit in the window to watch birds, and feel the fresh air on warm days. On cold days, she loved to sit in front of the blazing fireplace.

She became increasingly affectionate over the years often herding her humans into the same room and sitting with them.
Kit developed health issues late in life that required changes to her routine. She adapted without losing her spark. As her health deteriorated, she faced the changes with the same independence, boundaries, and affection she expressed throughout her life until the very end.
She wasn't shy about communicating and teaching her human family how to communicate effectively with her.
Kit brought so much sweetness and light to life. Kit will forever be Mama's Little Loves, which were words that somehow always seemed to calm her down even at the vet during procedures - as long as her human Mama was saying them...

We are so grateful she made us her family.

Kit leaves behind her human Mama and human Daddy. She was preceded in death by her kitty sister, Meme, and kitty brother, Todd.

If you'd like to honor our beloved Kit, you can donate a tree at The Gifted Tree.

Kit will be forever missed and forever loved.

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website. To be notified when I publish new work, follow me on Amazon.

We all experience grief. It is universal and unique all at once. Grief is devastating and grief is a gift.

My forthcoming book of poetry, The Gift of Grief, (ebook available for preorder) explores my journey through various bouts of grief. It took me a long time to embrace grief rather than fight it or ignore it or work to process it seeking an end date. Grief works on its own time. Embracing it brought me to a place where I could see the gift it brought to my life.

I discovered that grief is something we learn to live with not something we process as a one-and-done. I really wanted to check off items to show progress like it was some kind of task list. 

At times I felt like the waves of grief just couldn't end because as soon as I started feeling settled, I lost someone else, I sometimes felt like the grief was just too much. I began to realize this was probably true for many other people as well.

Between 2020-2024, I grieved the deaths of several friends, myriad extended family members, my father-in-law, my Daddy, and two cats. There were days I felt like I I grieving life itself. Or... that maybe life had become grief.

I did what I do to process pretty much anything. I wrote and then wrote some more. I researched grief, and then wrote some more. I read multiple books including The Grieving Brain by Mary-Francis O'Connor and It's Ok That You're Not Ok by Megan Devine trying to figure out why my grief wasn't finding a nice, neat trajectory.

Grief is a way to hold our lost loved ones close in heart and mind while we honor their influences in our lives.

As I wrote many of the poems in The Gift of Grief and compiled them along with others written over many years to create the manuscript for The Gift of Grief, I began to feel like my grief was a gift that allowed me to remember and to continue to love, to feel connected, and to find hope to go on. I have come to appreciate the healing nature of the grief I had worked so hard to avoid.

There comes a point in grief where we remember a lost loved one with an appreciation of having had the privilege of knowing them and loving them. When that privilege becomes more prevalent than the pain of the loss, grief can feel like a gift.

While I understand wanting grief to end, I've come to appreciate the way grief has settled into my heart and reminds me that I have had the opportunity to have a life filled with so many wonderful people and animals to love and be loved by.

And, so often when I think of those people and/or animals, I just close my eyes and whisper. "Grief brings you back to me"

The release date for The Gift of Grief is August 30, 2024, and will be available in trade paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website. To be notified when I publish new work, follow me on Amazon.

As someone who has long refused to register with either of the major political parties in the United States as a statement on the issues I have with both parties, I've struggled with how to embrace Uncommitted Oregon.
While my values tend to trend liberal, even progressive, I often find the Democratic Party falls short due to the influence of lobbyists, PACs, and corporate influence in general. And the Republican Party's values tend to be completely out of line with mine, or frankly my world view in general.
When Uncommitted Oregon started getting off the ground, and I saw the behind-the-scenes work going on, I was both intrigued and conflicted. In Oregon, I have to be registered with a major political party to vote in that party's primary. I fully support Uncommitted Oregon's message that an immediate and permanent ceasefire throughout Palestine must happen now - well, yesterday or many yesterdays ago, that humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza via land crossings now - again yesterday or many yesterdays ago, and that military aid to Israel must cease now - yet again, yesterday or many yesterdays ago. 
Granted, I have a little time to make a decision because the deadline to change my affiliation to Democrat is April 30th. Still, it's a tough decision for me. I understand why it would be an easy decision for some, but I struggle with it.
I wholeheartedly support the idea behind the Uncommitted Oregon and the efforts. My only struggle is with giving the Democratic party the idea, even for a short time, that I support their corporate agenda and their lackluster attempts to make real progress on the issues that matter to liberals and progressives while still displaying their loyalty to their big money donors over people.
If you are a Democrat in Oregon, I urge you to fill in the write in bubble and write in Uncommitted for your vote in the Oregon presidential primary. If you are an unaffiliated voter, like me, debating whether or not to change your affiliation for the primary, that's a decision you have to let your conscience guide you in making. I encourage you to vote your values and make your voice heard. 
Ballots are due May 21st.
Let's be honest, President Biden will be the Democratic nominee, so this is literally just a chance to send him a message that we, in Oregon (and nationwide), see how he is encouraging, allowing, and participating in the dehumanization of the Palestinian people and that we won't stand by and let genocide and ethnic cleansing happen on our watch.
  

Todd (aka Toddy) died on February 2, 2024 at West Hills Animal Hospital with his humans by his side. He was born in California on May 14, 2009 and brought to Oregon by Safehaven Humane Society shortly thereafter and given the name Powder.

He chose us as his family in July 2009 when we met him at Safehaven.

From day one, Todd was a loving, sweet, gentle cat who wanted everyone - human and cat alike - he loved to be happy and peaceful. He loved both his humans and both his kitty sisters. 

He purred so frequently and so loudly that on his first visit to the vet, Dr. Glaze proclaimed "He's purring so loud I can't hear his heartbeat." 

He became easily bored with toys but always loved a new one. He loved to run through tunnels and chase dangling things. He would challenge himself by climbing up the six-foot cat tree using only his front legs. Boxes full of packing paper always made him happy. He didn't care for the outdoors though he did give it a try a few times. He loved to sit in the window especially when the window was open and a breeze was blowing. In the winter when it was cold, he loved to sit in front of the fireplace.

He loved to cuddle. He loved to be brushed. He was forever changing his comfy spots and his sources of entertainment but never his loving nature. He loved to be close to his kitty sisters as well as his humans. He also cherished his alone time and wasn't shy about expressing he wanted it.

When he was diagnosed with a terminal illness in June 2021, we thought we only had a few weeks left with him. He, though, was determined to be the exception in everything he did. He hung in there with the aid of some medicine and surprised us all, staying as sweet as ever throughout. His playfulness slowly diminished but not his tenacity or loving nature.

Todd was a cat who made you smile no matter how bad your day was or how sad you felt.

We are so grateful he picked us to be his family.

Todd leaves behind his human Mama, human Daddy, and kitty sister, Kit. He was preceded in death by his kitty sister, Meme.

If  you'd like to honor our sweet little Todd, you can donate a tree at The Gifted Tree.

Todd will be forever missed and forever loved.

Story ofTodd(for Todd)

Todd May 14, 2009-February 2, 2024Sleepingquietly
All the othersscampering
Can’t take myeyes off
Your littlewhite and gray body
Snuggled upagainst the edge
I wait for youto wake up
Keep glancingback
Finally, Ican’t wait any longer
I pick you up
Your brilliantblue eyes
Capture myheart
In less than abeat
You yawn
Not scared
Not too excited
Not agitated
Settle in
Home
Bringing youhome
You bouncethrough the house With suchenthusiasm
Snuggles andpets
Kneads andkisses
Purring so muchand so loud
Always so happy
Yet so verysensitive
To noise
To upheaval
To chaosYou loved hard
You played hard
You lived hard
Always lookingfor a new challenge
Entertainingyourself and us
You were lifepersonified
Tenacious tothe very end
Loving to thevery end
Filling ourhearts day after day
Beyond the veryend

2024 has found me, us, the world. I keep searching for meaning in the moments, large and small, that made up 2023, globally as well as personally. There are disappointments, challenges, losses, and triumphs dotted throughout the year. Somehow today it is the little kindnesses that stand out to me in a sea of painful moments. And, I wonder if sometimes we forget that a little kindness, a little love, a little compassion goes a long way toward making life bearable for those in challenging circumstances.
My problems this year pale in comparison to worldwide atrocities. They were still challenges I had to face and handle. Those challenges taught me some lessons about the people in my life as well as about myself.
Frankly, I don't want to talk about my personal 2023 right now.
Relationships change, grow, end, and begin. People lift us up and people let us down. Good things happen, and bad things happen. The world around us can be incredibly kind and just as cruel. And through it all, we have the power to choose how we will react, even to events beyond our control.
As I sit here today, looking back and looking forward, I evaluate my past reactions to see where I could react better going forward. I also reflect on the boundaries I need to take care of myself that I often allow to be breeched. I look at my strengths and weaknesses wondering if either is as important as my authenticity. I assess how I showed up for others and how I didn't. Overall, I look at my choices, good and bad, and wonder if I can learn to make ones better in line with my values While I don't know what 2024 will bring, my best guess is that it will be a continuation of all the unfinished business - personal, professional, and global - of 2023. Even if business that seems finished turns out not to be, the best I can do, the best any of us can do, is see the moment before us for what it is and do our best to react with compassion, understanding, love, kindness, and authenticity applying the lessons we've learned along the way.

Banning books has always seemed beyond ridiculous to me. What is the point? Ending knowledge? Ending points of view? What if the book you love is the one on the banning block? Does that change things?

The idea behind book bans is to silence those with messages someone doesn't like. I have often wondered what would happen if someone turned the tables on them. 

I recently saw that someone decided to challenge the book bans in their state by using the criteria in them to request the Bible be banned from a library. The official who wrote the book banning bill whined that wasn't what he intended, but let's be clear the criteria fit. I guess that answers the question. And, this wasn't the first time the Bible has been caught up in these kinds of bans... Just Google it. 

The thing is, and this is what they count on, liberal and progressive folks tend to want people to have access to a multitude of books and generally don't try to ban books because we value knowledge and compassion and unity and understanding.

But I do wonder.... 

All we have to do is think about what happened when the Dr. Suess Enterprises decided to take books off the shelves after doing an internal review. They hold the rights to those books and have the right to make those decisions just as I, as an author, have the right to stop publishing any one of my books. That's not government censorship, but some of the news coverage certainly didn't seem to understand the difference.

Laws allowing for banning books by school and libraries and other entities with government funding face a different standard. Let's be clear, there are books I definitely don't think anyone should read, to the point I recently recycled a book rather than allow my copy of this terrible book with a worse message to fall into someone else's hands. That's not censorship though. Other people can still buy the book, read the book, and do whatever they want with it. I just wish they wouldn't. My wishes, however, are just that, my wishes. My point of view. I don't get, or even want, to impose them on other people.

Banning books is a way to sow division by not allowing children and even adults to read books that could help them better understand their fellow Earthlings, the world around them, the historical context of modern events, and anything that might challenge the dominant group in society. That leads to an incomplete education and also does a complete disservice to society.

A few years ago, I returned to my high school, which was closed down and basically abandoned in the 1990s. The library still had many books on the shelves and even more on the floor. I found a couple of books I had checked out during my time there. The new owner of the building let me have them. To be honest, I wanted to clear out the library. It made me sad and a little bit angry to see all those books treated with such abject disrespect and apparent disdain. But I digress a bit. One of the two books I took from the school, Hey, Dollface by Deborah Hautzig, was apparently about two female friends exploring and struggling with their romantic feelings for each other. I don't even remember reading it. I also don't remember anyone making a fuss about it (an internet search showed it has been banned in some places for "showing homosexuality in a positive light"), and I grew up in a fairly conservative area.

I've also seen that people are starting to file lawsuits against these book bans
citing the bans as being violations of their first amendment rights. I hope more people will follow suite. Because let's be clear, the book they come after next could be one you love, one you support, one you want your children to read. When we allow the government to create a law under the guise of parental rights that strips away first amendment rights from some, we start the process of stripping away first amendment rights from all.

Keep in mind that over time, you have probably read a book that someone somewhere decided should be banned at some point in time. I know I have read many. You might just be surprised by which books have received that distinction over the course of their existence.

All of the photos included in this post include books from my bookshelves that
have been banned at some point according to several banned books lists I found on the internet. Going through the lists, I see many others I've read but don't currently have copies of. 
A few of the lists I looked at include:
ALA Banned & Challenged Classics
Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022
CBS News The 50 most banned books in America
FIRE Banned Books

I have added a banned books category to my reviews on Reviews with TLC, and gone back and categorized previous banned books I've reviewed as such and will continue to document them going forward.

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website. To be notified when I publish new work, follow me on Amazon.