Emerald's Blog

I am exceedingly flattered and honored that Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness has received another award as the winner in the Romance: Erotica category of the 2021 American Fiction Awards! It is breathtaking to me to see Initiative receive the accolades of this and the gold IPPY this year, especially given that, again, the collection was my first self-published work. So many thanks to American Book Fest, the sponsor of the American Fiction Awards, and to all who have supported my work over the years!

If you haven’t picked up Initiative yet and would like to, please find buy links and more information about it here. Thank you for reading!

Love,
Emerald

At the beginning of last year, I had finished four new stories for a short story collection I had conceived several months before. There were nine other stories I had previously published in multi-author anthologies that I planned to include, and the full manuscript, minus the introduction, was finally finished.

I had decided I was going to self-publish the collection. I spent the next several weeks researching self-publication, and by the beginning of March I had established a publishing imprint, gotten it a PO box, contracted with a magnificent editor/proofreader, hired a cover artist, acquired ISBNs, and purchased and learned how to use book-formatting software. I set the publication date for May 1. (Things of course then shifted dramatically in mid-March; after extensive consideration and discussion with a few advisors, I went ahead with the planned publication date of May 1.)

I’ve just found out that this collection, which I titled Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, has won the gold IPPY in the Erotica category of the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards. I am a combination of humbled, thrilled, and honored that this book was awarded such a distinction. The IPPY Awards website states the following about the origin and purpose of the awards:

The Independent Publisher Book Awards were conceived in 1996 as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles produced each year, and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing.

I harbor no illusions that I am doing any such thing, but it makes it all the more humbling for a book I published to be included via association in this description.

Incidentally, any apparent vested interest aside, I have been truly grateful ever since I first learned of the IPPYs years ago that Erotica is featured as a category. Information about or even mention of sexuality seems to be anathema in so many realms of public culture, to say nothing of artistic expression relating to it (for example, I could not place a Facebook or Amazon ad for Initiative because the book is oriented toward “sexually explicit content”). The IPPYs have a Sexuality/Relationships category, too, which I also deeply appreciate; still, I find it perhaps even more heartening that they offer a category specifically to recognize not just (much needed) information about sexuality but creative expression that honors and engages it.

According to this article, cover appearance and overall design are included in the judging criteria, and I want to thank Initiatve‘s cover artist Dawne Dominique of DusktilDawn Designs, as well as my wonderful friend and colleague Ashley Lister for blurbing the book for the back cover. Last but definitely not least, I extend tremendous appreciation to my superb editor, Patricia J. Esposito.

If you have not yet and would like to, you may purchase Initiative from your preferred retailer via the links on this page (or just read more about it). Thank you and be well!

Love,
Emerald

“IPPY judging is based on content, originality, design, and production with an emphasis on innovation and social relevance.”
–IPPY Judging Criteria

At the beginning of last year, I had finished four new stories for a short story collection I had conceived several months before. There were nine other stories I had previously published in multi-author anthologies that I planned to include, and the full manuscript, minus the introduction, was finally finished.

I had decided I was going to self-publish the collection. I spent the next several weeks researching self-publication, and by the beginning of March I had established a publishing imprint, gotten it a PO box, contracted with a magnificent editor/proofreader, hired a cover artist, acquired ISBNs, and purchased and learned how to use book-formatting software. I set the publication date for May 1. (Things of course then shifted dramatically in mid-March; after extensive consideration and discussion with a few advisors, I went ahead with the planned publication date of May 1.)

I’ve just found out that this collection, which I titled Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, has won the gold IPPY in the Erotica category of the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards. I am a combination of humbled, thrilled, and honored that this book was awarded such a distinction. The IPPY Awards website states the following about the origin and purpose of the awards:

The Independent Publisher Book Awards were conceived in 1996 as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles produced each year, and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing.

I harbor no illusions that I am doing any such thing, but it makes it all the more humbling for a book I published to be included via association in this description.

Incidentally, any apparent vested interest aside, I have been truly grateful ever since I first learned of the IPPYs years ago that Erotica is featured as a category. Information about or even mention of sexuality seems to be anathema in so many realms of public culture, to say nothing of artistic expression relating to it (for example, I could not place a Facebook or Amazon ad for Initiative because the book is oriented toward “sexually explicit content”). The IPPYs have a Sexuality/Relationships category, too, which I also deeply appreciate; still, I find it perhaps even more heartening that they offer a category specifically to recognize not just (much needed) information about sexuality but creative expression that honors and engages it.

According to this article, cover appearance and overall design are included in the judging criteria, and I want to thank Initiatve‘s cover artist Dawne Dominique of DusktilDawn Designs, as well as my wonderful friend and colleague Ashley Lister for blurbing the book for the back cover. Last but definitely not least, I extend tremendous appreciation to my superb editor, Patricia J. Esposito.

If you have not yet and would like to, you may purchase Initiative from your preferred retailer via the links on this page (or just read more about it). Thank you and be well!

Love,
Emerald

“Judging is based on content, originality, design, and production quality, with emphasis on innovation and social relevance. Independent spirit and expertise comes from publishers of all sizes and budgets, and books are judged with that in mind.
-Jim Barnes, “And the IPPY Award Goes to…”

Welcome to the MFRW Steam Hop! While this is somehow my first time participating in it, the Steam Hop was conceived and initiated last year for MFRW (Marketing for Romance Writers) authors promoting fiction that tends to be rated, say, hard “R” and above. Since I write erotica, that definitely includes me! (Please note: That also means the below excerpt will be sexually explicit. Proceed—or not—as desired.) Led by Lisabet Sarai, the Steam Hop takes place on the second Tuesday of each month. Please check the list below to visit all the other authors participating this time around!

I’ve been recalling the ocean quite a bit lately, in part because it’s close to the time of year I’ve historically traveled with my family to southern Florida. Coronavirus precautions kept us from gathering this year, and I’ve missed getting to visit the ocean. “Changing Tides,” which is one of the four original stories from my latest collection Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, was inspired by these annual seaside trips. Told from the point of view of Ray, an ambitious but recently disillusioned businessperson on the cusp of his fortieth birthday, “Changing Tides” details his introduction to Sabrina, a mysterious fifty-something widow, as he visits coastal Florida with his dog Jameison.

Here’s an excerpt:

“What scares you about the ocean?” Ray asked. He had a feeling he wouldn’t have asked during the day. The darkness seemed to lend itself to a lowering of inhibitions; the fact that they could barely see each other made the boldness of the question fall more easily off his tongue.

From audacious proposals to first-time exploits to newfound inner confidence, taking initiative delves into the risqué in these thirteen smoldering tales. An accidental catalyst invokes a bold move in “Fulfillment,” while the brassiness in “Shift Change” belongs entirely to narrator Stacey. “Who’s on Top?” sees a meeting between fans of rival baseball teams turn into a game of chance and wits, and “The Beast Within” offers a present-day “Beauty and the Beast” rendition that puts a twist on ugliness, beauty, pain, and pleasure—and the surprising ways they can intertwine.

Sometimes brazen, sometimes subtle, the initiatives between these pages always showcase the erotic and how it can both inspire and evoke our most emboldened selves.

Thank you so much for visiting, and please do check out all the other steamy excerpts from my fellow Steam Hop authors via the list below!

Love,
Emerald

This post represents yet another delve into United States politics, so if that is not of interest to you, please feel free to click away now.

Yesterday, a friend of mine inquired on social media when the United States had become a place where what was happening at the Capitol would happen (that’s a paraphrase). This was my response:

“My serious and not the slightest bit sarcastic answer would be when the country collectively (citizens, electors, elected officials who should have understood and appreciated the risk) allowed Donald Trump to assume its presidential office. Political perspectives aside, Donald Trump repeatedly during the 2016 campaign season demonstrated a propensity for delusion, stark uncaring for and lack of knowledge about both citizenry and US governmental institutions, and an astonishingly (and disturbingly) undeveloped capacity to self-regulate, especially when triggered. He consistently continued to display all these characteristics upon assuming office, and he was repeatedly enabled by all manner of elected and government officials who appeared to feel that either political philosophy, party authority, and/or personal loyalty should take precedence over the real and clear risks these traits in an executive leader (especially the highest one in the country) posed. While horrifying, this course of events is not a surprising or unlikely result.”

This article from the Washington Post last night states that, “And so, on Wednesday, McConnell’s speech and Pence’s letter were notable mostly for the fact that Trump has so bent the standards of political behavior that their pro forma actions — their fulfillment of their constitutional responsibilities — seemed somehow defiant.” I’m glad to see this pointed out. In other words, as the article introduces in its opening sentence, “the fleeting crumbs of courage were four years too late.”

Meanwhile, this Post article says that former Trump cabinet member Mick Mulvaney asserted that Trump was “not the same as he was eight months ago” and that “[members of Trump’s administration] didn’t sign up for what you saw last night.” And what exactly is different in Trump now than eight months ago? I would really like for him to actually offer an example as such. I myself see nothing different about Trump now than I saw while he was campaigning in 2016 and throughout his time acting in the office he currently holds. What I articulated above is what I saw then and what I see now. I am at a loss as to what anyone would see as “different” in what we saw yesterday, when Trump’s actions and expressed perspectives have been consistent, if not in content, in their propensity to be based upon whatever Trump sees fit to make up and express at the moment, whether it aligns with generally agreed-upon reality or demonstrable evidence or not.

I feel (admittedly angrily) compelled to say that I am not impressed by all these officials’ apparent surprise at this course of events. I do not see any reason at all for anyone not to have foreseen that something like this would simply not be surprising. Trump’s actions have consistently demonstrated an utter lack of regard for the citizenry, Constitution, and governmental systems and processes of this country. For those who worked alongside him and enabled and abetted him, at the very, very, very least, their simple professional judgement is supremely in question. If they truly want to claim their sincerity and innocence, it is almost as damning as if they acknowledge that they were ambitious and/or simply cared more about party authority or even political philosophy than the integrity of the country’s government. That paints them as competent and unethical. To claim this as surprising paints them as maybe more ethical and, I find it fair to say, professionally incompetent to some degree.

Similarly, to the elected officials who “had a change of heart” about certifying the open election results of a democracy after people who feel resonance with Trump did what he has been encouraging them to do and physically showed an utter disdain for the government’s legal systems and processes: why the fuck did it take such an occurrence—which again was simply a group demonstration of what Trump had long indicated he condoned as long as it conformed with whatever he happened to agree with at the moment—for you to 1) acknowledge the voter-chosen results of a democratic election and 2) recognize the inappropriate and potentially disastrous actions and expressed perspectives of the person being allowed to hold the office of the presidency? And what’s more, for you to not indulge them?

In the same article from which Mulvaney is quoted above, former Trump chief of staff John Kelly mused, “We need to look infinitely harder at who we elect to any office in our land—at the office seeker’s character, at their morals, at their ethical record, their integrity, their honesty, their flaws, what they have said about women, and minorities, why they are seeking office in the first place, and only then consider the policies they espouse.”

Whoa—what a fascinating notion! Taking a deep breath and releasing the sarcasm representing fury in me, I will say I have felt this distinctly since the 2016 campaign. Recently I saw on social media someone bewailing that Joe Biden was a “return to government corruption,” blah, blah, and that Trump had “at least been trying to weed out the cronyism and corruption in national government” (paraphrase). Leaving a conversation about general corruption or ineffectiveness in government aside, I want to focus on that assertion about Trump. While I see it as so inaccurate that it is difficult for me to comprehend how anyone could seriously perceive it, I nonetheless felt an immediate response to it that would be the case even if I perceived it to be true. And that is, pretending for a moment that there is any validity in that perspective, I would hope that we would recognize that even someone’s taking such action would not supercede consideration of the character of that person. In other words, to me it seems of incontrovertible relevance when someone’s foundational character or intention demonstrates ill-will, fundamental unkindness, and a clear lack of caring about other human beings/forms of life. Such was always evident to me in Donald Trump, which is why I would not have supported his ascendance into public office even if his policy offerings were in complete alignment with what I supported.* Someone who wanted to do the things I would like to see done politically but in whom I observed a character of fundamental unkindness is not someone I would want purportedly leading those, or any, political endeavors.

It is hard for me to understand or imagine that this was not obvious in Donald Trump to virtually everyone, and it has thus been truly saddening to me to observe that what I just expressed may not seem a universal perspective. Once again, I sincerely do not know why what happened yesterday seems surprising. Appalling, undoubtedly. But Donald Trump’s behavior and the enabling of it by so many people around him, and the unwillingness of so many of those people to publicly acknowledge the delusion and expressions of literal insanity Trump has been known to publicly espouse, make such an outcome not hard to foresee. That has indeed been the reason so many of us have been consistently horrified to see both Trump’s being allowed to hold the office he has and also the repeated abetting of his malevolence by so many government and publicly elected officials.

This all may seem unrelated to the assertions I have made on this blog of the importance of love and caring about our interconnectedness. It is far from it. In fact, it demonstrates once again the essence of the importance of those things. I continue to support them with all my being and to breathe consciously with the understanding that doing so supports the momentum for others to as well. Namaste.

Love,

Emerald

*Obviously they are not, though I will note that I have never thought Trump knew enough or cared enough about actual policy to even have clear offerings; rather, almost anything resembling policy suggestion from him was simply based on the fundamental unconsciousness and uncaring I perceived in him. That said, again, the point I make in that paragraph is based on a theoretical notion.

I’m sneaking in under the (deadline) wire to participate in this month’s Charity Sunday, hosted by author Lisabet Sarai. Charity Sunday, which takes place on the last Sunday of each month, is a blog meme that invites authors to choose a charity to support and donate a set amount to said charity for each comment received on their respective post. I appreciate the generous nature of this meme and am grateful to Lisabet for conceiving of and hosting it, and I am glad to participate this month! Please see the link list at the bottom of this post to visit the other participants of today’s Charity Sunday.

Usually, I would be likely to choose a more local charity (and there is one I need to research a little more that I likely will next month), but it happens that the well-being of wildlife is resonating deeply with me right now. I appreciate the World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) mission and work on its behalf, and I am happy to donate $3.00 per comment left on this post to their worldwide work.

To indulge a bit of digression, during my last day job (numerous years ago!), the nonprofit I worked for in Washington, DC, was housed in the building owned by WWF. They occupied the main floor and rented space on the upper floors to other organizations. I always appreciated being under the same roof as they were while I was working.

Anyway, in addition to caring very much about the non-human animal and plant species of the world, I also align with the general understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings and the philosophy of living with respect for and appreciation of the Earth. On one of its pages, WWF mentions that we must “rebalance our relationship with nature,” and I agree.

One of the stories I wrote for Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, my short story collection released back in May, is titled “Winter.” To me, it offers a microcosmic example of both the necessity and the enrichment of such reconnection with nature. Sherry, the main character, has embarked on a short trip to Alaska in the middle of winter for reasons even she is not exactly sure of. She feels a mysterious calling, and as she spends time in the stillness and depth of Alaska’s winter, she learns more about what it might be. (Note: While this is indeed in a book of erotica, this particular excerpt happens not to be focused on that aspect of the story.)

Excerpt from “Winter”:

Much closer, the mammoth glacier stood like a frozen goddess of nature at the edge of the hard blue water. Since it was covered in snow, the breathtaking appearance of chiseled turquoise glass she’d seen in summer pictures was missing, but that did nothing to diminish the simple massiveness of the millennia-old structure that moved with exquisite slowness but carved the very earth in its wake. Its power was unmistakable.

In the water in front of her, icebergs of innumerable shapes and inconceivable proportions floated easily, as though they had put themselves on display just for the gratification of enthralled gazes like hers. Reminiscent of frozen clouds, they glowed with mysterious hues of deep blue, offering answers to questions long since lost to the icy waters beneath them. A bald eagle soared over the lake and landed on a misshapen block of ice not fifty yards away. The bird’s talons dug sharply into the ice as it settled in profile view and stared straight ahead. Its white head, precisely the same shade as the top of the iceberg, gleamed against the mountainous background.

Though she didn’t move, Sherry had the distinct sensation of something inside her beginning to fissure, cracking open like the colossal sheets of ice that made up the land she stood upon. As the layer of distractions that dictated her day-to-day awareness started to dissolve, Sherry felt warily unaware whether that was desirable or not. She hoisted her backpack and started to hike, each step further illuminating the mystery of this land that was beyond anything a life of pressure and noise could hope to touch.

With encounters between strangers, hotly developing romances, forays into domination, and sometimes all of the above, Initiative delivers sizzling stories of sexual grit and satisfaction.

From audacious proposals to first-time exploits to newfound inner confidence, taking initiative delves into the risqué in these thirteen smoldering tales. An accidental catalyst invokes a bold move in “Fulfillment,” while the brassiness in “Shift Change” belongs entirely to narrator Stacey. “Who’s on Top?” sees a meeting between fans of rival baseball teams turn into a game of chance and wits, and “The Beast Within” offers a present-day “Beauty and the Beast” rendition that puts a twist on ugliness, beauty, pain, and pleasure—and the surprising ways they can intertwine.

Sometimes brazen, sometimes subtle, the initiatives between these pages always showcase the erotic and how it can both inspire and evoke our most emboldened selves.

Buy Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness at:

Please do follow the links below to check out the other participants’ blog posts for Charity Sunday this month. Remember, for every comment left, the respective author will be donating a certain amount to the charity they’re honoring! Thank you so much for visiting, and be well.

Love,

Emerald

Many people who haven’t known me for more than twenty years likely aren’t aware that I used to want to be a cop. So much so that for four and half years, from age sixteen to twenty-one, I was a Police Explorer in my hometown. The Police Explorer program is a branch of the Boy Scouts that allows youth to serve as limited-involvement “cadets” with police officers. I wore a uniform and helped with things like directing traffic at college football games and foot-patrolling neighborhoods on Halloween to help ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters. Explorers also attended bi-montly meetings that discussed and taught about different areas of police work and accompanied officers twice a month on ride-alongs during their shifts.

During this four and a half years, I developed a strong feeling of connection with the law enforcement profession. Ever since then, I have tended to feel a particular dread when I have heard about fatalities or injuries of officers on the job. It’s a profession that meant a lot to me for a number of years in my youth, and one I thought I would pursue in my adult working life. I had an extraordinary law enforcement mentor I still deeply admire and appreciate to this day, and I worked alongside many officers whose guidance and professionalism I appreciated being exposed to.

For a number of reasons, I was not personally well-suited for police work. I was unaware of this during my Explorer years and for a number of years after, though I did become aware of it early enough that I did not ultimately pursue becoming a police officer to the point of ever being one.

One thing I was totally oblivious of during my Explorer years was racial privilege and racial tension in general. Partly this was because I lived in a relatively small city in the Midwest, where it was not common to encounter non-white people (at least for me, as a white person). Among the racial minority populations in my hometown, the number of African Americans was particularly low. Though I was an adamant feminist and considered gender frequently, I thought about race very little. In both cases, the perspective in me was extremely rigid, allowing for nothing but the recognition that all are equal and that there was no reason to focus on or talk about anything except that understanding. I completely failed to recognize or take into account systemic sociological phenomena, in which social systems are historically designed and upheld that intrinsically discriminate against, denigrate, or dismiss certain aspects of humanity, such as womanhood and non-whiteness. Blackness, of course, has a particular historical collective trauma in the United States, as does indigenousness to the land on which the US is drawn.

Incidentally, I do see all humans as of equal intrinsic value. But again, my desire to somehow force everyone to simply recognize and understand that meant that I was not interested in recognizing myself the complexity of systemic phenomena in such realms as sociology, anthropology, and economics that have incontrovertibly contributed to the way human society operates in the context of race, gender, and oppression.

The misguidedness of the way I perceived then is stunning, not to mention humbling, to me. I wonder if it now also results in additional horror when I see increasingly public indicators of the profession with which I used to feel such kinship’s being deeply entwined with this country’s history of racist violence and oppression. Disillusioning does not cover it, but it has been a part of it. Several months ago I encountered an online overview of the social tensions and context leading up to and surrounding the US Civil War. Historically, I have not been well-versed in history in general, and it was an informative document for me. I particularly noted the following:

“With industrialization came several elements of social discord in the eyes of Anglo-Protestant Americans, immigrants and labor unions being among them. Together these two bred strife between the working class and the elite whose business models demanded faster and faster production speeds and lower wages. In cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, and Cleveland, modern police departments were established and financed by elites in order to protect Anglo-Saxon Protestant power and quell unrest among laborers [emphasis mine]. . . . The Civil War afforded the Anglo-Protestant elite the ability and opportunity to use newly established professional police forces to break-up union meetings and strikes and to keep close observation on suspected radical outsiders in the name of patriotism and ‘national security.’”

I had admittedly had no idea modern policing in America had such origins. I had not known what its origins were and realized I had never wondered. That was profoundly remiss of me.

I do not see a dichotomy between police officers and Black people, as though they are on different sides inherently at odds with each other. I do, however, see the system of law enforcement in the United States, as it was historically developed, as reflective of seriously troubling and dissonant perspectives in this country’s history. It’s somewhat similar to how the very formation of this country emerged out of a powerful notion of liberty and self-determination…while also massacring indigenous peoples on the land in question, enslaving Africans, and actively oppressing women.

Recognizing the problematic origin and history of American policing is not the same as seeing all police officers as perpetuators of such grave misdirection (not only are many not, there are surely many who are aiming to thwart it as much as the system in general may perpetrate it), and simultaneously, it is an important recognition—especially for someone such as myself who, in my youth, unquestionably accepted said system as a force for “good” and generally on the “right” side of the law and society.

Things are much, much more complex than that. I am thankful that I have come, to some degree, to see that. And I still have much to learn. I wish for myself and all of us the humility, caring, curiosity, and willful intention it will take to discern and effect what we must.

Namaste.

Love,
Emerald

“Open up your heart, and you will see that you and me aren’t very far apart, ’cause I believe that love is the answer…”

-Blessid Union of Souls “I Believe”

Welcome to Charity Sunday, a monthly blog hop hosted by author Lisabet Sarai at Beyond Romance.

I started volunteering at Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA), a no-kill shelter for cats and dogs that is local to me, in March of 2014. Since then, barring three few-week hiatuses, I have been there almost every Sunday to walk dogs, and usually been there at least one additional day per week to do things like snuggle cats, oversee multi-dog play groups, and work with potential adopters. I’ve also done things off-site like help with fundraising and write the “Dog of the Week” and “Cat of the Week” columns for the weekly volunteer newsletter.

The onset of awareness and caution around COVID-19 threw a wrench in that, and I haven’t been to FOHA now since mid-March, which is the longest period I’ve gone without being at the shelter since I started volunteering there. It has been hard to stay away, but I have taken seriously the request from public health professionals to stay at home, and it has felt appropriate to me to do so and to let the staff at FOHA (which, as an animal shelter, is certainly an essential business) do their jobs without the extra risk of my coming on-site and into their physical workspace as a volunteer.

FOHA has an upscale retail shop in the area that provides a significant portion of the organization’s budget—100% of the shop’s proceeds go to FOHA, and the store does a brisk business. It, of course, had to close in the face of COVID-19 concerns, which, while appropriate, eliminated a significant source of funding for the dogs’ and cats’ care.

I myself have four pets: two dogs and two cats, all rescues. While my cats did not come from FOHA (long story), my dogs, known as “the puppies,” did. They are litter-mates who arrived at FOHA in the summer of 2015, nine months old and deeply and heartbreakingly fearful of people.

I and another volunteer (who now happens to be my boyfriend and who has been sheltering in place with me for the last two months!) walked the puppies almost every Sunday, and I was also usually there one other weekday per week to take them into play groups with other dogs, which seemed to help them a lot. I was in the process of searching for my first single-family home at the time, and the puppies had to spend several months at the shelter while that process completed. During that time, I got to know them pretty well, and they both arrived at the point where they let me get close to and touch them with increasingly less fear.

In February 2016, I closed on my current house, and the puppies, now named Liam and Chloe, came to live with my cats and me.

While they look like they’re kissing here, they’re actually playing tug with a tiny piece of cardboard left over from their recent paper-towel-roll-holder massacre! (Chloe left, Liam right.)

FOHA is a 100% no-kill shelter and takes care of every cat and dog that it brings into its care for as long as it needs to. Ideally, that time is short, as the aim is for all the cats and dogs to be adopted to wonderful homes. If that doesn’t happen, or no matter how long it takes, the dog or cat in question is in a safe place where it will receive food, veterinary care, comfortable shelter, enrichment, and love for as long as it needs to.

For every comment on this post, I will donate $3 to FOHA. Thank you truly!

In my brand new short story collection, Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, there are two stories that feature pets—one a cat and one a dog (both rescues, though that’s not specified in the text). In both cases, the pet is instrumental in facilitating the meeting and connection of the main characters.

In this excerpt from “Fulfillment,” Kristen and her cat Cheerio have just gone outside after the fire alarm in their apartment building has gone off for the third time that week:

-from “Fulfillment”

Outside, the other building occupants were gathering on the grass on the far side of the parking lot, most looking as annoyed as she felt by the interruption. Cheerio struggled as sirens came faintly in the distance, and Kristen held his leash and set him down on the grass. She watched as two fire trucks pulled into the parking lot and let loose a barrage of heavily clothed firefighters that dispersed toward the building—which looked, to her, quite fire-free.

Several minutes later a firefighter ambled up to a nearby group of her neighbors. Though only the front of his face was visible with his uniform on, that part of him was attractive enough to make her do a double take. He said something to the group before making his way to her. Kristen reached to pick up Cheerio, who was oblivious to all but the unexpected opportunity to chew grass in the evening sunshine, as the firefighter approached.

“You probably know the alarm has gone off here several times recently,” he said to her without preamble. “It’s the same alarm in the same place in the building that’s been pulled each time.”

“You can tell which actual alarm is pulled?”

“Yes. We’re letting people know because if we can figure out who’s doing it—probably a kid who doesn’t understand the seriousness—we want to let them know it’s illegal to pull the alarm without cause. It costs a lot of money each time fire trucks get called somewhere, and it can keep us from going somewhere we might really be needed.”

As he spoke, the cat in her arms stretched forward to closer examine the stranger, and the firefighter reached to scratch Cheerio’s head. Kristen looked down as the man’s strong fingers ran over her cat’s fur, Cheerio purring delightedly beneath the massage. There was something endearing about the casualness of the man’s attention to her cat, and she swallowed as she realized suddenly how close his hand was to her breast. The vague heat she’d barely noticed forming under her skin shot up a notch.

“Jonathan,” another firefighter called, and the man in front of her turned and strode back to one of the trucks without a backward glance. Kristen watched as he climbed into the monstrous vehicle, which in turn began to slowly creep back toward the parking lot exit.

Find out more about Initiative here.

Thank you so much for visiting, and please check out the other posts below in today’s Sunday Charity blog hop! Oh, and if you sign up for my newsletter, each issue concludes with a picture of one or more of my pets. Just FYI. ;)

Love,

Emerald

Longtime readers of this blog may remember several previous appearances I have made at the remarkable Philadelphia Erotic Literary Salon founded and curated by Susana Mayer. It is indeed a venue I have truly appreciated, both on my own behalf as a place Susana has graciously offered me to promote my own work, and also as a space to offer attendees to write, read, and/or take in erotic words spoken out loud. Susana had a beautiful—and obviously accurate—notion that such a space seemed to be largely missing in our culture, as well as desired, whether overtly or on an underlying level.

And here we are twelve years later…with the Erotic Literary Salon still meeting the third Tuesday of each month and going stronger than ever! Under the current circumstances, the Salon has moved online and, as it was in April, will be held via Zoom this month. Tuesday, May 19, will mark—as well as celebrate—the twelfth anniversary of the Salon’s existence!

In addition to this celebration, I am honored that Susana has offered me the opportunity to read from my brand new short story collection, Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness. I don’t know which story I will read from yet, but I am so appreciative, as usual, to have the opportunity to do so for her audience. While the reasons for the move online are obviously sobering, the Zoom setting also offers the opportunity for attendance from those for whom travel to Philadelphia has been untenable.

Given this new online setting, Susana is only charging $5 (half the usual price of admission) to attend the Salon while the event and its audience adjust to its new virtual environment. Ticket sales will stop Monday, May 18, so this weekend is the time to procure yours!

For more information about the Salon or how to sign up to read at it, as well as a link to a basic Zoom tutorial, please visit the Salon website. Thank you, and we would love for you to virtually join us on Tuesday!

Love,
Emerald

“We light it up, we won’t come down, and the walls can’t stop us now…”
–The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “The Greatest Show”

I’m participating in Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW) Book Hooks today—a weekly meme that gives authors the opportunity to showcase their work and readers an opportunity to find their next read!

This is an excerpt from my brand new short story collection, Initiative: Tales of Erotic Boldness, which just released on May 1. It’s from the story “Sunshine”:

“What do you want?” she asked.

Sean blanched. What was he supposed to say? As he started fumbling for an answer, the question struck him: What did he want?

“I mean, there must have been a reason you came over to talk to me,” she continued. “What was it?”

Emboldened by her straightforwardness, Sean went with the truth. “I found you attractive.”

“And do you still?”

Sean was waiting to see some form of expression on her face. The evenness it had displayed so far, especially in contrast to the volatility he was experiencing, was a bit discomfiting.

At that moment she shifted, and he felt the heat of her body. Whatever response she may have been seeking, the answer was undeniable.

“Yes.”

Her mask slipped then, and he sucked in a breath at the sudden and unequivocal softness he saw. The placidity moved back into place quickly enough, but that moment was like the crack in an invisible door letting in a tiny beam of sunshine. And suddenly what Sean wanted more than anything else was to see it come out again.

Please enjoy visiting the other participants’ posts from the list below, and read on for more about Intiative!

With encounters between strangers, hotly developing romances, forays into domination, and sometimes all of the above, Initiative delivers sizzling stories of boldness and satisfaction.

From audacious proposals to first-time exploits to newfound inner confidence, taking initiative delves into the risqué in these thirteen smoldering tales. An accidental catalyst invokes a bold move in “Fulfillment,” while the brassiness in “Shift Change” belongs entirely to narrator Stacey. “Who’s on Top?” sees a meeting between fans of rival baseball teams turn into a game of chance and wits, and “The Beast Within” offers a present-day “Beauty and the Beast” rendition that puts a twist on ugliness, beauty, pain, and pleasure—and the surprising ways they can intertwine.

Sometimes brazen, sometimes subtle, the initiatives between these pages always showcase the erotic and how it can both inspire and evoke our most emboldened selves.