tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141106812024-03-07T01:47:46.463-05:00Alessia BrioThe nocturnal emissions of eroticist Alessia Brio.Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.comBlogger424125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-73406219070563196412015-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:002015-11-23T00:00:02.582-05:00Giving Time, Money, and Thanks<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tis the season, as the saying goes. For the amazing erotic altruists who contribute to <a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/" target="_blank">Coming Together</a>, however, the season of giving is year 'round. Decade 'round, even. That's right, Coming Together turned 10 this year! Hard to believe that I've been steering this sexy ship for that long. </div>
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<a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/hurricanerelief.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm2wdjY0RIshETpes1kq_rPMjJ_M_rwKhu4B7nzLNzp3706M0jx3qfS_5nFsydEYSY4B5veJHzU7xuXqyGaS6uQdyvEM5v1c7QZ_Wr5SCTfmCVxv5pcLl5q5YZ4n5l79cYYCn/s1600/Hurricane+Relief+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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I mean, wasn't it just yesterday that the <a href="http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=270165" target="_blank">Rainy Day Story Challenge</a> took place in the Literotica Authors' Hangout? In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, those stories became the <a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/hurricanerelief.htm" target="_blank">Hurricane Relief Edition</a>. That collection contains the first <i>real</i> story I ever wrote.</div>
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By <i>real</i>, I mean it was more than simply a detailed sex scene prefaced by a few paragraphs (if that!) of literary foreplay. It had an actual plot. And, while sex was certainly integral to the story line, the tale involved several characters that did not participate in any sexual activity and a conflict that did not involve sex. Clocking in at 12,000 words, it was triple the length of anything I'd written to that point. Until that story ("<a href="http://amzn.to/1N2qrP5" target="_blank">Wetter Has Never Been Better</a>"), I'd never aspired to do anything other than commit my fantasies to words in the hope they'd stop haunting my every waking moment.</div>
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Here's a snippet:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was in Starbucks that she first
noticed him: tall with curly salt-n-pepper hair; clean shaven; business suit
with cowboy boots. He had an air about him. Supremely self-confident, but not
arrogant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Choosing an adjacent table, if those
Frisbee-sized things could accurately be called tables, Stormy caught a whiff
of his cologne. <i>Mmm!</i> One of her
favorite scents. He pecked away at a fancy-looking laptop, thoroughly absorbed
in the activity.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stormy studied him obliquely. The suit
looked expensive. The boots were polished. Square jaw. Amazing hands. Long
fingers, rugged but not calloused. No wedding ring. Impeccably groomed. Broad
shoulders with not a trace of pudge around the waistline. Seriously fuckable,
was Stormy's final assessment as she tossed her empty cup in the can and
strolled to her boarding gate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking forward to a full three hours'
rest during the non-stop service from Charlotte to San Jose, the capitol of
Costa Rica, Stormy found her seat and grabbed three tiny airline pillows. The
flight was far from full, and with any luck, she'd have a whole row of seats to
herself. Next year at this time, she vowed to herself, this same flight would
be booked to capacity thanks to her winning campaign.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She buckled up to avoid being pestered
to do so at take-off, rested her head against the window, and closed her
eyes—putting on her best "Do Not Disturb" persona in the hopes that
the adjacent seats would remain vacant so she could stretch out later.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Waking with a start, Stormy realized
that the plane was in the air and that she did indeed have the row to herself. She
turned sideways to put up her legs and noticed HIM—the Starbucks guy—across the
aisle. He looked at her intently, with a rather cryptic expression on his face,
and his gaze was unnerving. Stormy felt her body respond.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Business or pleasure?" he
suddenly asked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"What? Oh, um—business, actually.
Maybe some pleasure. You?"</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Same," he said, extending
his hand across the aisle. "I'm Charlie."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unbuckling, Stormy scooted over to the
aisle seat, "Stormy. Nice to meet you."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She would have gladly continued the
conversation, but Charlie turned back to his newspaper. So, Stormy put up her
feet and tried again to sleep. Images of this enigmatic man danced through her
mind, making her fidget a bit. She realized that perhaps she should have packed
her vibrator. After all, the last thing she needed was the distraction of
perpetual horniness. On such a short trip with such an important objective, she
simply did not have time for such diversions.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next thing she knew, Charlie's
hands gripped her ass. His lips met hers in an exquisitely languorous
kiss—their bodies one, sweat shimmering on skin. Intense. Grinding.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stormy's own groan woke her. Disoriented,
she looked about, with realization slowly dawning. A dream. Just a dream. But,
wow, what a dream! Maybe, she thought, if she could get right back to sleep,
it'd pick up where it left off.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">As she shifted to a more comfortable
position, she noticed Charlie studying her, a smile playing at the corners of
his mouth. Blushing, Stormy again closed her eyes. Hours later, she was
awakened by the flight attendant instructing her to buckle up. Alas the dream
had not returned, but perhaps that was for the best, she mused. Stormy
stretched and retrieved her carry-on, fully rested and ready to experience
whatever Costa Rica had to offer.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are moments in life -- critical junctures -- that we seldom recognize when they occur but that become obvious in hindsight. Writing this story was one of them. It sparked my interest in all aspects of publishing and led to the acquisition of the skills required to keep Coming Together afloat. And, in the synergistic manner of passion, Coming Together is one of the endeavors that keeps <i>me</i> afloat. It's immensely satisfying to give of oneself. In fact, I'd say it's one of two things at the very peak of my emotional "hierarchy of needs." The other is a creative outlet.<br />
<br />
Thanks for sticking with me as a ramble through this post! Please let me know in the comments if any part of it resonated with you. (One random commenter will win an ebook copy of "<a href="http://purpleprosaic.dreamhosters.com/books/Erotique.htm" target="_blank">Erotique</a>," the first tale in the <a href="http://purpleprosaic.dreamhosters.com/books/ArtiFactual.htm" target="_blank">ArtiFactual series</a>.)<br />
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Happiest of holidays to you & yours!<br />
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peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
~ Alessia / Imp</div>
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Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-44005167960868825592014-09-13T19:00:00.000-04:002014-09-14T06:32:43.298-04:00Snog for Sommer<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm participating in the <a href="http://smutforgood.co.uk/a-snog-for-sommer/" target="_blank">Snog for Summer</a>. (Pop over there and check out all the other snoggers. Donate if you have the means. Share the link, please.) Here's why: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/treasures.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPGePSQSBc1wqqpPDCmSDMbQ1sThCHr7x-msvl2GeJmEfeR2ukUaxf6JqjjphHRKqR0URvo3wOm7R7JOx1TB9d0QivYspfme8T-9mktpoOkvmUTUynK88gJlMpa33SFaHmP2u/s1600/Treasures+Sommer+Marsden+(200x300).jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the Introduction to <a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/treasures.htm" target="_blank"><i>Coming Together Treasures: Sommer Marsden</i></a>:</div><br>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">Once in a great while, an editor collides with an author who is an absolute joy to work with. One who delivers the goods on time (or even early), one who needs minimal edits and is gracious when changes are necessary, and--in the case of Coming Together--one who is unfailingly generous with her words. Given how hard won my words are to me, the latter is extremely precious.<br>
<br>
Sommer Marsden has been a Coming Together contributor since its first open call way back in 2006. Back when ebooks were the inferior cousins of <i>real</i> books. Before Kindles and Nooks and iPads.<br>
<br>
Sommer was there.<br>
<br>
She has consistently submitted her stories to Coming Together collections ever since. I don't think I've ever turned one away. And why would I? She writes edgy, raw passion. Unapologetic sexuality. It really doesn't matter if the protagonist shares your kinks and triggers. She'll hook you with emotion.<br>
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Sex is extremely difficult to write well. Sommer makes it appear effortless! That said, I'd seek her work in any genre. She spins an engaging tale (tail?) regardless of realm.<br>
<br>
This inaugural collection of <i>Treasures</i> will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (<a href="http://www.pancan.org/">pancan.org</a>), a charity selected by Ms. Marsden for very personal reasons. Your purchase not only benefits the organization directly, but also supports Sommer indirectly.<br>
<br>
Thank you!<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: right;">~ Alessia Brio</div></blockquote></div><br>
<a href="http://alessiabrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/snog-for-sommer.html#more">Read more »</a>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-52616960316241384942014-08-15T10:00:00.000-04:002014-08-15T10:52:32.732-04:00O Genie! My Genie!<div style="text-align: justify;">
While painful, shared loss also has a raw beauty. It unites a disparate population, at least for a short time, as we reminisce and ache together. Death is indiscriminate. Disease and depression are our common enemies, even when widely misunderstood. We latch onto those threads and find temporary solace in our mutual grief.</div>
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Beneath the emptiness of loss, however, I'm feeling something more complex and debilitating. Guilt.</div>
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While it seems the entire Internet is saying a huge "Thank you!" to Robin Williams for his work and his humanitarian efforts, I primarily want to apologize to the man and his family.</div>
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It may seem trivial & silly to some. Robin Williams never knew me. I was never on his radar as an individual. I'm as certain as I can possibly be that he would never have considered me (or anyone else) at fault in any way. Yet I feel responsible, both as an individual and as part of a collective audience, for failing to provide whatever spark he needed in order to choose to remain alive.</div>
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So, to keep my own demons at bay, I will continue celebrate his life and the vast body of work that is his legacy. I will laugh, as he intended, for I can think of no finer tribute.</div>
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Be well, y'all, and please be kind. You never know when it might make a pivotal difference in someone's life.</div>
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peace & passion,<br />
<br />
~ Alessia<br />
<br />
<br />Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-38226008712055001582013-08-01T06:47:00.001-04:002013-08-01T06:47:57.372-04:00I am apparently full of hateA diatribe greeted me this morning. I am humbled that someone took the time to attempt to set me straight. I appreciate the effort, but I'm just fine with my soul exactly as it is.<br />
<br />
Oh, and <i>honey</i>, if you're reading this: I don't have an anti-Christian bias. (By all accounts, Jesus was a cool dude and the victim of some seriously bad parenting.) I have an anti-Christianity bias. There's a difference, and you've illustrated it beautifully. There's also a difference between "bias" and "hate," but I don't expect you to see it with those blinders on.<br />
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<blockquote>
Dear Ms. Brio,<br />
<br />
I was excited when I saw the one-line description of your By the Book anthology on duotrope. Finally, someone who gets Biblical erotica! But then, crushing disappointment to read the ignorant knee-jerk reaction that "inspired" (misuse of a beautiful word) the project. <br />
<br />
Anti-Christian bias is just so... ew...<br />
<br />
What you wrote: "Preachers who profess to know how their Lord wants us all to behave" - yes, indeed, Christianity is the revelation of God. And yes, God's revelation is for all people. Shouldn't it be? "By citing a couple isolated lines from Leviticus" - nope, there's a lot more than that, but anyhow Scripture doesn't work by adding up the frequency or the size to tell if something is important. (Gee, your **** is awful small, don't you want me to fondle your back?)<br />
<br />
Furthermore, Christianity doesn't depend upon citing lines of Scripture. (Could you be a better lover to someone by carefully analyzing her emails, or by getting to know her in person over a long time? And if I tell my husband just once, "I don't like it when you do that," I expect him to listen. I shouldn't have to yell about it.) So the Christian Church has been in a married relationship with God over 2000 years, and before that at least 6000 years of engagement when it was called Judaism. That's a lot of tradition to back up the claims of the preachers, whether they are anti-anybody or not. <br />
<br />
You can perhaps forgive the preachers for freaking out when they notice how quickly society has changed in their lifetime. It's like global warming in that way - a big, worldwide change that has snuck up on everybody but is probably somehow our own fault for being too quiet and passive. Except that nobody is celebrating global warming. Imagine how mad you'd be if you were a climate scientist and the ignorant folk were not only denying it and hating you but also celebrating the downfall of old traditions that limited how hot we can make our planet. Freedom to pollute as much as we want! Yay! <br />
<br />
Am I getting through to you at all? Or are the erotic and environmental analogies too confusing? The woman's body is the land itself; she is Paradise; she is lovely and ancient as Earth...<br />
<br />
Look, aren't you really touched that so many people think what you do really matters? And will tell you even when you don't want to hear it? That we are all connected? That God cares? And this God who cares is less like a force and is actually a Person with personal preferences about what happens to God's stuff (our planet, our selves). Maybe it is worth yelling about. And you know, not everybody is going to be good at explaining it or agree to be nice. (Just like some environmental activists are borderline terrorists and some are plain misanthropes, but that doesn't mean they don't have a point.) <br />
<br />
I wanted to let you know all this because I care. And because I'm saddened that I won't be sending any of my other writing to you. I hope you can work through your problems and learn to write about love without bringing in hate.<br />
<br />
It's good to be open. Now you've got to go in deeper, honey.</blockquote>
Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-25605513719350862452013-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:002013-01-25T13:34:32.823-05:00The Next Big ThingI’ve been tagged by <a href="http://nobiliserotica.com/site/2013/the-next-big-thing/">Nobilis Reed</a> to participate in <i>The Next Big Thing</i>, which is something like a blog post chain letter…<br />
<br />
<b>1) What is the working title of your book?</b><br />
<br />
Which one? I have several glaring at me from my desk. I'm doing a fine job of ignoring them all. <br />
<br />
<b>2) Where did the idea for the book originate?</b><br />
<br />
One (<i>Snatch</i>) originated with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case" target="_blank">Terry Schiavo debacle</a>. Another (<i>Zane</i>) originated with an intriguing gap in a genealogy database. Yet another (<i>Succorae</i>) as a twist on the legend of succubi. Those are the novel-length works in progress. The short stories are legion. I'll spare you the details.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Under what genre does it fall?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Snatch</i> is mainstream adult fiction. <i>Zane</i> is mainstream historical fiction. <i>Succorae</i> is paranormal erotic fiction.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?</b><br />
<br />
The only character who is truly patterned after another fictional character is Gianna from <i>Succorae</i>. She looks much like Gigi Edgley's portrayal of <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2zc8lrrVYBE/T8iaOtiJsWI/AAAAAAAACko/kbsyYk5S8PU/s1600/farscape-wall-chiana1.jpg" target="_blank">Chiana</a> from "Farscape." Naturally, I'd be thrilled with that casting. <br />
<br />
<i>Snatch</i> would require casting of several characters in their youth and as mature adults, which would present a challenge. One character, however, I've always thought of as resembling model <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqKNVN59mOFJG5XXuzoaaIbNL9b6Iuj82aLM0oItoi60fRtRQtTUhIl2528NzFGUssb1GhkmWuCucDb77q889aSBnmF0RvMTotcalFPTOuJBpX45n-BRas8Utap9luqmxtFMH/s320/Melodie+RenieSaliba.jpg" target="_blank">Melodie Monrose</a>. The others are more fluid.<br />
<br />
<b>5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Snatch</i>: Epic life-and-death, mother-daughter angst, vicious rapist, soul-searing drama.<br />
<br />
<i>Zane</i>: Revolutionary War frontier love triangle with taboo and interracial twists.<br />
<br />
<i>Succorae</i>: Gianna wants love to live, but needs hate to survive.<br />
<br />
<b>6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?</b><br />
<br />
Totally self-published. I'm far too independent to hitch my wagon to someone else's cart. <br />
<br />
<b>7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?</b><br />
<br />
Well, <i>Zane</i> was started in November 2005. <i>Snatch</i> in 2006. <i>Succorae</i> in 2007. None have a completed first draft. I have creative ADD, and other shiny things have drawn my attention.<br />
<br />
<b>8) To what other books would you compare this story within your genre?</b><br />
<br />
I really wouldn't compare. I don't think any of them would lend themselves to a "If you liked..." promo. <br />
<br />
<b>9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?</b><br />
<br />
See #2. <br />
<br />
<b>10) What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?</b><br />
<br />
No matter the genre, my work will always have strong erotic elements. <br />
<br />
<b>Here are the folks I’m tagging to be the next <i>Next Big Thing</i> authors:</b><br />
<br />
I'd really rather not tag anyone else. That said, I invite any authors reading this post to take it and run with it if they are so inspired. :)<br />
<br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<right>~ Alessia </right></div>
Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-14922472669915237282012-03-09T10:00:00.000-05:002012-03-09T11:52:55.183-05:00Chatter? WTFery from PayPalSo, PayPal has finally responded to the uproar (which it describes as "chatter") over its decision to censor certain forms of erotic fiction. The post, which appears on PayPal's blog, is so ridiculously condescending that I had to reproduce it here... <b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">with commentary</span></b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="headline_area">
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: large;">PayPal’s acceptable use policy on sale of certain “erotica”</span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red; font-size: small;">Yo, dude, what's with the quotes? It's erotica, not "erotica." It's not <i>almost</i> erotica. That would be the formulaic genre of fiction known as erotic romance. That's where some authors and vendors who want big sales from the explicit sex wrapped in a socially-acceptable relationship target their sales. You're not off to a very solid start. And why even include the word <i>certain</i>? I think you need one of those filters called an editor. </span></span></h1>
<div class="headline_meta">
<abbr class="published" title="2012-03-08">March 8, 2012</abbr></div>
</div>
<a href="https://www.thepaypalblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Anuj-Nayar-November-11.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5311" height="100" src="https://www.thepaypalblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Anuj-Nayar-November-11.jpg" title="Anuj Nayar" width="100" /></a>There’s
been some chatter <b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{You're just being cutesy, aren't you? Like how the Brits say </span><i style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">the pond</i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;"> when referencing the Atlantic?}</span></b> about PayPal’s decision to not allow the sale of
certain “erotica” <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Again with the quotes.}</b> content using our service. Specifically, PayPal
doesn’t allow our service to be used to sell content relating to rape,
incest and bestiality. We’d like to set the record straight.<br />
<br />
Here are the facts. Unlike many other online payment providers,
PayPal does allow its service to be used for the sale of erotic books.
<b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Exactly what other online payment providers disallow the sale of erotic books? I can't think of ANY, much less <i>many</i>.}</b> PayPal is a strong and consistent supporter of openness on the Internet,
freedom of expression, independent publishing and eBook marketplaces. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{*cough* Bullshit. *cough</b><b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">* PayPal is, and always has been, a big bully. It freezes accounts and stonewalls dispute resolution. It passes judgment on what LEGAL content its customers can buy or sell.}</span></b> We believe that the Internet empowers authors in a way that is positive
and points to an even brighter future for writers, artists and creators
the world over, but we draw the line at certain adult content that is
extreme or potentially illegal. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Excuse me? <i>Potentially</i> illegal? What happened to innocent until proven guilty, and precisely when did PayPal become a legal authority? If laws are being broken, the responsible thing to do is to report them to the authorities, not to take the law into your own hands.}</b><br />
<br />
An important factor in our decision not to allow our payments service
to be used to purchase material focused on rape, incest or bestiality
is that this category of eBooks often includes images. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Your information is inaccurate, especially the use of the word <i>often</i>, and you would know this if you'd bothered to examine a fair sample of the work in question rather than using a nuclear warhead to kill a flea.} </b>This type of content also sometimes intentionally blurs the line
between fiction and non-fiction. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{And you know this how? You're inside the author's head? You're equating first person point-of-view (a literary device, incidentally) with non-fiction? Are you trying to sound like an idiot?}</b> Both these factors are problematic from
a legal and risk perspective. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{How? Seriously. How? Exactly what part of selling ebooks do you think is going to land PayPal in trouble with the legitimate legal authorities? Has James Patterson yet been arrested for murder? Was Heinlein ever charged for his incestuous fiction? Stephanie Meyer for pedophilia? Suzanne Collins for child abuse? Were ANY of the vendors or payment processors who enabled the sales of these books ever at risk of prosecution?} </b><br />
<br />
So the business risk <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Pffft!}</b> associated with this content forms the basis for
our policy, which has been in place for many years. Some feedback <b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Feedback. Is that the same as </span><i style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">chatter</i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">?}</span></b> we’re
getting is a belief that PayPal is forcing its moral beliefs on others
and restricting people’s right to free speech. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Free speech is a government construct. You're restricting people's <i>choice</i>, and you're insulting them in the process.}</b> We can tell you with 100
percent conviction that this is not our intention. While we understand
that people don’t always agree with our policies, this decision has
nothing to do with our personal views on the content or any desire to
limit free-speech rights. It has everything to do with running a sound
business and complying with our legal responsibilities. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{You have yet to detail precisely what laws are <i>potentially</i> being broken. It's <u>fiction</u>. Do you not understand the definition of the word?}</b><br />
<br />
PayPal is a payments company. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{And as such, it should not insert itself between buyer and seller. It should simply process the LEGAL transaction and get the hell out of the way.}</b> The right to use PayPal’s service is not the same as the right to speak.<br />
<br />
We have not shut down the e-book publishers <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{No, you've just cut off their supply of oxygen and caused massive loss of income and productivity over the last couple weeks as they scramble to adapt to draconian, inconsistent, and illogical policies.}</b> and are working with the
small number of affected merchants to come to a mutually agreeable
solution that allows maximum freedom of expression, while protecting
PayPal from the brand, regulatory and compliance risk associated with
this type of content. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{<i>What</i> risk? <i>What</i> regulation? Compliance with <i>what</i>? Laws and rules are typically written. So, show me.}</b><br />
<br />
We hope that our customers enjoy the services and features that we
work so hard to get right and understand that our policies are simply a
way to conduct business in a fast-paced world.<br />
<br />
We always welcome your feedback <b><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">{Which is why you've censored all comments, eh? Yeah, that's welcoming. Hypocrite!}</span></b> – but please know that we’ll continue
to keep this policy in place as long as it protects our interests as a
business.<br />
<br />
–Anuj Nayar, Director of Communications, PayPalImphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-70821183441593642152012-03-09T09:00:00.000-05:002012-03-09T11:42:55.928-05:00Yes, it IS censorship!It's just not <i>government</i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship" target="_blank">censorship</a>. No, this is <i>free market</i> censorship. Y'know the free market? It's that handy capitalistic tool that conservative forces trot out as gospel when it suits their purposes. Yup. That's the one being stomped on with this PayPal bullshit. There is a substantial legal demand. There is a robust legal supply. <a href="https://www.thepaypalblog.com/2012/03/paypals-acceptable-use-policy-on-sale-of-certain-erotica/" target="_blank">PayPal</a> and other payment processors are inserting themselves between supply and demand like some arbiter of morality.<br />
<br />
Before I go any further, I would like to tell those who glibly advise "<i>Just use a different payment processor.</i>" that I've spent the last two weeks attempting to find one. Sure, they exist. They, too, are refusing to transact sales of transgressive/taboo erotica, even those who typically handle the extremes of the adult industry.<br />
<br />
Ergo, this is bigger than PayPal. Next up the chain of control are the credit card companies and banks. That alone should scare the shit out of anyone who values liberty, and those who have responded with a shrug and a "<i>So what?</i>" are only fueling the oppression. (Rather easy to do if you're sitting on a pedestal looking down at the struggling masses, too.) If you think that oppression is going to stop with hardcore erotica that you, personally, may find offensive, then you are naive in the extreme. Add something meaningful to the dialog or shut the fuck up.<br />
<br />
As <a href="http://theselfpublishingrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/02/slippery-slope-part-2-why-frogs-boil.html" target="_blank">Selena Kitt</a> (who is far more influential than I when it comes to negotiating with both vendors and payment processors) notes in the comments on <a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/03/paypal-erotica-and-censorship.html" target="_blank">Joe Konrath's blog</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<div style="color: #990000;">
If you're honest with the processor about what you're selling, THERE ISN'T ONE.<br />
<br />
That's right, there's no viable alternative. And I've not been sitting on my ass doing nothing, trust me.<br />
<br />
I have had, literally, dozens of conversations with CC processors in the past two weeks and I have a colleague who has talked to at least that many herself and we have both run into the same thing from every single one – NO CC processor will allow anything related to incest, pseudo incest, bestiality or rape for titillation. Period. Including all those processors that normally take extreme adult material like CCBill and Verotel. (Those places that normally process "porn" payments...)<br />
<br />
My recent foray into high risk and adult merchant processors (including those offshore - the ones that process the really, really, REALLY hardcore porn stuff) has proven even further that this is the CC processors and not just PP who is behind this, that this is a new mandate, and it's being enforced and will continue to be enforced across the board. <br />
<br />
I was referred, through several channels, to a guy who could get an account for *anyone.* He told me personally that his company dealt with some of the most “fringe” and risky Internet businesses out there.<br />
<br />
He turned my application in to his underwriter who came back with an immediate NO due to “illegal activity.”.</div>
</blockquote>
So, where does that leave us? We are at a critical juncture. We either bend over and take it, or we fight back. I'm fighting back. I recommend you do so as well. Here's how:<br />
<ol>
<li>Use cash whenever possible. Credit card companies make money on every transaction they process. Each cash transaction chips away at their power. <br /> </li>
<li> If cash is not an option, use checks or your bank's bill pay service instead of credit cards. <br /> </li>
<li>Use your bank's EFT (electronic funds transfer) service for online transactions if a vendor offers it as an option. I realize most people prefer not to enter their banking info online, so I would recommend setting up a separate checking account just for this purpose. Then, if your information is ever compromised, it mitigates the potential damage.<br /> </li>
<li>Move your accounts from for-profit banks to a <a href="http://www.mycreditunion.gov/pages/mcu-map.aspx" target="_blank">credit union</a>. Credit unions are member-owned and not for profit business with similar federally-insured protections as banks. (Sound like part of the #occupy movement? Uh huh. There's a good reason: the issues <i>are</i> related.) <br /> </li>
</ol>
Each of the above can be implemented without coming out of the "erotica closet" as either a writer or a reader. Further:<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.bannedwriters.com/2012/03/08/an-open-letter-to-paypal-and-ebay-from-bannedwriters-com-censorship-erotica-paypal/" target="_blank">Write</a> to PayPal (and its parent company, eBay) to express your outrage/concern that it is filtering your selection of reading material. You're an adult. You can decide for yourself what you wish to read.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bannedwriters.com/2012/03/06/an-open-letter-to-visa-from-banned-writers/" target="_blank">Write</a> to Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover and let them know that you do not approve of their interference. Suppression of the free market is not economically responsible behavior for <i>any</i> company, much less one in the financial services industry.</li>
<li>Sign the online <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/stop-internet-censorship/" target="_blank">petition</a>. (I don't put much stock in these, but it's sure as hell not going to hurt.)</li>
<li>Use your blog, Facebook, and Twitter to spread the word. The more noise that is made, the more likely the issue will be subject of discussion in board rooms and shareholder meetings. Social media and our voting wallets are the most powerful tools in our possession.</li>
</ol>
Additional steps for authors:<br />
<ol>
<li>Let your readers know that their access to your work may be being filtered by vendors and payment processors, and give them information on how & where to voice their concerns about this <i>oversight</i>.</li>
<li>Include an author's note in all of your books that contains (at minimum) a link to a page containing a complete list of your publications.</li>
<li>Vendors need your books in order to... vend. You are as much their customer as are readers. You are the supply being demanded. Let vendors know that you expect them to go to bat for you, or you will opt to publish even your non-taboo work only with vendors who <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/press/release/28" target="_blank">will</a> <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/press/release/27" target="_blank">and</a> <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/press/release/30" target="_blank">do</a> fight for their authors.</li>
<li>Do not attempt to publish your work with niche vendors unless your work fits that niche. It makes some <i>Romance</i> readers, writers, bloggers, and vendors behave in unseemly and hypocritical ways. It also takes the righteousness out of your indignation.</li>
</ol>
For more of my ranting on this subject, please check out my appearance as a guest on <a href="http://edenconnorwrites.blogspot.com/2012/03/dirty-mind-vs-debit-card-sex-is.html" target="_blank">Eden Connor's blog</a>.<br />
<br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<right>~ Alessia</right>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-20469551239794262312012-02-25T10:00:00.000-05:002012-02-26T18:26:03.374-05:00PayPal-Imposed MoralityDid you think I was just blowing hot air when I <a href="http://alessiabrio.blogspot.com/2012/02/s-e-x.html" target="_blank">posted yesterday</a> about Big Brother? Over the last week, PayPal has bullied every vendor that uses its service to conduct business to remove books containing certain unsavory FICTIONAL erotic content from its catalog or have its account suspended. <br />
<br />
Many (if not most) of these vendors rely heavily on PayPal for transaction processing. Account suspension would (at least temporarily) be akin to closing up shop. Revenue would plummet, at least until another payment processing system was implemented.<br />
<br />
Since my post, <a href="http://www.poszu.com/2012/02/24/smashwords-censored-by-paypal/" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> caved, and the latest is A1AdultEbooks, a niche bookstore for hardcore BDSM:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hi,<br />
<br />
This is an urgent announcement to all authors and publishers who either currently have books on Fiction4All and A1AdultEbooks or who have done so in the past. If you have left us in the past this announcement will not specifically apply to you, but it will apply when and if you decide to publish with us again.<br />
<br />
As some of you will be painfully aware, PayPal is clamping down on what content they will allow in the arena of erotic literature. Specifically they are clamping down on the areas of `underage`, `bestiality`, `rape` and `incest`. The first 2 categories are not relevant to Fiction4All and A1AdultEbooks as we have never accepted such content. However, we do have some potential issues with the new PayPal definitions of `rape` and `incest`.<br />
<br />
PayPal are clamping down on what is widely referred to as `pseudo-incest` - adult relationships between step-parent and non-blood related offspring.<br />
<br />
They are also widening the definition of `rape` to include any non-consensual sexual activity. We have always had a policy banning `rape` when mentioned as such but we now have to consider the wider implications of the `non-consensual` definition being applied by PayPal.<br />
<br />
Because of the changes being imposed by PayPal, Fiction4All has been forced to take the same decision as almost all major publishers - with immediate effect we will no longer publish or offer for sale books where the title, cover or synopsis suggests a book contains either incest or pseudo-incest relationships.<br />
<br />
We have a bigger problem on some sites in that BDSM is a major theme in many of the stories we sell. It may be that if PayPal complain about those stories we will have to stop using PayPal on those sites for a while until we can resolve what PayPal and the card companies will and will not allow. That is a headache for the future.<br />
<br />
For now, the definition of incest and pseudo-incest is more clear cut and one we can act to take control of. This is a pro-active measure to prevent PayPal removing their services from us, which would have a major impact on all sales.<br />
<br />
We will be going through our list of titles over the next few days and removing from sale any title we consider is likely to breach the `incest` and `pseudo-incest` definitions now banned by PayPal and we will email you individually if we have to remove any title from sale. Such titles will then be `blocked` so they can not be returned to sale.<br />
<br />
We will also be updating our publishing guidelines for authors and publishers to reflect this as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
I have already discussed things with a few authors and I think some titles which look like they may fall into the banned categories, can be changed so that they are more accurately titled and described (if this can apply to your books then please let me know).<br />
<br />
If all you write is erotica between consenting, non-related adults, or between husband and wife, then this does NOT affect you.<br />
<br />
I`m sorry to have to write in this vein and add another layer of misery to a lot of people who have been experiencing the clampdown on their own, but as this already affects Amazon, Excessica, BookFinder, Apple, Sony, Barnes and Noble, and many others, I think it is only a matter of time before all ecommerce sites will be affected. As to the future - if you are an author, sadly I suggest you stick to what is known to be safe to sell!<br />
<br />
Kind Regards<br />
Stuart<br />
CEO Fiction4All (including A1AdultEbooks)</blockquote>
<br />
Now, eventually -- precisely because there <u>is</u> a market for the types of fiction being targeted -- the industry will adjust. Until then, authors who put food on their tables from the sales of such fiction are quite screwed. Those who "merely" want a venue for their artistic expression can offer their work via email or other means. <a href="http://www.literotica.com/" target="_blank">Literotica</a> is a popular host of free content that doesn't shy away from edgier work, and it has a huge audience. Yes, it mixes the pearls with the swine. Then again, some claim that indie publishing does the same.<br />
<br />
Think this doesn't impact you as an author, a reader, a publisher, and/or a vendor because you don't deal in "that kind" of erotica? Take off your blinders. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
peace & passion,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
~ Alessia</div>
<br />Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-80269007197806714252012-02-23T16:00:00.000-05:002012-02-23T18:11:17.471-05:00S-E-XY'all have heard the saying: <i>Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.</i> Well, when it comes to any business related to sex, from toys to videos to music lyrics to books to contraception, they <u>are</u> out to get you.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
One word: control.<br />
<br />
Those who control sex control the world, and that's not an exaggeration. Think about it.<br />
<br />
Sex is as natural as breathing. Who planted the notion in our minds all but the narrowest of sexual situations -- especially between consenting adults -- are sinful or shameful? More importantly, why?<br />
<br />
Uh huh. Control. Control people and they'll buy your products, fight your wars, kiss your ass.<br />
<br />
People who feel guilty or ashamed are even easier to control. They'll do what they're told, including the persecution of others who color outside the lines. It happens in politics. It happens in religion. It happens in media, advertising, and retail. It's pervasive. And people fall for it. Sheeple. <br />
<br />
When you are conditioned from childhood to believe that having multiple sexual partners is undesirable, that having a same sex partner is scandalous, that masturbation is wrong, that bisexuality is slutty, that cross dressing is twisted, that anal sex is an abomination, and that polyamory is unnatural, you are being controlled. When you look down your nose at what trips someone else's triggers because those triggers are not on some arbitrary list of copacetic kinks, it is a direct result of you having been manipulated to believe that sex is dirty.<br />
<br />
Nothing. Nothing, nowhere, ever, ever is going to expunge our desire for sex -- and our desire to be desired for sex. Look at all the money advertisers spend to push products geared to make you look, smell, taste, and feel sexy. You're being controlled. You're being told what to believe and when to believe it. Your body must look like this, your hair like that. You can't have wrinkles. It's not attractive. It's also bullshit.<br />
<br />
There are some frightful forces at work these days. Corporate interests pushing politicians to behave like something out of <i>1984</i>. And Big Brother has some serious hangups about sex. Anyone who truly believes the war on contraception and the war on hardcore erotica are unrelated needs to buy my beachfront property in Kentucky.<br />
<br />
When it comes to censoring erotica, the manipulators are skilled. They first target the niches that are considered (again, due to that conditioning) unsavory. We're talking about fiction here. Fiction! Imaginary friends. Made up stuff. Legal stuff, even, between consenting adults. Sorry. Can't have it. They're systematically making it financially difficult for a business to supply a product for which there is a strong demand.<br />
<br />
Readers need to understand that if they want to continue to have unrestricted access to their preferred fantasy fiction, they need to speak up. It might be uncomfortable. Overcoming the lifelong conditioning that it's sinful or shameful is damned difficult.<br />
<br />
Authors need to understand that if they allow these forces to divide and conquer, they've ceded control -- creative control -- to Big Brother. We write to entertain, to enlighten, and to titillate. We don't write to further someone else's agenda.<br />
<br />
Vendors need to band together and fight back against coercion from payment processors, because without authors, the vendors will not have a product to sell.<br />
<br />
Voters need to be aware that the candidates spouting words about controlling sex, relationships, and contraception are not working for the people. They're working for Big Brother.<br />
<br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
~ Alessia</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-91787360647511038272012-01-02T10:30:00.000-05:002012-01-02T12:08:15.959-05:00New Cover, Old BookIn an effort to spur sales on a title that is (in my humble opinion) grossly under appreciated, I sexied up its cover:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/books/WetterHasNeverBeenBetter.htm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1diuyDRGuCX3ip8oUPN-kggCLASRBr887_aO3PulfEjT0Tm9dM9aal8sre_Ps0ky_aBTJhIwyUf55TMxOvfRvDRMaQ-TTVnm3ebnJgXWtL7NfdPL5g_RupBClqli1XfEVpG_/s1600/Wetter+Has+Never+Been+Better+%2528new+200x300%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Uploading it to all the ebook sites now. :)Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-16830785054670371112011-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-24T08:44:38.586-05:00Kindle Free for You from MeHo Ho Ho! Happy Holidays!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UD5OSS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=alessiabrio-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002UD5OSS" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQpO44cOXhsA19oyNwCm0Sw82FtvBgAQVbeQ6S89NSqX28IuH8N1OuVM4WGVbfk74cnDJBFkNmlfLBSBUzQaggDXo0ydH7Zl7Ifr5-_wdRfKMw_yym8ghJ3c8lT_A2ZlaP7sf/s200/Erotique%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VLZ0MY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=alessiabrio-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002VLZ0MY" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlm3npJ9m4_MkCdY5mzF1M7joCLmLxaocDBG9bxEq1Ek2AZBWEZg5E6cfOIxrT0Mvrlgt9ehyLYTAM1g-ENgSP8GSGD9XUqsIvCA0ZQB_hpWg-Mkd-yKzJ1fH1uWJ39nHYfWb/s200/San+Diego+Sunset+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="133" /></a></center><br />
<br />
I've often been asked what books I've most enjoyed writing or that hold a special place in my heart. Well, here they are. <b>Free</b> on Amazon for the holiday weekend. Both are short (under 10K words) but have plenty of nuance, emotion, romance, and hot sex. I hope you enjoy them.<br />
<br />
peace & passion & properity,<br />
<br />
~ Alessia<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=alessiabrio-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002UD5OSS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=alessiabrio-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002VLZ0MY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-48883371554132014162011-11-25T12:00:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:04:06.714-05:00Whole Lotta #FREE #erotica #ebooksNot just for Black Friday, either! Did you give (or receive) an ebook reader this year? Load it up with free sexy stories. It's the gift that keeps on giving <span style="color: #999999;">*wink wink nudge nudge*</span><br />
<br />
I have lowered the prices on every ebook of fewer than 5,000 words to <b style="color: red;">FREE</b> at <a href="http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=series&qString=Purple+Prosaic+Free+Reads" target="_blank">All Romance eBooks</a>, <a href="http://www.omnilit.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=series&qString=Purple+Prosaic+Free+Reads" target="_blank">OmniLit</a>, <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/purpleprosaic?ref=purpleprosaic" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> (along with its distribution channels: B&N, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, Apple, etc.), and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/search?query=Purple+Prosaic" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. Amazon, of course, doesn't allow publishers to set prices to free, although I have submitted a plea to have the titles offered at no cost.<br />
<br />
The following titles are now <a href="http://purpleprosaic.com/free.htm">FREErotica</a>:<br />
<center><a href="http://purpleprosaic.com/free.htm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXar2qYVv3UF6PMHXO36YEnkuf0fgwuwFjpGHEntmUwz25KeQ0hN__1fqFeO2ayfcpZQ-uMKfMXXmgNBj7hf8TIEH4s5G3L3BymQPnCXpCkFPuYpmmq77pydSDjfUuM31ZlXD/s200/Bleep+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMz3AE5JXJ55CF-zBqH-i7cPeNB9b0zbHMKBfW-KC2DuEURCd87m2Nkt6IJdUDARCWIIT-b9aukzcmv235hhI69RB_ia1ZWcOrfjLGhMMUMFwTN-kPu4NPFmy72WoldHInrm3a/s200/Blood+on+Love+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKL0oQjV-QRMZ0cfwKfX6_HUdL0bhn6BWKha11mbBPvelexVUiQohRp4349l6pSwfxjKQ0UvjirVc6QR4DuZ2AGAlqw5VrYyuvqnG-bOtdFF-I5JyrV8quvq8EliR8aieZlR1T/s200/Butterfly+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cbqCkXoB2VqYN8JepbKvUAwtuy-g-fK7R84-Jchk-G4qDGKVQxAFHEIGcsEIsbNMv81XYdw1tMj49rB5yoDcUi9uSxbj6UN-s4z3tEnNODUoOaSQHs6g8WsiQFhGkvAOXWXX/s200/Confess+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT8poQpTApASwxNg-9TcvhoborlVoMCJiqOf5aR-1H2Ra1yDN4V_ArhHKJWx_UakU1_Ft6k96VC-Y2M3BWXnEYdBApBMl7cs22J8-FIFKkzxe0qnlEw9kbZfFcTT3zTR56DGL/s200/Digital+Manipulation+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTveBEA5pvKH48MtWYNtJY8g9VjEueg8Do32TTdF26Exa_a_5yYjS_G8etnostHrXaP_O_MCSZTGvNsfBh2bJbQW3iPS3GWV6lxcU-0aQV2xsFBUiuQkOagc25kWUf6LRaQXfP/s200/Down+on+the+Beach+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9ADR1hLyCRQ4DXwZz-UtrSyUFWjsSiY6M2K06ioGRXNQTrUn57taQGsIhxe2S8jRek7m6LAfwwhqTdfX5hV8tbJm3aQ1DNT1rV9Mcy8f5l52hy1NC8KsAnoYK0HNN8Mbl7IN/s200/Partnership+101+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PqTeP1BNxxtBLy7uwCiymfAC_aLY-dW3EBMjWsIspIoFAyZJr0Od4XjPa5wxPfVHbrEMksvoBgiX2NaR9oXQNCyDh-xwAxPt3f5cmib8ZJMEqf0jHqWdOgOBNeKcHc0YNsu_/s200/Pantheism+101+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnofB55TOXeszHvfqmVfYRXxNv1JDQo72CemZFDhFJXiE9Y3DJCLTj16biWw4HbRHxQncmziGOwoZP_xLfE_2TFB5E9cpsQKv6DmTumJ6-AL9sviC09Do8e78lo9vDAGbI2Qrd/s200/Naught+Good+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWquQB-yD-ctejYxI4ZtuudpkNNqcn5dSgigoM7z5r1kR4neyWGT2U0xGSPV8_XKcWmUsXT56QhbiPiZLaS8wDCkVjFdG231VvcfrIkv7djw5QFSMgwvljmmMyh_o1kI4dqvv/s200/Jake+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlFz6B-joCz6RNJIxMVCQbIC_CRGWQXMbCfWdvgZkMr_RbChDdIQW5a2Drxi7BQyTIOXhdA6g3UrMm0FD_kShcykD2XcAcVXujjTJiOMx4XnjE7BPdbHVpYMqz_9Fjxj_m6WP/s200/Two-Thirds+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9hZnaWovM2phY2ULoneTIZYHofl1gK4LdAk_sw3VvESJFFKMkEptl2J2o3kvHi6g3cYkQyhGjlDN_aR-LDhvNYKxo8qdbfJK1t6kWNaPfJ2CgVr10MCBgNTscPFZ85tnCYSE/s200/Undercover+Angel+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" width="100" /></a></center><br />
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<br />Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-7598612951156022322011-10-07T07:00:00.000-04:002011-10-07T07:09:31.134-04:00Round 2 - JUST ONE BITEYou have to register (free) in order to read (also free) all <strike>32</strike> 16 <a href="http://www.allromanceebooks.com/contest_just_one_bite.html">"Just One Bite" contest</a> finalists, but it's well worth the effort. My story, <i>Blood on Love</i>, has made it to the 2nd round against some tough competition!<br />
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<span id="goog_296447440"></span><span id="goog_296447441"></span>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-9063679884574535352011-09-22T12:10:00.000-04:002011-10-07T07:06:40.151-04:00Blood on LoveYou have to register (free) in order to read (also free) all 32 <a href="http://www.allromanceebooks.com/contest_just_one_bite.html">"Just One Bite" contest</a> finalists, but it's well worth the effort. My story, <i>Blood on Love</i>, has some tough competition!<br />
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<span id="goog_296447440"></span><span id="goog_296447441"></span>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-7289612454869773002011-09-10T16:00:00.000-04:002011-09-10T16:59:49.398-04:00Just One BiteNews from the <a href="http://www.arecafe.com/cafe-news/meet-the-just-one-bite-finalists/">ARe Cafe</a>: The 32 finalists have been chosen (and I'm one of 'em)! Look for these stories on All Romance on September 22. Voting for Round 1 begins on October 1. Good luck to all the finalists! Read a bit more about my story, <b><i>Blood on Love</i></b>, below.<br />
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<i>Gathered Here This Night</i> – Ada Maria Sot <br />
<i>The Run</i> – Rachel Maria Gallagher<br />
<i>NC-17</i> – Debra Anastasia<br />
<i>Human</i> – Sarah Gilman<br />
<i>A Fair Exchange</i> – Ana Hart<br />
<i>At His Knee </i>– Raven Corinn Carluk
<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>Blood on Love</i> – Alessia Brio</b><br />
<i>Night Carnival </i>– Kathryn Meyer Griffith<br />
<i>To Love Again</i> – Allie Ritch<br />
<i>Reflection of Love</i> – Juliet Cardin<br />
<i>How Much is that Vampire in the Window</i> – Ann Hinnenkamp<br />
<i>Inhuman Resources</i> – Melisse Aires<br />
<i>Two Birds, One Stone </i>– Barbara Elsborg<br />
<i>You Will Not Kill Me</i> – Elaine Lowe<br />
<i>Ritual Ink</i> – Joely Sue Burkhart<br />
<i>Red in Tooth and Claw</i> – Kim Knox<br />
<i>Going Wild</i> – Jocelyn Michel<br />
<i>The Vampire Next Door</i> – Lauren Hawkeye<br />
<i>Ownership</i> – Ashlynn Monroe<br />
<i>By the Fireside</i> – Shermaine Williams<br />
<i>His For the Taking</i> – Angelita Gill<br />
<i>This Cowboy Bites</i> – Randi Alexander<br />
<i>Every Last Bite</i> – Christine DePetrillo<br />
<i>Original Sin</i> – Rosalie Stanton<br />
<i>Taste of a Werewolf </i>– Megan Derr<br />
<i>The Visitor</i> – Rukaya Hamdi<br />
<i>Bound for Death</i> – Anitra Lynn McLeod<br />
<i>Bite the Dust </i>– Sarah Madison<br />
<i>Friends, Not Food </i>– Julia Talbot<br />
<i>Of Men and Mice</i> – Mara Ismine<br />
<i>I Promise</i> – Cardeno C.<br />
<i>Sitting a Feisty Stallion </i>– ID Locke<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zqI46SlEHYzQDSdpWRU5XcMX9sL5L95QBIR6iAICeHYrd9OVNk6SeI113GMoGTQ12HfkJhvhXClB6bOCfeREJkPiPd5oLnwDA-1qzkkp7d2LXC73YEfY0kQeGf6m5rAgRXcR/s1600/Blood+on+Love+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zqI46SlEHYzQDSdpWRU5XcMX9sL5L95QBIR6iAICeHYrd9OVNk6SeI113GMoGTQ12HfkJhvhXClB6bOCfeREJkPiPd5oLnwDA-1qzkkp7d2LXC73YEfY0kQeGf6m5rAgRXcR/s1600/Blood+on+Love+%2528200x300%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Blood on Love</b></i></span><br />
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BLURB:<br />
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Jadzia is a misfit among outcasts. At an age when happiness is typically contingent upon fitting in, she wears a shield of indifference. Inside, loneliness consumes her. It isn’t until she encounters L’Aran that she discovers a world in which she not only belongs, but is powerful beyond her wildest fantasies. </div>
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SYNOPSIS: </div>
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Teen cutter, Jadzia, is without any color in her life. Nothing inspires. Her mother’s funeral brings her into contact with the mysterious L’Aran, who awakens feelings she wasn’t even aware were repressed. Together they begin to unravel the mystery of their very being, the heights of their power, and the depths to which others will go to pervert it.
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Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-7979004087789218382011-08-09T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-09T10:17:45.306-04:00The Mad Scientists of SmutBecause <a href="http://shannagermain2.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-mad-scientists-of-smut/">Shanna asked</a> so nicely, here I am... in daylight, with decent color & direct gaze, looking remarkably non-furtive. I don't believe I look like a compulsive masturbator, but looks can certainly be deceiving. However, I <i>am</i> the cheese on this Darth sammich. (Hold the mayo.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr8U-DE8TJ58hfg2JGQFCskchuQRjlfHmAJy8WcqdGbFyUO7RFBwHmajixAmiOcEKAzJZ-sobr7P35hpEHPiHN-D-MtODX0A_VYqkI7ShmRzBDg1NpUYuI5izDVVQPF9y7R6h/s1600/For+Shanna+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr8U-DE8TJ58hfg2JGQFCskchuQRjlfHmAJy8WcqdGbFyUO7RFBwHmajixAmiOcEKAzJZ-sobr7P35hpEHPiHN-D-MtODX0A_VYqkI7ShmRzBDg1NpUYuI5izDVVQPF9y7R6h/s640/For+Shanna+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the 501st at the 2008 Philly Book Festival</td></tr>
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Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-55635941433428870882011-06-11T17:43:00.000-04:002011-06-11T17:43:17.840-04:00Thinking about L.A. Banks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/atlast.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLwTUW1_ji4Okk_HFUBuhQaaI1ZlHA8Q0KQkQXhUEKU1VtjrBCV0VSDlVlu8aSm2uLEtYBIiUmb1dbyGRK_AauRb-PfHUcTHfWc7M_sU4hmBkhpBE1kf5Ufu-BofMSxnyTwW1/s320/090424+with+LA+Banks+in+Club+RT.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RT Orlando 2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I learned today, via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/tina-wise/friend-and-author-leslie-la-banks-gravely-ill/10150267871135132">Facebook</a>, that <a href="http://www.vampire-huntress.com/leslie.html">Ms. Leslie (L.A.) Banks</a> is not well. This makes my heart heavy. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Banks at Romantic Times in Orlando in 2009 after she'd written the introduction (<i>see below</i>) to <a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/atlast.htm"><i>Coming Together: At Last</i></a> (our bestselling anthology to date), and I found her to be incredibly warm & genuinely caring.<br />
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When next our paths crossed, it was at RT in Columbus the following year. We talked about her <a href="http://leslieesdailebanks.com/blog/3810-is-a-day-i-will-never-forget/184/">incredible experience</a> of meeting President Obama & <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2010/March/030810_GlensidePA.m4v">introducing him</a> at a rally (video embedded below). Ironic that the subject of that introduction was health care.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is a fund accepting donations for Leslie's growing medical expenses. (Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/tina-wise/friend-and-author-leslie-la-banks-gravely-ill/10150267871135132">here</a> for more information on how to donate.) Please contribute if you have the means. <3<br />
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peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">~ Alessia</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">March 8, 2010</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgcolor" value="282828"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2010/March/030810_GlensidePA.m4v&path_to_plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins&path_to_player=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player&skin=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/skins/EOP_skin.swf&captions_url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/030810_Fighting_for_Helth_Care_Reform_CMS.srt&image=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/audio-video/video_thumbnail/P030810SA-0214.jpg&controlbar=bottom&frontcolor=AAAAAA&plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/privacy/privacy,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/hat/hat,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/share/share,http://www.whi tehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/captions/captions&captions.file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/030810_Fighting_for_Helth_Care_Reform_CMS.srt"></param><embed src="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="300" flashvars="file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2010/March/030810_GlensidePA.m4v&path_to_plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins&path_to_player=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player&skin=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/skins/EOP_skin.swf&captions_url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/030810_Fighting_for_Helth_Care_Reform_CMS.srt&image=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/audio-video/video_thumbnail/P030810SA-0214.jpg&controlbar=bottom&frontcolor=AAAAAA&plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/privacy/privacy,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/hat/hat,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/share/share,http://www .whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/captions/captions&captions.file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/030810_Fighting_for_Helth_Care_Reform_CMS.srt&stretching=fill&menu=false"></embed></object> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From <a href="http://www.eroticanthology.com/atlast.htm"><i>Coming Together: At Last</i></a>, Introduction by L.A. Banks: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">What is the color of the most powerful force in the universe, love? When we look at hope and freedom and change and passion, do these words conjure a race or ethnicity, or are they values and ideals that cross the boundaries of form?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">These are the questions I ask myself as I watch the world news. Surely a mother down on her knees wailing at the sight of a collapsed school building in earthquake-ravaged China is no different than the aggrieved father searching desperately for his children in cyclone-stricken Myanmar, who cannot in my mind be distinguished from the traumatized grandmother clutching pictures of her grandchildren to her breast as rescue workers look for survivors in the tornado-ripped heartland of America, any more than those people's cries are different than those of a mother in Darfur lifting her child up to a UN truck begging for mercy… or Baghdad's suicide bomber-embattled children wondering where their parents are after an explosion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Then is there any difference between the people mentioned above and their losses than that of the inner city mom standing over her shot teenager calling on the Lord for mercy, than there would be for the suburban mother who has just learned that her teen has tragically wrapped their car around a tree on prom night and didn't make it? Images, images… oh, we have all seen them, paused, and held our palms against our hearts when we have. Maybe we've said a silent prayer for those people caught in the grip of tragedy because we can identify with their pain. For that glimmer in time, we don't see differences; we see the feelings and emotions of our fellow man and woman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">If we are really thinking, feeling members of humanity, we are called upon to reach down into our souls to ask fundamental questions. Can one deny that the waters of Katrina or those of the dreadful tsunami refused to delineate between religion, ethnic heritage, age, or gender? Did helpers who scrambled to assist survivors weep less for an orphaned child because of that child's hue? That's not what we saw during and after the 9-11 disaster. We saw people of all races and origins rushing in to help, some even giving their lives for strangers. We saw love sublime, strangers helping strangers, just because it was the right thing to do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Therefore, it seems that the only logical conclusion one can come to is that love, hope, passion, pain, suffering… all these things are a condition of being human, and are not conditional upon what type of human one happens to be according to labels. A baby crying pulls at one's core, no matter what ethnic group that child was born into by the accident of birth… laughing children have that same effect. Tears shed for a profound loss also move us and break down walls. But if tragedies are so compelling, then let's step back for a moment and peel away the layers to consider one additional level of awareness. If we can understand the cries that follow a bridge collapse in Minnesota, and/or any number of horrific events that have happened, why can't we understand the colorblind nature of love?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">It is one of the greatest conundrums in the world, in my opinion—because if people are laid prostrate from a loss of a loved one, doesn't that mean that they had to love whomever the tragedy befell? Doesn't that mean they loved their child just as you would love your child… that they loved their parent or spouse or friend or partner just as you would have loved yours? If we accept that as truth, then how can we regulate love to an artificial parameter like race, when we've just gone around the globe in this small exercise of recalling current events to show that all people have been touched by loss (which means they have also all been touched by love)? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">For how can you have loved deeply and not weep when you have lost? It wouldn't matter, then. You'd remain dry-eyed and stoic. But that's just it. We've seen communities and families devastated and the pain of that spread out in roiling waves that effect us, even a half a world away while watching the news. Thus we can only conclude that where the tragedy hit, people were connected to others that loved them, and once the victims were no longer in the world, that bitter reality created indelible suffering for someone who cared that they were alive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">With that as a premise, rather than wait for a disaster or an act of God to create a glaring media frenzy to show just how human we are, why not embrace love for all people when the skies are clear and calm, when the waters have receded, when the shelling has stopped, and while there is laughter in our midst? Love is joy. Love is freedom. Love is hope. It is something that we all deserve and is provided for in abundance in the universe and on our planet, like air, as an ultimate act of God.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">I personally believe in love and light… and the indomitable human spirit. I believe in hope and grace and caring, and in heroes and sheroes, maybe that's why I write about them... just as I believe in a Higher Power that levels the playing field, eventually… and I believe in angels. Most of all, perhaps, I believe in the ability of people to change for the better, to open their hearts and to receive the greatest power in the universe (and to use it for good)… and that is the power of love.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Peace and Stay in the Light!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .3in;"><br />
</div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">~ L.A. Banks</span></div></div>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-81561668728815613792011-05-12T08:13:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:40:08.046-04:00The Merry Masturbatory Month of May<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8896696-erotique%22" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfsCFqwY3k7sgbNH-XmO0p1-NYIzLdYvgrrLLym1jc5CCIf0PQ2whp0zJTrR7iiDcb55svWc-QDo0XQtnAeustSuzWhPQoFlXVaLAPL6vUBfc2d4SDC7ZQf2BlMqCrs8Maj0_/s1600/Erotique%2528200x300%2529.jpg" /></a><i>Erotique</i>, a fast-paced, sex-soaked short story, is free to read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8896696-erotique">on Goodreads</a> throughout National Masturbation Month! Write a Goodreads review & be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card (to be announced on June 1, 2011).</div><br />
<b>BLURB</b>:<br />
<blockquote>BOOK #1 of ARTIFACTUAL<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Mandy stands to inherit the family legacy--a famous Philadelphia adult toy store and museum called Erotique--but she first has to meet the terms of the will and spend the night. With the help of her best friend, Bruce, she soon discovers the exhibits are VERY educational and her feelings for Bruce run deeper than she realized.</div></blockquote>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-5528846672641358952010-11-04T06:30:00.011-04:002010-11-04T06:41:08.900-04:00Hate Male<div style="text-align: justify;">This gem appeared in my inbox this morning, and I just couldn't keep it to myself. Apparently this individual is unable to distinguish between narrative nonfiction and 1st person POV fiction. He is also quite defensive, isn't he? Enjoy...</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Dear 'Whomever has the guts to read my comment in its entirety' (I'm not holding my breath):<br />
<br />
In the posted excerpt from DOUBLE DECKER PP-034, PURPLE PROSAIC, JANUARY 2010, I was ASTOUNDED to read the following:<br />
<br />
"Now, I’m not one of those dykes who won’t touch a woman who’s touched a dick, but there’s quite enough drama in lesbian circles without bringing Buffy and her angry ex-boyfriend—the one with the Chevy Silverado sporting a Confederate flag and a loaded gun rack—into the mix. The last time I dabbled in that kind of pussy, I wound up having to send a linebacker to the E.R. with a busted tibia. Those steel-toed boots do come in handy on occasion."<br />
<br />
Drama? HOLY SHIT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Please forgive me for HURLING in disgust, but I find that the author's claim of hospitalizing an ex-high school football star/local-yokel-hick by breaking his leg with a single, powerhouse kick of her steel-toed boot to be A HUGE, STEAMING PILE OF SHIT!!!<br />
<br />
Why do so many lesbians insist on espousing their IMAGINARY propensity for physical violence against males, to the point where they will LIE LIKE HELL in an attempt to glorify themselves into somebody they are not? It's just so fucking lame! You aren't fooling anyone with that crap, and you certainly aren't endearing yourself to anyone except other mega-angry lesbians with similar bullshit fantasies. All you have accomplished is to tell me that you have have deep-seated emotional problems and need a fucking shrink (what a shocker).<br />
<br />
Why can't you just write about seducing and fucking one another without LYING YOUR ASS OFF about how street-tough and animalistic you IMAGINE yourself to be? I don't think you can - because you and your ilk apparently come (cum) as 'package deals' - super-butch and pretentiously bad/tough/cool. Try as you might, you will NEVER be James Dean…or Marlon Brando…or any other street-tough!<br />
<br />
Think about it for a minute: In just a few sentences, the author comes across as immensely dumber and even more testosterone-soaked than the idiot redneck she ALLEGEDLY dropped with her Herman's Survivors super-kick to his shin! IT'S SUCH BULLSHIT...AND SHE KNOWS IT!<br />
<br />
If you angry dykes insist upon BLAH-BLAHING about how important it is to 'be yourself' (as the author notes a few sentences earlier in the excerpt), then fucking be yourself, instead of pretending to be some fantastic super dyke hero with both the mindful vengeance and ovaries to pull-off such an idiotic, 'Barbie Bad-Ass' wet dream!<br />
<br />
Get bent,<br />
<br />
Big Al<br />
Reston, VAImphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-68857508770440997032010-10-23T01:00:00.001-04:002010-10-23T07:10:51.985-04:00Step on a Crack<div style="text-align: justify;">From the lofty vantage of my late 40s, I can survey the depth and breadth of my sexual knowledge at each stage of my journey. When I look back at what I was taught by the authority figures in my young life, namely my mother and the Roman Catholic Church, it makes me shudder. To have escaped that indoctrination without a lifetime of crippling sexual hang-ups is, indeed, a miracle.<br />
<br />
I'm still learning. Sex is fascinating on many levels. I know now that sex drive, being one of the most powerful forces known to nature, is used by organized religions and others, both individuals and groups, in an attempt to control. Young or old. Male or female or anything in between. Unbridled passions are anathema to those who know what's best for you. (You, after all, cannot be trusted to know what's right for yourself. You are, if you listen to them, weak and unworthy.) As a child, however, I lacked this insight.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, I was born a rebel. A strong and worthy rebel. I am ever thankful that nature allowed the deeply recessive gene to surface in me. It certainly was not evident in any branches of the family tree that I could see.<br />
<br />
When it comes to sex (no pun intended), I started young. Very young. I recall my first orgasm at 10, although I had no clue what it was called at that time. I just knew it felt good. I also knew my mother wouldn't approve. My childhood memories do not include any of my mother's laughter. None. I remember only her stress; her worry that I would "lay down" with boys, that I would get "a reputation," that I would cause "tongues to wag." My mother didn't approve of anything that involved touching your private parts. My brother & I were required to use a wash cloth for bathing so that we didn't have to touch ourselves. Yes, I'm serious.<br />
<br />
That first orgasm was the result of masturbation, although I didn't know that word at the time, either. My bestest childhood friend turned me on to it, so to speak. How she discovered that scooting her pre-pubescent, cotton panty-clad crotch against the spinning fuzzy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunpentown-UC-989-Electric-Dual-Buffer-Stand-Up/dp/B001BPY9QE/">shoe-polishing machine</a>, I do not know. Maybe someday I'll ask her.<br />
<br />
I don't think much more than a day or two passed during my fifth grade year when she & I didn't simultaneously polish our pussies on that delightful dual-sided device. We called our orgasms "trances" and often competed to be the first to reach that state. The times that we "peed" a little bit in the process... well, those trances were even better. Our ignorance was magical.<br />
<br />
It wasn't much longer before we abandoned the electrical device and sought our trances with one another. Although I knew I had to hide my activities from my mother, I felt no guilt, no shame. I assumed my mother was the one who was twisted, that I was normal. The concept of sin simply did not register sexually in the way it did with things like theft or murder or lying.<br />
<br />
Fast forward a year. Sixth grade. I got my menses -- and breasts! While I had not yet achieved a "trance" with a boy, it wasn't for lack of trying. I can think of at least four boys who dipped their fingers into my honey that fall during high school football games. There were probably more, given that there were at least six home games each season, or maybe one or two of them had an encore. We'd sneak across the street and duck between the cars parked on the elementary school playground. There, on the crushed grass where kids played dodge ball during the day, I allowed George, Keith, and the Scott twins to finger me. None on the same night, mind you. I wasn't that progressive... yet.<br />
<br />
My mother gave me a pamphlet about sex that year, shortly after I started my period. It was published by the Roman Catholic Church. Amidst the basic biology, it delivered dire warnings about sins of the flesh. Not only was I not to allow anyone else to touch me, I was not to touch myself. If I felt sinful impulses, I was to pray. Just pray. Well, I knew a faster and more effective way to make the "sinful" impulses subside... for a little while, anyway.<br />
<br />
My seventh grade year was dominated by a new-to-me sensation: desire. Not desire for orgasm, with which I was already quite familiar, but desire for a specific person. Keith was the proverbial "bad boy" in the neighborhood. He was bigger than the other boys in my school, having been held back at least one grade. He smoked cigarettes and weed. He shaved. He had chest hair. He was a worldly rebel with a mysterious much older brother who told him stories about all sorts of naughtiness. I think, in hindsight, this older brother was probably in jail somewhere. I never saw him. My father threatened Keith's life on more than one occasion.<br />
<br />
By 1976, my mother had taken to going to early Sunday morning mass. My brother & I were given the option of either attending mass Saturday evenings or later on Sunday mornings. He chose the former. I, the latter. Keith's house sat smack dab in the middle of the quarter-mile walk between my house and the church. I rarely made it past that point. I'd slip into his house, often mere seconds after his parents left for church, and into his bed almost every Sunday morning for a year.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how I managed to not get caught, but I am absolutely certain I learned more at Keith's house on Sunday mornings than I ever would have at church. Those lessons included my first orgasm with a boy, my first tactile exploration of a bare penis, and the first time I felt the electrifying sensation of a tongue against my clitoris. I also learned how much information was omitted from or misrepresented in that pamphlet my mother had given me. Nowhere in that publication was there any indication that sex could feel so damned good. How, I wondered, could they possibly miss that?<br />
<br />
It didn't occur to me – at the tender age of twelve – that a church could be disingenuous; that it would intentionally seek to mislead its flock. I naively believed that religions were paragons of the virtues they espoused.<br />
<br />
A year later, flat on my back under a tree on the dark riverbank with a gorgeous long-haired stranger several years older and several times stronger, I felt my first twinges of sexual fear. He was clearly intending to have intercourse, and I wasn't at all confident he'd take <i>no </i>for an answer. I wasn't overly protective of my virginity, but I didn't want to lose it like that: outside, cold, uncomfortable, and with someone I barely knew. He could've taken what he wanted from me, but he didn't. He was quite gracious, in fact. Almost gallant in his disappointment. Until that experience, I'd never heard the word <i>rape</i> or considered the possibility that sex could be anything but consensual and enjoyable for all involved. My once magical ignorance had become dangerous.<br />
<br />
That loss of emotional innocence was far more profound to me than the loss of my physical virginity some six years later with a boy I dearly loved in the warmth and safety of his bed and his arms. I hated the introduction of fear into an area of my life that had, until that point, been nothing but fun & frolic. It really pissed me off, though I lacked the means to capture & express these feelings.<br />
<br />
Did this potentially disastrous experience change my sexual behavior? Yes and no. I still had a hearty appetite for pleasure, but I turned my attentions back to their origins. Girls seemed safer. I could defend myself against another girl. The playing field was leveler and our topographies similar. I knew the turf. It surprised me to learn that not all girls wanted to fool around with other girls. What was this madness?<br />
<br />
I look back on those critical, sexually formative years, and it's a marvel I emerged unscathed. They were, I think, somewhat less treacherous times. HIV and AIDS were a few years from interfering with our bliss. "Protection" simply referred to birth control.<br />
<br />
Throughout my pre-teen and teenage years, there was no adult authority figure with whom I could discuss my experiences. Not one. The Internet was a couple decades from its maturity, and printed reference material was – as far as I knew – limited to dry, clinical publications & grossly misleading church pamphlets. There wasn't anyone to ask about the fluid that dampened my panties, about vibrators or other toys, about swallowing semen, about having sex during my period.<br />
<br />
Luckily – and it was most definitely luck – I never got pregnant unintentionally, contracted an STD, or was raped, even though my college years were full of wild behaviors. Trial and error is not how I want my children to learn about sex. Nor do I want their sex ed limited to the dry mechanics of procreation. I don't expect them to bring their questions to me, even though I've tried to make it clear I'm receptive. I'm mom. It's awkward. I know this. That's why I'm glad there are resources like <a href="http://www.scarleteen.com/">Scarleteen</a> readily available online where they can get frank answers anonymously. They could use your support. Please donate if you have the means. Spreading the word & linking to them helps as well (and costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time).</div><br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
~ Alessia BrioImphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-82759923312154396532010-09-06T08:00:00.134-04:002010-09-06T10:30:45.618-04:00Author BewareThere's not much that pisses me off more than hypocrisy. When a frank, honest post to a publisher's closed author loop is removed from the message archives because it disagrees with what the publisher wants the authors to believe, I see red.<br />
<br />
Y'see, there was a thread of discussion about the payment of royalties. The publisher has traditionally paid monthly (late, per my contract terms, but monthly nonetheless). The publisher has also repeatedly claimed that its contracts stipulate quarterly payments. Recently, the publisher announced that it would be transitioning to quarterly payments. Okay, fine. That's certainly the publisher's prerogative. Renegotiate contracts, as needed, and implement change. No problem, right?<br />
<br />
When a question was asked by an author, another author replied that the contracts stipulated payment 60 days after the end of the period. I pulled up my contracts to check and each clearly specifies payment <b>45</b> days after the end of the <b>MONTH</b>. Not 60. <b>45</b>! And not QUARTER. <b>MONTH</b>!<br />
<br />
I posted a reply to that effect. It contained no bolding, no "shouting" in all caps (as I've done above). It simply stated what my contracts said along with the fact that I've not been asked to sign any modifications to my contracts.<br />
<br />
That post has been unceremoniously deleted from the Yahoo!Groups message archives. The publisher then posted that "Some older contracts stipulated 45 days after quarter ends." Perhaps <i>some</i> do. But <i>some</i> (e.g. mine) of the older contracts (And, "older" equates to 2008, by the way.) say: "Royalty statements are produced monthly within forty-five (45) days after the end of each sale month."<br />
<br />
I'm not going to speculate on the reasons for this censorship. I'm not going to make assumptions about the fiscal health of the publisher. I'm simply putting the facts out there for authors to decide for themselves whether they wish to do business with a publisher who operates in this fashion.<br />
<br />
I pulled most of my works of fiction from this publisher's catalog in January 2010 due to the persistent discrepancy between what my contracts stipulated and when the publisher reported and disbursed royalties. I was quiet about it. I didn't make a fuss. I did not want to publisher to experience any backlash from my decision. Some folks did inquire privately, and I couched my replies very cautiously. I still have a vested interest in the success of this publisher, after all, because all of the publications for which I did cover art and/or editing pay an ongoing royalty. I <i>want</i> it to succeed. I cannot, however, remain silent in the face of this sort of unethical practice.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, my contract for cover art <i>does</i> specify quarterly payments, and I was willing to continue in my role as art director for this publisher. The publisher, however, chose a knee-jerk reaction and ousted me from that position. I was a bit stunned by that seemingly churlish & puerile move, but... well, <i>whatever</i>. At the time, it simply served to reinforce the wisdom of my decision.<br />
<br />
This latest behavior will result in the removal of my remaining work from the publisher's catalog. I apologize to the other authors who are impacted. I do not feel I have any alternative but to distance myself to the maximum extent possible.<br />
<br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
~ AlessiaImphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-77083606770201526882010-07-08T07:00:00.025-04:002010-07-08T07:34:00.394-04:00A New Interview<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/books/Ripe.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRAqOF_WkHxGBktHdwh7yMFKLIC6bjflg_DZZZqYdkkf185huv_UA5eviaSh9qD7SOsxFVADCeIkjyIeoju4JA3vm73mYhJi_D1CIf1D5TAkpYWOTPex38go-zXYFERlgbLT2/s320/Ripe+%28200x300%29.jpg" /></a>I recently responded to a request rec'd via my website's "contact me" form from a new review site preparing to launch, Deviant Divas. I completed an interview and submitted a book (<a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/books/Ripe.htm"><i>Ripe</i></a>) for review. The interview & review were posted on July 4th, which I learned only after a Google Alert notified me. You can read the interview <a href="http://deviantdivaseroticbookreview.com/deviant_divas_erotic_book_review_Author_Interview_with_Alessia_Brio.html">HERE</a>. <span style="color: #999999;">(Do try to overlook the typos in the interview questions. I suppressed the urge to edit them while completing the interview.)</span> The <a href="http://deviantdivaseroticbookreview.com/deviant_divas_erotic_book_review_deviant_divas_erotic_books_ebooks_reviews_page.html">review</a> (and I use the term lightly) can be read in one sentence, which I'll paste below. I kid you not. One sentence. One sentence in need of editing, at that!</div><blockquote>"Alessia Brio's Ripe is a fast pace action short story with an erotic twist."</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">That's it. The entire review. At least they spelled my name right. Live & learn, eh?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">peace & passion,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">~ <a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/">Alessia</a></div>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-62334133107504484592010-06-13T06:00:00.000-04:002010-06-13T06:04:42.112-04:00T-T-T-T-T-T-TOUCH ME…This is a guest blog post I made for Lisabet Sarai's blog, Beyond Romance, in January. Since my goal for the summer is the organization & backup of my digital bounty (books, music, fonts, images, video), I thought it was worth re-posting here. Posterity 'n all, y'know.<br />
<br />
Have a great summer, y'all.<br />
<br />
peace & passion,<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"></span> <br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">~ Alessia</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">+++</div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><i>First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.</i></span></div><div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">~ Mahatma Gandhi</span></div><div align="RIGHT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">I hesitated with regard to writing yet another blog post about Publishing (with a capital P), publishing, epublishing, and self-publishing. You can’t spit without hitting one in the e-neighborhood these days, some with robust and often vitriolic discussions taking place in the comments. They’re all variations on the same theme: <i>the antiquated business model struggles for survival in the face of changing market</i>. (Yawn.) <i>Adapt or perish. The End.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Yet it is the industry and those changes that currently occupy my attention as I strive to find my niche. (<i>Niche</i> being defined as that which enables me to indulge my creative impulses while simultaneously providing an income to feed my baser needs for food and shelter.) The resistance to change, especially within a system that was once profitable, is understandable. Corporations – like people – cling to what has been successful in the past. It’s safe and comfortable. Change is scary.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">And, in the case of books, that level of safety is in the <i>tangible</i>. Tangible is comforting. It can be stroked, fondled, ogled. We can point to hoarded stuff and proclaim, “Behold, my bounty!” Not so easy to do with digital assets.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">At one time in our not-so-distant past, the vast majority of business transactions involved an exchange of tangible goods: gold for land, livestock for slaves, cotton for woven cloth. Books.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">We, both consumers and suppliers, do not quite know how to treat the intangible product, how to appreciate its value, how to stroke it. It's a relatively new concept in terms of civilization. It requires a level of trust and a shift in focus.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">That started my wheels turning about money and the progression from a cash-only consumer base to one that is now predominantly credit/debit-based.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Money lenders have been around for a long time, so banking is nothing new. People were initially wary of storing assets in one physical location to protect them from theft.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Convenience won them over.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Yet, it took well over a millennium for the notion of the withdrawal of assets from a <i>different </i>physical location to catch on. Networks of financial institutions. Distributed assets. Distributed risks.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Convenience won them over.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">With technological advances in communication, came the ability to rapidly confirm the availability of consumer assets and the introduction of the handwritten check. A modern IOU. It, too, was slow to gain acceptance. Yet it was still, in one sense, tangible.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Computers made cash transactions unnecessary. Even so, there was considerable consumer resistance to the use of credit cards. They were electronic. There was nothing to be fondled.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">They were also easy… and fast. No delays while checks cleared. No waiting for payday.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Convenience won them over. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">With the financial structure in place, the emergence of digital products was the next step in our electronic evolution. First, music. Vinyl cedes to magnetic tape which, in turn, cedes to compact disc. Still tangible, but stored on electronic media. And portable!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Convenience won them over.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Digital storage made it possible for consumers to own and enjoy movies in the comfort and privacy of their homes. The porn industry exploded. The Internet made it all available at the click of a mouse.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Convenience won them over.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Digital photography enabled folks to take virtually unlimited pictures without the expense of both film and developing and… waiting. Instant electronic gratification.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">One by one our forms of recorded art and entertainment transitioned to the electronic as convenience and pragmatism replaced the ingrained need for a tangible <i>thing</i>.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Books are no exception. In time, the tangible book will cede to its digital form. The industry will conserve resources, reduce (if not eliminate) printing expenses, and repurpose vast amounts of physical storage space. And yet books will be more accessible than ever before.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">The difference is that, this time around, consumers are demanding the shift rather than having it driven by the industry. Perhaps it’s due to my vantage, but in the past, it seemed to be the industry saying to the reluctant consumer: "Try <i>this</i>! You'll like it. It's nifty neat-o better than sliced bread yadda yadda." With ebooks and their related gadgetry, it's the consumers saying to a reluctant industry: "Make <i>this</i>! We want it. Now!"</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">It can't happen soon enough for me. If my work touches hearts and souls and libidos, I've achieved my goal. Having it packaged in an efficient, effective, environmentally-conscious fashion is just icing on my e-cake.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Happy New Year, y'all!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">peace & passion,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">~ Alessia</span></div>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-82481761152272968182010-04-26T15:00:00.001-04:002010-04-26T15:40:45.669-04:00My first audiobook release!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://secure.bmtmicro.com/servlets/RIP.DemoDownload?PRODUCTID=58990023&AID=2195513" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.audiolark.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/AB_Wtter_final.jpg" /></a>It's <a href="https://secure.bmtmicro.com/servlets/RIP.DemoDownload?PRODUCTID=58990023&AID=2195513">HERE</a>! Audiolark has released "Wetter Has Never Been Better" as an audiobook. I listened to the 90-minute adaptation last week, and it was fascinating to hear another person read my words. Just $5.99 for the download. Put it on your MP3 player and listen in (or out of) the bathtub for some hot, wet fun in the Costa Rican rain.</div>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14110681.post-29870795579102082712010-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:002010-04-13T08:59:36.832-04:00Sapphistocated Review<a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/books/DoubleDecker.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG6r0I94RAR40lBZ-qpsAOkUXAa-mdmLDWb3fDl3DFRHckGTeZ7ajBlpQ9Cq8I_ZvAWP_W33eRg-YLGdcNpsCvMl5pL0bKHdgiL1RCcAhWL6KKvBn5nvZw-tFAIPBlzUVz5N4/s320/Sapphistocated+%28200x300%29.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://evelynapplegate.blogspot.com/2010/04/sapphistocated.html">Evie's Whispered Words</a> has reviewed the EPPIE finalist + GCLS finalist anthology, <i>Sapphistocated</i>.<br />
<blockquote>This anthology is comprised of four short stories by four talented authors. My personal favourite from this collection was the first story, <a href="http://www.purpleprosaic.com/books/DoubleDecker.htm"><i>Double Decker</i></a> by Alessia Brio. It's the story of a young butch lesbian named Tess who is seeking to win not only a Kareoke Contest but the heart of the woman of her dreams. This one had me flicking through my cd collection to listen to some old favourites. I felt immersed in Tess's world and was anxious when she was anxious and excited when she was excited, and found myself sorry when the story ended. I think I'll check out some more of Alessia's work soon and I am going to have to remember the term "SOL day". </blockquote>Imphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08619940510165528430noreply@blogger.com0