Quick Six Interview with Christine d'Abo

Quick Six Interview with Christine d'Abo

1. Hi Christine! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

I love to write erotic futuristics and urban paranormals. There is something wonderful and fun about the blend of mixing the edge of the unknown, and the need for people to develop relationships.


2. What are you reading right now?

I have a few books on the go right now. I'm currently reading Colleen Gleason's When Twilight Burns (which is fantastic!). It's book four in her Gardella Vampire Chronicles series. I'm also reading Doctor Who: The Writer. It's a fascinating book, a collection of emails between Russell T Davies and Ben Cook on the behind the scenes writing of Doctor Who.


3. I hear music in the background…what's playing?

Man, I need to turn that down! I'm a bit of a hard rocker. I'm a huge fan of Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, anything with a hard edge. That said, I'm also a gigantic fan of Dave Matthews Band and Matthew Good.


4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

Oh, I have to say I'm a big fan of fuck. I don't know if it was all the Robin Williams and George Carlin I listened to when I was young and impressionable or not, but there is just something fun about it. I always have at least one character in my books with a bit of a foul mouth.


5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

Honestly, not really. Any word can be sexy, and any word can be offensive. It's the intent behind it, the meaning that's been infused with it, rather than the word itself.


6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

My local grocery story makes salt and vinegar chips. I'm soooo addicted to these things. My husband cringes everytime I go shopping now because he knows I'll get a bunch LOL!


Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

So much fun and excitement going on right now. On October 31st, book three in my Eternal Bond series, The Bond That Consumes Us was released from Ellora's Cave. This is the story of one of my most requested characters, Taber. I really enjoyed getting into his character more. My next release is entitled, All Bottled Up. It will be coming to Samhain Publishing on January 6, 2009. It is the story of a call center worker from Halifax NS, who finds a genie in a bottle while she's on a trip to Mexico.

You can read excerpts of all my books at my website, www.christinedabo.com

Thank you for having me here, Giselle!

Yay Canadian characters! Halifax is one of my dream destinations. I'm not much of a traveler, but I've heard the Maritimes are gorgeous provinces. I would love to take the train all the way across Canada, except I probably couldn't bear that much sitting. One of these days I'll get out to British Columbia, too, to check out their special brand of beautifulness.
Thanks for chatting, Christine! Much appreciated.
Giselle

Gifts from the Heart and Hands

Let me begin by thanking everyone who purchased Giselle Renarde Erotica prior to December 15th 2008. As promised, all profits have been donated (along with third quarter earnings from sales of my ebooks) to the LGBT YOUTHLINE, providing peer-to-peer counseling to queer youth. As a queer woman with a transgendered partner, LGB and trans issues are close to my soul, and I can't emphasize how important it is that youths have someone they can turn to. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to you, my readers, for your purchases, and to YOUTHLINE for providing such an essential service to young people.


Now, according to my calendar, next Thursday is Christmas. I deserve a break. I'm taking the day off. *grin*

So, who's finished their Chistmas shopping with a week to spare? I am! I am! But, you know, there’s nothing better than receiving a hand-made, personalized gift. It shows the giver took the time to contemplate what I would like, then took even more time to create it for me. Assuming Sweet will appreciate a gift from the heart and the hands, I knitted her a pretty pink scarf and strung her a necklace of funky freshwater pearls.

What am I hoping to get for Christmas? From those I love, there would be nothing better received than the gift of time. I don’t see my mother half as often as I’d like to. Same goes for the rest of my family and my friends. We all work so much, be it outside or in the home. There is nothing I would appreciate more this year than to spend more time with my family and friends.

But time isn’t something you can put under a tree, and my family needs to see things beneath the tree. To that end, I’ve been relying for years now on a magnificent site called Buy Nothing Christmas which contains an “alternatives” page for those of us looking for meaningful, non-consumerist gifts. My favourite gift suggestion, as a writer, is the personalized audiobook. I have a few older friends whose eyes aren’t what they used to be, and they really appreciate the home-made audiobooks I’ve written for them over the years. But, hell, what dirty old man wouldn’t want a young female friend recording a CD full of dirty porn for him?

To be perfectly honest, though, buying absolutely nothing at the holidays is something I never was able to master. When I finish this blog post, it’s off to the great big internet shopping world. I’m buying most of my family books this season.

If you’ve got someone on your list who would drool over some erotic books or sexy lingerie, check out my little shop of Giselle Renarde Erotica. It features anthologies containing my work, my ebooks in kindle format, and—because I’m a sucker for gorgeous women in corsets and stockings—there’s a huge lingerie section as well! Check it out at http://astore.amazon.com/dondes-20

Happy Holidays!
Giselle Renarde

Quick Six Interview with Susan Meier

Quick Six
Interview with Susan Meier

1. Hi Susan! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

I write traditional romances, sometimes called sweet romances. I think of them as being similar to Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Very emotional, gripping.


2. What are you reading right now?

I'm reading Angela Knight's JANE'S WARLORD. Love it. I'm a huge Angela Knight fan.


3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

Nope. Must not be my house. LOL I like silence when I write. If music is playing I want to sing along...and that doesn't get the writing done!


4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

Naughty word? I can't say I've actually thought about it. But I do like a well written, emotionally involving sex scene. Words and actions that really bring characterization to life!


5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

No. LOL. I think I'm getting desensitized!


6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Oh, gosh! Mallowmars! It's our first real snow of the season. I just took a break from snuggling under an afghan with Angela's book and box of Mallowmars!

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

HER BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS will be released December 8. MAID IN MONTANA will be out in June. After 35 books, I realized that there are just some books that stand out in the crowd, and both of these books are personal favorites of mine. HER BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS because it's a backward homecoming story. The heroine desperately wants family and longs to have a home to go to, but the hero is reluctantly going home. Bad memories have kept him away for five long years, but it's time. Little does he know he's not rescuing the heroine when he agrees to drive her to North Carolina; she's rescuing him.

MAID IN MONTANA is just plain fun! LOL Every once in a while it's good to write/read a book just for plain old fun!

I could sure use a good snowfall. Would you believe mid-December in Canada and it's raining outside?!?
Thanks for the interview!
Giselle

Meeting the Parents

Today I met Sweet’s mom.

For all the anxiety this first meeting generated, it turned into a pretty anti-climactic event. It helped—or…didn’t help?—that Sweet’s family doesn’t know she’s transsexual. To mom, Sweet is just her son and I’m just his plain old hetero girlfriend. Nothing more complicated than that.

“I’ve been at mom for years because of the way she talks about those people,” Sweet told me. “I’ve asked her how she can think of someone as a friend until she finds out they’re gay. Being gay is part of who those people are, and probably a big part of why she liked them in the first place. I hate that my mother’s so homophobic.”

“Is she transphobic too?” I asked.

“She wouldn’t know where to begin to understand the trans issue.”

As far as mom’s aware, her son is my boyfriend. God, that just sounds so wrong! Her DAUGHTER is my GIRLFRIEND. We are a lesbian couple. It bothered me to pretend to be something I’m not. I felt a little closeted, but I’m hardly going to out my girlfriend to her family. We all progress in our own time and it’s up to everyone to allow our partners room to grow.

That said, it was great to get the inside scoop on Sweet’s adorableness growing up. I have no idea how the topic came up, but her mom suddenly started telling me how much Sweet hated dressing up when she was a kid.

“Even at Halloween, he never wanted to get in costume,” mom told me.

I had to bite my tongue. Sweet started cross-dressing when she was quite young. Many transgender children do, but often it’s a private matter. I guess mom really wasn’t aware.

“And then when he finally did start going out for Halloween, he always dressed as a tramp!”

Bite…tongue…harder! She still dresses pretty trampy, mom! You should see her in a miniskirt and platform boots! No, that’s mean. Sweet is a perfectly respectable woman who wears perfectly respectable outfits.

Though, as I write this, my mind wanders to yesterday afternoon when she taped her boobs to create the most extraordinary cleavage, then wore a low-cut sweater for my amusement. God, I spent most of our time together with my face buried in her tits! I only came up for air when I was on the verge of asphyxiation, then it was right back into it, licking my girlfriend’s cleavage.

I didn’t tell her mom any of this, obviously. It’s up to sweet to reveal her queer sexual and gender identities to her family in her own time.

“I’d love for her to be taking mom out to lunch,” Sweet said as we kissed goodbye. “And maybe some day mom will have lunch with her daughter and she’ll just have to accept it.”

Big Hugs,
gigi

Quick Six Interview with Sapphire Phelan

Quick Six Interview with Sapphire Phelan

1. Hi Sapphire! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

SP: Both eroric and sweet paranormal, fantasy, urban fantasy and science fiction romances. I also have published two erotic horror stories, one, Unwitting Sacrifice, a novella, the other, "Jack," a short story.

2. What are you reading right now?

SP: All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (because I read it years ago and going to see the movie in a few days)

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

SP: Thriller.

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

SP: Cock.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

SP: Not really.

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

SP: Nothing right now, as we just had dinner.

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

SP: Anyone can find out more about me and my work at my website: Sapphire Phelan's/Pamela K. Kinney's Official Website , my myspace at http://www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan , and my blog at http://SapphirePhelansPassionCorner.blogspot.com . I also have a newsletter anyone over 18 years of age can subscribe to at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter .

My erotic Lovecraftian horror novella, Unwitting Sacrifice-download as of November 30, 2008, print chapbook, February 15, 2009, published by Under the Moon. Both versions should be available through www.genreconnections.com .

Blurb:
Lisa Selvey moved to Necro Bay, just on the outskirts of Chesapeake, Virginia. She moved there because of its reputation for peace and quiet. To free herself of her nightmares. But her nightmares were just beginning. . .

Necro Bay was just your average American seaside town. The house she bought a normal home. The handsome man, Jacob Lindan that she met, nothing more than a sexually attractive man that whose touch made her mad with desire. Things nightmarishly changed and made her wonder if she wasn't going mad. Even worse, it made her wonder if something lurked in the shadows.

Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for the interview!
Giselle

Merry Christmas to my Sweet!

My girlfriend Sweet is a Christmas FANATIC, so I knew I couldn't give her just any old greeting card as we celebrate our first Christmas together. It's not that she expects anything over-the-top, but I really wanted to WOW her. The solution? I recorded a lovely a capella Christmas song and made this video card as a special gift for my girl.


I wasn't 100% sure that Sweet would respond positively to my posting her card on YouTube, but I had to do it because I want the world to know how much I love her. After watching the video and wiping the tears from her eyes, Sweet asked me, "Can everyone see this, or just us?"

"Everyone," I admitted. "But I can make it private if you want, or I could take it down altogether."

"No, no," Sweet said. "I like that other people can watch my card. It's like...it's for us, but it shows everybody how you feel about me."

In that vein, a note to my Sweet:

Sweet, I love you. You are the most beautiful woman I know. I don't say that to stroke your ego; I say it because it's true. You are gorgeous and I am so proud that you want to be my girlfriend. I love going out, having you on my arm and showing you off. I can't tell you emphatically enough how beautiful you are to me. Merry Christmas, Bijou.

All my love,
Giselle

Quick Six Interview with Rae Lori

Quick Six Interview with Rae Lori

1. Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

RL: Surely! I write fantasy, sci-fi, suspense and romance and sometimes all mixed into one pot. I love dipping my hand into different genres and seeing what stories come from them.

2. What are you reading right now?

RL: On my nightstand is The Science of Vampires by Katherine Ramsland, The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories, Occult Crimes Taskforce graphic novel and A Sentry's Touch by Vivien Dean. I'm back on my vampire kick! hehe

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

RL: Oh! That's my baroque internet channel. It helps me concentrate when I need to type up my current handwritten pages. Sometimes I have a show going on in the background. But nevermind the blood curdling screams in the background. That's just for show. ;-)

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

RL: Yes, but I can't say it lol. Let's just say it pertains to male.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

RL: Any condescending or hateful terms aiming to demean others. It just burns my cookies.

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

RL: A soft baked oatmeal cookie. Ooh and some Egg Nogg. Yum.

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

RL: Woo hoo. My current release is a romantic suspense novel entitled Before Dawn Breaks. It's available from Freya's Bower. I have a few goodies in the works including an urban fantasy romance series that I just contracted that I think readers will enjoy. You check out more of my work at http://www.raelori.com and add me as a friend at myspace (http://www.myspace.com/rachelbeachgirl). Swing on by and say hello at my blog: http://raelori.blogspot.com.

Thanks for having me! :-)

I'm a big fan of the baroque too, and I find the same thing: classical music helps me concentrate when I'm writing. Thank you so much for the interview.
Cheers!
Giselle

Life Underneath the Concrete

I just finished watching a round-table discussion centering around the book, "Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation," co-authored by Frances Widdowson and Albert Howard.

Let me applaud the wonderful job the panel of aboriginal academics did of shooting this work to pieces. Next to David Newhouse, Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux and Patrick Brazeau, this pair of authors looked like a couple of stunned turkeys. Said Professor Wesley-Esquimaux, "Nobody should read this book," and it's safe to say I won't be wasting my money on it.

I am all for promoting discussion of aboriginal issues in this country, but not when material is being put forward by ignorant non-aboriginals (which, strangely enough, sounds a lot like their thesis statement) who believe, as they write in the book, that indigenous people are incapable of abstract thought or governance. It's almost like the co-authors looked at each other, asked "What's the one topic in the world we're most misinformed about?" and decided to write a book about it.

Further to this, Frances Widdowson states that these claims are not racist. Excuse me? How the hell can you make a derogatory remark about an entire race and them say your allegation is not racist? Perhaps she does not know the meaning of the term.

rac·ism (rā'sĭz'əm) n. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

Exactly.

The discussion swayed, at one point, to the growing number of indigenous individuals living in urban centres. It was at this point that professor Newhouse produced the beautiful utterance that formed the title for today's entry. He spoke to the fact that aboriginal spirituality teaches a connection of the individual with the earth that is carried along even if we move from rural communities to cities. "There is life underneath the concrete."

The response from co-author Widdowson was, "Are we suggesting that the aboriginal people have a spiritual relationship to the land?" Umm...let's review...aboriginal spirituality teaches a connection of the individual with the earth. Yes, I do believe that's what we're suggesting. "How is this substantiated?" she asks, going on to tear apart the beliefs of Canada's indigenous people citing that she has no spiritual beliefs herself. Really, Ms Widdowson? It's not your believe and it is therefore false? Wow. I applaud your academic vigour.

It became very obvious very quickly that this work came from a place of fear. Fear of the other, like homophobia or transphobia, does not make for excellence in academics, and the co-authors of Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry have supplied us with a perfect example of this phenomenon.

Why is it that so many individuals cannot accept that others might hold a set of beliefs that are different from one's own? How does aboriginal spiritual belief and cultural diversity pose a threat to the authors of this book? Just because they do not understand the importance of living off the land or of feeling a connection--both spiritual and physical--to the land that is our mother doesn't make this outlook obsolete, as they claim.

I'll leave professor Wesley-Esquimaux with the last words:

"People should have the option to live the way they choose."

Quick Six Interview with Jane Toombs

Quick Six
Interview with Jane Toombs

1. Hi Jane! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

My favorite type is paranormal romance, but I also write historical, contemporary, Regency and fantasy romance. Plus a bit of horror.

2. What are you reading right now?

Aliens and Alien Societies: A writer's guide to creating extraterrestrial life-forms by Stanley Schmidt.

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

A CD of Big Band Themes. (I go waaay back.)

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

One I say out loud? Sh-t.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

Yeah, I never got used to fu-k being used as casual slang. That's not to say if I'm writing about some character that would use it I don't write it. But I hate to hear it said aloud.

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

A cup of decaf tea. Honest.

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

At my website: www.JaneToombs.com Or at: www.JewelsoftheQuill,com where I'm one of 12 authors who work together to promote one another and also write anthologies. My latest book is my North Of Nonesuch Series of paranormal romances published by: www.whiskeycreekpress.com (North Of Nonesuch being where weird might happen--and usually does.)

Oooh...I'll definitely look into your paranormal work. The paranormal is a twenty-year-old interest of mine that has just started to re-emerge. It's sneaking its way into my writing, and now into my choice of reading material too.
Thanks so much for the interview!
Giselle

Giselle's on her knees yet again!

This is becoming a very familiar position...

Today I'm on my knees to beg and plead for your vote in the Midnight Seductions Endless Romance Contest.

It's reader's choice! From now until December 8th 2008, you can vote on the hottest love scene. I would be delighted if you could vote for mine, but even if you don't it's certainly worth checking out all 42 contest entries. Can you imagine? 42 love scenes to melt the snow outside my window.

My entry is a scene from erotic romance TANGLED ROOTS, available from eXcessica. And don't forget, I'm donating every last penny of profit from all my sales through the eXcessica website until December 15th 2008 to the LGBT YOUTHLINE, a valuable organization providing peer support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, 2-spirited, queer and questioning youth.

Get on over to Midnight Seductions to vote for the love scene that melts your butter. I hope it's mine!

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

Free as a Sparrow

Guess what? Another Giselle Renarde FREE READ is up and available for you to devour. Fly on over to Oysters & Chocolate to pour over my newest tale, SPARROW TAKES FLIGHT. In fewer than a thousand words, this baby will shower you with rain-soaked lesbian longing. Best of all, it's free!!!


Freedom has been on my mind this week. On Remembrance Day--this past Tuesday--I was sitting at my computer as 11am approached. Last Call played on the radio and I found myself standing, facing the window looking North across my country, and preparing for a moment of silence.

In silence, I honoured freedom. I honoured my country, Canada, which allows me the space, both physical and mental, to be who I am. I do not support war, generally, but when I consider the basic human rights my grandparents fought to preserve, I am awed. When I imagine the atrocities of the concentration camps my sexual identity would have landed me in, tears fill my eyes.

I am free. I am free to speak my mind, even when my opinions are unpopular, even when my radical feminism sparks controversy. I am free to walk my girlfriend to her car, to kiss her lips as I say goodbye, with little fear of prejudice and no fear of imprisonment. To me, this is the greatest freedom of all.

We Canadians don't say this as often as we should, but...I love my country. Consider this a love letter to Canada.

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

Quick Six Interview with Sci-fi/Romance author Nikki Sinclaire

Quick Six Interview
with Sci-fi/Romance author Nikki Sinclaire

1. Hi Nikki! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

I'll be happy to! The short answer to your question is that I write Sci-Fi/Romance with a pinch of Erotica (did I say pinch?), but there's a lot more to it than that.

I’m very particular about the Sci-Fi/Romance sub-genre, as I believe that it encompasses everything that I consider fun and exciting in a book. A Nikki Sinclaire novel has to be a story about first and foremost, romance with a "happily ever after" ending. It is about the characters and their relationships to one another.

Growing up, I was an avid Star Trek (the original series) fan. The show's special effects were novel and extremely expensive for their time. They were sophisticated enough, in fact, that their cost eventually led to the show’s cancellation. The gadgets on the show were clearly ahead of their time, and I would argue, gave us a glimpse into the future we're living in right now. Do today’s tablet notebook computers remind you of Nurse Chapel’s electronic note pad? Was that a floppy disk, CD or DVD that Mr. Spock kept loading data into his science station from?

Star Trek's special effects, however, served as the backdrop for the real story, they weren't the main event. The story of the relationships between the characters was what the show was all about. Spock’s lack of emotion, versus McCoy’s criticisms, paired with Scotty’s love for the ship and all led by Captain Kirk’s Alpha Male, agressive leadership style.

My novels follow that same style. Reading The Virtual Man, the first book in my new Virtual Reality series, readers, will be exposed to luxury starships, futuristic weaponry, sophisticated gadgets, nano-technology and cybernetic implants. All these “gadgets”, however, are part of the setting for the story, not the main event. The book is really about the relationships, emotions, passions and struggles of the characters. If I were to change the setting and move the story to 21st century Earth, all the plots, sub-plots and characters would still work. Yes, the book is set 500 years in the future, but the beautiful thing about it is that we fragile, flawed and stubborn humans really haven’t changed much in all that time. Love is still able to move mountains while greed and jealousy are still motivations for betrayal. Our needs aren’t going to be any different in the 25th century than they are right now in the 21st century. We all want to find that special person with whom we can share our life and it is no different in my 25th century existence.

The last thing I want to add is that humor is interweaved throughout my stories. My characters can be grumpy, sarcastic, impish or outright ornery. I believe that when the going gets tough you can either cry about it or laugh about it. I find laughter, particularly at the most unlikely of times, much more pleasant.


2. What are you reading right now?

Okay, you got me! I am reading two books at the same time, depending on my mood. I am reading a regency by Liz Carlyle titled Never Romance a Rake and I am also reading Lara Santiago's Little Red Rides the Wolf. I am strictly a romance novel reader. I don't have a lot of time to read, so when I do, it better be fun, inspiring and entertaining.

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

Well, being a 70's child you will usually find me listening to 70's music. I have a friend who claims that when the clock struck one minute after midnight on January 1, 1980 I turned my radio off permanently. In my own defense that's not true since I do listen to a great deal of 80's music, such as what is playing right now, which is Call Me by Blondie. You could have just as easily caught me listening to Donna Summer, Kiss, Tavares, and the list goes on and on. I enjoy all kinds of music to include country western, southern rock, heavy metal or disco. The only thing you will never catch me listening to is classical music.


4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

Well, let's see, since my writing tends to lean towards the erotic, I keep lists of appropriately descriptive words for both the male and female "genitalia" that I refer to depending on the context. of what I am writing. I tend to prefer, however, the more traditional "pussy" and "cock", so I think I'll declare it a tie and call them both my favorite naughty words.


5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

YES! The phrase "to be perfectly honest with you" drives me nuts. It is a waste of breath. If you're telling me you're going to be honest with me right now, just this once, does that mean that the rest of the time you're lying to me? Or perhaps it means you are about to lie to me, but you want me to believe you.


6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Well, "to be perfectly honest with you..." [insert innocent grin here] Nothing! You believe me don't you? I am on my 7th Diet Coke of the day, though. Does that count?


Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

Yes, I am incredibly excited about my new book, The Virtual Man, which was just released October 23rd. It is an extremely funny, yet emotional and passionate story about two people who are thrust together by a quirk of fate and the underlying currents that lead the hero, Derek Hart, to be convicted of a crime he did not commit, while at the same time someone is trying to murder Tiana Weiss, the heroine. The plot involves betrayal, revenge, and a quest for power that is motivating an alien race to exterminate the very race they descended from. Humanity. Once they both discover that they are pawns in the much larger picture that threatens Earth's very existence, they set out to survive, fall in love and save the galaxy, not necessarily in that order. LOL.

The Virtual Man, is the first of a series of five books that I am calling, as I mentioned earlier, the Virtual Reality series. The book is available from Bookstrand Publishing at http://www.bookstrand.com/product-thevirtualman-13920-192.html. If your readers would like to learn more about me, my contests or the philosophy behind my writing I would encourage them to go to my web site at www.nikkisinclaire.com. If they just want to chat with me, they can also reach me via e-mail at nikki@nikkisinclaire.com.

Thank you so much for chatting with me today.

I'm going to have to turn my girlfriend Sweet on to your work; she's a sci-fi fanatic. (I always say "trekkie" but she tells me the proper term is "trekker"...) She has a knack of incorporating Star Trek into just about every conversation we have, and any time she needs to illustrate a point using an example, it's bound to be drawn from Star Trek...or Deep Space Nine because apparently they're not the same thing. Don't ask me! All I ever watched was The Next Generation because I had a huge crush on Patrick Stewart. (Ok, I still kinda do...)

Thanks so much for the interview, Nikki!

gigi

Open Ears, Open Minds

How can erotica support LGBT youth?

To celebrate the re-release of my debut e-book THE BIRTHDAY GIFT, I would like to offer up a gift we can all take part in giving.

From now until December 15th 2008, the proceeds of each and every purchase of GISELLE RENARDE EROTICA through the eXcessica website will be donated to the Lesbian Gay Bi Trans YOUTHLINE!

LGBT YOUTHLINE provides queer-positive, non-judgmental peer support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, 2-spirited, queer and questioning youth. Based in my home city, LGBT YOUTHLINE offers free services through its toll-free phone number, by email and instant messenger. To find out more about this organization, visit their website.

Please join me in raising funds to help LGBT YOUTHLINE expand its services and continue providing an open ear and an open mind to queer youth.

All you have to do is visit eXcessica.com and purchase a copy of THE BIRTHDAY GIFT, TANGLED ROOTS, or CUNNING LITTLE VIXENS by Giselle Renarde before midnight on December 15th 2008. After Paypal takes its thirty-nine cents or so, every penny from the sale will go to support this righteous cause.

Together, we can ensure LGBT youth are supported through times of trial and triumph.

THE BIRTHDAY GIFT is back and better than ever!

This is a great story for anybody who's a little curious about alternative lifestyles, gay male erotica, voyeurism, group sex or lesbian erotica. That's right: THE BIRTHDAY GIFT has it all! It's a wonderful read for anyone looking for sizzling erotica with a lot of variety and a twist you'll never see coming.

~Blurb~
Meredith is a cake-baking, apron-wearing small-town Canadian mom. Her guiding principle in life is, “What would June Cleaver do?” That is, until a curious set of circumstances cause her to crash an outdoor gathering where she stumbles upon a pair of delicious hunks getting a little hands-on with each other. Surely June Cleaver would have headed for the hills at the sight! Not Meredith. This relaxed get-together really heats up when one man’s wife appears on the scene… and encourages Meredith to join in.

To read a spicy excerpt and purchase your copy today, visit:
http://excessica.com/index.php/books/the-birthday-gift-by-giselle-renarde/

Buy your copy before December 15th and proceeds will be donated to LGBT YOUTHLINE!

Quick Six Interview with Vernon Welles

Quick Six
Interview with Vernon Welles

1. Hi Vernon! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

VW: 60% Erotica, 20% Science fiction/Fantasy,15% Romance, 5% Poetry

2. What are you reading right now?

VW: Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader (I love trivia)

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

Sarah Vaughn - Dinah Washington - Billie Holiday - Ella Fitzgerald - Etta James (On rotation)

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

Naughty, as beauty, is in the ear (or eye) of the listener (or beholder). I do say 'fuck' a lot.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

1) May I see your licence, sir? 2) This is gonna cost more than we figured. 3) I don't like the look of that lump.

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks :Caramel Corn Flavor (and Earl Grey tea).

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find
out more about you and your work?

I'm working on a new Romance story to be posted on eXcessia, this will be my first. I have several stories posted under another nom de plume on Literotica.com. E-mail me at wellesvernonATyahooDOTcom if you're interested.

Thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed, Giselle.

No problem! Thanks for stopping by. And snacking on rice cakes and tea, you're my healthiest interviewee yet!
Cheers,
gigi

Shorty but Sweety

In need of a free read? Here's a shorty but sweety for those who love lesbian erotica:

Repeat Broadcast is a melancholic poem of longing. I wrote it in bed one night, listening to my beloved CBC Radio Two. A concerto for bass guitar came on and I smiled not just because of the very bizarre orchestration, but because I'd actually heard it before. Repeat broadcast. And then my mind began to wander...

Read my poem of lesbian longing, along with poetry and stories by other talented authors, absolutely free at my new favourite site, Oysters and Chocolate.

Lot of Lovin'
gigi

Quick Six Interview with Vivian Vincent

Quick Six Interview with Vivian Vincent

1. Hi Vivian! Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

Erotic Romance primarily. I did write one very short story several years ago. It was a drama of sorts about a suburban housewife and the aftermath of a driveby shooting. I'd like to eventually try my hand at a thriller or cop drama.

2. What are you reading right now?

Nauti Dreams by Lora Leigh. Very steamy! Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good steamy romance with hot hunky ex-Marines!


3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

Probably something from the 80's. I'm hopelessly addicted to 80's music. It's a weakness!

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

I say the "f" word way too much. Especially when I'm angry.


5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

"Your mom is in the hospital." I've heard that more than I should lately from my step-dad. :(


6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Pringles Screamin' Dill flavored chips! YUM!


Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

My first ever short story released September 15, 2008! It's called The Mechanic and is available through excessica.com.

Readers can find out more about me at MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/vivian_vincent

80's music? Well, thanks a lot! Now you've got me craving Boy George. I always was a sucker for the gender-queer. I'm going to have to tear this place apart looking for my old box of records. Actually--I just had a flashback--I had Karma Chameleon on record for sure, but my very first cassette tape was Madonna's Like a Virgin. How bizarre that I lost my cassette-tape-ownership-virginity to that particular recording.
Ahhhhhh...the memories.
Thanks for the interview, Vivian!
gigi

Quick Six Interview with Rick Laurie

Quick Six

Interview with Rick Laurie

1. Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

I like to write in every kind of genre, but, specifically, I like to write young adult fiction in a horror/mystery format. I have finished a novel titled The Boy in the Window about a fourteen-year-old girl solving a twenty-five-year-old murder. I am trying to get that published. I’m also about half way through another young adult novel titled The Book That Came True. This book is about a group of four teenagers who are reading a book assignment for English class, find out the book is really happening and they must figure out how to stop the inevitable ending.

2. What are you reading right now?

I’m reading Be Cool by Elmore Leonard. Prior to that I was totally immersed in Cormac McCarthy.

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

More than likely Sting. Hold on. Yep, that’s it. A live version titled All This Time, right after the 9/11 tragedy.

4. Do you have a favorite naughty word?

Pussy. I can’t help it. If there ever was a perfect descriptive, that’s it.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

“You’re such an asshole!” If my wife says that to me one more time…

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Reese Pieces. Better than sex? Well, pretty fucking close.

Yes, Reese's Pieces have the whole sweet-and-salty thing going for them...mmm...just like melty chocolate on sweaty skin. Ahem. And I completely agree: I love pussy too. lol. Thanks for the interview!
gigi

poverotica

poverotica /pawvirottikaw/ (n) literature or art lending erotic qualities to the state of being extremely poor.

As you might have guessed, there’s no such thing as poverotica. It’s a new addition to my lexicon of made-up words. And you’ve probably never wondered why poverotica doesn’t exist amongst the numerous categories of erotic fiction on the market. I never did either until the righteous Alessia Brio asked Coming Together contributors to think about poverty as a blog topic. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why are there no sexy stories about those members of our society living at subsistence level?”

The question answers itself, doesn’t it? Of course we don’t think these things. Poverty isn’t sexy. In fact, without even realizing it, most of us have been conditioned to adopt a fundamental belief in just the opposite: Money is sexy. Without it, there is no romance.

Before erotica consumed my life, I was an academic. As such, I wrote a thesis on the surprisingly hegemonic implications of sex advice articles in women’s magazines. As a sidebar to my observations, I noticed that much of the advice given about improving one’s sex life involved purchasing products. For instance, when one woman wrote in to ask how she could begin to enjoy sex with her husband again after he’d cheated on her, the columnist advised her to “throw away your comfortable nightgown” and “switch over to some sexy lingerie.”

Apart from reinforcing the disturbingly common belief that her husband’s affair was this woman’s fault, by advising the inquisitor to “switch over to sexy lingerie,” this, like many other advice articles, subtly reinforces the role that sexuality plays in supporting Capitalism and consumerist behaviours.

The entire category of romantic love conspires with Capitalist endeavours to encourage commercialism through the purchase of roses, chocolates, jewellery, “romantic” holidays, weddings and much more, as signifiers of love and commitment. The conventional relationship-oriented objects and rituals that have the highest symbolic values, like the wedding, the wedding ring and the honeymoon, also have the highest exchange values. Just think about how incredibly profitable the wedding industry has become!

The idea that love, or sexual desire for that matter, is expressed through the exchange of items drawn from the specific lexicon of love-connoting merchandise has established a culture wherein “love” and consumerism exist in a symbiotic relationship: It is in the corporation’s interest to emphasize the symbolic value of its product in relation to love and sex, because this vastly increases the product’s exchange value.

From the example given above, it is far more likely that the advice-seeker, and other women in her situation, will purchase expensive, over-priced lingerie when they are led by magazine articles to believe that this will help to salvage their sex lives and even their marriages.

Conversely, such advice misleads readers into believing their relationships are doomed if they can’t afford the trappings of romantic love and desire. This is not just academic theory; it’s rehearsed again and again in real life. Hell, my girlfriend’s always reminding me how much she loves being treated to fancy meals and expensive gifts; they make her feel special.

How is it that even we, the educated and the socially aware, still fall into these Consumerist traps? The costly signifiers of romance are just that: empty vessels of connotation. There are far better ways of showing our loved ones we care, and these methods don’t require us to spend our life’s savings. Words cost nothing: “I love you. You are special. Come to bed and I’ll show you...”

Giselle Renarde
www.freewebs.com/gisellerenarde/
donutsdesires.blogspot.com

Ode to Mom

Here in Canada, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. The holiday’s got me thinking about everything I have in life. I may not own half as much stuff as most North Americans, but I’m very aware of the abundance in my life. As long as there’s food in my fridge and a roof over my head, the rest is pure luxury.

That’s in terms of “stuff.”

But “stuff” isn’t the half of it, when I start to think about the things for which I’m really, deeply grateful. In that vein, I would like to publicly and officially give thanks for the most special person in my life: my mom.

I’m grateful for her sensibility and good decisions. It takes incredible strength for a woman to remove herself from a bad domestic situation. It takes diligence, hard work, and excellent budgeting skills to support four children unaided on a secretary’s salary.

Sure, mom and I had our screaming matches when I was in my teens, but as adults we’ve established a close bond. When I admitted to her, many years ago, that I’d been involved with a married man, she just listened. She didn’t lecture me like a child, she listened to me as a friend. That’s how I knew there’d been a shift in our relationship.

How fortunate am I to have a mother who, when I introduced the topic of sexual identity, wholeheartedly encouraged me to identify as “queer” if that’s how I felt? And how many moms would react to a daughter’s romantic relationship with a transsexual woman by saying, “That’s kind of weird, but I’m so proud that you’re so open-minded and accepting”? And since then, she’s gone on to become very interested in and supportive of my relationship with Sweet. She sees that I’m loved, and that’s all that matters.

I couldn’t ask for a better mom. The trouble is, I’m really bad at telling people just how much they mean to me. Tomorrow, when I gather with my family for Thanksgiving dinner, let’s see if I can finally work up the courage to tell my mom just how great she is.

And to all Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget there’s a federal election on Tuesday. Get out there and vote!

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

On My Knees...Again...

This is becoming a quaintly familiar pose. What I'm begging for today is your vote. Hmm...have you heard that one before?

My wonderfully fabulous trailer for TANGLED ROOTS is entry #8 for the month of October's New Covey Trailer Awards. That's right: I've hit the big time, baby. So please click here to head on over and vote for it. Remember, the music was arranged and recorded by yours truly. That's gotta count for something, right?

Moment of Random Nostalgia

Do you remember THE TRASHCAN TANGO from Sesame Street? I'm not sure what just reminded me of it, and I'm also not sure what we did before youtube. It didn't take much searching to find this clip from my favourite childhood TV show. Click here to watch it. Gosh, that takes me back. In fact, it's even funnier than I remember.

Well, friends, thanks for sharing this moment of random nostalgia with me. I always did like Oscar best. Hmm...maybe that's why I end up writing characters like Simone from TANGLED ROOTS.

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

Quick Six Interview with Selena Kitt

Quick Six

Interview with Selena Kitt

We're in luck today! Why? Because we have the one and only Selena Kitt joining us for Quick Six.

1. So, Selena, would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

SK: At the moment, primarily erotic, but I also enjoy writing horror and suspense.

2. What are you reading right now?

SK: The "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyers (because the kids picked it up and made a big deal and I had to see what all the fuss was about!) So far, sparkly "vegetarian" vampire meets very odiferous human girl...hmmmm...

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

SK: Music? Oh, no, that's just The Wiggles... the only singing group in existence who have made me seriously contemplate both homicide and suicide...

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

SK: Spasmed. I'm told it's not even a word, but I'm a rebel like that :)

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

SK: Billowy. Ugh. Don't ask me why, I think it's just such a silly word. I'm one of those writers who hates long, drawn out descriptions of...well...anything... I'm of the mind that if you can't use it in conversation, throw it out. Seriously, where are you going to use this word in conversation? "Look at those billowy clouds!" Really? Come on!

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

Honestly? Celery and peanut butter with a few raisins on top. Kids call them "Bugs on a Log" - which makes it sound soooo much more appetizing, right? Now if you asked me what I WANTED to be snacking on... OMG... chocolatechocolatechocolatechoc...

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

New stuff coming out all the time... and a pretty big backlist, too!
www.selenakitt.com

Hmmm... The Wiggles and Bugs on a Log? There are so many things in this world I have yet to experience. And what about sails? Can they billow?
*smirk*
Thanks so much for your time, Selena!
Cheers,
gigi

That Explains the Donuts

You’ll have to excuse me if I sound a little light-headed; I’ve eaten nothing but donuts today. One after another, after another…and then one more. Maple cream, glazed sourdough, old fashioned chocolate, and a blueberry fritter. And you wondered why my blog was called Donuts & Desires!

That explains the “Donuts.”

As for the desires…let’s just say they’re being expertly fulfilled as well. Okay, maybe not four times a day (at least, not since that night a couple weeks ago when I took Sweet to the theatre. She really appreciated it.), but six months into our relationship, it still feels very new. We’re still figuring things out, especially when it comes to sex.

I’d never been involved with a transsexual woman before Sweet. She’d never been in a lesbian relationship before me. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever shared this with you, but in the beginning, Sweet was adamant that this relationship—this girl-girl sexual relationship we now share—would never manifest.

How irritating it was for me, finally meeting Sweet in her girl form and being incorrigibly attracted to her, only for her to say, “Too bad! You can’t have me.” By the time she formally introduced herself to me as a woman, we’d been at it like rabbits for months in our boy-girl relationship. I was beyond ready to embrace Girl Sweet, and not just emotionally. The moment she appeared on my doorstep in that long flowing skirt, wearing makeup and jewellery, I wanted her. I wanted her like mad. But it was “No, no, no” at every turn.

I remember thinking…

HE is my lover. SHE will barely flirt with me. How do I reconcile this dichotomy when I can do nothing but wait out her resistance?
HE is my lover. But SHE is more real than HE. How can I be truly important in this person’s life when SHE doesn’t want to be the object of my love and desire? When my sexual energy can only be meant for…HIM…the lesser half…?

Girl Sweet fought my desire, but I knew in my heart that her opposition was not an insurmountable obstacle. I loved her. She loved me. It would all work out.

So how did we get from there to here? I patiently eroded her resistance, of course. * smirk * Yes, there’s more to the story, but I’ll share that with you another day. Patience pays, my friends.

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

Quick Six Interview with Savannah Reardon

Quick Six Interview with Savannah Reardon

1. Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

SR: I write erotica in all shades and varieties from normal, vanilla romance to hot and heavy BDSM to furry, alien lion-men.

2. What are you reading right now?

SR: Endangered Species by Nevada Barr

3. I hear music in the background…what's playing?

SR: Real Good Man by Tim McGraw (Yahoo Launchcast)

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

SR: I don't really think I have a favorite. I like most all of them. ;)

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

SR: cunt... Though I am trying to reclaim that word and have used it in some of my works.

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

SR: Funyuns!

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

SR: At the moment, I have Graceful Love, published by eXcessica. It's a romance filled with some angst brought about by a mother with psychological issues. It's also available on Fictionwise and ARe. Also available on eXcessica is the free read, Unplugged, a hot little story about a woman's experience with a butt plug and anal sex. I'm working on editing a novel length manuscript that I plan to submit to eXcessica in the near future, and I also have another story ready to submit to a different publisher (Dragons anyone?). Readers can get the latest news by going to http://savannahreardon.tripod.com, http://sreardon.blogspot.com, or www.myspace.com/savannahreardon.

I used to feel that way about "cunt"--that it was a bad, bad word--but the more I used it the more empowering a term it became for me, in my work and in my life. You're absolutely right about reclaiming it. "Cunt" is a lot like "Queer." Thirty years ago, "Queer" was a horrible word, but the community did an incredible job of converting it into a title of empowerment. Though, I do know a few older individuals who still shake their heads and ask, "How can you call yourself queer? That's a derogatory term!" But I could go on and on about etymological progression...instead, I'll just say thanks so much to Savanna Reardon for today's Quick Six interview!

A Love Note to Aspiring Authors

It seems like everyone needs something from building superintendent (okay, assistant super) Sexi Lexi. Luckily Lexi has a lot to give...

Featured this week at Ruthie's Club is a story near and dear to my heart called All in a Day's Work.

All in a Day’s Work is a self-reflexive take on those stale 1980’s “I’m here to fix your plumbing” porn videos. Lexi the Sexi superintendent (okay, assistant super) thinks she’s taking the building by storm until she meets the insistent Mrs Suraj. Convinced the boyish Lexi must be a lesbian, the beautiful tenant won’t release her until those rusty pipes are fixed. After an exhausting mutual masturbation session with a cute guy in the building, the sexy super comes home to a pussycat pair of college friends desperate for someone to hold the video camera as they live out an exhibitionist’s dream. No rest for the wicked! Red-hot from beginning to end, this piece includes some unexpected BDSM, good old 1980’s porn-watching, anal play, F/F content, and boasts a multi-cultural cast of characters.

Sounds like a fun little romp, right? Maybe a little bit self-discovery in there, but no deep emotional connections. What's so special about this story? It's pure porn!

Well, my friends, All in a Day's Work is the very first story I ever wrote with the intent of publishing. That's right: it was only just picked up this week, but I wrote Day's Work almost a year and a half ago.

The aspiring writers reading this post ought to feel encouraged by this fact. Do you ever feel like all you do is write and send off submissions, and all you get in return are rejections? I think we've all been there.

The first acceptance is golden, but you worry it was a one-off, or that the editor or publisher wasn't paying close enough attention, or even that they're trying to scam you somehow. Then a second work is accepted. You're over the moon, and a bit more at ease. You get more and more experience with the editing process under your belt, add some publications to your history, and suddenly you realize you have a hell of a lot of work out in the world.

If you really work at it and you have a knack for writing, there is hope. The key is to never stop learning. Always be open to advice from editors and seasoned writers. Don't get your back up at constructive criticism, even if it's harshly-phrased, because it's always more useful than you realize right away. The more I really listened to what my editors were telling me, the better my writing got. Gets. My work continues to improve as I receive more and more feedback.

I didn't realize, in the beginning, the importance of familiarizing oneself with the works a given editor appreciates, or with the type of stories a given publisher or magazine tends to select. I can't tell you how much time I wasted sending the wrong works to the wrong people! A fashion magazine doesn't want to see your article about black holes, right? It's the wrong venue to showcase your work. Send it to an astronomical publication. Know who your stories are geared toward and market to that demographic.

So, it's been advice day here at Donuts and Desires. I hope it's at least a little useful to at least one of you. *smile* I also hope you'll all run on over to Ruthie's Club to read my prime opus, All in a Day's Work.

Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

Quick Six Interview with Jennifer Campbell

Quick Six

Interview with Jennifer Campbell

1. Would you be so kind as to tell us what type of stories you write?

Well, I write the hard line BDSM stuff, basically because I'm into the lifestyle myself. My stories have a strong, internal voice for the main female character, and I get that from my own experiences in an eight year M/s relationship with my Master, Jack. My stuff is never going to be the best selling stuff out there, because it's pretty hardcore, and I like it that way. As you might expect, I don't do HEA endings, but all my characters grow within themselves, accept their submission, and in the end are content in their enslavement. If you read one of my books, or the stories on my blog, you will get a taste of the feelings and motivations of a submissive female.

2. What are you reading right now?

I'm totally enthralled by Patricia Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed. The science and the reasoning is amazing. As far as books in the genre I write in, I recommend, Adriana Arden particularly the Alice series and Girlflesh Institute.

3. I hear music in the background…what’s playing?

That would be the Doors, I'm a rock and roll girl, but I'm disconnected from my generation in that I love the classics. It's all my Dad's fault that I love the Mamas and the Papas California Dreaming. Stones, Kansas, Styx before they turned disco, and Led Zeppelin is what your hearing. Bob Dylan forever.

4. Do you have a favourite naughty word?

It's actually two, and they're only naughty for me. "No, Master." Think about it.

5. Is there a word or phrase that absolutely makes you cringe?

Those terms the right-wingers use, like indecent, morally repugnant, pornographic. To whom I ask, and who set you up as judge?

6. Be honest: What are you snacking on?

I am so addicted to this salted and flavored Diamond almonds. In the market, I try to avoid the nut aisle, but sometimes there's nothing I can do.

Promo time! Flog your wares. Any exciting new releases? How can readers find out more about you and your work?

My blog http://www.myspace.com/mansionslave

"No, Master"? Ooooooh, Jennifer, it's not just you; that gives me tingles!!!
Thank you kindly for granting me an interview!
gigi

Saying I Love You

I realized recently that, after going on and on about my inability to tell Sweet I love her (click here to read This Question of Love), I never shared with you the details of the big moment…which turned out to be just a little moment, actually. Just a peaceful little moment in bed with my Sweet.

It happened the first time Sweet and I spent a night sleeping all spooned up together in the same bed. We lay in the pitch blackness of her bedroom, basking in the afterglow of mind-blowing sex. She was the inside spoon, I was on the outside with my arms wrapped around her, kissing her shoulder. I’d been moderately distraught, as I mentioned, over my neurotic inability to flat out say, “I Love you.” I kept thinking it, kept feeling it, just couldn’t say it.

“You know so much about me now,” she said, having finally come out to me as transsexual. And not with the subtle references and allusions that had formerly led me to see Sweet as a cross-dresser, but with real words:

I used to think of myself as CD, but as my understanding, access to information and vocabulary increased I realized who I was, where my place in life was, and why I’ve felt as I have all my life. Now I place myself more in the non-op TS category.

It made little difference in our relationship, beyond my initial frustration that it took her so long to trust me enough to tell me, and the evident switch from the male to female pronoun. But I was ready for it. I had a sense her genderqueerness was more extensive than she had yet shown me, so it was kind of a relief when she finally said it in words. It showed me that she realized exactly how embracing I am, and that I am truly an ally of and advocate for the transgender community.

“There must be some secret you have,” Sweet went on that night. “Is there nothing you’ve been keeping from me?”

“There is,” I told her. “But, see, if I say it now it’ll seem like a big deal. It isn’t. I mean, it’s something I tell my friends all the time, but I’m just so afraid it’ll scare you somehow. I’m afraid you’ll think I’m some obsessive fatal-attraction psycho.”

Sweet laughed, facing away from me in the dark. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“It’s just that…” I held my breath. “…I love you.”

“Oh,” Sweet replied. “Well, of course you do. I already knew that. Don’t you have any other secrets?”

“No…”