Just When You Thought It Was All Over...

Well, you know how I was far too… erm… you know… nice... to post some of the more intimate details from Carol Lynne’s Yahoo list on here? Well, somebody out there obviously doesn’t have the same internal conflict as I did.

Nice huh?

I loved this bit from a letter that Raelene Whatsherface from EC, sent to Carol:

"IGNORE THE NASTY BLOG! Honestly, that's the best advice I can give. Be assured that we know how much of those posts are untrue.


You've been a great success with your very first book. Jealous and petty people - unsuccessful or less-successful writers - resent that and try to bring you down in order to make themselves feel better".

I’m wondering which bits were untrue exactly? The bits where I implied that Carol Lynne’s book stunk like two day old fish?

This bit was also fascinating:

"Your first book sold four times what an average EC new release sells, especially one by a new, unknown author. That is outstanding.


We've had only a couple of authors who've started out with such a bang. The second book looks like it will also do amazingly well. Believe me, that little group of bitches on the blog does not represent our reader market - the sales speak for themselves."

How stupid is this woman? How does she not know that the only reason Carol Lynne’s book sold so well was due to the kerfuffle that resulted from my review?

I wonder who she’s referring to as ‘little bitches’? I think she means you too Jane.

As for not representing their reader market, well I’m flabbergasted. I’ve spent literally thousands of pounds at EC in the past few years, surely that makes me a loyal reader?

Anyway, this bit tells me how much Carol Lynne really owes me for making her infamous famous:

"You get to laugh all the way to the bank. Honey, your royalties for the year are going to exceed my annual salary by far. And sales like that generate the profit that enables EC to pay my salary".

And she didn’t even have the grace to thank me.

Anyway, if you want to read the rest, you’ll have to bob over to Der Schadenfreude’s blog, cuz my adorable nephew’s about to wake up in a bad mood…

Who Is Robin Thicke And Where Did He Get That Voice From?

I love his voice, it’s just so damn sexy. Shame his face doesn’t match the voice, with pipes like his, I was expecting so much more…

And also, somebody shoulda told him that Robin Thicke isn’t great as far as popstar names go. It’s hardly rock ‘n’ roll is it? *g*

Yes I'm Still Here...

I'm just busy as a bee right now, but I had to pop in to say, Jesus effing Christ.

I'm thinking that this broad is doing waaaay more damage to Ellora's Cave than I ever could.

Somebody's Special Somebodies Part 4... R.I.P

"What happened...

Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were 14 and 16 years old, respectively. They were friends who attended the same high school in Houston, Texas, Waltrip High School. On June 24, 1993, the girls spent the day together....and then died together.

They were last seen by friends about 11:15 at night, when they left a friend's apartment to head home, to beat summer curfew at 11:30. They knew they would be late if they took the normal path home, down W. 34th Street to T.C. Jester, both busy streets. They also knew they would have to pass a sexually-oriented business on that route and so decided to take a well-known shortcut down a railroad track and through a city park to Elizabeth's neighborhood.

The next morning, the girls parents began to frantically look for them, paging them on their pagers, calling their friends to see if they knew where they were, to no avail. The families filed missing persons reports with the Houston Police Department and continued to look for the girls on their own. The Ertmans and Penas gathered friends and neighbors to help them pass out a huge stack of fliers with the girls' pictures all over the Houston area, even giving them to newspaper vendors on the roadside.

Four days after the girls disappeared, a person identifying himself as 'Gonzalez' called the Crimestoppers Tips number. He told the call taker that the missing girls' bodies could be found near T.C. Jester Park at White Oak bayou. The police were sent to the scene and searched the park without finding anything. The police helicopter was flying over the park and this apparently prompted Mr. 'Gonzalez' to make a 911 call, directing the search to move to the other side of the bayou. When the police followed this suggestion, they found the badly decaying bodies of Jenny and Elizabeth.

Jennifer Ertman's dad, Randy Ertman, was about to give an interview regarding the missing girls to a local television reporter when the call came over a cameraman's police scanner that two bodies had been found. Randy commandeered the news van and went to the scene that was now bustling with police activity. My first knowledge of the death of Jennifer was seeing Randy, on the news that evening, screaming at the police officers who were struggling to hold him back, "Does she have blond hair?? DOES SHE HAVE BLOND HAIR?!!?"

Fortunately, they did manage to keep Randy from entering the woods and seeing his daughter's brutalized body and that of her friend Elizabeth, but they were unable to escape that fate themselves. I saw hardened, lifelong cops get tears in their eyes when talking about the scene more than a year later.

The bodies were very badly decomposed, even for four days in Houston's brutal summer heat and humidity, particularly in the head, neck and genital areas. The medical examiner later testified that this is how she could be sure as to the horrible brutality of the rapes, beatings and murders.

The break in solving the case came from, of course, the 911 call. It was traced to the home of the brother of one of the men later sentenced to death for these murders. When the police questioned 'Gonzalez', he said that he had made the original call at his 16 year-old wife's urging. She felt sorry for the families and wanted them to be able to put their daughters' bodies to rest. 'Gonzalez' said that his brother was one of the six people involved in killing the girls, and gave police the names of all but one, the new recruit, whom he did not know.

His knowledge of the crimes came from the killers themselves, most of whom came to his home after the murders, bragging and swapping the jewelry they had stolen from the girls.

While Jenny and Elizabeth were living the last few hours of their lives, Peter Cantu, Efrain Perez, Derrick Sean O'Brien, Joe Medellin and Joe's 14 year old brother were initiating a new member, Raul Villareal, into their gang, known as the Black and Whites. Raul was an acquaintance of Efrain and was not known to the other gang members.

They had spent the evening drinking beer and then "jumping in" Raul. This means that the new member was required to fight every member of the gang until he passed out and then he would be accepted as a member. Testimony showed that Raul lasted through three of the members before briefly losing consciousness.

The gang continued drinking and 'shooting the breeze' for some time and then decided to leave. Two brothers who had been with them but testified that they were not in the gang left first and passed Jenny and Elizabeth, who were unknowingly walking towards their deaths. When Peter Cantu saw Jenny and Elizabeth, he thought it was a man and a woman and told the other gang members that he wanted to jump him and beat him up. He was frustrated that he had been the one who was unable to fight Raul.

The gang members ran and grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her down the incline, off of the tracks. Testimony showed that Jenny had gotten free and could have run away but returned to Elizabeth when she cried out for Jenny to help her.

For the next hour or so, these beautiful, innocent young girls were subjected to the most brutal gang rapes that most of the investigating officers had ever encountered. The confessions of the gang members that were used at trial indicated that there was never less than 2 men on each of the girls at any one time and that the girls were repeatedly raped orally, anally and vaginally for the entire hour.

One of the gang members later said during the brag session that by the time he got to one of the girls, "she was loose and sloppy." One of the boys boasted of having 'virgin blood' on him.

Click to read on


The 14-year-old juvenile later testified that he had gone back and forth between his brother and Peter Cantu since they were the only ones there that he really knew and kept urging them to leave. He said he was told repeatedly by Peter Cantu to "get some". He raped Jennifer and was later sentenced to 40 years for aggravated sexual assault, which was the maximum sentence for a juvenile.

When the rapes finally ended, the horror was not over. The gang members took Jenny and Elizabeth from the clearing into a wooded area, leaving the juvenile behind, saying he was "too little to watch". Jenny was strangled with the belt of Sean O'Brien, with two murderers pulling, one on each side, until the belt broke. Part of the belt was left at the murder scene, the rest was found in O'Brien's home.

After the belt broke, the killers used her own shoelaces to finish their job. Medellin later complained that "the bitch wouldn't die" and that it would have been "easier with a gun". Elizabeth was also strangled with her shoelaces, after crying and begging the gang members not to kill them; bargaining, offering to give them her phone number so they could get together again.

The medical examiner testified that Elizabeth's two front teeth were knocked out of her brutalized mouth before she died and that two of Jennifer's ribs were broken after she had died. Testimony showed that the girls' bodies were kicked and their necks were stomped on after the strangulations in order to "make sure that they were really dead."

The juvenile pled guilty to his charge and his sentence will be reviewed when he turns 18, at which time he could be released. The other five were tried for capital murder in Harris County, Texas, convicted and sentenced to death. I attended all five trials with the Ertmans and know too well the awful things that they and the Penas had to hear and see in the course of seeing Justice served for their girls.

Two VERY important things in the criminal justice system have changed as a result of these murders. After the trial of Peter Cantu, Judge Bill Harmon allowed the family members to address the convicted. This had not previously been done in Texas courts and now is done as a matter of routine.

The other change came from the Texas Department of Corrections which instituted a new policy allowing victims' families the choice and right to view the execution of their perpetrators.

I had an ever-swaying opinion on the death penalty before this happened to people I know, before I watched the justice system at work firsthand. I have now come to believe that there are some crimes so heinous, so unconscionable that there can be no other appropriate punishment than the death penalty.

This is why I joined Justice For All."

Source: Victim's Voices

Your Good Deed For The Day...

TTG and I are going to The Lakes for a short break. (I’ll post the review for Rockstar on Tuesday hopefully, sorry Ros.)

We were going to do Frankfurt, but after last year, we decided that we’d rather go somewhere, where us being black wasn’t a problem for the locals.

Anyway, before I go, I’d like to post this. I’ve copied the whole thing onto here:

Bam: Hello, Friends. Our guest author for today, Skyla Dawn Cameron is not here to talk about her work, writing, or personal life (although that stuff’s fun too). She would like to take this opportunity to introduce to us a very special project she is working on that will benefit our disenfranchised and persecuted sisters all over the world. Why is she doing this? Well, let’s give Skyla the floor, so she can tell us all about it. Sisters and Friends, please give a warm welcome to Skyla.

The Inspiration – On April 7th of this year, seventeen-year-old Dua Khalil Aswad, of Northern Iraq, was pulled into a group of men–some of them family members–who tore off her clothes, then beat and stoned her to death. The ordeal took about thirty minutes, and though the police witnessed the event, they didn’t intervene.

All this was recorded on camera phones by several members of the “audience” and if you’re really curious, you can find the video on both CNN’s website and YouTube. Her crime? Dua Khalil was of the Yazidi faith, and she was seen in the company of a Muslim man that her family believed she intended to marry. She was brutally murdered to preserve the “honour” of her family.

One month later, popular filmmaker Joss Whedon posted his utter outrage at Dua Khalil’s death–as well as the larger issue of violence against women in general–on a fan-run news blog, Whedonesque. You can find the post in it’s entirety here, but to quote the bit that inspired the title of our project:

Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

As you see, among his words was a call to action. I was inspired to organize a response from some of us.

What We’re Doing – We’re putting together an anthology of short stories, essays, poems, and art work, called “Nothing But Red.” The book will be produced as both a trade paperback and an eBook through Lulu.com with the proceeds going to Equality Now.

The book will be released on April 7, 2008 (the one-year anniversary of Dua Khalil’s death). We are pleased to announce, officially, that the first essay in the book will be Joss Whedon’s original post, “Let’s Watch a Girl Get Beat to Death.” Our website is currently located at http://www.nothingbutred.wordpress.com/.

What We’re Looking For – People to both contribute work, as well as offer assistance as volunteers.

Contributions: Submissions will open August 1, 2007 and close November 1, 2007. Although inspired by Dua Khalil’s death, submissions need not be about her specifically; we’re looking for responses to the issues Whedon raised, such as violence against women and the inherent misogyny in all cultures. This could be a short story about a woman standing up to domestic abuse. It could be an essay on the continual need for feminism. It could be a poem exploring the brutality of honor killings.

What we aren’t looking for are ten thousand word rants attacking religion, politics, or men in general. We all have strong opinions about things, but let’s try to be grownups about this, m’kay folks?

For further submission guidelines, please visit the “Submissions” page on our website.

Organizers: We have about a dozen people right now organizing things behind the scenes. Although it’s a fantastic, dedicated group, when submissions start rolling in, we’ll probably need more help.

If you have any specialized skills, such as editorial experience, PR/marketing experience, website design etc, and you’d like to volunteer your services, we’d greatly appreciate it. We’re also open to anyone who just feels like helping out by brainstorming ideas, proofreading, etc. Please, if this has inspired you to act, email me and I’ll invite you to our discussion group. Even if you don’t know what you can do to help, I’m sure you have something of value to contribute–even if it’s just acting as a cheerleader.

Who “We” Are – I’ve been using the collective “we” here a whole lot, and before you think that I’m a crazy person referring to her cats, let me assure you that there are several people other than me involved in this. There are a dozen organizers so far from across the world, all brought together by a shared desire to do something positive to promote equality. We range from multi-published writers to university students, people with experience in book design to professionals in various fields.

I Skyla Dawn Cameron am the head organizer, and I have a background in similar ventures: I’m heavily involved in my local writers’ organization and I’m currently chairing Public Relations for their first conference. We’re all serious about this project and dedicated to seeing it through.

How You Can Help – You can volunteer to help organize NBR by sending me an email at SkylaDawnCameron@yahoo.ca. That would be, like, really awesome. You can also help by simply spreading the word. Attending any writer or artist events? Going to any activist meeting? Please visit the page on our website called "Spread The Word" for some beautiful flyers that can be downloaded and printed. We also have a Cafepress storefront set up (we don’t make any money from the designs) where you can purchase a T-shirt, tote bag, mug, etc.

Another way to spread the word is to blog about it, and if you do it this week, you can win a prize…

Post something on your blog or website, a message forum, or wherever else you can think of, then post a link to it in a comment here. As thanks for your help, next Tuesday afternoon (June 26), I’ll randomly draw a name, and the winner will receive a free eBook of RIVER (my award winning debut novel) in their choice of one of the supported formats and a $15 Amazon GC from Dionne.

I originally posted about Dua Khalil, here. I still recall feeling sick to my stomach, when I watched the video footage, this shit just shouldn’t happen in this day and age, so let’s give Skyla a hand with her project, and you never know, we might just make a difference.

OK, that’s me, I’ll see you guys on Tuesday, be good now, and try to stay outta trouble while I’m gone. *g*

Oh Carol, Carol, Carol, After Everything I Did For You Too…

You guys remember her, right? Course you do, she was hot topic round Blogland for two days or so.

You know what they say about eavesdroppers never hearing any good of themselves, and how re-posting things online is kinda, well you know... passe?

Well, since I have no moral compass, to speak of, let me share this little Yahoo List conversation with you…

“I just don't feel like doing anything today. So far, I think I've only written about…

I keep telling myself I need to work on this book for Helen but there just any motivation to get it done. I'm not even sure if/when they will contract it because it will most likely go into '09.

On the other hand, even though I know I won't get a tenth of the money from Total E Bound, it's nice to be able to write a book and very quickly see the fruits of your labor.

Maybe I'm just in a funk today. Saw an interesting article on Karen's blog this morning. Complaining about Feels So Right and the Quickie by Barb sherridan and Anne Cain being the same story.

Of course she admitted that she hadn't read either one, but the blurbs both had the brother of the bride falling for the father of the groom.

It's not like we got together and planned it. I'm sure that if you took all the Naughty Nuptial Quickies and put them side by side, a lot of them would have the same combination of players.

But because Karen has a hard-on for me, this is the one that gets the attention. I feel like writing Anne and Barb a note appologizing for bringing them into Karen's little hateful world.”
Carol Lynne

“Who the fuck is this Karen bitch anyway? Is she reviewer? Another publisher? What's her deal?”
Christine Allen-Riley

“Wait a sec...is she the Dear Author hag?”
Christine Allen Riley

Re: Blagh!

“Karen is the blogger bitch from London who first started the carnage over Ben's book. Since then she mentions my name every time she can.
I probably brought more bloggers to her site than anyone else. She also hates, hates, Jaid/Tina.

http://karenknowsbest.blogspot.com/

I keep thinking if I don't respond in any way it will all just go away, but apparently Karen doesn't want that. She likes the attention I believe.”
Carol Lynne


“Only 1200. Gee Carol, I wish I could do that many.

What a jerk Karen aqpparently is. I liked Feels So Right, btw. And the two aren't even close to being the same book. Of course she'd know that if she'd read them.

I mean what about tentacles of love. The groom is trying to hide something in that one. In Heather Holland's Desperate [something] the guy... hiding something. Wedding Jitters the heroine is trying to hide something.

All plot points. Additionally, when dealing with a wedding, there are only so many stock characters to deal with. With readership looking toward a little bit older characters, it stands to reason that a parent might come into play. With as many Nuptial books as their doing, it also stands to reason that there will be cross over plot points.

Karen needs to get over herself and take and enema”

Web
Michele w/a Brynn Paulin

“Yeah, it's also why I'll never do another themed Quickie. I'm sure someone will also have a M/M werewolf quickie out at Halloween and I'll hear the same thing all over again.”
Carol Lynne

“I'm just really depressed today. When I read other books, they just don't read like mine. I used to think maybe I just had a different style, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I'm too close to them, but mine seem to read rather simple in nature. Maybe it's because I'm a story teller and not a story weaver. Who knows.

I can tell the mechanics of my writing are improving, but I think that's not the only problem. I'll know more when the new stories come out next month from the other publisher. Those are written with a different editor/beta, and they include the new mechanical skills I've learned so far.

If they are well received it will make me feel a little better. I'm also really worried about any nasty reviews I may get when Finnegan's Promise comes out. Maybe writing something so personal isn't such a good idea. That book is way too meaningful to me to let anyone rip it to shreds. I can be the strong, silent author for only so long before I decide to fight back, whether it hurts my career or not.”
Carol
Carol Lynne

Carol, how many people knew your name before I reviewed your book honey? I give you all that gooey free publicity, and this is how you repay me?

Some people are soooo ungrateful…

Seriously, don’t feel bad , I totally get your anger, and know that I don’t hate you for it. I hated your book, not you, but I guess you feel they’re one and the same huh? Sorry I totally trashed your book, and made you feel bad, depressed even, by all accounts, but look on the bright side, at least you got my money, which means you had the last laugh right?

By the way Carol, you know there were much worse stuff in there that I didn't post right? You know why I never posted them? Because that would have just been plain 'ole mean, plus they had nothing to do with me. Better go and hide those posts quickly now, you never know, how many of your peers will be reading them...

Oh yeah, and you can slag people off as much as you want, God knows, everybody does it, but for the love of God, lock your goddamn posts, so that they aren't accessible to all and sundry.

It Must Be Something In The Water.. And Somebody Found Out 'Her' Name...

This time it’s author, Dianne Castell (Lori Foster’s best buddy) who’s forgetting that sometimes it's best to say nothing. (Hey, I got nothing to sell, so I can say what I want.)

Go read Jennifer’s (Let’s Gab, and Don’t Talk, Just Read), rant about Dianne publicly berating a reader.

Sigh.

You know it’s bad when Jennifer gets controversial. *g*

Oh, by the way, THAT GIRL was called Karen Maries Stewart. Go read, it’s… an eye-opener. Not quite the choir boy eh?

To go to the trouble of finding out this information, somebody must really hate you-know-who. I wonder what she did to her…?

Spot The Difference...

Blurb from the EC site:

Naughty Nuptials - I Do By Barbara Sheridan , Anne Cain
Accountant Randy Ohara has been alone and lonely since the death of his first and only lover. While in New York to attend his sister's wedding he develops an instant and strong attraction to an unknown man at a Manhattan nightclub. The desire he feels is surprisingly intense, making Randy realize he's never wanted another man with such passion before.

It's even more of a surprise when Randy learns that the stranger he lusts for is none other than Jason Chen, the groom's widowed father. Randy doesn't dare make a move on the sexy older man, until the handsome detective reveals a few secrets of his own.





Naughty Nuptials - Feels So Right By Carol Lynne
On his eighteenth birthday, Austin Green's father kicked him out of the house for his sexual preferences. Now, all grown up, Austin returns home to attend his sister's wedding.

The evening of the rehearsal dinner, Austin meets the man of his dreams. Tony Rumalati looks to be the perfect man. There's just one problem. He's also his soon-to-be brother-in-law's father.

Although Tony's been divorced for most of his son's life, he has yet to find Mr. Right. That may change when he steps into the elevator with Austin. Can these two men survive a weekend of lust, love and bigotry?

Now I know there's a dearth of original plot devices, and I know that they are part of the same series, but seriously, both heroes get the hots for the groom's father? Okaaay then...

Thanks to Goddess Grrl for sending me the links!

Currently Reading: Risk, By Ann Christopher

A few people have recommended this book to me, (thanks Byrdlovestoread!) so I bought it. I may let you know how I like it, if I can be arsed. I'll be writing the review for Rockstar later today, so, we'll see...

Blurb From Amazon

Fine and fearless, Justus Robinson doesn't hesitate to hit on gorgeous law student Angela Dennis at his brother's wedding even though she's the bride's sister. That night the two share an unforgettably sexy dance, but nothing more--until ten years later when a tragedy reunites them...


...A Test Of Love

Angela has barely healed from a breakup when her sister and brother-in-law are killed in an accident. Sharing their grief, Justus and Angela discover they are still attracted to one another.


But when they find themselves competing to adopt their orphaned young niece, their rekindled passion is sorely tested. Justus is determined to raise the child even if it means alienating the woman he's never stopped wanting. Reeling from loss and tormented by her desire for Justus, Angela makes a drastic move--one that will change the lives of everyone involved...

You can visit Ann Christopher here, and buy Risk, here.

Cartoon Theme Songs Just Aren't What They Used To Be...

Dogtanian and The Muskehounds - I still remember all the words of the theme song.


Thundercats - loved these!


He-Man - Funny, Adam seemed more manly when I was 11...


She-Ra - I don't remember Dora sounding so wussy, do you?



Mysterious Cities Of Gold - Loved this theme song!

Somebody's Special Somebody...R.I.P

"On December 3, 2002, 8-year-old Marcianna Ringo was supposedly dropped off at school by Jamal Abeokuto, her mother's boyfriend.

When her mother, Milagro White, returned home from work late that afternoon, she discovered Marcianna was missing. She also found a message on her cell phone from the school saying the girl had never arrived that day. White immediately called police and told them her daughter was missing. Ringo's parents pleaded for her safe return. The entire community tried to help find out what had happened to Marcianna. Police found a pair of blood soaked pants near her home but no sign of her.

According to the FBI agent investigating the case, the morning Marcianna disappeared started normally. White left for work just after 7 a.m., leaving Marcianna and her 3-year-old brother, Marc Ringo Jr., in the care of Abeokuto. Marc Ringo Sr. arrived at the apartment around 7:30 to pick up his son and take him to day care. Abeokuto told Ringo Sr. that Marcianna had already left for school. However, a neighbor later told police that she saw Marcianna getting into Abeokuto's car just after 8 a.m.

A few days later Marcianna's mother received a ransom note asking for $5000 in
exchange for her little girl. Police went to the drop off location but no one showed up. Police found Jamal Abeokuto's finger prints on the other side of the note. Police then started to look for Jamal Abeokuto to arrest him for writing the note but were unable to locate him. Police put out a nationwide alert on him, including showing his picture on the America's Most Wanted Fox TV show on Dec. 14.

Then, Marcianna's parents worst nightmare came to reality. Two children found Marcianna's frozen, partially snow-covered body in the woods nine days after she disappeared. Her throat had been slit and she had massive blows to the head. I am completely offended over the fact that there are people evil enough to slash a child's throat. How wicked and cold hearted do they get? Who could slash the throat of a beautiful little girl and WHY?

A street was named after Marcianna. The name of the 5200 block of Loch Raven Boulevard is now Marcianna Ringo Way. Marcianna is remember a bright child who was a mentor at her school.

Abeokuto was found guilty. He claims that voices told him to murder the child, believing it would bring Ringo’s mother and him closer together if he killed her daughter. He was sentenced to die."

Source: Black Kids Heaven.

Somebody's Special Somebody Part2...R.I.P

"This story is about our sister. Her mother is Lana, her father is Ted, and she is the third born of four girls. Growing up she was always the littlest, the most petite and the pickiest of all four. As a little girl she loved to be with her little sister Christina; they were inseparable growing up.

We lived in Commerce City, CO until she was about 11 years old. We then moved to Arizona, to be in the warm weather. While she was there, she and our mom were the best of friends. She loved to baby-sit for people and loved that she made her own money. She often took our mom and Christina out for lunch.

In April of 1991, they returned to Commerce City to live, as Trisha wanted to go to Adams City High School to attend high school where her mother and older sisters graduated. She started high school in 1991. She loved to go to school; she had a 3.5 or a 4.0 GPA.

While she was in the 10th grade, she got a job working at the Mile High Flea market on weekends, where she continued to work for 3 years. She loved school, her friends, and her family.

After graduation she got a full time job working with me (Kathy) at Continental Book Company in Thornton, Colorado. She worked for Continental Book Company for 1 year, at the same time she held a part time job at Target during the evenings and weekend, just so she could afford her car that she bought essentially on her own.

She met her then-boyfriend Tony, while out cruising. They dated for about 6 months. After they broke up, she found out that she was pregnant with his child. They remained friends throughout her pregnancy and Trystan was born on June 22nd, 1997. Trisha loved her child very much; the day he was born was the best day of her life. She was scared to take care of this little child that was hers, but with help from all of her sisters and mother, she made the best of it.

In approximately August of 1997, she started working at Sound Track where she met Troy. They started dating right away. She loved the idea that Troy just loved her son, and helped her out with the things that she needed for him. It was an off and on relationship from the beginning, they never really lived together until June of 2000.

We only saw him occasionally, at family affairs, Christmas, Trystan’s birthday, etc. When we did see him at those affairs, he was usually drunk or drinking. Trisha’s relationship with him was very shaky to say the least.

On June 1st, 2000 they finally decided to move in together. They thought if they lived together, things for them would get better. Having your own space and learning to get along would get better. They moved into a wonderful apartment in Greenwood Village, Colorado. We never did get to see her apartment until after everything happened, but it was beautiful, everything that she ever wanted. Plus it was hers!

On about June 23rd, 2000, she went to stay with my mom for a week, as her and Troy were not getting along. She had decided to leave him and try to make a life for her and Trystan. She stayed with our mom for one week and then decided to return to her apartment as the trip from Woodland Park, Colorado to Denver was too much to do on a daily basis.

She stayed at the apartment for a couple of weeks, trying to find a place to live; she never did ask any of her sisters if she could move in with them. She wanted to do this on her own.

She spent the 4th of July with me and my family. We had a BBQ and then went to watch fireworks. She never mentioned anything was wrong.

Then on July 15th, Trish, and I decided to go visit our mom in Woodland Park, and our older sister Melody came up later in the day. We spent the evening cooking dinner for our mom and stepdad. Then we watched movies for the rest of the night.

Trish and I left our mom’s about 2:00pm on Sunday the 16th and got back to Denver around 3:30. We went to my house and we sat around talking and then I cooked us dinner and we waited for Trystan to come back from his dad's. I have a cleaning job that I do on the weekends and I had to go do that so around 6:00 p.m., I decided I better go do that, so Trisha and Trystan went home.

The next day at work we got the phone call that all people hate to get. A person from the CBI called my work looking for me. I was unfortunately late for work, but my older sister worked with me and she took the phone call for me. He told us it was an emergency that we needed to come down to the Greenwood Village Police Department. He wouldn’t tell us any more over the phone.

My sister Melody and I then drove down to the Police Department and the police took us into a room and told us that Troy had stabbed my sister to death. She had made a call to 911, and they traced the call and got the address and responded to her call, but by the time they got there she was deceased.

He had stabbed her over 15 times, 2 times in the throat and one time close to her heart, while in the presence of her three-year-old son. The first thing we asked for was Trystan, They told us that since the murder happened at 8:30 or so, they couldn’t locate the family, and he went into temporary foster care. Tony was the only one that could get him out.

After that we asked to see Tony - Trish and he remained friends and we wanted to see how he was doing. Also we wanted to see what he was doing to get Trystan back.

Then the detectives told us we had 15 minutes to decide how our mom was to be told. We told them not to send a police officer, that we didn’t want our mom to be told that way. We had to call her at work and tell her. The police told us to call and get the manager on the phone and ask that she be taken to another room where she had some privacy. When I called, I asked for the manager and got my mom on the phone. I told her to go into another room and take someone with her. When she went to another room and got back on the phone, I told her it was about Trish. She asked "Is she ok?" and the only thing I could say was no. She started crying and gave the phone to her friend; the police officer then took the phone from me.

That was the hardest phone call I have ever made. They did send a police officer, but at least she didn’t have to hear the news from a stranger.

While we were at the police station waiting for our mom to get there, we were essentially locked up, as the press was outside and they didn’t want us to get hounded by them.

The week that followed was the worst week of our lives; we had to plan a funeral for a 23-year-old that should have never died. When you have to plan a funeral for someone that shouldn’t die, you don’t ever know where to start. We didn’t know if she wanted to be buried, cremated, what her favorite flower was or her favorite song was.

We then decided that her mother and sisters wanted to be cremated, so it wouldn’t be fair to leave her here. Everyone, even though they are young, needs to have a will or something written down so that if something horrible happens to them, their loved ones will know what their wishes are.

We did at the time know her favorite color, (purple and green), but we have since learned that her favorite flower is a daisy.

Her son, Trystan has since been placed with his natural father, Tony. They are doing good. Trystan has been in therapy since that fateful night in July and will more than likely stay in therapy the rest of his life.

His dad has since got engaged to his long time girlfriend Sedona, and they are trying to make a wonderful family life for Trystan. I hope he always remembers his mom and the love she had for him. She would have done anything for him.

She was a wonderful mother and enjoyed the time she spent with Trystan. She never went anywhere without him, unless he was with his dad. At first she had a hard time letting Trystan go with his dad every other weekend. She didn’t know what to do without him around. She slowly began to learn that Trystan needed his father just as he needed his mother.

Trisha also enjoyed being around her sisters and mother. I always received a phone call from her at least once or twice a week. She knew how to be a best friend and a sister at the same time. She was loving, caring, smart and a joy to be around. When she got upset, you just had to let her be and she would come around later and act as though nothing ever happened.

Her hobbies were being the manager of the baseball team in high school, reading, drawing, talking to her friends and hanging out with them. She enjoyed the time she got to spend with all her friends; she always kept in touch with all of her high school friends.

The first holidays have been hard to get through; we have just taken it one day at a time. We still have many more firsts for our family. Unfortunately, Trisha’s birthday is still to come and the first birthday for her son without her. We also have the anniversary of her death still to come. We have since started a tradition; each year at Christmas we will donate money to critical response team from Woodland Park, which helps in all domestic situations.

Our mother, Lana and our sister Christina are trying to start a support group up in Woodland Park, Colorado for women. Not just for battered women, but for anyone that needs some support. If you would like to support the group with donations or in any other way, or if you live in the area and need help, please contact Lana at GreenFamily@murdervictims.com.

The man that did all this is now in county jail, awaiting his arraignment. It will more than likely go to trial. The motions hearings have been ongoing and her family will have to testify the day after Christmas. As far as the trial, we will let everyone know the outcome.

UPDATE: The trial for the man that did this to our sister started on May 15th. It lasted until the 30th of May when the jury finally came back with a verdict. The jury got the case on the 29th around noon. The jury found him guilty of 1st degree murder, 2 counts of felony menacing, 1 count of child abuse and 1 count of wire-tapping. Our family can now say, after almost two years of waiting, we have found that there is some justice in this world. Most of the time it just takes a long time."

Source:Victim's Voices.

Somebody's Special Somebody Part3...R.I.P

"This is dedicated to Ms. Bethena Lyn Brosz. As a daughter, sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, aunt, niece, cousin, friend—in every aspect of her life, she is loved & missed more than we know how to describe.

Bethena was born October 10, 1981 in Dallas, TX at Baylor Hospital. During her school years, she was in many Honors & Pre-AP classes and sang in Choir. She was selected for Who’s Who in American High Schools and graduated high school with a 3.82 GPA. She was working customer service for Web-TV subscribers & taking her freshman year courses at UNT in Denton, TX. She wanted to go to Colorado to study Astronomy for her degree.

One of the last things I remember Bethena shopping for was a baby’s bathing suit (with sandals to match) for her best friend’s little 8-month old daughter. Beth was a very giving person who was always helping others. If a friend needed a ride to buy groceries, to get to a job interview or to work, or to go to the doctor, often she would even rearrange her schedule so she could get them there....

I know that she must have suffered beyond anything we could imagine, in terror & in agony, but I will never understand how anyone could do such a thing to another human being, especially one so gentle & kind as our Bethena. Too much has been taken from her and from us—her smiles, her wedding, her hugs, her children, and the carefree joy of a holiday that does not hold a bittersweet, black empty space where she should be. Murderers have forced this path upon us. Murderers have taken her from her home.

Click to continue reading.

The men who murdered my precious daughter chose to use their God-given free will for horrifying evil. They shot her in the right knee, slashed her throat 3 times, slashed her shoulder, and shot her twice in the head. Only 5”1” tall & about 110 pounds, she could not have had the slightest chance against 2 men with guns & knives. But in spite of these mortal wounds, God made a miracle & kept her alive for a time, unconscious & unfeeling they tell me. Then He led 2 good Samaritans to find her & call for the Care Flight that arrived within minutes of their call.

Because of that miracle, at least Beth did not have to die alone. We will always believe that on some level she knew we were there with her in the ICU, praying for her & telling her over & over how very much we love her. Also because of that miracle, it was possible for Beth’s wish to be granted—7 of her organs were donated & 5 lives were saved.

That would not have been possible if she had died in that roadside ditch. We thank God for this miracle—that He made sure her wish could be fulfilled in spite of what was done to her. Since we couldn’t change what had happened, fulfilling that wish was one of the last things we will ever have been able to do for her. For us it is the only silver lining in a very, very tarnished situation.

The other victim was found dead at the scene, his throat slashed, shot 6 times in the head. One of the few correct things that has been printed in the news is that everyone connected with the investigations has said that Beth was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. But this is little consolation, because what happened to our Beth & the other victim should NEVER happen to ANYONE for ANY reason.

Beth was wounded May 2, 2001. She was pronounced brain dead at 4:30 PM on May 3, 2001. Even before she died, the police had received some very good tips & leads. The first suspect was in custody a few days later, and the second was arrested in another state in July 2001. A CrimeStoppers reward was issued to that anonymous caller that happened to see him & knew he was wanted in Texas. He was extradited back to our home county in Texas in August 2001.

Our DA announced that they would seek the Death Penalty for the first time since 1993 in our county, due to the brutally vicious & preplanned way in which these murders were committed.

One of the 2 suspects, Steven Woods, was found guilty of capital murder. The jury recommended & the judge sentenced him to the Death Penalty. He has been transported to Death Row in Livingston & will be showing up on the TDCJ Death Row website as soon as they finish the "intake process" (psychological testing, etc.) is what the DA's office tells me.

See the link below for the article that was written the Sunday before the trial began and the article covering the final sentencing day--what was not reported in the paper was that Woods had been arrested when he was a juvenile--for making a bomb & leaving it on a neighbor's deck, and another time for aggravated sexual assault--for these juvenile offenses he had received only probation & mandatory mental health treatment (a whole 6 weeks worth).

When the social worker who reviewed his juvenile criminal & mental health history testified that his home environment & lack of proper treatment were mitigating circumstances, our lead prosecutor asked her if the other children that grew up in the same home had become murderers too. Of course, she said she had no way of knowing. But I am guessing that is why the defense did not even put Wood's mother on the stand in the sentencing phase--so our prosecutor couldn't ask her that question--I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

If there were other children in that family who were murderers, if the home environment is truly what made it impossible for him to be/act otherwise, the DEFENSE would have already brought that information out--we would not have had to wonder at all.

We will find out more about when the 2nd suspect's trial will be in the next week or so. His name is Marcus Rhodes. He is still in the Denton County Jail.

We are very fortunate to have the support that we have from our DA's office in Denton County. Jackie Carpenter, Kathy Bomar and Erin Frewin from Victim Assistance were there for us in so many ways. Any time that we had to simply leave the courtroom because we could not bear it anymore, we never had to leave alone--one of them would always be right there for us so we had support.

I really don't know how I would have made it through this horror tale that is our reality without them. The DAs on this case have been amazing throughout, considering some of the horror stories I have heard of what has happened in other places. ADA Michael Moore leads the prosecution team.

We have been working with him for over a year, and I have never had to wait more than a few hours for him to return any call unless he was out of town, and then he would call me back on the first day he returned. ADAs Roger Jones (the head of criminal prosecution in Denton County) and Tony Paul completed that team. We really feel like Bethena did have someone representing her in that courtroom, and for that we are so grateful.

On Monday, August 19, 2001, when that jury recommended the death sentence, my husband Terry & I went to see Beth when we left the courthouse--to sit on that bench and let her know that we were halfway to that justice for her that she so deserves, but that we were wishing mostly that there had never been any reason for any of it--the only true justice would be if we were all home together that evening. But since we can't have that, this will just be the best we can do. Then we had to go to Beth's sister's house & give our grandsons big hugs, and whether they can understand yet or not, I had to tell them that the world just got to be a bit safer place for them on that day.

That trial was the second hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I am not looking forward to doing this again, but we will do whatever is necessary so that at least these particular criminals can never do this to any other person, any other family ever again."

Source:Victim's Voices

Tina Engler, Founder of Elloras Cave Talks About Her Marriage To A Convicted Murderer, And Airs Her Views On The U.S Penal System

JaynieR posted an interview with Tina Engler, AKA Jaid Black on her blog earlier today.

The purpose of the interview appears to be two-fold. Firstly, it seems to be an opportunity for Black to give her side of the story, in terms of her marriage to a *convicted felon, (if the link is broken, search for a David Roy Keen) serving time for shooting, and killing an ex-girlfriend; and secondly, to discuss her feelings, on the failings of the current U.S penal system, and its bias towards the poor, and the uneducated.

Ms Black’s decision to marry a prisoner, serving a life sentence for murder is her affair, and I feel that it would be remiss of me to publicly comment on my personal feelings relating to this matter.

In actual fact, what disturbed me most was Black’s assertion that locking up prisoners is tantamount to human trafficking, and that a person who deliberately takes a life, cannot be blamed for their actions.

When one reads the interview in its entirety, the delivery of her message is staunch, and unflinching, whilst her belief that she speaks a universal truth, appears to be unshakeable.

Ms Black writes:

“At the time the crime is committed, the male is typically aged 18-25, too poor to retain private counsel, and black. (My husband was poor and white.) Many possess very low IQs and/or are clearly mentally ill. The accused is typically severely depressed at the time of his arrest, and particularly in one-time crimes where violence is involved, suicidal.

During this phase they often don’t care about their own fates and wish they were the dead ones instead of the victim—a normal feeling given what they did and one that resurfaces over and over again throughout their lives. The reason for this extreme guilt and self-hatred is because there tends to be a true remorse amongst these men,”

What Black appears to be saying here, is that we should have more sympathy for convicted felons, because they are often young and foolish, and know not what they do. Plus, they are always remorseful after the fact.

Presuming that this is true for every 18-25 year old who decides to end the life of another, are we to take the route of excusing them for their crime, simply because they were poor, and perhaps their parents didn’t love them sufficiently enough to turn them into decent human beings?

She continues:

"If released, they are the least likely group of men to wind up back in prison. (Recall we’re talking about one-time killers here, not serial killers. They are a different breed altogether"

Black’s assertion that felons who have only killed once, aren’t as dangerous as serial killers, seems to be a tad naïve, and slightly disturbing.

The statements that she makes all the way through this interview, at no time, takes into consideration, the rights of the victim, or their family.

“So here is the accused—young, poor, uneducated, morbidly depressed and suicidal—and he’s given a public defender who, if lucky, speaks to him for 20 minutes to an hour before representing him at a trial that will determine his fate forever. (For all the hyperbole one hears about men allegedly getting out on appeal, this happens very, very rarely.)”

Once again, without thought for the victim, who’s life has been deliberately cut short, (don’t forget we are talking murder here) Black suggests that being young, poor and uneducated are viable reasons for us to sympathise with somebody who’s taken the life of another.

“On the other side, representing the state, is a damn good, seasoned lawyer with his/her eye on bigger and better things. They want to be judges, politicians, or well-paid private attorneys. The glory they seek can come only from knowing how to play the game and by playing it well.”

OK, what have we learned thus far?

1. We have learned that every 18-25 year old who goes on to commit murder, is always truly remorseful after the crime has been committed.

2. The public defenders appointed for the accused, are always below par to say the least.

3. Every lawyer representing the state is a damned good lawyer, who doesn’t care about his/her cases, they just want to hit the big time.

Moving on:

“Amongst all this, where you commit a crime is probably more important than what you actually did, at least from a cold perspective. Florida (my husband’s state) and Texas are notorious for giving loooong sentences. In Florida, for instance, you can be found guilty of first degree (premeditated) murder if you had even a second to think about what you are doing. I don’t know too many people who can make calculated decisions in a single second, let alone premeditate a murder,”

In other words, if an armed burglar enters a house, without any intention of killing the occupants, but panics and shoots the homeowner, killing him, then according to Ms Black, this should not be treated as first degree murder, because the Burglar didn’t have time to think about pulling the trigger, he just panicked.

“Off to prison he goes. He has no voice, cannot vote, is locked in a cage and stripped of all human rights and dignity forever. He will be given substandard, third-world medical care by unqualified “physicians” who often times aren’t even legitimate doctors and/or do not speak the convicted prisoner’s native English tongue, making communication all but impossible. His meals are as substandard as his medical care, the fruits and vegetables often rotted.”

But what about the victim? What about the young woman who will not live to see her potential, what about the girl who will never become a bride, what about the girl who’s family were given a death sentence of sorts, when their child was brutally taken from them?

As a parent, if your child was murdered, would you really be worried about the fact that the perpetrator of that murder wasn’t getting the best healthcare, and that they had lost their right to vote?

“The government and big business make a lot of money off legalized human trafficking—a very scary reality. It costs approximately $27,000 USD per year to house, feed and clothe an inmate in Florida and produces a profit of over $100,000 USD per inmate per year for the state. (FYI: this info is readily available on the FL Dept of Corrections website.)”

Human trafficking? Black seems to have missed the point of correctional institutions altogether. Prisons are not supposed to be easy, and her assertion that the whole penal system was set up, just to make as much money as possible seem quite wild, and mostly unsubstantiated.

These places only exist because there are people out there who have no respect for life, who have no respect for other people’s possessions, and who have no respect for the notion of freedom. The financial gains made by the state, is merely a by-product of this.

In the question and answer segment that follows Black’s essay, she writes:

“All of us, with no exceptions, make hideous mistakes. Unfortunately, some of us also make tragic ones.”

Tragic would be killing a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, one supposes?

“My kids love their (step) dad —my husband—beyond reason. In fact, when they overheard me on the phone talking about doing this interview in light of the emails being sent around (I didn’t know they were eavesdropping), both of them became extremely upset and were crying.”

As I stated earlier, Black’s decision to marry a man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend is her business, and I’m sure that her children do think of him as ‘Daddy’, but I would question whether or not every member of her family is as ecstatic over their relationship as she appears to believe.

“The issue for me as a wife and as an activist is this: Does a man deserve to spend the rest of his life alone and neglected, starved for human affection and attention, because of a deed he committed many, many years ago as a young, immature man?”

It is feasible that a person who commits such a heinous crime as a young man (23), would feel remorse. But is that a good enough reason for him/her to not be punished severely?

Black, insists that her husband is a good person, and that his incarceration is no longer of value to him or his victim.

I suggest that perhaps the victim’s parents would feel otherwise.

One has to wonder if Black would feel the same way, if it was one of her children who had been murdered by a man who was really, really sorry afterwards?

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=1&From=list&SessionID=337370268
*Link was sent to me by an Anonymous Source

Why Are Sheiks More Palatable As Romance Heroes Than The Black Man?

If you groaned when you saw the title of this blog, then the following isn’t for you. Seriously, leave. Now.

Gwyneth Bolton has a really interesting blog about the popularity of the Romance Novel Sheik. She posted a couple of excerpts from an essay written in BITCH magazine, which focused on the very subject of Middle Eastern men in romance.

The excerpts were interesting, but this comment from Gwyneth was what ultimately caught my eye:

"Given all the recent talk on various blogs about racism in romance land, I thought this article raised some really interesting questions. We have been having this discussion based on the things that most white romance readers won’t read--African American romance novels.


But what happens to the conversation when we really interrogate the ever-so popular reads: the sheiks, the Native Americans, the Latin Lovers. What happens when we really interrogate how men of color are objectified and made into the exotic other"?

She asks some interesting questions don’t you think?

A lot of the comments that were made during my Racism In Romance posts, seemed to hint that one of the reasons why white women seldom read AA romance was because they couldn’t relate to the characters, or the vernacular. (Or should I say, the assumed difference in vernacular)

Hmmm…

I never bought this at the time, and quite frankly, I still don’t, because if that were true, then J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series would have sunk big time.

Ward writes about vampires who are into hip hop, bling, and expensive threads, and call each other “My Brother”.
Sounds like the stereotypical black man to me, except of course, the Brothers aren’t black, are they? They’re white, and that I’m afraid, is the key to her success.

Had Ward made The Brothers black, how many books would she have sold? Would readers have rushed out to buy her books in their thousands? Would she have inspired the same kind of fangirly following that she has? Even with her gift of turning the written word into a thing of beauty?

I really don’t think so.

Why do I think this? Simple, I just don’t believe that Average Jane Reader finds the black man sexy, and she definitely doesn’t see him as a romantic hero. Now before y’all go and get all defensive, and twitchy, think about it. Seriously.

If you really, truly think about it, you’ll probably come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I’m more right than wrong.

So, considering the current social, and political climate that we exist in today, considering the repercussions from 9/11, considering the current unrest in the Middle East, considering the fact that the majority of men from this part of the world believe that women are ultimately inferior to males, why is it that the Middle Eastern Man, is so much more acceptable to The Romance Reader, as hero material, than The Black Man?

Anyone hazard a guess? Anyone totally disagree with my assertion? Would you have bought Ward’s Black Dagger series, if the Brothers had been black? Honestly?

What Is The Point...

In trying to rehabilitate paedophiles? Seriously what is the point?

I woke up to the joyous news yesterday morning, that paedophiles in England would be subject to chemical castration. You can’t imagine the huge smile I had on my face. Until I got the full story.

This wasn’t mandatory. The paedophiles have a choice, as to whether they want the treatment or not. What. The. Fuck?

I was not a happy bunny.

What is the point in keeping these people alive at all?

Why can’t we just line them up and shoot them? Seriously?

I blame the bleeding heart, human rights tree huggers, who would very likely argue that we’d be infringing on their human rights. Big effing sigh.

And Then The Scales Fell From My Eyes...

I wrote this rambling Ode to Jaid Black back back in August 2005, when I obviously didn't know any better. I considered deleting it, following her reaction to my EC posts, but then I thought, why the hell should I? It serves to remind me that I'm not always right about people.

It also serves to remind me that most authors will always be happy to be your friend, and laugh at you dissing other people, as long as it's not them or their company that you're taking the piss out of. Lesson learned.

"I’ve just realised how much I admire Tina Engler AKA Jaid Black, the legendary 'Queen of Steam'.

How could anybody fail to admire a woman who has achieved as much as she has, when she had so little to begin with?

Here are some facts about Tina that some of you may, or may not have known.

1.Tina is the owner and founder of Elloras Cave, Cerridwen Press, and the newly launched Lady Jaided Magazine.

2.As well as having over twenty books with EC, she also has novels with Berkley/Jove and Pocketbooks.

3.In addition to her publishing background, Tina also has controlling shares in the following companies:

Jasmine-Jade Enterprises,
Gothic Grounds (a coffee store chain),
Brannon-Engler Properties
Awbridge, Hanwell, & Hartley books and curio shops


4.By the age of thirty, she was a self-made millionaire. Two years later, she was a multi-millionaire.

5.She was recently on the Montel Williams Show, talking about her rise to the top.

6.She also donated $10,000 to the Montel Williams Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and EC are currently donating 15 cents to the charity for every book that is sold via their Ebay Store.

The reason that I admire Tina so much, is because she literally built her empire up from scratch.

She got pregnant at the age of seventeen, and was forced to raise her baby alone when the father of her child abandoned them both. She was on welfare for a number of years, but somehow managed to put herself through college, and worked towards a better life for herself and her child.

Not only was she on welfare, and let’s face it, there is a lot of snobbery towards single mothers who live off the state, but her children are bi-racial, and I recall reading a piece that she wrote, about the racism that her children had to endure, because of this very fact.

In my opinion, she has helped change the way that people look at the romance genre. She dared to push the envelope, and by doing so, opened up a brand new world to romance readers who were just a little bored by the same old, same old.

I admire the fact that she was forward-thinking enough to realise that as Millennium women, some of us are looking for more than virginal heroines with ‘perking nipples’ and dastardly heroes with ‘throbbing members’.

Never mind the romance v erotic romance catfights that seem to happen in blogland on a daily basis, the fact is, without Tina’s influence, we probably woudn’t even be having the debate in the first place.

Personally, I view Tina as a pioneer. She may not have invented electricity, or found the cure for the common cold, but she exemplifies the determination and the self-sacrifice that is necessary in order to reach beyond one’s wildest dreams, regardless of the obstacles that are placed in one’s path.

Tina's lead a very interesting life so far, and I know that if she ever decided to detail her memoirs in the form of an autobiography, I would certainly go out and buy the book."

Oh the irony. What can I say? I meant every word I wrote at the time. Every word. How things change eh? *g*

Review Coming Up: Rockstar, By Roslyn Hardy Holcomb

I read this absolutely ages ago, but I’m crap at following through with reviews, which is why I’ve only just gotten round to it now… erm, well this week at least.

Anyway, this is the blurb, as per Roslyn’s website:

How does a hedonistic, hellbound L.A. sophisticate like bad boy rock star Bryan Spencer woo young, gifted and black sweet home Alabama belle Callie Lawson? What type of magical voodoo draws him to her magnolia-scented bosom?


Seduced by the unhurried pace and a lifestyle that is the antithesis of his own, he finds that he cannot break away from the seductive spell of a woman who soothes the deepest recesses of his tortured soul. Bryan, guitar god extraordinaire, is compelled to retreat to the small town when he is devastated by the loss of his best friend and band mate.


The peaceful tranquility, not to mention unaccustomed celibacy, is slowly driving him mad until he meets Callie Lawson, budding tycoon, aficionado of black entrepreneurship and owner of the local bookstore. He quickly discovers that Callie is one of the few people he’s met who doesn’t have her own agenda for befriending him.


Far from the cloying adulation he is accustomed to, Callie is totally focused on her own career goals and is reluctant to have anything to do with a long-haired rocker from California. Bryan overcomes her misgivings with an old-fashioned courtship that belies his L.A. rocker origins. He introduces this Sunday School girl to some truly high-powered sex and decadence.


The question is which one wins: Southern Sunday School or L.A. sin? Just when they're certain everlasting love is firmly in their grasp, they are rent asunder by treachery and betrayal of the most staggering kind. They must defy egregious stereotypes and false perceptions to embrace their own sweet Alabama love.

You can buy Rockstar here, and visit Roslyn Hardy Holcomb here.

Have You Heard...?

"Did you hear, that bitch had a dick!"

JaynieR’s doing a weekly Wednesday Whisper. This is basically where she dishes some dirt, on the comings and goings of various Romanceland personnel.

Check out the link to Jaid Black’s blog. Can’t think who inspired that little rant, can you? *g*

Anyway, enough about me, I wonder who she’s talking about here?

It's sooooo easy to be anonymous online. The inherent problem with that fact is that anonymity and lies tend to go hand in hand. Over the past year there has been a notable increase in reader blogs... some of them legit, some of them questionable. (And 2 of them, ironically, conceived at the same time that a rival company to EC started up.)

And here?

The typical reader never sees this side of her, doesn't know that she's a raging alcoholic and pain pill addict married to a man who sexually molested her own daughter. (She chose the HUSBAND over her own daughter if you can believe it so I automatically despise her slimy ass.) But I digress...


My point amongst all my bitterness *g* is this: take everything gossipy you hear and read with a heaping mound of salt. (And then add several more mounds.) Cuz you really never know if the person at the center of a slander campaign is the alcoholic, pain pill addict with the pedophile for a husband.


Chances are it is, at least if the gossip is about Moi. (The bitch really hates me, what can I say? *shrug*) Other authors have their own Psychotic-Writer-Direly-In-Need-Of-Thorazine to contend with.

I wonder if this person really exists, or if she’s just making a point? I’m betting the former, even with that huge pinch of salt. *g*

The Thirty Year Old Male Virgin...

Over at the I Heart Harlequin Presents blog, they were talking about the fact that so many Presents titles seem to have the word ‘virgin’ in them. (Ya don’t say?)

The actual post was a mite boring, as many of the posts over there tend to be, but I came across an interesting comment that caught my eye:

“I love to read about virginal heroines, and when it comes to reality, believe me, there are virgins over the age of 18. I was one of them. I had my first boyfriend (now my husband) at the age of 21. And he was 30 at that time, and guess what, a virgin himself! Of course I expected him to be experienced (because I read so many Presents books:)), but he soon told me he was not, and I thought, ok, why not? Let’s learn and have fun together!”

I was quite fascinated at the notion that there are males over thirty out there, who are virgins for non-religious reasons.

Do you guys know any?

Father Kills Daughter Because She Fell In Love With Another Man…

God this shit makes me angry.

”Her family decided to kill her because they believed the relationship had shamed them as Suleimani was an Iranian Kurd and not a strict Muslim.”

Apparently she was garroted, and her body stuffed in a suitcase. The father ordered the murder, and he was aided by his brother.


I have no words for how disgusted I am at the fact that these vile men felt justified in murdering their own flesh and blood, just because she’d had the misfortune of falling in love with somebody else.



Honour killings eh? Don’t these imbeciles know that there is no honour to be found in butchering their kin?

I hope they rot in prison. Or worse.

Give me an atheist any fucking day.

Writers Are Twenty Times More Likely To Suffer From Depression

Over At Bloggin In Black, the latest post is about writers and depression:

According to the NYT:

"Kay Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and the author of “Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament,” said writers were 10 to 20 times as likely as other people to suffer manic-depressive or depressive illnesses, which lead to suicide more often than any other mental disorders do.”

Monica continues:

"The symptoms of depression are lasting sadness, feelings of doom and inferiority, but they also might be more subtle. Isolation, no longer able to concentrate or write. Inability or difficulty doing other things that were once routine. A change in sleeping or eating habits. Hopelessness.”

According to Shelia Goss, many authors suffer from depression, but feel too embarassed or ashamed to talk about it, and thus they have no way of knowing that they aren’t alone.

I know at least one author who constantly suffers from self-doubt and depression, and she’s a great writer. I wonder how prevalent this really is.

Lewis Hamilton Wins The Canadian Grandprix!

British, black, and easy on the eye, what more could one ask for, woo, hoo!!

Hamilton led all the way in an incident filled race, which saw off many of the other race drivers, including Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, and Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella, who were black flagged after they raced off, despite the red light still being on at the pit exit.





The worst incident of the race, occurred when Robert Kubica suffered a horrific head on collision, with the circuit wall. He’s reported to have a broken leg as a result of the crash.

This leaves Hamilton sitting at the top of the championship, leading his team mate, and last year’s Champion, Fernando Alonso, by eight clear points.

Is he good enough to go all the way? If he drives the way he has done during the first six GP races of his career, anything’s possible!

It Couldn't Happen To A Nicer Person...

1.Paying an ex-boyfriend to ‘leak’ a dirty video of you on the internet, $100
2.Money gained from doing absolutely nothing, $5million
3.Bribing a sheriff to reduce your jail time, $1000
4.Watching Paris Hilton sob her heart out as she’s taken back to jail, PRICELESS!

(Hehe, thanks for the inspiration Amie.)

Oh My God At You...

What do these seven people have in common?

Nick Leeson – Barings Bank Chief Trader
David Duncan - Arthur Andersen, chief auditor for Enron
Steve Jobs – Apple CEO
Scott Sullivan – Worldcom CFO
Andrew Fastow – Enron CFO
Dennis Koslowski – Tyco International CEO
Scarlett Chambers AKA Deborah Taylor – Venus Press owner

Answer?

All of the above companies (with the obvious exception) are/were huge concerns, and it only took a handful of people to bring them to their knees in one way or another. In the case of Nick Leeson, he single-handedly managed to bring down the oldest investment bank in the UK to the tune of £830m.

My point? A company is only as strong as its weakest link.

Ethics and professionalism count for a lot, and we all know that the bigger you are, the harder you fall.

Just sayin'.

Karen Does Lora Leigh's Forbidden Pleasures...

My name’s Karen, and I’m a Lora Leigh Fangirl. There I said it. *Cowers and waits to be pelted with lemons*

The thing with LL Cool L’s books is that you’re gonna either love ‘em, or thoroughly hate them.

As it happens, I love them.

Yes, I know that her heroes are usually assholic alphas, and yes I know that her heroines are usually weak-assed bitches who deserve flogging, and yes, I even know that she has a thing about the heroine always being the hero’s best friend’s sister. And not to mention that whole anal sex thing that she has going on in every book she’s ever written, but never the less, I love her writing.

I can’t be arsed writing a proper blurb so I’ll do it in my own very lazy way:

When Boy Menage Obsessed marries Girl Virginal Wife, he decides that he can’t possibly expose her to his perverted and twisted ways, so he quits his job as an FBI agent, as well as his membership from The Club (a place where all kind of kinky shit happens) and they move to Outer Mongolia Wyoming to raise chickens and milk cows.


Three years down the line, Boy Menage Obsessed is feeling the strain of not having another man bang Girl Virginal Wife, which in turn causes a strain on their marriage.


Girl Virginal Wife had heard the lurid rumours of her hubby and his best friend shagging women at the same time, prior to their marriage, and was initially afraid that sooner or later he’d want to share her, but three years into their marriage, she’s started to think that maybe being taken by two men might not be a bad thing. Dirty girl.


Boy Menage Obsessed keeps fantasizing about his best friend shagging his wife to within an inch of her life, and his frustrations eventually reach boiling point.


When Boy realises that Wifey might not be so opposed to becoming a sandwich filling for him and his best friend, he invites said best friend to their chicken and cow ranch in The Back Of Beyond Wyoming.


Luckily for Boy Menage Obessesed, Wifey used to fancy Perverted Best Friend, so getting horizontal with both of them is a lot easier than she envisaged.


What followed next included lots of butt sex, lots of oral stimulation, Vesuvius-type eruptions, copious amounts of ejaculations, soaking wet panties, and the biggest erections known to man.


Oh yeah, and in-between all of this, there’s a serial stalker on the loose, and he’s got a massive hard-on for Wifey.

MY VERDICT

I liked Forbidden Pleasure, I really did.

I thought Leigh handled the emotional elements between Hubby, Wifey, and Bestfriend very well, and at no time did I get squicked out by any of their sexual gymnastics.

Menage books have become a bit of an ‘F’ word for me lately, but I must admit, this particular menage was credible, and I didn’t have to contort my own body in order to figure out if some of the sexual positions that they found themselves in were possible. That’s always a plus in my book.

Mac and Jethro had had similarly un-Leave-It-To-Beaver type upbringings, and when they met whilst training for the FBI, they discovered that they had a crap childhood in common, so they naturally gravitated towards each other.

Their bond intensified when they both joined Sinclair’s Gentlemen’s Club, and they discovered that sharing their women, and indulging in their slightly deviant unusual sexual practices, helped them forget the torment of their formative years.

I have to say that out of the two men, I thought Jethro (Jesus, I hate that goddamn name) was the sexier of the two. I think it was the silent and broody thing that kinda turned me on about him. I like that in my heroes.

Mac was ok, and surprisingly not as alpha, as most of Leigh’s heroes tend to be, although as per her stereo-typical hero, he did sport a massive hard-on for the majority of the book. (Hey, it’s an erotic romance what do you expect?)

I liked his relationship with Keiley, and I never got the feeling that his menage obsession was down to anything other than love for his wife and friend, and also, at no time did I get a Vishous and Butch vibe about him and Jethro. (Shut up Barbara B.*g*)

Unlike lots of other Lora Leigh heroines, Keiley didn’t actually make me want to gag, even though she was super sweet, and was kind to animals. She was a sympathetic character, yet slightly edgier than the average LL Cool L heroine. She wasn’t about to be messed around by anyone, including her adoring husband. Her childhood hadn’t been a picnic either, but I’m glad to say that Lora didn’t beat us over the head with that particular backstory.

In case you were wondering, this is supposed to be a Romantic Suspense, but seeing as I guessed who the baddie was the minute he was introduced in the book, it kinda fell short of being credible. The suspense sub-plot was so thin, it was virtually anorexic, and really, it should have been left out altogether, because it was at times, very disjointed, and quite frankly, totally pointless.

Overall, Forbidden Pleasure was an easy book to read, and had it not been for the stupid sub-plot involving the slightly dim-witted stalker, it would have been a fantastic read.

I still enjoyed it, but then again, as I admitted earlier, I am a Lora Leigh Fangirl.

You can visit Lora Leigh here, read an excerpt here, and pre-order Forbidden Pleasure when it’s released on the 12th June here.