Yes. It’s live. After months of editing and rewriting and crying and fuming and throwing fits and rewriting and second guessing and letting it sit and comparing to original and second guessing edits and more edits and consultations and more rewriting and double checking back stories and letting it stew a tad more and rereading it and crossing out stuff and adding more stuff and deleting and thinking I had it right the first time and giving up and wondering why I started in the first place … it’s live. (Thank you Lynn ... Thank you).

Artists are neurotically passionate about their craft. Just ask my friends, which aren’t many to begin with. And there’s a reason for that. We are more often than not in our own world, from the moment we wake to the moment we fall asleep. Our art consumes us. Be it writing, painting, music, composing … creating is our life. Unfortunately, life doesn’t regard our need to be consumed by our artistic passion as a good thing. Life has very real needs that must be addressed first and foremost. For instance: food intake (daily), mortgage payments (on a regular basis I have been told), bodily functions (too many, damn it), utilities (have you any ideas how many there are?!), liquid intake (lots of it, various temperatures and potencies), and sleep (at least 5 hours within 24 hours is useful). 

I’m certain I have missed some things deemed vital by others, but I’m a simple person. It is now summer and what I have in mind is writing. Of course. What else would I do? I have a few projects in the work but for those who read Lords of the Realm, you’ll know exactly what tale to expect from the Realm.

It’s 2015. Last time I posted was in 2013. I’ve been writing peeps. I swear. I’ve been writing, and living, and coping, and all those others things that keep getting in the way … or maybe it’s all those things that mold the view of an artists. Regardless, I’ve been rather busy.

Lynn, an extraordinary woman, has been nudging me along no matter who has died or what soap opera worthy event has surfaced in my so called life. Without her, Lords of the Realm, and the subsequent titles, would not be where they are. So the answer to the question I have been receiving?





When will Lords of the Realm be out? ---- SOON ….











I’m not sure if it is because it is the final installment in the DeDe series or because my life is truly at an all-time hectic level, but I am having a very difficult time letting go of precious. I look at it, read it, re-read it, change a word, maybe a sentence, put it down, sigh … forget about for a couple of weeks. Repeat the process. I simply cannot find the will to say:

Go, my luv. Go.

Yes. It is only words. They are characters I made. But they have taken years to create; there are pages upon pages of side stories that have not been told. Little details of why and how that was never made clear, because in life, in real life, nothing is ever really made clear. We never truly know another person. We only know what they allow us to know.

But I will let them go. And it shall be soon. As to the future. The Realm will continue as I explore other characters. This has made me somewhat happy, since I am able to revisit some of my friends on occasion and check in on them as the mood (and the story) strikes.

It’s good to be alive.

Summer days are quickly slipping by me. I sit and write, and write, and write, and I see no end in sight. I believe this is how every writer feels at some moment. The story line is slippery. The loose ends are mocking me to try to do something that will make sense. My characters seem to be perpetually in a foul mood. My computer thinks it’s funny to reboot when I am on a writing frenzy.

To make things a bit more difficult for me, I decided to take the semester off from teaching. There are many reasons I choose to do this. But the number one priority was in finishing book five by the end of the year. I want to concentrate and it is difficult to do this when teaching fulltime. I am writing now, writing nonstop as I pick up side jobs. Freelance writing has its perks. I am able to write in my pajama’s, drink pot after pot of coffee and never have to wait to use the restroom. The downside of this is ... I am constantly writing.

What can I say? I am never happy.

One of the best stress releasers for me is chatting. I love chatting with new, interesting people. They keep my imagination flowing with new ideas. They make me smile despite my foul mood (this is for you HB). They make me think about my story, how it should flow. And the best part is when they ask questions that I never thought of (Thanks Lynn, absolute lifesaver). Yup, chatting away as I write, drink coffee, and smoke a pack a day is how my life is currently flowing. If you would like to help me out, feel free to hit me up on Twitter and/or Facebook. I always welcome the next riveting distraction in my so called life.

I put a lot of time in choosing my character names. A name says something about the person. At times, it denotes personality traits without it having to be explicitly stated. Many people take months to choose their child’s name for the same reasons. A parent wishes for nothing but the best for their child and it all starts with their name.

Jaleesa Martin was in a Tennessee court concerning her chil’d surname. It seems the parents couldn’t agree on it. Well, Judge Lu Ann Ballew decided for them in a most unsusal way. After eharing that the little bundle of joy was named Messiah DeShawn Martin, she went ahead and changed it to Martin DeShawn McCullough. Why? According to Judge Ballew, “The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.”

Let’s take a moment to reflect. Messiah, first of all, is a noun. Its roots are Aramaic and Hebrew. Literally translated, it means the anointed one or anointed. When the word was first used, it was applied to kings who were thought to be divinely appointed (think King David and Alexander the Great). The most famous ‘messiah’ was, of course, Jesus of Nazareth, the leader of a Jewish sect who was crucified for his belief’s.

I, personally, wouldn’t name my child Messiah. That being said, as an American, I would never think a person couldn’t name their child Messiah. What is wrong with the name? Why would this judge impose her religious beliefs on this family? And the most troubling aspect of this incident, in my mind, is the fact that this was court ordered, by a judge appointed to uphold the law, not deliver her religious beliefs.

The mother has appealed the verdict, and will appear before the Cocke Country chancellor on September 17th. I, for one, am supporting the mother. I strongly believe that she will win, after all, this is America. 

 “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.”

Bill of Rights, 1st amendment

I do a lot of reading and research throughout my day. I surf the web, double check facts, keep up with world events, and loose countless hours on YouTube (that place is like crack). Today, I came upon an article and I absolutely had to share.

Fiction is often a reflection of reality in different tones and shades. My novels are based in a fantasy world which closely resembles our current society (barring the elves and stuff) Why did I do this? Well, I find it absurd how American society has progressed over the last few generations. Historically, America is a capitalist society. Nothing matters more than the mighty dollar in many people’s eyes. No longer are students driven to excel academically, dreaming of becoming a doctor or lawyer or the President of the free world. No, what matters now is becoming a football player earning millions of dollars or a reality show sensation.

Who needs to learn how to add long columns of numbers or read pages of flowery prose or write in complete sentences with ( brace yourself) punctuation?

Our young generation is dazzled by the life of the rich and famous. And the rich and famous do their best to entertain them, not necessarily bestowing words of wisdom to the impressionable, ADD generation. It’s common knowledge that Kim Kardashian and her new victim, erm ... I mean husband, recently named their precious (and money generating) bundle of joy a point on a compass. Poor Justin Beiber is going through a rough patch (his poor monkey) of adolescence. I wish I could emphasize more with the teenagers’ angst, in his private jet seems like a perfect setting. Taylor Swift and her never-ending, song inspiring, heartache. Aaron Hernandez (boy, did he keep it real dumb) and his bevy of legal woes. Chris Brown and Rihanna’s on-again, off-again, toxic relationship.

The point is that it matters not what these ‘celebrities’ do, what matters in the long run is how much they are worth. What cars do they drive? What name brand clothes do they wear? How many pairs of shoes do they have? How many houses do they own? What do they eat? What phone do they use? In sum, they are a selling an image that you are what you own.

A posh establishment by the name of Ray’s and Stark Bar , located in trend setting LA, is offering a ‘tasting water menu’. The innovative entrepreneurs have collected water from ten different countries, bottled the liquid according to their strict purity guidelines, and are now selling the beverage that reflects the excellence of their product. I perused the menu while drinking a cup of Joe, giggling uncontrollably at some points.

First off, the water is rated on two different scales, gauging its taste (sweet to salty) and its texture (smooth to complex). They also disclose the amount of sodium, magnesium, and calcium in each drink. This, apparently, is extremely important information. The most aesthetic pleasing to me was Voss from Norway. At $10 per 0.8 of a liter, I could see myself using the container as a vase. It’s cute.

America is represented with a chic beverage named Beverly Hills 90H2O. This brand goes as far as producing limited edition bottles (10,000 per batch) with unique numbers on their diamond-like glass bottles. The cost of being chic: $16 per liter.

By far the most expensive beverage on the menu comes from our Canadian friends. Berg is ultra smooth and sweet with little or no trace of minerals. Virtually untouched by man (machines must harvest the pieces of icebergs floating off the coast of Greenland, melt the chunks under strict purity laws, and bottle the results into the cute frosted bottles) The price tag of $20 per 0.75 liters seems reasonable.

Maybe it’s me, I don’t know, but I find this kind of merchandise... ridiculous. It’s water. I swear, its only water. In a world where so many of our brothers and sisters have to travel long distances( by foot, carrying a bucket full of hope in most cases) in order to find a source of clean drinking water, some people with too much money and not much sense feel a need to pay exorbitant prices for a basic, human , necessity. Water.

If I’m paying $20 for a liter of clear liquid, I expect the label to read Absolut. But hey, that’s just me.

For more information on Ray’s and Stark Bar, click HERE.

For the Tasting Water Menu, click HERE

Sooam Biotech Research Foundation has been performing special services for those of us who have more money than brains for the last seven years. The South Korean research facility specializes in cloning beloved pooches of heart broken families.

Typically, I would scoff and walk away from this kind of news, wondering who in their right mind would want to clone Fido for about $100,000. I love my various furry companions, but not enough to give that kind of cash away. Grieving is good, in my book. the circle of life and all that.

Sooam Biotech is currently holding their first ever Dog Cloning Competition for UK residents in an attempt to widen their market. Apparently, their biggest market share is the US, go figure. They know not everyone has the kind of capital required to bring Fido back to life, so for the competition, they are ready to give a 10% discount to the winner, which translates to about £20K.

Applicant will need to submit an essay of no more than 500 words along with pictures, audio, artwork and/or video. The video is interesting, for once they cull the stack of applications, they shall upload the videos on their YouTube channel, DogCloningUK, for the world to see. I must say, I am looking forward to viewing the entries.

I don’t understand the draw and would never do it myself, no matter the price tag, but hey, to each his own.


Interested in applying? -- Go HERE


For more information on Sooam Biotech -- Go HERE

With the rise in popularity of the eReader and mobile apps, readers have an unheard of amount of works available to them across multiple platforms. New authors arrive daily, offering their blood, sweat, and tears to an increasingly discerning audience.

I’m a reader myself, and I have to pare down what I am willing to read with the precious free time I have. This is where labels and genres come in. I am as eclectic in my reading as I am in my music, but most often, I have an inkling of what I want to read.

New Adult encompasses the years after high school. Despite what teenagers think, you do not become an adult at the magical age of 18. The only thing that happens is that in the eyes of the law, you shall be treated as an adult. The characters are usually aged between 19 - 26 years old. They are often newly independent and furthering their self-discovery by questionable means. Navigating those first years of adulthood is just as interesting as surviving the teenage years.

Did we need a specific category for these stories? Likely not, but genres and labels make taking a chance on an unknown book and author a little easier. If I want to read about a twenty-something year old who moved across the country to start a new job, well by golly, I know exactly where to start.

For a list of New Adult books, click HERE.