Quote Of The Moment (1.13.24)

Yet another reason why I’ll forever adore Xtina!

Forever Adore: Jackie Collins

Posthumous birthday wishes to one of my idols today, Jackie Collins. Ten years ago, an acquaintance suggested her books to me while I sought out stories that did not involve some psycho rich guy abusing his virginial young female lover (and the whole thing being framed as a “romance” *gags*). Dangerous Kiss was the first JC book I read, and I’ve been hooked on her work since then. Lucky, American Star, and her LA Confidential series remain tops from her collection. Jackie’s likely making angels clutch their pearls with her latest tome up in heaven as I type, but, here on earth, she’ll always remain an inspiration of mine. ā¤

Plus, she’s forever a queen for this quote!

ETA: my birthday tweet to her got reposted by her account!!!Ā  šŸ˜€

Seven Days Of Inspiration

inspo books

It’s now less than a week till the debut of The Playgirl, so come check out my IG where I’ve been counting down the days with Seven Days Of Inspiration! All the things that inspired me to write my first ever novel! The header pic is of all the books that influenced my story. And, yes, there are some erotic books shown, but that’s because The Playgirl is also that kind of book. šŸ˜‰Ā 

What The Playgirl Is About…

hot young couple (b&w 2)

From previous teasers here on my upcoming eBook The Playgirl, you may be thinking it’s another naughty book about a successful young woman and her bedmates. You’re partially correct, but, cliched as this sounds, there’s more to it.

Originally, it was supposed to be a naughty book about a successful young woman and her bedmates. But during its seven-year-plus-long writing and editing process (which involve a few stoppages due to other writing projects and personal matter), I began craving more drama and suspense. Being influenced by other romance books (think the work of Jackie Collins) and old-school soap operas (think the OG Dynasty from the 80s), and even my own personal life at the time (I’ll explain later), I set out to give more to my story. The end result is a tale of love, lust, loss, jealousy, scandal, blackmail, identity, and revenge, set predominantly in a city that’s all too familiar with it all and then some: Los Angeles, in the early/mid-2010s. (I started the original draft in the fall of 2015, so some of its references may be a bit dated. I did consider moving the story to a more recent time period, but, in the end, I chose to keep the story in that era, before the madness of 2016 and beyond.)

I’m in the process of making an Instagram reel for y’all to get a feel of the book, set to release three weeks from now! Links to preorder it here. And, once again, I’ll be a part of Smashwords Summer/Winter sale, and upon its release, you can score the book for free!Ā 

Image courtesy of Andrey Kiselev @ Dreamstime.com

Happy Birthday, Maya

happy bday maya (2)

Posthumous birthday wishes today to one of my idols, Maya Angelou! Don’t be surprised that I own a Maya shirt and those books (all thrift store finds, natch).

I can post one of her many great poems or quotes here, but I know I’ll be doing a lot of that here over time, let’s be real. Instead, here’s a clip on her meeting 2Pac for the first time (from her American Masters episode). This interview still tickles me. Six-pack lolol

Quotes Of The Moment (3.31)

Happy Transgender Day Of Visibility! šŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø ā¤ļøProud to be an ally.

From heinous anti-Trans laws going through legislation in this so-called ā€œLand of the Freeā€ to transphobia still shamefully on the rise, now more than ever (sorry for the cliche) the Trans community needs our support and appreciation!

For more on TDoV, GLAAD’s got you covered: https://www.glaad.org/tdov

And…

It may be the end of Women’s History Month, but no matter what the month or day, always remember the message on Xtina’s shirt. (Twenty years after seeing that in an old issue of US Weekly and I still want her shirt!)