Halloween costume ideas or "What about my outfit?"

 

Wow! The week is young and the young 'uns have showed up, showed out and showed their asses. Where do I begin? How do I begin? Let's start with the costumes that were picked by some for Halloween. Hear and believe me, selecting a pejorative persona of any race, ethnicity or whatever is NOT cool in which to adorn yourself. Let me repeat. NOT EVER! NEVER! No Blackface, no Whiteface (zombies, ghosts, spectres allowed), no Redface (demons excluded unless they come forward and protest), no Brownface, no Yellowface. It's a no-no. It's not funny, entertaining or witty. What it is, is ignorant and demonstrates a person severely lacking in empathy/compassion for others.

I don't want to hear, "It's a joke. Get over it. I didn't mean it."

Please.

It's asinine. Is one that stupid and insensitive? So you think it's dope to dress up as a dead Trayvon Martin (full Blackface) and pose with someone dressed as his killer, Zimmerman?

This goes for that "DWTS" honey who went in Blackface to a Halloween party. Yeah, I know her face wasn't that dark and the TV character she picked is Black but to simply dress in an orange jumpsuit and sport knots in her hair would have been enough. The extra mile wasn't needed.

This criticism (not hatin', there is a difference) extends to the young Black female who thought it was A-OK to "blacken" her face, wear gingham and carry a pail of cotton balls for Halloween.

Yep, nothing says Halloween fun like toting cotton.

Young lady, apparently, your kin has never impressed upon you the history of Black people in the States. Or they have and you have failed to grasp it. Let me inform you: the history of African-Americans in the USA has never been a dress-up game.

My opinion on all this? It's free will. They will behave as they want. But they must remember: all actions have consequences. These people are of the I-don't-know-and-the-I-don't-care-to-know-mindset. The notion of empathy does not reach certain centers of their brains. They see their actions as a laugh and a lark. And to make matters even wackier, when caught with doo-doo on their shoes, if they apologize, the apologies are as bereft of understanding as the acts that preceded them.

Alright, I have aired my views and you may not agree or care. Oops! There's that pesky word. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. It my blog. It is no skin off my backside because this behavior will continue to occur in all types of scenarios about all types of things. This sort of mindset spreads over all topics in varying degrees. It won’t change until the people thinking it, change. I do believe its prevalence needs to be pointed out though because being ignorant is never blissful or unintentional.

Do have a happy, safe and thoughtful Halloween!

 

PS. Explore more of this realness in my interracial/paranormal romance series THE FELIG CHRONICLES. Book 3, UNION, appears November 1st.

Inappropriate content in e-books will get your work pulled! Or “Why can’t I download my favorite underage, reptile porn author?”

 

No. No. No. It didn’t happen to me. I don’t write the stuff that’s getting yanked off e-bookshelves in e-bookstores. Again, it appears it’s the endeavors of self-published authors that are getting stepped on.

Yes, the topic of the books being pulled by Amazon, B&N, Waterstone, etc. cover incest, bestiality, rape and are gross but…to each his warped own. And these “books” are reader favorites because they are free or cheaply priced. Seems readers will try anything if it’s free-ninety-nine!

I could rant on and on about this tempest-in-a-teapot topic. Others are. Check out a couple articles in the online mags, The Kernel and The Digital Reader.

The subject matter of the “books" is off putting, but there is an audience out there for it. Someone is buying it. Therefore someone is writing it. It sucks that all erotica writers are being lumped together and their work is getting targeted because the admittedly outre subject matter of some is bringing the heat. If you are a writer of pretty tame erotica, your book can get removed from an e-bookstore because some inept gate guardian sees a flagged word in your title or book blurb. The rules for deletion make no sense. They are arbitrary.

Can we say Publisher Police?

I call it Publisher as hypocrite.

Why?

Because the same houses that are pulling the objectionable material are the same ones who green-lit the stuff for release.

What?

These books are formatted, and apparently not proofed, and released in house. And we all know that as long as you got the coin and think you are the next Hemingway, these places will accept your legible scribblings for release.

So how can these same houses now complain and act like the wronged virgin in a hot, mutually satisfying affair? They knew what they were publishing. I guess grabbing that dollar blinds one to what can circle back and bite one in the ass.

That goes for the “authors” too. They know their stuff is beyond the pale but refuse to see it. The lure of seeing your writing in print (E or otherwise) is too hard to pass up if the only thing keeping your voice from being heard is a charge to your credit card.

Hey, I’m not verklempt about this. All parties involved got what they wanted. I will say this: it might make publishers a tad more selective about what they select for publication. On the other hand, maybe not. Maybe if a fine was imposed they might sit up and take notice.

The other half of this equation is the starry-eyed “author.” I’ll leave it at, if you insist on writing crocodile porn and don’t mind losing revenue when it’s yanked, keep writing it.  In fact, get a bunch of the like-minded together and form your own house. Or keep writing and pause. Think really hard about putting out that loopy topic for all to see and that might possibly get pulled.    

The Ratchet have Risen! or the Banality of Evil

Here we go again! Please ratchet people, go away. Now. You make me really tired.

Whoa! My head is spinning like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. A new release on the horizon along with possible government default. How dare the spineless-taken-over-by-the-Tea-Party GOP plan this shutdown/default drama at the same time as my long awaited book release! Please!

Attention Whores!

But it’s so funny because the paranormal element in my series acts like the GOP/Tea Party.

Yes, I said it. The GOP, that needy slut, so freakin’ desperate to be relevant to someone other than some in suburbia, in rural areas and the one percent, shimmied into that tight-assed dress, went panty-less, strapped on the clear heels and sold it to the biggest freaks in the land, The Tea Party. Boy, the GOP must like it rough because the Teabaggers go hard. I have not seen such pandering since the 80s and 90s when the Moral Majority held sway with them.

Now, the pact the GOP has made with the Devil has come due. And the Teabaggers don’t play. They go all in. You are either with them or against them. And if you are against them, be you Democrat, White, Black, Brown, any hue, a fellow GOP they think is soft, they will go for the gonads.

Personally, as per my belief system, the Universe takes care of all things. Like I said when it detects a void or imbalance, it fixes it. And a lot of times the fix ain't what one wants and/or it ain't nice. A little like the worst possible interpretation of the Tower card in tarot. The latest foolishness involves messing with my President. And they must be called out. 

This past weekend, the most vocal, ugly, vociferous people attached to the Tea Party marched to the White House which houses the President, a man who heads the country and is the head of the BLACK family living there, and paraded the CONFEDERATE FLAG.

WHAT THE F**K! DON”T GIVE ME THAT CRAP ABOUT IT BEING A SIGN OF PRIDE! That flag is about intimidation when it’s waved or displayed.  The person holding it may as well put a hood over their head and hold a burning cross.

Excuse me, but even if you detest Mister Obama, the waving of that flag at the Capitol is at least treason. That's a mini lesson in the fed law. Something all Teabaggers should know because since Mister Obama became President they all became CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SCHOLARS! That flag represents the side who was AGAINST the Union, the country. And the side who went to war because abolishing slavery would be the end of the way that side were living. Off the backs of enslaved, unpaid hard labor.So that flag is not something to be proud about. GET IT?

Then to make matters even nastier, and to push it into the Theatre of the Absurd, TED CRUZ, Tea Party darling of Texas, stands up and gives a rousing hate speech which insults the President, Muslims and any citizen who cares about the USA. The man and his rocket scientist sidekick, SARAH PALIN, appeared purely for a photo op and to spew disinformation. TED CRUZ spoke at a  march that vets had planned to protest the gov’t closure of the VET memorial. A memorial that TED CRUZ voted to CLOSE! Hypocrite! He’s insane and dangerous. The Tea Party and their ilk only think of themselves. Bringing the country to ruin is their dream so they can blame it on President Obama, “that Kenyan Muslim” they hate.

John Boehner brought the date from Hell to the prom and he can't get rid of her. Serves him right for being so hard up.

The Tea Party reminds me of something that my grandmother used to say. She’d say, “I’m afraid of the person who can do want is necessary no matter what.”

How true.

These nuts don’t care that the whole country and the world will be set back if their plan to push default succeeds. They are not afraid to do what they deem necessary. Their looney followers think the same. All this because poor folks, Black and Brown folks would have healthcare. And The Affordable Care Act is LAW, not a suggestion. There are steps to repeal a law. One does not tack on one's request for a law to be repealed by treating it like a rider on an insurance policy. Talk about disrepect. Just sticking it on the budget like no one's gonna notice. How shitty.

The extremely sad thing is the way this faction has played on its constituency's fears. The constituency is mixed (please take Cornel West, Tavis Smiley and Dr. Ben Carson) but let's be real, a huge number are very Conservative Caucasians. They say they want their country back. If they are referring to the pre-civil rights era, I am sure they know that going back to the "idyllic" 50s was only "idyllic" for them. It was Hell for everybody else. They are afraid of the browning of America, gay rights and God forbid---people who need healthcare actually getting it. This constituency follows, like lemmings, anyone who will  make them feel good about their...ill will for, and skewed view of the less fortunate. So, there. But you know what? This misguided constituency who rallies and marches and waves confederate flags are being held hostage just like the rest of America. I am quite sure that many in those irate crowds receive and/or need those monthly food stamps, Social Security or disability benefits and surely need the Affordable Care Act as badly as the poor, Black and Brown people they vilify.

 So keep voting for the Tea Party, y'all. Keep clapping like trained seals.
 

In the meantime, stand firm Mister President. I stand with you.  

Excerpt from UNION, THE FELIG CHRONICLES, BOOK 3--BEING RELEASED NOVEMBER 1ST. FINALLY!

STOP THE PRESSES! STOP THE PRESSES! IT'S FINALLY COMING OUT! THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF MY INTERRACIAL/PARANORMAL SERIES, THE FELIG CHRONICLES CALLED UNION COMES OUT ON NOVEMBER 1st, 2013. HERE IS A JUICY, SEXY, SNEAK PEEK AT NATE'S AND TINA'S RE-KINDLED LOVE AFFAIR. WILL THEY GET MARRIED? WHO KNOWS. WITH LIFE ON EARTH SO CRAZY AND UNCERTAIN, THEY TAKE THEIR JOY WHEN AND WHERE THEY CAN GET IT.

                                                             

“What was that?” Tina croaked. She pressed an open hand to the center of her chest. Her heart thumped double time and felt ready to pop from her body. “Good freakin’ God!” She continued to roll around the bed gasping for oxygen.

 “Take a wild guess.” Nate coughed and strained for air. Like her, his heart beat rapidly and made motions similar to a fish flopping on dry land. He reached out to comfort her.

 “That was the ‘other’? Geez, I thought I was dying. Is that gonna happen every time we have sex? I stopped breathing for more minutes than I care to recall.”

 “Me too. As for your question? I don’t know. But we’re still alive.”

 “And bonded.”

 “Lock, stock and barrel.” Nate entwined an arm with one of hers. “How do you feel about it?”

“How do I feel about it?” Tina repeated. She pulled herself up to a sitting position with the headboard’s help. “Phew! Let me catch my breath.” She rested against the wood. “Physically, I am tingling. I’m beyond fulfilled. It had been over two months. Not that I’m the sort who can’t live without a man. When I met you---”

“Tina?”

“Yes?”

“Be quiet and answer the question.”

“Make up your mind. I either answer or be quiet. Can’t do both at the same time.”

“You know what I mean. Hold that thought.” Nate left the bed to dispose of the condom. He returned and plopped stomach down. He rose up on his elbows and fixed her with his laser gaze. “Tell me the truth.” He moved closer to stroke her leg. “How do you feel about us?”

Tina shook out the top sheet and settled it over them. “I had no plans to get with anyone, Nate, and then you came along. You made me an offer that was appealing at the time: your help in exchange for no-strings-attached sex basically.”

“Whoa! Hearing that makes me sound like a...”

“Dirty young man? Opportunist? Yeah, but I knew what I was getting into.”

“Go on.” He softly kneaded her calf. “I’m waiting.”

“You are the last man I ever thought I’d be with past a night. Not in a million years. You’re Caucasian, Jewish, part-alien, and younger than me. Boy, can I pick ’em or what?” She scooted down to be next to him. She ran her hands over his shoulders and chest. “Now, you are my lifelong companion and my true love. You are everything to me.  How do I feel? Extremely happy, respected, deeply loved and loving.”

“That was worth the wait! I love you. I love you. I love you, Faustina Marie Cain. You will never be free of me.”

“I can’t now anyway.”

“All the same.”  Nate bounced up from the bed and went to dig in the top drawer of the dresser. He returned to the bed with a small box.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Yep.” Nate opened the box and plucked the ring from its perch.

“Nate, I’m not marrying you and I’m not converting,” Tina said.

“You wouldn’t do any of those?”

“No. I’ve told you before, I’m not wife material. I prefer the C words: companion, concubine. I’m not cut out for any established religion either. It’s not me.”

“Doesn’t matter. Besides, it’s an engagement ring not a wedding band. It’s perfect if you think of the real meaning of this type of ring. The French root is “engager” which means to--”

“Commit,” Tina finished. “I know.”

“We made the most important commitment about thirty minutes ago. I hope it fits.” Kneeling on the bed next to her, Nate took her left hand and eased the bauble down her ring finger.

“Oh my friggin’ God!” The girl in Tina snapped to. She admired the sparkler by turning her hand this way and that. She looked at it up close and then at Nate. “Platinum?”

“Yep.”

“Emerald-cut solitaire,” she said with certainty.

“Yep.”

“Two and a half carats?”

“Three carats with two flanking baguettes but who’s counting?”

“I’m acting like one of those women I vowed never to be. Oh my God!” She kept staring at it and waving her hand around.

“Remember the night on the patio when we had the blow up?” Nate asked while resuming his spot next to her.

“How could I forget?’

“I had it then. I was going to ask you then. I’m happy I didn’t. It’s turned out better than I expected. It’s more appropriate now.”

“I love it.” Tina half reclined across him. “Thank you for waiting for me. Thank you so very much.”

“Thank you. Oh shit! What time is it?” He glanced at the clock. It was four A. M.

Tina tilted his face back to hers. “Why do you care?’

“I promised the houseguests breakfast at eight-thirty.”

“We’ve got plenty of time.” She rubbed against him and stroked his neck.

“No we don’t.” He pulled her fully over him.

Tina straddled him and he covered them completely in the sheet. She giggled at the touch of his fingers tickling her. Nate punctuated her laughs with kisses. From under the cloth, Tina proclaimed, “Well, they do know where the kitchen is.”

EXCERPT FROM UNION, THE FELIG CHRONICLES, BOOK 3
AUTHOR: P.J. DEAN
PUBLISHER: EXTASY BOOKS
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Natural hair versus non-natural hair for AA females in romance books and the perception of AA female romance heroines

I can say that creating an African-American female heroine with hair that is not silky, straight and hanging to her butt, was a necessary decision for me to make in creating an AA female heroine. Whatever your ethnicity as a reader, you may ask, "What's the big deal?" The big deal is that there is still a standard of universality expected in a romance heroine. Especially when said heroine is not White. She's got to appeal to ALL readers. But the hard truth is, if you write niche romance, like I do, there is nothing run-of-the-mill about writing its heroines. I may sound like a broken record but major, traditional, established publishing houses DO NOT promote or scout out romances with non-Caucasian heroines. Yes, I know traditional publishing houses do not promote their authors very much period but writers of ethnic romance are really treated like the ugly stepchild. So if an author of ethnic/IR romance actually makes it past the scrutiny and "helpful criticism" of a gate-keeping editor and jumps through hoops and gets picked up by a big house, it's safe to say that the author's heroine has been watered down to be acceptable to the masses. Note: I don't know how she did it, but my fav author, the late L. A. Banks was able to craft truly ethnic females and amass a large audience. Her multicultural heriones stayed themselves and made her writing full and rich. But in general, most Black romance heroines found in the stories released by the big houses tend to be Caucasian chicks wrapped in chocolate shells. Harsh but true. Why is that? Because the traditional publisher will always hold up the low payout balance sheet for those romances and say that there is "no sizable audience for that kind of romance." Whoa! WTF does that mean? My take: publisher is saying that for whatever reason, the masses (i.e. the Caucasian female reader) didn't buy this book. And the publisher will use low rate of return for their effort as proof that the masses are not interested in reading multicultural/ IR romances. It is a double-edged sword. I've heard it all before: the Caucasian female reader will not buy a book with a heroine to which she cannot connect. The catch-22 of that scenario is that few, quality IR/multicultural stories are bought by traditional pubs to even be in the running to compete for "the masses" attention. I know that there are specific presses that print stories with multicultural characters. I say, "Thank God!" or our stories would never see the light of day. The unbelievable color politics in romance publishing is annoying. Funny, I don't recall any publisher asking non-Caucasian readers if they were able to relate to the chicks in all those England-based and Scotland-based historicals. Funny, I was able to connect to all those heroines with their upturned noses and flowing locks. I bought a shitload of those historicals with heroines named Bronwyn and Abigail, etc., who didn't even have a Black maid, which for a historical was a tad incorrect. People of color were servants in European households. But, hey I'm clouding the issue. The "Outlander" series is/was my favorite! Had no problem enjoying them. Hear that Big Six!

Anyway back to the natural hair theme. I,  unwittingly or defiantly, write African-American female characters without weaves, wigs or relaxed hair. And without any apologies. My heroine, Tina, sports twist-outs, coils, wash-n-gos and headwraps. And her lover loves it because it's her. Her goddaughter, Spechelle, who is a straight-edger, wears a natural fade. Their acquaintances or lovers may be of any color but these ladies stand strong in their own identity. Personally, I picked natural hair for them because the paranormal life-or-death story they are in warrants that they be ready to run for their lives or stand and fight for their lives at a moment's notice. You can't do that if your weave needs to be re-threaded or you're worrying about when you can get that relaxer touched up or if you are fretting that your wig may be knocked off your head as you flee.

I owe being able to write what I want, how I want, to my publisher, Extasy Books, a growing medium-sized press in Canada that appreciates the different and the daring in addition to making a profit. Wake up, American publishers! This is a diverse nation. Reflect it!

I wear my hair natural but I am not a natural hair Nazi. I've had relaxed hair in the past but never anything sew-in or detachable. The realization of something extra melded or glued to me always creeped me out because all I could envision would be the diaster of doing double duty: maintaining my real hair and maintaining the fake hair. No thanks. That is why my female characters stay with what is true and stay as close to themselves as possible.  A theme that is very crucial in my series.

The death of cursive and the dumbing down of generations

I may have written about this before so hang in there if it seems familiar.

Cursive. What would I do without you? I write out all my manuscripts in longhand cursive on yellow or white legal pads with ink pens or no. 2 pencils. I like that I don't need to sit in front of a radiation-emitting monitor for hours waiting for inspiration to hit. I create wherever I want, whenever I want without benefit of a charged iPad or tablet. And I don't need an electrical outlet to write.

Why?

Because I know cursive! Block printing is for babies. I love the loops, squiggles and curlicues of cursive that I learned waaaay back in grade school. It was called penmanship and you practiced everyday until you got it right. I was so proud to be able to sign my name like the grown ups and not print like the babies. Plus, I went to Catholic grade school so the education was top notch then. And free. That's another post for another time though. Anyway, the very distressing thing is that public school systems across the U. S. are doing away with cursive handwriting instruction in their curricula. Are we returning to signing crap with an 'X' or leaving your thumbprint on a piece of paper. Sounds very slave- and indentured servant-like to me.

A prime example of the concept at work (or not working) was during the Zimmerman trial. Witness Rachel Jentel shocked viewers by saying that she did not know cursive. Me, I was shocked that she had come through a school system that NO LONGER TAUGHT cursive. That was shocking, clutch-the-pearls time to me. Sad. Whole generations and classes of people reduced to block printing who can use a computer and watch videos and will be able to ask you, "Would you like fries with that?"  Yes, I said it.

Cursive not important anymore? Yeah right. If I were a parent of a kid who attended a school where cursive was no longer taught I'd worry. I'd worry because I bet you dollars to doughnuts that prep schools, private schools, charter schools, schools full of rich kids and schools run by religions and any school with sense are still teaching cursive. Always remember: Your kid will be competing with those kids (for jobs, college) from a disadvantaged place. Your kid will be in the starting block with a deficit! So you ask what can you do if your kid goes to one of  those sub-par, no-cursive-taught-here, no-teaching-anything-important babysitting services called a school? I say start a cursive learning class in your neighborhood on your own. Parents could pool money and hire a tutor. Or get really drastic and put your kids in a school where cursive is still taught. It's their future.

The sweet, the sensual and the erotic

I have read all “heat" levels of romance. Crafting any of these levels takes skill. The writer of each type has to know how far to push the envelope in what he/she is writing.

Sweet romance’s hottest moment might be what movie directors used to do in films when a couple was about to have sex. The movie scene would discretely cut to a billowing bedroom window curtain or rain beating against a window. So in sweet romance writing the scene may end before the couple gets to the bedroom and then pick up at some point after the loving (few hours later, the next morning, etc.) Also there is usually no harsh cursing. An example from my personal bookshelf is BEAUTY by Susan Wilson. Great plotline. Great characters that linger in the mind. Did I miss the sex scenes? No. Would I have liked a few? Probably but they weren’t necessary. The author’s command of the writing elements made the omission of sex scenes correct.

Sensual romance. Most romance books I’ve read and certainly the ones I write are sensual. These stories (mine and others’) depict the sexual affection the hero and the heroine have for one another. It’s not better than the sweet romance category; it’s another facet of a wide genre. The ones I loved were any historicals written by the “Avon Ladies”, that tight, well-oiled, successful machine of romance writers at Avon Books back in the 80s and early 90s. Even today I’ll re-read a classic by Woodiwiss or Rogers or Jenkins when nothing is calling to me from my TBR pile. Yes, those historicals could have some thin plotlines but I adored the descriptions of the locales, the era and of the fearless hero.

Now we come (no pun intended) to the erotica category. Always, always, always there will be people who call it porn. It’s not porn. It’s not even porn with prose. It’s a story with explicit sex scenes woven into a well-written story. Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to be. And this is the debate about the erotica category. The focus of the book is sex. And I call them books with the side eye. I’m going to put my neck on the chopping block here. Ten pages is not a book. I repeat. Ten pages is not a book. Yes, I know that this length and a little longer are popular on Amazon. I suppose people don’t have time to invest in a long book. But I must comment, “Why does one read a book?" Is it not to relax and unwind? Does everything in this life have to be short, hurried and frenzied? Quick service, fast food. If you are taking the time out to read a book, don’t you want to savor it? I really do hope this rushed atmosphere is not indicative of your sex lives. If it is, no wonder most folks are sexually frustrated. But that’s just my observation. I am into relaxing and taking my time, so in my purview, ten pages is not a book. I name these short works, “written extended sexual encounters.”

Romance writing for me is the more imaginative of writing categories. Erotica may be the most imaginative genre. The sex in erotica is definitely the focus. It is usually very hot and veers into the realm of the unreal.  Erotica can be dangerous dark, playful, forbidding, vanilla, MM, FF, MFM, FMF or interracial. It blends quite well with paranormal, Sci-fi and the were/vamp/shifter tales.  I think with better crafting and building of stories, better plots (plots period), and by not rating a story by how many orgasms one can squeeze into ten pages, erotica could hold its own with the rest of the genres in romance writing.

So which level do you read? Any? All? A blend?