The fight must go on

Guess who's back, back again
  Morbius's back, tell a friend
  Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...

That's right everyone J.S. Morbius has, once again, been released from The Crypt to roam the hallowed halls of Naughty Nights Press, searching for the wayward souls who still don't believe Transsexuals and Transsexual Erotica are the new big thing.

For too long Transsexuals have been shunned by all areas of society and, even to this day, a lot of that, so-called, modern society still mention them in hushed voices, using degrading terms and descriptions, but how many of theses haters have actually ever taken the time to read about the subject or even speak to a Tgirl.

Not everything you may have read or heard about Transsexuals is true. A very large percentage of them don't have anything to do with the adult entertainment industry, instead holding down 'respectable' jobs, running a home, enjoying what life they are allowed to enjoy.

I have many Transsexual friends, spread out across the cyber world, who are struggling with the hardest fight they will ever face, the hardest fight any of us will ever know or even be able to comprehend, and a little compassion and understanding doesn't cost anything.

Maybe it comes down to the fact that people really are scared of someone so different, yet who just wants everyone else wants, to them hate speech is the only way they can cope.

Or maybe they, secretly harbour deep feelings for these beautiful ladies and are so scared of what their friends might think, and say, they would rather go through their whole live living a lie rather than be honest with themselves.

Hey you know what, I've got a great idea.

To help those who need it the most, or those who just like a fantastic read, I am going to give away,to one lucky person who leaves a comment and their email address on this post my complete Transsexual Romance Collection.

That's right four books – Star Search, Addicted to Charlie, Naughty Hot Shots: Top of the Class and The Girl in the Red Bikini – can be somebody's, just for commenting.

Fuck I am good to you

but, for now, I'm out of here.

T.T.F.N.

Where Are The Readers?

A writer friend of mine recently contacted me to wonder about a Yahoo group that rejected her post. It was a group for erotic romance so she didn't understand why she was rejected. Turns out the post had been in moderation status for 14 days, which is the maximum period of time for a group moderator to validate a post. The moderator didn't do that for whatever reason and her post didn't make it to the group.

I moderate two groups on Yahoo groups, or at least I used to since I don't use Yahoo groups anymore. Ever since Yahoo changed its format for posting my posts no longer go through. I tried to post during a scheduled posting day in Love Romances Café's group but none of my three posts went up. Maybe Yahoo doesn't like Safari. Doesn't matter. I gave up on Yahoo groups.

Does anyone out there still use Yahoo groups? I don't think there are any readers there anymore. Nothing but authors spamming the groups with promo posts. What a waste of time! Where have the readers gone? My guesses are as follows:

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Book blogs

What do you think? Where are the readers?

Here's where to find me on the web:

Elizabeth Black - Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Elizabeth Black - Twitter

http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Elizabeth Black - Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

When things go wrong...

Well hello there again. I don’t know about you, but time seems to be crawling in between my appearances on here. Life altogether, and the year itself is flying, but it seems so long between posts.

I know I had started a series of posts about paranormal creatures, with a different one each month. However this month I want to talk about something different.

Courtesy of Flickr user JustCallMe_♥Bethy♥_

Those who know me personally know that the last 12 months has been very trying for me and my family. I have come so close to giving in over and over, because there’s only so much that people can take. There are tough times, and then there hellish times. This is definitely a hellish time. So many times I’ve wanted to just curl into a ball and stay in bed, throw in the towel with writing, studying, everything except the pain.

It is something a lot of people fight every single day. We all have our different reasons, our own challenges and hurdles. Some are bigger than others. Some people cope differently.

The point is, every single one is unique. There is no how-to manual on how to cope with the challenges that you will face, because although others may experience one challenge that you do, they’ve had other paths to lead them to their own similar experience that mean they think differently, handle it in their own way. Other people can only give you advice.

Sometimes they think theirs is the be all and end all, only way to deal with it. I can tell you now that they need to be handled with a firm hand. They need to be told that you will handle it in your own way, and that while you appreciate their advice, they need to give you the space to deal with it. Your. Own. Way. It will hurt, but you need to tell them to back off, and be firm. To allow someone to crush your feelings under their own pride will only be a hindrance to your path to recovery.

That goes for mental, emotional and physical pain. You only need positive people around who will support and encourage you, not ones who will try to take over, and end up sapping every bit of energy you have. Vampires are real. Blood suckers? Well, some people like to think so. Emotional vampires? Very much real. And are to be avoided when you’re in a bad place.

Courtesy of Flickr user bogd

I guess the point of my blog this month is that if you’re ever going through a tough time, take a firm hand with anyone who thinks you are doing it “wrong”. They need to either back off or leave. It’s harsh, but you need to look after you. Allow yourself moments of weakness, but don’t let things crush you down for too long. It may not seem it at times, (and I’m feeling very hypocritical saying this, but it’s something we all need to remember!) but there is a lot to live for in this world. Just hold on, like new growth does when there’s still snow. (Yeah, there wasn’t really many images I liked that showed resilience.)

Phoenix Johnson is an Australian author who has always had the passion for the written word. She had her nose in at least one book ever since she could read and would even scrutinize the back of the cereal box every morning at breakfast. It was only natural she take up writing.

After reviewing a few delicious titles for Naughty Nights Press as she wrote her first title, The Wolf in the Neighborhood, Phoenix was of one mind to submit it to NNP, and she hasn't looked back. The Return of Their Master now joins her first title for sale, and both books are receiving great reviews. Phoenix feels that being invited to write for the NNP blog is a great honour, and loves being part of the team!

Anyone Up For A Contest? Enter To Win Ebooks From Zumaya Publications

Zumaya Publications is in the mood for a contest, and since we appreciate creativity, that's the kind of contest we'll have.

We'll post a photo every week till we get bored, and the best caption for it wins the creator two ebooks from the Zumaya eBookstore; we'll have our authors on Facebook pick the winner.

You have till midnight the following Tuesday after each new photo is posted to enter. Feel free to pass the information around, because in a contest like this the more people in it the more fun ensues.

Ready? Pop over to Zumaya Publications LLC and give us your best shot.

Writing Cheaters

Greetings folks! Instead of the muse, I’ve decided to talk about something that affects all authors everywhere when it comes to their craft; writing characters who aren’t faithful to their spouses and or partners.

Let’s go back a ways when I decided to write my latest book, Something About Jayden. When developing the story, I did a lot to make the characters believable and relatable. Jayden Demario, a foster child, is a college intern looking for his first big break in the advertising world. Because of his past history with his stepfather, he isn’t too hip on the holidays and his upbringing in a rough neighborhood forces him to stay somewhat closeted. My other character, Isaac Bridges is a successful advertising executive who is also in the closet and married to his best friend; a woman he’s known for years named Brenda. The two of them are in this setup for convenience but have the understanding that once the other finds love, they’ll separate. Notice Isaac’s character bio; married and in the closet which means he’ll try to cultivate a relationship with Jayden during the course of the story.

I knew this would be difficult to pull off from the get go and that many might not want to read it because of the cheating hero. Still, being the author who likes to write what they want and take risks, I did it anyway because it was a story I’d still read.

No question, cheating is most likely the biggest no no in romance. Seemingly not a lot of people enjoy stories about someone who leaves their significant for another regardless of the situation but like many other things in fiction, this too is part of reality. A grim one but definitely something humans face in the real world. It’s a very touchy subject but in my opinion, we as authors, especially when it comes to our craft should be willing to take risks. I don’t write for the money, I write because I love it.

Another case in point is Michael’s book, I Love it Rough. In this one, my main character Frankie finds another man he works with very attractive. From the few reviews I’ve gotten, this turned off some people but truthfully my character reacted to frustration with his current lover Kajika and because of this his eyes wandered to another man.

Like Jayden, I knew this might have an effect on the book but in Rough, it isn’t part of the main character’s make-up. Really, Frankie’s infidelity is the build up for the next book between the man he’s lusting after and another so there is reasoning behind the madness. It’s not just for the sake of showing cheating or glorifying it but again, the characters unfaithfulness leads into another part of the storyline. In the case of Rough it builds a bridge to the next book and creates more tension; something I love to do.

So what’s my point here? Cheating isn’t pretty. It isn’t something people like to hear about, read about, or experience but it’s a part of life. In no way shape or form am I trying to make you, the reader, change your mind about books if it’s part of the storyline. You read what makes you comfortable and happy which is fine.

However, a lot of authors like to push the envelope, because reading happy go lucky Jenna and Brian or Bill and Nate isn’t always fun to write. We like some angst, we like the drama and the cheating definitely adds something to the storyline.

Many publishers don’t even want the element in their books because they want their stories to be HEA or HFN and they know how readers feel about infidelity. Few others allow us the freedom to write what comes in our heads and if we self-pub, like I did with Rough, we write whatever satisfies our creativity.

I’m proud of how both books turned out and if I have a cheating MC I won’t hesitate to write him or her again. Not because I’m insensitive to people or want to glorify the ugliness, I like telling stories that push the boundaries and break the normal romance mold.

To read more about Something About Jayden, click here

To read more about I Love it Rough click here  

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About Sharita Lira: In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3  4 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

This happily married mother of two beautiful children loves music, computers, reading, and still enjoys reading and writing fanfiction. She’s a proud member of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, as well as an advocate for rights of GLBT citizens.

She’s also co-editor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net