Stories of Love Without Boundaries

I say that I write stories of love without boundaries. Boundaries simply cannot contain love - it is far too great! 

Need some examples? I'd be happy to oblige!

Imperfect and Impeccable show us that not only is love gender blind, it is (more importantly) colorblind.

Unbreakable Hostage teaches us that love is infinitely powerful.

The Loving Her series reminds us that love flows across all social classes, all careers, all walks of love. Whether you're a famous model, or just a mechanic, love is still yours to have.

Pianissimo demonstrates that love stands the test of time, as well as the test of social stigmas.

Love wins...every time!

Love knows no boundaries. Love doesn't believe in race. Love doesn't understand social status. Love is not gender specific. Love does not divide or separate us. Love brings us together. Love is the unifying force of humanity.

Feminism in my books

I just read an article about some of the forward leaps that have been made in the name of feminism this year. That caused me to look at myself and my work.

For as long as I can remember (yes, even as a kid. No joke), I have been adamant that females are equal to be males, and should be treated as such. So, I live feminism. I also write feminism.

You'll note that the majority of my main characters are women. And they are strong women. They are career women, wives, daughters, sisters, lovers, fighters, individuals. My characters come from all walks of life. They run the gamut of personalities. They are not defined by their looks or their jobs. They are simply who they are as human beings.

For as much as I want to raise LGBT awareness, I also want to support the feminist movement. I want to remind all readers that we are so much more than our race, orientation, and gender. What we look like, what our physical bodies are, do/does not define us. We need to raise our voices. We need to remind the world that our size and gender do not mean that we are lesser in any way. We are so much greater than our bodies.

So, women and men alike, I implore you to read my books. Come discover these characters who defy race, gender, and orientation. They remind us that we are all simply human beings.

On Education

My wife is an educator. More specifically, she teaches learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children. Over the years, her students have run the gamut from autism to anger issues. Last night, we were discussing the state of the educational system.


In New York state, there is standardized testing. Which sounds harmless until you consider the fact that the results of her students' test scores are added in with other students' scores and then we get the state average. How can one of her students, who might be severely learning disabled be compared to a non-LD student?! We all know that they can't. It's not balanced - it's not a fair fight.



Unfortunately, in the end, the students - the children - will be the ones who lose. Neither the average student nor the LD student will get the full education that they need and they will then be thrust into the real world, forced to struggle unequipped.



What does any of thids have to do with writing?


For me, even as a child, education was of the utmost importance. You had better believe that English class was a top priority. I knew the differences between there, their and they're a long time ago. It saddens (and even frustrates) me that my peers - my colleagues - do not know those differences. I look on Facebook and just see such horrible grammar. When I do so, I am appalled.



Now, I am not trying to pass judgment on people. Maybe they didn't pay attention in English. Maybe they had a crappy teacher. Who knows? The point is, they were not properly prepared for "the real world."


You may be asking yourself, "what difference does it make if they use there instead of their?" The differences are: (a) we are not the only English speaking country in the world. The British know their language pretty darn well. I can guarantee you, they just checked to make sure I used the proper "their." (b)As an aside to (a), we look like idiots on the global stage. We are not looked at in a good light by other countries. The fact that we cannot master our own language makes us the laughing stock of the world. (c) Isn't it important to know how to balance a check book? It's a part of our daily lives, right? We speak constantly, right? Words are also a part of our daily lives. Ergo, proper use of our words should also be not just a part of our daily lives, but an important part of our daily lives.



It is for those reasons that I proudly call myself a grammar nazi. I refuse to appear ignorant and inarticulate. I refuse to fall into the stereotype of the ugly, uneducated American. This is our language, but sadly, I have met many people for whom English is their second language and they have mastered it far better than we (the native speakers) have. I have tremendous respect for those people and their native tongues. I also have tremendous respect for my own language.


What's sad is that a key part of this linguistic issue is that teachers aren't able to teach proper grammar because they are overworked, underpaid and forced to follow curriculums set by the government. They have to cram ridiculous amounts of information into shorter time spans. They do not get the opportunity to teach the way they want to teach. They want to teach proper grammar as much as I want to see and hear it. Sadly, they just can't due to these regulations.


We need to master our language and we need to improve our educational system. Both are in a very sad state. I think that if we were able to improve both, we as a nation, would improve. Our global image would improve and our culture would improve as well.


So, here's to better education and better grammar for us all!

Writing Chores

Happy Thursday morning, gang!

Today, I want to talk about chores.

We all hate them. BUT, they are a necessary part of our lives.

What happens when chores become a necessary part of our careers as well?

What am I talking about? I'm talking about writing what you don't really want to write. Most college students would say, that's their 10 page paper that's due tomorrow. For a writer, though, there are writing chores. There are things we don't necessarily want to do, but we do them in the hopes of advancing our careers.

To some extent, these chores separate the men from the boys. With self-publishing and e-books, anyone can call themselves a writer. As I posted in my last blog, I've been seeing a lot of that lately, even from people who I thought were actual writers. Unfortunately for me and their readers, that is not the case. HOWEVER, when I see a writer pursuing articles and venues of all sorts, my hopes are lifted. A real writer will write. That's what we want to do. Just like there may be some parts of your job that you don't like, we writers will write things we don't necessarily want to write. We write what we can when we can so that when the opportunity to write what we want to write comes, we can savor every minute.

Recently, I was asked to watch a movie and review it for a local LGBT newspaper. I did. I had never reviewed a movie and I had no real interest in movie reviews, but I loved the opportunity for exposure. I hated the movie and I struggled in writing a gentle review. I got through it. It's another writing accomplishment for me. It pushed and challenged me. It has given me the opportunity to expand as a writer as we ll as broaden my reader base. And sitting through one crappy movie to do one review takes me one step closer to my dream of being a full time writer and writing what I want to all the time.

Writing chores like ay chores are no fun. We don't like them as much as we don't like cleaning a nasty toilet. But it has to be done. And the rewards, just like a clean, shiny toilet, are well worth it! :)

A Blank Page

Hello, dear readers!



I apologize again for my absence. Yet again, my job has gotten the best of me, though things ae improving.

So anyway, at my Artist's Way meeting last night we were discussing a blank canvas.

One the ladies said a quote about blank canvases. It has been said that a blank canvas holds infinite possibilities. The moment you draw your first line, you are telling the canvas all the things it is not or cannot be.



I'm a writer, not a painter. So for me, I think of a blank page.

I have heard so many writers talk about the fear of a blank page.

I was never afraid of a blank page. They always excited me because I knew there was no limit to them. I was excited at all of the prospects that page could be.

Hearing that quote last night really put things in perspective for me. Never before had I thought that I was telling the page that this was what it wasn't or it couldn't be that because I was making it this instead.

Should I be afraid of the first stroke of my pen or the first key I type?





The optimist in me says no. I understand the fear that other writers and artists are talking about now. I think it is a good fear, a healthy fear. I think that all artists should approach a blank with this fear and with respect. But we need not be petrified. Rather, use that fear to choose our words or pictures carefully. To limit the canvas in the best way possible - by making the limits beautiful. Once a word is written or a line is drawn, it cannot be undone. So let us handle our craft with the utmost care and caution. Let us not be frivilous.





So now, my approach to any creative endeavor will be different. I have always taken my work seriously. Now I shall do so, but again with a new perspective.

I encourage artists of all types to share this perspective with me. I think it is the best way for each and everyone of us to create our very best.



And with that, I wish you happy reading! :)

Boundaries and Writers

Good morning, internet world! :) Today, I want to discuss a rather unusual topic: writers and boundaries. Since I discussed emotional writing yesterday, I think it's important to remember that there need to be boundaries when it comes to that emotional writing.



Why do I want to talk about that? Well, writers are basically geysers of words. Like "Old Faithful," we regularly errupt with words and emotions.



I don't know if the same can be said for other art forms or not. But we as writers absorb so much. We are trapped in our minds which are endless stories and words. It's great because that gives us the creative juices we need to create wonderful stories. It can be bad, though, because sometimes we just errupt without thinking of the consequences on those around us. We REALLY need to be mindful not to hurt the people closest to us. I have seen it happen SO many times. So I decided to take a stand against it today!


I know you're looking at your monitor with your head cocked to the side thinking, "Say what?!" Yeah, I've got x-ray vision! ;) LOL.



I've seen so many writers just vomit out words endlessly.
(I'm sorry, but this picture randomly came up in an unrelated search, and I thought it was just too funny NOT to post! LOL)


Sometimes it's vague, but sometimes they just go right for the jugular forgetting that the world can read it, and that the pen is in fact mightier than the sword. It may not even be intentional, but it's a common problem in the scribe community.

We express ourselves through words. That's what we do. So of course we'd clear our minds and our souls with words. But sometimes we forget that those words may have people attached to them. I've seen so many writers just blurt stuff out, then look back & say, "oops!"

Oops is not a good thing for us. Nor is it a good thing for the people who are being affected by the oops.

Countless writers love to do what's called free-writing. With that, you just spew and spew whatever thoughts, feelings, emotions, and images come to mind. It is such a great release! I'm a big fan of free writing. BUT, free-writing has its consequences if you're having an arguement with your spouse and you write things like "she is so stupid" or "he is so inconsiderate" and then publish it for all the world to see. Oops? Oh yeah! MAJOR oops!

So, what is a writer to do when you're flooded with emotions and you need to write to keep your sanity, but you dare not risk making a bad situation worse? It's called...drum roll...EDITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




That's right folks. Editing. We writers have a love-hate relationship with editing. Sometimes editing is the polish that gives our words that extra shine. Sometimes, it seems more like censorship.

Editing is in fact your friend, fellow bibliophiles! Editing is the fine tuning that every work needs. Just as an artist draws out the main sketch first and then puts in the details later, so must we write and then edit. It really helps to hone our skills, but also to be sure that we are truly saying what we need to say. Plus, it gives us the opportunity to kill the oops before it's out for all the world to see. Editing is a phenomenal tool for us! USE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For myself, I also love using what ever is close by. I frequently use my phone for writing. Whether it's one thought or a story idea, by using my phone I can just say what is in my heart or on my mind, but it's just for me. It's GREAT! Oh, I LOVE the release it gives me, but I don't need to worry that I may offend my readers. Come on, I'm a loud mouthed, bisexual Puerto Rican from Queens. My EXISTANCE offends people! LOL.
(Yep, that's me! Are ya scared yet? LOL)



So, this gives me the opportunity to quietly scream. I love it. I'll also use paper and a pen/pencil if that's more readily available. Whatever is around. I HIGHLY recommend it for you as well. You're still doing what a writer does, but you're also writing for yourself. Let me tell you something. Writing for yourself is FAR more rewarding than writing for an audience.




Again, I see tilted heads and I'm hearing, "Say what?!" Ok, let me explain. My publisher told me I should try to write a suspense novel earlier this year. I was thinking, "oh hell no!" I'm not good at twists and turns and intrigue. Again, Puerto Rican chick from Queens. We're direct. We speak directly and we write directly. How was I going to write a full length novel that was the antithesis of my normal voice? It took a lot of work and digging, but I did it. Now, I am EXTREMELY proud of the fact that I did actually write a full length suspense novel. It's a great feeling to actually accomplish something outside your norm. But, I was doing it for some one else - my readers. So, what did I do? I created the epilogue just for myself. I don't care if people like it or don't. It's there - think of it what you will. But it's MY epilogue. That is the one thing I feel I truly own because I wrote that epilogue just for myself. Selfish? Maybe. But I sure as hell enjoy it and revel in Unbreakable Hostage that much more!




Ok, I got a bit side-tracked there. So, what I'm saying is this, folks: write, write, write. It's what we do. It's how we express ourselves. It's how we allow ourselves to heal. It's how we allow ourselves to grow as people. But, just like your first draft of your novel is not ready for the public, the same goes for most of your writings. It's true for all of us. Read, re-read, edit and write for yourself. Yes, you need to express whatever it is you're feeling or experiencing. You just don't have to let everybody and their mother know exactly what is going on in your personal life. Whatever and whenever you write, make sure you're doing it for yourself & not for any other reasons, ok? You will end up SO much happier with your final product if you do! That is a promise! :)