Monday Musings: I have returned! Bwahahaha!

Hey guys! I'm back. Sorry I was away for so long! Hey, I even have a cover for y'all to gaze at!

I got pretty focused on Her Master's Gift, but beyond that, as you saw from my last post, my depression and anxiety got the best of me. It happens sometimes!
Rather than castigate myself for that to the point where I don't write any blogs ever (that won't work for me!), I'm moving on. Can't go back in time just yet. Unless The Doctor comes for me in the TARDIS, in which case, see you then!

Current news: I just finished the second round of edits for Her Master's Gift. My editor, Valerie, is amazing. Seriously, all of

Monday Musings: Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Who you are, deep inside, doesn't stop just because you're sick. But sometimes you have to put away the play until you feel well enough to do it again. Not such a big deal when all you have is a cold, and you know you'll get better at some point. But what happens when you're chronically ill? You're not getting better. You feel weird/pained/fatigued/etc. all the time. Your body isn't your own anymore.

I have two conditions that are my primary diagnoses, and Fibromyalgia is one of them. I got diagnosed when I was 15, and it changed my life.

https://www.facebook.com/fibromyalgiastories13

Monday Musings: I fail at browsing

So, my previous computer, a lovely little HP laptop, has been retired. It refused to consistently register the internet via either wi-fi or ethernet, and at 4 years old, wasn't running the way it needed to. The way I needed it to, for my work-work and my writing work.

Yesterday, hubby and I went out to "browse" for my new computer. You know, price check, compare, etc. We found the perfect computer, for a really fantastic price (compared to the prices of lesser machines I found online), and bought it immediately.

We don't browse well. We had similar experiences when shopping for our respective wedding rings (at 2 different stores!). We said, "Oh, we'll go browse. No pressure to buy now." Of course, this led us to find our perfect rings. Yeah. We can't browse.

Back to the new computer. I love new gadgets, but I always feel so bad for the old ones! I loved my old computer, and I feel this sense of guilt. It's been through so much with me. Through school and the writing of many stories, through the long distance portion of mine and hubby's relationship...so much!

As for this new shiny toy, I have nifty new programs on it to play with, and will try to only take a day or two of getting easily distracted by things like the games. I also have the new version of Microsoft Office, and have been playing with Word and Excel for a couple hours now. I like them!

Hopefully one day I'll learn how to browse, but until then...at least I got the computer I needed rather quickly.

What about you guys? Any new gadgets, or any who also fail at browsing?

Thursday Thirteen: My 13 Recent Fascinations

Thursday Thirteen is a weekly meme with a simple theme: each Thursday you blog a list of 13 things. What kind of things? Any kind! Just come up with a list theme and run with it!

It's been awhile since my last Thursday Thirteen. Sorry! My day job has been a bit consuming, and that's left little time for the kind of blogging I want to do.

So, this week is about my current fascinations. I get very focused on certain things, and they tend to hold my interest for a good amount of time.

1. Natural products - I'm exploring the use of products made from all natural ingredients, with no synthetics. My skin, while it doesn't mark for anything from floggers or rope, is very sensitive to soaps and perfumes. From my scalp to my toes, it's not thrilled with most products. I've recently found a couple of places worth exploring, and now I'm ordering all sorts of samples!

2. Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet - I finally got this book in from the library. I've gotten 3 hats and a scarf done, and well! But I still don't know the crochet code, that language all crochet patterns are written in. So, this book is helping me learn!

3. Queer as Folk - It's on Netflix! Huzzah! Hubby and I are watching it, and it's been fantastic. The show is hot and hilarious and dramatic.

4. Editing - I know I wrote about it on Monday, but printing out my previously published tale has been fantastic. I'm having a ton of fun making changes and adding more descriptive content!

5. Dachshunds - Well, specifically my doxie. He turned 14 a bit over a week ago, and I'm trying to spend as much time with him as I can. But also, cute doxie videos online! Go look, they're hilarious!

6. Rope - Well, hubby created some "rope stocks" on the bed which actually serve to hold me in place. I'm a bit of an escape artist, so that's saying something! Now to add them at the top of the bed, and then apply toys.

7. Smashwords - Oh, Smashwords, how do I love thee? *grins* It's very nice to see that my free stories are being read, or at the very least downloaded a lot! Nearly 400 downloads and counting!

8. Music - I've been listening to more music lately, and I must say, it gives me a buzz. Especially happy, bouncy, exciting music. It encouraged me to do research on whether one can get high off of music, and apparently, one can!

9. Kink Events - This relates to rope, in that hubby and I went to a kink event awhile ago, and it was really nice. We're planning on more for March, and I really look forward to it.

10. Star charts - Yes, star charts, like you get for elementary school kids. Hubby and I have been using them, partly for power exchange reasons, partly because it's really nice to keep track of the accomplishments, small and large. Get work done? Star! Do the household stuff you really hate to do? Star! Get enough stars? Let's make sure to set aside time/money/whatever for this little thing we like. Focusing on the positives has been a really good daily exercise!

11. Aussie fiction - When I read, I get a bit of a movie in my head. I'm having a lot of fun reading new author Jessie L. Star, and plan to read more Aussie and Kiwi fiction to get my fix of that accent and word usage in my head.

12. Self-publishing - I've not yet really done much in the vein of self-publishing. The closest I've come is having my free stories on Smashwords. With my experience on there, I'm considering it more and more for some of my harder-to-place tales!

13. Branding and body art - I can't afford a really good quality tattoo as of yet, but I do want to get my one piece of body art - my brand - touched up, perhaps on the 1 year anniversary of receiving it, or thereabouts. I also am in the process of writing a post about my brand for one of my Friday Deviance posts. Be on the lookout!

There you have it. My interests-cum-obsessions for the past few weeks! What about you guys? Any new or renewed interests recently?

Monday Musings: Editing and a Smashing Success

It's been pretty wicked with my day job lately, so my updates have been few, and my ability to edit the way I really, really need to has been limited. I fixed it though! With printer paper.

I am revising Her Master's Gift, one page at a time, and it's going beautifully. I have a clipboard, my trusty pencil, and the story, and that's really all I need. I can't seem to edit well on the screen, but I like being able to scribble and cross things out, and see how things fit...it's like a puzzle of words!

While you guys await HMG (with bated breath, I'm sure), I have taken this opportunity to post my FREE stories Astral Lovers and Servant of the Sun on Smashwords! And it's been fantastic. With over 300 downloads combined in just three days, I have been jumping up and down with glee!

Here are the links to both stories, and I sincerely hope you guys enjoy them:

So that's about it for now. Bogged down by day-job woes, but you won't see me giving up!

How's everyone doing this fine Monday? Anything new and interesting? I'd love to hear about it!

Monday Musings: Yay rope bondage!

Today marks a year and a half of marriage for me and hubby. Yay! We're really happy, and have had some exciting, awesome times during our marriage! Here's to hoping for many more!

This past week, my hubby and I were able to attend a rope event in our area. I must say, it was good to get back into a location with kinky folks. As interesting as the swinging event the other week was (and yes, we'll probably be going back), kink is our comfort zone. We understand the protocols, what's allowed and what's not, whether we know everyone there or not.

Rope is very versatile, and to be honest, we don't do the fancy kinbaku (shibari) style rope at this point. While beautiful, we haven't the time, nor the space, to do that. What we do have is the ability to use simple ties and the force of the rope against itself to create incredible bondage that doesn't remain static unless we want it to. It's inspiring, to play with rope together, and to have it act as a conduit for our energy, back and forth, his and mine running along to each other.

Any anniversaries happening for you guys? What about forays into rope bondage, either in real life or fiction? I'd love to hear about it!

Friday Deviance: The Marks of a Kinkster

BDSM is a Lifestyle where marks tend to hold tremendous relevance. There are more temporary ones, like whip and rope marks, which fade relatively quickly. Then there are marks of ownership, like tattoos, brands, or even collars. There are also marks of family, from flags for factions in the community, to patches that signify a Leather Family or BDSM House. But for this post, it's all about the body, and the adornments that go with BDSM.

To me, both sides of the coin are important. The temporary and the permanent, that which fades and that which reminds.

The Temporary: That Which Fades

Bruises from bite marks, a rosy bottom after a paddling, or welts from a whip, can all be part of the endorphin rush that goes along with playing. It's one of my favorite parts of play, though damn my skin, my marks go away almost instantaneously. Still, bruises, bite marks, whip marks, rope marks, all are lovely impressions left on the skin after play that make reliving the experience even easier.

The marks are badges of honor, badges of love, something to be proud of and to show off. Bottoms all around (whether sub, slave, switch, or even Dominant) tend to like to compare and contrast, telling stories of pleasure and pain over meals at munches or across the 'net on message boards.

These marks don't last, which can be sad, but that also leaves a fresh canvas for more memories to find their way, different designs all beautiful in their own way. They are masochistic flowers which bloom for short periods before fading from view.

The Permanent: That Which Reminds

Tattoos. Collars. Brands. These are the more permanent kinds of marks that can last for many years.

Collars, the wedding rings of BDSM, come in many forms. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, all sizes and colors and security levels, but one of the main purposes is to remind one that he or she is owned. Whether or not it CAN easily come off is immaterial. My collar currently takes the form of a necklace which can be unfastened without trouble. It gets taken off only for cleaning and polishing, and then ritualistically placed back around my neck. The rest of the time, it stays where it belongs.

Tattoos. These body mods are very popular, and can be used to mark memorials, to mark life changes, to mark possession...or for fun. I know people who have tattoos just because the design was pretty. I know others who have them as major life moments marked. It depends on the person. Tattoos are nice because of how vivid they are, and a design can be as detailed as you like. On the other side of that, they never go away. This can be good and bad. Relationships don't always last forever. It's something to consider before taking this step.

Branding. Ah, branding. Most think of branding cattle, and hey, maybe it's not too far from that. It can be a mark of ownership, and slaves in BDSM are "property" of their owners. However, for some, it can be a very spiritual experience. And not everyone who gets branded does so for ownership reasons. Like tattoos, branding has gotten popular as a body mod. They are simpler and more elemental than tattoos. Details get lost in brands, so simple line designs are best. The pain of a brand isn't too bad (and I'm seriously a baby when it comes to pain), but every person is different. Still, the experience was very important, special, and spiritual.

It's Personal

In the end, marks are intensely personal. They are different for every person, special in their own way, and can provide an intense amount of pride, either for enduring an ordeal or enjoying a pleasure.

Do any of you have marks that mean something? I'd love to hear your stories!

2014 - A New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a lovely evening last night, and that the year has started off as you wish it to!

2013 has been a full year for me, with a move across the state, the release of my novella Feeding the Beast, and the start of this awesome blog of mine! *grins*

It ended with spicy tuna (for good luck, one apparently has to end the year eating fish), sauvignon blanc (surprisingly yummy!) and a slightly drunk kiss from my hubby with the fireworks booming in the distance.

It is a new year, complete with all of its new chances to get things done, make things happen, and create magic on the page! I'm plotting out several stories now, working on Lady of the Pack, and in general making the first day of this new year count.

It's also been raining, which tends to have one of two effects on me: sleepy or inspired. Today, we'll go with inspired!

What chances are you going to take this year? What things will you guys make happen? I'd love to hear from y'all!

Christmas Eve and Anticipation

Anticipation is delicious. The heart races, attention sharpens, excitement brings boatloads of energy and enthusiasm!

Christmas, with decorating the tree, candlelight services, and of course the gifts, has always been a time of anticipation. After Thanksgiving, when December begins, it's like a countdown. Decorations come out, there's a radio station dedicated to the music of the season, and the bell people come out of the woodwork in front of every store.

Christmas Eve was the height of it all. The night before, when the thrill had built over each passing day, the pile of gifts growing beneath the tree, the curiosity of it all just couldn't be denied. Shaking boxes, making guesses as to what was what. It was a family game to figure out what everyone was getting.

We got to open one present on Christmas Eve. It was like whetting our appetites for the next day, giving some satisfaction, but still...there were the rest of them! Just waiting. And of course, try getting us to sleep when we got home after the midnight candlelight service.

Still, we waited for the gifts until the next day, when we could really enjoy them. The next day, it was all about ripping up paper, exploring our gifts and our imaginations, and being incredibly thankful that we could experience it all together.


This year I'm thankful for the people I have in my life, each and every one! Love is the true gift this year. Well, that and the Doctor Who Christmas special, but...I'm a geek that way!

What are your Christmas Eve traditions? Do you agree about the anticipation that precedes Christmas?

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! May you have joy on this day.

Happy Thanksgivukkah! - Stuffing, and other adventures.

Well, for the first time since 1888, these two holidays (which do seem to revolve around fatty/oily foods) have coincided. And it'll be roughly 78,000 years (according to the people hosting the Macy's parade) until it happens again! Wow! That is impressive.

Today I've made stuffing from scratch for the first time. I might have had some help from my hubby and my fantastic MIL. Yes, I have been blessed with an awesome MIL. We will also be having creamed onions, which I've never heard of before, using pearl onions. No doubt I will enjoy this (as I'm a fan of onions). Still, getting my hands all messy, breaking up bread, the enticing scents of sage and thyme...it was a lot of fun!

These two holidays are pretty special to me. Chanukah is all about miracles, being able to keep going long beyond what you envisioned possible. Thanksgiving is about being thankful for all the good things in your life.

So, today I'm thankful for food with lots of butter and herbs and yummy goodness! And for having food at all this year. There have been years in my life where food on the table was in question. And other years where our food went way beyond what we thought it would. Both have helped me to have an appreciation for those times when food is plentiful.

I'm also thankful for a muse who keeps me inspired with awesome story ideas, a life full of love and friendship, and a toy bag full of fun things to play with after dark!

And, of course, getting annoying music stuck in my husband's head. It's a special form of torture. Oops?

I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving, and a wonderful Chanukah if you celebrate it!