My Answer is Yes

Thirty six years ago, in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, my husband proposed to me. We were staying in Taos, New Mexico, in a fabulous adobe-walled hotel we’d somehow happened upon. Given the time of year, the place was pretty empty, so the management gave us this huge family-sized room, with something like five beds. We tried them all....!

At the time, we were a bit more than halfway through a three week road trip, crossing the US from the East Coast, where he (and my family) lived, to the West, where I was located. Needless to say, we were not taking a very direct route! He was coming west to move in with me. We’d known each other for about six months, but given the long distance between us, we’d only spent a few weeks, total, in each other’s company.

Nevertheless, our relationship was so relaxed and easy, it seemed we’d been partners for years. Our meandering drive across America was a magical voyage of discovery. Taos was just another jewel in a sparkling strand of amazing times together.

I remember that New Year’s Eve was crisp, cold and unbelievably clear. The stars were points of fire outside the windows of our room. He held me, kissed me, asked if I’d be his wife.

I laughed, kissed him back, and told him to ask me again in a year. After all, we were intoxicated, with New Year’s champagne and the thrill of our new love. Who knew what our future would bring? I hadn’t planned on ever marrying, given the string of divorces that marked my family history. I didn’t think it was necessary or useful.

He didn’t give up. Next New Year’s he repeated the question. My answer was yes.

Our love has been a great gift. We’ve had more adventures than I’d ever dreamed (and I always had an active imagination). We’ve enjoyed health and peace, laughter and inspiration. Like any couple, we’ve had some difficult times, but overall we’ve been blessed.

He has taught me many things. How to cook Indonesian food. How to solder a circuit board. And how to say yes to life, even when I’m unsure. I was a cautious, anxious young woman when we met, always worrying about people’s opinions and analyzing my options. My beloved taught me, by example, how to be spontaneous, to embrace life with open arms.

How else would I ever have been crazy enough to set off driving three thousand miles with someone I barely knew?

Yes. I am blessed indeed.

Happy New Year to you all! 

 

May 2018 bring you joy, peace and prosperity.

New and Naughty

“Anybody know of any blog hops?”

My friend and fellow author Jen Wright asked this question on one of my author lists about a week ago. Actually, I'd just finished participating in a great hop (Nicole Morgan's Hot Winter Nights), but I hadn't heard about any that were coming up.

“Nah, sorry.” I wrote back. “But we could create one. My mother always told me 'If you want something done, do it yourself.”

“Why not?” she replied. “My dad says the same thing.”

From these humble beginnings rose our New Year's blog hop extravaganza, “Something New, Something Naughty”.

It was Jen who came up with the title. Meanwhile, I wanted to offer a grand prize that would be a bit different, something more unusual than a bookstore voucher. “How about a gift certificate from EdenFantasys?,” I suggested. “That seems appropriate to the 'new and naughty' theme.”

What's EdenFantasys? My very favorite adult emporium. EdenFantasys has every sort of erotic product you can imagine – not just sex toys (though their variety in this realm is impressive – maybe even a bit scary!) but also bath, beauty and massage products, lingerie and fetish wear (many available in plus sizes), hilarious adult games and party favors, and erotic books (including lots of collections that include my stories, I'm pleased to note!). After Jen and I decided to do the hop, I spent some time (way too much time, actually) browsing at edenfantasys.com, drooling over the corsets and the restraints, reading the contributor profiles, and wondering whether I might incorporate some of the more exotic devices on offer into the BDSM steampunk novel I'm currently working on.

The site is more than a on-line store, though. EF is a community of everyday people who are interested in all things sexual - sort of a sexual social network. There are forums, videos, and an online magazine. The product reviews seem to be written by real customers, not sales folk. You can tell because sometimes the comments are not 100% positive. (“I can't really figure out how to use this...”, began one post that I read!)

One feature I just noticed on this visit is the interview section (many with authors and editors I know personally). EF has adopted an unusual format in which different members of the EF community each ask one question of the interview subject – similar to a chat or a press conference. Normally I find interviews a bit boring, but this is a new twist on a well-trod idea.

Anyway...trust me, if you win the grand prize in our blog hop – a $50 gift voucher - you will not be disappointed! Fifty bucks goes quite a long way at EF. In addition, we're giving away two $25 bookstore gift certificates, to your choice of Amazon, B&N, All Romance Ebooks, or Total-E-Bound (a publisher Jen and I share). Plus every single author participating in the hop will be giving away his or her own prize to someone who comments on that individual post.

So when is all this happening? January 10^th through 13^th of next year. We wanted to give you something to look forward to, after all the parties and celebrations were over.

If you're an author and you want to participate, click here to sign up. Registration will close on the 3^rd of January, so you have a bit of time to think about whether you really want to get involved in this madness. (You do! Believe me, you do!) Jen has a more detailed instructions over at her blog.

If you're a reader, keep your eyes and ears open. We'll be posting reminders on our blogs, on readers loops, and anywhere else we can think of.

Come join in the fun! If being naughty is new to you – try it. You'll like it!