#Kelly of R.S.!

[vs120shound]

We brought you 279 Smoking Honeys since the series began on March 28, 2023. Some were Megaposts! Some had one POTD photo, a few had two or three. Some had video accompanyment!

2023 PHOTOS OF THE DAY EXTRAVAGANZA/REVIEW

★ ★ ★ ★ ★+ | Five-Plus "Stars"

From vs120shound archives | ★★★★★ (13 total: L)

Dual-Media 15-Post, 112-Pack Megapost!

Photo of The Day Debut!

Natasha Anastasia of Smoking-Models.com (U.K.) from lostlighter23 on March 28, 2023, how we introduced the series with Post No. 1

HERE NOW ARE SOME OF THE TOP PHOTOS FROM THE SERIES

Our 30 Best POTD Centerpiece Pictures

As selected by our team ⏤ 10 staff members, 3 administrators among vs120shound, lostlighter23, vs120shound-2 and lostlighter23-darkside

OUR TOP 30 COUNTDOWN OF POTD FAVORITES BEGINS . . .

Arranged in chronological sequence

Quinn from USA Smokers (Arizona, U.S.A.) on April 3

Morgan Lees from Smoking-Models (U.K.) on April 6

Kelly of Specialized Videos (Michigan, U.S.A.) on April 15

Ms. V. Elle Lyon on April 26

Sophia of SmokingModels (Florida, U.S.A.) on May 13

Stephanie of SmokingModels (Florida, U.S.A.) on May 20

Ellie of R.S. (Australia) on May 28

Monique Vegas of Switzerland on June 3 (addendum)

Sophie Hermann of Germany on June 5

Melanie from Lady Madonna on June 10

Laura of R.S. (Australia), but not our No. 1 all-time favorite SF model, on June 26

Natasha Marley of Smoking-Models (U.K.) on June 27

Edona Benovics of Eastern Europe on July 18

Katy of Specialized Videos (Michigan, U.S.A.) on July 26

Skittlez Cano, SF Entrepreneur, on August 3

Krystle (IG@puddin_forlife) of Massachusetts (U.S.A.) on Aug. 19

Janey of R.S. (Australia) on August 24

Sisters Elena and Julia of Spain (FutureSmoke, U.K.) on September 1

Maddy of SmokeVision and R.S. (Australia) on September 5

Annabelle of Nicotine Ladies (C4S) on September 6

Paula Kalinia of Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 15

Valeria Pavelin of France on September 17

Sarah Arnold of Elegant Smoking (U.K.) on October 1

Marina of SmokinBabe.com on October 21

Kriss H., born in Ukraine, lives in Prague, Czech Rep., on Oct. 30

Casondra of Specialized Videos (Michigan, U.S.A.) on Nov. 9

Josee (Real Smoking Girl) of Ontario, Canada on November 10

Sian Hamshaw, formerly of Smoking-Models (U.K.), on Dec. 11

Bree of USA Smokers on December 17

Our Number One-Rated Photo of The Day Post in 2023!

Josee, Real Smoking Girl, from November 10

And Our Runner-Up!

Laura, of R.S. (Australia), from September 5

#SF #Hot women who love smoking cigarettes #Smoking cigarettes #Smoking #279 Photo of The Day posts in 2023!

[miareadsbooks]

My 2023 reads:

January

1. The song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

01/01/23 - 08/01/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

2. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

09/01/23 - DNF

⭐️⭐️⭐️

FEBRUARY

3. Scythe - Neal Shusterman

27/01/23 - 28/02/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

March

4. The death cure - James Dashner

03/03/23 - 09/03/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

5. The mirror man - Lars Kepler

09/03/23 - 15/03/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

6. Medusa - Jessie Burton

16/03/23 - 17/03/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

April

7. The inheritance games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

24/03/23 - 02/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

8. Survive the night - Riley Sager

10/04/23 - 12/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

9. The house across the lake - Riley Sager

12/04/23 - 17/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.8

10. The hypnotist - Lars Kepler

17/04/23 - 25/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

11. Twisted Games - Ana Huang

26/04/23 - 28/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

12. Twisted Love - Ana Huang

30/04/23 - 30/04/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.9

May

13. The Alpha and his mate - B E Wakeford

01/05/23 - 02/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

14. The Alpha’s Saviour - Reece Bardon

02/05/23 - 03/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

15. Distance - Luna Mason

03/05/23- 04/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

16. The Alpha’s Mate - Ava Gray

05/05/23-06/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

17. Mated to the Alpha - J.M Clarke

06/05/23 - 07/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.3

18. Silent Luna - Sabrina Noury

07/05/23 - 08/05/23

⭐️⭐️.5

19. Throne of deception - Adrianna Brinne

08/05/23 - 09/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

20. Shift - Heather Mackinnon

11/05/23 - 13/05/23

⭐️⭐️.5

21. The wolf’s wild mate - Ava Gray

14/05/23 - 15/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

22. Saving his mate - Ava Gray

15/05/23 - 15/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

23. Taken By a sinner - Michael Heard

16/05/23 - 16/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

24. Keeping my girl - Angela Snyder

17/05/23 - 19/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

25. Taken by the Pack - Laura Wylde

20/05/23- 20/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

26. Ruin - Samantha Towle

21/05/23 - 24/05/23

⭐️⭐️

27. Fighting for his mate - Ava Gray

27/05/23 - 30/05/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

28. Her defender bear - Scarlett Grove

03/06/23 - 03/06/23

⭐️⭐️.5

29. The fine print - Lauren Asher

01/06/23 - 04/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

June

30. Cold blooded alpha - Eva Bale

09/06/23 - 09/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

31. Her two alphas - Julia Sparks

10/06/23 - 10/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

32. Saving his fated mate - Marie Mason

10/06/23 - 12/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

33. Kidnapped by my mate - Elle Adams

12/06/23 - DNF

⭐️⭐️

34. Broken rules - I.A Dice

18/06/23 - 25/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

35. Done and Dusted - Lyla Sage

25/06/23 - 28/06/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

36. Against the clock - Brittany Kelly

30/06/23 - 02/07/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July

37. Local woman missing - Mary Kubica

02/07/23 - 06/07/23

⭐️⭐️

38. Owned by a sinner - Michelle Heard

06/07/23 - 08/07/23

⭐️⭐️

39. Scoring wilder - R.S Grey

10/07/23 - 13/07/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

40. Sleet kitten - S.J Tilly

20/07/23 - 23/07/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

41. The haunting of Lannister hall - Amy cross

24/07/23 - 30/07/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

42. Tis the damn season - Kimi Freeman

31/07/23 - 01/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

August

43. Thin Ice - Ava Gray

01/08/23 - 04/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

44. Shatter me - Tahereh Mafi

03/08/23 - 04/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

45. Destroy me - Tahereh Mafi

07/08/23 - 07/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

46. Buddy reads - Dhara Shah

01/08/23 - 15/08/23

⭐️⭐️

47. Unravel me - Tahereh Mafi

08/08/23 - 16/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

48. Good girl for the bikers - Stephanie Brother

21/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

49. Secret Baby for the bikers - Stephanie Brother

21/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

49. The thief - Tara Crescent

19/08/23 - 22/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

50. Alpha Wolf - Rune hunt

22/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

51. Rejected wolf - Rune Hunt

22/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

52. Goddess Wolf - Rune Hunt

22/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

53. Finding somewhere to belong - C.C Masters

22/08/23 - 23/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

54. Finding Anna - C.C Masters

23/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

55. Finding the fire within - C.C Masters

23/08/23 - 24/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

56. Finding the power within - C.C Masters

23/08/23 - 25/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

57. Vicious saint - L.C Wilcox

25/08/23 - 26/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

58. Annie’s valentine Bikers - Alys Fraser

26/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

59. Will - Juli Hill

26/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

60. Fourth wing - Rebecca Yarros

26/08/23 - 30/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

61. Puppy Love - Katelyn Beckett

30/08/23

⭐️⭐️.5

62. Fracture me - Tahereh Mafi

30/08/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

September

63. Her second chance shifter romance - L. MacNourghton

02/09/23 - 03/09/23

ARC READ!!

⭐️⭐️

64. Unlikely mate - Candace Ayers

03/09/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

65. Fated to the alpha - Skye Alder

03/09/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️

66. Prom Queen - Laura wolfe

04/09/23 - 08/09/23

ARC READ!!

⭐️⭐️

67. A curse of blood and wolves - Melissa McTernan

03/09/23 - 13/09/23

ARC READ!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

68. The housemaid - Freida McFadden

13/09/23 - 14/09/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

69. Brothers of blood - J.T patten

17/09/23 - 17/09/23

ARC READ!!

⭐️

70. Merciless - Tracy Lorraine

16/09/23 - 20/09/23

ARC READ!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

71. A court of thornes and roses - Sarah J. Maas

23/09/23 - 28/09/23

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#six of crows #leigh bardugo #the song of achilles #2023 reading goals #it ends with us #reading #my reviews #oasis band #taylor swift #popular books #booktube #book tumblr #booktok #acotar #riley sager #horror books #thriller #thriller books #mafia romance #werewolf #romance #B E wakeford #book recommendations #song of achilles #greek mythology #lana del ray lyrics #yandere mafia #fantasy

[iamrodrigoov]

Já conferiram nossa antologia? Repost @aordemdatraca Nosso apoio da semana vai para a nova antologia "Contos de Receitas e Magia" produzido pelo We coletivo editorial (@we.coletivoeditorial), que entrou em pré-venda e terá lançamento oficial dia 10/08. São 6 contos do gênero realismo fantástico dentro de um sistema doméstico/familiar. Nesta publicação encontramos as histórias de Ásbel Torres, Bruno R.S. Coelho, Danilo Heitor, Rodrigo Ortiz Vinholo, Kelly Hatanaka, Ju Almeida Cordeiro. Destacamos a participação da autora Kelly Hatanaka (@khatanaka ), uma de nossas membras fundadoras, que escreveu um conto fortemente inspirado em sua própria família. Garanta sua antologia no site do WE ou na Amazon. #contosdereceitasemagia #RodrigoOrtizVinholo #wecoletivoeditorial #livro #livros https://www.instagram.com/p/CgkrecXLFD1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#contosdereceitasemagia #rodrigoortizvinholo #wecoletivoeditorial #livro #livros

[jolieeason]

WWW Wednesday: May 12th 2021

WWW Wednesday: May 12th 2021

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next? Personal: Allergies and that awful cold has been banished from the house. Mr Z was the last one to get it and wouldn’t you know, he got it the worst. He is also my one kid that NEVER gets sick. So…

View On WordPress

#Alisa Woods #All or Nothing #Cixin Liu #Claiming Mia #Jacque Stevens #Kelly Jamieson #Ken Liu #Letters by Cinderlight #Major Misconduct #Mary E. Twomey #Megan Collins #meme #Natalie Ann #R.S. Penney #Symbiosis #Taste #The Family Plot #The Three-Body Problem #WWW Wednesday

[snoppy]

SOME ARTICLES I READ THIS MONTH:

Periwinkle, the Color of Poison, Modernism, and Dusk by Katy Kelleher

Never Do That to a Book by Anne Fadiman

On Hyperpersonalized Sexual Identity by Kravitz M.

The Gatekeepers Who Get To Decide What Food Is “Disgusting” by Jiayang Fan (there's an option to listen to the article, its 45 mins long, even if you don't have a membership)

Postmodern geekdom as simulated ethnicity by Kom Kunyosying and Carter Soles

The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin

Eau de Nil, the Light-Green Color of Egypt-Obsessed Europe by Katy Kelleher

The Real Tragedy of Beth March by Carmen Maria Machado (reread)

Everyone Is Beautiful And No One Is Horny by R.S. Benedict (reread)

Minimalism Is Just Another Boring Product Wealthy People Can Buy by Chelsea Fagan

Myth: Israel made the desert bloom from decolonizepalestine.com

How does the literary canon reinforce the logic of the incel? by Erin Spampinato

Henrietta Lacks: A Donor's Immortal Legacy

We Are Built To Forget by Meredith Hall

Why we fell for clean eating by Bee Wilson

Marian Blue, the Colour of Angels, Virgins, and Other Untouchable Things by Katy Kelleher

The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine by Maria Dolan

Incarnadine, the Bloody Red of Fashionable Cosmetics and Shakespearean Poetics by Katy Kelleher

Why can't Black girls be innocent? Even in elementary school, I was never seen as a child

Do Teenage Girls’ Bedrooms Mean What They Used To? by Claire Marie Healy

I Am A Transwoman. I Am In The Closet. I Am Not Coming Out. by Jennifer Coates

'Wakanda Doesn't Have Suburbs': How Movies Like Black Panther Could Help Us Save the Planet by Kendra Pierre-Louis

SOME BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH:

Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (reread)

The Princess Diaries: Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot

The Princess Diaries: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl (reread)

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (reread)

#a

[transtranscendence]

2017 - We will not be silenced. We must fight back against transphobia.

For L.C. Marinho, murdered on January 4, 2017, in Nova Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

For Puriwit Chanasit (Keng), murdered on January 6, 2017, in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.

For Michelle de la Cruz González, murdered on January 6, 2017, in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on January 7, 2017, in Guerrero, Mexico.

For J.C.N., murdered on January 11, 2017, in Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

For Mierala da Silva, murdered on January 13, 2017, in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on January 14, 2017, in Magdalena Contreras, Distrito Federal, Mexico.

For A. Villegas, murdered on January 14, 2017, in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For Moranguinho, murdered on January 15, 2017, in Paranaguá, Paraná, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on January 17, 2017, in San Salvador, El Salvador.

For Vikichy, murdered on January 20, 2017, in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

For Imli, murdered on January 21, 2017, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

For the unknown person murdered on January 23, 2017, in Sinaloa, Mexico.

For Muskan, murdered on January 27, 2017, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

For Silvana Fabian Pineda, murdered on January 28, 2017, in La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia.

For the unknown person murdered on February 3, 2017, in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on February 5, 2017, in Ranchería la Huasteca, Municipio Centro, Tabasco, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on February 8, 2017, in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil.

For Alexandra Peña Vizcaya, murdered on February 12, 2017, in Chiquinquira, Boyacá, Venezuela.

For the unknown person murdered on February 16, 2017, in Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia.

For Charlotte Oquuias Lapasaran Logronio, murdered on February 22, 2017, in Davao City, Philippines.

For Byanka Yañez, murdered on February 24, 2017, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on February 25, 2017, in Calimaya, Estado de México, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on February 28, 2017, in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela.

For Meeno, murdered on February 28, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For Amna, murdered on February 28, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For Madonna Marrocos, murdered on February 28, 2017, in Guarabira, Paraíba, Brazil.

For J., murdered on March 1, 2017, in Municipio de Chalco, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on March 6, 2017, in Goiania, Goiás, Brazil.

For Sandra Marafigo Cordeiro, murdered on March 8, 2017, in Laranjeiras do Sul, Paraná, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on March 11, 2017, in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco, Mexico.

For Rapee, murdered on March 14, 2017, in Kantharalak, Sisaket, Thailand.

For H. Ramirez Calderon, murdered on March 19, 2017, in Guanajuato, Mexico.

For Paola Bracho, murdered on March 22, 2017, in Dourados, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on March 24, 2017, in Porto Da Areia, Paraíba, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on March 28, 2017, in Juiz de For a, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on April 3, 2017, in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

For Sitara, murdered on April 9, 2017, in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.

For Vitoria Castro, murdered on April 10, 2017, in Araguaina, Tocantins, Brazil.

For Jheayn, murdered on April 10, 2017, in Metro Manilla, Cavite, Philippines.

For Gabi Araújo da Silva, murdered on April 12, 2017, in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on April 12, 2017, in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

For E.A. Moreira, murdered on April 16, 2017, in Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil.

For Monse Morga Javier, murdered on April 17, 2017, in Guerrero, Mexico.

For Marooni, murdered on April 22, 2017, in Belém, Pará, Brazil.

For Tato Ayestes, murdered on April 23, 2017, in El Paraíso, Copán, Honduras.

For A. Ribeiro Marcossone, murdered on April 23, 2017, in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

For Vanessa Valenzuela, murdered on April 28, 2017, in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile.

For Mona de Oliveira, murdered on April 29, 2017, in Vitoria de Santo Antao, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For Shama, murdered on April 30, 2017, in Tej Mohan Nagar, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

For the unknown person murdered on April 30, 2017, in Belém, Pará, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on May 5, 2017, in Flat Sri Plateau, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For Mendez Cuevas, murdered on May 5, 2017, in Durango, Mexico.

For R.C. Silva Pereira, murdered on May 7, 2017, in Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil.

For Ivanna Landuchy, murdered on May 12, 2017, in Tamaulipas, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on May 13, 2017, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on May 15, 2017, in Morro Agudo, São Paulo, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on May 20, 2017, in Ilopango, San Salvador, El Salvador.

For Pâmela, murdered on May 21, 2017, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Grace Kelly, murdered on May 25, 2017, in Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil.

For Alejandra Diaz, murdered on May 25, 2017, in Baurta, Miranda, Venezuela.

For Caricia, murdered on May 26, 2017, in Guerrero, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on May 28, 2017, in Ciudad Kennedy, Bogotá, Colombia.

For the unknown person murdered on May 28, 2017, in Guerrero, Mexico.

For Andrea Chaguendo Suárez, murdered on May 31, 2017, in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

For A. Alves Nascimento, murdered on June 5, 2017, in Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

For Bruna, murdered on June 10, 2017, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

For L. da Silva Santos, murdered on June 16, 2017, in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.

For Kenya, murdered on June 18, 2017, in Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

For Bárbara, murdered on June 18, 2017, in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on June 19, 2017, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on June 20, 2017, in Puebla, Mexico.

For Adriana Cruz Serrano, murdered on June 20, 2017, in Veracruz, Mexico.

For C. Barroso de Oliveira, murdered on June 24, 2017, in Ananindeua, Pará, Brazil.

For Cindy Crawford Revlon, murdered on July 1, 2017, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For M. Ángel Vega Martínez, murdered on July 4, 2017, in Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on July 6, 2017, in Sinaloa, Mexico.

For Yadira Rodríguez Sánchez, murdered on July 6, 2017, in Puebla, Mexico.

For Claudia Muñoz García, murdered on July 15, 2017, in Altamirano, Chiapas, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on July 17, 2017, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

For E.A. da Silva, murdered on July 21, 2017, in Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on July 22, 2017, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Kajal, murdered on July 29, 2017, in Patna, Bihar, India.

For the unknown person murdered on July 29, 2017, in Venezuela.

For the unknown person murdered on July 30, 2017, in Tlaltizapán, Morelos, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on August 1, 2017, in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.

For Shile, murdered on August 6, 2017, in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

For Paulinha da Silva, murdered on August 8, 2017, in Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For J. Negrete, murdered on August 13, 2017, in Puebla, Mexico.

For Sufaid, murdered on August 14, 2017, in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

For Kenicha, murdered on August 15, 2017, in Pococí, Limón, Costa Rica.

For R.S. Durán, murdered on August 20, 2017, in Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico.

For J. López Anzola, murdered on August 20, 2017, in Chiquinquirá, Boyacá, Venezuela.

For J.D. Nava Adame, murdered on August 21, 2017, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on August 22, 2017, in Veracruz, Mexico.

For Peluchina, murdered on August 23, 2017, in Tecomán, Colima, Mexico.

For R. Ventura Márquez, murdered on August 27, 2017, in Durango, Mexico.

For P., murdered on August 27, 2017, in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

For Chanda Sharmeeli, murdered on August 30, 2017, in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

For the unknown person murdered on August 31, 2017, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

For Nicole Teixeira (“Baina”), murdered on September 5, 2017, in Sorriso, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

For Lorane, murdered on September 8, 2017, in Camocim de São Felix, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For Brenda Murillo Alba, murdered on September 12, 2017, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

For Larissa Paiva, murdered on September 14, 2017, in Serra, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on September 16, 2017, in Estado de Mexico

For the unknown person murdered on September 16, 2017, in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on September 19, 2017, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

For Kaelane, murdered on September 20, 2017, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Spencer Netto, murdered on September 23, 2017, in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

For D.R. Pontes, murdered on September 24, 2017, in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

For the two unknown people murdered on October 5, 2017, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Selena, murdered on October 8, 2017, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

For Michele, murdered on October 11, 2017, in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on October 11, 2017, in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

For P.H.P. de Souza, murdered on October 12, 2017, in Nanuque, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For D.E. Contreras Rodríguez, murdered on October 12, 2017, in Bogotá, Distrito Capital, Colombia.

For the unknown person murdered on October 16, 2017, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on October 21, 2017, in Tehuacán, Puebla, Mexico.

For Hajira, murdered on October 21, 2017, in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

For M. Diaz Delgado, murdered on October 22, 2017, in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

For L. Guillen Rojas, murdered on October 23, 2017, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on October 25, 2017, in Región Este, Puerto Rico, USA.

For Sucy, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia.

For M.B. da Silva Dias, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

For Mitzi, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Guerrero, Mexico.

For Luna, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia.

For Giseli Tavares, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Itapissuma, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For Braniyela, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia.

For Barbara, murdered on October 30, 2017, in Chillán, Ñuble, Chile.

For Nicolly Carvalho, murdered on November 3, 2017, in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on November 6, 2017, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

For Macumba, murdered on November 11, 2017, in Veracruz, Mexico.

For Angelina Miranda, murdered on November 15, 2017, in Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia.

For the unknown person murdered on November 18, 2017, in Cancún, Quintana Rio, Mexico.

For Vitória de Souza (“Iris”), murdered on November 19, 2017, in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

For S.A. Sánchez López, murdered on November 19, 2017, in Granada, Nicaragua.

For Veronica Carvajal, murdered on November 27, 2017, in La Paz, Bolivia.

For the unknown person murdered on November 28, 2017, in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Sandra, murdered on November 30, 2017, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

For the unknown person murdered on November 30, 2017, in La Paz, El Salvador.

For the 4 unknown people murdered on November 30, 2017, in Veracruz, Mexico.

For Milena, murdered on December 1, 2017, in Arapiraca, Alagoas, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on December 7, 2017, in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

For Sabrina, murdered on December 7, 2017, in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For Geraldine Contreras, murdered on December 9, 2017, in Colima, Mexico.

For Marquet FC de Lima, murdered on December 13, 2017, in Altinho, Pernambuco, Brazil.

For Kebeca G. de Souza, murdered on December 16, 2017, in Gurupi, Tocantins, Brazil.

For Rose, murdered on December 17, 2017, in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.

For Mahi, murdered on December 17, 2017, in New Delhi, India.

For C.N., murdered on December 17, 2017, in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

For Bebel, murdered on December 20, 2017, in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

For Devudamma Surya Narayana, murdered on December 24, 2017, in Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh, India.

For V.O. Silva, murdered on December 30, 2017, in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

For the unknown person murdered on December 31, 2017, in Veracruz, Mexico.

For Sonia After, murdered on December 31, 2017, in Morrelganj, Khulna, Bangladesh.

For all the other trans siblings who were murdered or went missing.

#trans #transgender #trans day of visibility #trans pride #trans day of rememberance

[weirdletter]

Trickster’s Treats #4: Coming Buried or Not! Edited by Louise Zedda-Sampson and Geneve Flynn, Things in The Well, 2020. Cover image by Adobe Stock, info: thingsinthewell.wordpress.com.

Here comes the fourth Halloween anthology from the Trickster! Filled with thirty-two dark and quirky stories and poems about buried things, and edited by Louise Zedda-Sampson and Geneve Flynn, it comprises an international line up of authors, including many award-winning and award-nominated. Trickster’s Treats 4: Coming, Buried or Not! is an unearthed delight raising funds to support literacy in Australian Indigenous communities. All proceeds will go to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Contents: Dreaditorial by Louise Zedda-Sampson and Geneve Flynn   COMING... In a Cave Wall by Dominick Cancilla Requiem Aeternam by R.S. Pyne Bury My Heart, Somewhere Deep by Ian A Bain Burying the Well on the Wings of a Crow by Herb Kauderer The Crows of Las Cruces by Kurt Newton The Box Born Wraith by Kevin David Anderson The Toddling by Kurt Newton The Raving by Sheri Vandermolen Pythia Speaks by Jenny Blackford Frostfire by Aline Boucher Kaplan Drowning by Liam Hogan   BURIED? Digging Up the Past by Chris Mason Till Death Do Us Part by Kellie Nissen Digging Up the Dead by Edward Ahern Buzzing by Lynn White A Guilty Conscience Needs No Accuser by Fiona Jones A Light for the Grave by Aristo Couvaras Whole by Andrew Cull The Little Helper by Kali Napier The Garden by Kurt Newton Tender Age in Bloom by Matthew R Davis   OR NOT! To Leaven His Bones by Amanda Crum The Witch Tree by Alyson Faye Jimmy’s Boys by Laura E Goodin An Afterlife of Stone by Jenny Blackford Shaft by Kev Harrison The House Whisperer by Robert Kibble Playlist by Stephanie Ellis There is No Such Thing as Dead by Lucy Ann Fiorini Dead Set by Steve Dillon Sleeping with the Dead by Alicia Hilton A Streetcar Named Lugosi by Mike Sheedy Biographies

#book #anthology #charity anthology #weird fiction #horror fiction #dark fiction #dark fantasy

[ericfruits]

No Spousal Privilege In Alleged Crime Against Child

The Louisiana Supreme Court has held that the spousal privilege is trumped by statutes that protect children from abuse.

On January 30, 2018, the target of the grand jury investigation was charged by Bill of Information with one count of molestation of a juvenile, a violation of La. R.S. 14:81.2, arising from an incident in 2003 in which he allegedly molested his children’s babysitter. The target was subsequently arrested and pled not guilty. Following the District Attorney’s voluntary recusal, the Attorney General stepped in as District Attorney ad hoc and dismissed the charges, choosing to proceed by seeking a grand jury indictment. In conjunction with the grand jury proceeding, the state issued a subpoena to Jane Opperman, the target’s wife, to appear before the grand jury. Mrs. Opperman filed an “Affidavit of Spouse” wherein she asserted “her lawful privilege to refuse to give evidence in any criminal proceeding against her husband, pursuant to Louisiana Code of Evidence article 505.” The state subsequently filed a “Motion to Determine Applicability of Spousal Privileges,” arguing the privilege does not apply when a spouse is charged with a crime against the person of a child.

Holding

Because the spousal witness privilege was created solely by the legislature, it can also be modified or withdrawn. See Bellard, 533 So. 2d at 965 (citing State v. Smith, 489 So. 2d 255 (La. App. 5th Cir. 1986) and State v. Fuller, 454 So. 2d 119 (La. 1984)). The legislature has provided for such abrogation in La. R.S. 14:403(B). Based on the facts of this case, we hold that under La. R.S. 14:403(B), Mrs. Opperman is not entitled to assert the spousal witness privilege at a grand jury proceeding targeting her husband.

Background on the controversy is described by WBRZ 2 

Small town scandal became dirtier in the last few days when the ex-wife of the West Feliciana district attorney filed suit against her former divorce attorney in a fight over airing dirty laundry.

In court filings obtained by WBRZ, Kelly Ballard, the now ex-wife of District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla, wrote her lawyer broke her trust and attorney-client privilege. Ballard believes the divorce attorney, David Opperman, used her divorce as leverage.

Ballard said Opperman exposed her torrid relationship with her ex-husband when he discussed allegations of abuse, “sexual affairs and planting of evidence” by D’Aquilla.

Opperman accused D’Aquilla of having a sexual relationship with the former coroner, destroying evidence in other criminal cases and of being under investigation by federal authorities.

“The D’Aquillas are the gift that keeps on giving,” Opperman said in a statement to WBRZ’s Investigative Unit. Opperman said, “you just can’t escape these people.” In a phone call with Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto Tuesday, Opperman denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

Ballard’s marital issues were revealed in court documents highlighted in a previous WBRZ report where Opperman asked that D’Aquilla be recused from prosecuting him in a separate criminal case.

D’Aquilla and Opperman, have been political adversaries – Opperman accusing the D.A. of wrongdoing as D’Aquilla attempted to prosecute a 15-year-old abuse case against Opperman.

Opperman was arrested in December 2017, accused of molesting a teenage girl in 2003. He has denied the allegations.

The Louisiana Attorney General dismissed the charges in November but said a grand jury will convene to hear evidence in the case presented by state attorneys.

The dismissed charges were from D’Aquilla’s attempt at prosecution. He recused himself from the case, moving it to the attorney general.

In the latest court wrinkle, Ballard, the D.A.’s ex-wife, also accused Opperman of malpractice.

Opperman ran for district attorney against D’Aquilla in 2014 and lost.

Baton Rouge attorney Jill Craft is representing Ballard, the ex-wife.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2020/05/the-louisiana-supreme-court-has-held-that-the-spousal-privilege-is-trumped-by-statutes-that-protect-children-from-abuse-the.html

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2020/05/the-louisiana-supreme-court-has-held-that-the-spousal-privilege-is-trumped-by-statutes-that-protect-children-from-abuse-the.html

#IFTTT #Feedly

[thelaurynpetrie]

"The Aristocrats" by Lauryn Petrie

Tonight Greg R.S. Uzelac invited me to tell my very own version of the legendary joke "The Aristocrats" at Catland in Brooklyn. I highly recommend this show, it’s going to be a monthly called “The Aristocracy” where a different comic gives their take on the classic joke at the end of every show. ————————————— Here’s a transcript of what I said: First of all, I'd like to say that telling this joke is an honor. I'd like to thank my Mother for destroying my self-esteem, and my Father for throwing me into freezing lake's while holding onto rocks to teach me how to swim, and all the boyfriend's I ever had that raped or beat me. Seriously, it's okay to laugh. But mot of all, I'd like to thank Chris Cornell for his suicide as it has inspired me, to make his death abut me. And to be a better artist, all around. Thank you, Chris, for inspiring me to take The spotlight of you as long as they'll allow me to be on stage. Now, I give you my version of “The Aristocrats”: It was a usual morning at the Trump household in the 1980's. Ivanka Trump awoke early as usual to clean her father's urine soaked third bedroom. This is where she got her "working Moms" work ethic she would brag about so much as an adult. Every Tuesday night after family dinner she would dutifully engage in the family tradition of strip teasing for her father so he could get it up to fuck her aging mother. As time went on this all became routine and she learned how to disassociate. To toughen his sons up he would have them "practice" by taking turns on the family great Dane. One after another filling the dog with their spoiled rich boy Cum as Ivanka stripped and Donald looked on as he tried to Fuck Ivanna. This became as routine as wiping his ass and bankruptcy. Fast forward to Inauguration Day. We all saw it. The open secret of Melanie’s abuse. The country being taken over by sith lords. But what we didn’t see, was the night of the inauguration. As Tuesdays in the Trump family had always been a tradition of incest, sucking, and fucking since Madonna was on the airwaves, none of that changed. What did change was that now they had secret service, members of the trilateral commission, members of the Bohemian Club, and men in black to join in. And did they ever. Since Melanie had recently tweeted something passive aggressive abut her husband, he made his anorexic and least favored daughter Tiffany throw up in Melanie’s mouth repeatedly- like a baby bird until he reached climax, at which point he would unlock the suitcase with the nuclear codes. pick a button, and cum all over it, secretly hoping that the force may be enough to ignite one of the missiles. Due to great advances in science in this year of our lord 2017, Trump is now able to achieve climax multiple times a night due to over the counter-dick pills which his poor family endures repeatedly every Tuesday. You may be asking yourself, "Why Tuesdays?" Well, the truth is, I have no fucking idea. It’s just what they do on fucking Tuesdays. Just like any other addiction, the need for more excitement grows over the years. Just R Kell-ing a girl with piss isn’t enough anymore. Watching his wife eat his daughter's vomit isn’t enough anymore. Watching his sons fuck the taxidermied corpses of wild animals from Africa, isn’t enough anymore. Occasionally, he would order Kelly Anne Conway on her knees in the oval office where she is gladly passed around like a cum bucket all in the name of job security. As if this wasn’t enough, he often makes Sean Spicer eat the cum out of Conway’s ass. "SUCK HARDER" Trump screams. His dick in one hand, a remote control aimed at FOX News in the other. Still, Trump's sexual appetites grew. Do you know the grave of the unknown soldier? Can anyone actually prove that there’s a body buried under that eternal flame? Well, earlier this month, Trump asked that same question. The formaldehyde filled corpse was dragged into a secret room under the Lincoln bedroom where he and other ex-republican presidents took turns skull fucking the cadaver until they were interrupted by Dancing With The Stars. (Which for some reason they are all huge fans of.) As soon the program ended, they all immediately went back to filling the cold, rotting body full of their warm presidential seed. Laughing, the next day - they took away our health care and dreamt of how many other even more meaningless corpses they could fuck in the future together. In 2018, after a culmination of police brutality, the pharmaceutical companies raping America, and general civil unrest, a fall out "storm the bastille" style attack was launched on the white house As America collapsed into civil war, Trump, using all the brains in his head, nuked his own country to: And I quote: "Threaten all those peasants with swords." Then, like clockwork, Tuesday night rolled around. And in the trump family, a tradition is a tradition. It doesn’t matter if you have to do deals with the mob and bury bodies in the cement of your towers. It doesn’t matter who you have to lie about or what handicapped people you need to make fun of. When Tuesday comes around, it’s “Scat and Incest night” TRADITION. As part of the white house fell off burning into a smoldering pile of rubble, the Trump’s began their Tuesday night tradition. Tiffany assumed the position and promptly began vomiting into Melania’s cold Botoxed mouth. The boys began fucking taxidermied endangered animals, as Ivanka FINALLY sucked her father’a cock, knowing that this was probably the end. Being a working Mom her whole life, (even from jobs she could never be fired from) she knew how important it was to finish the job. Unfortunately, Trump’s dick pills had been destroyed in the fire. As helicopters landed behind them shooting innocent civilians, his dick grew harder. He then told his youngest son to stand in front of him. One hand on his throbbing member, the other on a commemorative pistol. (The one rumored to have been given to Nixon from Elvis.) Knowing that this was probably the the end of his legacy, and that he had lost. With the radiation seeping into his already deranged skull, he shot his autistic son right in the forehead. Somehow, the boy fell over but didn’t die. Amazed, Trump’s hard on went down. His son, bleeding profusely, pulled down his pants, revealing that he still wore diapers. Melanie took a moment from swallowing Tiffany's vomit to gasp at the faux pas. Barron, having what seemed to be a moment of clarity, began to pull his diaper off. He grabbed handful after handful of his own shit and began to massage it gingerly into Ivanka's hair as she tried to get her father hard again with a sad blowjob. As they fucked and sucked each other to exhaustion, Trump began shooting his family members one by one. Suddenly, out of the rubble, Stephen Colbert burst up, covered in blood and dirt. He looked on, with a tear rolling down his vomit soaked shirt, he realized that there was nothing he could do. COLBERT: “STOP! WHY ARE YOU KILLING THEM? I MEAN, YOU'RE ALL HORRIBLE BUT LOOK HOW MUCH CUM YOU TAKE FOR EACH OTHER. My god...you're worse than I ever imagined...YOU'RE THE ARISTOCRATS.!" Then Trump promptly shot him in the forehead. He then took another shot at Barron. This time the boy was definitely dead. Trump looked down, with what could almost be construed as a look of guilt. He then turned to his two grown sons and said: "You know what this means." "Yes, Father" they responded dutifully. They then began fucking Barron's head wound, as the city continued to burn. The end.

#stand up #TheAristocrats #nyc #TheAristocracy

[hpldreads]

A list of westerns or western inspired fiction.

East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin(Colourist), Rus Wooton (Letterer)

The Six-Gun Tarot by R.S. Belcher

The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria Mckernan

The Sixth Gun, Vol. 1: Cold Dead Fingers by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt (Illustrator)

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente

Revenge of the Wild by Michelle Modesto

Grace and the Guiltless by Erin Johnson

Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos (Illustrator)

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen

#westrens #old west #read these #book list

[jolieeason]

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The…

View On WordPress

#Alisa Woods #All or Nothing #Claiming Mia #Its Monday What Are You Reading? #Kelly Jamieson #Major Misconduct #Mary E. Twomey #Megan Collins #meme #Natalie Ann #R.S. Penney #Symbiosis #Taste #The Family Plot

[novelnoviceya]

Cover Reveal: Coldhearted Boss by R.S. Grey

Cover & Synopsis Reveal: COLDHEARTED BOSS by @AuthorRSGrey -- an enemies-to-lovers romance coming June 6th!

2019 is the year I finally started reading R.S. Grey’s absolutely charming romantic comedies (thanks to the recommendation of Kelly at Wild & Wonderful Reads) — and I’ve been binging her backlist ever since January, while eagerly anticipating each new release.

Her latest, Coldhearted Boss, comes out June 6th, and I’m excited to help the cover reveal & full synopsis today:

I’m desperate and…

View On WordPress

[thebibliophagist]

With the completion of Carry Me Home, I’m officially caught up with galleys through December.  I thought I’d never make it to the bottom of that pile, but here we are!  Unless I get some surprise approvals, I’ll finally have time to catch up on my TBR pile -- and, by the way, the ban is still being enforced. My goals for the rest of October and the start of November are to finish my #mmdreading challenge and to take more books off my TBR than I add to it.

In case you missed it, here are this week’s blog posts

Review: Next August by Kelly Moore

Review: The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

Cover Reveal: My Enemy Next Door by Nicole London & Whitney G. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Food in Books

Review: Slap Shot by Kelly Jamieson

Let’s Talk About: Lit Classes

Review: The Boy I Hate by Taylor Sullivan

Here’s what I’ve been reading

Carry Me Home by Jessica Therrien (yes, I’m well aware that it took me forever to finish this book)

Saving It by Monica Murphy

Scoring Wilder by R.S. Grey

New galleys

Roomies by Christina Lauren

Recently added to my TBR

I have been diligently deleting tempting emails and avoiding book-related websites.  And though I’ve been tempted by the library, I haven’t checked anything out.  I’m happy to report that I’ve added exactly zero new books to my collection this week (with the exception, of course, of the new galley above).

#weekly update #next august #the allure of dean harper #slap shot #the boy i hate #my enemy next door #carry me home #saving it #scoring wilder #roomies #booklr

[valeriebielbooks]

September Writers’ Forum

In my journey through the steps of independent publishing, refining my writing skills, and most recently completing a successful agent search, I’ve come across some excellent information, tips, tools, and shortcuts that I think would be beneficial to any writer. Once a month, I’ll share the “best of” information and news from the publishing industry as well as feature other authors and writing instructors with tips to share. I am incredibly thankful for the assistance and advice given to me from writing and publishing professionals and am happy pay that forward. On a professional level, I also use my publicity and editorial skills to aid other authors through my company Lost Lake Press.

October Book Events in Wisconsin

Well, hello October. You are going to be good to readers here in Wisconsin. I’m having a fangirl moment thinking about all the spectacular authors we have the opportunity to see this month.

At the top of my list is the Fox Cities Book Festival from October 9 – 15. Authors include Laurie Halse Anderson, Nickolas Butler, Liz Czukas, Tricia Clasen, Patricia Skalka, and so many more. Check out the whole schedule here. Best of all this festival is free for the attendees.

Mystery to Me Bookstore, 1863 Monroe Street, Madison

October 4 at 7 pm – Joal Derse Dauer and Elizabeth Ridley discuss Saving Sadie – How a Dog That No One Wanted Inspired the World

October 18 at 5 pm – Steve and Ben Nadler discuss Heretics at the UW-Madison Memorial Library, Room 126

October 19 at 7 pm – Debussy’s Paris – Piano Portraits of the Belle Époque by Catherine Kautsky

October 26 at 7 pm – Michael Stanley will discuss Dying to Live - a Detective Kubu Mystery.

A Room of One’s Own, 315 W. Gorham Street, Madison

October 3 at 6 pm – Ann Leckie will discuss Provenance and Ancillary Justice.

October 11 at 6 pm – Meet Resmaa Menakem, author of My Grandmother’s Hands.

October 17 at 6 pm – Alex Lemon will discuss his novel Feverland.

Books & Company, 1039 Summit Avenue, Oconomowoc

October 5 at 6:30 pm – Join Brad Meltzer for an author talk and book signing.

October 6 at 7:30 pm – Michael Perry will present his monologues at the OAC Little Theater.

October 17 at 7:00 pm – Join Kathleen Ernst, author of the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries, for an author talk and book signing.

October 18 at 7:00 pm – A book signing and author talk with Mary Dougherty, author of Life in a Northern Town.

Boswell Books has a number of excellent ticketed events coming up in October. I’m posting the link to their event page now as they can sell out.  (Please note these are often in bigger event venues in the Milwaukee area.) See details here.

October 23 7 pm  - Scott Kelly, author of Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

October 8  4 pm – Rick Riordan, author of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3: The Ship of the Dead (and so much more.)

October 29 at 2 pm – Kate DiCamillo, author of La La La: A Story of Hope (and Tales of Despereaux and Because of Winn Dixie.) This event is co-hosted with Books & Company of Oconomowoc.

And . . . we are in the middle of BANNED BOOKS WEEK.

Last month, I challenged you to read a least one book from the list of most-often challenged books through the years during the month of September. Have any of you read a banned book lately? Inquiring minds want to know. I feel like if someone tells me something is banned, it makes me want to read it even more. Right!!??

Featured Subject

Book Piracy (A personal experience this time!)

“Aargh!” Yes, talk like a pirate day was last week, but that was pretty much my reaction to finding my first book being pirated by shady book websites this month. I’ve previously addressed this problem back in February here on the Writers’ Forum, but at that time it wasn’t from personal experience.

At first, I reported a few of these to Google using the “reporting pirated books” steps in this WikiHow article, which also has a number of great steps to take BEFORE you publish your book. Then I realized just how much time I was spending trying to take down these thieves. Was it worth it? I’m not sure. Dave Chesson on Kindlepreneur.com gives some of the same tips on what to do, but also cautions that sometimes it might not be worth the time. He does give step-by-step instruction on what to do to report these sites if you choose to continue. And finally, Bill Peschel’s article “How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Ebook Piracy” put this all into perspective.

So, I’ve taken a deep breath and stepped back from internet policing duties. My time is better focused on creating new stories, and that’s a heck of a lot more fun anyway.

Pre-Publication Information

Book Cover Design

There are an infinite number of articles and guides about book cover design. We can’t discount the need for stellar cover design in your book’s overall success. But where to start??

Katie McCoach writes about first impressions and the things your book cover must do to entice the reader to purchase it. The Marketing Christian Books website makes some of the same points and talks about the importance of book covers to get readers to recommend your books to others. To get into the nitty gritty of design, read the Top 8 Design Tips for Self-Publishers by Joel Friedlander on the Book Designer website. (Note: This website is an amazing treasure trove of helpful articles on all self-publishing topics.) And if you are confident you want to be in charge of the design process, Nate Hoffelder lists 14 Sites for Making a Spectacular Book Cover on The Digital Reader website. My best advice is to find books in your genre and look at those that are most successful. Familiarize yourself with the design trends and see how you can incorporate those elements into a book cover that uniquely captures what your book is about.

Editing Topics

I would have appreciated this article about em dashes, en dashes and hyphens at the beginning of my writing journey. It would have saved me a ton of time during the editing process when I had to fix these in my manuscript.  Make sure you know the difference between these three and how to use them.

I had to laugh when I read Ellis Shuman’s article about self-editing “These Words Have Got to Go!” . . . it seemed like Ellis was speaking just to me when noting commonly overused words and phrases. Take a look and see if you’re doing some of these same things.

Work and Writing-Life Balance

Many of us work full-time “day jobs” and then need to fit our writing into the evenings and weekends. Christine Bernard explains how she balanced these challenges in The Work / Writing Juggling Act and R.S. Mollison-Read does a great job with a short list: 5 Tips on Writing a Novel While Working Full-Time. And writer Tracey Kathryn encourages us to get away from the keyboard for physical activity in her article, "Exercise and Writing: Time Away from the Keyboard Boosts Writing Power."

The Value of Writers’ Conferences

Victoria Noe’s article “Rebooting my Writing Career at a Writing Conference” is a great piece of advice on how refocusing over the course of a few days (usually a weekend) and immersing yourself in the craft of writing along with our tribe of other writers can make a huge difference to our success. This article particularly resonated with me as I had just returned from the fall conference of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators. While I was a presenter at this conference, I took the time to attend other sessions and came away with renewed energy and focus for my work in progress and the ability to see clearly the edits needed on a book that is about to go out on submission. Beyond the aspects of craft tutorials, which even seasoned writers need as reminders from time to time, the camaraderie with other writers is invaluable. Knowing that we all suffer from the same creative ups and downs is incredibly therapeutic and can give us the boost to maintain your persistence in this crazy industry.

Post-Publication

Book Promotion Demystified

One of the smartest approaches to book marketing that I’ve read in ages comes from the IndieBRAG website. Author Florence Osmund gives excellent advice in her article “Book Promotion Goals and the Strategy Behind Meeting Them.”  These tips aren’t just for the indie author, many traditionally published authors do not get much promotional support from their publishers and need to educate themselves on the steps to effective book promotion. I appreciated this checklist from Belinda Griffin of the Smart Authors Lab as a helpful way to organize your promotional activities. Overall, both of these authors address the importance of an author platform as a component of your promotional efforts. That leads us to . . .

Your Author Platform – What Matters Most?

This question is always asked at writing conferences. What should my author platform include? (Or even what IS an author platform? --- for those at the beginning of their author journey.)

Glenn Miller says, “Your platform is your meaningful marketing presence, as much online as in the real world. It’s the sum of all your audiences and your authority. . .” in his article “Your Author Platform: The Hub and Spokes” on CareerAuthors.com.

This article is an excellent summary of what your author platform could and should include and what matters most. And the answer to that question varies a little bit based on what you write, but the approach of dividing up your author platform into a hub and spokes is visually helpful and (I think) makes the whole thing somehow less daunting.

Social media is always a necessary component of an author’s platform. There’s no way around it—we live in a digital age. However, which social media you use the most is somewhat subjective. I will argue that every author needs an excellent website, but after that your activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc… needs to be authentic and engaging (not overly pushy or only focused on selling.) If you’re time is limited (and who’s isn’t), pick the social media platform you like the most and use that primarily to engage with fans and potential fans. For instance, you could focus only on Instagram but have those posts feed over to Twitter and Facebook automatically, saving you a lot of time. I personally enjoy Facebook and communicate with other writers and readers there frequently. Not everyone shares my love for Facebook.

Author Deanna Cabinian lists four reasons why she’s stopped using Facebook in this article, but she doesn’t ignore social media entirely. She prefers Instagram—which makes a lot of sense as she writes young adult novels and will find more of her audience on that platform. (The age breakdown on social media platform use in 2016 from Pew Research might be helpful, depending on the genre in which you write.)

Crafting Your Media Pitch

I can’t stress enough how reaching out to traditional media needs to be part of your promotional efforts. This is one of my own areas of expertise as a public relations professional, so I love articles that guide authors through what can be an intimidating process.

First, read “Media Attention: 9 Ways an Author Can Get It” by Chris Well on the Bookworks Blog. He dispenses with some common misperceptions of approaching the media. Then you need to craft your hook and the pitch that will get attention. Penny Sansevieri talks about the Art of the Media Pitch and how to Craft the Perfect Pitch. This is easy-to-understand advice that will walk you through the best way to market your topic/novel. I love her HUH approach—make your pitch Hip, Unique, and Helpful. And finally, she reminds us that there’s a lot of value in approaching regional and local media in her article “Finding Readers Nextdoor: Network in Your Neighborhood.”  Yup—I’m a Penny Sansevieri fan and you should be, too!

I hope that these articles helped you on your writing and publishing journey!

Happy Reading & Writing, Valerie  

#indie #indie author #indieauthor #author #writing #writers #writing advice #writingadvice #writing tips #author advice #writerslife #books #book promotion #book marketing

[graceivers]

Review #5 - Anything You Can Do

Anything You Can Do Author: R.S. Grey Genre: Contemporary Romance, Doctors, Romantic Comedy, Workplace Romance Rating: ★★★★ Recommendation: give it a shot; once was enough Summary: Daisy Bell and Lucas Thatcher. Both are doctors now working in the same practice back in their hometown. They have been rivals since they were born. Or have they?

Female Lead: Daisy is annoying. It’s plain and simple like that. For a twenty-eight year old, she sure does not act her age. I mean, she got a full ride to Duke, went to medical school, got her degree and now is a practicing doctor. You would honestly expect her to act at least a little bit more adult-like, but no. She’s immature. And rather selfish. And hey, congrats to her for realizing so late in the game, but geez, I couldn’t really be bothered to feel for her. She got no sympathy from me.

The way she acts sometimes, I have to remind myself that she’s twenty-eight and a doctor. I don’t care that she’s living with her mother now that she’s moved back to her hometown. I have absolutely no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is how unaware she is. Add on the fact that Grey sometimes purposely writes those stereotypical, supposed to be funny scenes in a romantic comedy—forgetting that she wore under-eye masks to the grocery store, the horrid singles event, the entire middle school dance sequence at the end—and Daisy’s behavior gets downright embarrassing. Like I could not read through the middle school dance sequence until the end where Daisy and Lucas are interacting because it gave me secondhand embarrassment. Those scenes are the very reason why I often avoid watching romantic comedies. Just no. I get that those moments are part of writing a romantic comedy, but those scenes did nothing to help out Daisy’s character.

She had some brilliant moments like the idea of setting up the health booth at the fair and the way she assisted in getting those shots in for the baby patient. But unfortunately, those were quickly drowned out by the constant need to ‘win’ in her pointless battles against Lucas. I get that trying to beat him in whatever is probably a reflex and habitual after all these years, but seriously lady. Grow up a little. I guess that’s what I get for venturing into romantic comedy territory… Male Lead: Sweet Lucas Thatcher. He saved the entire book for me. We got the smallest glimpses of his perspective throughout the book and that alone carried the entire plot for me. From that very first moment we get his POV, I’m 100% on his side. He’s so completely in love with Daisy and it’s borderline desperate but so, so sweet and endearing that he’s been pining for her for forever, but especially in those unsent emails that he’s written her. HE’S WRITTEN 351 UNSENT EMAILS TO HER OVER THE COURSE OF TEN YEARS BECAUSE HE MISSED HER WHILE LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY. Good God. And all these years, all the fights and battles and competitions between them, Lucas just went along with it because he was in love with her. He was that in love with her that he was willing to take whatever she gave him, even if it was her hatred. Jesus, it’s sad, yes, but so heartfelt. That’s my favorite right there—taking anything you can get from the person you love just to be close to that person because you would rather have something than nothing at all.

If Daisy is immature, then Lucas kind of balances things out. Yeah, he’ll go along and play her games, but he knows the goal. Or rather, he recognizes that she has no goal regarding their rivalry. He seems to think a little more rationally compared to her who doesn’t really think before she acts at all. And Lucas is just so, so sweet and a good man. Mowing his mom’s lawn and saving the bland booth Daisy had originally set up for the fair. Lucas is absolutely the doctor type you want to marry. Plot & Writing: It’s a romantic comedy. I don’t usually like romantic comedy. Let’s talk about this. I think Grey’s humor is at it’s best when it’s written as a subconscious part to the characters. So, the way Grey writes how Daisy thinks is funny—casual things like when she thinks she looks like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep (who remembers this show, one of the best game shows ever?!), when she describes herself as a heart-emoji, when she cough-coughs like Karen from Mean Girls. That kind of stuff is funny to me. But when he writes scenes that are supposed to be dumb-funny like the middle school dance thing and the other stuff I previously mentioned? No. I read another R.S. Grey book, and it was the same thing. I have a particular sense of humor, which is again why I generally avoid romantic comedies because that is not the kind of humor I enjoy. So this probably isn’t Grey’s fault in writing and more of just a personal preference. But I will give credit where credit is due, and kudos to Grey for making this a true romantic comedy.

I think the smartest thing Grey did in this book is limiting Lucas’ POV. As annoying as I found Daisy, making the majority of the book written in her perspective made sure that readers knew it meant something when we got Lucas’ perspective. His inserts were at critical moments and were short but to the point. I understood immediately why Grey gave us Lucas’ POV at that point in time and why we were given so little of it. Because those little nuggets of information we got from those unsent emails? That was absolutely what kept me interested—knowing that Lucas’ love for Daisy was relatively unknown to her and unrequited until the late half of the book. Grey’s timing of those inserts is what propelled the plot for me and made me continue reading.

But also, here it comes, WHERE WAS THE PROTECTION WHEN THEY WERE HAVING SEX? Jesus, they’re doctors! I doubt they secretly broke into the other’s medical records and saw clean, updated test results. Just… no! Use protection! Wear a condom! This was almost as annoying as Daisy’s character to me. I repeat, THEY’RE DOCTORS. Yeah, I know people don’t use enough protection in the real world, and that’s why there are so many unintended pregnancies, etc. So, is this supposed to be realistic and imitate real life? Sorry, I don’t care. I will never get over it. Use protection, people. For the love of all that is good, please use protection.

Also, quarantine for when they came into contact with the guy who had TB? Uh, I took a entire course dedicated to the epidemiology of TB. I’m going to spare you all the medical history about the disease and give a slight pass on Grey’s treatment of the disease here. And while I’m no MD, quarantine? Yes, I know it was a plot device to force them to spend time in a contained space together. And yes, I’m usually into those moments/scenes. But quarantine? That fast? What kind of TB did that patient have? Did CDC go down there and just do a PPD on Lucas and Daisy to determine whether they were infected or not? Quarantine… Really? This might also be why I usually avoid drama/fiction related to health… Secondary Characters & Plots: Daisy’s mother was a hoot. I could see where Daisy got her antics and personality from. They’ve both of got shameless and yet totally embarrassing thing going on. I felt like Madeleine, Lucas’ sister and Daisy’s best friend, could’ve played a bigger role, but eh. I guess she was fine the way she was written. The office ladies were insignificant. Dr. McCormick was nice. That two minutes we got of Kelly, that super dumb girl Daisy’s mom was trying to set Lucas up with? She was hilarious. Again, I didn’t need a funny scene; I just needed funny writing.

Were there secondary plots? This was a pretty short book. I guess the whole ‘I want my own practice’ thing could be considered one. Yes, well, that did tie into the overarching story nicely as it forced Daisy to see what was right in front of her and pivoted back to the relationship between her and Lucas well. And kudos to Grey for keeping a family practice open. Favorite Part(s): When Supermarket Sweep was mentioned. No joke. Best part ever. That and when we got to read Lucas’ unsent emails. I would love to see a side book where it’s literally 351 unsent emails about ten years of his life and how it went and how much he missed Daisy. I would absolutely read that. Final Thoughts: It’s a romantic comedy. It’s light. It’s enjoyable. Daisy is still annoying as hell, but I swear if you pick this up, Lucas will more than make up for it. I’m pretty sure he’s the reason that I didn’t give this book a lower rating. Lucas is a sweet and amazing guy and I encourage you to read in support of his fictional life.

#book: anything you can do #author: r.s. grey #genre: contemporary romance #genre: doctors #genre: romantic comedy #genre: workplace romance #rating: four stars