Tag: Darla

  • Buddy, can you spare a dollar?

    I’ve never thought I would be in a position to ask a total stranger for money. The other week, I put myself smack dab in the middle of that prospect.

    A series of careless actions found me 200 miles from home with $3, some odd change, and a handful of useless plastic. Smart, huh? My credit issues revealed over time, the whole scenario came together like the proverbial perfect storm.

    To start, the travel didn’t come as a surprise, but a new edict by my credit union did. Apparently, members are now required to plan ahead for travel as funds may we be cut off from out-of-area usage. While I appreciate the new security precaution, personal notification of such an important change would have been nice.

    The same could be said about a very different surprise. For the first time in my life, I accidentally skipped a credit card payment. The night a dinner bill was declined didn’t alarm me, for I ironically assumed that to be a glitch because I roamed from my usual haunts. So what did I do? Nothing! Rather than call, I forgot about the incident until a repeat performance occurred at a gas station. It was my wise partner that suggested trying the card again on the day of the trip, and this finally got me motivated to contact customer service.

    Imagine my embarrassment when the kindly representative had to move up the payment thoughtlessly scheduled for the upcoming due date. You’d think I would have noticed my error in the process of scheduling May’s payment, or, better yet, in the process of verifying that charges were legitimate. And how did I not question the larger balance? While I’m puzzled as to why I received no warning, the fault is ultimately all my own.

    At any rate, the Visa rep explained to me that the card would remain on hold while payment could be verified, but waiting twenty-four hours for reactivation seemed a small inconvenience. After all, I carry a second credit line for just such emergencies. Everything was peachy, or so I thought.

    Unfortunately, there happened to be a very different issue with my Mastercard account. Some time back I was issued a new card and, out of sheer laziness, failed to activate the thing. Now that I needed to do so, I learned of a stipulation. Yet another security precaution requires the cardholder to call the company from a home phone! Trying to call from my cell phone accomplished nothing.

    Effectively broke, I would have ended up washing dishes somewhere to pay for a way home if I’d been alone. Fortunately, my wiser travel companion had called the credit union and also carried viable credit cards. And bright side was the calm patience my concerned mate displayed in the face of such utter irresponsibility. I suppose I kicked myself hard enough for both of us, but this calm reaction was greatly appreciated.

    So to the identity thieves responsible for all these new security procedures, I’d like to kick you in the behind. Actually, that’s putting it very mildly, and this suffering was undeniably self-induced. I can’t imagine having my financial identity hijacked. I’m also grateful for the insurance we have in place for such an emergency. Let’s hope we never need it.

    How about you? Ever paint yourself into a corner like this? Or maybe you can share an experience with identity theft. I’d like to hear your story…

  • Thursday Thirteen

    Come celebrate the day with randomness…

    A. Catherine Noon

    Darla M. Sands

    Lucius Antony

  • Flash Fiction Friday

    In case you’re having a hectic day, we’ve got some light, fast reading to offer you a little decompressing down-time.

    Darla M. Sands

  • Thursday Thirteen

    Please enjoy some random thoughts. Then share you’re own. We’d love to know what you think.

    Darla M. Sands

  • Neuroses in Little Japan

    A while back I read a book that made such an impact I wanted to share the experience of reading. In this age of e-books, that’s ridiculously easy to do while keeping your own copy but I just can’t do it. Call me silly if you wish, but before you shake your head and click to leave this crazy person’s rant, know that you’ll find a brief review if you keep reading. ~dangles cookie~ Okay, I am admittedly neurotic.

    However, I don’t condemn those who download music, and buying used paperbacks has a decidedly positive impact upon the environment. All the same, I actually purchased the e-book a second time before sending a friend the file. Then I tracked down the authors’ contact page and let them know.

    So, whatever your stance on this, do me a favor and give artists feedback whenever you can. You’ll both be glad you did. You might spend a minute to email a note that can brighten another person’s entire day exponentially. Lecture over, the review follows.

    “Little Japan” centers on host boys living high in Osaka, their Dotonbori nightlife overflowing with expensive champagne and extremely generous admirers. For those of you who don’t know, hosting is sort of the masculine version of the geisha, often entailing thinly veiled prostitution.

    Interested yet? I sure was. Co-authored by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine, “Little Japan” features two of my current favorite things: androgynous, over-stimulated, homosexual Japanese males and true love expressed through copious and energetic coupling.

    Enter a sexy, tortured, older American businessman named Gabriel and you have magic. The story is not fluff, though, by any means. That becomes apparent in the first few pages from what my friend already reported!

    Very real evil underlies all the lush and steamy interaction. And our compelling protagonists join to combat the source. Sharing my same fixation, Gabriel comes to discover that his self-condemned desire for host boys like the lovely Kuri is downright benevolent. While seeking one-night-stands to remind him of a long-lost love, he also pays royally. Other men of wealth and power are not so honorable. It’s up to Kuri, Gabriel, and another host boy to rescue Kuri’s lover from a horrible fate far from home.

    Writing this, I realize a need to check out some of the other titles by MacLeod and Valentine. If you happen to purchase “Little Japan”, tell ‘em Darla hooked you up.

  • Darla’s published — still exciting even if it’s unpaid…

    Well, it’s self promotion instead of a true flash fiction for today, but dear A Catherine Noon encouraged me to put this on the group blog. If you like gay reads and care to check out excerpts from my story, a different one can be found on each of my blogs.

    Darla M. Sands

    Sand Castles – m/m slash warning stronger here

    If you would like to support Mel Keegan’s GLBT Bookshelf with a visist the whole e-book can be downloaded. In addition there are many other great reads to be found here:

    Free-Gay-Ebooks

  • Thursday Thirteen

    As we edge toward the weekend, our writers enjoy sharing random list. We hope you have a great day!

    A. Catherine Noon

    Darla’s Sand Castles

  • Wiley Wednesday: Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

    It has never been my way to set specific goals for myself. Exceptions include trying to arrive at work on time every morning and exercising daily. More recently, I set a goal to type seven thousand new words every week. They could include anything creative, even a blog post, as long as the endeavor was fresh. This went on quite swimmingly for a solid, rewarding month.

    Then, rewrites were needed. In no time at all, I found trimming did more to enhance my storytelling than most new additions. This echoes what Josip Novakovich describes in his “Fiction Writer’s Workshop” chapter on revising. While some authors must add to polish their story, I’m proving to be what Novakovich calls a “taker-outer”. I’m still amazed by how much a clumsy scene improved by being cut down from over 1,100 words to less than half that.

    With that thought in mind, I’m compelled to share something I recently learned about the legendary H. P. Lovecraft. While he created an astonishing and enduring mythos, and his iconic Cthulhu is more popular today than ever, his writings aren’t particularly known for their quality. In his defense, I offer one plausible explanation: all the while this relatively unknown man brought his night terrors to life on the pages of pulp fiction magazines, Lovecraft earned his payment by word count. Simply put, the more verbose contributions earned him larger paychecks!

    While I have yet to seek payment for anything I’ve written, I continue to learn at every turn. One thing I know is that advice from friends helps tremendously. And while it’s difficult sometimes to remove anything from a manuscript, I feel better knowing that for everything removed, my tale is that much better. Granted, some scraps are also saved in case I find a use for them later. Either way, writing even excised material still teaches something useful. Now let’s see what needs trimmed next…

  • Thursday Thirteen

    Come celebrate random fun:

    A. Catherine Noon

    Darla M. Sands

    Nikki Memmott

  • Are you going to Conference?

    Fifteen months ago, I would not have understood that question. Now, I find myself being asked on a fairly regular basis. Even more notable, I find myself questioning my standard, shy, negative response.

    What is holding me back? I’ve encountered many fabulously inspiring individuals in the cyber-world. How can meeting folks in the flesh seem so much scarier than posting the stories in my head for all the world to see?

    One very immediate shortcoming is my failure to educate myself on what writers’ events would most benefit me. While I’ll spend hours researching for the sake of authenticity in my fiction, my palms sweat and my eyes blur when I try to explore the business end of writing.

    Several wonderful people are easing me through these doubts and fears. Thanks goes out specifically to Dilo Keith for sharing the information she’s gathering on publishers. Dilo’s tips on my stories are invaluable, too. I’m certainly blessed to be part of this gang on the Writer’s Retreat Blog. A Catherine Noon invited me originally and every person on here goes out of his or her way to uplift and encourage. To find support from Mel Keegan on The GLBT Bookshelf has been like a dream come true.

    Today, another chance, friendly contact makes me think that it’s time I attend the RWA National Conference. Upon winning the exciting e-book, “Stellar Heat”, I received the PDF file from the author, herself! Learning that I live on the way of her expected route to Nashville, Scarlett Jameson actually offered me a ride! What a kind gesture, and one that just might inspire me to take that leap.

    I’ll keep you posted. Just this afternoon, I faxed my application to join the Romance Writers of America. I figure that’s another baby step.

    As for the RWA Conference, any reader likely knows that the unfortunate populace of Tennessee and other Southern US states is battling natural disaster. Our best wishes go out to them that flood waters recede soon and damage can be managed. While A Catherine Noon astutely pointed out that the RWA board is not in an enviable position, we have every faith they’ll have a plan in place by the end of July.

    So, are you going to Conference?