AC Katt's Journal

What I Believe

2011-08-12T16:47:00.000-06:00

What I believe...

I believe in equal rights and privileges for all Americans. Gay Americans should have the right to marry as citizens of this country. Discrimination is unconstitutional.
I believe that the focus of the nation should be on JOBS. Jobs are not generated by tax cuts. They are generated by repairing bridges, schools, highways, dams.
I believe that both corporations and people with incomes over $250,000 should pay their fair share of taxes.
I believe that a corporation should only get a tax break if they keep the jobs in America.
I believe we should put money in NASA. So many of our technical advances came from prior space programs, any investment will be returned tenfold.
I believe that education is a priority and the government should make it possible for all qualified children to go for a higher education whether they use grants, loans or a sliding payment scale for those with insufficient incomes. Education is essential to keeping the USA on top.
I believe that Social Security, Medicare and the Medicare Prescription Drug program are promises made to any American who has paid into the program and that the government is bound to keep those promises.
I believe that religion should be kept out of politics. Any priest, pastor, rabbi, iman etc. who take a public political stand should immediately lose their tax-free status.
I believe that the Citizens United ruling needs to be re-visited or made invalid by a constitutional amendment. Corporations are not individual citizens. If they are, their donations should be limited to the same amount as specified for citizens - $2,500.
I believe that Political Action Committees are a plague on the American Political System. There is no transparency as to where the funding originates. It is tantamount to buying elections.
I believe that there should be a ceiling on what a candidate can spend to campaign for office. This would allow average American to seek higher office and diversify the Congress and the Senate.
I believe that we should increase the gasoline tax to pay for research into alternative fuels.

If you agree, I'd like to hear from you on facebook.

Mary Lynn Hansel writing as AC Katt.

Congrats to AC Katt for WINNING 1st Place in the Erotica Catagory of the NEC RWA Bean Pot Award

2011-05-09T16:23:00.000-06:00

AC Katt 1st Place in the Erotic Catagory of the
New England Chapter of
Romance Writers of America
Bean Pot Award

You can learn more about this contest and company at http://www.necrwa.org/

Get your copy of this award winning novel at Placida Publishing

http://placidapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18_28&products_id=19

Find out more about this Award winning author at
http://ackatt.com

Email Marketing provided by Dee Owens & Personalized Marketing

http://personalizedmarketing.info

pr_marketing@live.com

The American Working Class is Getting the Shaft...

2011-02-24T00:11:00.001-07:00

The American Working Class is Getting the shaft...again.

It was supposed to be all about "jobs." That promise made to voters before the November 2010 election has been largely ignored by the new Republican Congress, state legislators and governors.

Instead the agenda pursued by the Republican Party has concentrated on the so-called culture wars. There have been bills introduced in Congress to reduce the availability of abortion, despite Roe v Wade being the law of the land. The new budget introduced by the Republicans actually kills jobs by cutting discretionary spending. Instead of closing loopholes for oil depletion allowances and Big Agriculture, they restricted money to Planned Parenthood. Then, they go off on vacation.

In the state capitols, the record of the newly elected Republican again has not served the American Worker. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker, thinking he was speaking to David Koch, one of the infamous Koch brothers of oil, gas and chemical fame, told him that he was thinking about seeding the crowd protesting his attempt at Union Busting with outside agitators to make the so-far peaceful protesters look like hooligans. Governor Walker intimated that with a little extra support (read dollars), governors of other states would follow the same agenda.

That, my friends, is trading worker's collective bargaining rights for campaign cash, a straight forward transaction. And who is he selling down the river, YOU. By denying collective bargaining rights to workers in these hard times, he denies those rights for future workers in good times.

If your congressperson, senator, state representative or governor is acting in a similar unscrupulous manner and following an agenda that does nothing to produce the promised jobs, maybe it is time for a recall petition.

The Ubiquitous Bureaucrat

2011-02-18T18:10:00.001-07:00

The Ubiquitous Bureaucrat...

Today I heard the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker take cheap shots at state and local bureaucrats. This is nothing strange. Most of us have an "attitude" regarding government workers. Most of us forget who exactly government workers are and what they do.

State and municipal employees include the teachers who man our schools, the policemen who guard public safety. Who jumps into a burning building to rescue your family - a fireman, a municipal employee.

Who clears your roads, collects your garbage, works in the public hospitals, visits a home a crisis - sanitation workers, nurses, aides, health technicians, social workers, all state and municipal employees.
We, the general public, are very quick to notice when a public servant doesn't do what we pay them to do. However, where are we when are public servants are fighting for a reasonable school budget to educate our kids, decent wages and benefits for school teachers. We blame the teachers in the United States for the malaise that has hit our schools, yet, we refuse to spend the money to recruit the best and brightest for those positions and dismiss their requests for a living wage. In truth, most anyone who goes into government service, just like our armed forces on a national level, get paid less than their contemporaries in private industry. Yet we expect to draw from that same pool of college graduates competing with private industry for their service.

The same applies for nurses, nurse's aides, and hospital techs. Public hospitals pay less and demand more.

We never remark when our municipal employees do a fabulous job, we always comment when they screw up. This winter the huge accumulation of snow up and down the east coast caused overburdened sanitation departments to fail to clean up the streets in what the public considered to be an appropriate time frame. The public did not consider that this was a centennial snow event, they only considered that their cars were block and the streets weren't clear. They also never thought about the cutbacks in municipal service that helped to balance the budget.

Half the parents in this nation don't attend teacher conferences for their children, Back to School Night, nor a single PTA meeting. They place the whole of the educational burden on the school system, ie the teacher. They will shake their fist at municipal meetings whining that their children are undereducated, yet they will not pay the price to hire and keep decent teachers and give those teachers a budget that enables a spectacular education. I'm often amused when they compare the number of dollars that the US spends per student in comparison to other countries. Other countries do not have our cost of living. When we demand to have our children educated to be the best in the world we should remember that we must agree to pay for it.

We make demands of all of our municipal employees. On average they are overworked and severely unpaid. Now the Republican Right in Wisconsin are busy union busting. This is on behalf of the infamous Koch brothers again. No one noticed that they went all out to support Governor Walker who proposed this claptrap in Wisconsin, now they got their payback. Business received millions of dollars in tax breaks as soon as Governor Walker entered office (payback for the Koch brothers support) now, the Governor wants to take that money out of the pockets of the largely middle class government workers.

Shame on Governor Walker, shame on all of us. We want top notch service, but refuse to pay for it. We let people who do not have our interests at heart lead us down a road of less, less, less for the average taxpayer and more, more, more for big business. When are we going to stop leading with our chin.

The Race for Clean Energy

2011-01-28T01:27:00.000-07:00

America has five percent of the world's population, yet uses thirty percent of the world's energy resources. Oil has been the engine that drove the United States economy since the nineteenth century. With the invention of a cheap assembly line automobile by Henry Ford, America began its love affair with the auto.

The automobile gave birth to the suburbs, and the death of the "downtown." It encouraged the birth of strip malls, chain stores and developments. However, we now find ourself dependent on sometimes unfriendly foreign sources for the very substance that fuels our current economy. If we are to maintain our current standard of living, we must do the research to find alternative fuels. The long term answers to our energy deficit does not lie in "Drill, baby, drill." Oil, even with the newest technology of extracting it from shale, is not the answer. Oil is a finite resource and a pollutant that contributes to greenhouse gases and therefore to global warming. If we look for a long term solution to our energy problems, we must look elsewhere.

Currently, forty percent of the country's oil consumption goes directly into the automobile. One answer to our the problem is the electric car. However to make an electric car viable for long commutes and family trips, currently, it needs a backup fuel. For the electric car to be able to take longer trips, America's research and development community needs to focus on smaller, more efficient batteries.

To be truly green, the electricity for the car has to come from a green source. Currently scientists have been working on producing electricity from wind turbines and experimenting with solar farms. Although these methods are green, we do not, as of yet, have the capacity to produce enough electricity with these technologies to replace the oil used for generation of power.

Nuclear power is also a possibility but first we must deal with the problem of safe disposal of spent fuel rods and a safer plant design.

All of this new technology takes money for research and development. In the past government has provided grants to scientists at universities to help develop promising new technologies. But in the era of a Congress determined to cut budgets for everything, research dollars are harder to obtain unless the return is immediate. Americans have traded long term planning for immediate profit.

Long term planning is what pushed us into space. It is what is necessary to push us back into the forefront of the newer technologies that will not only release us from our dependence on foreign, unfriendly entities who use their windfall oil profits to train terrorists and undermine our country's stability. An infusion of stimulus funds invested in clean energy resources will, in time, bolster our economic growth, provide blue collar jobs and reduce the unemployment rate.

These jobs will need trained personnel. Therefore cuts to educational programs in our high schools, universities and technical colleges is another bad idea from the Republican Congressional majority.

Investment in green technology can mean the difference between America as a fading superpower or the brighter alternative of an America at the forefront of technology, where we belong. Investment in the future is necessary now. We must take back the American Dream away from those who would let American jobs shift to foreign soil and line their pockets with the dollars earned off the backs of the middle class.

Write to your Congressman and Senators and let them know how important it is to invest in America by funding research. Your standard of living depends on it.

If you wish to know more about my views, check out my website at www.ackatt.com.

A Matter of Trust Nominated for LRC BDSM Award

2011-01-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

My second novel, A Matter of Trust, published by XOXO Publishing, has been nominated as one of the best in Love Romance Cafe Best of 2010 in the BDSM category. This book is a story about a prominent Dom, Bear Drummond and his search for his "perfect boy."

Voting for the contest will take place from January 22nd through January 30th. You may vote for your favorites at http://lovesbooksandmore.blogspot.com.

I am asking all of my fans to cast a vote for A Matter of Trust at the website stated above. You can purchase A Matter of Trust from XOXO Publishing at www.xoxopublishing.com.

Bear and Brian is one of my favorite stories. I hope that you purchase the book, enjoy the story and place your vote at LRC.

Personalized Marketing at AC Katt's BlogTalk Radio

2011-01-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

AC Katt is also accepting Blog Talk Radio Show Guest Authors. Want to be one? Contact Dee at pr_marketing@live.com

Dedicated to helping others reach their goals with a Personalized Touch.

For more information
Contact Dee at
Personalized Marketing
http://personalizedmarketing.info
pr_marketing(at)live.com

Appology from AC Katt Email

2010-12-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wanted to send an apology to all that received an email from AC's yahoo account. Please look for news from her main email account.

New Five Star Review for Shattered Glass

2010-12-27T08:58:00.003-07:00

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010

5 Star REVIEW~~"SHATTERED GLASS" Author AC KATT

AMAZON'S MOST HELPFUL FAVORABLE REVIEW!

"COMPELLING, SUSPENSEFUL, and GRIPPING!"

Milo and Liam knew what they wanted from childhood. Along the road to fame and fortune, the love they shared together grew stronger-and-stronger as their Rock band became more popular. However, little did they know, that the empire they built was soon to be destroyed through vengeance and vicious lies. A psychopath continues to play his deadly game of manipulation on a mission to tear apart a loving relationship, and everything that Liam worked for. The evil, blackmailing stalker wins the dangerous game, but not the war. How long was Milo worried about his image and his secret love affair? How long was Liam unhappy that his secret was locked up in a closet? How long will Liam be tormented physically and mentally, before he can live life once again? How far will Bart go with his unstable mind and twisted personality? Who will survive the abuse, and will life ever be the same for Milo and Liam? This novel is recommended for music loving adults, who enjoy love stories that are provocative and filled with powerful images, with a blend of mystery. AC Katt wrote a dark, compelling story that will leave the reader on the edge of his seat from beginning to end. The spellbinding journey of the lives of the Rock stars and their fatal mistakes takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the power of love, horror, and forgiveness. After six years, what will it take to rebuild what Milo and Liam once had? Will revenge, anger, and greed win the battle, or will love blossom in the healing process? "SHATTERED GLASS" is as haunting as THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, as emotional as the movie AS GOOD AS IT GETS and as powerful as SLEEPERS, with Robert Deniro, and Dustin Hoffman.

Suggested New Years Resolutions for Congress

2010-12-27T01:22:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of the year, the time we set aside to sit down and write our New Year’s Resolutions. I decided to do something different this year. Instead of deciding on a set of resolutions for myself, I decided to write a list of resolutions that would be good for the country, presumptuous, I know, but necessary. If everyone wrote a list and sent it to their representatives in both the House and the Senate, and the executive branch maybe we could provide the country with direction and make sure that our representatives spend less time posturing and more time writing and passing legislation that puts the country back to work. Here is my list of ten, I’m sure you have your own.

1. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – We need a stimulus package large enough to accomplish two tasks. The first is obvious, put people back to work. The second part of the stimulus package should provide earmarked funds for infrastructure, especially green infrastructure. We need to move Americans out of their cars and into light rail. We need smart roads and bridges that control traffic and prevent congestion. And lastly we need alternative means to move people by building neighborhoods that provide work, schools, shopping near enough to housing so that the car doesn’t have to come out of the garage for a quart of milk.

2. The government needs to use grants and tax breaks to encourage green energy. Too much of this nations treasure is going to countries whose foreign policy is geared to work actively against the goals and ideals of the United States.

3. The innovations and prosperity of the second half of the twentieth century did not come by accident. By using the GI Bill the government t provided and educated workforce that put a man on the moon, computers on every desk and the internet into every home. Programs like the Dream Act have to be pushed through congress. Funding education and teaching the fundamentals of math, science, English, music and art should be encouraged. Grants, scholarships and government guaranteed loans need to be easier to obtain but we must put into place stringent requirements for repayment.

4. Paying for the programs above would be easier if we walked away from two wars that are costing this nation the respect of the world and too many dollars.

5. Most of the rest of the world has accepted that Health Care is a right of the citizenry. The United States cannot be a country where only the rich can afford the best healthcare. Charitable institutions cannot handle the numbers of citizens who are currently without health care. The last congress passed a health care bill that was incomplete and only the first step on the road to providing our citizens with the rights enjoyed by other democracies. Despite the fact that top notch health care is available in the United States, it is not available for everyone. According to the World Health Organization the United States ranks thirty-seventh in health care among countries in the world. We should be ashamed. How can we hold up our head in the community of nations where we rank number one in weaponry, and thirty seventh in the health of our children?

6. Social Security needs to be protected. Social Security is a promise to our citizens in the form of insurance for which they pay premiums out of every paycheck in exchange for and old age pension. Yet it is expensive and because of the population shifts in favor of the old over the young, could soon begin to run in the red. Add that to unfunded programs like Medicare Part D (prescription drugs) and we have a huge fiscal liability driving us into debt. Right now the Social Security tax is paid on only a portion of our income. Once you cross that threshold, no more social security tax. My suggestion would be to pay social security tax on your entire income thereby eliminating the threshold and bringing more money into the program to balance the funds outgo. My second suggestion would be to have the government buy all drugs wholesale at the type of prices negotiated by other Western Democracies. With drugs at a lower overall cost, the amount of money the government would have to shell out for prescription drugs would be reduced and the amount of co-pay coming out of the citizens pockets would go down.

7. The programs helping homeowners with underwater mortgages need to be more effectively administered. The money isn’t going to where it should go, namely the homeowners.

8. Tax breaks should be given to all companies who bring jobs back to the United States. On the other hand, companies who outsource jobs overseas should pay larger tax bills. Loop holes that permit large US corporations to get away with paying little or no taxes should be immediately closed, no exceptions.

9. After this two year extension is over, tax breaks for millionaires should be eliminated. No wailing, no gnashing of teeth, just gone.

10. Until the unemployment rate goes back down to 8.5%, unemployment stipends should be extended. Trade apprenticeships and green technology jobs should be funded through legitimate trade schools and junior colleges. Retraining of the unemployed who were put out of work because technology took their jobs should be paramount.

Now you have heard my top ten list. What is yours?

AC Katt's novels can be found at www.ackatt.com and www.captivapress.com. Shattered Glass is available in both Kindle format and paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook and paperback at Barnes & Noble. Both formats and others are available from Captiva Press.

I enjoy hearing from others about my blogs and books, write me through my website or through mlhansel@msn.com.

Reader's Questions

2010-12-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Since we are close to the end of the year I decided to make an attempt to answer my reader's most frequent questions.

I am often asked who writes the blogs on this site. I do. I am the admin and the owner of the site, AC Katt. I also wrote the novels, Shattered Glass, A Matter of Trust and the soon to be re-released, The Sarran Plague.

I do appreciate linkbacks to the website and I ask if you quote anything from one of my blogs, please attribute the quotation to AC Katt and provide a linkback to the column you quote.

The site is based on the theme Wood from Wordpress with additional customization provided by my friend, publicist and web designer, Dee Owens of Personalized Marketing, PR_Marketing@live.com. Dee also occasionally posts newsletters on the blog along with contests we are running. My web host is BlueHost.com and they do an excellent job of no hassle hosting.

My political blogs are strictly opinion, although I do some research before penning the blog. I am a die hard progressive, an advocate for equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, religion, ethic origin or gender identification or preference. When an issue is close to my heart, I will write about it.

About me - I am a soon-to-be sixty year old grandmother of nine, six boys and three girls. The oldest is eighteen and the youngest, three months. My husband and I live the New Mexico and our four children live on the East coast in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We moved out to New Mexico to escape the damp winters and humid summers of New Jersey and for the lower cost of living the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area provides. This was also an ideal site for the arts and culture, the home of many universities and brimming with artists and writers. The dry climate makes it so we don't feel the heat in the summer and the winter isn't as cold and damp even though we are located at six thousand feet. I found, shortly after we made the move that New Mexico is truly, The Land of Enchantment.

As you might guess, I am heterosexual in orientation and I am often asked why I write gay and bisexual romances. The reason is political. If I can show the average female reader that this is normal and natural for a portion of the population, it will make her think and eventually realize that I am right and be able to argue with those who tell her otherwise. The books are designed to convince one person at a time. I also love the romance genre and personally, the only thing hotter than one great looking guy is two.

My publisher for A Matter of Trust is XOXO Publishing at xoxopublishing.com. All of my other work including Shattered Glass and the soon to be re-released The Sarran Plague are published by Captiva Press, a division of Placida Publishing at www.captivapress.com. Shattered Glass is available in paperback from Barnes & Noble on-line and Amazon.com as well as from Captiva. Shattered Glass is also available for Amazon's Kindle Reader.

Besides reaching me at ackatt@ackatt.com, I have an additional e-mail address for important questions at ml_hansel@msn.com. I welcome hearing from my readers and am more likely to receive your questions at the msn.com address. Now I would like to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Amazing Tigger

2010-12-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Location, Location, and Location...

A civilization that survived on their home planet for untold numbers of cycles has three things that many other failed inhabited worlds lacked. The first is sheer luck. The Sarran home world is located well away from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy on one of the less populated spiral arms. The placement of Sarran's star system put the planet out of the main traffic lanes for planet eating asteroids, climate altering meteors and visits from further developed war like civilizations that may have existed before the Sarrans but did not survive their own aggression. Absurdly, the Sarran's long lived civilization depended on the same mantra that every Earthen Real Estate Salesperson is given with their license, "Location, location, location." The second part of the survival triad is a planetwide civilization that began to cooperate early on issues that affected their home environment. The third is simply to learn from their mistakes rather than to persist in repeating them.In the earliest times there were major environmental disasters with fossil fuel and the unsafe use of nuclear fission. Once the Sarran Clans became aware of the environmental damage created by using fossil fuel, the ruling council incorporated the research results brought to them by the brilliant scientist Tezacron, Prince of AirClan, and incorporated his findings into Sarran Common Law long before the Codex. Fossil Fuel consumption was slashed by a quarter, planet wide each cycle thus encouraging the discovery of an alternative. Manufacturing Facilities that released nuculear waste into the ecosystem were closed immediately and soon replaced by othersthat ran on cold fusion. The Sarrans knew from the start that their planet was the only thing that stood between their civilization and the great void. Watching others slip into the morass of greed at the expense of a healthy environment that produced healthy inhabitants; the Sarrans did the unusual. They learned from the history of others rather than go their own way and repeat a long line of environmental catastrophe that would result in the downfall of the entire humanoid population of the sphere. The one time the Sarrans forgot this cardinal rule sowed the seeds of their future dilemna and brought the planetwide civilization to its knees in the ClanWars. The result of that scientific catastrophe -- even though a solution was sought and found, made the Sarrans vunerable in a way that they did not anticipate during the Zyptz Wars.

A Shattered Glass Christmas

2010-12-12T17:39:00.007-07:00

A Shattered Glass

Christmas...

The first Christmas after the events described in the novel, Shattered Glass, the guys decided to spend Christmas in New Mexico instead of New Jersey mainly because of Conchita's ability in the kitchen.

Sam attended with his brother Rick although the Stein brothers are Jewish. Joe Menendez came and brought his beloved abuela and DJ. The Hobbs Family were invited and accepted the invitation. Young Jimmy was looking forward to his first sight of the Western United States and the family planned on renting an RV in New Mexico and taking a drive through the Southwest during the holidays. Everyone gathered on Christmas eve. Conchita's family all came arms brimming with food and Father Stephan was there to give the blessing.

According to a tradition begun by Lily back in Hazlet many years before, one present was opened for everyone on Christmas Eve.

Milo gave Liam a handcrafted Platinum Key with diamond accents telling him it was the key to his heart. Liam gifted Milo with a small Greek dog, a Meliteo Kinidio, that he had imported from Greece for the occasion. Although the household had adopted Rick's pets who lived with him in one of the guest houses, this was their first pet since the black and white Persian kittens Major and Minor. Milo named him Hey Jude.

Christmas Eve Dinner was delicious with a traditional turkey, a standing rib roast, candied yams, fine wines and homemade desserts and cookies of every description, some of which were made by Liam and Milo (with a little help from Conchita).

As Conchita explained the baking session was more heated than the oven. Never-the-less, the boys got the job done.

Then everyone stomped off in the middle of the season's first light snow to participate in Midnight Mass with Father Stephan.

If you wish to learn more about the original story of Shattered Glass read the novel, now in paperback and available from Captiva Press, www.captivapress.com; Barnes & Noble, where it can be ordered from the store or through the web at Barnes&Noble.com; or through Amazon.com. The e-book is available from Amazon.com and from CaptivaPress.com for most e-book formats.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Hanging Up the Gloves before the Fight

2010-12-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

It looks like our president hung up the gloves before the fight...

Just prior to the November election, President Obama told the nation that he would fight the Republican attempt to renew the Bush tax cuts. The President wanted to negotiate with the Republicans so that the whatever tax breaks would accrue to the middle class would remain and the tax reductions for people who made over a quarter of a million dollars a year would expire.

With a lame duck Congress who can only remain in session with a majority of Democrats until December 31st, it was imperative that negotiations for the middle class tax break, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and the extension of unemployment benefits go through the legislative process quickly.

The Democratic Agenda was simple:

Renew the Bush Tax cuts with the exception of the tax cuts on the upper two percent of tax payers.
Extend unemployment benefits for those looking for work suffering through the worst recession on record.
Repeal the unconstitutional Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy which trampled the first amendment rights of gays in the military.

This seemed like a simple agenda. Tax cuts for the rich would be eliminated, thereby giving the government extra revenue in a time of budget and debt crisis, an issue that most of the country vocally supported. The majority of American also supported extension of the unemployment benefits and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Obviously, the Republicans weren't listening to their constituents. They were stubbornly holding to the position that nothing would get passed unless the rich got their tax cuts, in effect, holding 98% of the country hostage for the top 2% of taxpayers.

Enter the hero, the Yes We Can man. President Obama went into "tough" negotiations with the Republican Leadership. (Please remember, dear reader, the Republicans are the MINORITY party until December 31st. We came out of these negotiations with the rich getting their tax cut, Don't Ask, Don't Tell voted down despite the fact that there were more votes in favor than against and the unemployment money in limbo. Why, you ask?

Without consulting the leaders of his own party, or the mood of the citizenry, President Obama decided to do away with the messy fight that was sure to ensue if he stood firm, and hung up his blue gloves. The President caved. He avoided the fight and now finds himself in the unenviable position of being in a fight for his political life with his own party who feel betrayed and the citizens who feel duped -- yet again.

Personally, I'd rather there be no tax cuts for anyone than see another victory in the series of victories we keep handing the Republican Party and their rich cronies. And if the Republicans try to pass a rich man's tax cut in January, President Obama should veto it. But that is not what's happening. I remember a cartoon from when I was a kid, the character asked "What are you, a man or a mouse..." The answer, I'm afraid is mouse.

Pass the Cheese

2010-12-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Does this picture remind you of anyone in the news?

The Republican Party, fat from their recent donations from unknown corporate sources, is busy preparing an agenda for January that doesn't look good for anyone but those in the country club set.

Once again, the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy are staked out as the most important part of their overall economic policy. It makes no sense. With the middle class tax base shrinking because of a 9.8% unemployment rate, and a continued reduction in taxes for those who have the money to pay takes, our government is going to have to continue holding out a tin cup to the Chinese to get our bills paid. And, since he who has the money makes the rules this could be disastrous for any economic and foreign policy objectives.

The highest tax bracket has taken a whopping fall from 70% in the Regan era to 30% in the Bush era. Yet our expenses have risen. Yes, entitlements have taken a toll, however two wars fought off the books until 2008 also has something to do with our fiscal position. You can't fight wars with money not included in the budget. That's like making a household fiscal plan and not including the mortgage and the car payment.

It is time for the American voter to get his head out of the sand and realize that no one benefits from the Republican Agenda but the wealthy. Raising the retirement age, cutting social security benefits, cutting health care for children and the elderly hits the lower 98% of the wage earners in this country who need things like VA Services, food stamps, Early Childhood Intervention Programs and a social net that they can depend on. Teens need government grants to continue in school. These are the type of things that made us a great nation after World War II, an educated work force, the ability to make and sell the things we use and a government willing to use progressive taxation to make sure that the dollar stayed strong and stable.

But these are the things Americans are unlikely to get for the next two years with a Republican/Tea Party Congress. Pass the Cheese...

More information on my books and views can be found at www.ackatt.com.

Shattered Glass Released in Paperback & other Big Stuff

2010-12-01T17:33:00.001-07:00

Shattered Glass is now available in paperback...

Shattered Glass is now available in paperback from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com; Barnes and Noble at www.barnesandnoble.com and at amazon.com.

I'm so happy to be able to share Milo and Liam's love story with all readers.

I'm very late blogging. (Blush and apology). The reason is twofold. The third week of November I went back to visit my nine grandchild scattered over New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They sent Grams home with hugs, kisses, gifts and bronchitis. Up until today I was coughing, wheezing, had chills, shakes, fevers. Today I'm finally promoted to the chair with cough and wheeze. Thank you doctors and nurses at the Presbyterian Health Center in Rio Rancho, ER. Until they took care of me my husband feared I would cough hard enough to bring up a toe!

Today is a special day for the Southern United States. It is the day that South Carolina seceded from the Federal Union. Today there are parades celebrating States Rights as the issue that caused the war, despite the fact the the secession document mentioned Slavery nineteen times. Hmmm - history re-write?

Another interesting piece of news, the survey from the members of the US Military came back overwhelmingly positive in favor of gay soldiers and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Despite the fact that the courts have spoken, the joint chief of staff has spoken, the congress and the president has spoken and the service members themselves have spoken, John McCain is calling for a do-over.

Since the Senate is still braying for us to wait to, despite the majority of the voting public really want the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the senate is merely braying their own bigotry out loud. Didn't their mothers' teach them how to play nice with other children. Or did Mr. McCain and company spring straight from the head of Medusa like snakes in the grass.

Thirsty - The Sarran Plague, Anya meets Jonal

2010-11-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

This is a scene from The Sarran Plague where Dr. Anya Forrester first meets one of her alien destined mates.

“Thirsty,” she whispered. A strong, gentle hand lifted Anya's head. She nuzzled closer, breathing deeply of fresh linen, vanilla and man—definitely man.

“Drink, Pa Mici, drink,” a deep basso voice rumbled.

Anya’s eye caught a snapshot of dark blue eyes, tousled midnight black hair. A thin white scar traced along the outline of a square jaw. Her vision turned fuzzy around the edges. She picked up a slight hesitation between his words and her understanding. His lips moved and she received, a nanosecond later, a weird built-in satellite delay. The hair on his muscled arm tickled across her back. His palm cupped the nape of her neck supporting her head. The thumb stroked downward. She trembled, leaning into the light caress.

The thick fingers of his other hand curved around a filigreed silver tumbler with maroon and gold swirls.

"Please, thirsty," Anya mumbled, as her lips pursed round the proffered straw.

“Careful, Pa Mici. Lips that shape beg a kiss,” the deep voice murmured.

Sweetness exploded on Anya’s tongue—a mélange of fruit? She didn’t recognize any of the flavors. Her eyes closed. The juice flowed through her mouth and down her throat easing the dryness. Voices in her mind, one here—the basso, the other, a baritone, close by. Their vibrations sang sweet music to her sex. Anya’s skin flushed rose. She reached up and traced a finger along the thin scar. Anya knew she dreamt. Her hero's face graced the cover of every romance novel she ever read. He played an American privateer, scarred from a run-in with a British man-of-war, or maybe a Regency Duke, scarred in a duel over his sister. It couldn't be about a woman other than his sister. After all, this was her dream.

“Your skin is exquisite, Pa Mici. Do you feel us yet? ” His soft mobile lips swept light kisses across her cheek and nibbled at the corner of her mouth.

“Name...my pirate... name," she insisted, sticking out her lower lip—her mouth in moue.

"Jonal. Rest now,” the voice soothed.

“’Tis such a good dream,” Anya whispered, as she grabbed his arm. “Please, don't make me wake up.”

The Sarran Plague will be available from Captiva Press late winter, early spring. In the mean time please enjoy my novel, Shattered Glass, from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. Also visit my website at www.ackatt.com.

A Scene from the Re-release of The Sarran Plague

2010-11-05T07:03:00.001-06:00

A Scene from the Re-Release of The Sarran Plague...

The deadly rash snaked up her left breast. She felt the destruction of each cell as it fell to the intruder. She had no reserves left to fight the virus. Pain slowly took control of her mind and heart. Despite her upbringing and her supposed strong moral fiber, she longed for the end. Tears ran down her blotchy cheeks, the saltiness stinging her abraded skin.

Her body would jerk in constant spasm, not allowing even the slight respite of sleep. Her throat hurt, parched and sore from the respirator Her mouth contained an abundance of sores. No one came for Anya; the tubes in her mouth muffled her sobs and screams. She would die alone, unloved by anyone, save an orange cat. She dare not close her eyes again; she did not want to go unto the dark alone.

Wait . . . what was that? A sharp spike hit the forefront of her skull, the pain struck like lightening. Then voices began to murmur in her head. The conversation, though muted, sounded intense and masculine. It was like a constant buzz, almost as if there was a fly in her brain. Her path was inescapable, she walked toward a blue light, yet the outline of the moon — no, three moons — at her back called her name causing her to stop despite the light’s gentle promise. But the buzz, she couldn't shake the buzz, it kept getting louder. She turned toward the moons. She heard the voices, they were closer now. Anya almost understood the words. Then, the buzzing ceased.

Curiosity, one of her besetting sins, kept her following the path towards the light. The blue light called her forward; it pulled at her and promised peace. Bits of conversation began to surround her. The strange moons and the pain stood to her back.

She lifted her face toward the sky; the voices rained down from the heavens. Tenderness bathed her body. Her imagination began to overpower her; fantasies paraded through her innocent mind. Lust ran through her body like a fresh breeze caressing her skin. She felt a masculine presence. Two, she thought. Gentle fingers brushed against her nipples, and wet, soft kisses flowed across her collarbone to the back of her neck, and then, a bite. Both nipples pushed erect against the soft, thin cotton of the hospital sheet. She needed more. She felt the blood moving to her labia as the lips engorged, becoming heavy. They opened outward, throbbing.

Rational thought intruded on her arousal. Anya, you’re dying here, in pain, breathing your last. You’re a physician. You know the score. What the heck is happening?

The thought fled, and her concentration shifted to the sensation of tender touches and butterfly kisses between her legs. Her body tensed, climbing, climbing the precipice. Then there was a burst of white light, blinding in her brain. Her lower body pulsated in rhythm, leaving the hospital linens damp.

She heard a whisper, a tendril of hope, and then formed thought drifted into her consciousness. “We’re here with you,” the voices said. “We are one, BondStirred; you will never be alone again.” The thought gave comfort even as she turned from the light and headed back into the pain.

The above scene is Anya Forrester's first encounter with the Sarran WarriorPair, Jonal and Tonas. Read more about the Sarrans in future blogs and in The Sarran Plague which will be re-released from Captiva Press late fall, early winter.

In the mean time don't forget to read my m/m rock n roll romance - Shattered Glass, from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. If you like this blog please follow and visit my website at www.ackatt.com.

Captiva Press at AC Katt's Blog Talk Radio Show

2010-11-03T00:46:00.000-06:00

Captiva Press on AC Katt's Books and Politics...

Captiva Press Authors and Staff will join AC Katt on her Blog Talk Radio Show AC Katt's Books and Politics on Thursday, November 4th at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, 11:00 Central, 10:00 Mountain and 9:00 Pacific.

Continuing their Grand Opening Celebration, both Captiva Press and AC Katt will be giving away prizes for this special hour long show. Come celebrate with us. Go to www.blogtalkradio.com/ackatt and listen live or drop by later and listen to the taped show. To find out more about Captiva Press, go to their website at www.captivapress.com.

Captiva Press at AC Katt's Blog Talk Radio Show

2010-11-02T05:43:00.000-06:00

If you like my blog, read my books...

2010-10-31T04:56:00.000-06:00

Today I noticed that I have 1,647 comments on my blogs, the great majority of them compliments on my writing. My blogging activity is dependent upon the sale of my books which cover the same subjects in fiction that the blogs cover in fact. So here it comes, the sales pitch.

I currently have two books in print. The first is Shattered Glass. The following is a blurb for the book:

Can love survive and be rekindled when a heart is broken like Shattered Glass?

Milo grew up in fear, hiding the fact that he was gay. Becoming a rock star with his band Shattered Glass was a dream come true. Finally lovers with Liam, the friend he’d desired since childhood, Milo worries about his image and keeping their relationship a secret.

Liam knew he loved Milo, even as a kid. But their fame and fortune can’t buy him the happiness of talking Milo out of the closet, able to freely express their love. Unfortunately, a fellow band-mate with vengeance on his mind conspires to break the lovers up in the most vicious way possible, destroying the couple’s relationship and shredding Liam’s peace of mind.

Six years later, Liam is older, wiser, and has rebuilt his life after the devastating loss of Milo and the band. Forced into a tenuous working reunion, Liam knows his heart still belongs to Milo. Working together to uncover the web of lies that pulled them apart, now all they have to do is survive the psychopath intent on silencing Liam and his music forever.

The plot includes the social and political positions that I discuss in my blogs. The blogs are the effect of my book and if you want to understand them more throughly, read the book. Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press and can be bought at www.captivapress.com and from Amazon's Kindle Store at www.amazon.com. There is also a buy link on my website www.ackatt.com, with the cover of the book and the words Click to Buy. C licking on this will bring you directly to the buy link on the publisher's website.

My second book is A Matter of Trust from XOXO Publishing. The theme of this book is trust and acceptance of who and what you are. The following is a blurb for the book:

Donald Bear Drummond has everything, a commercial real estate empire, part ownership of Indiscreet, BDS&M club and status as a Master Dominant. Now he is looking for a special boy to share it with, but Donald is short on trust. Burned before, he is reluctant to take on just any boy. Donald wants the perfect boy, his boy. Can he find happiness with the troubled, Brian, the clumsy boy with horned rimmed glasses and a pocket protector who walks into his office and spills a bottle of Bordeaux on his Persian rug? Can he protect Brian from his enemies and well as Brian's own demons?

It's all A Matter of Trust.

The plot in A Matter of Trust tells of a different lifestyle than most of are accustomed to living. But the world of Dominance and Submission is not all about pain. It is about subverting your will to another because you want to please them. It is about accepting another's complete trust and being worthy of what is given to you. A Matter of Trust can be purchased through its publisher XOXO Publishing at www.xoxopublishing.com. There is also a direct buy link on my website, www.ackatt.com. where you can click the book cover and go to the publisher's page to buy the book.

Shattered Glass will be out in paperback in late November and again, be available from the publisher and other outlets. I will keep you posted as to when this will occur. Both books are relatively inexpensive and they support my blogging activities. For those of you who enjoy my blogs, you will enjoy my books.

NEWS: My original novel, The Sarran Plague, a menage a trois is being re-released by Captiva Press, I will keep you apprised of the progress on the new chapters, edits and release dates.

Don't forget my new show on Blog Talk Radio. My page is www.blogtalkradio.com/ackatt. From my page you can listen to previous shows or catch the upcoming show on Thursday, November 4 at 12:00 noon Eastern, 11:00 am Central, 10:00 am Mountain and 9:00 am Pacific.

Have a great week everyone and don't forget to VOTE!

Today We Are Talking Politics

2010-10-28T11:14:00.000-06:00

It's Time to Vote...

Today we are talking politics and it is time for you, the electorate, to make a decision. Now, I know quite a few of you will be sitting back in your lounge chair telling yourself that you are not going to vote because all of your choices are nasty. Too bad. Vote anyway. If you didn't vote in the primary elections, it is your fault that your choices are limited. Now it time to "man up" and vote for any of the candidates who you feel can, at least, partially represent your viewpoints.

The privilege and right to vote is one of America's most cherished freedoms and like most of our freedoms it is a use it or lose it proposition. Due to the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United Case, major corporations have been able to pour millions of dollars in this election cycle. They have distracted the voter from the issues and in some cases printed outright lies. Now it is up to you, the voter to decide whether or not corporate money rules the outcome of this election, or your vote does. The only way you can defeat the corporate money is to vote. Vote you conscience, vote your pocketbook. I don't care why you vote, just do it!

CONTEST: DELICIOUS DELIGHTS

2010-10-26T13:09:00.002-06:00

Blog Talk Radio Show in Celebration of Captiva Press Opening

2010-10-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

Boy Scouts are no "Boy Scouts"

2010-10-21T13:46:00.003-06:00

The Boy Scouts are no "Boy Scouts..."

When Jon Langbert enrolled his son in the local Dallas Cub Scout Chapter of the Boy Scouts of America he told them he was gay. "No problem" was the response he received. Now, a few years later, he has been stripped of his uniform, yet asked to continue to perform the same service for the local Cub Scout Pack that he performed when he was awarded the shirt.

Jon performed the duty of Popcorn Colonel for the local Cub Scout pack. As a leader, he encouraged the cubs to sell popcorn to earn gifts and gift cards in the competition to raise money for the pack and its parent organization. Although Jon and his son, Carter, belonged to the pack for a number of years, it was only a week ago that officials from the State and National organization ordered the local pack to "defrock" Mr. Langbert. The local pack, however, wants Mr. Langbert to retain his now, untitled, position.

All reports indicate that Mr. Langbert is a good father and performed well in his position with the Cub Scouts. In a world where the military currently sits under judicial injunction for its DADT policy because this position actually damages the function of the armed forces by preventing the retention of experienced personnel, and laws that discriminate against the LGBT population are being challenged daily in the courts; the position of the Boy Scouts is antiquated and a blatant disregard of first amendment rights.

I am aware that the Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the Boy Scouts were allowed as a private organization to continue their discriminatory practices, however, my points remains. Country Clubs, restaurants and stores are not allowed to practice overt discrimination, why make an exception for the Boy Scouts? For a country that advocates liberty and justice for all, we are very lax in putting our principles into practice.

Delicious Delights Contest From AC Katt

2010-10-15T09:56:00.002-06:00

http://www.ackatt.com

Adult Language Excerpt from Shattered Glass

2010-10-11T04:44:00.001-06:00

Press Conference, Plaza Hotel, New York City
November 2002, 3:45 p.m.
Sam Stein, attorney and owner of Stein Talent Ltd., looked around his suite at the Plaza. Half of his personnel came over from his office on East 73rd to handle the crisis. A press conference scheduled for four p.m. put the media in a feeding frenzy. Rumor and speculation had run thick and heavy for ten days. Sam took the statements of the three remaining members of the group Shattered Glass now sequestered in adjoining suites. The fourth went AWOL. None of the band saw or heard from Liam O’Shea in the past ten days. Rumors circulated, but even Sam’s best investigator, J.B. Saunders, hadn’t
a clue.

He yelled over to his assistant. “Margot, has J.B. filed a report on Liam?”

“Not yet, I’m working on it. You have ten minutes to get downstairs.”

Sam picked up his statement and headed out of the suite to the press room. None of the principals would say much more than the basic facts. Bart made a pass at Milo, and Liam walked. Sam begged Milo Stamis, group leader and Sam’s best friend, to tell him what happened.

Milo exploded in an angry tirade against Liam. “If I could find the little bastard, I’d choke him. He’s been carrying on with that fucking roadie, Danny, behind my back for years. Bart kept trying to warn me and I wouldn’t listen. Leave it alone, Sam. I’ve called everywhere to try to locate him. He’s probably sunning himself with his new lover somewhere in the Caribbean. Fuck if I care.”

Sam shook his head. “I wouldn’t believe Bart Hedge if he told me the sky was blue.”

“Damn it, you hired the bastard. If you’d stayed with the band, on the drums where you belonged, this wouldn’t have happened. Now get the hell out of my room.”

Sam left thinking that the dark circles under Milo’s red eyes told more of the story than his temper.

Sam’s brother, Rick, the bass guitarist, didn’t help. He told Sam, “Bart sidled up to Milo during
rehearsal the day after Milo threw Liam out of the house. Liam hauled off and punched Bart and gave
him a black eye. I went to the back to check the drums, so I didn’t see it happen. Anyway, what the
fuck do I know? I get little respect and less information.” Rick shrugged with assumed indifference.

When Sam phoned to ask Bart what happened the day after the original “incident” occurred, Bart refused to comment.” After some coaxing on Sam’s part, he would only say Milo kicked him out of the band and that he refused to finish the tour even if asked back. As far as the “incident” went, in Sam’s opinion, somehow, Bart was at the root of this whole fiasco.

The guys were better off without that sleazy bastard anyway. I’ll have to talk Milo into
replacing Bart for the remainder of the tour. He’s replaceable. Liam is not. How could I have missed all
of the tension of the last few years?

That’s easy, his conscience replied. You let the band slide because you let your business consume you. But Milo refused to go near Bart, so Sam would be forced to assume his former role and play in the band to finish the tour.

As for Liam, none of the band or the crew laid eyes on either him or Danny Hobbs, the roadie in
question, for ten days.

When Sam arrived downstairs, networks, cable news, the legitimate music magazines, newspapers, and stringers from every supermarket rag that ran covers of alien invasions and three-headed cows packed the Plaza’s press room, all of them ready to take a bite out of Sam’s hide. Margot preceded him through the door and announced his entrance. The room burst into a cacophony of voices, all shouting questions he could not or would not be able to answer. Sam began to sweat in his Armani suit, but soldiered on to the podium. He faced the crowd as they settled into an expectant silence.

“Good afternoon. I have a prepared statement and will take no questions afterward. Liam O’Shea, Shattered Glass’ composer, lead guitarist and singer, has left the band due to creative differences. Milo Stamis informed me today that Liam will be replaced for rest of the tour by solo artist, Johnny Borchoi, who graciously agreed to interrupt his sabbatical to fill in for Liam.”

The media exploded in protest as Sam prepared to leave the podium. Margot whispered, “Sam, you need to answer a few questions or they’ll bombard the office. We won’t be able to work.”

Looking over the rabble, Sam agreed with Margot’s assessment. He returned to the podium and braced himself for what he knew would come.

“I will go ahead and take a couple of questions after all.”

Hands flew into the air. Sam pointed at random. The reporter jumped up. “Rolling Stone. Mr. Stein, didn’t you once play the drums for Shattered Glass, and isn’t bass guitarist Rick Stein your brother?”

“Yes. Next question, over there in the corner.”
“Billboard. There are rumors of an altercation at a rehearsal. It’s said that Liam attacked Bart
Hedge.”
“No comment. Second row, third from the left.”

“Dex Arthur, Entertainment Tonight. Doesn’t Liam owe his fans an explanation?”

“Liam’s music speaks for itself,” Sam growled. “I’ll take one last question.”

A stringer for one of the grocery rags stood up and shouted a question that silenced the room. ”Sam, were Milo and Liam lovers?”

“No comment.” Sam abruptly left the podium and disappeared behind the curtain, heading to the private exit.

Their public relations representative pulled Sam aside as he attempted to exit the room. “Come on, Sam. At least tell me the truth off the record. Are Milo and Liam lovers? Rumors abound of a blowup at the rehearsal, and a physical altercation.”

“No comment.”

The PR rep left. Sam stood, shoulders slumped. He shook his head. The truth was more complicated than anyone could imagine.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. Additional information about my books is available from my website at www.ackatt.com. The following is a list of my blogs for your convenience: www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com, www.ackattspolitics.blogspot.com, www.ackatt.livejournal.com, www.ackatt.weebly.com, and a new Ning fan network at www.ackattonning, which you are welcome to check out and join.

My new talk show at blog talk radio is debuting on October 21 at 12:00 noon Eastern, 11:00 am Central, 10:00 am Mountain and 9:00 am Pacific. The url is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ackatt.

How can love survive when a heart is broken like Shattered Glass...

2010-10-09T21:39:00.006-06:00

How can love survive
the unforgivable....
Liam O'Shea can never remember a time in his life when he didn't love Milo Stamis. From the first time he lifted his eyes from the moving boxes to see twelve year old Milo on his bicycle offering to help he and his mother move.

Liam didn't understand those feelings until he was twelve when he finally realized that what he felt for Milo was love. That love took six long years to finally consummate. When it happened Liam felt that nothing could ever go wrong in his life again. That is, until Milo began accusing Liam of infidelity with a man who had never been more than a good friend. With another member of the band pouring poison in Milo's ear, Milo's trust in Liam evaporated as did their relationship and the band.

Liam was left with nothing. How does a man rebuild his who world when half of it is missing? Find out in Shattered Glass available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. Read more about Shattered Glass and my other works on my website, www.ackatt.com.

Sensual Reads Gives Shattered Glass 5 Stars, A Matter of Trust 4.5 Stars

2010-10-09T08:09:00.000-06:00

Reviews of

Shattered Glass & A Matter of Trust

Shattered Glass gets a 5 Star Review

"Shattered Glass by A.C. Katt is a powerful story of not believing in yourself and others and a story of how one’s man quest for vengeance can affect so many lives."

Milo Stamis knew he was gay from a young age and he also knew he had to hide that fact from his abusive father. He also knew that allowing that fact to become known could jeopardize his career with his band, Shattered Glass. Liam O’Shea, the singer in the band, knew Milo Stamis was to be his one and only love since he was young enough to realize what that meant. Milo did want him but had to wait until Liam was old enough for Milo, but even after the two became lovers, Milo still kept their relationship under wraps. Behind closed doors, the two engaged in a joyous relationship, but to the world they were band mates only. Then a member of the band starts to lay the seeds of distrust, which bloom and grow causing the vicious break up of the two lovers. Six years pass before the two are reunited when Liam is asked to come back for a reunion tour. Liam is still in love with Milo and when they see each other, they begin to unravel the series of lies and half truths that tore them apart. On the road to reconciliation, the two may not have a chance if they cannot stop the dangerous psychotic stalker intent on harming and silencing Liam forever.

Shattered Glass is an incredible tale that clearly shows us the value of communication and trust. Liam had much to say but no one to listen. Milo heard but did not really listen. This allowed the perfect feeding ground for a band member to sew discord. Incredible how many lives this person ruined and came close to ruining! Both Liam and Milo were talented and in love with each other but both lost their way. And when they did, they ended up living a half life. Liam was so broken and devastated that it took years to put him back together. As it turns out, neither man was complete with out the other. Giving them the time to mature and to think allowed them to look at things with their brains instead of with their emotions. Intense, disturbing and compelling, A.C. Katt will take you on a ride that you will not want to get off until the end with Shattered Glass, a book that will stay with you even after you have read the last word.

Sensuality Rating: Sizzling
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Author's Website: http://www.ackatt.com/

About the Book:
Genre: suspense
Page Count: 258 pages
Price: $ 6.99
Reviewer: Elise Lyn

A Matter of Trust gets a 4.5 Star Review

Review: A Matter of Trust by A.C. Katt

"A Matter of Trust is all it will take for two men to find love forever in this intense tale by A.C. Katt."

Donald “Bear” Drummond is happy with the life he has built except for one thing. He has money, a successful real estate business and part ownership of a BDSM club where he is a Master Dom. He just needs to find his perfect boy. After a bad relationship, Bear knows he must be careful and he knows just what he wants, if only he could find him. Then fate deals him a chance meeting with Brian Murphy. Brian works in his business and they meet when he spills a bottle of Bordeaux on his expensive Persian rug while delivering a package. Brian is just what Bear’s mind envisioned as he takes in the clumsy boy with glasses and a pocket protector. Bear has his work cut out for him when his own enemies and Brian’s past contrive to keep them apart before they can even build a loving relationship.

A.C. Katt gives an a look at the mind of someone who is close minded and the steps he will take to ruin those who do not meet his standards. Brian was so incredibly honorable and responsible but he had so many demons in his past. Bear was perfect for him as was he for Brian. They almost did not get a chance to find that out. A.C. Katt infuses her stories with such emotion, heat and tension that you cannot just put it down. You have to finish it as quickly as you can because you want to see what is going to happen next. Memorable characters, great BDSM action, and suspense combine to make A Matter of Trust a fantastic tale for those of us who just love that. A.C. Katt is an author to add to our must read list.

Sensuality Rating: Sizzling
Star Rating: 4.5 Stars
Author's Website: http://www.ackatt.com/

About the Book:
Genre: contemporary
Page Count: 286 pages
Price: $ 4.88
Reviewer: Elise Lyn

Shattered Glass - Five Cups from Coffee Time Romance

2010-09-30T20:07:00.000-06:00

Shattered Glass gets a 5 Cup Review

from Coffee Time Romance

SHATTERED GLASS
AC KATT
ISBN#: 9781936356027
June 2010
Placida Publishing, LLC
www.captivapress.com
eBook
$6.99
258 Pages
M/M, GLBT, Erotic Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 5 Cups
Liam has loved Milo since he was six years old. He knew from their first meeting that there would never be another man for him.
Milo has felt responsible for Liam since he was six; doing everything he can to ensure Liam’s happiness. Milo is blind-sided by Liam’s feelings for him. Bound by a promise to a dying woman, Milo must resist Liam and give him time to experience life.
Unaware of Liam’s feelings, Milo does his best to uphold the promise he made to keep Liam safe even if it means safe from Milo himself. Unaware of an interested stalker waiting in the wings to destroy Liam no matter what it takes, Milo pushes Liam away due to a misunderstanding perpetrated by a jealous man. It is only the revelation of the man standing in the shadows that will bring together the Shattered Glass, but it just may be too late.
Shattered Glass is a thrilling read. It takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that spans the childhood through the amazing transition from boy to man. AC Katt draws emotion from the most hardened heart by bringing the reader to the stage of enlightenment only to toss the revelations back into a pool of confusion. Just a warning to readers: just when they think they have a grasp on the storyline, the author will take them off on another wild path. Shattered Glass is a romance built from the flames of young love that will be tested by outside forces and leave the reader spellbound for the ending as well as the journey.
Delane
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

____________________________________________

Ambition...

2010-09-25T07:15:00.002-06:00

Ambition...

Sam Stein was the drummer for the band, Shattered Glass. Although the band was successful, Sam had only one ambition, to be a lawyer. He wanted to specialize in representing artists in the music industry and as soon as he passed the bar, Shattered Glass would become his first clients.

Although Milo was the band leader, Sam managed the group from the very beginning. When Sam left to study for the bar, the guys were left with hiring a new drummer. Even after Sam passed the bar, and he opened his offices, he let Milo continue doing for the band the things that Sam, in his capacity as manager and representative should have handled. Because of Sam's inattention, the group, who were once as close as brothers, began to drift apart primarily due to the deliberate machinations of the new drummer, Bart Hedge, Sam's replacement.

Shattered Glass tells the story of the men who formed and played in the band. Throughout the book, each member of the band bears some semblance of responsibility for the breakup of both the band and the love affair of the band's leader and lyricist, Milo Stamis and his lover, the band's composer and lead singer, Liam O'Shea. Milo and Liam are the focus of the book, yet every member of the group played their hand to the detriment of their brotherhood. Sam became so wrapped up in himself and his new vocation that he failed to notice Bart's poison and his own brother, Rick's descent into alcohol and drug addiction.

Even when Liam desperately needed help the first time, Sam convinced himself that it wasn't his place to interfere between the lovers. It wasn't until Sam finally faced Rick's addiction that he woke up and discovered what was going on right underneath his nose.

All of us get lost in our own concerns to the detriment of those we love. Sometimes we wake up soon enough, sometimes it's too late. Sam's ambitions cost him a price he couldn't afford. All the money and power in the world can't bring back that which you've thrown away.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com and from Amazon.com in Kindle format at www.amazon.com. To find out more about Shattered Glass and my other books, visit my website at www.ackatt.com or my blog at www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com. Additional information on my world view can be seen at www.ackattspolitics.blogspot.com. I can also be found at ackatt.livejournal.com, twitter, MySpace, Google Buzz and Facebook.

Look for the re-release of my first novel, The Sarran Plague, sometime this fall from Captiva Press.

I always like to hear from readers. I can be reached at ackatt@ackatt.com for your comments.

A Villain who Isn't

2010-09-18T10:42:00.000-06:00

A Villain Who Isn't...

In Shattered Glass, Rick Stein helps to almost destroy the lives of two of his best friends. Yet Rick isn't really a villain. He is the victim of drug addiction. The real villain of the story, Bart Hedge gets Rick addicted to drugs and plays puppet master to Rick's Pinocchio.

One of the subplots of Shattered Glass is redemption. Each one of the four principle characters, Rick, his brother Sam and the two lovers Milo and Liam, make horrific mistakes. The difference between the other three and Rick is that he knows he is doing damage but doesn't have the inner strength or fortitude to overcome his addiction and confess his complicity in the plot to separate Milo and Liam.

From the first time Rick picked up a base guitar being in a rock band and making it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland became Rick's only life ambition. He bought completely into the "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll" myth of a musician's lifestyle. Fame gave Rick an ego boost to his perpetually low self-esteem.

Initially, Rick welcomed the younger Liam into the group because he felt that the boy would occupy the bottom rung of the group's pecking order that he felt he inhabited. For a while, until Milo and Liam established themselves as lovers on Liam's eighteenth birthday, Rick treated Liam like a kid brother. When Liam became essential to the group's success as a principal vocalist and composer, Rick felt under appreciated.

After Sam left the group to take the bar exam and become their manager, the band hired Bart Hedge to replace him. Bart, with his own agenda, played on Rick's insecurities like a Stradivarius violin, addicting Rick to hard drugs, gradually increasing his habit until Rick couldn't function without his supply. With Bart as the supplier, it was easy for him to get Rick to do bigger and bigger "favors" for Bart to get his fix.

Several times in the story Rick tries to refuse Bart's bidding. In the end, Rick ends up trying to please Bart to save his former bandmates and himself from blackmail. By not trusting in his bond with his brother and friends, in attempting to handle Bart by himself even after his realization that Bart was evil, Rick commits the ultimate betrayal of Liam, Milo and Sam.

Yet Rick remains Bart's tool until he finally overcomes his fear and shame and confesses his misdeeds to the others.

To find out more about Rick, Sam, Liam and Milo, read my novel, Shattered Glass, available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com and from Amazon on Kindle. Read more about my novels, in AC Katt's journal at www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com and on my website at www.ackatt.com. Read about my opinions on current events and politics in www.ackattspolitics.blogspot.com. Look for my first novel, The Sarran Plague which will be re-released by Captiva Press this fall.

Heartbreak

2010-09-10T07:19:00.000-06:00

Heartbreak...

The name of the band, Shattered Glass musically is a metaphor for a singer's ability to hit a pure note at high frequency. This note, if sustained, will "shatter glass."

In my novel, Shattered Glass, Liam's heart is broken by the breakup of the band and by his lover's desertion. After the breakup, Liam was essentially abandoned because the band was his only family. Brought to the point where even his music can not sustain him, Liam breaks down and falls into a fire pit of despair.

With the help of a so-called friend, Liam suffers the degradation of drugs, date-rape and finally attempts to drown himself in a sea of alcohol and a series of meaningless sexual encounters to avoid facing the truth of his abandonment. Eventually, he finds help and begins to face up to the fact that Milo is lost to him, although he never stops loving him.

How do you cope with loss? I can't help but think of the families on the Gulf Coast who lost their homes, jobs and loved ones during Katrina. Or those now in Pakistan who watch the little they have literally float away. Loss is an emotionally devastating theme for a novel. It can kill you or make you stronger. In Shattered Glass loss of love almost killed Liam. Losing a loved one whether to death or disaster is more damaging to the heart and mind than the loss of a material possession.

The steps that Liam takes to overcome his loss and become a whole person is what makes Shattered Glass a novel that explores depth of character.

For Milo, the loss of Liam and the band eventually makes him realize his own character flaws. He sees that his inability to trust his lover stemmed from his inability to trust himself.

All the members of the band, Shattered Glass, must find their own paths back to their best selves and to each other. Sometimes that is the most difficult road to travel and for some, the ending isn't happy.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com and for your Kindle at www.amazon.com. You can read more about Shattered Glass and my other novels at www.ackatt.com. Check out my blogs at www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com and www.ackattsnips.blogspot.com. I have a new blog all about politics at www.ackattspolitics.blogspot.com. I love to hear from my readers and comments are always welcome.

I also maintain a blog at Live Journal and Facebook. Coming soon from Captiva Press is a revised edition of my first novel, Epic nominated, The Sarran Plague. Additional information on The Sarrans can be found at www.thesarrans.com and www.thesarrans.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lily

2010-09-04T06:22:00.001-06:00

Lily O'Shea met Professor Frank O'Shea as a student in his Contemporary American History Class at Princeton. Frank had fifteen years on Lily, being in his mid thirties to Lily's twenty-one.

Lily conceived Liam when she was twenty-five and they had Frank for six years before he died in a hit and run car accident that was deemed to be suspicious by the Princeton Police. Frank adored Lily and and son, Liam. His dabbled in black and white photography and took many pictures of his lovely wife.

Lily was one-quarter Vietnamese and passed to Liam the slight slant to her eyes along with her ebony hair. Liam pale skin came from his Irish father along with his blue-violet eyes.

After Frank's death, Lily packed up her and Frank's huge Victorian house in Princeton and moved into a blue collar neighborhood in Hazlet, New Jersey. She made certain that none of her former friends with the exception of their lawyer and friend Walt Cheever knew where they went.

Lily and Liam met Milo and Sam the first day they moved to Hazlet. Lily, as well as Liam, became fast friends with Milo and Sam. Lily's acceptance of who and what Liam was mystified Milo who own father would have beaten him to death had he found out Milo was gay. In return for Lily's unconditional acceptance of both Liam and Milo, Milo adored Lily and would do anything for her, even to accepting Liam's guardianship as Lily lay dying of cancer.

Liam, because of Lily, was as open to life as Milo was closed off. His trust of Rick and the others in the band brought him heartache.

You can read more about Lily and Liam in my novel Shattered Glass, a rock and roll love story, from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com or you can download the book at Amazon.com to read on your Kindle.

Additionawl information on AC Katt books is available on my website www.ackatt.com, my blogs www.ackattsnips.blogspot.com, www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com and my new blog on current events and politics at www.ackattspolitics.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome comments and suggestions from my readers. Follow me on Twitter, Buzz, fan me on facebook or friend me on Live Journal.

Milo's Gardens

2010-08-29T08:48:00.001-06:00

Milo's Gardens

One of the unique aspects of Milo's personality is his love of gardening. When Milo and Liam were first together in their Rumson house they would spend early mornings with Milo working in the garden and Liam playing the acoustic guitar.

The first thing that Liam notices about Milo's new home in New Mexico was the beautiful gardens. Each level of his multi-terraced home had a garden. It was in one of the gardens that Liam found his bench and knew for certain Milo still loved him.

Another thing that Liam noticed was the new sophistication combined with planning and intense beauty of Milo's property. This time Milo had tried to please the eye of the observer of his masterpiece rather than Milo's own.

When I arrived in New Mexico from New Jersey two years ago, I was impressed by the beauty of high desert garden, especially the rose gardens which seem to grow especially well in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. The gardens of these two cities inspired me to make gardens such an intricate aspect of Milo's personality. It was another way for him to express his creativity and also to show his love.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. You can find out more about my books and opinions at my website www.ackatt.com - blogger post, www.ackatt.livejournal.com and www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com. Look for Shattered Glass in paperback coming soon. As always I welcome your comments at ackatt@ackatt.com. Also look for my blog on facebook. I can also be followed on Twitter, Buzz and My Space.

Ethnic Cleansing...

2010-08-26T20:44:00.001-06:00

Ethnic Cleansing...

Normally I talk about my books in my blog and on my website. Today, I have something else to say. According to Wikipedia, Ethnic Cleansing peaked in Serbia in 1995, fifteen years ago. I remember people talking in coffee shops and diners, appalled that such bigotry, prejudice and rage could fester in modern times. Thank God, it could never happen here they said.

Fast forward fifteen years...I sat and watched the Television tonight. I watched an American Congressman tell me that we are a "Christian" nation. A demagogue who claims to be both a newsperson and to channel the lord tell us that some of our citizens who are not Christian have no right to build their churches or worship their God. I watched a madmen, encouraged by the rhetoric of these men being charged with the attempted murder of a cab driver who did nothing but admit to being a Muslim. Where is our outrage? Where is the defense of first amendment rights? Where are the people who pointed their finger at the Serbians and cried "Shame.?"

The founding father deliberately framed the Constitution of the United States to entitle all of its citizens to freedom of religion. That means, Christian (all denominations), Jews, Buddhists, Wiccan, Druids, Agnostics, Atheists, and yes, Muslims and every other kind of religion that people practiced in their home or in a organized group.

Now we have a group of politicians, the Republican Party, combined with a manipulative cohorts of so-called press who are, in reality, the worst practitioners yellow journalism since Hearst started the Spanish-American War, duping the American public into believing that full blown racial and religious hatred, in other words, ethnic cleansing, was the intention of our founding fathers.

I really believe in my country. I have seen us make real mistakes, yet I have seen us admit them, recover from them and apologize for them. But this time, I'm worried. I'm afraid that the country that I love will be turned into an American Version of Nazi, Germany. Right now they are bashing Muslims, Gays, and Hispanics. Who is next...Jews, Gypsies, Catholics? People who do not read history are doomed to repeat it said a wiseman. I'm beginning to think my fellow citizens haven't read their history.

If, in November, you forget that Hitler started his campaign of genocide by gathering votes for a party who promised the same thing the Republicans are promising now, an Aryan, Christian nation please remember that Europe thought that the cultured, civilized Germans would never walk his path.

Anyone who promises you rights or privilege at the expense of other's rights or privileges could turn on you next.

If you believe in our country as it was really founded, please think and pass this on.

AC KATT

The Use of Conflict in Gay Romance

2010-08-23T00:25:00.000-06:00

Conflict in Writing Romance

The use of conflict in writing a romance novel is essential. Without conflict, there is no plot. Plots are made up of obstacles which the characters must overcome to find the HEA. There are several types of conflict. In brief they can be:

· An actual state of war as existed in my novel The Sarran Plague in which the Sarrans were fighting the insectoid menace, the Zyptz.
· A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interest that clash. In Shattered Glass, the replacement drummer, Brad, hated Liam, one of the main protagonists.
· Psychology – a psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting for the simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires or tendencies. In Shattered Glass, Milo has conflicted desires. He loves and wants Liam but is inwardly at war with his homosexuality and does not want to leave the closet and live an openly gay life.

These types of situations move a novel forward. Conflict, then resolution is what brings suspense, intrigue, the hopelessness of doomed romance, all to be resolved somewhere in the plotline by the writer.

In any novel as well as in life, there is major conflict and minor conflict. Who gets control of the remote can set up a comic scene but doesn’t move the plot unless it shows the symptoms of a serious underlying problem.

In GLBT novels, especially those set in contemporary and historical time periods there is a black cloud of disharmony that provides essential conflict, an overriding battle without arms. That battle is bigotry and prejudice. Whether it is Milo’s fear that the band, Shattered Glass will not sell records if the fans know that some of the members are gay, or the gay bashing of Brian Murphy in A Matter of Trust that puts him in the hospital this compelling theme shades every GLBT novel written.

One of the reasons I write GLBT novels is because I believe in the equality of all human beings under the law. I despise prejudice and ignorant bigotry. If one of my novels is able to move someone to understand that love comes in relationships, gay or straight and that it is something to be respected, not distained, because it is precious, then I feel I have accomplished something in this lifetime. Knowledge fights the bigotry that ignorance breeds. All citizens are equal under the law and no gay couple should have to beg for what is guaranteed to them by the United States Constitution. Until that happens, I’ll be writing GLBT novels in hope that someone out there “gets it.”

Research for this article came from the Websites I Speak of Dreams – The Uses of Conflict and Hub Pages – The Use of Conflict in Novel Writing 71.

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website, www.ackatt.com and my blog at www.ackattsjournal.blogspot.com. I love to hear from my readers. I can be contacted by leaving comments on my webpage and blog or by writing me directly at ackatt@ackatt.com.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. A Matter of Trust is available from XOXO Publishing at www.xoxopublishing.com and The Sarran Plague will be re-released by Captiva Press in the fall of this year.

A Review of Shattered Glass

2010-08-21T12:11:00.000-06:00

I would like to share the review of Shattered Glass from Night Owl Romance...

Shattered Glass

Author: AC Katt
Genre: GLBTQ
Reviewed by: Daisiemae

Shattered Glass by A.C. Katt is going to be a very hard book to review and rate. I actually finished this book a couple of days ago, and I wanted to step back from it for a while so I could gather my thoughts together for this review. Honestly, I still have conflicting opinions when I think about this book.

If you are looking for a light read, Shattered Glass is not the book for you. It deals with some heavy issues that we all can relate to a rock and roll lifestyle and much more. There is drug and alcohol abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, characters dealing with death of their parents at a young age, an attempted suicide and a rape. I admit, I cried several times throughout this book. It definitely pulled at my heartstrings, and there were several times I had to take a break from reading the book for a few moments and then come back to it later.

Please don’t get me wrong, this book is a very good book. Even though one of the characters, Liam, goes through so much in his young life, I really rallied behind him and was in awe of his inner strength and the self discovery and growth that he goes through. Although this book is really about all of the band members of Shattered Glass, in my opinion, it was Liam that captured my heart in the novel.
Liam is just six years old when he meets Milo and Sam. Liam’s father had just died in a horrible accident and he and his mother, Lily, had just moved into the same neighborhood that Milo and Sam live in. After befriending Liam’s mother, Milo immediately takes the young and effeminate Liam under his wing even though he’s six years older than him.

As the years go by, Milo continues to look out and protect the young Liam. When Milo, Sam and Sam’s younger brother Rick decide to form a band six years later, they have a hard time finding a lead singer. Liam convinces the boys to let him try out, and once Milo and the other band members hear Liam’s beautiful voice, Shattered Glass is born.

As the next few years pass, several things happen. Liam’s mother, Lily, gets terminal cancer and signs guardianship of Liam under Milo’s care. As Milo and Liam become more attached to one another, Milo starts to feel guilty because of his deep love and attraction to the younger Liam, so he had sex with every female groupie he comes across. To make matters worse, Milo is firmly in the closet and has no intentions of ever leaving it. Milo’s father hated homosexuals and because of the venom his father would spew about them, Milo has learned to live in fear of being true about his sexuality to others.

Finally, when Liam is about to turn eighteen, Milo decides to tell Liam how he feels about him. Liam, of course, is thrilled that Milo wants him as much as he wants Milo. They wait until Liam’s eighteenth birthday, and they make love for the first time. Although they live together and have a relationship, they still are in the closet to everyone who is outside of the band. Milo’s fear of what others will think of his sexuality taints the love he and Liam have for each other.

As the years go by, a band member does everything he can to sabotage their relationship. Finally, lack of communication and hurt feelings, break Milo and Liam apart and this also breaks the band apart, too. Now years later, Milo and Liam must meet again to help a fellow band member out. Will they ever be able to find their way back together again?

Believe me; I left a lot out of the story. I didn’t want to get into it my summary too much, because I don’t want to give anything away. I will say that Liam goes through hell and back in his book. At one point, I wondered how much more could he take? I felt such empathy for him and rallied behind him to come out stronger in the end. Thankfully, he does, and I ended up rejoicing at Liam’s sheer will and perseverance to survive and become a better and stronger man than he was before the horrible breakup with Milo.

I had some issues with Milo. At the beginning of the book, Milo is very mature for his age. I was happy that he took Liam under his wing. I really liked him and Liam together as lovers and friends. There were times their relationship was very tender and sweet and I loved it. But, Milo has a temper and is one to jump to conclusions. Often, his actions cause him to cut off his nose to spite his face. He too, does a lot of personal growth throughout the book, but I’m not sure if he will ever look at Liam as an equal. Because he had protected him all those years, and because of the six year age difference, Milo is pretty dominating over Liam and I don’t know if that dynamic of their relationship will ever really change between them.

Even though this book is a rollercoaster ride of happiness and tons of angst, I still enjoyed reading it. The brotherly love that most of the band has for one another was very poignant and sweet at times. I enjoyed watching every character in the book grow up and evolve into the people they became.

Also, before each chapter there is a verse or two of the band’s songs. Some of the songs were truly beautiful and they definitely captured the love Milo and Liam had between them. These songs read as lovely as any poem. I really loved them.

I’m going to recommend this book because it’s extremely well written. I know because of the drugs, rape and other heavy subject manner, that this book isn’t going to be for everyone. That’s a shame, because it definitely caught my attention and has held onto it. Even now, days later, the characters and their story (especially Liam) weigh heavily on my mind.

When you are in the mood for heavy angst, complex characters and to read about a love that is strong enough to preserver through many of life’s ups and downs; this book is definitely for you.

A.C. Katt has a very interesting website. There is even a Shattered Glass video for our viewing pleasure. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author, and I plan on keeping tissues handy next time I start one of her books! Here is the link to check out A.C. Katt’s website: http://www.ackatt.com/

Realism in Contemporary Gay Romance

2010-08-14T11:41:00.000-06:00

In my latest novel, Shattered Glass, my subject was the world of rock music. I chose to portray the gritty underbelly of the music scene.

I deliberately made the choice to describe the rock scene highlighting both the highs of performing for large crowds of adoring fans and the lows of the predominance of alcohol and drugs. So many of our rock heroes have fallen into the pit of drug and alcohol abuse and lost their music as well as their lives because of their excess.

Jimmy Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elvis and Kurt Cobain all succumbed to the lure of drugs and lost their lives as a result. The temptations exist, if I did not des

cribe those temptations and the results they bring to those who are willingly or unwillingly drawn into abuse, I would not have written a realistic account of the life. In Shattered Glass, one of the band members is a dealer, another becomes addicted and a third is unknowingly dosed with a horrific result.

I also wrote a substantial amount of profanity into the dialog. If you listen to contemporary music, you find it filled with words that are not considered polite or acceptable in "good company." These are facts

not fiction and to ignore the reality of the world I chose as a background for my story would be, essentially, ignoring the reality of the subject matter.

In Shattered Glass, Liam is an innocent when he enters the world of recording and performing rock music. He depends on Milo, first as his gu

ardian, and later as his lover, to see him through the rocky schools of the music scene. When he and Milo are forced apart, Liam, through the malice of an enemy is drugged and raped. The rape takes place off scene and is not described. However, the reality of drugged drinks, date rape and the feelings of self-hatred are described accurately.

The book describes a love affair shattered by lies and deception. The ending is HEA. However the in-between is both gritty and realistic. Shattered Glass is an honest novel and I don't think I could gloss over the downside of the music business and still write characters that deal with live as it is rather than life as we wish it to be. My characters overcome the pitfalls and become stronger for their experiences.

It would be nice to think that all musicians, especially the great ones, can hold themselves above the dangers of the lifestyle. Some can, some can't. The truly great are those who walk through the fire and become cleansed instead of burned. These are the heroes, the ones who face adversity and temptation and overcome it. I chose reality over fantasy and I'm not sorry

I did.

For those of you who like their romance flavored with a realistic portrayal of the world as it is; who want to see characters in true-to-life situations, I hope you decide to read this novel. If you prefer your romance not to reflect real life human frailty, Shattered Glass is not for you.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. You can learn more about this book and my other endeavors at www.ackatt.com.

If you have a comment on this blog, my books, or anything else, I would like to hear from you at ackatt@ackatt.com. I will answer every comment personally and appreciate your interest.

The First Song...Lover's Suite

2010-08-07T16:35:00.000-06:00

The first song...Lover's Suite

Turn around. look at me

Know that I'm in love with you

Waiting for the time you see

That you can be in love with me

It's way too early to feel this way

But I need you to let me stay

Until the day you see me

The lover who will set you free

My lover and my friend

I am yours til the end

Of time, or eternity

What a night bright with heat

When our bodies finally meet

I will sing this song to you

And finally you will know

That I love you so

And I'll never let you go

Too far away from me

The first song that Liam arranged for Milo was a cover of the Johnny Bochoi's Lover's Suite. He gave it as a gift for Milo's eighteenth birthday. Liam was only twelve, yet he knew, even then that Milo was his life long love. When they parted neither of them could listen to that music without tears. When they met after six years apart, occupying suites separated only by connecting door. Milo stood on the other side of the door.

With the music came the memories, whispered words of love and the electric sensuality thatflowed between them, building to Milo’s possession of his body.
He pulled down his sweat pants and took out his cock. He stroked it in time to the music, remembering Milo’s hands and mouth as they moved over his eager body. The absolute joy of thosemoments seemed almost worth all the pain that followed. It didn’t take long for his body to absorb themusic and the knowledge that the object of all of his desire laid just a door away. That thought made Liam cum in his own hand. He lay quietly, remembering what they had both thrown away. The feel, the touch and taste of the love he lost was always with him. Tears streakeddown his face to his mouth.

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press atwww.captivapress.com. If you wish to know more about AC Katt, Shattered Glass or her other work, visit her website atwww.ackatt.comorwww.shattered-glass.com.

2010-07-30T22:55:00.001-06:00

Cheats...

Milo's Dilemma

If only it was as obvious as an ace in your pocket, cheating, that is. How do you have faith in your partner when you lack faith in yourself? How many times do you tell yourself, it isn't true? He wouldn't do that to me, while the devil whispers...he could. He had opportunity, you are enough of a prick to give him motive...and the devil says he saw him.

In Shattered Glass, Milo Stamis has to decide whether or not to believe his lover, or his friend.

He makes the wrong choice. Milo, like so many of us when confronted by possibly cheating lover, could-be lying friend, are faced with the choice to believe or disbelieve. The choice we make tells a lot about our personality. Milo was ashamed of who and what he was. He hid his true identity. Because he hid his true self from everyone, it was easy for him to fall into the trap of believing that Liam could do the same.

Rick Stein knew his friend had lied to him before, many times. However Rick chose to believe the lies because the lies gave Rick convenient cover for actions that in reality, without pretending to believe the lie, he knew would bring people he cared about into harm's way. For Milo, lies were the enemy, for Rick, they were a friend offering false comfort and cover.

How do you know who to believe? I've guessed wrong more than once. But I can give you an old adage my Grams taught me on her knee, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

Both Milo and Rick should have listened to their grandmothers..

Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com and in Kindle format at Amazon.com. For additional information on AC Katt or Shattered Glass, go to www.ackatt.com or www.shattered-glass.com.

2010-07-19T05:50:00.000-06:00

Above all Shattered Glass is a love story…

Shattered Glass as a novel is classified as Romantic Intrigue. It has all the classic elements, an unknown enemy, lies, treachery, but above all, it is a classic romance where two lovers are torn apart by treacherous forces and have to find their way back to one another.

Milo eschewed the colors of the ocean. The ocean belonged to Liam, and that reminder brought pain. Milo claimed the mountains and high desert country. Liam was his sun. Without him, Milo’s subconscious sought him everywhere. He knew why Conchita laughed. His furniture, the door, the garden, the ocean room, all done for a man he supposedly despised. He was such a fool.

He sat holding the brandy glass in his chair, his erection straining against the soft cloth of the light drawstring pants. Liam never lied to him, never cheated. Everyone’s pain—Liam’s, Sam’s, and Rick’s, as well as his own—lay wholly on his head. He now solely

owned the title of the asshole who’d torn his own beating heart out of his chest because he possessed too much pride to listen and too little self-respect to believe.

Milo’s soul needed music. He flipped the switch that turned on the CD player. It started to play the song he’d listened to throughout last night. Liam’s clear tenor came in right after his. “Turn around… The song that was Liam’s first gift followed by the greater gift of his virginity. Even on that night, Milo couldn’t form the words “I love you.”

Milo heard a noise, a thud from Liam’s suite. It shook him from his reverie. The song played in an endless loop. He felt as if Liam called his name. The door drew him. The suites connected. Liam stood somewhere on the other side, physically accessible for the first time in over six years. He held the key in his hand. His baby sat somewhere on the other side of the door.

Milo couldn’t think anymore, his body filled with emotions he didn’t want to feel. Oh Lord, I know I promised, but how can I let him go? How will he ever know how much I love him, if I don’t tell him? Even if he walks, now, tonight, at least for once in my goddamned life, I will have stopped hiding who and what I am and what I really feel. I’ve got to tell him now, while I have the courage.

His body pressed against the door as his own memories of kisses both sweet and hot, made his cock leak. He grabbed it and pulled, imagining the touch of Liam’s hand rather than his own.

Liam and Milo are meant for each other. But how do they find their way back to love from six years and twelve hundred miles apart. Can they overcome the lies? The stalker? Find out the full story in Shattered Glass, available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com or visit my website at www.ackatt.com.

Location Location Location

2010-07-10T15:57:00.000-06:00

Shattered Glass – Location, Location, Location

When a realtor is trying to sell you a house he says that the three most important things to consider are: location, location and location. Location is just as important in a novel. The setting of a novel should be as fully described as the characters. In Shattered Glass, there are two primary locations for the novel. The first is the Jersey Shore. Liam is a child of water. He loves the ocean, the waves, sand and beach.

When Milo and Liam part ways, Milo wants to go as far away from anything that reminds him of Liam as he can get. Driving aimlessly through the United States, Milo comes upon the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. Their beauty leave him breathless. Although it is as different from the Jersey Shore as it can be, Milo finds some peace in the home and garden he makes for himself in New Mexico. When Liam is forced to join him there to write a song for Rick, Liam also falls in love with the Sandias.

Milo’s home is built into the side of the foothills with numerous terraced gardens where he can tend his beloved flowers, but even his garden can not replace Liam. Here is an excerpt from the novel where Liam finds something he didn't expect wandering through Liam's New Mexican garden.

Outside of the bedroom suites, he saw strolling paths, which branched off into private arbors. He stepped off the balcony onto one of the slate pathways. A security guard startled him, but not before he noticed the tulips, daffodils, and snow crocus in full bloom, along with lilies of the valley and some native plants he could not name. Liam figured Sam must have arrived because the security was out in full force. He felt safe for the first time in what seemed like forever. He nodded to the guard and continued fifty feet down the path when he saw something that stopped him cold. There sat their bench from the Red Bank Antiques Center, displayed prominently

Liam walked up to it and noticed something different about it. A small gold plaque on the back read Liam’s bench. Liam sat and started to cry. Every time he thought he had no tears left, Milo managed to pull out some more. Happy tears though, this time.

If you would like to find out more about Liam and Milo, Shattered Glass is available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com and on the buy link from www.shattered-glass.com.

Shattered Glass - The Band

2010-07-04T18:07:00.004-06:00

Shattered Glass

The biographies of the members of the mega band Shattered Glass as portrayed in the book, Shattered Glass, by AC Katt.

Milo Stamis was the founder and leader of the band, Shattered Glass. He admitted to his best friend, Sam Stein, that he was gay, at the age of twelve , the day before he met Liam O’Shea.

The band practiced in Sam’s garage with the original singer “Mike the Deserter.” On Milo eighteenth birthday, Mike left the band and Liam volunteered to take his place. Liam, although six years younger than Milo, seduced the band with his voice and from that time on, Liam became the lead singer of Shattered Glass.

Liam O’Shea met Milo Stamis at the age of six. He moved to Hazlet with his mother, Lily, after an auto accident killed his father, Frank. Liam felt an instant connection to Milo as soon as they met. Milo, Sam and Rick let Liam follow them around in the position of adopted kid brother for six years until he replaced Mike as the lead singer. Liam was a brilliant musician and composer and impressed the band with his rendition of Johnny Borchoi’s Turn Around, which he re-arranged for two voices as a gift for Milo on his eighteenth birthday. After Lily died of cancer, Milo became Liam’s Guardian until Liam turned eighteen.

Rick Stein is the younger brother of Milo’s best friend, Sam. Rick was a talented bass guitar player and was an original member of the band. Originally, Rick was one of Liam’s strongest supporters in Shattered Glass until he acquired an expensive drug habit. Rick was responsible for bringing Bart Hedge into the band to replace his brother, Sam, when Sam elected to take the bar exam and become an attorney rather than continue as Shattered Glass’ drummer.

Sam Stein was Milo’s best friend and the original drummer for Shattered Glass. Sam was Shattered Glass’ drummer. He left the band after its first hit album to become an entertainment lawyer. Sam remained with Shattered Glass as their manager and lawyer. When the band broke up, Sam remained the one contact that all of the concerned parties trusted.

Bart Hedge met Rick Stein and became his friend and drug dealer. He was the drummer in the house band of the local bar, Lucky’s. When it became clear that Sam was leaving Shattered Glass, Rick asked his friend to audition for Sam’s spot as the drummer. Bart deliberately hooked Rick on hard drugs and used Rick’s addiction for his own purposes. Bart hates Liam and is out to destroy him.

Read the story of the band in AC Katt’s Shattered Glass, available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com. For additional information visit AC’s website at www.ackatt.com or the Shattered Glass website at www.shattered-glass.com.

Release Party for Shattered Glass

2010-06-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

Shattered Glass Book Trailer

2010-06-09T09:25:00.000-06:00

Here is the book trailer for my June 30th release from www.captivapress.com, Shattered Glass.

Book Video Trailer: Shattered Glass @ Yahoo! Video

How did you think of that?

2010-06-05T20:01:00.000-06:00

Shattered Glass

Where do you get your story ideas?” Is the first question most people ask a writer. My answer is, “It’s a process,” which probably annoys the hell out of whom ever asked the question. I give this answer because to explain how the idea for a story jelled would, at most times, fascinate another writer, but bore the reader to tears. However, since you have asked so many times, if not me,

someone else, I will attempt to give you insight into how I get an idea for a story.

My husband and I were in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Asbury is a New Jersey Shore town that grew seedy in the seventies. Once, it was one of the hot spots at the Jersey Shore. They still

have a beautiful beach and the Clean Water Act along with the help of multiple environmental groups have worked hard to make the water as inviting as it was back when. The town was financially troubled and never recovered from riots in the seventies or series of disastrous, promise long—cash short developers.

Late in the nineties, a new group of residents began to move into the town. They weren’t concerned about schools, they had disposable incomes and the means to set up small businesses and the clientele to support them—they were gay. By the summer of 2007, they established themselves as permanent residents of Asbury Park, welcomed by the town as a tax paying

minority group who improved property and enlarged the tax base.

Along Cookman Avenue the once fashionable shopping district, boarded up storefronts reopened and turned into galleries, smart restaurants, and trendy boutiques. This brought back business from the straight citizens of the surrounding towns and slowly but surely, Asbury Park was turning chic. We used to go visit the boardwalk just to walk by the ocean on a regular basis.

After our walk along the boards, we usually strolled down Cookman Avenue to see what was new or to find somewhere for lunch. That day we found a cute little eatery that was doing a bustling brunch business. We stopped and ate. Throughout the restaurant were paintings on the walls from the local galleries. The one just behind my husband’s head caught my attention; indeed, I could say it caught my imagination. It was a poignant study of a young man’s face. The artist put it that indefinable something extra into the portrait. The young man’s eyes held the weight of the world. He was frightened, yet quietly resigned to something. I knew I had to have that painting. My husband sat through lunch watching me stare at a point somewhere above his left ear. When he asked me a question for the third time, he finally said in exasperation, “Where are you?”

“Look on the wall in back of you,” I answered. All of a sudden, he was as caught up in the painting as I was. We discretely checked

the name of the gallery on the tag and to our delight; it was only two doors away. We were there as soon as we paid our check. The owner of the gallery told us that their resident artist had done the painting on a board during his student days. He had painted it from a photograph. The compelling young man in the photo was Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. I did not care who he was. I wanted the portrait. Leaving my husband to settle the details, I went to study my latest acquisition and after about fifteen minutes, I knew there was a story in that picture and it was not Syd’s story. However, I still did

not know whose story it was. He was a rocker, from sometime in the late eighties to the early nineties, but I had no plot, just a face. I brought the painting home and wrapped it carefully. We were in the middle of packing up and moving from New Jersey to New Mexico primarily for my health. I have a joint disease that thrives in the humidity of the Jersey Shore, but dies in the high desert.

When we unpacked, I put my painting of Syd Barrett right across from the chair in my office where I usually sat while I wrote. I finished The Sarran Plague and was in the process of editing it for publication. The radio was on and Jon Bon Jovi’s Make a Memory came on the radio. I absently listened to the song while doing my edits but my subconscious mind heard something that my ear did not. The next time I heard the song, I was in the car and my husband was driving. I could to listen carefully to the lyrics. Syd’s painting now had a story. With a little bit of imagination and an application of my particular writing niche the song became Shattered

Glass, a work in progress.

Here is my blurb for the story— Milo of mega band, Shattered Glass, must write one last song with former lover and lead singer, Liam O’Shea after six years apart. Can they overcome a stalker and the lies that separated them?

I’m sure that this was not quite the story Jon Bon Jovi had in mind when he wrote the song. However, my painting of a young man who turned out to be Syd Barrett, the founder of the band, Pink Floyd, coupled with a song from Bon Jovi and my move from the Jersey Shore to New Mexico gave me a book, Shattered Glass. Shattered Glass will be available from Captiva Press at www.captivapress.com at the end of June.

Oh, and by the way, I located the photo from which the artist painted my painting. He is a very talented young man. The photo said nothing. The painting said everything.

Discrimination in the Workplace

2010-04-24T15:08:00.001-06:00

Gay Discrimination in the Workplace

: Stressed Worker

In my book, A Matter of Trust, Brian Murphy is employed by Drummond Realty, which is touted as a gay-friendly environment. He finds out quickly that although the owner of the firm, Donald Drummond, is gay, the company policy against discrimination doesn’t trickle down to the trenches. Hired to work in the Information Technology Division, Brian finds himself relegated to the Mailroom after a run-in with an administrative assistant with a boss distracted by a messy divorce.

Brian’s situation is not uncommon. According to an article by Bruce Mirken for Consumer Health Interactive, one-quarter to two thirds of lesbian, gay and bisexual people have lost jobs or been denied promotions because of their sexual orientation. Gay workers earn less money than their equally educated counterparts.

Discrimination can take place subtly or overtly. In A Matter of Trust, Brian faces both overt and covert hostility. Mirken article states, “promotions…mysteriously go to less-qualified employees or a constant barrage of insults and antigay jokes that create a hostile, threatening atmosphere” are just some of the forms that homosexual bias can take.

Unfortunately that bias can extend to men or women whose “supervisors or co-workers believe he or she is gay,” even when their assumption is wrong. This kind of behavioral bias in the workplace is not illegal under present federal law. Gender discrimination is currently illegal in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, and Pennsylvania protect against discrimination in public workplaces only. In the rest of the United States, if you are gay or lesbian, you are at risk unless your local municipality has and enforces anti-discrimination laws.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), S.1284/H.R. 2692 is pending federal legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate against an employee because of sexual orientation including hiring, firing, promotion, compensation, and most terms and conditions of employment. It would also protect workers from retaliation for reporting such discrimination to the authorities. ENDA is structured in the same manner as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is the law that prevents discrimination against race, gender, or national origin and would be enforced in the same manner.

To live a decent life in the United States of America, you must be able to work. Discrimination in the workplace prevents a citizen from living a normal, decent life. As a country, we owe it to ourselves and the gay citizens among us to encourage our Congressmen and Senators to vote for ENDA to give true meaning to the phrase “liberty and justice for all.”

A Matter of Trust is available from XOXO publishing at www.xoxopublishing.com

What's New!

2010-04-13T08:01:00.000-06:00

I have two new releases that will be published in 2010. The first, A Matter of Trust, is available now from XOXOpublishing.com. It is a light BDS&M story about a man who has everything but realizes he has nothing without love.

My second release is from Captiva Press and will be available sometime in July or August. It is Shattered Glass, the chronicle of a mega rock and roll band and the love between Milo and Liam, the composer and the lyricist. More about Shattered Glass in the next weeks.

In the meantime here is a snippet from A Matter of Trust.

Drawer 67

Antonio thought he was clever, but was in truth foolish, gullible and vain. He left Trenton and Bear for the bright lights of the Big Apple. Six months later, Bear received a call from the Sixth Precinct of the NYPD to come to the city and identify the body. The police found Bear’s address clutched in the hand of a boy dumped in an alleyway off Seventh Avenue behind Weng-Feng Wok, a local Chinese restaurant. The owners, Misters Weng and Feng, discovered the body when they took the kitchen garbage out to the dumpster after a 3:00 a.m. closing. Bear vividly remembered the scene.

Bear shivered. The bodies of the victims were stacked in drawers that were piled four high and consumed the entire back wall of the room.

O’Malley spoke, “Drawer sixty-seven.”
The assistant opened the drawer and slowly drew the sheet from the body.
Bear gasped, and then gagged. O’Malley grabbed his arm.

“Do you recognize the victim?”
“Yes, it is Antonio Rialto.” It was Antonio, but an Antonio Bear would not have been able to identify save for a birthmark on his lower left abdomen.

O’Malley spoke again, “You’re sure.”
“Yes I am sure, I remember the crescent shaped birthmark, it was unique.” Bear gazed at his former sub. The dark Botticelli angel’s face was riddled with deep cuts made by a serrated knife. Both eyes were black and even after time in the cold drawer, swollen shut.”

The assistant coroner spoke, “The autopsy showed every rib was broken and the lung perforated. They shot out his kneecaps and his whole body is covered in welts. He was whipped.”

Bear was lost in thought, tears coursed down his face; more poignant for his silence. He did not notice his wet cheeks. The beautiful boy in drawer sixty-seven was provocative, mischievous and so very alive in his memory. He was just twenty-six. The toy had failed to please.
O’Malley grabbed Bear’s arm and ushered him out of the room handing Bear his handkerchief. Bear was thirty-two years old and had not cried since he was sixteen. He made a silent vow, I will never cry again.

Bear turned to O’Malley, “You’ll get this bastard?”

“With your cooperation…” O’Malley countered.

“Anything you need,” Bear replied between clenched teeth.

On the ride back to Trenton, the tears coursed down his cheeks as he repeated his mantra, I will never cry again, I will never cry again, I will never…

New Release

2010-04-07T09:05:00.001-06:00

New Release Today

A Matter of Trust

Exactly one year after the release of my first novel, The Sarran Plague, my second novel, A Matter of Trust is being published by XOXO Publishing and is available at xoxopublishing.com.

This novel is a bit of a departure for me. It is in the contemporary gene with a BDS&M Light theme. The characters came to me from the phrase Bear in a Suit. I believe that Brian and Bear's love story is compelling. Despite bad guys, murder, job discrimination and revenge, the thing that really keeps them apart is trust.

Both men have had their hearts broken in a particularly brutal fashion before and both have to learn that love is A Matter of Trust.

Talk of Many Things

2009-05-08T11:07:00.000-06:00

"The time has come to talk of many things; of shoes of ships and sealing wax
of cabbages and kings and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings."

There are a number of people who often dismiss erotic romance and erotic romance writers as one trick ponies. We write smut, on every page. We have no plot, no characterizations, no conflict, just sex. Recently, I came upon that kind of attitude in a psychologist, of all things. I didn't expect that a person engaged in a profession that dealt in opening minds would have such a closed mind herself. I offered her a copy of my novel, The Sarran Plague, and she refused it because it was obviously, “smut.”

I discontinued my association with the lady and complained to her supervisor. If I wanted to go on trial for my beliefs, I would have visited Oral Roberts or Jerry Farwell. The more I thought about the experience, the more annoyed I became. I decided that too many people automatically dismiss erotic romance writers as “purveyors of smut” and our novels, short stories, etc. as “dirty books” without ever opening the cover and reading one. I admit, I have seen and read with enjoyment some books who did have sex and lots of it on every other page. However, as a voracious reader, I own over 2,000 erotic romance novels. My collection includes “straight” erotica, “GLBT” erotica, “ménage and more” erotica with sub genres from contemporary, paranormal, shifters, to science fiction.

In that collection, I can honestly say to the Neanderthal female doctor, that at least 98% of those novels have intricate plots, moral and ethical conflicts, finely drawn characterization and an astute recognition of what is going on in today’s world that other “mainstream” writers refuse to discuss. These issues include child abuse, prejudice, street kids and what happens to them, the perils of coming out of the closet for GLBT youth and the inability of the “vanilla” world to accept even the patently harmless “kink.”

Fortunately, we are also able to point out the hypocrisy inherent in these prejudices. A father or mother throws their child out on the street because he or she has done something morally reprehensible. What act could be so morally reprehensible that the consequence of that act is leaving a child on the street to starve, become prey for the unscrupulous predator, or be put in the position of having to sell their soul to eat? A pregnancy? Homosexuality? Teenage rebellion? If it were a larger issue, murder, rape, robbery, assault, the parent would not have to throw their child out of their home, the state would be providing that child with a cot in the lockup, no parental interference required. Yet, in these cases a paent claims the moral “high ground.”

What about the teen who leaves home because of mental, physical or sexual abuse, is this child unworthy because they were not believed when they tried to tell an adult about a predator?

These issues are openly discussed in erotic literature. When we talk about “rent boys” and “prostitutes” we make sure we mention how that happened. If one of our characters has a serious character “flaw” that impedes a relationship, we have back story on how the flaw was acquired. We are not afraid to discuss the seamier side of life. Why, because the seamier side of life exists. And because we openly discuss it, there is the possibility that one of our readers will have a moment in which they realize that all is not well in Muddville tonight, a real honest, “oh shit,” moment. That moment will remove the blinders from their eyes and let them see an abusive spouse, a cheating spouse, a disturbed child or a predatory adult.

I am not saying that every erotic romance is a morality tale, but I am saying that in erotica, art imitates life rather than the reverse.

I, in my own fashion have decided to do something about the ignorance of others who mock our genre. Beginning on Thursday, May 27, 2009, at 9:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time, 8:00 pm, Central, 7:00 pm Mountain, and 6:00 pm Pacific will be hosting a live chat on my website, ackatt.com. Each week, I hope to have a guest author of erotica and each week we will discuss one of the author’s novels, along with anything I might be working on that could add value to the discussion. The point of the discussion will not be to promote the novel, although, I must admit, it will be a side benefit; the point will be how the novel relates to our current world and some possible solutions to the problems presented.

My first guest will be my good friend, author Mychael Black; who is an articulate advocate for gay rights, autism, and a host of other worthy causes. We will be discussing Myc’s work and how it relates to the world around us. I would like to invite all of you to participate.

If you would be interested in signing up for a chat, you may contact Dee Owens of Personal Marketing at pr_marketing@deeowens.com or at deeprmarketing@gmail.com, and she will be happy to discuss scheduling. The Guest Author will also have the choice of the topic for the evening’s discussion. The only rules I plan to enforce are the usual rules of courtesy, no spamming, name-calling or disrespect shown to anyone’s point of view. Also, the topics we discuss are not being discussed for the purposes of titillation. This is to be an intellectual discussion of how erotic romance and its sub genres relate to life.

Sincerely,

And proud of it!

Today I Went Hunting...

2009-05-02T00:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I spent the whole day editing, re-editing, revising and re-revising my rock n roll romance to send to an agent, The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency in New York City.

At one time I lived in New York City's Chelsea District, about two blocks from the official start of Greenwich Village. I played in Washington Square Park as a child and listened to the music played by the NYU Students around the fountain. I walked along the square that overlooked the park and marveled at the Federalist Row homes, very few of which remained single family. Single families, were moving to the suburbs in the mid to late fifties. It was from walking those streets as a child that gave me the feel of the era where I set my short story for Torquere Press -- A Permanent Arrangement published in October of 2008 as part of their Wedding Sipz Blitz for charity. I mention that now because it reminds me again of where I began.

The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency is located in New York's "Village." If I get lucky enough to obtain representation, maybe sometime this year I can go for a visit before it gets cold -- to see how much has changed and how much remains the same.

Musings on the beginning

2009-05-01T23:32:00.000-06:00

My first attempt at a journal was in September of 2007. It began my journey from aspiring writer to author. On April 7, 2009, Eternal Press published my first book. Just last week, The Sarran Plague received its first review. It was Highly Recommended, please notice the bold print. I could not believe when I started out on this road that the publication of my first book would constitute but my first stop of a long journey of exploration. Then, I believed, that the publication of my book would be an end, it is merely a waystation on the way to self discovery which never ends.

In honor of the journey, I am reprinting here, one of my first blogs. The feelings expressed by the author are felt even more keenly now.

Sometimes, even in the normal day-to-day routine, you have a moment. This one came upon me all of a sudden. I was in the midst of explaining that my husband supports my writing. He also doesn't particularly care what I write about, so long as it makes me happy, and gives him the mere wisp of a chance at early retirement. Then it hit me, why I really wanted to write what I write. So, I copied and pasted the excerpt to here so that I remember.

Allen doesn't understand why I write gay romance, but is in favor of anything that can,"support him in the style to which he has become accustomed." The man wants to retire! Why gay romance? I thought about that myself and he did ask why. Men like to watch women, women like to watch men. It's not the whole answer but easy enough when you are looking for a pat answer.

The other, deeper answer is I enjoy reading and writing about male characters that our open to each other, a kind of emotional depth that you don't often see in m/f romance anymore. The emotional depth is provided by the inherent conflict between what passes for morality in our society (religious dogma) and humanism (what we are before society gets its hooks in us).

Coming out is laying everything on the line for someone else. That is something that doesn't occur in m/f romance much anymore. The themes of Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere, Othello, loving despite all pressure, disdain and consequences. Although all of the other prejudices still exist (religious, tribal, ethnic, racial) all of these are routinely condemned by current mores. (Given lip service at least). Gender is the last bastion of prejudice. The type of prejudice that can get you hurt, dead (Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story) broken, (Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere) or drive you to do the unspeakable (Othello). It is the stuff of real drama, real passion based on true current and historical circumstance . I have read some of the stories written by other authors in the genre and they have moved me to tears. Sometimes because the pathos is so real, sometimes because the consequences are so deadly, but mostly because even under the most horrific circumstances, love prevails.

Hopefully, someday, the human race will accept that when you fall in love, you fall in love with a person. You may tend toward men, or women, or blondes, or dark or light skin. But eventually, you meet someone and somehow they aren't quite what you expected. Wouldn't it be wonderful just to be able to enjoy that totally unexpected, wonderful person without anyone giving a hoot as to their gender, religion, race, or tribal/ethnic background? When are we just going to be able to love, get married, have or not have kids, just live our private lives, in pairs, trios, or even solo with whomsoever we chose.

My one true thing is that we are all human under the skin. Maybe that fact won't be brought home to us until we meet some Zyptz, something truely alien, scary and out to get us! Then we would soon find out how little the other "differences" are anchored in reality. I hope it doesn't take an alien invasion to let us all "see" each other.

So, I now take a bow, and get off my virtual soapbox. (Some topics bring out the rebel in me).

Sincerely,