hiatus

Not completely, but won’t be blogging as much. I’m settling down to write Book 3, which will include a lot of research with professionals and interviews with escorts. Interview notices will be posted at the book’s blog. I’m going to try to relax and enjoy life a bit too, will certainly enjoy hanging out with friends and family.

There will be little trips here and there, but they’ll be trips just for traveling. Imagine! I may get the chance to actually enjoy the places where I’m visiting and get to be a tourist!!!! Not feeling the need for extended travel/work at the moment. Plotting to get a permanent residence in Dallas, though obviously right now I’m still a renter.

It’s the Year of the Rabbit and I’m a Rabbit feeling this will indeed be my year.

an agency offer

An interesting side-effect of winning an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards was that I got an e-mail from a literary agency. More properly, an intern at the agency. Still, a literary agency contacted me. Pretty nice and something I was very secretly wishing for. It was a heady moment.

Since she contacted me about two weeks before the Spitzer scandal broke, I knew it was genuine interest. Anything else I would’ve dismissed. And it was an agency I had considering querying (eons ago when I was querying agencies). So that was very good.

Read more

writing diversity

Proof that I’ve been hanging around sex worker activists way too long — I complain about a book’s lack of “diversity” in an Amazon review.

PS: This is said with much love and the most gentle irony. I’m mostly amazed I’m using the word in various contexts. Obviously something from all those listserv debates and conference calls has sunk in.

test your word power

…for a good cause. Go to FreeRice.com and play their vocabulary game. It’s free, easy and addicting. Out of 48 levels, I’m comfortable on 40 and can move into 41 with some effort. Curious to see if repeated playing moves me up or not.

Yesterday I was cruising easily in 41 and made a brief surge into 42. I guess it does help your vocabulary.

sex work is the new black

I often compare the sex worker rights movement with the Civil Rights movement and gay movement. Most often, I see it closer to the Civil Rights movement.

I’e become used to conversations with people or business interactions with them — all behind the scenes. But I understand that in public they might not wish to be associated with me. It’s not a condescending remark. Not everyone is ready to stand up to prejudice or make logical arguments to refute knee-jerk morality. I understand. So if we meet in public I pretend not to know and do not burden them with social embarrassment.

Take the constant checking I have to do with publishing-related businesses. I can’t assume they’re going to want to do business with me, so before we get too far down the road I have to give background info, detailed explanations, legal disclaimers (and prove that others have worked with me before) — and this is just the introductory e-mail. In essence, I apologize for what I’m doing and for imposing on them.

My hat must be in my hand, my eyes down and I should respectfully step out of the way so they can pass. In case I make them uncomfortable, I should cross the street so they don’t have to.

Usually I get praised for checking their tolerance level before daring to engage in a business conversation with them. Before I dare to believe I’m a regular publisher like anyone else making a book about cats (or cooking or yoga or whatever has been done to death). Before I dare to act as though I have a right to choose my business partners, instead of letting them choose me and being grateful for it.

Read more