Shameless Self-Promotion, Part 3

I uploaded some of my fiction (erotic and vanilla) on the now defunct website, short-fiction.co.uk. The last time I checked, my work had more than 135,000 views.

Some of my work also appeared at Disciplineanddesire.com. After one of my stories was published, the woman who ran the site said she received an email about one of my stories. I wish I’d asked for a copy of that email. Because the woman said NO ONE commented about the stories—having someone react was rare.

Part One of Chapter Two, Next Week

Anyway, let me know if you are interested. It’s been beta read by one person who enjoyed it. Help me allow more people to enjoy it too. I found out last week that an agent is reading my manuscript now. Next week, I’ll upload part one of chapter two, which was greatly enjoyed by my grad school fiction writing class, taught by Dr. Amidon. Monday nights were never so much fun as it was in that class. We met in a conference room, and gathering around that huge table made me feel like we were all on the verge of something great. We collected some of our works and self-published it. That class was my favorite.

Read Shameless Self-Promotion Part 2 Here

Shameless Self-Promotion, Part 2

A few agents have been interested in it, but no real bites yet. If you are interested in seeing the first 20 pages or so, send me an email at Nowaylaowai7@gmail.com.

It’s erotic fiction, or maybe chick lit. It’s not an imitation of Fifty Shades of Grey, which, as bad as it was, I understand the appeal. I mean, who wouldn’t want to meet a billionaire into kinky sex? It spawned a bunch of obscure imitators, some of their attempts I read via Fiverr.com. However, most of us will never meet billionaires. My novel is different in the sense that my characters actually grow (or you find out they have a few skeletons in the closet) and they are ordinary people. Also, my female protagonist is a bit older than her love interest. Shocking, I know! But so there. I know I’m tired of some old guy getting it on with a young chick. It’s been done before, and unless you have a super mature young person well versed in pop culture and music from the 1980s, it’s going to be hard making that relationship last, unless of course the guy has money. But still, you can only have so much sex. And in my novel, I like to think the sex has a good pacing to it. Just when you’re looking for some action, Whoomp! There it is.

Read Shameless Self-Promotion, Part 1 here

More next week!

Shameless Self-Promotion, Part 1

Time for a little self-promotion here. I’m looking for representation! I’ve written a couple of novels. The first one is a monster, over 400 pages, written in third-person POV and is serious. The second novel is also a monster, a rewrite of the first novel, written in first-person POV, and is funny. I told an agent about my first novel, and he said, “Can you make it funny?” I said “yes,” and got to work.

After years of misery (not related to the novel, but related to grad school) I finally finished my novel, and I’m looking for representation.

Like Fifty Shades of Grey… but better

Briefly, my novel is Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Fifty Shades of Grey.

Except I’d like to think my writing is better than Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Pitch!

Anyway, less briefly, here’s a rundown, a pitch if you want, about my novel:

Connie Hatcher is a thirty-something woman wanting more out of life than being an overweight adjunct instructor and part-time paint desk jockey. After joining a gym, Blake, who’s rock-hard in all the right places, offers an unorthodox way to get in shape—and suddenly Connie is having the best sex of her life. However, Connie’s “frenemy”, Stephanie Zoslukova, threatens Blake and Connie’s smoldering romance and also to destroy his professional life. Will Stephanie wreak havoc with her secrets about Blake’s personal life and continue bullying Connie, or will Connie gain a backbone and lose that pot belly?

More next week! In the meantime… check out some of my other erotic fiction here and here.

Here I am in China Part 12 (Last part)

It isn’t Milwaukee…

By being here, I feel like I am honoring them. It took a long time, but frustration about life not changing after so many years pushed me to take that first step. It isn’t Milwaukee. It’s Xiamen, and Guangzhou, and Beijing. It’s seeing the love of family. It’s seeing little kids out by themselves, something not seen in America. It’s experiencing festivals that have been held for thousands of years and recording them with the newest technology. It’s honoring my parents by taking that step. Mom’s path took a different turn by choosing marriage and motherhood. Dad had left his beloved Puerto Rico permanently. And have I grown up? Maybe. By venturing halfway around the world to a place completely foreign to me, my eyes have been opened to who I am and what I want.

I hope that journey is a long, happy one.

Next week: Who knows?

Here I am in China, Part 11

I lived at home way too long, and leaving America was one of the better choices I have made. Now that I am out in the world, I’m not ready to go back. China has given me clarity that I have never experienced, and an optimism I didn’t have back home. Because I wanted something better, I took that leap of faith. What my mom chose not to do, I am doing. I am taking those pictures that I hope, if she could see them say, “yes, that looks like something out of National Geographic.” And that my father, who gave me my first camera when I was just seven years old, would agree.

Next week: Last and Final part.

Here I am in China, part 10

Covid-19

I remember worrying that once I came to China, I wouldn’t be able to come home. Covid-19 made that worry come true, to some extent. I can always leave, but I don’t feel that I am finished with China. Some things are so completely different, it’s baffling to me. I am mystified to learn that dogs are not necessarily worshipped as pets as they are in the west. That mindset seems to be changing, but why aren’t they considered man’s best friend here in China? The paparazzi are referred to as a “team of little digs.”

Year of the Dragon

In contrast, dragons, which are seen as dangerous and evil in the west, are a figure of strength in China. Indeed, one of my Chinese culture books claims that there are more births in the year of the Dragon because it is an auspicious figure. The description, “Foxy Lady,” a pop culture term I remember from my youth, appears to have originated from Chinese culture. In the west, the fox is hunted. In China, the fox has magical powers and the ability to transform into a beautiful woman, and would try to distract young male scholars.

Anti-aging Skin Creams

There are dozens, possibly hundreds of examples of Chinese culture that are baffling, yet charming to me. Hot water is believed to cure every ailment. Longevity is appreciated, yet there are plenty of anti-aging skin creams and treatments out there because reaching your 100^th birthday is completely respectable, as long as you don’t look 100. Four is an unlucky number; when you say it in Chinese, it sounds like you are saying “death.” (My apartment building doesn’t have a fourth, thirteenth, fourteenth, or twenty-fourth floor.) And one particularly haunting one: there is a saying that when people dream of deceased relatives, tuō mèng, it usually means something.

I Dream about My Parents

Strangely, when I dream about my parents, they are alive, but not there with me. For example, I’ll dream about my mom, but if I’m at home, she’s not there. She might be running an errand. Or I’ll dream I’m out shopping, but I know dad is at home. I pay attention to my dreams, especially if I see people I haven’t talked to in a while, or in the example of my parents, those no longer here on Earth. Experiencing this phenomenon, and reading about it in my Chinese culture book gives me an even deeper connection that I was meant to be here.

Here I am In China, part 9

A Relentless Work Ethic

I learn about China from her citizens. Legends such as the husband and wife sacrificing for the good of their people, and his devotion to her as she lives as an immortal on the moon, and the festival and cakes that celebrate that love. Students explain why they compete fiercely for high grade point averages and those extracurricular activities that get them into college. This relentless work ethic was explained to me by one of my high school students in Guangzhou. It was a stark contrast to my own prep school experience, and gave me some insight that was sobering.

Zhongshan Road in Xiamen

I learn about a country that values both hard work and family, including what seems to this American, an astonishing amount of vacation time to spend with loved ones. (Americans are lucky to get two weeks off.) I learn about community and public performance, with groups of all ages dancing in unison in parks and on street corners. I have come to love Zhongshan Road in Xiamen, where the vibe is happy. It’s a mixture of commerce and family, where a stroll down one of the side streets offers scenes of people living their lives.

Here I am in China, part 8

High Grade Point Averages

An Astonishing Amount of Vacation Time

Here I am in China, part seven

“Don’t Stop Until You’re Proud”

And through it all, I survived. It got lonely. My friend never returned; Covid-19 delayed her medical treatments and closed the door on teaching opportunities here in China. However, I don’t find it a coincidence that every time I was sad, I saw something that urged me to keep going. “Don’t Stop Until You’re Proud” advised a tote bag from Mini So. “Don’t Ever Give Up” said the back of the shirt a young man standing in front of me was wearing. I worried, as is my nature, but things seemed to work out. A simple walk still reveals loads of photographic subjects. Every time I step out of my apartment, I am amused or entertained or astounded. A simple Didi ride home from the grocery store turned into a conversation in Spanish—of all things—because my driver’s English was as bad as my Chinese. But Spanish? It’s a language we shared, even in as unlikely a place as Beijing.

This is who made the cat and what period it was from.

My Father’s Daughter

I would like to think my parents are proud of me, wherever their spirits are. I am not a professional travel photographer but maybe someday I will be, thus carrying out my mother’s original dream. And I am my father’s daughter, hungering for something better, and leaving home to explore unfamiliar territory. I am luckier than my father. While he faced prejudice, no one I know of has mocked me for being me—an obvious foreigner. I use Google Translate, apologizing for my bad Chinese. I get the familiar response: meisa, meisa, or méiguānx`i, roughly meaning, “no worries.” Yes, I am taking language classes, as well as practicing with Duolingo. One of the first full sentences I learned was Nῐ yŏu jī chăofàn ma? Do you have chicken fried rice? (It’s my favorite Chinese dish ever.)

Read part 6 here

Read part 5 here

Read part 4 here

Read part 3 here

Read part 2 here

Where it all began…right here

Here I am in China (Part 6) (The Covid-19 Part)

I’d get depressed from time to time, and I’d see things like this. I don’t feel this was a coincidence.

Can’t remember what sort of car this was, but it was a very nice one.

Adjustment, Panic and Triumph

The first year here was adjustment, panic, and triumph. The property management company fell through, so did the replacement I’d hired. It was a good friend of mine who agreed to look after the house, and finally I could relax. I met someone close to my age who taught at the same school I did and we became best friends. We’d discuss teaching strategies and swim on the weekends. One Friday in September 2019, I checked my email and discovered one of my bills had been declared paid in full. I cried. I paid off two other bills before my friend and I celebrated New Year’s Eve in my apartment. Watching the fireworks in Hong Kong online, I had tears in my eyes. I had moved to China, and paid off bills. I felt I was on my way.

Then Covid-19 hit.

“Before” and “After”

I’ll never forget the day of “before” and “after.” January 23, 2020. What was to be a week-long holiday (our school was in session all year round) turned into a four-month vacation. I had decided to stay in China. My best friend was headed back home to get some medical issues taken care of. She was planning to come back and had paid rent on her apartment through August. She suggested I stay there to save money and keep an eye on her things until she returned. Those weeks before we left we hung out at her apartment. Having had a bad case of pneumonia just a couple months after she arrived in China, my friend wasn’t taking chances and stayed at home as much as possible. We ordered in food, watched movies, and I moved my meager belongings to her place. I saw her off at the airport and tidied up my apartment for one last time then went to my new home.

Terrifying, and Extraordinary

I spent the next few months waiting. My school was still paying us each month, but the amount got smaller and smaller. I had some money saved, and I was somewhat confident I could hold on until I got to working again. I wouldn’t have to pay rent until August. Surely, we’d be working before then. But those four months were a revelation for me. I wrote some articles about what it was like to be here. I visited Zhongshan Road, my photographic muse, and shot photos of empty streets. I walked on the beach. I slept late and watched videos and DVDs. I experimented with my video editing and music programs. I was incredibly frugal; the grocery store being my biggest weekly expenditure. I ate a lot of pasta; it was comforting. I lamented the overcast skies that kept me feeling comatose; it was just as well that I didn’t have to work. And I had time to ask myself what I really wanted out of life. I asked myself some hard questions. And I gained more focus into myself than I’d ever had at any time in my life. It was terrifying, and extraordinary.