Category: Stories
Healthy Revenge—The Sweetest Just Desserts
June 4th, 2022Overidentifying Much? Ever get too caught up in a book character’s drama? I do. No apologies for that. Some stories hit a little close to home. I just finished reading one such story. I’m not divulging the book’s title because then I’d have to say this post contains spoiler alerts. Which means you mightn’t want… See More
Big Brother … Big Deal?
March 16th, 2019Hack Off! My computer was recently hacked. Or so it seemed. Some nebbish with no life and in need of a hug sent me an extortionary email. It was all the more disturbing because my computer login password was in the subject line! He said if I didn’t pay him in bitcoins he’d send my… See More
Book Sex—Clean or ‘Dirty’?
March 7th, 2019Slut-Shaming the Protagonist? Women! We’ve fought long and hard to liberate our sexuality from the shackles of shame. Yet, it now seems there’s a bit of an upsurge in the return to the literary chastity belt. The bedroom door has been slammed shut. Again. ‘Clean’ romance is the amour du jour. Book sex is getting… See More
Why Married Chicks Crush on Fictional Characters
October 11th, 2018A Novel Thing? Hardly Do you have fictional character crushes? Do you finish a book and feel a little bereft, even if it has a happily-ever-after ending? Do you get lost in the male protagonist with his six-foot plus of hot model gorgeousness? His chiselled jawline, strong cleft chin, Cupid’s-bow lips, and brown puppy-dog eyes;… See More
Bye-Bye Alpha & Beta-Males. Meet the Best Man!
September 18th, 2018Is a Beta Better? They say there’s a new man in town. I say his days are numbered! A stereotype called the beta-male is roaming the streets. Unlike a former holder of the post, the alpha-hole, Mr Beta is not cruising to pick up a one-night stand. Mr Beta has likely got a leash in… See More
Are You a Kick-Arse Woman in Your Own Life Story?
April 30th, 2018Meet Ms Perfect … What woman doesn’t love the quintessential female protagonist? Who doesn’t aspire to emulate a wonder woman—a fit ’n’ healthy, perfectly-sculpted chick with an hour-glass figure (but leaning towards lean), lustrous locks, flawless skin, a sense of her own self, assertive in the boardroom, a tiger in the bedroom? A gal who… See More
Dear Writers (& Everyone), Size Matters …
October 4th, 2017And How—The Bigger the Better! In the modern I‑♥‑quantity mindset, size matters. Yessiree, Bob! Gimme an L! Gimme an O! Gimme a T! Gimme an S! Gimme LOTS LOTS LOTS! In the Digital Age, the implication is that I must be okay if I have lots of whatever; the subliminal message—my worth depends on it…. See More
The Anatomy of My Weird Characters
August 29th, 2017I See Strange People Both my parents were immigrants. It was pretty much all they had in common—they lived together, but were poles apart. She was a staid walking cliché who struggled to live the Australian way; he thought he was living it because he could fart the national anthem. Dad, the patriot. She didn’t swear;… See More
Why It’s Time for a New Women’s Anthem!
April 14th, 2017I ♥ My Dirty-Girl Mouth I have a potty-mouth. It’s not a bad thing. For a long time, though, I was ashamed of what came out of my bazoo. Why couldn’t I be demure—ladylike, like the fairy-tale damsel? It’s not as if I didn’t try to make nice. We bobby-socked baby-boomers were groomed to. Still,… See More
Why the Lure of Horror Is a Good Thing
April 3rd, 2017A Nightmare on Overwhelm Street The man’s bloodied forearm dangled limply outside the door of his horribly smashed-up car. I slowed down to get a better look at this accident on the other side of the road. The drivers in front of me had also reduced speed, but the stretch ahead of them was clear. No… See More