Sex as Taboo - Smart or No?

When I was growing up there was the old adage that 'Good girls don't...until they get married.' And while I believe that abstinence among young girls is a good thing, now that I'm older I'm not so sure that it's a natural thing. My mom's well-meant attempts to keep me pure and untouched just made me more curious about sex. In the end, I was one of those women who felt guilty about enjoying sex with my husband because I'd always been taught that it was such a bad thing...

What wasn't explained was 'why' sex was supposedly such a terrible and dastardly deed before the 'I-do's' were exchanged. And it led to all kinds of problems.

So with my kids, I answer all their questions about sex and assure them that sex is a normal, natural thing that can be freaking fantastic (especially if your partner really knows that they're doing)!

But I also explain why it's not a good idea for them to have sex now. First off, there are too many cooties out there these days, some of them are incurable while others can lead to AIDS, herpes and cervical cancer. Then there's always the real possibility of an unwanted pregnancy which affects both sexes.

Attempting to hide sex from children (I'm talking pre-teens and up, who are mature enough to deal with it) just isn't smart. It either makes them super curious and wonder what all the mystery is about, or it makes 'em scared so that even after they've met the person they want to spend their life with, they will not be comfortable with their sexuality.

So, the bottom line is - SEX IS NOT TABOO IN MY HOUSE.

What was it like in your house growing up? Taboo or not?

xPost - More Prostitution?

We were listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about the legal and moral implications of the Elliot Spitzer issue in New York. You know the one, where the Governor of New York resigned his post because he’d been caught getting it on with a prostitute.

The talk show host floated the idea of making prostitution legal. Why? As one caller pointed out, you can sell eggs from your ovaries, men can sell sperm, you can sell blood, you can sell kidneys, you can sell liver, and on it goes… So what’s the difference if a woman (or man) chooses to tell their sex?

On the other hand, prostitution is illegal in most states because of moral qualms. But should morality play into the law? For example, there are plenty of folks who die from the legal use of alcohol. Isn’t there a bit of immorality in that? How many people die each year from having paid sex? Hmmm… Anybody have statistics on that?

My daughter called in and expressed a college student’s view. Did you know that kids pay for sex from their peers? In school? They call it, giving a ‘Love Lesson’ where one kid wants to date another kid, but they can’t, or the other kid isn’t interested. So they offer to compensate the other kid for their ‘time.’ Now that kinda sounds like prostitution to me.

So, not taking a stand on either side of the fence, I’d like to know what you think about this. Should the Governor of New York have resigned especially since he only stepped down because he got caught? Whatcha think?

xPost - Quivering Thighs!

Author and Sister-girlfriend, Ashlyn Chase, recently had a book released called Quivering Thighs. Now when I first saw the title, I thought, “Oh. My. Freaking. God!” And knowing what an awesome writer Ashlyn is, I knew the book would be a hit. But I talk to Ash all the time. This time I figured we’d do something different. So, ladies and gentlemen, meet Kendra Dempsey, heroine and star of Quivering Thighs. She’s an interesting chick, so CLICK HERE to see what she had to say…


EXCERPT from QUIVERING THIGHS by Ashlyn Chase
Standalone sequel to Heaving Bosoms

Kendra Dempsey took her gangster boyfriend's money and ran. The problem is, it was supposed to be split three ways. Going back to Las Vegas is out of the question, so she goes after the fresh start she needs. Indulging her fantasy of living in paradise, escaping the mob and having a career that utilizes her drawing talent, she moves to Hawaii and apprentices as a tattoo artist. Since all the mobsters are in prison now, she can finally relax, right?

Jake Jensen is a cop assigned to work his first undercover assignment at a suspected chop shop, Bump and Grind Auto Body, but he doesn't look the part. The quickest thing he can do to roughen his clean-cut edges is to let his hair grow and get some cool tattoos. When the dyslexic tattoo apprentice makes a mistake in the lettering, will he be a laughingstock? Should he blow his cover and help her when she's in more danger than he is?

A Home for Paranormal Erotic Romance

I recently learned that one of our fellow authors is creating a business targeted toward the Paranormal Erotic Romance genre. This is awesome because while there are plenty of romance-centric blogs and such, there are few sites dedicated to paranormal erotic romance. So I caught up with my bud, Mari LaCroix and got all in her business for a minute. And she was so cool about it, that she gave me the okay to share our IM (instant message) chat with ya'll...

TJ MICHAELS: Hey Mari! Thanks for letting us be the first to spill the beans, er, spread the love, about the new site for paranormal erotic authors. Actually, I'm just nosey and you're being really nice to me! So, give up the scoop, girl, and tell us about what you're doing.
Marianne LaCroix: Thanks for asking me to join you. As an author of the genre, I have noticed that there was no real "place" for us to gather and be appreciated.
PNR is wonderful, but the fact is that many ebooks, especially erotic paranormals, are neglected.
Marianne LaCroix: I thought, why not make a spot for paranormal erotic novels? So, paranormalerotica.com was born.
Read more »

Can You Tell?

A good friend of mine is a professional dancer. When she's not traveling, she enjoys kicking back and hanging with friends. She sent me some pictures yesterday with a challenge regarding all these lovely ladies - her challenge? CAN YOU TELL WHICH ONE IS A MAN?

My first reaction was, "Say what?" Then I took a look at the photos and was like, wow! Every picture was of an absolutely gorgeous female...or was it? And more important, how the hell did they do that? Every one of them looks better than me on my best day at work! As for make-up, it's so well done I'm actually jealous. Damn it.

So, can you tell which person is really a male?

Five Pounds of Makeup...Literally!

I'm not saying this article is not true, but I'm a bit of a cynic and don't immediately believe everything I read. But check it - there's a study out that says you could have up to five pounds of chemicals in your body due to *drum roll, please* MAKE UP!

Check out the article at the Daily Mail and let me know what you think. I think that this is something like Shelley's post on women obsessed with their body shape to the point of ridiculousness. What did they do? Go find the most self-absorbed, image issue women in all creation for this article?

I don't know a single woman, I stress, NOT A SINGLE ONE, that obsesses about their makeup to the same point as these women. Hell, the women I know are so busy they don't have time to brush their teeth seven times a day! Let alone use four cans of deodorant a week! There isn't that much funk in all the world to need that much body odor controller!

Whatcha think? Am I nuts?

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com