A New Short Story, Erotic Love and Suspence, "Confrontation".

I wanted to let everyone know that I am releasing a new short story on Kindle, within the next couple of days. The new title is called, Confrontation, and it is only going to be $.99 cents for this promotion. It is an erotic love and suspense, that will warm you as well as titillate all of your senses. I will be adding the link very soon as it comes available. I am excited about this story and can't wait to get it out.

I wrote it over a year ago and it has been collecting dust as it sat in my digital files. I finally spent some time with the finishing touches, because I needed a break on editing my book, My Charming Protector, which will be re-released very soon. I am now ready to introduce Confrontation, and add it to my online collection. I hope you enjoy this adult women's fiction.

Here is a synopsis of the story.

After Christy's sister was murdered, fear drove her to go visit long time friends in Tennessee to get away from New York and the killer. Christy was fearful of the killer finding her, because he had told her that she was next. Christy feels as if she is being watched all the time, and she is too terrified to open up to her friends about what was really happening until one night her worst fear comes true. Christy finds comfort in the arms of her long time friend Jason, and finally begins to trust that she has a future in her new life.

We Miss our Dogs, Jake and Hershey

I need to vent a little. When my husband moved to Washington State after being hired by Boeing, he rented a house through a management company with a yard, because the place accepted animals. We had two dogs. A beautiful, Chocolate Lab and a black and white, Border Collie. They were our family, a huge part of it and they were loved dearly. Our dogs never ran loose in the community and had never gotten out of our yard, but they did bark at anyone who went by the wood fence.

The owners of the house we rented also owned the house next door, and a family member of theirs went over daily to work out of the house. Other family members came over periodically. I met them one day with the owner when I was out mowing the yard when they got my attention. I stopped mowing and called my husband, because they wanted to meet him too. They seemed nice and we even exchanged phone numbers. They asked us to keep an eye on their place as well as they were gone a lot. We agreed.

Well, it wasn't a couple days later that that the management company called to let us know that the father of the owner been had been at the house next door and had come over to our fence and reached over the five foot fence trespassing, to try to pet our dogs. This kind of action would have provoked our dogs even more. The old man claimed that our Border Collie bit him and that he had to have stitches. We were at work when this supposedly happened.

We were surprised, that anyone would be trying to pet barking dogs, because that is what our dogs would have been doing, the people next door were strangers to my dogs. We felt bad for the old man, but at the same time we were frustrated and confused by his actions. The management lady said that the guy knew he should have known better than to do what he did and he was in the wrong. The old man understood, that dogs protect their property and go into protective mode when their space is invaded, especially when the owners are not around. They talked about it and and my husband said that he'd put up beware of dog signs, so people would be more aware.

Now, we didn't want anyone else to try to reach over the fence to pet the dogs and my husband put up a fence within the fence to contain the dogs in a smaller yard to keep them away from the five foot fence, so other people who got the bright idea to try to pet our dogs couldn't.

Over a week later, we came home from errands and noticed an envelope stuck in a crack on the garage in the corner and opened it. It was dated two days before. The envelope contained a notice for us to get rid of Jake, or vacate the premises within ten days of the date on the notice, because Jake was a menace to the neighborhood. That they couldn't have a vicious animal around because there was a day care in one of the houses just down the street. The owners were having a fit over their father getting bitten and having to have stitches. The Management company highlighted a clause in in the pet agreement, where the animals could not run loose in the yard, they had to be tied on leashes at all times. Are you kidding me??? Why have a freaking yard with a five foot fence for animals if you had to have the dogs on leashes the whole time. I thought it was pretty convenient for them to point this out at this time. Had we known this was in the fine print, we would never have signed the contract. Though our lawyer did say, that the management company did not follow the law in our eviction and if we had chosen to fight it, because of a few other things that were not done we would have won and as far as the dogs having to be on the leash in a fenced yard, well that is a joke.

We were very surprised to say the least and extremely upset. We had eight days to figure something out. The management lady, became snotty and very hard nosed, telling us that our dog should not have bitten anyone when my husband called to try to talk about the notice. Her comment was not all dogs bite. Well, what if an intruder was entering the yard? When my husband told the management lady that we did not get the notice, until two days later, because we didn't see it stuck in the crack of the garage, it didn't matter, we still had to do something.

We knew at that moment we couldn't stay, no matter what we we did. It would only be a matter of time that they would be complaining about Hershey, our other dog, or something else they didn't like that we did, since a family member was always there looking over the fence at what we were doing and getting into our business.

We ended up giving our dogs to the humane society. A no kill shelter. They assured us that they would find homes for our dogs. We looked into someone taking the dogs until we could get another place, but nothing panned out. We also moved into an apartment and put most of our belongings in storage.

We miss our dogs. We hope and pray that good people have adopted them and will love them as we have.

I'm Heartbroken, Jake needs a new home.

I'm heart broken. Yesterday, we got a notice telling us that we have ten days to remove our dog ,Jake from the premises. You see, we rent at this time, so we really don't have a choice, or we have to move within that time limit as well. We'd move, but we honestly can't set up a new living situation in ten days.

The house of this rental has a wood fenced yard. We rented the house because this rental accepted animals and we have two dogs, so we wanted a place that would allow them to have a place to play without issues.

The dogs have never gotten out of this yard, but they do bark at those who go by. I don't know of a dog who doesn't bark at those they don't know. That isn't the issue.

The issue came when, a family member of the owner of the house we are renting from, reached into our yard and tried to pet Jake and our other dog Hershey. Now, I can already tell you, Jake and Hershey are very protective dogs and anyone who is near the fence is going to get barked at. When the person is dumb enough to reach over the fence to try pet the dogs. They are asking for trouble.

Well, trouble came when the old man did in fact reach over the fence into our yard and tried to pet the dogs and Jake bit him, causing the old man to get stitches.

The management company of the house we are renting called us to let us know what had happened. We had been gone at work during the time this issue happened. The management company told us that the old man said he should have known better and made the mistake. We felt bad for the man, but we were also frustrated that the man didn't think about his actions.

Had this person been an intruder, Jake would have done exactly what he was expected to do, which is to protect his property.

My husband took matters into his own hands and put up another fence within the yard to contain our dogs in a smaller area that would keep them away from the outside fence, so no one could touch the dogs, even if they chose to reach over the fence.

Oh, and get this, before all of this took place, one morning when I was sitting at the table writing, a man walked by with his little dog, walking him. Our dogs were barking at him, as they did with anyone who walked by. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the man pick up his little dog with the intention of trying to introduce his dog to ours as he held him over the wood fence for our dogs to sniff. My dogs went nuts barking and trying to get at the little dog, who was scared and didn't want anything to do with our dogs. I was in shock for a minute as I saw this idiots stupidity. I was on my way outside to tell the idiot to not hold his little dog over our fence, but by the time I got outside, the man had left.

The fence within the fence was put up to keep people from reaching over trying to touch our dogs.

Now, here we are having to find a new home for Jake, or surrender him to the dog pound. Is this fair? We have to pay the price of other peoples stupidity. The management company said that the owners of the house are afraid that Jake will get out and be a menace to the neighborhood. They are afraid of liability. We are furious and hurt over this. How do you get rid of a family member, like it doesn't matter?

I've been literally sick to my stomach, over this whole mess.

Celebration of Memories, A Valentine's Day Special

It is Valentine's Day and I don't get to spend any time with my sweet heart. What can I say, we both work odd hours and during the work week we don't get any time together. We know we love each other, so for us, it is okay that we don't even get to have dinner together.

I feel blessed, very fortunate to be working where I am at this time in my life. I get to meet new people every day, I see repeat customers coming back to buy more jewelery for special occasions, for their loved ones and even for themselves.

I met an older woman today, that I will remember for the rest of my life. She walked into the store with her head held high, a thoughtful expression on her face with what looked to be a secret smile on her lips. You know, the kind that say I have a secret, a special secret; one that means the world to me and it is giving me an extra skip in my step.

I greeted her and introduced myself and she gave me her name. Her kind blue eyes had a sparkle in them as she smiled at me and told me she wanted to look at a pair of earrings. I took them out of the case and she smiled. "They are perfect," she said, "they go perfectly with my pendant and I'm going to get them." A co-worker who happened to be right there, pointed out a ring in the same blue diamonds as the earrings. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw it and after trying it on announced that she wanted the ring as well. She said she wanted to look in the other cases to see what caught her eye. She found a couple more pieces she absolutely loved. They were her birthstones, one being a very pretty pendant and the other a ring to match it.

During this woman's visit, I learned that she was a two time cancer survivor. It was about that time that I really started to admire this woman. She made a comment that she lost her husband and went on looking at the jewelery and asked about putting a blue diamond in a ring she had. A few minutes later as we started ringing her up I had the opportunity to really talk to her. I asked about when she lost her husband and she told me a few months before, just before Christmas. She said that Valentine's Day was a very special time for her. She was purchasing her jewelery because that was what her husband would be doing for her if he were still here.

Upon hearing this, my heart began to break. I didn't let my feelings show to much (at first) but I did give my condolences to her. She went on to tell me that she and her husband met many years before at a convention during Valentine's week. It also happened to be his birthday that week, so from then on, Valentine's Day (Week) was always celebrated in a flurry of activities.

The way this charming woman spoke about her husband and what they shared, made me see how they commemorated their life together. I could see the pain in her blue eyes as tears shimmered, mirroring a lifetime of joy, laughter, love, sadness, pain and heartbreak. When I started to blink back tears unable to control my own emotions, she grabbed my hands and held them tight as we literally cried together. I interpreted a thankful expression on her face, she knew she was understood and that she was not alone during this very difficult time in her life.

My co-worker, a very nice young man, gave the woman a hug as he witnessed the whole thing. I told the woman I admired her for being such a dynamic inspiring woman, and that I believed that she had gone through so much and survived because she has a bigger purpose in life. She told me that she believed me with her whole heart which is the motivator that really keeps her going.

It wasn't enough that I was already teared up, but when she told me her plans for this Valentine's Day, I almost lost it. Her words really painted a picture in my mind about what this woman was going through and it hit me hard.

"I'm going to go home, grill a steak, pour myself a glass of wine and sit with my memories for the rest of the night."

I gave the woman a hug before she left the store and I told her that I was praying for her. Her look of appreciation said more than words ever could. She walked out with her head held high, a secret smile on her face, and yes, an extra skip in her step as she disappeared in the crowd outside of the store.

I'll never forget this woman and I hope and pray to have this woman's courage as I live my life.

Even though I did not get to spend Valentine's Day with my husband, I did get to see how significant this day is to one very special woman who clearly misses the love of her life.

The Job Hunt

I often get asked if I'm rich, or well off, because I'm a writer. Well, I wish I could say yes, but like most writer's we have to work day jobs, or other jobs to pay our bills, and to take care our family's needs and to support our writing craft. Nothing is free.

I have recently started looking for a job. My husband relocated to Washington state starting a new career. Unfortunately the new career doesn't pay enough for me to get to stay home, I have to work too. I'm on my second week of trying to find a job. I've gone to numerous companies already and like anyone who is looking for a job, it is disheartening.

Most of the people I have encountered have been nice, one in particular has been extremely helpful. I won't give names and the company, because they don't know I'm writing about them. This lady, we'll call her Dori, went out of her way and gave me websites to go to for tutorials that would help brush me up on my computer skills and other things, letting me in on what the company was going to do and the tests they give potential applicants. When asked what kind of college degree I had, I told her I didn't. I never went to college, but I want to work in the office. Dori smiled and said that she to did not have a college degree, that she only had her high school diploma as well, and that she was there to tell me that it was possible to get to where she was at without a degree. That woman gave me hope, she was helpful, personable and friendly. I thanked her for her time and left after completing my online application. They did not have any jobs available yet, but she suggested that I check every few days, because things open up all the time.

Now, as we all know, not all job hunting goes this smoothly and not everyone is that nice, or helpful. I was driving around looking for companies to put my application in and found one that looked interesting. I thought what the heck. I stopped and went in and asked the receptionist if they were accepting applications and she said they were, that they were actually looking for someone. My hope meter jumped, what luck, I thought. I completed the application and attached my resume to it and gave it to the receptionist, I thanked her for her time and left. On Tuesday the next week, I called for the human resource contact, we'll call her, Kim. I introduced myself and asked about my application that I had turned in. I didn't expect Kim's response. She was not professional, nor was she very nice. Her clipped response and rudeness was not only offending, but had me feeling like I did something wrong by applying to the company. The woman's voice reminded me of a mother scolding her teenager. Kim told me that in no uncertain terms that the company did not accept applications when no job openings were available. There was an uncomfortable silence, because I was a little shocked by her response to me. I said to her then, I was led to believe there was an opening, which is why I filled out the application. Does this mean the application I submitted would not be considered? She flat out said, "No." in a very snotty way leaving another very uncomfortable silence between us. I said, "Okay, thank you for your time." It took everything I had not to say what was really on my mind.

I understand that people have bad days, but come on. For us who are looking for jobs, we are already stressed. We need a job, or we wouldn't be looking for one and we certainly don't need to be disrespected. Needing a job, shouldn't put us in a sub human category to be treated like crap. I will always remember that woman's name and I plan on living in the area for a long time. She represents that company, I wonder if she has forgotten this little fact.

The last day of 2012

I woke up early this morning, made my coffee and built a fire in the wood burning stove to warm the house up. The last few weeks literally had put me in a tail spin. I had to leave my job of seven years, because my husband got a job in Washington State that would give him a better opportunities for the future. It's one of those things you really have to think about. I asked him when this job offer came up, 'Years from now are you going to kick yourself for not taking the opportunities that could lead potentially into a better life, or do you think you'll be happy staying somewhere you already know you've reached your potential?'

We both knew that if he didn't take the opportunity, we'd always wonder if we had made a mistake. Our friends thought he'd be crazy to not take this chance, so we did.

He left for Washington State, rented a house and started training for his new job. I gave my notice at my job then Nicole and I waited until the semester ended, so that she could finish her classes and not leave mid year. The day finally came and the movers arrived. They packed everything up. I said my last goodbyes to a life I sincerely thought I'd never leave and we were off. (I am going to miss a number of people I worked with, my friends, bosses and co-workers. They were my working family, where we worked, laughed, cried and supported each other through all the ups and downs. Yes, I'll miss that closeness we had.)

In the whirlwind of moving and trying to get settled during Christmas and New Years, I really hadn't put much thought behind what I'm going to do for a job. I have to work, so there is no choice in me staying home. The only thing I know, is that there is more opportunity for jobs here, so I believe I'll find one that I will be happy with very soon.

I sit here now and think of what last year has brought us and am pleased to say that we had a great year. We took jaunts to Vegas once in a while to get away on weekends,and went on drives to see the beautiful country of Utah.

I will miss being able to photograph one of the most beautiful states I have ever seen. Zion is spectacular, the high desert landscape and the eye catching skies with it's openness and beautiful colors of the morning dawn and evening sunsets will always be etched in my memories.

Who knew that clouds with the right lighting could be so awesome. Many times there are no words to describe what you see, you are in the moment and you just have to take a deep breath and just take it in. It's a force of power to be reckoned with as it fills your being with something akin to hope and inspiration. Many times I turned completely around in the midst of a those moments and took joy that I was part of those settings. I felt like I was in a painting forever imprinted in those moments in time.

Going on the cruise to Alaska was an experience all of us enjoyed. Joining my sisters was not only special, it was an opportunity to spend quality time doing something together that all of us could take memories from and re-tell the stories to our children and grandchildren.

I especially loved taking photos on the cruise of everything, seeing some of the most beautiful rugged country in the world took my breath away and I am still in awe of the memories I possess from the experience.

Now, I am here in Washington State on this quiet morning on the brink of a new year. A new state, a new home and on the verge of meeting new friends and looking for a new job.

I never thought in a million years that I'd come back to Washington State to live. I grew up here and Graduated from High School not far from where we live now. The good thing is, I get to live nearer to my mother and brother. I look forward to spending time with them and getting to know them better, since I only saw them on vacations before and talked to them on the phone. I get to spend time with my nephew and get to know that wonderful boy who still has his whole life in front of him.

Sipping my coffee, enjoying the quiet morning on this last day of 2012 is a blessing. It has been quite a journey and a new chapter is just about to begin. How cool is that?

Big Change and Faith to Move Forward

Seven years ago on Christmas Day, my family moved to Utah from Southern California. The culture shock was welcome, we came from a fast paced life, long commutes to work, and barely any breathing room for a life outside of work, to a small community with a small town feel.

My daughter finally had a chance to play outside without the fear of drugs being dealt, gun shots in the distance and illegals being dropped off on our driveway. I could never allow her to play outside without supervision, heck I felt as if I needed supervision from the crap that was taking place in our town that we once loved when we moved there years before.

Thankfully my husband had a job lined up in Cedar City, Utah, but I had to go out and find one. I finally found a job in February working with people with disabilities. I didn't know at the time that I would stay at the company for as long as I did. As challenging as it was, I used all of the experiences to learn and grow from, even though there were times I would have gladly welcomed change. I started as a regular direct care staff, then was promoted to Manager where I have grown as a person.

I am going to miss my co-workers as we are a network of people who support, listen and understand the unique jobs we all do as we care for and support the individuals we serve. I will miss the individuals who have a place in my heart whose lives I have had the opportunity to be apart of and who has taught me to become a better person.

The Associate Director actually summed it up quite eloquently last night at our annual Christmas Party for the managers, when he addressed us and our families. "We are a family with jobs that are a way of life that includes every member of our family, because without their support and acceptance of the things we are called to do, it would be very difficult. Our job calls for us to deal with, being called out at all hours of the night, have sudden schedule changes and having to deal with emergencies and situations that most people can't even imagine." I can't remember his words verbatim, but this was the message as we gave our families a round of applause for their support.

Now, seven years later, my family is moving once again to start a new chapter of our lives in Washington state. I ask, what our future holds, but as scary as it is, I am looking forward to the opportunity for new experiences, a new job and new friends to add on to the great circle of friends I already have.

Change is difficult, but we have faith that we are doing what it is we are meant to do, going in the direction that will bring us to the place we are meant to be, while giving us the opportunity to grow and learn new things.