Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Book Review: The Minimum Wage Millionaire by Bill Edgar

The Minimum Wage Millionaire by Bill Edgar is a must have book for every working or soon to be working teenager.

In under 100 pages, Edgar gives the average teen advice on the importance of saving and investing in order to secure his future. From smart saving to investing wisely to never touching your investments and more, The Minimum Wage Millionaire provides young people with the advice they need in a conversational and easy to understand manner. With graphs and full explanations, this book can help put your teen on the road to success.

Also included is a list of resources with additional reading material, information on brokerages and investment advisors, and a list of career websites.

If there was any book that should be required reading in high school, this is it.



File Size: 823 KB
Print Length: 80 pages
Publisher: Bill Edgar; 1 edition (April 14, 2014)
Publication Date: April 14, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00JOZST82

I received a copy of this book from the author's publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

I read this book for the following challenge:


Monday, June 29, 2015

Book Review: Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother

A frightening, yet fascinating story of greed, deceit, and murder can be found in Dead Reckoning.

This is a true crime investigative account by Pulitzer Prize nominee Caitlin Rother. She lays out the story of Skylar Deleon, a former child star, who along with his wife and others plots to kill a retired couple and steal their yacht.

Dead Reckoning is a chilling story. It reveals the horrible evil this world can contain. It leaves the reader wondering: are killers born or are they made? A life of abuse was all that Skylar Deleon knew. Did that turn him into the greedy, immoral person who could hatch a plot to steal the Hawkses' yacht and throw them overboard while they were still alive?

Or was it the influence of his wife, Jennifer? Was Skylar willing to do anything to please her--even murder?

I've been fascinated by true crime stories for decades, and this is one of the best told books I've ever read. Rother covers all sides to this story. The reader learns about the Hawks family; Skylar and Jennifer and their families; the detectives on the case; the attorneys on both sides of the case; the family of Jon Jarvi--another of Skylar's victims, and Skylar's co-conspirators. The end of the book includes an interview Rother had with Skylar in prison.

If you enjoy true crime, Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother is one book you shouldn't miss.

Series: Pinnacle True Crime
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Kensington; 1 edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786022175
ISBN-13: 978-0786022175

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

This book has been read for the following challenges:




Saturday, June 27, 2015

On Sale Now!: Reconstructing Jackson by Holly Bush

In January of 2013 I had the pleasure of reading Reconstructing Jackson by Holly Bush. With an updated cover, this Kindle book is currently on sale for only 99 cents. You have to grab it! I loved this book. It is superb. You can read my thoughts here.


1867 . . . Southern lawyer and Civil War veteran, Reed Jackson, returns to his family’s plantation in a wheelchair. His father deems him unfit, and deeds the Jackson holdings, including his intended bride, to a younger brother. Angry and bitter, Reed moves west to Fenton, Missouri, home to a cousin with a successful business, intending to start over.

Belle Richards, a dirt poor farm girl aching to learn how to read, cleans, cooks and holds together her family’s meager property. A violent brother and a drunken father plot to marry her off, and gain a new horse in the bargain. But Belle’s got other plans, and risks her life to reach them.

Reed is captivated by Belle from their first meeting, but wheelchair bound, is unable to protect her from violence. Bleak times will challenge Reed and Belle's courage and dreams as they forge a new beginning from the ashes of war and ignorance.

File Size: 578 KB
Print Length: 299 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Holly Bush Books (February 21, 2014)
Publication Date: February 21, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00IKYR4QQ

Purchase here!

Friday, June 26, 2015

Book Review: You Won't Remember This by Kate Blackwell


In this powerful collection of stories, author Kate Blackwell has opened hearts to deep human emotion. Her characters are so genuine they seem real. There are struggles: a southern bride with her list of books pining for a lost love; a mysterious letter telling of an illicit affair; a single mother trying to stay clean.

Eloquently written, deeply moving, and filled with raw emotion, You Won't Remember This is literary fiction at its best. Lovers of Southern fiction, women's fiction, and exquisite short stories will be drawn to this book's pages.

Highly recommended.

Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Bacon Press Books (April 24, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0986306010
ISBN-13: 978-0986306013

For More Information

I received a copy of this book through Pump Up Your Book virtual book tours. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.






Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Book Spotlight: You Won't Remember This by Kate Blackwell

The twelve stories in Kate Blackwell’s debut collection illuminate the lives of men and women who appear as unremarkable as your next-door-neighbor until their lives explode quietly on the page. Her wry, often darkly funny voice describes the repressed underside of a range of middle-class characters living in the South. Blackwell’s focus is elemental—on marriage, birth, death, and the entanglements of love at all ages—but her gift is to shine a light on these universal situations with such lucidity, it is as if one has never seen them before.

For More Information




I haven't quite finished reading this short story collection yet, so I figured I would post a spotlight today and my review on Friday. It's spring season for the housing market, so my time is a bit more limited than usual. 

What I have read was very enjoyable and engaging. Can't wait to finish this one. Check back on Friday for my full review.

KATE BLACKWELL worked as a journalist and editor before turning full-time to fiction. Her first collection, YOU WON’T REMEMBER THIS, was published in hardback in 2007 by Southern Methodist University Press.  Her stories have appeared in numerous journals, including Agni, Prairie Schooner, New Letters, Carve, The Literary Review, The Greensboro Review, Sojourner, and So To Speak. She lives in Washington, DC.

For More Information

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Bargain E-Book: Cowboy's Pride by Morgan Blaze


The hardest second chance they'll ever take.

For six years, Sydney Davis has completely avoided the man who broke her heart. Now she needs a favor, and ranch owner Cam Thatcher is the only one who can do it. She thought she was over him -- but when she sees him again after all this time, her powerful attraction returns stronger than ever.

Cam wants nothing to do with the woman he used to love -- especially when he finds out she's marrying the man who's trying to destroy him and take his ranch. But he soon realizes his feelings aren't as buried as he thought. When he learns Sydney doesn't know about her fiancé's dark side, he races to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

Books in the Welcome to Covendale series:

Book 1: COWBOY'S PRIDE (Cam & Sydney)
Book 2: SOLDIER'S CHOICE (Reese & Luka)
Book 3: DEPUTY'S SECRET (Nick & Emma)
Book 4: DAWSON'S STAND (Gage & Kyla)
Book 5: DAWSON'S FALL (Mark & Aubrey)
Book 6: DAWSON'S HONOR (Jonah & Piper)


File Size: 418 KB
Print Length: 182 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publication Date: December 10, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00QVO0QAI


Purchase here for only 99 cents!

Friday, June 19, 2015

Bitter Bronx by Jerome Charyn - Book Review and Giveaway

Bitter Bronx is another fine literary achievement from the talented pen of Jerome Charyn. With this collection of thirteen stories, Charyn depicts a Bronx forever changed by Robert Moses and his destruction of the borough he believed he could rescue by dividing it with a highway, destroying entire neighborhoods in his quest.

No stranger to Charyn's work, I eagerly signed up for this tour. His ability to evoke such strong emotions through his characters is second to none and his eloquent prose draws you in from the start.

These characters are flawed in such a way that you wish to close the book and tuck it away; but like the scene of a horrific accident, you can't help but peer into these people's lives as they struggle against poverty, greed, perversions, and organized crime. This is a world of war widows and mobsters, of insanity and depression, of a Bronx forever divided into north and south.

Every word of this collection shouts New York: what I've come to love, what intrigues me as I walk its streets, what makes me shake my head in confusion.

Charyn remains one of the greatest and most influential literary geniuses of our time.

Highly recommended.

Genre: Short Stories
Pages:
320
Publisher:
Liveright
Release:
June 15, 2015
ISBN:
9780871404893

Prices/Formats:

$12.59 ebook, $24.95 hardcover

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0871404893?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bitter-bronx-jerome-charyn/1120390677

Jerome Charyn's Web Site:
http://www.jeromecharyn.com/

Jerome Charyn's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jerome.charyn?fref=ts

Jerome Charyn's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jeromecharyn

Jerome Charyn's Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53408.Jerome_Charyn

Bitter Bronx Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23365799-bitter-bronx?ac=1

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186
 
Bitter Bronx blog tour site:
http://bitterbronxblogtour.blogspot.com



Jerome Charyn's stories have appeared in The Atlantic, The Paris Review, The American Scholar, Epoch, Narrative, Ellery Queen, and other magazines. His most recent novel is I Am Abraham. He lived for many years in Paris and currently resides in Manhattan.





a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Tribute Books Blog Tours. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


I read this book for the following challenge:



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Bargain E-Book: ARNCO by Ben Muse


Jake Brigham, a wildly successful first time author is drowning in the undertow of his newfound success. After years of "winning," he realizes he has only lost--a beloved mother, a marriage, even his ability to create. Eventually, he leaves the demands of New York and returns to a place once close to his heart: Arnco, a dying Georgia mill village. He rebuilds his life, and his passion returns, for words, and for a childhood friend.

Allie Tanner, a widowed, single mother, has been fighting demons since the day she was born. Her entire life has been a struggle-- with an alcoholic father, her own health problems, the death of her husband, and the constant worry that she may never be able to protect the one thing that means the most: her daughter Grace.

Jake ignites the spark of hope within her, and she within him. And each for very different reasons. When circumstances from their past collide with their present, will their hopes survive? Will tragedy cause a horrific breakdown or an inspirational destiny?

File Size: 1845 KB
Print Length: 362 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: 4EyesBooks; First edition (March 22, 2014)
Publication Date: March 22, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00J772MUI


Purchase here!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

First Chapter Review: Genius de Milo by Russ Colchamiro



I viewed the first chapter of the sci-fi comedy Genius de Milo by Russ Colchamiro from the Pump Up Your Book website.

BLURB:  Best pals Jason Medley and Theo Barnes barely survived a backpacking trip through Europe and New Zealand that — thanks to a jar of Cosmic Building Material they found — almost wiped out the galaxy. But just as they envision a future without any more cosmic lunacy:

The Earth has started fluxing in and out of existence, Theo's twin girls are teleporting, and Jason can't tell which version of his life is real.

All because of Milo, the Universe's ultimate gremlin.

Joined by the mysterious Jamie — a down-and-out hotel clerk from Eternity — Jason and Theo reunite on a frantic, cross-country chase across America, praying they can retrieve that jar, circumvent Milo, and save the Earth from irrevocable disaster.

In author Russ Colchamiro’s uproarious sequel to Finders Keepers, he finally confirms what we've long suspected — that there’s no galactic Milo quite like a Genius de Milo.

COVER: Love the colors on this one. It picks up the whimsy of something comedic while staying true to its sci-fi genre. It confused me a bit because I wasn't sure if this was a kid's book based upon the cover, but I really like it,

FIRST CHAPTER: Brigsby is drinking a snifter of chocolate milk and watching an episode of LOST when the TV flickers. He and Lawrence have a lively conversation, but Brigsby would prefer to wait until tomorrow to deal with Milo and his antics.

KEEP READING: Sure. It's not my usual fare, but my interest is piqued. The banter between Brigsby and Lawrence is witty enough and I really want to know exactly who Milo is and what he's after. I would also like to meet Jason and Theo to learn how they play into all of this.

Title: Genius De Milo
Author: Russ Colchamiro
Publisher: Crazy 8 Press
Pages: 320
Genre: SciFi/Comedy
Format: Paperback/Kindle

For More Information

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Musing Mondays - June 15

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme sponsored by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:
  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…
THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:Do you have a favorite book from childhood? What is it?

It is so tough to choose a book from my childhood. There were so many and they were truly wonderful: Green Eggs and Ham, The Little Red Hen, ABC by Dr. Seuss, and Good Night, Little Bear. 

But of all those beginning books I read as a kid, The Poky Little Puppy and The Little Engine That Could were the two books I read the most. I am often drawn to message-driven fiction, so it's no surprise I enjoy these two books.

How about you? What are some of your childhood favorites?

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Busting The Constant Laughter Myth by Veronica Frances, Author of Let's Talk About Tickling


Let’s Talk About Tickling is an honest, straightforward discussion about tickling. Discover the many different aspects of tickling—the fantasies, the realities, the many paradoxes of the tickling fetish and how to come to terms with ones own sensuality.

A refreshing and very welcome find, Let’s Talk About Tickling is for anyone who wishes to expand their awareness of tickling and other related fetishes. This book will be of great interest to anyone who wants to get in touch with their sensual self, whether they have a tickling fetish or not.

Author Veronica Frances offers her readers the chance to improve their relationships in and out of the bedroom by shining a light on the powerful significance of tickling. She reminds us that tickling is not merely the whisper of a feather on the flesh. It is an echo that calls us from deep within, beckoning us to listen and respond.

For More Information




Busting The Constant Laughter Myth
By Veronica Frances


This chapter will deal with busting the constant laughter myth that many people believe exists when it comes to tickling. Laughter is important and often desired by the lee and the ler, but that does not mean that laughter is always the default response to tickling.

This dilemma is a big part of the fantasy versus reality issue that lies deep within the complex walls of the tickling fetish.

First of all, here is one myth I must blow to smithereens. Just because somebody loves to be tickled and craves it like a chocoholic craves chocolate, does not mean that they are extremely ticklish, even if they want to be more than anything. They are turned on by tickling and terribly aroused by it. They may be quite ticklish. They may even laugh a good deal of the time. But in reality, they may not be quite as ticklish as they are in their very own fantasies, or as the lees are portrayed in tickling videos.

There are several reasons why this could be. They could become less ticklish as they get older. They may have less nerve sensitivity on certain parts of their body. Parts of them that used to be very ticklish may have become less ticklish over time. I often wonder if the brain somehow protects people who were tickled a lot as children or young adults. I wonder if people become somewhat desensitized to tickling over time. I sometimes wonder if tickling is a drug that becomes addictive mentally, but doesn’t work as well physically over time.

A friend of mine mentioned something interesting to me. He suggested that when a fetishist becomes overly obsessed with the thing they most desire, they become desensitized to it when it finally happens to them in reality. In the case of tickling, isn’t it possible that the highly obsessed tickle-fetishist has been fixated on their fantasies for so long that there is no possible way reality could ever live up to the fantasies?

How much the lee laughs while being tickled is not an accurate measure of how deep their love of tickling runs. The tickling fetish is a psychological response to loving tickling. Laughter is a physical response to being tickled. They are not really the same thing. A person can love tickling, but not be a big laugher. A person can laugh uncontrollably while being tickled, but hate tickling with a passion. Tickling is a sensation that causes many responses, some of which are psychological rather than just physical. The physical responses vary, according to many different factors.

Another reason for the laughter’s unpredictability could be that some people respond to tickling in accordance to their moods. Different moods lend themselves to different tickling experiences. It could also be dependent on circumstances, such as how comfortable the lee is and what the relationship is between the people involved. It could also have to do with health, how tired a person is, how their blood sugar runs, how much stress they are under, or maybe they had stomach surgery and are not as ticklish on their midriff as they used to be. There are multiple reasons why a lee might not laugh as much as expected while being tickled.

It can be very disheartening and frustrating for the lee when they realize they just simply are not that ticklish after all, or that they are unable to respond with extreme laughter. They realize they are sensitive to the sensations, but it just doesn’t make them laugh as much as they would like. The lee sometimes finds themselves wanting to laugh more, and for the tickling to make them respond the way they believe that they should, either because of how ticklish they used to be, or because they have seen many tickling videos, or have heard from others that laughter is expected in order for the tickling to be any fun.

Sure, I can understand it being a boring tickling experience if the lee does not respond at all, but if the lee responds with arousal and a big smile on their face and if the tickling makes them feel good and releases their stress, then the tickling experience is working its magic the way it’s supposed to.

So, that silly black and white assumption that the non-laughing lee is not ticklish is rubbish. They are just responding to the tickling however their body and mind allows them to.

Let’s get one thing straight. Tickling is fun, no matter how much or how little a person laughs. Sure, it is wonderful hearing somebody laugh and getting that hysterical response from a ticklish person, but the extreme arousal of that person is just as wonderful, if not more sometimes. Often, the arousal will eventually lead to laughter anyway, especially if the lee is properly caught off guard by a very patient ler.

Getting back to this laughter dilemma, isn’t it entirely possible that a tickle fetishist might find themselves less ticklish than originally believed, or less ticklish than they would truly like to be? How can the real-life experience possibly live up to the enormity of those larger than life fantasies? Those fantasies can actually tease and torture a tickle fetishist until they have to self-stimulate to get any relief. That is often no laughing matter for the struggling tickle-fetishist.

Speaking of the arousal factor, let’s talk about how arousal can actually affect a person’s laughter while being tickled, as well as possibly affect their level of ticklishness.

The non-laughing lee might simply be so aroused by the tickling that they can’t see straight. They are so aroused that they will gladly surrender and willingly raise their arms to receive tickling. Tickling feels very intense and erotic to them. It can feel strange and awkward, in a good way. The strange awkward sensation makes them want to respond and really doesn’t give them much choice as to how they respond.

There was one woman who expressed to me that tickling was extremely enjoyable to her, but she never seemed to laugh a lot during her experiences. She laughed quite a bit at times, but she was not a consistent laughter. She would become aroused and very excited, but sometimes the arousal actually prohibited the laughter from coming out.

I understand what she meant. If a person is so turned on by tickling, the arousal often trumps the laughter. If you do not laugh throughout the entire tickling experience, it does not mean that you are not ticklish. If you jump while fingers suddenly poke your sides and writhe while those same fingers trace your sides and underarms, you are still quite ticklish. If you smile and jump around while being tickled, you are also ticklish.

The woman also told me she had met up with a man she was hoping could be a tickle buddy. She needed and wanted to be tickled and she also had the desire to experiment with some light BDSM. The man she was meeting was dominant and most definitely a ler.

They met at a wine bar and started talking and getting to know each other. She soon realized that this man would be expecting her to laugh constantly while being tickled. He liked getting that extreme laughter response from his lees. When she told him that she didn’t always respond to tickling by laughing, it seemed to dampen his enthusiasm a bit. They ended up going their separate ways, but she felt it was for the best and that any man who tickled her would have accept her multitude of responses, as well as embrace them with an open mind.

As I have said and this woman obviously agrees, there is not one set response to tickling. It is not written in stone that a person has to laugh while being tickled. Everybody is different in the way they respond to tickling. Tickling causes such a large array of responses. There is anything from moaning, screaming, sudden orgasm, writhing with no sound, purring like a kitten, converting to a child, laughing in silence when it gets too overwhelming for sound even to come out, relaxation, strong sexual feelings followed by constant smiling, little giggles that come out sporadically, and maybe even sudden large bursts of laughter that come suddenly and without warning. I have even heard that some people feel so emotional when being tickled that they actually cry. If tickling is taken to the extreme, I have heard it can cause dizziness, lightheadedness and breathing issues. It also can cause panic, pain and hyperventilation in some people. That is why safewords are so important, so as to avoid the more unpleasant effects of tickling.

One of my favorite responses to tickling is snorting. Many people snort after a while when they laugh. Many people snort in response to tickling. They just can’t help themselves and it is a delightful response indeed, although it can tend to embarrass the helpless lee.

Another response is a delightful and sometimes very overwhelming feeling of euphoria. Tickling can cause people to feel high. It can often feel like floating on air. Sometimes it can feel like walking on a tightrope. The poor lee struggles to maintain their balance as the ler’s tickling fingers touch certain places, causing the lee’s balance and security to falter. The ler doesn’t care as they force the lee to respond to the tickles and lose their control. The poor lee feels as if they are dissolving into their very own responses. An experienced ler will get a response out of the lee, even if it is not always laughter. When an experienced ler decides that their lee will respond, then the lee will respond, as they twitch and moan with ticklish agony. Laughter may have very little to do with it at that point.

I recently saw a tickling video where a female dominatrix tickled her poor male lee nearly to death. He moaned and grunted, writhing uncontrollably and quickly losing control of his erection. He was aroused and tortured by the tickling and his very own responses. But, I didn’t hear much laughter in this video. He struggled against his restraints and his gag ball did little to tame his intense responses. The poor man hardly laughed at all, but was terribly ticklish and aroused to the point of orgasm.

What are some of the other reasons why laughter might not come out as much while a lee is being tickled? Well, another good reason is the ability of the lee to turn arousal into intense and very deep relaxation. I have discussed in previous chapters about tickling and relaxation. Some lees actually master the art of tickling and relaxation, sometimes to the point of being able to control the laughter.

Some lees can relax into the sensations and do not lose as much control in terms of the laughter, but still lose control in many other ways. They might not laugh as much because they are so incredibly tuned into their bodies that they can actually take in all the tickling sensations and process them as something blissful, emotional and yes, maybe even relaxing. However, if they are tense, tired or moody, or if they are caught off-guard or not feeling quite as grounded, they might feel the laughter welling up inside them and have no choice but to finally laugh in ticklish agony as their ler tickles them. A smart ler will take advantage of those times. Some lees are so sensitive, making them emotional and empathic, feeling every single tickle so intensely. Often, their laugher is internal and can eventually become external with the help of a kind and patient ler.

Let’s imagine a female lee who doesn’t laugh constantly while being tickled. Imagine her being tickled on the bottoms of her feet. She can feel the tickles very intensely as the fingers scratch up and down her soles, over and over again. The fingers scratch, dance, wiggle and caress the lee’s very ticklish foot. Her foot thrashes around helplessly. So, where is the laughter?

The smile on her face is the laughter, as well as a possible look of discomfort as she struggles and dangles helplessly between the world of arousal and euphoria. The laughter is inside of her as she smiles, grunts and moans uncontrollably. The sensations tickle her so badly, causing a smile to form inside of her, whether she likes it or not. She may blush because she feels a bit silly and shy about smiling so much, but it is all so arousing and blissful for her. Being tickled makes her smile and makes her entire being grin with joy. She is just so happy being tickled and sometimes, a large amount of laughter suddenly bursts out of her. The laughter is sudden and delightfully surprising for both her and her partner.

She is just so totally aroused by what her partner is doing to her and if her partner uses tickle-talk, it can literally send her over the edge into the deep end of the tickle ocean. All of her daily tension is just melting away and as the tension releases, she may find herself laughing a bit more, or moaning a bit more, or needing to feel her partner’s fingers all over her ticklish flesh until she is childlike and free once again. She may suddenly find herself laughing and responding just as she did when she was a child.

As adults, we tend to develop this shell of protection around us. That is another reason we find ourselves unable to laugh like we once did as ticklish children long ago. We become more cynical and uptight. We lose the childlike surprise and wonderment that comes with tickling. We come to expect the tickling and often protect ourselves from that childlike vulnerability we secretly long for as stressed, sometimes highly overwrought adults. We become suspicious of those tickling fingers that wiggle and threaten to disarm us until we are helpless giggling children once again.

We may even be afraid that tickling might make us feel closer to people until we are in over our heads and vulnerable to heartbreak, where all the laughter would become tears. Tickling does make us vulnerable, especially romantic tickling. As humans, we do tend to protect ourselves. Tickling removes that protection and our deep sense of control that stops us from surrendering ourselves to intimacy. Though tickling does not always lead to intimacy, it has the potential to, and it scares the lee to death sometimes.

The most important thing for a ler to remember is to never make a lee feel inadequate if they do not laugh all the time when being tickled. A selfish ler does have the tendency to become obsessed with laughter to the point of expecting a lot of it from the lee. That is unfair to the lee. A ticklish person responds however they will respond and tickling causes many responses and emotions to come bubbling up to the surface.

It may sometimes be especially frustrating to some lees who do not laugh a lot or who are not as ticklish as they would like to be, because they still have to live with their tickling fetish. The fetish stays. It remains, despite the lee’s inability to laugh and respond in a way that would greatly please the ler, especially a dominant ler. Having a tickling fetish and not being super ticklish, or not being able to laugh even if you are very ticklish, well, that can be troublesome to the lee, but it is sometimes a frustrating reality.

For a lee who is struggling with this issue, an understanding ler is needed. The key is patience. In reality, tickling takes work and is not as effortless as it is in the tickling videos and the imagination. In the tickling videos, the lee is always extremely ticklish and laughing their head off and the ler is always a pro. That just simply is not reality all of the time.

Some lees laugh intensely for a few minutes and then the laughter dies down a bit. Why is that?

For many, the ticklish sensations on a certain body part can be quite intense for a few minutes but then, after that, the area being tickled becomes kind of numb and can begin to feel slightly irritated and uncomfortable. So, while it is important to stay on a ticklish area for as long as necessary to get a response, it is equally important to know when to switch to a different tickle zone and give the other area a rest. You can always revisit that area later. So, in fantasy and tickling videos, a body part can be tickled relentlessly for a long time, but in reality, that is rarely the case, unless of course the desire is to cause discomfort and that is not the ultimate goal of tickling.

This is tickling’s bottom line: arousal. People think laughter is the bottom line, but that is a fantasy.

Feeling pressured to laugh can lessen the tickling experience and make it much less enjoyable. A frustrated lee who gets down on themselves because they don’t explode with laughter is getting tangled up in unnecessary pressure. That kind of pressure is non-productive and emotionally harmful to their sensuality.

It is similar to sex. If a person feels pressured to orgasm, sex becomes tedious and a blow to the self-esteem. Sex without an orgasm is okay, especially for women, who often take longer to orgasm than men. That is why orgasm should not be the response that trumps all other responses to sexual intercourse and laughter should not be the only desired response and result of tickling. Orgasms in response to sex and laughter in response to tickling are probable results, but are not necessarily consistent responses and are not always realistic for certain individuals for various reasons at various times in their lives.

Bottom line is most people do not like to feel pressured about how to respond to being tickled. Tickling should be enjoyable, not pressure.

So, if a lee is not as ticklish as they once were, or as they would like to be, is there a way to make them more ticklish? Yes, there are ways to increase ticklish sensations. That is what my next chapter will discuss. 


Copyright © 2015 Veronica Frances 

Veronica Frances is the author of the gutsy, no-holds-barred novel, Tickling Daphne H. Her new non-fiction book Let’s Talk About Tickling sheds a refreshing new light on the subject. She is known as the TickleWriter in some circles.

Veronica also writes under her real name, Stacey Handler. Stacey is the author of The Body Burden; Living In The Shadow Of Barbie. Her book was featured in Jump Magazine, Australian Women’s Weekly, The National Enquirer, and several other publications, radio shows and cable TV shows.

Stacey excels at public speaking, singing, composing, and writing. She is a singer-songwriter, poet, and has written in many different styles. She has an album and several singles available, including her two popular anthems, Ain’t No Skinny Little Thing and Soap Opera Diva.

She lives in New York City, where she continues to write erotica, fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

For More Information

Monday, June 8, 2015

Musing Mondays - June 8

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme sponsored by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:
  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…
THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What book would you currently recommend to someone? Why?

It's been a while since I participated in this meme. Part of the issue is that my time is limited. The other reasons are that it's not always posted on the hosting website until after I am at work or I don't want to post a link on the host's site when I won't be home to return comments from my fellow bloggers. I am hoping this week will be a bit slower around here.

Time for a quick blogging update. Last week at The Book Connection I shared one bargain and one free e-book and posted interviews with Linda Weaver Clarke and Russ Colchamiro. At The Busy Mom's Daily I posted a Mailbox Monday, photos from when my hubby and I renewed our vows last weekend, and reviewed the Grace of Gratitude Journal. And finally, I took some time to read/listen to the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's not my standard review, but it does talk about why I understand how this series became so wildly popular. You can find my post here

Hope you have a great week.


Saturday, June 6, 2015

Kindle Freebie: Moonlight Rebel by Marie Ferrarella


The Countess and the Barbarian!

She needed a safe haven

Coming to the colonies and living on a Virginia plantation in the midst of a brewing revolution was not the life Krystyna would have chosen. But she had been offered no choice when she fled her native Poland, just ahead of spies still looking for her. Why, her host could even be one himself! Krystyna hoped not, because when she took a good look at his powerfully taut body and fierce blue eyes, she wanted to share her most intimate treasures with him…

He needed her in his bed

Jason harbored the proud young woman with the promise to keep her safe, but he wasn't happy about it. Not only was she a Countess, unable to sympathize with the colonists' yearning for freedom, but she was a bewitching beauty who tempted him every second she remained under his roof. He would hide her from her enemies, but his protection had a sensual price--

Krystyna came to America a titled refugee, but Jason McIntire bought her as an indentured servant and took her home to his plantation. Spies out to trap her were everywhere and the fight for her virtue was relentless--until she finally found refuge in Jason's passionate embrace and learned what freedom really meant!

File Size: 954 KB
Print Length: 416 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00U3D29NA

Purchase here!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Interview with Russ Colchamiro, Author of Genius De Milo

Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure Crossline, the hilarious scifi backpacking comedy Finders Keepers, and the outrageous sequel, Genius de Milo, all with Crazy 8 Press.

Russ lives in West Orange, NJ, with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ is now at work on the final book in the Finders Keepers trilogy.

As a matter of full disclosure, readers should not be surprised if Russ spontaneously teleports in a blast of white light followed by screaming fluorescent color and the feeling of being sucked through a tornado. It’s just how he gets around — windier than the bus, for sure, but much quicker.

His latest book is the science fiction novel, Genius De Milo.
For More Information

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I’m married with four-year-old twins – my little ninjas. A boy and a girl. We were living in Queens, NY, until about 18 months ago, and now we live in West Orange, NJ, so it’s back to the suburbs. And I’ve got a birthday coming up – 44 in May. Yikes. How did that happen?

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Hempstead, but grew up mostly in Merrick, both on Long Island.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

One great memory I have is a picnic I went to when I was about nine or so – I believe at Eisenhower Park on Long Island. I went with a friend of mine, someone I’m still friends with today. We ate corn on the cob and sausages and watermelon, and I hit a home run in softball where I slid under the tag at home plate. I’m not actually sure if I was safe or not, but the call went my way, so it was awesome.

That was a good day.

When did you begin writing?
I started tinkering with stories as early as the 4th grade, got serious for a while in high school, and then again in college. By the time I was in my mid-late 20s I started throwing myself into it full bore. I also became a journalist along the way, so I’ve been writing my entire adult life.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

Predominantly at night, after my kids go to bed. I used to write early in the morning, but since I became a dad, that’s not really possible.

What is this book about?

My debut novel Finders Keepers is loosely based on a series of backpacking trips I took through Europe and New Zealand, set against a quest for a jar that contains the Universe's DNA.
My newest book, Genius de Milo, is the second book in the trilogy, where our bumbling backpacking heroes Jason Medley and Theo Barnes are once again tasked with retrieving a radioactive jar filled with the Universe’s DNA … before it wipes out the galaxy.
Genius de Milo (and Finders Keepers) is for fans of authors such as Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Christopher Moore, and movies and TV shows such as Harold & Kumar, Bill & Ted, Hot Tub Time Machine, Time Bandits, Quantum Leap, Groundhog Day, Northern Exposure, and Third Rock from the Sun.
And whereas Finders Keepers was set predominantly in Europe and New Zealand, the action in Genius de Milo has shifted mostly to the U.S. And, of course, there's lots going on in Eternity, the 'cosmic' realm where the Universe is created.
So for Genius de Milo, think Midnight Run meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy


What inspired you to write it?                                             

It’s the second book in the series, which wasn’t always inevitable. When I wrote Finders Keepers, in my mind it was a single, stand-alone novel. But I left it open-ended in case I thought of something later.

Which I did!

But I wrote Genius de Milo with the understanding that it needed to work on three levels: as a satisfying, self-contained novel that new readers can enjoy even if they haven’t read Finders Keepers; as the second novel in the Finders Keepers trilogy that both continues and enhances the overall narrative and individual story arcs; and structurally as a lead-in to the final, upcoming novel that will conclude the trilogy.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My wife. Her total faith in me makes it easier to keep on going, even when it’s difficult. She gives me my space to do what I need to do.

Are you a member of a critique group? If no, who provides feedback on your work?

I used to belong to critique groups –- including one I started and ran -– but they really don’t work for me, because as a novelist I want feedback all at once on the entire manuscript. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much unworkable when you are sharing the group time among various writers.

Instead I work with 2 or 3 trusted beta readers who give me the kind of feedback I need. Two of them are great at calling b.s. on me whenever something doesn’t seem to work, make sense, or has gaps in logic. Another is great about structure and pacing. And then I hire an excellent copy editor to go through the manuscript line by line, word by word, to make sure there are no spelling mistakes, bad grammar, etc.

If you’re getting feedback like, “I like that,” or “I didn’t like that,” or “you’re great,” then to me it’s not helpful. I need –- and believe what all writers need –- is specific, technical notes that go towards a clean, tight manuscript.

Nothing wrong with getting some cheerleader-type feedback, but if that’s all you’re getting, it will be very difficult to improve your manuscript, or as a writer.

Who is your favorite author?

My favorites include Kurt Vonnegut and David McCullough, but if I had to pick just one I’d say Christopher Moore. To my mind he’s the consistently funniest author of our generation. If we’re including all fiction writers I’d add comic book creators Alan Moore, Kurt Busiek, and Frank Miller in his prime.

Do you have an agent or are you looking for one?

I had an agent, but with the shift in the industry it hasn’t been as necessary for me to work with one. I’m open to working with my agent again –- or a new agent –- but for the time being I don’t feel any pressure to go that route.

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

When I published Finders Keepers in October 2010 … I didn’t know it then, but it was right before e-books took over the market … and also in the middle of what turned out to be the biggest economic downturn in a century. Ouch.

Three different publishers wanted Finders Keepers, but they were gun-shy at the time because of the economy. So I went with a small indie publisher, Three Finger Prints, with success right away.

I was able to land a national distribution contract (uncommon for a first-time author), with Finders Keepers carried by several Barnes & Noble stores throughout the U.S. Finders Keepers also received very supportive write-ups, including one reviewer who said I belong in a group that includes Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Christopher Moore. I have to say, that was pretty cool.

And then right after Finders Keepers debuted, e-books revolutionized the way readers consume novels, and since then, for authors it’s been a new and ever-changing world. I wound up reprinting Finders Keepers through Crazy 8 Press so that I now have my entire catalogue under one imprint, and control all of the rights.

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

Hell yes! I would have pushed to finish my book about a year earlier -- before I  had my kids! LOL! I also would have done an initial POD print run instead of making a bulk order. I’ve moved a lot of my original copies, but it wasn’t necessary to print so many.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?


Do you have a video trailer to promote your book?  If yes, where can readers find it?


What is the best investment you have made in promoting your book?

I hired a terrific illustrator to produce a series of character cards, which you can see here.


I’ve sold many books as a result, particularly when I showcase them at signings.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Be clear with yourself about what you hope to accomplish. Writing and then getting published are exciting accomplishments you should be proud of. But selling books is quite another side of things, and there’s no way to know how many – or how few – books you will ultimately sell.

If you are going in with the idea that you’re going to make lots of money, well … I wish you tons of luck. But as they say, don’t quit your day job!

What is up next for you?

I’ll be doing a bunch of signings and appearances this year, while I write the third and final book in the Finders Keepers trilogy, due out in the second half of 2016. I’ll also be contributing a short story to Pangaea, the alternate world anthology from my partners and me at Crazy 8 Press, and was successfully funded through Kickstarter. Pangaea will be out in the fall of 2015.