Jokes: Decency Is Not Passivity; Our Voice Is Our Power.

Every nail that we drive into the coffin of Donald Trump's wretched presidency counts. And that includes jokes. We are in a fight for our lives, our dignity, our democracy -- and that of our children and their children. Nothing is off the table.

Our voices show history that we are not passive instruments of injustice, that we resisted. And we persisted. And we stood up for what is right.

To those who want us roll over and play dead? Take this atrocious, Mafia-like presidency with its attendant daily wretched parody played by a cast of crooks, murderers and liars and be silent? Never gonna happen.

Silence is complicity. We will speak. We will joke. We will laugh.

The Danger of Kanye West...

A flesh-eating zombie comes to your house. "It" used to be your friend, brother, sister, mother, father...USED TO BE, Do you do the brave thing -- blow its brains out, put it out of its misery, or do you invite it to dine, and become its dinner?

Same thing with a vampire. A former buddy ol' pal, lover, husband. FORMER. DO YOU DO THE RIGHT THING. THE HARD THING. DRIVE A STAKE IN ITS HEART. END THE SORROW. Or do you invite it in, Support it. Show loyalty. And let it feast on you blood. And those you love.  Let it drain you --and others. Become its food.

Nothing happens without your consent. Kanye West has shown you who he is. If you buy his products, you're giving tacit consent to being his food.

And food -- has no rights.

Think about it.

And be careful whom you marry -- or make your hero. When others no longer act in cohesion with higher principles, FORGET THEM; when your guard dog becomes your enemy's pet it's time to put him down.

Kanye West's bruised giant ego: President Obama as First Black President of the United States of America in order to demonstrate a sense of fair play and unity, chastised Kanye West's grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift; so now Kanye West supports Donald Trump, a false president, a brutish lout  who gives free rein to racist White Power,  neo-Nazis -- and hates the better man, a man whose shoes he is not fit to lick, President Obama.  GET IT?  President Obama chastised Kanye West's actions against Taylor Swift so Kanye embraces his enemy. And damn of of you,  your children, your dreams for a better future. Because Kanye's little feelings were hurt. Sound familiar to Trump's approach much? Birds of a feather do flock together. And how.

Good luck, John Legend & Chrissy Teigen, Chance the Rapper, T.I. One thing: Just like Donald Trump? Kanye West's "friends" have a short shelf life. Just dent his ego and like Jay-Z (who famously lent Kanye 20 million dollars) you're toast. History.

If one penny of yours went to buy that MAGA hat of his, or in any way makes it to Donald Trump (because you bought Kanye West's brand of Kool-aid) more fool you. What "creative genius." Kanye slings it around like he's the only purveyor and keeper of it. PLEASE.

Everyone is creative, Kanye. People used to buy your stuff -- so you shit on them? MAGA THIS, Jackass. President Obama was right. 

Oh, "Aunt Viv" You'd Be The First...

Janet Hubert DOES NOT love Will Smith. In fact, in the twenty or so years since Fresh Prince has gone off the air, Janet Hubert has nursed a hatred so powerful of Will Smith that it extends to his wife, and no doubt to his children...

How do I know this? Well, let's look back to Janet Hubert's iconic role, that of "Aunt Viv" of Fresh Prince, when Aunt Viv introduced America (and the world) to a SEXY, dark-skinned black MOTHER. Oh, there have been sexy black women, and there have been dark-skinned black women, and one or two have transcended and been sexy, dark-skinned... but sexy,dark-skinned, educated AND maternal? Honey, Aunt Viv broke the mold.

And we loved her. Then she disappeared. We mourned. Fresh Prince went on, and was good, but never the same again.

When Janet Hubert resurfaced, it was to tell the world that her dismissal from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. It was a sad, sordid tale, and no doubt there was blame to go all around. Will Smith was a young man, and a star already --popular, charming, rich, a rapper--when he joined an ensemble cast as the star. He was the main attraction. That alone would go to anyone's head. And apparently, the whole cast went with him on the firing of Janet Hubert. But here's the thing: Will Smith experienced a devastating broken heart. It made him a better man.

Janet Hubert, on the other hand, has not been seen  anything else (to my knowledge) and here --in her behavior and demeanor, we can see why. She is bitter. She is hateful. She has never once, except to say that she went through severe mood changes during and after her pregnancy ON Fresh Prince, accepted responsibility in the firing. And she still harbors an earth-core deep hatred of Will Smith, so much so that...

Jada Pinkett-Smith, who has had nothing bad to say about Janet, and perhaps has nothing but love for "Aunt Viv" is now on the receiving end of Janet's vitriol. What did Jada do?

Nothing, except have a Rosa Parks moment in calling for a boycott of  the #OscarsSoWhite 2016. Janet Hubert responded with a nauseating mendacious rebuttal mention "poor people having to pay bills." Oh yes, the ubiquitous "poor people". Let's not improve their lives, whatsoever. Let's keep them in scraps, content to "pay bills". You know what, Janet Hubert? You should be ashamed of yourself.

Because "Aunt Viv" would have been the FIRST to call for an Oscar boycott; and would have applauded Jada Pinkett-Smith. Aunt Viv is a better person than YOU, Janet Hubert. And that is my opinion: "Aunt Viv" I love -- this Janet Hubert person... Who is she? NOT "Aunt Viv", by any measure.

Can't "Keep A Man"? Here's Why...

I am going to be as blunt as possible. I may even use an imprecation or two... Most of you who've ever used the phrase "She can't keep a man" will have to use the dictionary to look up the word IMPRECATION, because you're all ignorant fucks,

What man who can be kept is worth keeping???

Don't answer that, because some of you are in "relationships" that are nothing short of vehicles of a cycle of abuse, shame, bad sex and lonely nights with cheating, lying scumbags, but you write on Social Media about how Halle Berry "cannot keep a man." Here's news for you: When a man stops putting an effort in your relationship, it's time for him to go. And maybe it h'as something to do with you; maybe it has something to do with him-- it doesn't change the fact that the relationship no longer suits you.

And if you're a woman, evolving, growing, transcending as time goes on, the problem is not you.

In a growing relationship, a man keeps a woman feeling that she's important to him. When he fucks up, he SHOWS her that he's sorry about it. He's got her back, and he trusts himself to be his best to her, and he is always showing up for that "dance" that is theirs, alone.

When a man stops doing that, he's telling you something, and you should listen. Does he want to work on it? Does he follow up his words with action?

If a man needs to be "kept", he's not a man, PERIOD.

Here's why I think the phrase "keep a man" is bullshit. Every woman I see who uses the phrase, with all seriousness, has some serious self-esteem issues, and herself is desperately hanging on to someone.

Now which woman of substance does that? Tell me.

No woman in a good relationship EVER talks about "keeping a man", because she's in a dynamic partnership where she feels cherished and loved and she gives love in return. She knows just how much it's magic and discovery and work at the same time because she has a willing, loving, caring partner who can be hurt by her actions--just as he is aware of how important her happiness is to him.

Women in relationships where they make compromises are the ones who talk about "keeping a man" because they put up with bullshit and bend and twist and sway, indulging a selfish human being who stays only because he knows she puts up with his shit, and he has a certain amount that he can get away with. He's comfortable. That's what is meant by being KEPT. And only women who are afraid of being alone "KEEP"these kind of men. No one of substance, however, WANT them.

Protection 101: Ending Plagiarism -- A Plague On 21st Century Writers' Opportunity

Remember Janet Dailey? She was the writing wunderkind of the 1970’s, 80’s and maybe even 90’s. 

Everyone at my school read Janet Dailey. Her stories were fresh, original, chock-full of details that made you wonder and look at the worlds she presented from a new, more informed perspective. Besides, she was a whiz with research. Janet Dailey was also one of the first writers to present the trilogies and ongoing sagas.  

I challenge you to read Legacies...one of her best, and tell me where you have ever read such an amazing, insightful novel on the Civil War, its moral quandaries, its questionable (at the time) vision, and its horrors. And it's a love story to boot.

Janet Dailey may still be writing. Someone with her unquestionable talent and drive certainly is...but not under the name Janet Dailey, which has become mud and synonymous with, as Nora Roberts put it, “mind rape”.  This is because she was found guilty of plagiarism.

Now I am a fan of Nora Roberts. Her “In Death” series, I consider to be one of the very best mashup of crime/romance/suspense/SciFi genres. And she is a writing machine, rivaled only by three other writers: Dean Koontz, Jayne Ann Krentz -- and yours truly, when I’m in the producing mood. 

But notice how clever Nora Roberts was here. She termed Janet Dailey’s plagiarism of her work as “mind rape” a word to strike horror in the minds of women/readers everywhere. Why? Because she did not want it to be taken lightly when another author, especially an established on with a huge fan base--as Janet Dailey’s was--steals from a writer, especially one as prolific as herself. It would be throwing dollars out in the dustbin. And writing, which is solitary, taxing work-- without any credit unless your work sells-- on its own, takes enough from you already.

So what happened? I can tell you what. Nora Roberts burst on the scene after countless tries at getting published. It wasn’t easy for Nora. She first tried her hand at writing out of boredom, she says, after being snowbound with her kids in a house....She had read everything she could lay her hand on, and finding the themes to be somewhat hidebound, thought to herself that she could do just as, or even better than the writers then. Here’s irony: Wanna bet that perhaps Janet Dailey was one of the writers who inspired her?

Well, Nora Robert’s take on romance was fresh and exciting...her love scenes more graphic than previous, and of course, readers devoured her books by the handful. You could not read just one Nora Roberts. You didn’t have to with her prodigious output. Her fan base grew faster than a crop of pre-adolescent acne on a candy-hogging computer jockey’s chin, and before you know it, there came the general perception that she was the “one to beat.” 

Meanwhile, remember Janet Dailey, having come up in the time where you produced one novel every three months or so, according to Mills & Boon/Harlequin/Silhouette’s decrees, was feeling the pressure...and (graphic love scenes never having been her strong suit) succumbed to temptation and cut-and-paste.  Which is why I call it a 21st Century plague. Because before, plagiarists had to put in the work--type manually what they wished to plagiarize. Now, they simply cut-n-paste! For a while, Janet Dailey got away with it. 

But Nora Robert’s fans were legion and avid readers. Not to mention, it was a different time, with the internet and computers making side-by-side comparisons easier than ever before. So guess what? Janet Dailey got caught. And ostracized. A sad end to what could have been an epic challenge-produced stellar turnaround of a sagging career. 

Nowadays, with ebooks, plagiarism is on the rise-- and more marked and yes, bold-faced, than ever. There are webinars & classes which tout "How To Make $30,000 --or so--On Amazon in One Month" ...but they do not teach you how to write. They teach you how to game the system, put in the right catchphrases, eye-catching covers, tag with the most popular keywords, and sell, sell, sell. Is it any wonder some people are simply cribbing the work of the more popular authors, cutting out whole scenes, using the same language, expression and phrasing that have done well before, and putting out other people's work as their own?  But--here's  irony: The very technology which makes it easy to plagiarize, also makes it easier to spot. 

Take a look at some of these examples: Tammara Webber's EASY, plagiarized by Jordin Williams. In fact, groups of untalented, unprincipled people appear now to be copying, wholesale, old Harlequin romances and placing them for sale on Amazon--which is despicable, since the  authors of these novels, plodding on typewriters and old word processors, are single-handedly responsible for the Romance Genre that we have today and should be justly compensated for their work.

Yet what can you do to prevent theft of your intellectual property and prove your work? Well, there  is a plethora of specialized software such as Sourceforge,  and  sites such as Grammarly.com  which can help to detect intellectual property theft.  

For the serious, dedicated author,  who is concerned not just with prevention, and protecting their work, but for receiving just compensation should a plagiarist use one's work and make money off it,  there are a few measures which can eradicate the risk of one's work being stolen, and, should it be necessary to prove your work in court, provide proof on ownership. 

As a prolific writer myself, I take plagiarism very seriously. I would not permit any theft of my work to go unchallenged, even after having allowed my books to be scanned and placed on the Internet via Google, I retain my copyright. 

As a lover of books, I know that no writer who has ever permitted his/her work to be available for free to me, via the Public Library, has ever lost a penny by me. That’s because when I love your work, I am a fan for life. After having read something for free, I want my own copy, or two,  OF EVERYTHING you've written. So I now return the favor. If you’re a book lover and you want to read my books, cost is not a factor. But if you’re a thief? You will rue the day. 

Here’s what I do:  

-I save all manuscripts with DATE OF ORIGIN three ways: On the cloud, on a thumb drive and on my machines. 

-I encode all my books with details of places, people occurrences, particularities unique to me--even some events from my journals. If necessary, I can show when I lived where, and whom of my friends has certain quirks, identifiers as portrayed (with their permission) in my novels.

- I take photos ( most are date-stamped except those taken on impulse) of locations described my books. Two examples posted below: 

-I keep logs of all my research, per book, and sources.

-Ink can be dated. So I write a quick synopsis and/or plot/character ideas in my journal.

-I take other precautions that only I know about. Yes, I have imagination because I am a writer. 

Anyone stealing would be better of just doing your own, no matter how crappy. Because coming up against me, damn you; you will lose. 

It is incumbent upon any writer to protect their work. Why? Because it’s YOURS. There’s no better reason than that!

And for those plagiarists, would/be thieves who think ebooks is a quick way to make a buck? Admittedly, with an eye-catching cover and great promotion, yes, it is. Which is why it is abysmally STUPID to steal. Because all that money, with a proper legal procedure, goes BACK to the person whom you stole from. So why do it?

Get a ghostwriter instead. You know that writer you admire so much? Ask them to do something for you. Pay them upfront or split royalties. You’ll STILL make gobs of money. And one thing more....

You will sleep better at night. I promise. 

SETTING FOR BLOODPACT

 SETTING FOR RAYNE HAWKE: THE KILLING FIELDS: DUSK 'TIL SUNRISE

Grammarly

Trayvon Martin's Spiritual Legacy

Trayvon Martin's Spiritual Legacy

Those who've sorrowed and have been moved to do what they can--and will--so it does not happen again , will see blessings.

The most shameful thing about the Zimmerman Trial's verdict is that this man* (Zimmerman) gets to create a narrative about a youth which is clearly a lie. He knows it. We (all) know it. He knows we know it. And we know that he knows we know it. And we can sense, through the ether, his smug, satisfied, sardonic smirk.

Zimmerman lied to save his skin after a heinous and criminal action that he did not accept responsibility for.

Trayvon Martin is now a martyr. Like the disciple Stephen in the New Testament (Holy Bible), may his martyrdom serve as a turning point in history regarding the fate of all young black men (and women) in the way they are treated, regarded and respected: by (primarily) law enforcement officials, the law, security personnel, correctional representatives, vigilantes and humanity.

There is a rip in the Esoteric plane. The demons rejoice at yet another example of humanity's ineptitude at justice--and our own cruelty to one another. That this verdict was rendered by a panel of women is more reason for their celebration*-- however, these women do not necessarily represent us, or women kind.

Those who've rejoiced over the "not guilty" verdict have very little time before seeing the darkness of it creep into their lives. Those who've sorrowed and have been moved to do what they can--and will--so it does not happen again , will see blessings.

And in the end, history will judge us--and the principals in this-- as the tide of human progress inexorably moves us toward the only conclusion, the one we're designed for. We are higher creatures of consciousness and those of us fortunate enough to be born in the skin* where we must grow in order to transcend difficulties thrown at us find advancing easier than these who find it in their material benefit to remain less enlightened.

Nevertheless for all who chose it--and who chooses spiritual elevation--will look back on this day as a time of demarcation in our souls, a catapulting forward in attainment of heightened spiritual growth and the blessings--  (*I must increase, and he decrease...)-- that will flow into our lives with abundance; they will be a force to be reckoned with forever--and never cease.

This is my blessing to you, to me & mine, to all of us. AH-YAH-AH.

A Change is Gonna Come