Time got away from me which is 50% my fault and 50% my son’s fault for daring to call me to chat and throwing me off my stride That’s my official excuse for a quick Wednesday post.

Characters quirks make help make heroes, heroines and secondary characters, recognizable, relatable and interesting. They also develop a character’s emotional arc, but that’s a deeper (longer) post. This is more for fun today. I’m going to use Eve Dallas from J.D. Robb’s “In Death” series because those books are recognizable in some form to the majority of readers. I’m going to skip over her childhood trauma which is Eve’s motivation for most of her life decisions, and stick to quirks–those smaller, but recognizable traits that, when added together, make us unique as individuals. For Eve, what amuses me and keeps drawing me back to her in the series, is her “literal thinking”.

I can think of two examples. Keep in mind, I’m simplifying a really complex and well-done character to boil it down to amusing quirks. And these are “my” interpretation of the character. Each reader has their own interpretation

1. Eve is a “literal thinker” meaning that she interprets things, well, literally. To her, words should mean the dictionary definition, so when she the comes across idioms like the Pot Calling the Kettle Black or Raining Cats and Dogs or Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch, she’s confounded. She’s always questioning the logic of the sayings, and it cracks me up every time. I look for these little conversational asides to pop up in each of the “in death” books I read. They are also great ways to give readers a little break from tension.
2. The second one is Eve’s “Marriage Rules.” In Eve’s childhood, she didn’t have any healthy relationships or a good marriages to teach her the meaning of love, and the obligations that go with loving a person. She’s so confused by little things like calling to let her spouse know she’s late but alive, buying gifts, couple friends or a million other little things most of us learn growing up. Eve’s solution is to creates a mental list she calls the Marriage Rules. To her, it’s a mental guide to navigating marriage for not hurting her or angering her husband out of ignorance. I love those rules. Eve really hasn’t grasped that the fact that she created the rules alone shows her love for her husband. It’s also a great way to show a character’s emotional arc, and keep them interesting.

Those are some quirks I love in romance novel characters. Now it’s your turn to share quirks that you love.

My weekend rated a Pleasantly Busy Seal of Approval.

Saturday I made Bailey’s Hot Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes I made for my daughter-in-law’s birthday:

This set has Bailey’s Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This set has Chocolate Ganache Icing

Then we went to their house. It was a lovely afternoon of visiting them, having barbequed hamburgers, and playing with the dogs. Special K dropped by with our grandson, Turbo. It was adorable watching three-year-old Turbo playing with their dogs. They have two pit mixes; Hazel is about 40 pounds and her nature is very gentle. Turbo threw her toy for her and they had a blast. Jett is about 70 pounds, and one of the most confident and balanced dogs I’ve ever met. However, because of his size, they are more cautious with him around Turbo. Jett’s really good with kids in general, but he doesn’t realized he could hurt Turbo if he bumped into him too hard, and he’d most definitely lick his face. In fact, he did mange to lick him a couple times, and Turbo laughed. Since Turbo has three dogs of his own, he’s used to doggy kisses.

Middle Son and Daughter in law were telling us all about a huge charity event they were a involved in last weekend to help very sick kids in the hospital. They do this every year. My daughter-in-law also does a lot of work for a dog rescue. I love hearing about their passion and dedication to making a difference, and I love that my daughter-in-law recognized this generous, caring side of our son, and helped him direct that energy into such worthy causes.

Sunday I made lactose free double chocolate chip cookies for Youngest, then went over there to see him. He’s also working 7 days a week during tax time. I got to see his two dogs (y’all know I love all the dogs, LOL), and see his new nail gun. He LOVES his tools, and is pretty good with them too. He also showed me his various work benches, because of course, you need more than one.  All forms of carpentry is how he decompresses from the daily work of tax and wealth management.

For anyone intersted in lactose-free cookies: I do it by substituting lactose free margarine for butter, and non dairy dark chocolate chips (I use the brand “Enjoy Life” dark chocolate chips), and I make sure the cocoa is 100% cocoa with no milk added. Once I make the dough, I chill it, use a cookie scoop to form the cookies, and put those in the free for 10 to 20 minutes right before putting them in a hot oven to bake. That prevents the lactose free butter from spreading too much, and gives the cookies a soft, almost brownie-like consistency.

That was my very chocolatey weekend, now I’d really love to hear about yours!

Sorry for the late post! I had it set up correctly, but it glitched and didn’t post

TGIF! Let’s jump into sharing 5 random things about our week.

1. Yesterday Turbo and Special K came over and spent the day here. It turns out that when Turbo says, “Grandma will you play with me?” I will crawl all over the house playing cars. My car is the bad guy trying to escape and Turbo’s car is the police. I may be crippled when I try to get out of bed this morning, but when Turbo says, “Grandma…” I melt and do whatever he wants. That laughter you hear in the background is Special K cracking up because Grandma will do anything Turbo wants (I love her so much! And she’s awesome to drive all the way out here and spend the day with us.)
2. This whole week has been a game of Catch Up and I’m losing It’s nothing bad, just one of those weeks where life is happening faster than I’m moving, LOL.
3. I took Maggie in for her recheck after the bladder stones, and her PH is still high enough to be concerning. I’m a little surprised, but we’re going to try a round of meds and see if that helps. I’ll start her on the meds today and give it 30 days. I’m also going to be more diligent about giving her distilled or filtered water.
4. Maggie got pounced on by another off leash dog this week. In this case, it was a silly young German shepherd. He didn’t mean harm, but he’s twice Maggie’s size (Maggie’s fine). I’m just over it. We’ve had a very serious dog attack in our family just about two weeks ago (I can’t talk about it because authorities are involved) but I’m too angry to even deal with irresponsible owners.
5. This weekend, we are going to see Middle Son and his wife for her birthday. And I get to visit my two grandpups, I’m so looking forward to spending time with all them!

That’s my week, now I’d love to hear about yours! I hope you all have a great weekend!

I was scrolling through my FB feed, and saw an author upset at a scene in a book she read that was a “trigger” for her. She was mad that the book did not come with a Trigger Warning.

For clarification, a trigger warning is a statement alerting the reader to content that may be upsetting or disturbing. For instance, if the book has rape, rough sex scenes or unexpected violence. This allows someone who may have PTSD from a past traumatic event to avoid a book that may “trigger” them.

It’s a nice idea, sure. But is it realistic? I have questions:

1. Who defines what will upset each reader who picks up my book? Is killing an animal something that needs a trigger warning? What if it’s a beast from hell? Or a creature a demon witch raised from old bones? Does that need a trigger warning?
2. How much responsibility does the author have?
3. How much responsibility does the reader have?
4. Should authors change with the times?

Who defines which book needs a trigger warning?

I have returned exactly one book to Amazon for content. I read the first chapter in which the main character mentally made fun of a woman for the way she walked on her prosthetic foot. He made clear in his thoughts he was fully aware that she was an amputee. I slammed the book closed and never read another word. I returned that book for a refund because I couldn’t live with that book earning any of my money.

But what kind of trigger warning would that book possibly have? The hero is a disgusting bully? An amputee is disrespected? How about, Jennifer Lyon this book is not for you?

That last one sounds silly, but it illustrates a point. Each of us can read the same scene and have entirely different reactions. It happens all the time. What if that character I assumed was the hero of the story turned out to be attacked by a pack of rabid coyotes and the woman saved him? And a result, he grows a heart and soul and learns how to be a real human being?

I’ll never know. I personally reacted so badly, I couldn’t read another world. But others may not have been affected the same way. Many may had been cheering his downfall and feel a measure of satisfaction at seeing it—if that’s what happened.

I think there’s a careful line to be walked here. First and foremost, if an author thinks there’s something in the book that needs a trigger warning, then that’s totally the author’s prerogative. I put at the bottom of my trilogies that the books are part of a trilogy. I feel readers deserve to know that. I suppose that’s a trigger warning of sorts. Many readers feel they’ve been burned by buying a book they think is a full length story, only to discover it’s only the first book in a trilogy. To me, that’s reasonable.

I’ve also warned of steamy sex scenes. I don’t like the idea of some reader expecting a “clean” (hate that term) romance picking up mine.

I loathe the idea of some entity out there deciding which books must come with trigger warnings. Reading is so subjective. What if some entity or governing body of trigger warnings decided that my hating the book meant we should warn readers that the book contains an amputee? I’d hate that a hell of a lot more than I did that book. That’s a terrible form of discrimination that casts blame on the amputee, rather than the bully.

I don’t want to go down that revolting slippery slope.

How much responsibility does the author have?

I worried about scenes in my Savaged Illusions Series trigging some readers. In my view, that series walked the line between romance and a little bit of woman’s fiction because it does have tragedy in it. A woman struggles with memories of a trauma, and I chose not to put a trigger warning in because it would have also been a spoiler. It’s a tough call.

One way around that is to put clues in the blurb of the book. For instance, in Savaged Dreams, book one of the Savaged Illusions Series, I have a sentence that reads: At fourteen years old, she survived an attack by a famous musician. I felt that gave a decent hint that her past was dark and potentially problematic for some readers.

The author has responsibility to give readers an idea of the book they are buying, and a blurb is an excellent tool, along with the cover and marketing material. But she or he should not be forced to put in a list of trigger warnings like lawyers warning of side effects in a pharmaceutical commercial.

How much responsibility does the reader have?

I wish I could remember if I read the blurb of the one book I returned to Amazon in disgust. Did I do my part in figuring out if that book was for me before I bought it?

If I didn’t, I should have. Readers have a responsibility too. I have a pretty good idea of the types of books I like and dislike. For example, despite being a Christian by faith, I don’t read or judge books marketed as Christian Romance (or whatever the current jargon is). While I’ve read some I enjoyed, I’ve also found others triggered some bad memories. It’s nothing at all against the genre or authors, and as an author I support those writers one hundred percent.

I just don’t want to read the books to force me to relive a painful past that includes the death of someone I loved. I recognize my trigger and respect it. But if I don’t take the time to at least read the blurb, then get annoyed because I end up reading what I didn’t want to—that’s on me.

The reader does have some responsibility too.

Should authors change with the times?

This one is so tricky. It’s like arguing political correctness which is open to wildly varying interpretations. All I can do here is give you my view. Remember I mentioned the reader who was venting about a book not having a trigger warning? Despite not fully agreeing with her, I read every word of her rant. Why? Because I care about readers. I listen when readers have complaints, even when it’s not about my book specifically. I care so much, I’m writing this blog.

But I have to balance that against things like giving away spoilers in the plot or feeling censored by a list of required warnings. It’s a balancing act. I will continue listening and if I see the readers are consistently asking for more warnings up front, then yes, I’m willing to change with the times.

What are your thoughts on trigger warnings?

We had beautiful weather this weekend, slightly coolish and with some clouds. Perfect for walking, so Maggie and I made the most of it. We were able to get into the field since the construction workers aren’t there on the weekends. I’m actually surprised they didn’t have a guard there since they leave heavy equipment and tractors, but Maggie and I really enjoyed it.

Otherwise, I made some cookies, did errands and avoided writing. I hope that just walking away for a few days will help me, we’ll see when I go back to it today. But avoiding writing has helped me clean bathrooms, bake, clean out a closet, dust a couple blinds, buy some sunglasses after wearing badly scratched ones for years and order a couple shirts and one-piece bathing suit…LOL.

That was my weekend, how was yours?

TGIF! Let’s jump into sharing five random things about our week.

1. I’m procrastinating on my book, so I keep filling online shopping carts, then deleting them.
2. Wizard has car fever. It’s a chronic, reoccurring condition with him. I’ve yet to find a cure
3. Wizard got his second Covid shot, and had one day of mild aches and fatigue. He slept a lot but didn’t have a headache or fever and his appetite was fine. I’d call that a minor reaction. The following day he was back to normal.
4. I am so very grateful to my local pharmacy tech and pharmacist for helping me get the first Covid vaccine. The way California is prioritizing things leaves a lot of high risk people like me falling through the cracks. The short version of this story is my awesome pharmacy called me when they had an extra dose available and I rushed down there to get it. I am so very grateful to them. The following day (yesterday), all I had was a sore arm so no big deal.
5. I’m accidentally listening to a zombie book. It was a freebie on Audible, and I thought it was a man struggling with PTSD, not zombies, LOL! But I got sucked in. And here’s the interesting thing–the book was released on Amazon in 2011 and on audio in 2014. It’s a dystopian world where he’s savaging for food and supplies. Guess what he calls “gold” when scavenging?? Toilet paper! Before the Covid pandemic, I had no clue the true value of toilet paper :-). Or maybe I’m just easily amused. Plus I find it hilarious that I’m listening to a zombie book when I have zero interest in zombies.

Not sure what the weekend will bring, but that’s my five random things. Now I’d love to hear yours! I hope each of you has a wonderful and safe weekend!

I have a blog half written, but didn’t get it finished so I’ll post it next week This week I thought we’d just chat about Too Stupid To Live Heroines.

Most often, I hear readers getting annoyed at heroine’s for hearing a noise and going in the basement to check it out. Um…I that heroine, LOL! So when we lived in our other house, and the kids were little, we had a lot of winds. Sometimes a gate to a tiny side yard didn’t get latched, and it would bang in the wind. It was actually a terrifying sound. Long story short, Wizard would ignore it and sleep, but I had to go out into the night, cross the patio onto the grass and circle around the entire house where it’s pitch black dark, to make sure it was the gate banging and latch it. By the time I got there, my heart would be thumping louder than the gate, and fear-sweat would prickle my neck and armpits.

Some people would call that Too Stupid To Live.

But to me, it made sense. It was mentally easier to get up and live through a couple minutes of being scared to make sure the noise was the gate, than to lay there for hours and let my brain concoct horrendous scenarios of serial killers and vampires. (That’s what I get for reading Salem’s Lot by Stephen King when I was a teenager).

Plus I was going to rip that gate off the hinges and throat punch a serial killer if either of them woke the kids

See? Totally rational. But the book I’m reading right now, I want to strangle the heroine. She has a stalker threatening her, and calls the police when he leaves a scary message written in blood. But she won’t tell them it’s her deranged brother who just got out of prison doing this. I guess she’s so traumatized that she can’t talk about it? Okay I could understand that if she was mentally battling with herself to tell them. But nope, she tells them everything except that. Then a second police-involved incident happens and she once again refuses to tells the cops about her psychotic brother just released from prison. So she either has a major psychological block…but wait! Right after the cops leave, she confides everything about her sick and twisted brother to her useless college-professor boyfriend whose major quality is the way he wears his sleeves rolled up to show his sexy forearms. Huh, so she can talk about it to a hot guy with his sleeves rolled up.

But not to the cops with guns and the resources to actually protect her.

The only reason this book hasn’t turned into a wall banger is that it’s on my Kindle, and I really like my Kindle. I’m going to give this book one more chapter to start making sense. If the boyfriend turns out to be the support she needs to get her butt to the cop shop and clue them in no matter how painful, or at least freaking try to, then I’ll reconsider. But if she tells the boyfriend not to tell, or something equally silly without a clear reason (like her brother always told her he’d kill her parents if she told), then I’ll mentally throw the book against the wall.

That’s my version of a too stupid to live heroine. What’s yours?