Rated M for Mature

Pardon my rant, but this is a subject that been eating at me for several days and I can no longer keep my mouth shut. If you know me, you know how difficult it is for me to not voice my opinion on subjects that matter to me.

Like most people these days, I have a Facebook account and a Twitter account. My Facebook account is filled with family and friends and some people I have met along my journey there. I usually keep my statuses and comments pretty "clean". Sure, there is an occasional sexual innuendo, or an "Fbomb" used here and there, (it IS my favorite word after all) but overall I know who's reading and I keep that in mind.

Twitter, on the other hand, is whole different story. If my Facebook is PG-13, well, then my Twitter is NC-17. It's my place to be myself. I don't concern myself with my followers. You chose to follow me. If you did, it's probably because you read one of my tweets and either 1. thought it was funny, 2. know we have several people we follow or follow us in common, 3. we have similar interests or 4. you want to share you work (books, movies, music) with me.
See, on Twitter, I can be a PR tornado, slamming through people's timelines, spreading information about the latest and greatest I have seen, heard, or read. I follow several authors, some (ok, a lot) of whom are writers of erotic fiction (what can I say, I'm a horny gal).

Getting back to my point, a lot of what I post on Twitter may not be suitable for everyone. That not only applies to the real conservative, who may gasp at my comment about a sexual position or cringe at a review I post of a sexy erotic novel I just finished. I will "Retweet" a post or picture I find especially hilarious and want to share and it may be sexually explicit or use the work "Fuck". I may use it myself-in fact, I guarantee I will. Several times a day. So if you don't like that shit, I suggest you don't follow. I can't keep track of every person that decides to follow me, but if I happen to catch it, I will check out their little bio sometimes. I have warned a few people I have come across, that  I may not the best choice of a follow. I have blocked any kids under 18. I even got to the point where I posted a "18+ please" disclaimer on my home page.

Now, I feel that I should not have to censor myself for the benefit of others. I am, afterall, a grown woman. I think it's my right to post whatever the hell I choose. Nobody makes someone follow them. I don't ASK people to follow me (well, except for Adam Levine, but that's a separate blog post on it's own).

So what do you think? How do you handle these things? Let me know (or don't). It doesn't matter anyway because I have my opinion and Redheads Know Best.

HEAVEN SENT COVER REVEAL

When author E. Van Lowe decided to do the cover reveal for his upcoming novel, HEAVEN SENT, he wanted a few bloggers to help him spread the word. As a "Fran" (that's friend and fan) of E's work,  I am proud to be one of those participating.

Before I get to the reveal,  I'd like to tell you a bit about the author, E. Van Lowe and the book itself.
For those that don't know, E is a young adult author that has written for award-winning television shows such as The Cosby Show and Even Stevens. His first YA novel was Never Slow Dance With A Zombie and most recently, he has released The Zombie Always Knocks Twice, which is book number one in his HOLLYWEIRD SERIES.

Heaven Sent is book three in the Falling Angels Saga. The first two, Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel  have  spent several months on Amazon's top 100 sellers list and both were listed among the Top 10 Children's books on Amazon in March of 2012.


So now without further delay, I present the cover of HEAVEN SENT by E. Van Lowe

Isn't it beautiful? I think so. I also wouldn't feel right if I didn't give credit to Adara Rosalie, who designed the cover as well as the covers for the first two books. Adara has done an outstanding job and has helped E land on several Goodreads lists, including Best Book Covers of 2011 and Favorite Book Covers of 2011.

Here is a look at all three covers:

As an extra special treat, E has let me present you with the back cover blurb, so you can have a little tease of what it's about.


WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Readers who devoured Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel will be captivated by the third book in the Falling Angels series.

As Summer break for Glendale Union high begins, heartsick Megan awaits Guy's return while struggling to control her emerging abilities.  Love is in the air, but can the new loves in Megan, Maudrina, Suze and Aunt Jaz's life be trusted?

Nothing is what it seems. Meanwhile, the Satanists are set to hatch their most diabolical scheme ever, and if it comes to pass, Satan may finally win out.

Megan has precious little time to unravel the cryptic message hidden in the riddle she received at the end of Earth Angel. If she doesn't, the life of someone most dear to her will be lost forever and Megan may yet find herself living in HELL.

"The third book in E. Van Lowe's Falling Angels Saga is his most thrilling yet."

HEAVEN SENT is due to be released in December 2012.

Heaven Sent Cover Teaser

I am pleased to announce that tomorrow I will be included in a a group on bloggers that will be revealing the new cover for E.Van Lowe's upcoming book Heaven Sent.
Just to tease you a bit (I am a teaser) I have this little hint at what it looks like.

Enjoy and please comeback tomorrow to see the full cover. I think it's absolutely stunning, as are all the book covers in this series.

Just What ARE The Benefits to being "friends with benefits"

Earlier today, a friend of mine on Facebook posted  about how even though a girl may agree to a "friends with benefits" relationship, she still doesn't want to be treated like a whore.

This, of course, caused many comments on the subject to emerge. One guy said if she expects you to wine and dine her, she's a whore. Another commenter said if she is fine with just sex alone, she is a slut, but if she wants to be given gifts, she's a whore.

Me, being me, had to put my own 2 cents in. I stated that I happened to agree with the original post. If 2 people can mutually agree to a  sex-only situation, there is nothing wrong with it. I have had them in the past but was always treated with respect. One guy I was dating sleeping with was a good friend. We didn't exactly click romantically on a date, so we agreed to be friends. With benefits. But it wasn't just about the sex.

 We would do things all friends do. See a movie, have dinner, hang out. I even checked up on his dog when he was out of town. We just happened to sometimes end up having sex as well. I didn't have a problem with it. We were both single and not sleeping with anyone else. We agreed that if we ever were to sleep with another person, we would tell each other. We even gave each other dating advice.
I didn't have any fantasies that we would some day fall madly in love and neither did he.

He even set me up with one of his good friends and I ended up dating him for a while. Eventually, we both found significant others and the sex ended. After a while, we lost touch. It was fun while it lasted, and I don't feel sad or upset because of it.

One girl read my post and told me that she had tried a similar situation with her EX and it was just like when they were dating. Only thing was they didn't see each other as much. Oh yeah, and he didn't LOVE her. She said that after 1 year and  1/2 he couldn't love her.
Um, sweetie? that is why you don't make this kind of arrangement with an ex. It will never work. You can't have a "fuck buddy" you were once in a relationship with. One of you most likely still has feelings for the other (probably the one who got dumped) and at some point will end up getting hurt. All.Over.Again. Why would you even put yourself through that?

I explained this to her and said how I didn't LOVE this guy and he didn't LOVE me. Not before the friendship and not after. That is the point of the whole thing. To have someone to enjoy the benefits of a sexual relationship and friendship without the complications of a romantic one. She asked if I could "control love". I said that I could not, but I didn't at any point love this guy, nor did I want to. If for some reason I did find myself falling for him, I would have ended it. Not to mention that I would never even try to be "friends with benefits" with any of my exes. Believe me-there would be NO benefits to that.

I guess she didn't get the point. In my situation, I was having a good time with Mr. Right Now, until Mr. Right came along. With her, she was trying to win back her ex. Not the same thing.

So in conclusion, there is nothing wrong with 2 consenting adults having a relationship based solely on sexual activity. If you also are inclined to enjoy dinner, movies, and other friendly adventures, that makes it better. It doesn't make you a whore. If the guy is treating you like a whore, then you shouldn't stay in that situation. Unless, of course, you like being a whore. Then by all means, keep on with it.
The important thing is not to try this with your ex. It will only end in heartache. Unless your ex is really cool and you are still on a talking basis and just on rare occasions get together for a good shag. But if you are thinking the "friends with benefits" thing will get him to take you back, you are wrong. Clearly, if you are broken up, there was a reason and that reason still exists. Don't lower your self esteem only to get your heart broken all over again. This advice can also work for guys.

Trust me because Redheads Know Best.