tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52977971931864071932024-03-13T08:35:09.363-04:00The Women's RoomSigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-26199324957343716522013-12-24T19:53:00.001-05:002013-12-24T19:53:27.013-05:00One Sentence, Two Prisoners: Movie Review of Orange Is the New Black
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<span lang="EN-US">One Sentence, Two Prisoners<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) has
nothing but time on her hands. She is serving fifteen months for laundering
money for her estranged lover, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), who dealt heroin for
a West African kingpin in the blockbuster Netflix hit, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orange Is the New Black.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orange
Is the New Black</i>, based on the true story and book by Piper Kerman, was
created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Jodie Foster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When we first meet upper-middle-class and
ever so cultured Piper, she is preparing to leave her business, her best
friend, and her adorable fiancé, Larry Bloom, played by Jason Biggs. It is hard
to imagine how she will survive the chaos that awaits her – kind of like
sending Chelsea Clinton off to contend with a Russian mafia cafeteria manager, who
takes offense at one measly comment about her unpalatable food and decides to
starve Piper until she is good and sorry for her faux pas. Meanwhile, cliques,
gangs, lewd male prison officials and every other conceivable kind of terror
abounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Unlike <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i>,
a series about men in prison, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orange Is
the New Black</i> focuses on the female experience. It is a riveting dramedy
made all the more entertaining by the fact that it's real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It also poses the question, who else is
affected by our adverse experiences even when we feel entirely alone? Larry is
an aspiring writer and one day he has a column published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New
York Times</i> about his experience being engaged to an inmate. Neither Larry
nor Piper can truly celebrate his good journalistic fortune because Larry feels
guilty that Piper is still in prison and he is living a normal life where no
one will suddenly attack him with a wrench or throw him into a moving dryer in
the Laundromat, and Piper feels that Larry doesn't know her; he has written
about the old Piper, the person she was before IT happened. Larry doesn't know
the new Piper, who struggles in the estrogen jungle and she takes issue with
the title of his column: "One Sentence, Two Prisoners." Is Larry
really a prisoner, too? He thinks so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Recently I watched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foreverland</i>, a Canadian HBO show about William, a young guy with
cystic fibrosis (Max Thieriot from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bates
Motel</i>), who spent nearly three hours every day doing physical therapy on
his lungs just so he was able to breathe. He hooked up with a girl who
encouraged him to go all the way to Mexico to scatter the ashes of one of their
mutual friends who had just died of CF. Most people with cystic fibrosis don't live
past 21. William made the long trek at great physical cost. At one point he
argued with the girl, who was trying to connect with him. She said to him,
"Do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you </i>think it's easier being
the healthy one?" And he shouted an emphatic yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Yes, it is easier being the one who is not
going to die of cystic fibrosis just as it is easier being the one who can
visit the penal system and get in the newly-washed BMW after a stressful hour
together and go home. But that's not to say that the people who love us and are
involved with us are not deeply affected by our experiences, be that
incarceration or terminal illness. They are profoundly influenced and they have
the right to their own feelings – but they may not get much sympathy by telling
them to the person who is actually imprisoned in a compound or by their body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Orange
Is the New Black</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> is a radically different kind of
TV series. First, it's only available on Netflix and not on TV or DVD. Second,
it focuses on women, and third, it lets us know what most sane people already
realize: the penal institute is failing us. Inmates are disproportionately
people of color, they are not treated humanely or with respect (the new
blacks), there is little protection from violence within the walls, and the
concept of rehabilitation is a joke. These women are just doing their time and
desperately counting the days until they get out. Will they have changed?
Perhaps, but not necessarily for the better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Thanks to the criminalization of marijuana,
the reduction in rehab centers for addictions, which is where sick people belong,
and the large number of illegal immigrants in the US, the country has one of
the highest incarceration rates in the industrialized world. Not exactly
something to be proud of. With 1 out of every 18 men and 1 in 89 women behind
bars, according to CNN, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orange Is the New
Black </i>is educational and eye opening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sigrid Macdonald is a manuscript editor and
the author of five books. You can find her at </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="http://sigridmacdonald.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://sigridmacdonald.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-12712423159507369082013-08-25T20:27:00.000-04:002013-08-26T22:22:24.170-04:00An Interview with Carol Hollenbeck, the Author of True Blondes<br />
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</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">SM: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carol, what interested you in writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">CH:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began writing poetry when I was much
younger; I had the romantic idea of becoming a poet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That dream soon changed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was in my early 20s, I fantacized about
going to Hollywood. I decided that I was going to become a movie star, not an
actress. I soon learned that it was not easy to separate the two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">SM: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me a little bit
about the book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">CH:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is about two
blondes trying to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>make it big in the
wild, wacky world of show business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes
place in the 1960s and the '70s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>True Blondes</em>
takes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span>he reader on a journey from New
York City to Las Vegas, and Hollywood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The book tells the tale of the trials and tribulations that these two
women encounter on their<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>journey to
stardom. The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>question remains, which one
will survive: Mandy or Diane? Read the book to find out! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeqvFDMxmrrWNKFeNk7T1mvGrSWWJdIF0vHE1WQ4-n19IGF250XuJSUXYniKW3d5m5t9R7zIWFBwMV-N8nQ-2pALQ4rdkWqunatNIY7nhdfwVKvrJ8FXMCzv_vaBWEiNmiJbbmQhPX1Q/s1600/CH+Author+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeqvFDMxmrrWNKFeNk7T1mvGrSWWJdIF0vHE1WQ4-n19IGF250XuJSUXYniKW3d5m5t9R7zIWFBwMV-N8nQ-2pALQ4rdkWqunatNIY7nhdfwVKvrJ8FXMCzv_vaBWEiNmiJbbmQhPX1Q/s1600/CH+Author+Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>True Blondes</em> is available on Amazon.com.<o:p></o:p></span></span>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-66657360940199038872012-07-28T19:29:00.001-04:002012-07-30T19:18:41.123-04:00Download My Novel, Straight and Narrow, for Free!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Straight and Narrow</em> is a story about a woman who is about to turn 40 when her best friend goes missing. This quirky mystery deals with midlife crisis, infidelity, unrequited love, and missing women.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the subject matter is serious, I try to inject humor whenever possible and have given my narrator some of my own treasured neurotic qualities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read more about the story and the plot and download the PDF for free here:
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-themecolor: dark2;"><a href="http://straightandnarrow2012.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://straightandnarrow2012.wordpress.com/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-themecolor: dark2;"><o:p><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want the Kindle version, download for free on Smashwords:
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-themecolor: dark2;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144621">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144621</a></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-72874862333116838612012-06-28T18:18:00.000-04:002012-06-28T18:18:07.075-04:00The Newsroom by Aaron Sorkin<a href="" name="_MailOriginal"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Monday night I
eagerly anticipated the season premiere of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Newsroom</i>, an HBO series by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin has always delivered high
quality material from the acclaimed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">West
Wing</i> to the smash hit movie about Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Social Network.<o:p></o:p></i></span></a><br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Like
his previous works, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Newsroom</i> was
sharp, quick witted, and intelligent. Jeff Daniels stars as Will McAvoy, a
jaded news</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: dark2;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">anchor
who is forced to work with an old flame, Mackenzie MacHale, played by Emily
Mortimer. As the show opens, Daniels is burnt out and co-opted. He has given up
trying to deliver hard, real stories that matter. But as he sits on a college
panel, trying not to divulge his personal thoughts and opinions about the state
of the country, he sees Mackenzie in the audience holding a sign about America
intimating that it was once a great country; it's not now but it can be again.
This provokes Will to announce exactly where America stands in terms of
literacy, infant mortality, and other important indexes that constitute
success. From there on, working with his old love, whom he bitterly resents
because she obviously hurt him deeply, enables him to emerge as a noble
newscaster and semi-decent guy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
show would have been perfect – great acting, perfect combination of drama and
comic elements, informative yet not preachy – but it used real material. The
first episode was all about the BP oil spill. Sorry, but I followed that
catastrophe day by day when it occurred in 2010. I don't want to go through a
blow-by-blow description again. Will next week's episode be about the spill? Or
will we move on to some other old news like the Haitian earthquake or the
terrible plight of the trapped Chilean miners?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Newsroom</span></i></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> would have been better off
creating its own fictional news stories. I don't see how we can move from real
life events to fantasy at this point, but I will tune in one more time next
week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sigrid Macdonald is the author of
three books, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Be Your Own Editor</i>,
and two erotic short stories, which she wrote under the pen name Tiffanie Good.
Silver Publishing just released "The Pink Triangle," a tale of
friendship, lust, and betrayal. You can view her story here: </span></span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr"><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"></span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-18511799069662541162012-06-10T12:41:00.003-04:002012-06-10T12:41:23.166-04:00Fifty Shades of Grey<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades of Grey</i>
by E.L. James is hot and I say that against my better judgment. In fact, my uber
rich, dreamy looking lover is breathing down my neck at this moment,
threatening to beat me to orgasm with a riding crop, and forcing me to write
this. Just kidding. But I am serious about the fact that I didn't want to like
this book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I expected it to be too soft or maybe too hard, too
saccharine or perhaps too dark and disturbing, but it was none of these things.
It was a very sensuous and interesting look at a gorgeous, rich man with a
predilection for domination and his fascination with a naïve 21-year-old whom
he met by chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades</i>
such a hit? Is it because married women are bored with the familiarity of their
sex lives and single women find theirs to be erratic and unstable? Are male
readers fantasizing about tying up their female partners? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Or is it because, at heart, North America continues to have
deeply ambivalent feelings toward sex? On one hand, we use sex to sell
everything from soap to magazines and, according to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forbes Magazine</i>, pornography is a 2.5 to 4 billion-dollar business.
On the other hand, we're not likely to tell our boss that we are late for work
because we had a quickie with the next-door neighbor after breakfast and lost
track of the time. That's not just because sex is a private issue but rather
that we feel a sense of shame or discomfort talking about it. We are still
imprisoned by our puritanical roots; this is particularly prominent in
fundamentalist religions, which are anti-sex. And much like strict dieting causes
a craving for sweets or carbohydrates, a fear, hatred, or taboo of normal
sexual urges can result in either avoidance of such activity or overindulgence.
So, when we see something mainstream that screams SEX, it sells.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, I believe readers are drawn to both the romance in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades</i>–Anastasia Steele falls head
over heels for Christian Grey–and the forbidden nature of the arrangement. Due
to childhood abuse, abandonment, and other complicated factors, Christian is
incapable of love, although we suspect that he may evolve during the trilogy.
Like vampire Edward Cullen in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i>,
Christian becomes the symbol for Every Alluring Yet Unattainable Man, and just as
some women want to tame bad boys, others want to make the unattainable man their
own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition, Christian has a fetish for BDSM and Anastasia
has never tried bondage or submission. When she does, she's not sure if she
likes it. This conflict–I want him, I'm falling for him, but he will never love
me and he derives pleasure from hurting me–is at the crux of the book and is
what makes it interesting. If both parties were committed to the dominance,
submissive lifestyle, the book would be dull.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As it is, the sex scenes are hot and the author talks about
sex in a frank, unabashed, yet delicate manner. This is not pornography. It's
not even soft porn. And as far as I'm concerned, it's not demeaning to women
because the dominant/submissive relationship is consensual, and both genders
and any orientation (i.e., straight, gay, bisexual, or transgender) could play
either role. It is a highly sensual romance, even for those who have no desire
to be someone's sex slave and it appears to be chick lit. I can't imagine many
men wading their way through all 528 pages, but my good friend told me that
couples on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dr. Oz Show</i> read the
book together and the men were very turned on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's hard to describe how a book that links climaxing with
pain could arouse anything but despair in someone who is not a sadomasochist.
In this respect, the book reminds me of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Darkly
Dreaming Dexter</i>. Very few people sympathize with serial killers, but our darling
Dexter is portrayed in such a way that you have to love him even when he is
plotting to decapitate someone who fails to meet his moral standards. Thus,
although many readers may have no interest in S&M, they may still find this
tale titillating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having said that, James indulges in a huge degree of repetition
and the characters are ridiculously one-dimensional and unrealistic. This is
not a literary novel. It's juvenile in many respects and I skimmed large parts,
especially the sex scenes. She could have cut them in half and used more
originality. Despite the fact that the book is a runaway seller, the Amazon
community is divided as to whether it’s worth reading at all and many reviewers
hated it or found it offensive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But, as I said – against my will, and my better judgment, I
devoured <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades, </i>and will no
doubt embark on the second book in this trilogy, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades Darker</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books, and two
erotic short stories, which she wrote under the pen name Tiffanie Good. Silver
Publishing just released "The Pink Triangle," a tale of friendship,
lust, and betrayal. You can view her story here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;">http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-14331858090831766612012-06-02T14:37:00.000-04:002012-06-02T14:37:15.347-04:00The Pink Triangle Is Now on Amazon Kindle"The Pink Triangle" is now available on Amazon Kindle. Check it out and leave comments.<br />
Amazon: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr">http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr</a> <br />
<br />Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-47780516448654058052012-05-14T15:34:00.001-04:002012-05-21T21:27:43.737-04:00My New E-Book on Lesbian Erotica<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Attention
Romance</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Readers! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Silver
Publishing just released my first story, part one of a sequel entitled
"The Pink Triangle," which I wrote under the name Tiffanie Good.
Although the story is erotica, my background is in psychology and social work so
I never miss a great opportunity to delve into social issues. In this case, I
examined some of the difficulties gay and bisexual teens and young adults face,
such as discrimination, rejection, and resulting addiction or depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">All
in all, it's a good read and I would appreciate it if you would check it out and tell your friends. And if you're part of the GLBTQ
community, please try twice as hard to get this message out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ccgat9u"><span style="color: #339999;">http://tinyurl.com/ccgat9u</span></a></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Tiffanie ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-90342764297190071432012-05-05T22:32:00.002-04:002012-05-22T20:09:26.571-04:00A Conversation with Jamie Johnson<br />
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As a mom, there's no escaping the deep-rooted need to keep
your children on the right path. But what if one of your kids thinks the path
to happiness is through a sex change? And what if the other, while flailing
around, trying to find his way, pops out five alternate personalities? How do
you keep from having a nervous breakdown? How do you help the entire family
find peace again? <em>Secret Selves</em> is the surprising, touching, and sometimes
humorous account of a mother trying to ease the panic and accept the
unthinkable twists fate has dropped in her lap.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jamie Johnson shares how even her
doubts and mistakes while raising her two very interesting children helped her
to eventually see life through different eyes. Her memoir is a book of
hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #00ccff; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Q</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> - What made you want
to write your story?<br />
<br />
A - Well, there's a two part answer to that question. First: After the crazy
part of my life let me sit down and process what had happened, I thought, <em><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">My God, what are the chances of
having these two kids?</span></em> Really, it boggles my mind. I thought there
must be something I should to do with my experiences. The only thing I could
think of was to write. And I know that everyone has <em><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">their</span></em> story. When I was in the thick of
things during ours, I think I would have appreciated reading a book that gave
me hope. So that's what I tried to do. I wanted to give people something that
would say to them, "Take a deep breath; you can get through this."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Secondly: I wanted to educate. My kids don't talk much about what they went
through. And I know that both of the conditions they faced are highly
misunderstood. I am their voice.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #00ccff; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Q</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> - How are Kip and Joey
doing?<br />
<br />
A - They're both doing very well. Kip got married last fall and I have a kooky
picture of him & Joey acting-the-fool for the photographer. It sits on an
antique sideboard in my living room. Joey says he's happier than he's ever been
right now.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #00ccff; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Q</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> - Why did you feel the
need to use a pen name?<br />
<br />
A - There are several reasons why I changed the names and places in our story.
My biggest fear was that, somehow, because I had chosen to share our story,
something bad might happen to my kids. With prejudice there is always the real
danger of violence. But there were other worries too. I didn't want to make
their lives more difficult. There are going to be people who judge them; that's
just how life is. But I didn't want my kids to face, say, having a tough time
getting a job, or worse, losing a job because of me. I also didn't feel like I
had the right to share the private moments of our extended family's lives
without some measure of anonymity.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #00ccff; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Q</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> - If you want to
remain anonymous, how do you manage public appearances as Jamie?<br />
<br />
A - "Jamie" looks a little different than I do. Her hair is curly.
She wears red glasses. She does her makeup a bit differently. Her style is not
the same as mine. Now, I know that anyone who knows me well will recognize me
right away. But those people already know we're the "characters" in
Secret Selves, so it doesn't matter. I look different enough that people who
haven't seen me very often will question themselves if they see the
resemblance. That's good enough for us. I very much want to do public appearances
so we had to find a solution to that. The more I get out there, the more I can
raise awareness and educate. <br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #00ccff; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Q</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> - Do your children
support your decision to write about what you've been through?<br />
<br />
A - Oh yes, there's no way I would have written it if they didn't. They've both
read the book and feel very strongly about its messages. I'm sure I drove them
nuts when I was writing it though. I asked them questions constantly -- I
wanted to make sure I was remembering things as they happened. I wanted our
story to be real. I'd often call Kip and say, "Do you remember
when..." or "Do you still have that note I gave you when I started
calling you Kip?" I think he was amused at first, but I might have become
a bit of a pain in his...side, by the time it was finished. Joey read one of
the first drafts to make sure everything was accurate. He made notes in red all
the way through. At the end, he simply wrote -- Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
That still makes me smile. I wrote the book as a gift to them.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-f2rdLVqDt3iOaZ_r-4waZ0r7ZWjsail9JeqNfSljAHrmT231hK5xWiIfXqDiZzf6AtWVaJp4Heh8QR9QeTLTXJzvNp4IZ1JQUW8kZbhArYSXjGs-C7N1mUQNxL6m89uvOGBFM2m8i0/s1600/top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-f2rdLVqDt3iOaZ_r-4waZ0r7ZWjsail9JeqNfSljAHrmT231hK5xWiIfXqDiZzf6AtWVaJp4Heh8QR9QeTLTXJzvNp4IZ1JQUW8kZbhArYSXjGs-C7N1mUQNxL6m89uvOGBFM2m8i0/s1600/top.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.secretselves.net/">www.secretselves.net</a>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-57213425211672644672012-04-29T21:33:00.005-04:002012-04-30T10:27:00.063-04:00"I Don't Know Where but She Sends Me There" – The Beach Boys<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Ah,
love. Is there anything in the world like it? Colors seem brighter, food tastes
better, just getting up in the morning fills you with a sense of anticipation.
And although regular romantic love is fantastic, I've always been especially
intrigued by forbidden love. The student teacher relationship; the married man;
falling for your boss; developing an interest in your best friend's partner.
What then?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The
best novels are based on forbidden love, and if not forbidden, then doomed.
Think of <em>The</em> <em>Thornbirds </em>or <em>Dr. Zhivago</em>, <em>Wuthering Heights</em> or <em>The Great Gatsby</em>.
Of course, it can't be as fulfilling or satisfying as an uncomplicated
relationship, but it makes for great reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Next month Silver Publishing will release my first erotic
short story entitled "The Pink Triangle." Kari and Lizzie are best friends. They
are inseparable until they both fall for the same woman, who chooses Lizzie.
After too many drinks, Kari finds herself alone with her best friend’s girl;
her actions have lasting consequences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">What happens? Stay tuned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">SigridMac, using the pseudonym Tiffanie Good.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZHqh0pnbPZJ3n8Yug6XX9h4_W3kVj0h9dzQCS2mGcfIlwDYxySJq9KWRgi6iwjV1-lwdhVccCcW0nRmLEc5mPoZPjhyNBdlfNAA-MNKa1I_dOjqqPCtDbI0GNjDM5cXDsy0lGaFyZ_I/s1600/The_Pink_Triangle-Tiffanie_Good200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZHqh0pnbPZJ3n8Yug6XX9h4_W3kVj0h9dzQCS2mGcfIlwDYxySJq9KWRgi6iwjV1-lwdhVccCcW0nRmLEc5mPoZPjhyNBdlfNAA-MNKa1I_dOjqqPCtDbI0GNjDM5cXDsy0lGaFyZ_I/s1600/The_Pink_Triangle-Tiffanie_Good200x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-64061012918147216512012-04-14T11:35:00.003-04:002012-04-14T11:38:10.101-04:00Older Women and Younger Men - Why the Taboo?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">What do Rupert Murdoch, Billy Joel, and Alec Baldwin have in common? They are all involved with women decades younger than themselves – women who could be their daughters. Because they are powerful men, we often accept this as normal. But just try reversing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Demi Moore was practically our only role model for a successful relationship of an older woman with a younger man, but alas even this long-term marriage has come to an end.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">I'm not saying there's anything particularly great about falling in love with someone half your age, that those people will have anything to talk about, or that the relationships will last; however, I am pointing out that women who do this are often ridiculed whereas men are admired. That's because men are still greatly valued for their status, prestige, and money, and women for their looks and youth.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">When I turned 50, I had a hip replacement because my hip was fractured in an accident I'd had years ago and the joint wore out. The only thing worse than turning 50 was turning 50 and having a hip replacement! I felt ancient. Absolutely fossilized. And as a result I developed a big-time crush on a guy 25 years younger than me. He was really fond of me (Hello, Alex!) until he realized that my interest was romantic and then he ran as far as he could in the opposite direction. And rightly so. I get that. What I didn't get was the way my family and friends mocked me, as though it was a ludicrous notion that anyone so much younger could be interested in me. Why? Because I wasn't an 81-year-old man with an empire that stretched as far as the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> and Fox news? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">In my novel <em>Straight and Narrow,</em> my main character Tara Richards is about to turn 40. She is deathly afraid of the clock turning, and sees 40 as the demarcation line between young and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To make herself feel younger and more attractive, she yearns for the attention of a 24-year-old guy. What happens? Read <em>Straight and Narrow!</em> And let me know your thoughts on younger men and older women.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">sigridmac<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://gawker.com/502792/a-guide-to-old-men-and-their-much-younger-wives"><span style="color: #339999;">http://gawker.com/502792/a-guide-to-old-men-and-their-much-younger-wives</span></a></span>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-88048059597469913222012-03-27T18:08:00.004-04:002012-03-27T22:35:59.924-04:00Turning 40For many people, especially women, turning 40 is traumatic. There is a line that our culture has drawn in the sand between youth and middle-age. And the implicit message is that being younger than 40 is good and being older than 40 is bad, except compared to old age, and then it's OK!<br />
<br />
The funny thing about life in North America is that many of us yearn to be older when we're in our teens. We want to be independent. We can't wait to vote, to drive the car, to move out of our parents’ house. And society smiles upon us in our 20s and 30s for our beauty, which invariably diminishes over time. And when the clock turns to the big 4-0, some people freak out.<br />
<br />
When I turned 40, I lied about it for three years. I was working in a women's collective at a local university and everyone was younger than me. I wanted to seem cooler than I was by staying 39 forever. Finally, when I came out of the age closet, I started telling everyone my age, even at inappropriate times. I interjected the digit whenever I could, just to be rid of my hangup, but it didn't really help. I still felt old.<br />
<br />
40 has come and gone a long time ago for me, but now I'm OK with my age (as long as you don't ask me about it!). Seriously, nothing is more sad than spending the bulk of our time wishing that we were somewhere else, or were someone else, and that's what happens when we don't accept our age (59, thank you, and reasonably proud of it). And numbers are arbitrary. Some people are old souls when they're 16. Old in the sense that they are serious, cynical, or unadventuresome. Other people never get old; they live well into their 80s and 90s with young attitudes because they accept today for what it is and move forward instead of constantly looking over their shoulders and yearning for something that has long since passed.<br />
<br />
In my book, <em>Straight and Narrow</em>, both women are about to turn 40. One is fine with it but the other panics. She develops an obsession with her hair because it's one of the few things in life that she can control and she's not the Botox type.<br />
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If you're worried about your age, try thinking about all the angst that went with being young and inexperienced. My mother, one of the wisest people I know, has a saying – we grow old too fast and smart too late. How true. Wouldn't I love to be 40 again now that I'm 59? But unless I'm planning to build a time machine, that's not gonna happen. And, unlike Tara, in <em>Straight and Narrow</em>, I can't be bothered with my hair.<br />
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If you've already turned 40, tell us how it feels. If you're approaching the big landmark, how does that resonate with you? Is it all right to lie about our age, or should we just stand up and own it?<br />
<br />
Sigrid Mac<br />
<br />
Author of <em>Straight and Narrow</em><br />
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla">http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla</a>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297797193186407193.post-60404069286498265362012-03-25T16:13:00.003-04:002012-03-26T20:42:10.780-04:00Welcome to the Women's Room!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfW-EiWmjN4ermx81XCDfU-03W4zm_7g0Qr-jXc4wdaiRPxC4sZin567ZfDkrQa4Rjz28gfeJZwnrlWGwfvyVpfAZNStwVm0rT5Qr_vYakPq8PmBO-7nIeqodcNusLiJPzlnQhFILnRqU/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfW-EiWmjN4ermx81XCDfU-03W4zm_7g0Qr-jXc4wdaiRPxC4sZin567ZfDkrQa4Rjz28gfeJZwnrlWGwfvyVpfAZNStwVm0rT5Qr_vYakPq8PmBO-7nIeqodcNusLiJPzlnQhFILnRqU/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" /></a></div>When I was in grad school, I remember finally finishing my last semester and rushing out of the stuffy university classrooms, where I had been reading hundreds of pages of text, to go to the bookstore with my friends to buy fiction! Not that I have anything against nonfiction – at least forty percent of what I read is nonfiction – but I have a special love for novels, particularly those that feature women.<br />
<br />
Since I have just released a novel that relates to women and being best friends, and I have two short stories that will be released by Silver Publishing in May, I wanted to devote my blog to women and women's fiction.<br />
<br />
So, fasten your seatbelt. I'm very opinionated and I love to talk about social issues. More importantly, I'm interested in your take on what's going on. And if you don't agree with me, all the better! I welcome dissent. I love respectful disagreements. We are not the Borg on Star Trek! Your opinion is welcome.<br />
<br />
In honor of Marilyn French, I'm naming my blog "The Women's Room." I hope that we will never go back to that period in time when women were not allowed to voice their opinions – although it hasn't even been 100 years since women received the right to vote and in many places in the world, they are still silenced. But it won't happen here.<br />
<br />
Sigrid<br />
Author of Straight and Narrow <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla">http://tinyurl.com/7pzqvla</a> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Sigrid Macdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039046815905329266noreply@blogger.com2