Discrimination against women and children in the middle east.

I dunno'...I just don't know understand discrimination...

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Excellent read…

I love complicated characters and plots…

“They’ll try to kill you.”

“Good thing I’m hard to kill.” Only one thing concerned me. “Will you?”

“Never. I’m the one who will always watch over you. Always be there to fuck you back to yours senses when you need it, the one who will never let you die.”

I pull my shirt over my head and kick off my shoes. “What more could a woman ask?”

Indeed…

From Shadowfever ~ Karen Marie Moning

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

I’ve been told…

…by other temps/hired guns that they can be treated like crap in a workplace because they’re not a real employees. I’ve managed temps and I’ve been really careful to make sure no one treats them like crap on my watch. I’ve also done a lot of temping in my life. I’m doing the hired gun thing now until I find a job I like - but I’ve never had that happen to me until yesterday when another woman in the office tried to make me feel like crap with such patronizing shite that I had to bring her a very polite and to the point reality check. She was so shocked that I returned fire that she was really nice to me for the rest of the day. No one should be treated like crap in any job and people like me shouldn’t have to verbally slap sense into office bullies. We should be beyond this crap by now. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again women can be vicious in the workplace. I hope next time if she contemplates trying to belittle a temp she remembers a woman called Amarinda, wearing way too much jewelry, who called her out and she thinks better of it.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Year of the Rabbit 2011 Feng Shui

I'm was born in the Year of the Rabbit...it seems so unlike me but I'll take luck however it comes to me.

What to know what the Year of the Rabbit means or what sign you are? Click here - http://www.chinesezodiac.com/rabbit.php


Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Went for a wander...

…on Australia Day to Kuranda which is in the heart of the rainforest and about 20 mins up an incredibly steep and winding road from where I live. It’s very much a village that originally started out as a hippy retreat 40 years ago and then became commercial…as all hippies do. I strolled around aimlessly as you do when you have a day off. Kuranda of course also caters to the overseas tourist market with all things Aussie from fine pearls to toy Kangaroos and cane toad purses. While it is catering to the almighty dollar, American fast food chain conglomerates have not infiltrated it yet. It still retains it's village like atmosphere. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I had my tarot read as I do when I’m Kuranda. It’s the same bloke. He’s quite interesting. I’m fascinated by people and the things they believe and the spirits that speak to them. I was quite floored by the accuracy of several things he said to me as they were only things I would know. Spooky.

Day off? Go for a wander and see what’s in your own backyard.

Top pic – yes, it’s odd. At first I thought it was a plane that had crashed into the rainforest of Queensland during WW2 as many did in those days. But no, it’s a US plane from WW2 called Geronimo that was decommissioned after the war and someone said – ‘let’s get a crane and plonk that old aircraft in Kuranda.' Gotta’s love bizarre ideas.

Bottom pic – on the road trip down the mountain. I hate heights but I stopped and took this one. It’s looks off towards the northern beaches of Cairns.

Okay…that’s enough useless knowledge for one day…

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

I Am Australian ~ Song "I AM AUSTRALIAN"

I love Australia and I’m proud to be an Aussie.

Happy Australia Day

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…Oy ! Oy ! Oy !

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

In a perfect world…

I’ve been reading this book about a woman fighting the never ending battle of the bulge and how it affects her psyche and the way she believes others perceive her. She cannot see herself as beautiful nor can she ever see herself as attractive to men. Then one day something happens that changes all that – it was just simply a suggestion put into her mind – a belief if you like - that was forced on her and suddenly she sees her curves and weight as something that just is and looks beyond that to the beauty of her hair and her eyes etc.

It’s a nice idea if it was a nice world we lived in. Unfortunately, the world is not nice to anyone who is perceived as different to what is considered the norm. And, while I believe positive self belief can conquer 98% of the shite that people try to force on you and try to bring you down with, there’s always that 2% that eats at you.

Shame, we still can’t seem to accept overweight people as people with a health problem and not people who like to over-eat. Shame, we have to read feel good books about mythical situations to look at what life could be like if we allowed it.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Moonwatchers by Sandra Cox...

MOON

The moon is a celestial body that orbits earth. There are more than three hundred known moons in the universe. There’re asteroid moons and small moons. The earth’s moon governs the tides. High tide is the result of the pull of the moon. It’s over 384,000 miles from earth and takes over twenty-seven days to orbit the earth.
The moon also governs werewolves.

A half moon is when the moon has traveled a quarter way around the earth.

A full moon takes place when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
Werewolves are particularly powerful during a full moon.

A blue moon is when two full moons occur in one month.
Werewolves are even more powerful than during full moons.

A crimson moon (in the book Moon Watchers) is an unheard of third full moon in one month. If a werewolf removes the beating heart of a werehunter on this night, it will make him/her invincible.

Excerpt:

I took one last look out the window. Thick, icy pellets of snow plopped against the Plexiglas. The full moon meandered in and out of gray clouds. Nothing disturbed nature’s serenity. No goose bumps roughened my skin. No nerves crawled along the surface. The Weres were gone. I’d feel it if they were still around.
By morning we’d have a couple of feet of snow. There’s nothing more I can do tonight. I don’t have enough information to go tracking Weres especially in what gives all indications of turning into a blizzard.
At that exact moment, the wind whipped up and howled. I jumped then straightened, disgusted with my girlie nerves. Enough, I’m going to bed.
I extinguished the fire in the fireplace, went in the bedroom and shucked my clothes. Then put on gray thermal jammies and crawled between warm flannel sheets. I pulled the heavy, green comforter edged with moose and pinecones up to my nose, leaned back against the pillows and clicked the TV remote.
A red-nosed anchorman stood in the middle of the blizzard, hunched inside his hooded olive parka. “Strange weather patterns all over the U.S. And if that’s not odd enough, there are three full moons scheduled to appear this month. One, of course, was tonight. There will be another next week and another two days after what some folks call the blue moon.”
My eyes widened, my mouth dropped and I sat straight up in bed, barely aware of the chill in the room as the coverlet dropped to my waist. Holy crap. Three full moons in the same month? I’ve never heard of that before.
I clicked off the television, dropped back on the pillows and heaved a sigh. Three full moons. This did not bode well for a solitary Werewolf hunter, namely yours truly.





CONTEST:

To celebrate the release of Moon Watchers, I’ll be running a contest from Jan 15 and Feb 2. The winner will be announced Feb 5. To enter just leave a comment at http://www.downtownya.blogspot.com/ and mention Moon Watchers and Amarinda Jones.

What do you win?

An autographed copy of Moon Watchers
A Starbucks gift certificate
And a fun necklace that has a protective cross to safeguard against creatures of the night, a blood drop stone to remind shape-shifters you are protected and a star since our winner will be the star of the contest

Moon Watchers can be purchased in e or paper at www.classactbooks.com


Visit me at
Sandracox.blogspot.com
Or
Downtownya.blogspot.com

Inflating reality...

Message in my Facebook inbox today...

"Please like my fan page so that my book gets into the rankings on Amazon. I need 2500 likes. Post the link on your wall please."

That would be a no from me. I'm one of those crazy people who believe that readers should decide the fate of a writer. You want to inflate figures by driving others insane? Maybe you ought to consider being a politician. They succeed through non truths…

Writing – put it out there. People will hate it or like it. That’s the reality and all the ‘likes’ in the world ain’t gonna make you any better than you are as the superficial always wears off.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Gun for hire...

I’ve been doing the temping gig for the moment when it comes to jobs. There’s a long involved story with that but it involves a chicken, a balloon, a safety pin, an ice pick and a jar of pistachios…it’s all very boring. Anyway, as with temping you’re jumping from job to job, learning lots but really not giving a rat’s arse as you’re a hired gun and like all mercenaries it’s all about the dollars.

The latest temp job? It’s temp but it will probably go to permanent. Hmmm…not sure how I feel about that. Why? I explained how insane, frustrating and disorganized the place was to my father and he said, “Well, they’re accountants. They’re not like real people.” Correct. The thing with this mob is no one seems to know what is going on at any time. They hand me work to do but don’t show me how to use the unfamiliar database and when I ask how to use it they say they’re not sure as it’s ‘only new’. I asked how long had it been in place? Three years was the response. Riiight…so I wander on into the database, bang in data and assume if the entire system doesn’t crash it’s probably okay.

Hmmm…they also don’t speak. No one talks. I find that odd – or if they do they talk in whispers and usually in the ladies bathroom. I heard whispering in the end stall of the ladies loos and like any woman worth my salt I stuck my head under the divide – no they couldn’t see me – and I spotted three pairs of feet all in the one stall. Menage sex or gossip?

So, I’m basically putting my time sheets in so I get paid and doing what I can with the limitations that I have. No one checks anything I’ve done and I reckon that’s due to the fact that no one knows what is the right thing to do. To me, it’s an office of people hiding out from real life. Will I stay if I get offered a permanent position? Hmmm…let’s just say I’m assessing my options.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Dicking Around by Amarinda Jones - Evernight Publishing

Dicking Around by Amarinda Jones - Evernight Publishing

Sex to Carlisle is like breathing. She needs it. She craves it. The three horny men in her life each bring a delicious element of excitement to her. To love, submit and obey becomes her world and Carlisle delights in every dirty, sexy moment of it.

Her soon-to-be married sister thinks Carlisle should be more responsible and stop dicking around. But that’s not about to happen any time soon. Especially not when there are two thieves, an irate ex-girlfriend and a sexually explicit video to deal with.

Be Warned: multiple partners, menage sex, anal sex, forced seduction, public exhibition, sex toys.

Dicking Around...coming soon...

Dicking Around - one woman, three men, two thieves, a pissed of ex-girlfriend and the bride for hell...coming soon from Evernight Publishing...

Bridget rounded on his sister. “You’re late.”
“It’s a rehearsal dinner for god sake. It’s not like it’s the real thing that we have to suffer through tomorrow.” Carlisle was tired from work and sex and men and the last thing she needed was dealing with her sister. They had never gotten along. There was no point trying to play the happy family now.
“This is what I hate about you, Carlisle. You never take important things seriously.” Bridget then recited a long list of her sister’s faults.
Carlisle yawned as Bridget went off on another of her tirades about Carlisle’s lax attitude on life. Whine. Bitch. Moan. She looked at the ever-so-perfect-not-a-hair-out-of-place Neil. The Groom. Sucker. She heard Bridget draw a breath.
“Finished?”
Bridget sighed. “This is why I didn’t want you in the wedding party.”
“And lord knows I thank you for that as bilious green is so not my color.”
“Bitch!” Bridget yelled and stamped her foot.
“Cow,” Carlisle responded overly politely.
“Girls, please!” Lydia Carson came up to her daughters.
Bridget turned on her sister. “She started it, mother. You should have seen how I found her at her house the other day. She was nak—”
Carlisle yanked her sister’s arm so she banged into her. She whispered in Bridget’s ear. “Say another word and I’ll tell the man of plastic Neil about your liaison with Mr. Phelps and the female hockey coach in the nurse’s room at school. Can you say strap-on, Bridg?”
Their mother stared at them. “What is going on between you girls?”
“Nothing.” They both said at the same time.
“Try and act with a bit of decorum, Carlisle.”
Yeah it’s always my fault. Never perfectly anal Bridget’s.
“Have you got a dress for tomorrow?” Both women looked at Carlisle.
“Yes of course.” Sorta. Kinda. Well—no. I probably should look into that.
“Are you going to have an escort?” Her mother asked.
“Why?” Carlisle said it purely to piss her mother off. Lydia saw the world in perfectly coordinated male-female couples.
“Well, he should be here.”
Carlisle snorted. “To listen to this crap?”
“Carlisle!”
“Actually, I have three ‘escorts’.”
Bridget roiled her eyes. “Disgusting.”
“What? Pissed off that you’re stuck with marrying a Ken doll?”
“Neil is not!”
“Whatever.” Carlisle turned to her mother. She had no connection other than blood to these women and at times even that wasn’t enough. “Do I have to stay for this?”
“Maybe it would be better if you left,” Lydia responded. “And do please remember to bring those data sticks with you tomorrow.”
Carlisle had placed all the old family albums on USB sticks. Her mother wanted to show them at the wedding. And bore everyone’s socks off.
“Great. Yep, Sure. Whatever.” I’m free!
“Drop dead,” the bride muttered at Carlisle as she passed by.
“After you, Barbie.”

Touch up...

‘Going to check out a couple of the local tatt shops this arvo to see if I can get a touch up on the three hearts above my left knee and get a price on what it would cost to have curling ivy around them.

And no – that’s not my thigh in the picture…there’s no cellulite on it….

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Girl Up: Connecting the Dots

Girl Up is a United Nations initiative targeting American girls. I hope they pass it on to all girls in all developed countries. I hope there also comes an understanding of those girls who aren’t as fortunate to live in affluent countries – the girls who are married off young, beaten and treated like animals because of their gender. Good on ya, United Nations - now pass it on to the rest of the world's girls

http://www.girlup.org/

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Auditioning gyms...

I’ve been interviewing local gyms to work out which one I will go to and sweat at. Since leaving Brizzie I have been gym-less. I’m very picky when it comes to gyms. I want value for money and the slickest salesperson on the planet often gives up after trying to sell me something. Why? Because I understand fluent bullshit, I know they will try and sell me useless add-ons and basically I can’t be charmed. It’s genetically impossible. I am, what a salesmen would call, a pain in the arse to deal with.

I went in to one of the local gyms very near to where I live. I was greeted by a blonde stick insect who was so overly enthusiastic that I found her exhausting. Seriously, people like this should come with a warning tag and an on-off button. Anyway, we walked around the gym and she asked what was I there for? What were my goals? I try to avoid goals. They’re fatiguing/boring for the jaded. But I said to Skinny Minnie - well, unless every fattening thing suddenly becomes good for you then I’m here for fitness and weight loss. She nodded and said ‘I know weight loss is so hard.’ Uh huh…sure you do you…not…lying stick figure.

So we sat down and talked money. Nah, I wasn’t going to join that gym. I just like to haggle and it gives me an idea what other gyms are offering. I interview gym number 2 tomorrow. It’s a 24hr gym. Please shoot me if I’m ever running on a treadmill at 2am in the morning.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Something very unusual has just happened for you Amarinda….Click here….

ATTENTION: Amarinda, SOMETHING REALLY INTRIGUING HAS JUST HAPPENED FOR YOU.

**Okay – why do I read this crap? It amuses me. A couple of my friends and I like reading these mystical messages from Spooky Sarah, Psychic Sally and Beneficent Bertha….we swap fortunes…spooky how they are almost word for word the same…hmmm…

Amarinda, this is really going to surprise you but last night, while I was concentrating on your case during a session of free-association that I was doing to find out more about your future, something amazing happened.
You should know that A VERY SPECIAL AND FORTUNATE EVENT IS SECRETLY BEING PREPARED FOR YOU on your astral plane.
It concerns the actualization of ONE OF YOUR MOST CHERISHED DREAMS, which should come true before your very eyes, possible within a month.
I’ll tell you all about it, but first it’s important for you to know that the free-association session I was involved in yesterday didn’t just happen by accident.
It was a sign from your destiny, to make you understand that what is about to happen to you is probably the greatest opportunity of your lifetime, and that you absolutely must take advantage of it.
I regularly do sessions of free-association during my consultations, and the things I predict seem to happen with amazing frequency, often within a few weeks.
The session I did for you indicates that, at this very moment, a spiritual force is trying to intervene in your life.
SOMETHING UNUSUAL HAPPENED while I was holding my pen in my right hand, concentrating on your session of free-association, ready to write down my predictions.
I felt a powerful current of energy running through me from head to foot, and I immediately entered into telepathic contact with a powerful positive force, which took control of my hand and wrote this:
YOUR NAME: Amarinda
A NUMBER: $7700
AND A DATE: January 17 2011
I was both pleased and surprised by what took place, which was evidently a message sent to you personally from the astral plane.
I HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR PRESENT LIFE in an amazing, but very real way.
I can guarantee it, and here’s why:
After this incredible event, and because I wanted to really understand what had just happened for you, I entered into communication with this positive force on your behalf, for free.
I have to tell you that the contact was incredible.

**Wasn’t that nice of her to talk to the force on my behalf? If I win $7700 today, I’ll let you know…

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

So I bought plants at the market…

…I swore blind I wouldn’t buy any until I had a house and not an apartment. True, I did bring native orchids (they’re dumped in pots along the balcony) up from my old house in Brizzie even though a male friend told me I was mad to do so. Colour me mad. But the thing is, you’re either a plant person or you aren’t. Plant people would understand why I was genetically forced to buy these plants. They would also understand why I’m trying to grow the spiky head of a pineapple on my kitchen window sill.

Besides…I only bought two small ones…they don’t even count…

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Those terrible people…

…they’ll ruin us all. Which people? People who rent. I was in the apartment complex pool doing my early morning laps when Betty & Beryl – no, not their real names – they just look like a Betty & a Beryl – started whining about people who rent. Now, I haven’t rented in years. I prefer not to. Why? I hate paying rent. It’s dead money. But, I never had an opinion on people who paid rent. People are people until they piss me off and then I will deal with them accordingly.

But, according to Betty and Beryl, renters are the scum of the earth. How so? Well, apparently they all have tattoos and no one with a tatt can be trusted. I have seven tatts…clearly I am b-b-bad to the bone. According to them tattooed renters also drink alcohol out of glass bottles around the pool, swim before the regulation 7am and after 9pm and they smoke and yell and fornicate…okay, they didn’t say fornicate but tattooed renters are bound to be prolific fornicators. This morning one of these ladies asked me “is it you that plays the violin over in your section?” Yes, we’re all sectionalized in their minds. I just smiled and asked why they wanted to know? Let ‘em wonder who the violin playing probably tattooed, fornicating renter is. There is a trombone player across the street who likes to play the theme to Pink Panther over and over and bloody over but I have no idea who the mad violinist is. Anyway it appears the violinist is considered okay in their eyes. I suspect because it’s cultural and unlikely to be one of us tattooed fornicators.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Eat Me Up....

This is a cover I initially had objections with. Why? One of her hands was down the front of her pants. I indicated to the publisher that I personally did not want to see a woman with her hand down her pants on a cover. Why? It’s tacky. The book is read by women. How many women want to see another woman with her hand in her pants? It also begs the question of if she can ‘do it herself’ why does she need these men? Hmmm? And no, I have no idea why she has her hand up in the air unless she is asking permission from these men to do something….

Blurb

When Victoria O’Connell travels to meet her long time pen pal the last thing she expects is to find herself the star of a porn movie. Yes, the sex was amazing but a girl likes to know when she’s being filmed.

Shane and Lucas need Victoria for their own movie. She’s appalled yet intrigued at their proposition. Good girls don’t fuck strangers. But then Victoria never said she was good.

Eat Me Up – book 3 in the Sex Odyssey series is out in February through Evernight Publishing.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

‘Got in Patrick…

…. my car, and took the Captain Cook Highway from where I live in Cairns to the fabulous Port Douglas. It’s a winding road that follows the coast for the most part and it takes about 50mins to drive. I had to give Patrick an aspirin after the drive. He doesn’t like lots of bends. Anyway, when we got there, I left Patrick in the shade…he doesn’t do full sun either – he gets cranky - and I stripped off to my togs and hit the beach. Conditions - overcast and the water was flat. But I threw myself into the water and splashed around as you do. Its stinger season in far north Queensland. That means box jelly fish and the deadly Irukandji are in huge numbers in the water. If you don’t want to die you swim in the stinger nets and between the lifesaver flags. Unlike many countries, the majority of Aussie lifesavers, and I believe our Kiwi cousins across the ditch, are volunteers. You learn as a child when you go to the beach to swim between the flags so you can be seen if you need to be saved. You also read the beach report. See pic.

After the swim, I walked around Port Douglas for a while then back to the beach for a long moment of staring at the waves and contemplating life. My conclusion? I dunno…life just happens.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

The Heaving Bosoms Publishing Company…

I got my October royalty statement from the Heaving Bosoms Publishing Company. As a company they couldn’t organize a root in a brothel and they’re as dodgy as a two bob watch. And trustworthy? That would be an ‘oh hell no’. So, I generally view their statements with great skepticism. Usually the statements are black and white and the names of all the books I have though the HBP and how they were sold are listed. It should be simple. Other publishers manage it without all the ineptitude of the Bosom people.

This latest statement was a really pretty one. All the ‘mistakes’ were highlighted in yellow – a whole page worth and the total’s of the mistakes were all in bright red. How the hell am I supposed to know what the real figures are? Now, just throwing this out there – having worked in accounts for a very long time - when I see graphic mistakes like this from a supposedly professional company I have to wonder are their accounts people on crack? Why on earth would they send a statement out highlighting to me how hopeless they are when I already don’t trust them and this technicolor vomit sheet of errors is something I would expect from a 10 year old in math class. Are they professional? That would again be an ‘oh hell no.’ How is it they can’t produce error free accounts? I’ve done it. It’s not hard if you pay attention, be accurate and don’t drink or do drugs at work.

So, now I have to waste my time trying to work out the statement of yellow and red mistakes and then email them and query their drug use and their ability to both add up and give the true figures. Maybe I should bill them for my time?

*Organize a root in a brothel – root = bonk or fuck depending on your sensibilities

*Dodgy as a two bob watch – dodgy = cheap and suspect

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Meat Loaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light

Just heard this on the radio - a classic

The art of cut and run...

So, I have this situation where I have to leave one thing and go to another thing as gracefully as possible. I’m working on an exit strategy that allows me to do this with the minimum of drama. Normally, I’m a great believer in burning bridges then blowing them up. This time I can’t. This time I have to be subtle. Usually I’m about as subtle as a sledgehammer. In essence I have to lie my arse off and sound as convincing and regretful as possible. Can I do it? Oh hell yeah. I come from a long line of dramatic women who often found themselves in “situations” and can cry on cue if needs be. And the thing is this wasn’t a situation of my own making. I had been put in a position where I had to rely on others - I hate doing that - it always implodes. Now I have to spin off this fascinating series of lies – yes, they may very well be in a future book – so I can delicately cut and run. Oh hard…

Exit strategy = lie arse off then scarper. I may well go to hell in a handbag for it but I figure the most interesting people will be down there.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Oh the horror…

Of late I have been banging out a horror story on my computer. Why horror? I don’t know. It’s just where my head has been. It started before Christmas when I went to the library in search of books to read. I found a bunch of horror books. After reading them I thought - “I can write one of these.” So, I’m in the processing of sending a story off to a publisher now. I’ve killed people in all sorts of terrible ways in this story. It’s been interesting not concentrating on the fluffier side of romance. Oh sure – there’s still a lot of sex and people fall in love but this is a grittier story. Will it sell? Who knows? But a change of direction is always good. And if it fails and I fall on my arse? As I always say – that’s what cellulite is for. It softens the fall.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

The mystery of shuffle pants...

I was talking to an intelligent young man last night. He’s 12 and desperate for a pair of shuffle pants. I had no idea what they were, so I researched them and I discovered this – they’re a conspiracy to bring back ghastly 1970’s fashions. They’re flared, in bright colours and you wear/have braces with them. See pics. Shuffle pants reminded me of Bay City Roller pants. Remember those? I had friends who would not speak to their parents for weeks because they were denied access to buy them.

As the young gentleman explained his dire need for them, it reminded me of being a kid all those years ago. Are they a fad? Oh hell yeah. Are shuffle pants designed to drive parents mad? Of course – it’s cosmic payback for whatever fad those parents were desperate for when they were 12. Are they cheap? Nope – they cost a bomb. Will he get the shuffle pants he craves? Of course. He’ll wear ‘em for a couple of weeks until the next fad hits the streets and they’ll be ditched. He’s a kid – that’s his job.

Shuffle pants - nothing is new under the sun.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Three for a fiver...

I went to the basketball last night. Cairns Taipans were playing Gold Coast Blaze. Who won? Well, that was the question I asked after the game. Why? I went walkabout in the second half. I’m not the slightest bit sporty. I went for the tribal atmosphere of people dressed in orange – I cannot begin to tell you how crapacious I look in orange - and to sell raffle tickets - to support the local kids in their basketball campaign - with a friend. We stood on a street corner and badgered people into buying them. Did people buy? Of course. I can be very annoying and persistent and my friend could charm the pants off anyone. It was fun. It was all about having no shame and acting silly to catch people’s attention.

Oh – and the Cairns Taipans won – but of course - and, more importantly - they won by enough points – over the magical 85 – to guarantee everyone in the stadium a free cheeseburger at Maccas (McDonalds).

Tomorrow’s blog? The mystery of shuffle pants….

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

It's what all the romance books are based on...

So, I ran into the lawnmower…

…I knew that was going to happen eventually. I have a small garage in my temporary rental digs. It’s meant to house just Patrick, my car. But there’s also a heavy-as-all-get-out-1920’s opal inlaid wardrobe, a freezer, two old metal trucks, a bed head to match the wardrobe, a wheelbarrow, 4 boxes of crap and the lawnmower. I maneuver the stoic Patrick in there every day. Usually, once Patrick is settled in, I open the door of the car then climb over the lawnmower to get out of the garage. Except yesterday when Patrick insisted (it wasn’t me) on running into the lawnmower. Interestingly enough neither Patrick or the mower has a scratch. The moral of the story? Well, maybe it’s about the crap we collect or the way we store it. Possiby it’s about paying attention or perhaps it just to watch out for lawnmowers…there everywhere.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Constant Cravings...

Constant Craving from Secret Cravings…it’s all about what you crave.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Hush...

Hush – book one in the Sex odyssey series is out today. In honour of that I have 3 pdf copies to give away. Send me an email – Amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au with ‘Hush’ in the subject line. The contest closes 10th January 2011 at 10 noon USA EST time.

The blurb

Eliza McQuade is tried of her boring existence. She wants more out of life. She craves dirty sex with strangers. The way to get it? Give into her wildest desires and let go of the good girl inside.

Tobias Renfrew is more than happy to help Eliza smash her inhibitions with a little help from his friends. He sees nothing wrong in guiding the insatiable lust Eliza has to make her happy.

The excerpt

Eliza couldn’t move. Her arms were stretched above her head, ropes around each wrist. She pulled hard on the ties that bound her. They were firm and her wrists burned with pain. She looked at the man whose eyes were on her pussy. It was bare. He had ordered her to shave the dark brown curls off. And she had obeyed. That had been so unlike her. But then, she wasn’t the same person since meeting him. Lust had a way of changing mind sets.
He didn’t touch her yet his gaze was hot on the tender pink flesh of her cunt. She wanted to close her legs and deny him the access to look and touch. But she couldn’t. Her legs were splayed out by ropes around each bent knee which pulled her limbs apart, hiding nothing.
“I don’t want this.” They both knew her words were false.
“Hush.” The tips of his fingers caressed her leg.
“It hurts.” But it was a good hurt. A pain that made her feel more alive than ever.
“No it doesn’t.” He sounded confident of that fact.
How is it possible he knows me so well? “But —”
“Hush.”
“This is wrong.” A normal woman wouldn’t allow this treatment. But then, I’m not normal.
“Is it, baby? This is what you said you wanted.”
“Yes but—”
“You asked me, a complete stranger, to tie you up and fuck you.”
Eliza’s face burned with the heat of those words. “I was—” What? Horny? Drunk? Mad?
“You were desperate for a man’s dick inside you.”
Bingo. “A gentleman wouldn’t put it that way.”
“I’m not a gentleman and neither are my friends.”
“Friends?”
“That’s right, baby. You want to be fucked? I want to make sure you remember this moment forever.”
“I thought—” Actually I hadn’t been thinking at all.
He laughed. “That’s your problem, baby. You think too much. We’re going to change that.” He climbed onto the bed between her legs. His hand was so close to the hot, wet core of her. Unconsciously she lifted her pelvis up for his touch. He laughed. “Oh I will fuck you but not just yet. Boys, come on in and meet our playmate.”
Boys? Eliza’s eyes cut to the door as it opened. Three men walked in. “Um—”
“You said you wanted it hot and hard.”
“Yes but—”
“Hush.”

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Judge a book…

All righty then…I’ll say it. Is this a crap cover or what? How is it this pair of computer generated wooden figures with their man hands who look like they barely know each other supposed to convey romance, passion and love? And that’s what Berengaria Brown’s book - Sappho’s Sisters - is all about. I’ve read the story. It has all the elements of a great read. But the cover? Pardon me but aren’t covers supposed to catch the eye and make you want to buy the book? This cover just confused me and I think it’s mainly to do with the overly long arms of this pair of robot women. I reckon they could touch their toes without bending.

I have to wonder how many good stories are screwed because of their cover. If I saw this cover I wouldn’t be inclined to read the book. Because good mate Berengaria Brown wrote the book and I knew it would be – in her words – an ‘awesome’ read, I read it. I told BB the cover sucks. BB just sent me back a smiley face. That’s BB for you – a mellowed out free love hippy child.

This raises all the questions I asked on this blog~ http://amarindajones.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-girl-muriel.html
Are some cover artists getting worse or are publishers hiring those who work the cheapest? Or is it about drugs and designing under the influence? Hmmm…

Anyway – off pukeable covers and onto the story. It’s a regency romance – not wooden puppet love as the cover would suggest – and its lesbian erotica. Warning – the following excerpt is devoid of cock and it is very adult. Click on the cover to buy and refuse to judge a book by its half arsed cover.

Sappho’s Sisters…the blurb…

Lady Eustacia Lumley is the only child of the Earl of Wentworth. It is her duty to marry well and ensure the succession. Margaret Durrell is the fourth daughter of a gently born, but near penniless vicar. She has no option but to marry a man who can provide for her and possibly
for some of her sisters as well.

Best friends since their days at Miss Marcomb's Academy for Young Ladies, both young women are very interested in Sappho's poetry and ideas. One evening while visiting the Wentworth estate, Margaret has a headache and Eustacia offers to massage her scalp. This act of kindness leads them into an encounter they both find very enjoyable.

The two young women fall deeply in love, but is there any hope for them? Or will they both have to conform to the rigid rules of Regency society?

Excerpt…

The next evening, Margaret crept into Eustacia’s room the moment Eustacia’s maid left. “Show me how to pleasure you.”
“The first step is to learn how to pleasure yourself so you know what feels good.” Eustacia picked up the handheld looking glass and pulled her night rail off. Margaret got undressed too.
Eustacia sat on the bed with her legs spread wide apart, her feet planted flat on the mattress. She angled the mirror to display her cunny, then, with her spare hand, she opened her nether lips, displaying her channel. She moved her finger up higher and exposed her nub, and began stroking it. They both watched as it got redder and larger.
Eustacia scooped up some of the cream that had started to drip from her cunny and rubbed it over the hot little bud as she swirled a finger back and forth across it.
Margaret moved behind her and pressed the palms of her hands over Eustacia’s breasts, lifting each globe and weighing it in her hand, before rubbing her fingers across the nipples. “I already knew how good this feels.”
Her fingers rolling and tweaking her friend’s nipples, Margaret continued to watch in the mirror as Eustacia slid two fingers deep inside her channel, then returned to circling and pressing her nub.
Sweat was beading on Eustacia’s forehead as they both continued to tease and excite her. Eustacia started to pant and thrust three fingers hard into her cunny, twisting and turning them to scrape the walls of her channel. Margaret redoubled her gentle efforts on Eustacia’s breasts, smoothing and stroking the globes, and fondling the nipples.
“Pinch them,” ordered Eustacia.
Margaret did, giving a sharp little nip to both nipples simultaneously. Eustacia dug her thumbnail into her nubbin and cream flooded from her cunny as she sighed and shook in release.
Margaret leaned forward and kissed both breasts, sucking each nipple into her mouth briefly before walking to the end of the bed, lying between Eustacia’s thighs, and licking her cream.
“You taste different from me. Saltier, and maybe a little more tart,” she said before licking some more. When Eustacia was clean, Margaret slid up the bed and kissed her, sharing her flavor with her.
“Oh my, that is exciting,” Margaret whispered.
But Eustacia wasn’t finished. She rolled Margaret underneath her, then sat up and straddled her hips. Still kissing her, Eustacia took a length of her hair and teased the younger woman’s breasts with it, letting it flow across them, swirl around them, and stroke them.
All the while, she rubbed her mons against Margaret’s, pressing forward from time to time so their nubbins were pushed together.
Sweat sprang out on her brow again as Margaret thrust her hips up urgently into Eustacia’s so their bodies could rub against each other more.
Eustacia lay flat on Margaret, pressing her torso hard onto the other woman’s, and began kissing her passionately, thrusting her tongue deep into the warm, wet cavern of Margaret’s mouth, then sucking her tongue before lowering her head to play with the younger woman’s breasts.
Margaret’s hands grabbed at Eustacia, rolling her nipples between her fingers, rubbing her shoulders, clasping her bottom, and all the while, thrusting their hips together in a clashing dance of urgency.
Eustacia slid a finger around underneath Margaret and thrust it far inside her anus. With a deep sigh, Margaret exploded under her, thrashing and shaking with the force of her release. Their hips locked together and Eustacia came again too, riding the wave of passion with her friend.

Visit the Sappho’s Sisters page at Logical-Lust Publications: www.logical-lust.com/sapphossisters.html

Beaut covers...

Excellent covers from Dara England at Evernight Publishing. Indecent Encounters, with my story Raw, is released in February and Dicking Around in March

























Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

So I went for a wander...

…through the Cairns Botannical Gardens and the wetlands. I got a palm frond thorn in my foot, almost got carried away by mozzies who rejoiced when they smelled my bleeding foot and fell upon me for a nosh and I saw a cassowary crashing through the wetlands in the opposite direction to me – thank god – they’re big buggers to take on in a fight – I reckon I scared it as I was wearing purple and spangly sequins….and I may have been singing. I had fun…see pics below…

Inconvenient nipples...

What body parts can be shown on a book cover? I love these two book covers sent to me from Secret Cravings Publishing but there have been concerns on showing nipples and an arse.

I do wonder why in this day and age it is acceptable for a male arse to be shown in full on a book cover yet a woman’s carefully covered. And nipples? We all have them yet showing the female version comes under scrutiny. Should sexuality be homogenized for erotica? I believe not. If you are buying erotica you know body parts on, in and grinding against and within are going to be the focus of the story so being offended by the hint of nipples seems odd to me.

























Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

So, in robot world...

…otherwise known as Canberra, the capital of Australia, I spent a small part of life, after coming back from living in London and travelling the world, going to University. Now some people love Canberra. They love the formal, rigidity of the place and the stick up the arse rules and social conventions. And then there’s me. I hated it. Rules? Oh please? Dressing the right way and saying the right thing? Oh fuck off. I believe Popeye summed it up best when he said ‘I am who I am.’ Anyway – back to University – I went to the one in Canberra because I was a ne’re do well and they were the only one who’d accept me. So I turned up in an attempt to do a BA, or as I like to call it a ‘bugger all’, in journalism. No, I didn’t want to be a journalist. It was just a course I picked out of the blue and thought – yeah okay, I’ll take a crack at that.

The point of my rambling? I had to attend a creative writing unit/class for a semester. We had to write – as the course name suggests – creatively and then read it to the class on a regular basis. I sucked at this. The reading out loud wasn't the problem. Public speaking, to me, is easy. I'm a natural ham. It was always the content of my work that went down like a lead balloon. One of mine I read – part of a horror romance – and everyone stared at me. What was wrong with it? Well everyone else in the class had attended some basketball game the previous night and they had all written about basketball. The lecturer said I needed to ‘think a little more about my audience and experience life’ before I wrote the stories that I did and that ‘maybe creative writing wasn’t for me.’

Why do I mention this now? Well, I’m going to use that horror romance story from the robot years in my current Amarinda story. I still went on to finish my degree in Communication/Psychology at a different Uni. I still don’t conform and I write some creative – non basketball – stuff when the mood takes me. The moral of the story? Don’t let wankers drag you down or you'll never do anything in life.

**mannequin pic is from a store in the Darwin mall.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book