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Mixed Bag w/a Snippet

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I’m feeling all free form today. I’ve got a lot of shit to do. Although I am ever grateful that I’ve gotten a lot of shit done. I seem to write and be productive in cycles. Whatever. i was going to do my usual snippet today seeing as it’s Saturday. But I thought I do a few different things today. So in no particular order…

1. Scrivener is working out well so far. I’ve got no cause for complaints. I think the more I get into it, the more I’ll like it.

2. Began writing the first full length book in Steel and Stilettos. It’s been kinda cool working on two different interweaving storylines. It should be fun. And it looks like I will meet my end of the year deadline for getting my writing goals finished.

3. Edits. The bane of my existence. I would rather poke my own eye out than edit. Some people are naturally handy at this skill. I am not one of them. It is excruciatingly painful for me. So of course, I am currently editing Hat Trick and still awaiting edits on Driven and Homecoming. I do not like the current edit to writing ratio. 3-1 the other way would be okay, but this way… not so much.

4. Here is a small snippet from something I am currently working on. Don’t tell anybody. Shh… keep it between us.

They both looked up, their faces only separated by inches. She couldn’t resist. Not anymore. She closed the distance between them slowly. Giving him time to move if this wasn’t what he wanted.

He didn’t move.

She licked his lower lip then took it between her teeth, gently sucking it into her mouth. He tasted divine. She could feel his breath as he exhaled softly. She licked along the seam of his mouth, asking to be allowed entrance. He opened slightly.

She could have moved her tongue in fast and hard. It was what she wanted to do. She was greedy for a more complete taste of him. But she held herself back and went gently, moving slowly in. Sipping when she wanted to gulp.

 

5. I got a new chest of drawers. And now I must rearrange my clothes. It’s a task. I’ve been assigned it. There isn’t any escape.

6. Two more blog hops planned before the end of the year. One for Halloween to support my Wanton Witches Collection story, FarSeen. The other to bump up Home Run as well as hype the next book in that series, Hat Trick.

7. Did I mention, TEB contracted Night Blind? It’s being released next year. There is a lot of excitement going on over there. It should be a fun ride. We’ll see. They are looking at two more books in that universe. Got my fingers crossed.

8. Geez, I didn’t know I had so much crap all jumbled together to make up a writing life. Who knew? If I remember more crap, I will edit it in.

 

Random Thoughts Part 9

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Why haven’t they buried all the electrical wires yet? Why are there still wires above ground where wind, trees and a variety of other dangerous conditions exist to break said wires? I don’t understand this. Doesn’t the cost of maintenance above ground outstrip the cost of putting the wires underground? Not to mention it looks better. A lot better.

Can there be two weeks of weather that doesn’t require that either the air conditioner or the heater be on? Can we do that say like twice  a year? When summer becomes fall and winter becomes spring. Or something like that. So that I could get a break on my electric bills. Seriously. Be temperate. So I can be off the juice for a few weeks. It would be greatly appreciated.

When I start writing a book it goes slow. Then I get into it and it goes fast. Then at some point, I get sick of the story, want to writ the next one and can’t wait for the story to end. So the ending comes slow as molasses as well. I think you write at mixed variable speeds due to what you are writing as well as you excitement level about writing it. It’s being able to get in 2000 word days even when you aren’t feeling the first word that distinguishes the wanna bes to the already theres.

It never fails that when you need to hear something. Like it is crucial for the continued survival of the human species, a vehicle with a loud ass siren will go by and make whatever it was you were listening to not be heard at all. Not even a whisper. And they don’t just go by in ones .No, they go by in multiples. So it’ll be a while before you can hear what you needed to hear to save the Western Civilization. Some days it just goes like that.

That is all.

If You’re Against Blowjobs, I Can’t Vote For You

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I moved to Virginia from Alaska not too long ago. I didn’t know I was moving to crazy. I mean, shit, I’m from Alaska. Alaskans have DEFINED crazy in many instances. Seriously. I love Alaskans, don’t get me wrong. They are warm-hearted and resourceful and just all around fabulous people. But they’re just a little nuts, too. I mean where else are there gun-toting citizens riding around in pickups with shotgun racks and bumper sticker with both Libertarian Party kudos and marijuana leaves? Yup, you got it… pot-smoking rednecks. Gotta love ’em.

So I come to Virginia expecting normal regular rednecks. To a place where people are proud to be in a state which was… part of the original 13, with land grants given to them by peers of the British realm, Daughters of the American Revolution, all raising horses and sitting around drinking tea. Instead, what do I find?

no blowjobA frickin’ Attorney General, Cuccinelli, who wants to reinstate the sodomy laws so that no oral sex can be had by consenting adults. Any consenting adults. Even those who are married and LIKE oral sex. Even if you’re gay and that’s just how you have sex. Even if you’re 60 and want to try it without the dentures on your 70 year old widowed neighbor. No munching at the Y. No blowing the horn. No trips on the hershey highway. He wants oral and anal sex to be against the law, and offenders to be sent to jail and listed as registered sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

Can we say loco, boys and girls?

And disingenuous. Any first year law student knows those types of laws are unconstitutional. Have been for a while. Most other states’ Attorney Generals know it, too. The previous Virginian Attorney General knew it as well. I can’t help but wonder if Ken objects to getting his dick sucked, or if it’s his wife who abhors the practice. Cause I gotta say, most in their right minds, are PRO-BLOWJOBS. At least, if you’re doing it right. And a lot of times, even if you are doing it wrong as long as there is some enthusiasm behind the act. Same goes for rug munching. Gung ho goes a long way even when technique just isn’t there. So I can’t help wonder what Ken and his wife have been doing in the bedroom for Ken to hate oral as much as he does. And to hate on the Constitution as well.

As a writer of  the smut and the smex and naughty stories that get people to go bump in the night, I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around his stance. Blowjobs are a staple in my books. They should be a staple in all of our lives. Oral lives on. And for real… it ain’t going anywhere.

He’s running for Governor. But his stance on blowjobs is why I would never, can’t ever vote for him. Let’s not even talk about his stance on making divorce HARDER or his anti-choice stance on abortion even to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape and incest.

Virginia. Cuccinelli. Welcome to crazy.

Random Thoughts- Author Comment on Reviews

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So much talk about this subject. So many words flying around the internet and swirling around the inside of people’s minds. Jesus, you’d think this was something serious and shit.

Look authors write. Readers read and, sometimes, review. That’s just the way it is. People get butt hurt about a lot of things. So is it any wonder that authors get butt hurt about less than stellar reviews? No. Is it any wonder that readers get butt hurt about being called to the carpet over their less than stellar reviews? No. It is what it is.

The debate flying around is whether authors should reply to reviews- at all. Some take this even further and say authors shouldn’t even look at reviews. La-di-fucking-da.  Are you frickin’ kidding me? Really? This is akin to telling teens to just say no -or- to wait until marriage to have sex. Not. Fucking. Gonna. Happen. EVER. If you are of the opinion that it could/should/would… I have some swamp land in Alaska to sell you. No, no, I really do.

Now, keep in mind that the internet is full of rude, obnoxious people who are able to hide their identity. So… starting from the premise that not only are there assholes in the world, but there are relatively anonymous assholes that inhabit this world and you begin to see the dilemma before us. Being faceless on the web seems to give people the courage and/or stupidity they would not have or exercise otherwise. Because these people allow an endless amount of drivel and shit to spew from their fingertips.

Look, just because we can’t see each other–can’t see the hurt on the faces of people as we cause pain with our words– doesn’t mean the normal rules of polite discourse should be ignored. It shouldn’t. Childish rhymes notwithstanding, words can hurt and wound. Plus, you never know, the person you are directing your vitriolic garbage to might be unhinged and hunt you down like Predator did Alien.

That’s not to say that honesty shouldn’t be part of the internet opinion exchange. It should. If you think a book sucked. Say so. If it was great. Say so. Just don’t say it like a dick. And maybe focus on the book or the cover or that the moons didn’t align, and not the author. And if a reviewer is being dick and not focusing on the book or dim chakras or the use/non-use of a word, then I actually think it’s okay to call that reviewer out. But don’t be a dick back. A few non-dickish words to point out the focus of the the review wasn’t the book under review might be appropriate, or a hey sorry you didn’t like the book. Again, emphasis on not being a dick. By authors, readers or reviewers.  On the other hand, sometimes, it just spools up the dickish behavior even more. It’s a judgment call. On the part of the people involved in the book and the review. The rest of us can have an opinion on what’s happening, but really we should stay out of the fray and just watch the train wreck as it happens. Rubbernecking is a spectator sport, not a participant activity. Plus, when the spectators jump in, well, we become the de facto dicks. Don’t be a dick.

It should be the guiding principle on both sides of this debate- DON’T BE A DICK. And if you can’t figure out who the dickish asshole is in the melee… well, it’s probably you.

 

Random Thoughts Part… the 8th

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It’s been a long while since I’ve had a random thought. Most of my thoughts have been pretty targeted. That happens when you got 3 back to back book releases while trying to hawk some more stories to various publishing houses. But for the last several weeks, I’ve taken a vakay from all things writerly to focus on other aspects of my life. Like getting my oldest off to college. And rediscovering how much I like READING books and stories and other people’s writings. What it’s really done is give me a chance to recharge, renew and get excited about MY writing again.

I hate getting older. Not only does time seem to be passing me by at warp speed, but my body seems to be failing at a scary exponential rate. It’s pissing me off. Every. Frickin’. Day. If I knew the person in charge personal like, I would be bitching constantly about how it’s not right to make time move so goddamn fast all the while my earthly vessel deteriorates like there is no tomorrow. See, in my opinion, it should be one or the other. Death should be flying rapidly to meet me -OR- not and, mind you, OR my body should be falling apart like a cheap Chinese toy. But not both. Never both. But I don’t the person in charge personally. So I have zero say in matters. Sucks to be me.

Even thought I am no longer in school, the end of summer is still signaled by kids going back to school. I don’t care what the calendar says. Fall starts when school starts. End of story. No other marker is needed. Period. Oh okay, if there is a holiday that might, just might, signal fall, it would be Labor Day. And who made the rule that a woman can’t wear white after that date. Seems arbitrary to me. Cause it should depend on the weather, season and where you live. I mean, it’s pretty damn hot in certain parts of the world. And white is a great reflective color. It gets the heat off your back. Literally and figuratively. But mostly literally. So white might be necessary after Labor Day. So there, you crazy fashion police bitches.

When are we gonna come up with an alternative fuel that doesn’t use oil? And by fuel, I mean for cars. I am so tired of paying through my nose to drive my gas guzzling vehicle. Yeah, I get the irony part of that previous statement. So what. I still want cheaper gas. And I still want fuel that doesn’t begin as dark sludge. And I want it yesterday. We’re smart. We could do it. My problem begins when I think about why we don’t. Politics. Plain and simple. Shit. Given the amount of money changing hands just to keep oil as king, we’re gonna have to run out of oil before we seriously start developing other fuel sources. Pisses me right the fuck off. Politics. Sucks.

That is all.

Enough with the Hating

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I was informed that m/f sex in m/m books was offensive, disrespectful, yada, yada, yada. And all I have to say is Fuck You JesseWave.

Read what you want. Write what you want. Review what you want. But don’t couch your misogyny in terms of choice and needing warnings that a vagina is about to be used for sex. Warnings on books should be and traditionally has been about rape, incest, excess violence and the like. Not about vaginas being fucked. Ain’t nothing disrespectful about vaginas being used for their intended purpose. Not at all.

And trying to play off your vagina hating rant as anything but HATING is a lie. Don’t want to play in my sandbox? Fine. Don’t want me to play in your sandbox? Fine. But don’t call me, the toys I bring to the sandbox or anything about me names. Derogatory names and tell me I’m being disrespectful. Apologizing for calling my vagina and vaginas around the world as being cootie filled is full of hate. Cause you shouldn’t have said it in the first place. Now I know how you really feel about vaginas.

And I don’t normally write m/m stuff. I do write menage stuff. I read a whole lot of shit though.

This whole issue pisses me off.

Not long ago, just WRITING about m/m romances and sex could get you tarred and feathered. So the m/f community excluded it from ALL writing and pairings regardless of the reality of the situation. Then someone got a clue, smacked the shit out of the m/f community with a two-by-four of common sense, and viola, we get some m/m action. Then m/m took the fuck off. Which I applaud. Seriously. Love having some diversity in my ability to read some different stuff. But now, to be told that women writers of m/m are clueless and/or having women having sex in m/m stories is denigrating in some fashion pisses me the fuck off.

Don’t we have enough hang ups about fucking in this society without the m/m community- which, by the way, should be MORE tolerant, having hang ups about some people having sex. I don’t have girl cooties. None of my gay friends have fag cooties. None of my multi-gendered friends have freak cooties. I don’t care who’s catching or pitching. Nor do I care what instrument they are using. What I care about is the derogatory terms with which they are being described.

Fuck you. It is hard enough in this puritanical society to be free to express ourselves sexually. To be labeled as having girl cooties makes me feel about the same as being referenced as a breeder. I won’t stand for it in RL. I won’t stand for it in my writerly life. Just like I wouldn’t stand for nasty shit being said about others who have sex not in conformance with the “norm.”

It is beyond time to have m/m sex portrayed in mainstream fiction of all genres. Just as it is beyond time to have m/f sex portrayed in m/m fiction of all genres. M/m should be leading the way, not crying that there are vaginas in the m/m world. No m/m couple lives in a vacuum. Surprisingly, there are lots of vaginas in the world- yes, even in the m/m world. And sometimes, they even get used.

I don’t write off-scene sex often. So if the peeps in my books are fucking, you’re seeing it. I’m sure there are authors that write off-scene sex. I’m sure there are authors that write explicit sex scenes. I bet the heat level has nothing to do with sexual orientation or preference. It’s just the way they write about sex in their books.

So here’s your fucking warning: People in my books like to fuck. Some have dicks. Some have pussies.

That is all.

Random Thoughts Part 7

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SCOTUS sketch : last day of 2012 term (Art Lien)

 

The Supreme Court of the United States has always been a fickle bitch. Or at least their opinions have. This past week has been no exceptions. On the one hand, they ruled legislation regarding gay marriage vis-a-vis DOMA okay. Which makes all of us cheer. Well, not those that think homosexuality is bad, bad, bad. And marriage between one man and one woman evil and contrary to the bible- notwithstanding biblical marriages of more than one person, sexual congress with handmaidens of the wives, bedwarmers, etc. And on the other hand, struck down legislation designed to keep voting districts from unnecessarily preventing minorities be represented at the state and federal levels. Which is weird since we still have racism and one of the primary ways to perpetuate institutional racism is vis-a-vis voting and elected officials. People in power tend to want to stay in power and draw districting lines in a manner to prevent minority votes from being a majority in many areas. The thing is both these issues sprung from legislation. And on the one hand, SCOTUS said legislation was okay and proper, then on the other hand said legislation wasn’t okay and wasn’t proper. So they used Congresses ability to make legislation to uphold one law and then said in the other case it wasn’t okay for Congress to make legislation. Strange. Bizarre. And totally at odds with what happened in both cases. You can’t have it both ways. Either Congress can legislate shit or they can’t.

 

As more time passes, more plagiarist are being ferreted out. Seriously? WTF? Teresa Mummert has a whole diagram to show how one person has plagiarized several books under various names and through various social media outlets has been promoting those sames books and/or leaving positive reviews for their alter-ego characters. Either this person grew up in a con- running family or has serious split personality disorder. Maybe both. So many books being ripped off. Get a clue. The internet which allows this to occur so easily also helps to find these stupid bastards just as easily. In the time it took for this person to set up social media accounts, upload books, leave reviews, etc., they could’ve written a book and sold it. Like an original one. But my view of plagiarist still stands. Plagiarist plagiarize because they are lazy, stupid and weak. The lights are on but nobody’s home. You can’t wash off stupid. And BTW, what this person did wasn’t smart or showed intelligence, it showed cunning. Cunning is sooooo not the same as intelligence or having an original thought. It is something vastly different. Vastly.

 

Wendy Davis as the nation watched on.

 

Watching Wendy Davis’s  filibuster in Texas against a bill which would severely curtail a woman’s right to abortion made me a little happy this week. Not only did the bill not get a chance to be voted on, it showed me again why I like democracy.  Seriously. Then the Republicans tried to lie and alter the record. But, internet is a truth seekers friend. Within moments, the real record had been screen captured and put up showing the slicky boy moves of the Republicans. Which just goes to show, ain’t nothing cheaters won’t do to cheat.  I don’t care if you are pro choice or pro life, you need to allow the most inclusive legislation so that people, especially the ones who don’t hold the same views as those in power, can express their beliefs and not be stifled. And abortion is just such an area which lends itself to this philosophy. Just because you are Christian and believe abortion is wrong doesn’t mean you get to shove that viewpoint down others’ throats. That would be like a Hindu making you not be able to kill your beef cows because they are sacred and forcing that provision into law. Or – insert religion here, forcing Jewish people or Shintoist or, or, or…to- insert a act which is vile and oppressive to Jews, Shintoist, etc. etc. etc.,  here. And then do this again for every religion under the sun. Seriously, stop the madness. Not every body believes in the same religious things as you. Make it so you have a choice to follow your beliefs as well as them having a choice to follow their beliefs. This course of action is LOGICAL. Really it is.

Conventional wisdom says I shouldn’t post controversial political views in my blog. Kiss my ass. My blog. My opinions. My voice. We don’t have to share the same beliefs. We just have to respect that we can each have ’em. No matter what. DIVERSITY- try it.

That is all.

Random Thoughts Part 6

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Why is it when you have guests in your home, your home doesn’t feel like your home anymore? It feels like you are the one on vacation and you’re in a strange location. Don’t get me wrong, I like having guests. It brings out the whole hostess in me thing. But the invasion of my home feels odd. It really feels like I am in another location if the people in my house are staying longer than an evening. Weird, right? Even weirder is that I WANT them to come and visit. But then I want them to LEAVE. It is a serious issue. A condition for which I have no cure. Damn it. I am a walking contradiction. lol

I don’t like the whole hurry up and wait thing we have going on in various parts of our lives. We speed on the roads only to have to come to an abrupt stop for traffic or lights or something. We hurry up to get to an arena for viewing- concerts, lectures, shows, etc., only to have to wait until it comes on. And then it is usually late. But we hurried to get there. Hurried to get seats. And in some cases, hurried to buy the damn tickets in the first place. We hurry to doctor’s appointments, dentist’s appointments, hair appointments, only to have to wait. Some of it is on us. We want to be first, on time, whatever. But some of it is just shitty traffic engineering. Bad light timing. Or shitty venue timing. Or just plain shitty doctors, dentists, hairdressers, etc. And don’t get me started on the hurry up and wait that goes on in airports when- god forbid, you have to fly somewhere. Jaysus.

When did it become okay to be misogynistic tools? Has the anonymity of the internet made the haters hate harder? I don’t think so. It as just allowed the cowardly bastard to express their hate using a wall to hide behind. Cowardly fucktards. Dude, if you are so sure of what you’re saying, so proud of who you are- BE YOU. Without hiding. Without shame. Without the sad stupid ass barrier of anonymity that internet use affords you. Because it also affords you the CHOICE of being all in by being ALL THE WAY OUT. Anything less is the pussification of your views and viewpoints. Stop being juvenile. If you can’t say it with your identity known by all and asundry, then you don’t have worthwhile viewpoints. At ALL. And just so we are clear, even if you do come out in the open with your vitriolic hate messages- against women, minorities, the moon in retrograde, it doesn’t mean you are any less of a fucktard. It just means you aren’t a hide behind the anonymity of the internet kinda of fucktard. Unfortunately, for you, your fucktardness isn’t something you change. Like losing weight, getting hair plugs, going under the knife to change your visage. No, your fucktardness is way past skin deep all the way into the marrow of your bones. For you, you will languish in the land of fucktardary until you draw your last breath. Yes, you asshat who belongs to the sfwa… this message is specifically about you and generally about all asshats.

Stop using your social media to turn yourself into spammers. You could be interesting. You could have sparking conversation, witty dialogue and kick ass discourse. I will never know because I unfollowed your ass, blocked your access and created a spam filter just for you. Cause that shit is just annoying. Seriously. STOP THAT SHIT. A shout out occasionally to promo your shit is cool. I get that. I do that. But if every tweet, every FB comment, every email is about your product- no matter what that product is, then you ARE A SPAMMER. A hated, reviled member of our electronic interaction community. You have just made yourself the red-headed stepchild.

That is all.

 

Mawr Cool Places on the Interwebz

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Okay. I like the internet. It has made my life infinitely easier. Not better. Just easier. So here are some more places for you to visit when you’re on your computer and need to waste a little time or just want to find some cool crap.

Ill Will Press has some of the funniest videos that are so wrong on so many levels, you can’t help but enjoy it. Some of them will make you just laugh out loud, for realz. 🙂

Touch the Sky has tree camping. That’s right, you read it here… TREE CAMPING. I didn’t even know this existed. Now I can’t wait to do it. I found them through a magazine article. Then I looked it up and there are several outfits that do this. How cool is that?!?! I bet there’s even one in your area.

Rusty Moore is a fitness trainer in Seattle. He helps a lot of people look fit but not like steriod pumped people. He has a program specifically for women, who don’t want to look like a mini Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its his Visual Impact for Women. Click the link, listen to his video and decide if the price is right. I think it is.

Now for a writer page or two. 🙂 These are the pages I use when I am editing. Or in other words, ripping apart my manuscript so that I can put it all back together again better than before. Many people use Holly Lisle’s One Pass Manuscript Revision. I also like Rachel Aaron’s Editing for People who hate Editing. I use a combo of both. I took what I liked from each of them and used them together. And in life, as in most things like writing, that’s the way it should be. Take what you need, leave the rest.

June Blog Chain

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Doing AW‘s June Blog Chain again. Might the last for a bit. I got a lot on my plate right now.

This month’s prompt:
Bugs

Yep. Bugs. Simple and easy. Prose, poetry, play. Fiction, nonfiction. It’s all good, all bugs.

Instructions:
Simply post your blog’s URL in this thread to join. I’ll let you know in this thread when it’s your turn. Once your turn comes up, you have two days to complete a blog post using the prompt. When you are finished, please add a link to your post on the thread.

Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Bugs

“Don’t let them escape,” she cried.

“I’m tryin’ not to,” he answered.

“Oh my god. Get them.” She was horrified.

Silas wasn’t a very forgiving overseer. Not even a drop of compassion flowed through his veins. She and Orrin would be written up and their pay docked. The last thing she could afford was to have her pay docked.

“Hurry and get ‘em back into their containment units, Chessie,” Orrin’s tone was forceful while his voice was low. “Mebbe they won’t notice. Or mebbe we can tell ‘um they died in the unit.”

“That won’t work Orrin. They added the unit weight monitors yesterday. The units just got calibrated,” her voice held the resignation she felt. “It’s useless. I’ll file the report.”

“Shit.”

It wasn’t a minute after she hit send on the report, the communicator on the console started beeping. She didn’t want to hit the green button, but she did.

“Ms. de Marco?” asked Silas.

“Yes, this is she,” she answered, albeit reluctantly.

“I see from the report, your team lost a little under a gross of cockroaches,” he said. His voice held neither disapproval or approval.

“Yes sir. That’s correct,” she said. “It was my fault, sir. Mr. Abernathy bears no fault.”

“I noted that on the report as well,” he stated.

“It’s the truth,” she said emphatically. “Although Orrin helped me when I tried to get them back. They ran, sir. We couldn’t catch them.”

“The loss of the gross will cost the company just under $10,000 dollars, Ms. de Marco. How do you propose to rectify this situation?” Silas asked her.

“Well, I’ve given it some thought, sir. I would be willing to be docked half pay and work over time for the remaining portion,” she suggested.

“Acceptable,” Silas told her. Again, no inflection in his voice to indicate emotions running one way or another. “Computer please note the date and time of the agreement.”

“Agreement noted and entered,” a chipper female voice acknowledged.

“Will that be all sir?” she asked miserably.

“Yes. Good day,” Silas sign off. The communicator beeping one long beep to indicate the call was over.

“Crap,” she cursed.

“Doan worry, Chessie. I kin share my rations. I know you need ‘em,” Orrin offered.

“This can’t go on Orrin. We need to figure out a way to get the overflow when we open the units,” she said.

“How kin we do that if the company hasn’t?” Orrin asked.

“The company doesn’t care Orrin,” she said. “They dock the workers pay if any of those bugs get out. So they don’t have a profit loss. No profit loss equals no motive to fix the situation.”

“I guess that’s true,” Orrin agreed.

“Well we might as well eat lunch while we think about it,” she told him.

“Alright,” he agreed readily.

Orrin hit a series of buttons. Two bowls appeared with grayish extruded paste in them. He handed one to her and kept the other for himself.

“Hot sauce?” he offered her the bottle.

She took it. While the paste was nutritious, it tasted bad.

“Thanks. I can’t stand the taste plain,” she told him. “Since I started working here. Seeing how they live, I have to put something on it.”

“I just like the hot sauce,” Orrin grinned at her. “Even if the paste didn’t taste like shit, I’d put some on there.”

She didn’t say anything in response. There wasn’t really anything to say. So they finished their meal in silence. Each lost in their own worlds. She was pretty sure they were two vastly different worlds, but still, Orrin had his moments.

He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, but he was funny and nice. He was real nice. He’d helped her out on more than one occasion.

“Do you think we’ll ever get anything else to eat?” she wondered out loud. “I read about all the food that didn’t survive and I can’t imagine what they’d taste like.”

“I dunno, Chessie. Mebbe someday, the ground will grow things again. Or they’ll find somethin’ sides us and the bugs survived,” he said. “Until then, at least we kin eat all we want. Working with the food gots some benefits.”

“Yeah, at least my kid won’t starve,” she said sadly. “He just won’t have much besides food for a while.”

“Naw, girl. I told you I’d help out. And I will,” he said good naturedly.

“I can’t let you do that Orrin. You’ve been helping me out too much,” she said. “Who knew taking care of the food was so difficult?”

“They’re just particular. They don’t want ‘em to get out in case some other folks start to breed ‘em too. Then if everybody could grow ‘em and breed ‘em, the company’s profits would go down,” he said in a surprising moment of insight.

“Yeah. That makes sense,” she said. “It was just easier when I work part time in the office before Eric died, you know?”

“Yeah. I do,” he patted her shoulder. “Welp, it’s time to water the little buggers. Got to keep ‘em plump so they weigh more for sale.”

“Better than feeding them,” she shivered. She hated feeding them. Hated dealing with the corpses. The cyclical nature of the how they bugs ate human corpses, getting fat and then the bugs were ground into paste to feed living humans. Well, it just kind of freaked her out. If she’d never worked in this department, she wouldn’t have it in her face. She could have pretended. But when you’re the one feeding the damn things, it was real hard to pretend.

“Now ain’t that the truth.”

“You’re right. Let’s get back to work,” she sighed. “But one of these days, I am going to figure out how to get them from one unit to another without losing any of them.”

“That’d be a good thing, Chessie. Help us both out,” Orrin grinned at her.

Micro-farming cockroaches was essential now they were the only source of protein left on Earth. Well other than humans. But no one wanted to go there. At least not yet.

Participants and posts:
orion_mk3 – http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to post)
Diem_Allen – http://mindovermistakes.blogspot.com (link to post)
Ralph Pines – http://ralfast.wordpress.com (link to post)
articshark – http://www.drslaten.com/blog (link to post) <————————–me
Lady Cat – http://randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.ca (link to post)
U2Girl – http://ancatdubh.org (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes – http://www.taraquan.com/ (link to post)
SuzanneSeese – http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
robynmackenzie – http://iwanttobeawesomewhenigrowup.com/ (link to post)
Sunwords – http://susannedoering.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
Angyl78 – http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
susanielson – http://somesemblancethereof.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
HistorySleuth – http://historysleuth.blogspot.com (link to post)
SRHowen – http://srhowen1.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Lyra Jean – http://beyondtourism.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
xcomplex – http://arielemerald.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
milkweed – http://www.thistlequill.blogspot.com/ (link to post)