Friday, May 16, 2014

WINNERS ANNOUNCED! SEE LAST COMMENT! Hop Against Homophobia/Transphobia-Why People Are Really Just People (WIN a FREE BOOK)

Hi! If this is your first time visiting my blog site, welcome! You are probably here because of the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia. I know you have a lot of blogs to visit, so today just relax, read my post, and sign up for a chance to win a couple of FREE BOOKS.

I do hope you come back soon and search the archives. You'll find I blog about many things: men, women, life, love, art, writing. and rights of others. I could use more followers and would love it if more people responded to my posts. It makes it a lot of fun when you do.


The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is May 17th,  Here is the link to that organization: http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/

I'm participating in this event for a couple of reasons. First of all, even though I'm an older straight, married woman, I've always been keenly aware of the struggles others have to obtain basic human rights. Perhaps that's because I was a child of the '60s. I saw how women protested for THEIR rights and —being female—it was important to me even as a child and young teen. How could men feel they were superior to women simply because of their gender? It puzzled me that any human would want to make another human "less than" simply to make themselves more powerful.

As I left high school in small town America and moved to a large city, I "grew" a lot of friends over the years. Many of those friends happened to be gay or lesbian. It once again seemed odd to me when people would make hateful or snide comments about them simply because of their gender preference when it came to intimate relationships. I watched their struggles and pain. The Twin Cities of Minnesota is one of the more progressive places when it comes to human rights, but this fight was brutal at times. I am ashamed to be part of the human race when I see how my gay and lesbian friends are treated by some of the bigots who think they have the right to deny others their equality.

I'm also an author. I had completed three of the five books in The Gastien Series before I realized that each book at had least one character that was either gay or lesbian. Once I knew it, I simply smiled. This historical drama is also a family saga. All families have LGBT members, even if those members have felt the need to hide their true identity from the rest of the family. And, all of society has LGBT members. It only made sense to me to continue this in the novels I write. I made a commitment to include at least one LGBT character in each work. The last book of this series is gay historical drama and romance, the fourth book is half gay historical drama, and the first three, as I mentioned, have side characters that represent different colors of the rainbow.

I write novels about the sublime joy and bitter tragedy of being human. Humanity in ALL of its glory and ugliness. There is plenty of both, no matter what gender preference you have.

I recently talked to a friend who works in human resources. A co-worker of hers happens to be gay. A very femme gay. She shared with me a few months ago that their supervisor sat him down and told him that he was ineffective at his job. Why? Because he's gay! She said women thought of him as "just one of the girls" and couldn't take him seriously. Really? Many of the others in his position ARE female. Wouldn't they also not be taken seriously then? What about her?

The good news? That supervisor has lost her job. Finished. Over. See Ya. And no reference letter. Too bad, so sad. It wasn't just because of this one man. It was a culmination of many biases and prejudices she had. In this day and age we need to see ALL of these dinosaurs made extinct in the work force. I don't care if they are 60 or 20 years old!

What have I learned from my LGBT friends about lifestyle? Well, I've learned more about pain and suffering; more about low self-esteem and alienation. But those aren't lifestyles. As far as lifestyle goes, I've learned that it doesn't matter who you prefer to love, your lifestyle follows pretty much the same pattern. We all spend a lot of hours working. We all take out the trash, mow the lawn, write out bills, dream about making love a whole hell of a lot more than we actually do it, and—for the most part—try to be decent human beings. Who we love after doing all of that makes zero difference. And, frankly, with the pace of life today. all of us are lucky if we have the energy for a quick kiss and "I love you" before drifting off to sleep. The bigots really don't have to worry about big sex orgies happening next door. I don't have the energy as a straight woman, and my LGBT friends are in the same boat.

I guess people really ARE more alike than they are different.

And now for a chance to win that prize I promised. I am writing a saga about 6 teenagers who are victims of sex trafficking. It is a story about revenge and redemption. There are five girls and one boy. The gay boy (who arrives late in the first book, dumped at the brothel by his homophobic father) shares main character status with one of the girls. He will be a major part of destroying the man who bought them, along with his house of ill repute. The story is not pretty, but it is current. Sex trafficking is a big problem in every country today. Gritty, raw, and emotional, if you like psychological suspense, you will like this story.

To be entered in the drawing, please comment about why you want to read this saga. The THREE WINNERS will get e-books of the FIRST TWO BOOKS in the There Was a House Saga: House of Pleasure and House of Pain.  If you would also become a member of my blog, I would greatly appreciate it! 

This contest ends midnight PST May 27th 2014. 

The winner will be posted after the 27th, no later than the 29th. I WILL POST THE WINNERS WITHIN 48 HOURS AFTER THAT. IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO LEAVE AN EMAIL, YOU MUST CHECK BACK AND EMAIL ME WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU ARE THE WINNER, OR YOU WON'T RECEIVE YOUR PRIZE. THANK YOU!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you here again soon. Let's get to know each other by you commenting about my thoughts and vice-versa.

Here is a link to continue on to other blog post for this hop:



Caddy Rowland is a novelist and painter. Her social media links follow.
To find out about her novels visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005FW8BZE
Sign up for New Release Newsletter by Email: http://eepurl.com/rfjaX
Author Email: caddyauthor@gmail.com
Twitter: @caddyorpims

43 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your story, Caddy. Sometimes I also feel ashamed of being a part of the human race, but then I try to remember that I'm not part of the bigotry and that I'm trying to do my part to make the world better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's all we can do. Try to make the world better.

      Delete
  2. Great cause Caddy. You are a strong woman who does the right thing for the right reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Caddy. I love gay historical fiction and would be interested in giving one of your books a try. Leslie from Kboards

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for stopping by, Leslie! I hope you visit again and again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By the way, the books I'm giving away are not historical, but give Gastien: The Cost of the Dream a whirl. The ebook is FREE on Amazon, kobo, B&N, and I-tunes.

      Delete
  5. Great post, Caddy. I'm glad that supervisor was fired for such stupidity. Not only was it insulting to him, but backhandedly insulting to women. Which, I'm sure she never realised.

    And the 'gay lifestyle'? Well, as a gay male, I can say my 'lifestyle' has less to do with parties and glitter, and more to do with taking care of the cat, 2 greyhounds, housework, and sitting at my desk writing books or creating cover art. Obscene... not!

    PS: Nice to meet you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same to you. You hit a chord in my heart with your post. Glad you visted mine. I reached out on facebook, as I could use more friends with your wit and honesty.

      Delete
  6. Caddy, I just downloaded your free book, the first in the series....and I'm not even here to win a book, but just to comment that I'm so happy I 'met' you today.
    I loved your post. Oh, yes, we ARE pretty much the same. All human kind. My dream is that one day we'll realize that and just appreciate each other.
    I was like you in that all my books, too---even my mainstream stories---had LGTQ characters. I never planned it that way, they just seemed to be a big part of every story. Then they took over and have their own stories.
    I'd never read any of your work, and I'm ecstatic that I've found a new-to-me author who writes what I cherish---historical fiction.
    Thank you for sharing your feelings today, and nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Ha! I had said I thought I should friend you, too, not realizing you had already done so with me on facebook a few minutes ago. Thanks for the comments. I hope you enjoy Gastien.

      Delete
  7. I loved reading your blog post, I am aslo a female happily living with my male partner of 17 years.
    I don't like biggots and haters. I think its so wrong.
    You are a new author to me and would love to read some of your books. I think your series sounds very interesting. (Added you on FB too Tracy Gee)
    geetracy1170 (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great, Tracy! Thanks for commenting and for friending me on Facebook.

      Delete
  8. I love stories about people. I live in a small rural town and I know I'm blessed with relative safety but the world can be a very dark place at times, no matter what corner of it you inhabit. I'm intrigued by this series because it's about strength and survival. Thank you for your support!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for sharing that story with us. I hate discrimination in the workplace (well everywhere but especially in the workplace and schools). It's a parasite that is better nipped in the bud than allowed to grow.

    Your a new author to me. It's intriguing that sex trafficking is a big element in your book. I've never read a book in which that particular subject was brought up or played a major part in a book. I've watched movies and tv shows but never read about them in books.

    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the post. Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  10. Great post and great story, Caddy.
    We're lucky to have you on our side. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, Andrew! I appreciate you stopping by and hope you enjoy the hop.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm happy you are participating in the HOP. I love meeting new authors! (not that I need more books on my TBR list) Although your series sounds angsty, but it's something we shouldn't ignore. lena.grey.iam@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice post Caddy! I do enjoy historical fiction and family sagas as well. Best of luck with your writing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great post! Haven't read anything by you yet but would love to read this stories because your right trafficking is a real problem in a lot of countries.

    Deborah H
    Deborahhansen52@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, Deb. Thanks for stopping by and posting!

      Delete
  15. Thanks for sharing! I'd love to read this saga..I like gritty and raw and toss in all the emotion and I'm hooked!
    raynman1979(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for entering, Rissa, and for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoy all the posts on this hop.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post and a wonderful hop!

    Thanks for a chance to win, I love suspense novels, filled with emotion and tension. But what really hooked me was that your description said it was not just about revenge but also about redemption. That sounds fantastic.

    MHupp20032003(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting my blog, Michelle. I appreciate it!

      Delete
  18. Thanks for posting your story, Why I want ot read your series is because it sound interesting and deal with a topic that need to be exposed. rojoroaors@yahoo.com

    thanks again,
    Roger

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for post and hop .I like to find books which are new to me.
    cvsimpkins@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. There is good news, if we wait long enough. Sometimes it seems like a long wait, though.

    Anastasia Vitsky

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for taking part in the hop!

    kimberlyFDR@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. I would love to read this series because it sounds really interesting.
    sstrode at scrtc dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sherry, and thanks for visiting my blog.

      Delete
  23. Sounds like one that could really suck me in! Thanks for participating and for the chance to enter! wendynjason04@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I decided to pick 12 winners—a lucky dozen! Here are the 3 winners who I don't have an email for: Leslie May, Carly Rose, Zathyn. Please contact me at caddyauthor(at)gmail(dot)com so that I can get your email and tell me if you prefer .mobi, epub or .pdf.

    Here are the nine winners I have emails for. I will be sending you your free books today!
    geetracy1170
    wendynjason
    humhumbum
    deborahhansen52
    sstrode
    raynman1979
    MHupp20032003
    rojoroaors
    cvsimpkins

    Thanks, everyone!

    ReplyDelete