Sexualized Content

Well, apparently Amazon has determined that my book Small Town Angel has SEXUALIZED CONTENT. Now, I get it that some straight people have a problem with Lesbian Fiction but for crying out loud, from the cover alone they are determining that I should not be allowed to advertise on amazon accordingly?

Here is the cover:

This is the message I got from Amazon:

The following ads are non-compliant to creative acceptance policies :

• Your ad titled “Small Town Angel” no longer complies with our current Creative Acceptance Policies. Specifically for the following reasons:
  • Your ad contains overly sexualized content. This includes sexually suggestive poses emulating a sexual position or alluding to sexual activity (whether clothed or unclothed), such as the parting of the legs or the accentuation of the hip, along with amorous or sexually passionate facial expressions. Additionally images should not: draw undue attention to body parts, such as breasts or buttocks, in a sexual way; depict minors in sexual situations; display suggestive undressing, such as pulling down a bra strap or underwear; display models in sexual lingerie such as stockings, suspenders or paraphernalia such as whips and chains; display provocative embraces or embraces in a provocative setting such as in a shower or on a bed.

Well, doesn’t that mean that all the ‘Bodice Rippers’ out there in straight-hetero land should not be advertised on there either? I also have to wonder because Facebook enacted a policy like this on me years ago, this is how I got around it then:

I am so tired of the double-standards for the straight world vs the LGBT community. This is just two incidents of it and it is really getting old. Nothing shows, there are no nipples or genitalia. Heck, I think I see more on TV than you would on these covers. It’s just ridiculous.

What can we do though? Amazon is the biggest retailer of our products. I do notice none of the other 18 outlets I market books on have a problem with this particular cover…hmmmm.

Does this mean I’m going to stop promoting this book, heck no. Does this mean I won’t stop using ‘racy covers’, nope. Looking forward to eventually getting back to writing after a year hiatus.

El Velo del Silencio (Veil of Silence in Spanish)

Hace cinco años, la teniente Marsha Gagliano desapareció cuando su helicóptero se estrelló en Afganistán. Su esposa mantenía la esperanza de su regreso, pero al no tener noticias del ejército después de todo ese tiempo, empieza a darse cuenta de que tal vez tenga que seguir adelante sin ella.
En la embajada de Kabul, una mujer vestida con burka llega a la puerta con dos niños pequeños. La mujer, de pelo negro y ojos marrones, parece una afgana, pero su acento americano lo desmiente. Se identifica como la teniente Marsha Gagliano, sin dejar de vigilar detrás de ella como si en cualquier momento alguien pudiera saltar y arrebatarla.
Surgen preguntas sobre su desaparición y reaparición y el ejército sospecha. Es evidente que los niños son suyos. ¿Se ha asociado con el enemigo? ¿Cómo reaccionará su mujer ante estos niños? ¿Será capaz de aceptar a unos niños que no ha concebido?
¿Qué esconde esta mujer bajo su chador? ¿Qué secretos se esconden tras su velo de silencio?

Inn the Dog house ~ An Audiobook ~ Narrated by Nicola Casey

Life has gone to the dogs for Charlie Abella.  Years of showing champion Border Collies has left her feeling burned out.  Moving on with her life, she heads to college and then takes on the world of business.  She is blessed to find a job working in sales for the pet industry where her knowledge and skills will help her move quickly up the corporate ladder and away from the small town of Searsport, Maine where she grew up.  When she loses a beloved relative, Charlie returns to Searsport for the funeral, believing now, she can finally cut all ties to her hometown.

Charlie’s only regret about moving away was leaving behind her favorite aunt.  Aunt Kitty had been her champion and her anchor when she felt her own family didn’t understand her.  Kitty saw herself in her young niece and understood Charlie as no one else could, so it was only natural she would choose to make her favorite niece her heir.  Sadly, she knows only too well that Charlie’s family will disapprove no matter how Charlie decides to use the money she inherits.

Reagan has been left on her own to raise two children.  Possessing few business skills, she is forced to take on a series of dead-end jobs that barely allow her to make ends meet.  Reagan has only her faith and her children to provide solace and support.  When Reagan encounters a woman dog walker on the street, she takes some comfort in feeling ‘at least she is better off than a woman with too many dogs to handle.’ 

Inexplicably, fate constantly causes the two women to bump into each other, and when Reagan feels herself becoming attracted to the woman, she is confused.  Unlike Charlie, Reagan is not a lesbian, and she is frightened by her feelings for this woman.  Will Reagan eventually act on her attraction, or will she continue to resist it? 

The dogs know what is right for this couple.  Now, if only the humans would listen!

Anjo Indomável (Small Town Angel in Portuguese)

Cidades pequenas são famosas por seus segredos… mas e se você trouxer esses segredos com você?
Amy Adams chega em Northpoint, Wisconsin em um ônibus. Cidades pequenas não costumam aceitar estranhos, mas ESSA desconhecida decide ficar.
Amy dá uma olhada ao redor e parece um bom “lar”. Ela aluga uma cabana na floresta fora da cidade e começa a procurar um lugar para abrir uma loja. Depois de alugar o prédio de um dos moradores locais, logo começa a fazer amigos e a gerar comoção. Mas ela nunca fala sobre o passado.
As pessoas são curiosas. E esta beldade turista logo se torna o motivo de várias fofocas.
Abby Shipman, a Chefe de Polícia, está intrigada com ruiva linda, misteriosa e hétero recém-chegada na cidade. É estranho ela não falar sobre o passado e ela com certeza se sente desconfortável perto de Abby… ou o problema são os policiais em geral?

Malice Masterpieces 2 ~ An Audiobook ~ narrated by Desarae Holland

Malice Masterpieces 2 Books Six through Ten

Audiobook ~ Children of Another Mother ~ Narrated by Cassandra Arnold

Dealing with the death of your best friend, the second parent to your children, your mother is hard enough but Gail now also has to deal with the house she had bought for them to all live in.  It’s a ‘fixer upper’ and requires a lot of work for the single mom.  A new home, a new life, new friends leads to a family she hadn’t anticipated or planned for…
 
Gail is doing the best she can, trying to deal with everything when Jackie enters her life.  They become good friends but how was Gail to know that she would change her life in ways she had never anticipated…