Greetings and thank you for being here! I wanted to share a little about my latest release, a charity collection called For The Girls!
Over the past ten years, I have contributed stories to multiple anthologies and group projects, and I often used those opportunities to write stories about women loving women. I’ve collected the contemporary romance tales in this volume for the first time, and all proceeds will go to support Planned Parenthood. I have been a volunteer with the organization for the past two years in order to give back during these tumultuous times.
During my college years (1990-94) I lived in Iowa, far from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area and the medical professionals I was accustomed to. I had been on birth control for several months before I left for school as I was taking the acne drug Accutane, a treatment which required those with uteruses to be on contraception as it was guaranteed to cause birth defects. The doctors showed my mother and I pictures of what would happen if I were to get pregnant—as if I weren’t already terrified of getting pregnant at seventeen years old.
Once in Iowa, I found myself in need of a reliable place to get my birth control pills, so my mom suggested I look for a Planned Parenthood. I’d spent the eighties as a young person equating the clinics as places to get abortions, and I recalled they were constantly under threat of bombings from pro-life organizations. The nearest clinic was more than an hour’s drive from where I went to school, but I made the trip. I was in an unsafe relationship at the time with a partner who threatened me when my period was late. I could not take a chance of becoming pregnant.
Planned Parenthood does more than provide abortion services. During my college years, I also took friends to the clinic for HIV and pregnancy tests. It was a life-saving haven for many of us. After having an unbearably uncomfortable pelvic exam experience with the male “family doctor” in town, I went to the clinic exclusively for my health needs. I will never forget the kindness the clinicians showed to all of us who needed their help.
After college, I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area. I became a high school social studies teacher, and then a school counselor. I taught parenting and sex education programs to students and always kept a volume of Our Bodies, Our Selves in my classroom. I gave birth to two children and made sure they had a thorough understanding of sexual and reproductive health. When they left for college, I quit teaching so that I could take care of my health and my aging parents, however I wanted to find a way to continue supporting young people. I joined the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Speaker’s Bureau and attended Capitol Day in Sacramento, where we met with legislators and their staff to discuss the importance of protecting reproductive health for all Californians. Since then, I’ve tabled at community events and at Pride celebrations, and we’ve received so much support from folks. I’m proud to stand with Planned Parenthood, and I look forward to donating proceeds from this collection to the important work that they do.
Here are the stories included in this collection:’
Salty and Sweet – Previously published in the Summer Fair Anthology
Pinups and Puppies – Previously published in Love Is All: Volume Two
Joy Is A Phone Call Away – Previously published in the A More Perfect Union Anthology
Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire – Previously published in Love Is All: Volume Five
Love And Pride – Previously published in Love Is All: Volume Four
The Maiden and the Crone – Previously published in Love Is All: Volume Seven
Thanks for reading! Stay Tuned for More…
