ROADS Spotlight 2: The Allure of Caves

In my new novel, Roads and Revelations, one of the places my girls visit during their road trip is a cave just outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I pulled details of this specific cave from a recent experience in the summer of 2015. Here are a few snapshots I took while I was down in that fascinating little pocket of the world:

Ever since I went on my first cave tour a kid, I have been fascinated by them. They're almost otherworldly, yet they're right under our feet. The temperature drop and the pitch-black darkness are creepy, yes, but when I look at the formations and realize how long it takes for stalagtites and stalagmites to form, the creepiness factor turns into one of scientific wonder for me.

In my early teen years, I was lucky enough to visit Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and that was an awe-inspiring treat. There was one point where we were exactly a mile beneath the surface of the Earth, and we could make phone calls from a special phone booth to tell people where we were. There were also chasms next to the man-made path that our tour guide said could be miles deep, as they'd thrown things down them and never heard them hit bottom.

Other people find caves as frightening as they do fascinating. For example, I have seen the movie The Descent, which scared the hell out of me.

But I can assure you, in Roads, the cave scene is much more fun and romantic. ;)



XoXo

Scarlett

**************

www.scarlettknight.org

Enjoy my work? Buy me a coffee! 

---> https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ScarlettKnight

Agent Triple P (Updated with email for mailing list 10/29/18)

Dear Triple P's Fans,

I've been in touch with Agent Triple P, and his blogs are currently no more! All hope is not lost, however. If you would like to join his mailing list to stay up to date with his writings, you can! All you have to do is email him to let him know, and you'll start getting content delivered right to your inbox:

agenttriplep@yahoo.co.uk

He greatly appreciates your continued interest in his work!


***

XOXO

Scarlett

 www.scarlettknight.org

ROADS Spotlight: Great Sand Dunes National Park

In my new LesFic novel Roads and Revelations, my girls stay the night at a hotel in Alamosa, Colorado, a city that used to be one of my old stomping grounds. I lived in the San Luis Valley from age 10 to almost 13, very formative years, and have fond memories of many adventures I had out in nature.

When one thinks of Colorado, it's probably not sand dunes that come to mind; however, the Great Sand Dunes National Park was one of the places I frequently visited, especially during the summer, when I lived in the area.

One of the first trips I made out there was with a group of my classmates when I was in 6th grade. We all piled into the school bus and as we made the drive out there, it was fascinating to watch the dunes grow. From a distance, the park looks like a giant sand box, but when you get closer, you start to realize how truly impressive the dunes are.

Even when you get to the park, you don't fully comprehend just how impressive they are. When you're hanging out, wading in the shallow river, looking up at the dunes and thinking about giving them a climb, you might think you could make it to the highest one in an hour. But when you actually start making the trek, not only does the sand's physical resistance add to the time it takes you to climb, you also realize once you get to the "highest" dune you spotted earlier, there is actually another one, even higher, far off in the distance. You can only see that dune if you climb the one you thought was the tallest.

I never tried to venture out past that first large dune. I was always content, once I'd reached the top of it, to look out and see how much more there really was out there. I'd stand there in awe, experiencing that state of peace that marvels of nature like the dunes can give to us humans: that realization that the world is so vast and overwhelming and you and whatever problems you think you have are so very small in comparison.

There's something special about Colorado in general that will always make me feel more connected to my spiritual core. It's one of my favorite places, and I was more than happy to feature it in the novel.



XoXo

Scarett

************

www.scarlettknight.org

Enjoy my work? Buy me a coffee! 

---> https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ScarlettKnight

War on the Catwalk 2017

Hello, darlings!

Last night I had so much fun at House of Blues in Dallas getting to experience drag queen greatness at War on the Catwalk live!

They put on an amazing show that lasted over two hours. Not only did they look great, they entertained the hell out of a sold-out audience. They made us laugh, they made us cry, and they made us feel empowered. It was so refreshing to spend time among such liberated, beautiful souls, not just onstage but also in the audience.

I was admittedly a little starstruck getting to meet all of them, especially since I had watched every episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9 and felt like I had gotten to know them all through the process. They were all super sweet in person, especially the inspiring winner of the competition, the artistic and intelligent Sasha Velour. Also, the ultra-sexy Kimora Blac made me want to melt into a happy little puddle when she told me she loved my makeup. **Purr**

Here are the links to all of their Instagram pages. I listed them in clockwise order of the above photo, starting with Shea Coulee, who is sitting on the left side of the pic:


Shea Coulee

Eureka O'Hare

Trinity Taylor

Sasha Velour

Alexis Michelle

Kimora Blac

Farrah Moan

XoXo

Scarlett

ROADS AND REVELATIONS Is Now Available!

I'm happy to announce that my new contemporary romance novel has released a couple of days early!

When Leilani finds herself at a major crossroads in her life, she takes a chance by reaching out to her old lover, JC. Although JC still holds a grudge about the way their relationship ended, she agrees to go on a road trip with Leilani. While they travel together, Leilani desperately hopes to repair their friendship. She also secretly hopes to rekindle their old college romance. But the primary reason for the road trip, which is to deliver three sets of boxes as part of honoring her late mother’s last wishes, may be the very thing that ends up tearing the two apart again.

**BUY LINKS**

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Painted Hearts Publishing 

One Shade of Grey

Ever since late last year, I've been noticing intruders on my head.

They appear without warning, showing up overnight.

I'll be fixing my hair, looking in the mirror and thinking about the day ahead, when BOOM: I see the sparkly little fuckers up there. All smug and stubborn and waving me the finger.

Grey hairs!

I'll admit, in a way, they are kind of pretty. It's that bright, shiny silver kind of grey that looks like Christmas tinsel. But seriously? What the hell? I'm only 33 years old! I'm too young for this.

Then again, there is no official age when we all start going grey, is there? Some of us turn silver or go bald sooner or later in life than others. Then there are other factors like genes. And the amount of stress we endure in life can make us grey, which is pretty evident whenever you see before and after pictures of US Presidents.

This time when I came across the shiny bastards, I found two of them. One was the same one I yanked out last time, and one was in a new place.

But this time, I didn't pluck them out.

Yes, I'm actually going to leave them. I figure they're a badge of honor in a way. On the one hand, it's a terrifying reminder of my mortality. But on the other hand, it's proof that I've survived life long enough to even get grey hairs. After all, we can make it to old age or suffer the alternative. When you think about it that way, getting old isn't so bad, is it?

-SK

Finding Empathy in a Judgmental Society

I've been thinking about doing this post for a while now, and today seemed the right time to go ahead and write it. I see this every day, especially on social media. People make posts about how others are inferior to them, how they are right and the others are wrong, sometimes even resorting to name calling or bullying to prove their point. People get so angry that they will even end a relationship over it. I wonder, when did we become such a judgmental society? Or has it always been there, and social media has just put a spotlight on it?

Don't get me wrong - I have strong opinions about things. When I see someone I love doing something that will almost certainly lead to hardship, I don't stick my head in the sand and assume everything is going to be all right. I'll even give them honest advice if it's asked for. But I've stopped getting angry at people who don't take my advice. I don't take it personally anymore. And I've stopped letting people's differing opinions wind me up to the point of getting bent out of shape.

What I wish I could see more of online is empathy - or at least a breather from all this judgement! I wish I could see more people focusing on the things that bring them happiness and amusement instead of the things that stress them out.

We need to remember that everyone has their own set of issues they're working through. So often we are extremely quick to judge without for one second trying to see the situation from the other person's point of view. And yes, there are genuinely horrible people out there who I will never understand, but there are also those who are seemingly bad people but who are simply doing the best they can and don't have the intentions to hurt others; they do it by default and are following their own misguided compass.

There's a big difference between someone who is an enemy and actively trying to hurt you and someone who is just trying to get along in life and learning things the hard way.

However, if someone in my life is living in a way that is dangerous to my safety, I use wisdom and simply keep my distance from them. Sometimes I see fit to remove myself from the situation altogether. But I try not to waste too much time and energy telling everyone who will listen about how I'm right and the other person is wrong or stupid or whatever. I just let it go and live my own life and focus on better things.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that what we focus on grows. So instead of giving fuel to our judgmental side, why not plant a little seed of empathy, tend the soil, and watch it blossom?


XOXO

Scarlett