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.

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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

Four Ways Dogs are More Advanced than Humans

**My little buddy**

I was watching The Dog Whisperer on TV this morning with my favorite four-legged friend on my lap, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning. As I watched, it occurred to me that we can learn a lot from dogs, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a dog lover. Here are four ways dogs are simply more advanced than humans:


1) They live in the moment. As far as I know, dogs are not capable of worrying about tomorrow or next week or next year. They also don't seem to wallow in any sort of self-pity about what they should have done in the past. They live totally in the now and seem pretty happy because of it.


2) They don't discriminate against people of different colors, religions, political affiliations, or sexualities. In the rare cases that you do see this occur, it's always because a human trained them to be that way.


3) They have no hang-ups about sex or nudity. It's totally natural for them.


4) They rest when they need to. You don't ever see a dog carrying around their fifth coffee for the day, their eyes bloodshot, because they would rather push through their mile-long to-do list than take a 30-minute nap. When they're tired, they take time to fit in a quick snooze and are healthier for it.


I think we could learn some things from these furry fellas, don't you? ;)


-SK

Three Ways I Help Mother Earth

Happy Earth Day!

Photo by Scarlett Knight

For this Earth Day, I wanted to do a quick post to share with you three specific ways I try to be kind to Mother Earth.

1) I use reusable bags. There really is no excuse to keep using paper or especially that nasty plastic anymore. Almost every major store you go to - grocery stores, retail, even online stores - have reusable shopping bags for sale. It is super easy to get into the habit of taking them with you, and you can even keep one or two in your car for the impromptu shopping trip. This reduces the massive problem we have of all the plastic bags we have out there just floating around, invading the ocean, and just causing an overall mess for the earth.

2) I bring home plastics from restaurants. Many restaurants will use plastic cups to patrons who want to get a drink from the water or soda fountain. I will take the cups with me, along with any other hard plastic that would otherrwise be thrown away, and put it in my recycling bin at home.

3) I put anything and everything in the recycling bin that is allowed to go in there. Especially plastic. If that means taking an extra minute to rinse out milk jugs, I do it. I recycle glass bottles, paper, you name it. It's astounding to see how much just one household with two people and a dog can accumulate in terms of recyclable materials each week. This is trash that would otherwise go to a landfill or be dumped into the ocean. It may not seem like much, but it certainly adds up.

Do you consider yourself a green person? What do you to do help the earth?


XoXo

Scarlett

Happy Birthday, Art House!

To celebrate its publication birthday, here is a short and steamy excerpt from my novel The Art House:


Drinking sometimes caused old feelings to resurface and made unwanted tears fall. It was undeniable, though: ever since this adventure had started, she’d had more than a few reminders of times and people she’d tried for years to forget. She passed a kitchen and several other rooms too large for a bathroom and too dark to really see into. Checking behind elaborate doors, she found a number of closets and staircases but no bathroom. Finally, she found a small restroom and after relieving herself, checked her appearance in the floor-length gold-framed mirror that wasn’t hanging but rather propped against the wall at a stylish angle. She rubbed away the smears of makeup under her eyes and tried to recapture some of that buzz which had leaked out through her tears.

On the way back, she passed one of the doors that had led to a secret spiral staircase. Mistakenly, she must have left it ajar. When she moved to close it, she heard a man groan.

Freezing with her hand on the doorknob, she listened again to make sure she hadn’t just been imagining things. Then it came again, this time with a woman’s muffled moan in erotic harmony. Her pulse beginning to race, she slowly peeked into the stairwell.

It was a couple all right, there at the foot of the stairs. A long blonde-haired woman in a flowing green dress had her skirts gathered up around her as she knelt in front of a man, frantically giving him fellatio. The man’s upper body was cast in shadow, but she could make out his longish dark hair and stubble. His eyes were closed, his face twisted in fervent ecstasy. She didn’t recognize either of them as anyone Trixi had introduced her to.

The woman’s head bobbed back and forth, her hand stroking the man’s hard cock, which he’d pulled through his pants. She seemed to be enjoying the event as much as he was. Janelle knew she should give this couple their privacy, even if they were doing this out in public. It was their moment of passion, not hers. Still, she found herself unable to break away, her breath growing shallow.

The man gasped and muttered “faster” in a desperate, guttural tone. Janelle had a strong desire to reach inside of her soft blouse and pinch her hardening pink nipples beneath the shell of her bra. She looked down, ashamed but fascinated. A burst of movement brought heat to her cheeks as she panicked, fearing she’d been discovered. But it was only the man, pulling the woman up from the floor and positioning her on all fours on the stairs. He lifted her skirts, her underwear already down around one ankle. His erection, barely visible in the shadow, arced up from his body like an arrow.

He plunged into the woman. She groaned, and Janelle bit down on her thumbnail, her sex tingling with the strong sweet scent of her own stimulation. She needed to leave them alone, let them have their moment, but she couldn’t move her feet. Their passion was intoxicating, something real, unlike so many of her relationships of late. She could actually feel their lust, the forbidden rush of this secret act trapping her in place. She kept her hand on the doorknob, the other hand slack at her side, though she desperately longed to touch herself.

“Darling, did you hear something?” the woman asked, and they stopped moving.

**Click here for more...**

XoXo

Scarlett

The Dilemma of the Longsuffering

It seems like in many relationships, whether they're with family members, friends, or romantic partners, there's always one person who is more of a peacekeeper than the other. In healthy relationships, sometimes I can't always tell who is more patient than the other, but in unhealthy, unbalanced relationships, it can be a lot more obvious, even to total strangers.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the quality of being "long-suffering" in relationships and how it hasn't much served me in the long run over the years. Some of us tend to attract more high maintenance personalities than others, and I am one of them. I could go into the whole psychology of why, but that's not really what I want to focus on with this post...

Recently, I found myself at a crossroads with a friend of mine. I had been working with this person for over three years on a personal writing project, and although in my mind I saw us as more friends than business partners, this person ultimately didn't see it that way. I kept allowing this person to call the shots as far as when we'd meet, how often we'd meet, and what we'd talk about when we got together (even if it was the person complaining about the same personal issues over and over again).

I had picked up on little clues over the years that this person has a rather ugly temper, despite being a normally charming human being. But I never imagined actually being on the other end of this temper! Then the phone call happened. After this completely jarring phone conversation in which this person yelled at me, cursed at me, and cut me off because she was feeling "frustrated" with her project, I realized I had officially hit my limit with what I would endure. Long story short, I expressed my displeasure at being spoken to that way, but this person was only able to see her side of the problem. She also couldn't bring herself to apologize because she didn't feel she was wrong. That particular relationship is now over.

Also recently, I found myself enduring subtle jabs and complaints from someone I worked with, and since I had recently had the miserable phone call with the other person that you just read about, the pitfalls of being long-suffering were strong on my mind. I decided that rather than endure this second person's horrible attitude and rudeness toward me, I would call her out on the carpet about it right then. I did so respectfully but also firmly. It was uncomfortable getting into that conflict, but we were able to discuss it as adults, and she saw the error in her ways (or at the very least she respected the fact that her behavior bothered me), and now, she keeps her attitude to a minimum when she's around me. I saved myself from having to deal with that sort of unwanted negativity, and the likelihood of it happening in the future is now minimal.

The problem I've seen, not only with myself but with other people, in letting bullies and/or martyrs get their way is that the manipulative behavior tends to continue. And it continues until it reaches a boiling point. Some people are able to endure it for years, even decades, but there always seems to be a tipping point when the person can take it no longer. Tackling those red flags early on is a way to save people a lot of wasted time.

One reason I have, over the years, allowed people to treat me badly is a lack of courage to stand up for myself. Once I realized that I deserved to have my needs met just as much as the next person, it became a lot easier to speak out instead of remain long-suffering. But it was a long process getting there.

Do you consider yourself a long-suffering type of person? How long does it usually take you to reach the tipping point of putting up with bad behavior? 

XoXo

Scarlett