When I sit down to flesh out an article, it is customary that I consider my audience and often share a personal story that may resonate with the readers and offer them a common ground to build upon. I’ll admit this article’s journey wasn’t as simple. When I sat down to ponder the contents of this piece, I wondered what battle I would expound upon. What would resonate with you most deeply? Would it be the myriad of challenges I encountered while navigating single parenthood? Would I discuss my years of childhood sexual assault? Perhaps the severe beatings or the alcoholic father would find words on this page that would move you. Maybe I’d talk about the year I lost everything I owned in a catastrophic Louisiana flood so that you would know you are not alone in your own loss. Maybe I’d get even more personal and share the complexities of parenting teenagers, adult children, ministry, marriage, or becoming a mother-in-law. Here is where I have landed. It is sufficient to simply say life’s hard. It’s messy. It wasn’t easy surviving the many challenges mentioned above or the many that weren’t. However, do you know what I have finally accepted? My tomorrow will likely not be easy either. Every day will present its own battles, but I know a God who is an expert in war! Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Nastco

Beyoncé’s country era begins!

Hey to you, I say Oh why relay? Dismiss the malice In this crowd. I walk away To face the sun Let the light resonate To eliminate the hate. Laughing with Your pants on fire, I`m living a life Free from desire. Not going to...

The fourth novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue! Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life, but she soon learns that there is much more to this gruff, barbaric alien than the savage he appears to be. The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there are no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe. What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens...I resonate to him. Resonance means mating, and children...but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. Rukh is utterly wild. He's completely uncivilized, can't speak more than a few words and doesn't know what clothes are. A human--a human woman--is mystifying to him. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, and like Tarzan in the stories, he's kidnapped me and claimed me for his own. Being with him means I'm going to have to teach him to speak, how to kiss, and how to be human. Or even alien. It should be a terrifying prospect...so why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more? Product DetailsISBN-13: 9780593548974 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication Date: 09-13-2022 Pages: 336 Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d) Series: Ice Planet Barbarians Series - #4About the Author Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction romance. She is a Sagittarius, a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of geriatric cats, and can't think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring.Read an Excerpt Read an Excerpt Harlow I need two poles for a travois. Two. No problem. There's got to be trees in the distance, and I'm strong and whole. Okay. I can do this. I can. Aehako's instructions ring through my mind, over and over. We need to make a travois and take Haeden back to the healer. My heart races wildly in my chest as I sprint through the snow, looking for the thin, pink, wispy trees of this planet. Kira's gone, and both aliens are wounded. They need my help, and I can't let them down. I don't know why they don't go back to the alien ship and get healed. They don't trust it, and I guess I understand that. I'm used to technology, and it still freaks me out to think of the cold, emotionless voice of the computer. Also, I know what it's like to fear the doctor. My feet sink into the snow with each step, and my leather boots quickly become sodden. There's no time to fix them or reinforce the insides with warm dvisti fur. Time is of the essence. I trudge forward over a drift-covered hill, and when I see the pink, wispy eyelashes of trees in the distance, I pick up the pace. Almost there. I have Haeden's knife, since he's too wounded to use it. The bone handle is smooth in my hand, though it's a little too big for my human-sized palm to grip comfortably. Everything here on Not-Hoth is sa-khui sized. I'm a decent height for a girl, but the average person on this planet seems to be seven feet tall, and the snows are deep, the caves huge. Really, everything feels just a wee bit too big. It's like I've been transported to a Goldilocks house, except instead of just right, everything's too large. It's just one more thing I must adjust to in an endless stream of new and frightening things. Weeks ago, I went to sleep in my own bed, and the biggest concern on my mind was when I'd start my chemo. Then, a few weird dreams later, I woke up, shivering and weak, pulled from a tube and told I'd been abducted by aliens. Which would have been hard to believe except that I'd come from Houston, Texas, and my air conditioner had gone out, so I'd spent the evening sweating and praying the repairman would come by soon. When I'd woken up? It had been so cold my bare feet had stuck to the metal floors, and strange blue aliens occasionally entered to chat with the humans. It's hard to call someone a liar when they're seven feet tall, blue, and horned. After seeing that, I had to believe. And even though sometimes I want to pinch myself until I wake up, I have to accept the fact that I'm now living on a snow planet with no chance of getting home, and I'm infected with an alien parasite that allows me to endure the harsh conditions of Not-Hoth. Not exactly how I'd visualized my future at all. But . . . at least I have a future. According to the ship's medical computers, I'm cancer-free now. I don't know if it's wrong, or if it's Not-Hoth's atmosphere or the new "cootie" (as some of the girls call it) living in my chest. All I know is that the inoperable brain tumor isn't showing up in scans. And for the first time in the last year, I have hope. But first . . . a travois. When I get to the trees, I move to the closest one and touch the bark with my fingertips. It feels spongy and damp despite the chill in the air, and not sturdy enough to support a massive, muscled alien. I have no idea if this will work, but I'll give it a shot. I owe the sa-khui my life, and so I'm going to do my best to help Haeden and Aehako. Kneeling down, I begin to hack at the base of the first tree. The knife sinks in with a squishing noise, and sap squirts out onto the snow. Ugh. I wrinkle my nose and keep cutting, determined. Kira's gone, and they're wounded, so I'm the only one that can help. The snow crunches nearby. I stand upright, surprised. It almost sounded like a footstep. "Hello?" I turn around and look. "Aehako?" No one's there. The snowy landscape is barren, nothing but rolling drifts as far as the eye can see. I must be imagining things. I'm not alone out here in the wild. There're creatures everywhere, or so the hunters tell me. It could be one of the porcupine-looking things. Or maybe it's a rabbit. Or . . . whatever the rabbit equivalent on this planet is. I can't be a silly chicken and freak out at every little sound, though. I turn back to the tree and continue hacking at it. I hear the crunch of snow again, and a moment later, a heavy thudding. My blood feels like it's surging in my ears, and I press a hand to my head, wincing. No, wait. That's not thudding or drumming. My heart is calm. Is it . . . purring? Something slams into the back of my head, and I pitch forward into darkness. Even there, the strange purring follows me. Rukh I move through the snow soundlessly, even though I am trembling with excitement. My heart slams in my chest, pulse racing as if I have sped across the land instead of stalking my prey. There is a whirring sound, almost like the clicking noises the great gray beasts in the salt water make, but different. It is coming from my chest. From me. I don't know what this means. All I know is that I've smelled the strange creatures surrounded by the bad ones, the ones my father told me to avoid. There are two strange things traveling with the bad ones-they are so furry it is impossible to tell what their bodies look like, but one has a shock of orange-red mane that fascinates me. I've followed them since last night, and now the reddish-maned one is alone. And I . . . panic. When it starts to turn, I club it over the head. It collapses to the ground in a heap of multicolored fur. A bone knife, similar to my father's, falls from its hand. I rub my thrumming chest, confused. As I look down at the creature at my feet, I see . . . it's female. It's strange and different from the bad ones. There are no ridges on the brows, and the skin is the soft, pale color of a dvisti's underbelly instead of a healthy blue. It's speckled with dirt, but there's no mistaking the feminine tilt of the lips, or the delicate features. Frowning to myself, I put a hand on the thick furs of its chest to feel for teats. To my surprise, the furs part. It's a fur covering of some kind, not part of the creature at all. It's wearing them like I sometimes wear a covering in the coldest weather. My hand brushes over one of the teats and my fingers graze one pebbled nipple. The creature moans and the thrumming in its chest grows louder. My own body responds, my cock immediately hardening and aching with the need for release. I'm surprised-and more than a little appalled at how my body is responding. This thing is ugly and pale. Why am I reacting to it like I do the strange, unsettling dreams I sometimes have? With one hand, I push my thrusting cock aside. I don't have time to deal with this. I gather up the unconscious creature and put its knife in my bag, then I sling the creature over my shoulder and begin to carry it back to my cave. I'll decide what to do with it there. The creature remains unconscious. I set it down in one corner of my cave and ponder what to do with it. It’s a her, I decide. It’s soft and pretty and has teats. My cock still aches with need, and as I pace, I stroke my hand up and down the length of it, because it feels good. I don't know what to do. This female thing has unsettled me. It's not food, like my father taught. She was with the bad ones, but she ran away. Does that make her good? I wonder. I close my eyes and squeeze my hand over the tip of my cock. It feels so good that my entire body shudders, and the strange thrumming in my chest grows louder. I wish my father were here. He's been dead for many, many seasons. I was a tiny kit when he died, and I've been alone ever since. Father always had answers, though. He would know why my chest is thrumming and why my cock aches around the female. A surge of loneliness sweeps over me. Sometimes I hate that I have no answers, only questions, and no one to ask. I continue stroking my cock until it spits forth wetness, and my body finally relaxes. I watch her as I do it, and I tell myself it's because I'm curious. Her

Find out what an Ambivert is, or if you're one with our free quiz. Read the 6 tips for Ambiverts to leverage your personality type!

We’ve made it to week 3 of my gut-directed hypnotherapy sessions for IBS. This means that I’m already halfway through the Nerva app program.

Wislawa Szymborska was a Polish poet, essayist, and translator. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the most important poets of the 20th century. Szymborska’s work is characterized by its wit, irony, and philosophical depth. Her most famous works include “The People on the Bridge” and “Nothing Twice.” Szymborska’s work continues to be widely read and celebrated in Poland and around the world, and she remains a beloved and influential figure in contemporary poetry.

Exploring the beauty of a woman reclining through shape, movement, and color. Drawing the female from the inside out. Gessoed wood board ready to hang, wood bracket system included. My pieces express an emotion, state of mind, or a moment past by infusing line, shape and figure to convey a story a piece; with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I capture moments of my life, or elements from historical paintings that resonate with our times and help inform our future. It’s this emotional resonance that I draw upon in my work. less

"I am once again asking, are you mad at me?"

I collected these 55 powerful quotes from the book, hopefully you will be able to resonate with them, or at least some of them. “the greatest win is walking away and choosing not to engage in drama

Karma is a concept that transcends cultural boundaries and has captured the imagination of people around the world. While many associate it with notions of punishment and reward, karma is…

🖤 I have Aphantasia and this is my mantra. Did I hear it somewhere or did I come up with it? Not sure, but I’ve just got to include it in my shop. After the shock and pure disbelief that others could visualise this is what I have come to believe wholeheartedly. 🖤 Maybe my designs will resonate with you, reflecting the varied experiences we navigate together. The black colour symbolically tips its hat to the universal metaphor of 'seeing black,' often used to describe the Aphantasia experience. 🖤 All my designs are original and based on my personal observations from living a life with Aphantasia. 🖤 My designs are high resolution ensuring a clean clear design every time. 🖤 This high quality mug is dishwasher and microwave-safe, with fade-resistant printing for worry-free washing! 🖤 The black glossy durable ceramic 11oz mug is just a tad roomier than the usual 10oz, perfect for that hearty cuppa with a comfy handle and a sturdy vibe! 🖤 Item price always includes postage and packing. 🖤 In a nutshell the mug is “BPA and lead-free, microwave and dishwasher-safe, black glossy durable ceramic in 11-ounce size/330 ml size”.