 I applaud Democratic state Sen. Bradford Blackmon (MS) today for introducing the 'Contraception Begins at Erection Act' as reported in Today in Politics, Bulletin 55. 1/23/25. This bill, with its amusing name, would make it illegal for a man to masturbate and discharge his genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo, with fines starting at $1,000. The bill points out the absurdity of controlling men's reproductive behaviors in the same manner as is being done for women.
Joking aside, there is an important point to be made about men's role in reproduction, as they are 50% of the pregnancy equation. Most of the legislation in effect or being proposed to limit abortions focuses solely on controlling and punishing women. The few women I know who sought abortions did so at the request of their partners, who refused to accept the financial burden and responsibilities of raising a child. We need more politicians willing to highlight the absurdity of some current and proposed laws and start addressing men's responsibilities for pregnancies and resulting births.
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 Reviewing my agreements with KDP, I realized I have a signed agreement forcing me to keep my ebooks exclusively with KDP until Feb 17, 2025. In light of this, I lowered the purchase price for the ebooks to as low as Amazon would allow. Once Feb 18 hits, I can distribute my ebooks through different markets. Until then, nothing prevents me from publishing my print books with whoever I choose, so I will work on getting that done. After reviewing my agreements with KDP, I realized that I have a signed contract requiring me to keep my ebooks exclusively with KDP until February 17, 2025. Given this situation, I have lowered the purchase price of my ebooks to the minimum allowed by Amazon. Once February 18 arrives, I will be able to distribute my ebooks through other markets. However, nothing prevents me from publishing my print books with any publisher I choose in the meantime, so I will focus on getting that done.
In light of the horrific changes in America that are coming fast and furious with this new administration in the White House, I am making some drastic changes in my writing life.
I have unpublished my novels with KDP and will remove them from Kindle Unlimited as of February 17, 2025. I will be searching for a more ethical publishing partner in 2025. I make no apologies for this abrupt decision, but I do regret any inconvenience this causes my fans and friends.  Things did not go well at the start of 2024. I was unable to walk without severe pain due to a tear in the meniscus of my right knee. I had meniscus repair surgery at the end of February but didn't fully recover from that surgery until well into November. While slowly healing, I opted out of much of what I had hoped to do in 2024. Even though I didn't visit with family and friends as much as I wanted to, I'm grateful for every moment I spent with them in 2024.
For many reasons, I don't expect 2025 to be any easy to get through, but I am determined to be true to my authentic self and make this New Year one of the best years I can possibly make it. |
Celeste BennettI'm a struggling author, these days what author isn't? I'm learning that life is better when you do what you love and I love writing, when I'm not crocheting or spending time with family. Archives
March 2025
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