A Tribute

It's been quiet here at Socks to Fedora. Not to say that I've been quiet, because I've been typically noisy in the comments of other people's blogs, as well as noisy on the page while writing stories. But it's been quiet on this blog, just because I've been between announcements.

So I thought I'd take advantage of the hush to indulge myself—by writing about my beloved Helia Brookes!

When I announced, early this year, that my novel had been accepted for publication, I testified to the importance of the marvelously supportive erotica community in my path to that moment. (And I had occasion to do so again recently, when composing the acknowledgments that will appear in the book.)

What I didn't do here, at that juncture, was talk about the most monumental, constant sustaining force in my life: my wife/lover/best friend. That was deliberate. You see, I wanted to save this for a separate tribute. [I was also wary of turning my original post into too much of an "I'd like to thank the Academy" speech. : )]

The artist known as Helia and I have been together for over a quarter century, and it's the type of relationship in which mutual support is one of the most important elements. In the context of my erotica career—like the various other creative paths I've pursued over the years—this means that Helia has always done whatever she can, from the tangible to the atmospheric, to help me do what I want to do and to validate me for doing it. She's assisted me with technical issues; she's juggled her schedule so that we could travel together for readings; she's let me bounce a zillion items off her regarding business decisions large and small; and, of course, she's cheered me on, every step of the way—and beamed with pride at every turn. Whenever there's been any sort of way in which she could do something to facilitate what I'm trying to accomplish, she's been all over it—never grudging, always enthusiastic, often the one who first proposes whatever bit of oomph she's going to contribute. I'm just sketching this out for you a bit, to give an idea—I won't even try to exhaustively catalog all the facets of her loving supportiveness (never mind covering all the other dimensions of how she fills my life with wonderfulness!).

In our private world, I express my appreciation to Helia every day, several times a day. (And, vice versa, she constantly articulates her appreciation for the ways I support her.) But sometimes one wants to shout these things from the rooftops. So today, please consider this blog a rooftop—a noisy one.

Love,
Jeremy