Business or Pleasure
I’m a writer and a published author, but that’s only one side of me.
Like all of us I am multi-dimensional, or as Shrek would say, I’m an onion with many layers. I’m a disabled Air Force vet, a full-time customer service representative, a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, a movie buff, a Trekkie, an avid Big Bang Theory fan, a crazy cat lady…
Recently, one of my VA (US Veteran’s Administration) doctors suggested I become a vegetarian. He wants me to eat healthier and lose weight, so much so that he signed me up for the VA’s “MOVE” get fit program. It seems that being a good writer and planting my butt in a chair for several hours a day and writing is not good for my physique or my psyche.
One of my best friends applauded my doctor’s suggestion as she is already a vegetarian and she’s been trying to recruit me for the past year. She refuses to eat meat and doesn’t want it in her house. She’s lost a boyfriend or two because she couldn’t stand their meat eating ways. She often makes comments about my food when we dine together—either she applauds us if we eat beans and rice instead of chicken, or she derides us if we eat meat. It can get quite annoying. But I still love her.
I briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a vegetarian, especially when my doctor got on my back. I attended a couple vegan dinners with my friend and listened to the accompanying presentations. Although the information sounded very healthy, it would be very tough as I have to cook for a family of six and two out of those six hate anything that’s green (except money). I am cutting back on meat, however, and I am trying to eat more fruits and veggies.
Why am I telling you about my thoughts about becoming (or not becoming) a vegetarian? I bring this up because this was a big part of the inspiration for my recent erotic male-male romance novel ‘Business or Pleasure’. Guy Rogers, one of the heroes in this book is not only an avid vegetarian, but an animal activist as well. He is so passionate about his causes that he doesn’t want to begin dating anyone with opposite views. On more than one occasion he’s thrown out a good pan because his father cooked meat in it. He’s willing to get arrested and go to jail to protect innocent animals. He can’t stand the smell of cooking flesh and doesn’t want to look at a house for sale because a neighbor is grilling meat.
When Guy meets his real estate agent Tom Boudreaux, he thinks he’s met his soul mate. And perhaps he has. What Guy doesn’t know, however, is that Tom eats meat. Worse, Tom’s family owns the most popular barbecue pit in town and their life revolves around meat. Tommy’s family wants Tommy to quit his real estate job and run their new restaurant. Although Tommy doesn’t want to leave his career to do his family’s bidding, he’s not going to turn his back on them either. Tommy also spends a great deal of his time at the family’s restaurant.
Tommy pretends to be a vegetarian at first and even flirts with the idea of becoming a vegetarian, but like me, he has trouble completely giving up meat. Of course the truth is bound to come out. Can Guy forgive Tommy’s lies? Can Guy live with someone who holds such diametrical views? Can Tommy live with someone who’s so militant?
To find out how I fare with my MOVE get fit program and if I decide to become a vegetarian like Guy, please follow me on my blog at http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com and like me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashleyladdauthor. I also hang out on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ashleyladd and you can find most of my books on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/ashleyladd.