Thursday, July 25, 2013

The re-release of Jesus Has Two Daddies



Back in December of 2012, my book, “Jesus has two Daddies” was published by 2 Moon Press in Marshall, MI.
The process was fraught with delays and issues with the formatting of the digital version. Little did I know that the business was sold and is now no longer publishing or distributing. The dealings were rather shady and there is currently a lawsuit being brought forth by a group of us angry authors. While I was able to secure a good supply of my printed book, the Kindle version was never in my control. The formatting issues were never fixed, nor did I ever see a profit/royalty check from the publisher, even though many digital copies were sold.
I asked Amazon to remove my book from its collection, and I am happy to report that the new and improved “Jesus has two Daddies” is now available exclusively on Kindle as an e book. The photos are in color and the formatting issues that were in the initial release are gone.
If you bought an earlier version, I would encourage you to complain to Amazon about that edition and ask for a refund, as the more money I can get back from the scoundrel publisher the better!
I would then ask that you visit: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4UD1TEand order your new copy for $2.99. This time I may actually see a profit on this endeavor!
And, there are a few books still available for you to buy for your library. They are $14.00 signed and shipped to you directly. Send me a message at taoakley@gmail.com and we can discuss details.

I thank you for your continued support with our family and my book.

Much love,
Tom McMillen-Oakley


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

An update on the book

You can scam us, but you can't take away our awesomeness!
An update for you all…
As you know, when my book was first published in December, we had some issues getting the actual physical hold em in your hands books printed. We also had issues with the formatting on the Kindle and other digital versions of the book on line. As of today, 2 Moon Press, the publisher of my book, is no longer in existence. We’re not sure what went on, but apparently it’s a potentially shady endeavor. A group of angry authors, all of us screwed by this company, are working on a potential class action suit against the former owners. Our day in court is coming up in August. I know that many copies of my book have been sold, as of this time, I have not seen a dime from the publisher for royalties.
In the meantime, my book was taken down from Kindle/Nook and wherever else I could find it. I have to republish and find a distributor for those that want an actual physical copy. I have a few available, so get em while they’re hot; they’re collector’s items now.
I will republish my book exclusively on Kindle some time later this week. The issues with the formatting will be gone and the book should be much more readable on your device with this version.  It’s been a journey and a whole lot of work to do this, but now the money will come directly to our family and not line the pockets of the two miscreants who scammed us.
I appreciate your support and I look forward to sharing with you the new and improved version of my book.

Tom

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Paula Deen and the F word

Recently, celebrity chef, butter enthusiast, and diabetic Paula Deen got in a heap o’ trouble when it came out that she had used the N word and other racially charged words in her past. For the record, the N word was not nutrition, but rather the other N word, nigger.

With June being Pride Month for us LGBT folks, I posted the above pic that showed Paula with the words “Happy Pride Month Faggots!” written beneath her smiling chubby face. While most of my friends got it and Lol’d and HAHAHAHA’d all over the comment section of the post, one person did not get it and called the post offensive. 
But was it offensive?
Yes, it’s offensive, but it’s also funny as hell because I (an admitted faggot) posted it to MY timeline during Pride Month. I found the meme hysterical and timely considering the recent allegations against her. When you use the very words that were meant to hurt you, you diffuse their power to hurt you and take ownership of the word.
Make sense?
When I taught high school, I was truly called every name in the book.  What book you ask? It was my lesson plan book that I kept at the corner of my desk.
Whenever a student called me a name or said something hurtful to me, I would stop them and calmly go to the last page of my book and scan the names that I had been called prior to this incident. If they called me something that was already there, I tsk-tsk’d them and told them to try again and to be more creative. After all, it was an art class. If it was a new word, I congratulated them and put the word in the book for posterity. I would then escort their rude ass down to the principal’s office for a detention.
I have several good friends who routinely call me a faggot while we are talking or interacting and I am okay with that, because we are all faggots. We own the word. It is okay for us to use the words because it is used in jest between friends. If someone yells the same word to me without knowing me, that’s a different story. 

In the Joe Jackson song, “Real Man” he sings: You don't want to sound dumb, don't want to offend. So don't call me a faggot, not unless you are a friend.

Just like black rappers or entertainers will use the N word with each other, it’s okay, because they are taking ownership of the word. However, if I cut a track and start using the N word, that would be a problem.  But do all white folk get a pass if they use the word, even if it’s for entertainment purposes? In the 2004 film “Shaun of the Dead” Nick Frost’s character Ed pulls up to save his friends from a hoard of zombies and jumps out of the car saying “What’s up niggas?” 


When I first saw that scene, I truly laughed out loud and then slammed my hand to my face and quickly scanned the room to see if anyone was shooting daggers at me for laughing at his oblivious comment.
Was it racist?
Perhaps.
Was it funny?
Fuck yes.
So how do we fix this situation? The offended person got his assless chaps in a bunch and lamented the fact that my twisted friends and I found this amusing. Some people get it, others don’t. The offended one referred to me as a “friend” (quotations were by him) in a comment, so I suggested that he un”friend” me and move on. Really now, I live with a 7 year old girl, I have enough drama in my life, so perhaps this is for the best.

Peace out fags, and have a great 4th of July!


P.S. If you are offended by anything I wrote here, or on my Facebook page, I suggest you go fuck yourself.