Nothing Done In Love…

There is a reason that this book was the first published under the Raquel Graffen brand. Both the title and the story represent the core ethos of my writings…

Nothing Done In Love…Can Ever Be Wrong!

Yes, things, many, many, many acts of supposed love can be and are hurtful, harmful, and even wrong. I would never defend acts such as rape, child abuse, or harassment. But how can any of those be love?

Nonetheless, there are, or have been, so many truly loving acts which society has or continues to condemn. Homosexuality, polyamory, transgender, interracial, the list goes on and on.

All the while, those screaming about ‘family values’ can be some of the most hate-filled voices.

I want to share with you a small part of a scene from Nothing Done In Love. In this scene, my heroine, Kaitlin Danvers, is delivering her mother’s eulogy. Yes, I said eulogy. Did you not see my tagline: Real life, hot sex, deep meaning? Death is very much a part of real life. Any way, Kaitlin is remembering the final interview that her New Age guru of love mother had given…

She had thought that perhaps one or two people would have the courage to step forward, but it seemed that everyone wanted to have their say. She smiled and cried as she listened to their stories from the Hollywood executive who credited her mother with saving his ‘fourth’ marriage to the older lady down the street that her mother always took cookies to. Even the homeless man, whom Joy bought breakfast for, had miraculously managed to take a shower and find passably decent clothes for the day. So much so that Katie had not even recognized him at first.

So, what she had thought would take five or ten minutes stretched to more than half an hour that left her exhausted and elated at the same time. Then it had been the video compilation of photographs, speeches, and the sprinkling of her mother’s ashes at sea.

She cried and leaned against the solid steel walls that had suddenly appeared on either side of her at some point. The final shot was her mother’s last television appearance months before. She had been asked to speak after a landmark Supreme Court case on sexual freedoms.

Katie remembered that day well. They had gotten up extra early in order to make the horrendous commute into Studio City for the program. Her mother had alternated between puking into a bowl that they had brought for just such a purpose and napping between bouts of nausea.

Looking at her mother’s image on the wall, she could see the pallor and fine lines that were more pronounced. But even then, her mother’s inner beauty shone through like the proverbial beacon.

She made a stark contrast to the stern, suited preacher that was her antagonist. Though his part of the interview had been edited out, Katie remembered his words about the sanctity of marriage and the family.

It was her mother though who had the final word. She smiled as she nodded her head at the famous tele-evangelist, “On this, we agree, sex is one of the most powerful forms of worship. Through it, we commune with one another, ourselves, and our gods…and goddesses,” her smile had almost challenged the man to interfere.

“But on this, we differ. I believe,” her mother paused for a moment and stared directly into the camera before continuing, “No, I know…Nothing done in love can ever be a sin. Can ever be wrong. Love is the divine power within us all. However, we choose to share that is no one’s business but ours and our partners.” Katie shivered as she heard those words once more.

It was if her mother had spoken directly to her at that moment. As if the gates of heaven or whatever was out there opened and she stood beside her daughter once more. She could almost feel her mother’s gentle arms about her. She turned and looked for her then, but it was them that she saw. And somehow she knew that was right too.

Love is the divine power within us all. However, we choose to share that is no one’s business but ours and our partners…

That is the central theme of all my works. But none more so than the racier, almost controversial works of Raquel Graffen.

If you want to read more of this heart-rending, sometimes funny, often tearful, over-the-top hot love story of Kaitlin, Chance, and Chase, Nothing Done In Love is FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited.

I am currently re-working The Arrangement to be re-released as Solid Ground, followed shortly thereafter by book 2 in the Apocalypse series, Rings of Fire.

Whether you ever read another word by Raquel or not, I hope you remember these…