19th WordPress Anniversary & the mirror doesn’t lie

19th Blogaversary. wOW! Time surely does fly!

When I first started blogging on WordPress, I moved away from Blogger and created my first blog here EONS ago. I cannot remember the name of it, nor do I recall the domain, either. About three years later, I hosted two more blogs: one for my personal writing and another for writing directly related to Jernee Timid. Again, I do not recall the names of those blogs or their domain names. What I do know is this… I have not had any major issues with WordPress. It has always felt like a family affair, and I can pretty much keep the trolls and nonsense at bay on this platform, and for that, I will forever be grateful.

We have our own little private/public spaces on the internet, and the community never ceases to amaze me. I’m pretty sure I’ll be on WordPress until the rickety wheels of this platform fall off. Nineteen years is a long time to express oneself on the same platform, and I intend to do it for many more years to come.

Thank you to all of you who have connected with me, read my work regularly, and appreciate what I bring to this community. I am so enamored by all of you and your patience, time, and dedication to art in literary or visual form. We make this community what it is.


AI-Generated Image: A Black woman with locs wearing glasses and a knitted hat, standing in front of a mirror.

the mirror doesn’t lie

the mirror shows it
all; you cannot hide
from yourself, even if
you want to.

I joke with myself
occasionally,
“wherever you go,
there you are,” so
I’m stuck with me,
and the older I get,
I want to be with ME
more.

my heart needs the
love I’m giving it.
my mind deserves
the peace I’m giving
it.

it is joy to surround
oneself with
beautiful gifts that
enhance our every
waking moment.

I’m walking
alongside a
human being who
hid behind shadows
and the covers of
hoodies for decades,
and I finally
realize…

she is undeniably
unique and
incomparable, and I
adore her.

I want more of her.


Have you gotten your copy of SéduireSerial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.

Séduire is One Year Old!

And it is finally on Amazon!

One year passed by so quickly. On October 30, 2024, I launched Séduire, and I allowed my first collection of fiction to flourish as an e-book while I tweaked the paperback version and released it a few days later. Both lived on Lulu for what seemed like forever. The paperback version just cleared the global distribution queue, and is finally…. F I N A L L Y, on Amazon to purchase. I have no idea what took so long, and at whose mercy I had been, but the High Priests of one of the most highly trafficked online purchasing stores considered my work of fiction ready to grace its digital domain.

A small nugget about Séduire:

Séduire is a collection of serial fiction tales and flash fiction standalone stories written over a period of three years. Dive into the world of a little girl whose family uproots and moves to “The Deep South” because of a new opportunity presented to her father. Transport yourself to the life of a little girl who becomes a mother and a sister to her child at the hands of her sadistic and evil father. Walk with a grieving sister and her mother as they remember a woman who was brutally murdered by her partner. Her young boys live out her legacy as they mourn her.

Experience parenthood as you enter the world of soon-to-be young parents and their ups and downs in life change them significantly while they journey along their new path. Make a brief cameo into the hearts of a dedicated aunt and a rebellious teenage niece whose father has lost his grip on his child.

There are so many more characters with which to connect. As you thumb through each page, the author wants you to feel something; with these stories, you will.

What a few readers have said about Séduire:

Of course, like all great storytellers, Tremaine lifts the veil on the community, the neighborhoods, and the villages we call home. Her characters are the people we encounter daily and may even know personally. And within the pages of Séduire, I found two characters who immediately set my world ablaze.

When I met Phara for the first time, which was the morning after I got the book, her story impacted the next few days of my world. Without going into details, there is enough in the opening lines of her story to fill the reader with rage, hate, and pain. Phara’s is a story that hobbles the heart. Within the first few paragraphs, Tremaine Loadholt, in her masterful style of weaving a narrative, brings home the sad, horrendous reality of what happens behind closed doors in many homes. It is a five-star read, cushioned just at the end of the first section of the book.Nigel Byng

Stories such as “We Don’t Talk About Daniela,” “Phara,” “Reflections of a Lost Love that Will Never Be Found,” and “Mr. Bradford and His Ox Collection” are deeply affecting, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. The serial story “Clover,” narrated by a child, captures a family’s aspirations as they climb the social ladder, despite racial prejudice they have to contend with. Yet, the collection balances darkness with warmth, including tales of lovers’ reconciliation, a rebellious teen transformed under the guidance of a caring aunt, first-time parents, and more, inviting readers to witness characters navigating life’s trials.Khaya Ronkainen

In Séduire, Tre Loadholt gives us the full range of her storytelling magic. Beyond the humorous dialogue, the raw earthiness of relationships, and the intense despair of grief and loss … eternal hope is the emotion that always shines through her stories.This iconic collection of short fiction belongs on your must-read list. –Kay Bolden, Writer & Editor

Whether I’m reading her poetry, serial fiction, or autobiographical prose; whether the characters are rooted in reality or possessing of supernatural abilities beyond my own imagination, I am always blown away by Tre’s ability to portray the way we all relate to each other in such a completely relatable way. Her characters breathe, think, and feel just like I do. Just like you do. I do not need to have experienced exactly what the character is experiencing; Tre understands that if readers can feel what the character feels and connect that way, they can step into the page and fall into the story. She really gets us. All of us. And it’s an amazing feeling, being understood. –Elizabeth Bentley, Writer & Health Program Analyst


The holidays are just around the corner. Looking for stocking stuffers for the family reader? Séduire is it! Have you fallen short of what to buy the person who has everything? Throw Séduire their way. Do you need a new-to-you book that titillates, motivates, and inspires? Allow Séduire to be that new book for you.

To this date, Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction has sold 54 copies. My heart is full from the weight of this number. I don’t have to sell another copy, and I will be the happiest writer on this great earth. My maternal grandmother died from lung cancer in October of 2003, at the age of 54. There is significance in this number. It is a number of reflection, and a number of peace and prosperity for me. I believe my grandmother is proud. I hope she is.


Please join me in celebrating Séduire‘s first anniversary!

Paperback: LuLu|E-book: Lulu|Paperback only: Amazon

14

Today makes fourteen years I’ve been on WordPress. So, four blogs later, I’ve settled into A Cornered Gurl and as much as WP can be a pain with its glitches and out-of-date themes, this is home. I can’t see hosting my site anywhere else. I’ve tried and well, I always come back.

14 years is a long time. Thank you for sticking with me, WordPress. 💙