To Love and To Cherish Charity Anthology
To Love and To Cherish
an anthology of lesbian love and marriage
Editors: Beth Wylde, Lara Zielinsky
Format: Trade paperback
ISBN: 978-1-60054-431-2
Love is universal. Marriage is… not. But it should be.
It is a matter of civil rights and equal protection.
Evoking the importance of equality for everyone, To Love and To Cherish, showcases fourteen tales of passionate love and heartfelt devotion between women. The writers of SapphicPlanet and loveyoudivine bring you these diverse tales about the many forms of lesbian love and yes… marriage.
From their proposals through to the big day, and the many sweet and sexy loving days between them, these women will sweep you along and make it known that… marriage matters.
Proceeds from the sales of this anthology benefit the non-profit organization Marriage EqualityUSA. The authors, editors, and publisher are not associated with MEUSA, but wished to support their work with this contribution.
To Love and To Cherish will release in trade paperback on February 14th.
After Proposition 8 was passed in the United States, I think I went into shock for a few days. It seemed almost impossible that the world could progress far enough that an African American was elected President, and yet, allow a proposition that discrimminates against a group of people based on a part of themselves which cannot be changed to gain favor.
When I heard about a proposed Anthology to raise money for Marriage Equality, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity.
Equal rights affects us all no matter where in the world we are. I readily put my name into the mix of authors working on stories for To Love and To Cherish.
My partner and I held our commitment ceremony at our home in November 2006, at which my eldest sister made a speech in which she said: “Love is arbitrary, it is not governed by the laws of man.”
My story “This Magic” is included in Volume 3 of TLTC “Lives and Wifes” and reminds us that not only is love outside of the laws of man, but it also transcends time and mortality. My character, near the end of her life, reflects on the magic of the love she shared with her beloved partner and conjures that magic once again with her devoted memories.
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Excerpt:
My sisters fuss around me, checking that the rug is spread across my knees and adjusting the collar of my floral blouse to sit just so. Molly sets a cup of tea on the small outdoor table beside me and Emily hands me the novel I have been reading. I really don’t mind if I never finish the book. My mind is on other things of late. I spend my days sitting in our garden while my mind roams the worn paths of the past. Our garden bursts with the magic of spring. Color and fragrance, verdant life. You always said spring was your favorite season. But then, I am sure I can recall times when you’d proclaim every season your favorite. It was life and living things that you loved. Yes, you proclaimed every season your favorite, at least once.
I smile at that thought. My tea grows cool, ignored as I let my mind carry me back to a bright summer’s day in this same garden-can it really have been forty years ago? It was our ‘wedding day.’ A wedding in name and in our hearts, but not sanctioned by the law.
Ha! What need had we for the law? We had our love-an arbitrary thing, not governed by men. I blink in the sunshine and I am there, carried back across the years in a magical moment.
You’re there, too, waiting to greet me. I look at you across the green expanse of lawn, your hair shimmering gold in the sunshine, your lips curved in a gentle smile of invitation as I make my way slowly through the garden to
meet you.
My heart thrills at the sight of you, as it has from the first moment I saw you in this same place a year before. As I recall that, I hesitate for a moment, my footsteps faltering by a fraction. Has this all happened too quickly? Have we made a rash decision? Then you smile at me and my heart is made sure by the love light in your eyes. I step forward boldly, knowing this time, this day, this very hour, is the perfect setting and the right moment. The breeze tousles your golden hair as I reach to take your hand in mine and we walk onward together toward our future. I glance at you, catching your eye, and a secret smile passes between us as we move through the scented garden to the decorated arbor that awaits.
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“To Love and To Cherish” is available at www.loveyoudivine.com
The full book free read - http://tinyurl.com/ydmw7eg
Volume 1: On Bended Knee - http://tinyurl.com/yao9ukx
Volume 2: With This Ring - http://tinyurl.com/y9mx73v
Volume 3: Lives and Wives -http://www.loveyoudivine.com
EBooks are also available from All Romance e-Books:
Volume 1: On Bended Knee - http://tinyurl.com/y9f9jos
Volume 2: With This Ring - http://tinyurl.com/y8mhpt3
Volume 3: Lives and Wives - http://tinyurl.com/ydzq528