Biographie de Jess Mahler
I'm polyamorous, a mother of four, and a writer. The rest of my life is inclined to change without notice. These days I live in Eastern PA with my long-term partner Michael and our children. I made my first attempt at a novel in grammar school and never stopped writing after that. My seventh grade English teacher introduced me to sci-fi/fantasy, and, well, I never stopped reading either. One of the wonderful things about fantasy and sci-fi is their ability to introduce you to ideas completely outside the culture and life you know.
And the same is true of folk-lore, myth and legend. So between the trio in Mercedes Lackey's Bedlam's Bard series, Draupadi's five husbands in the Mahabharata and a few other interesting reads, the biggest surprise about polyamory was learning there was a word for it. At least, that was the biggest surprise until I learned my Ima and Abba had been in a triad before I was born. (Yes kids, your parents did have lives before you!)I stumbled into practicing polyamory courtesy of a boyfriend (then fiance, then husband, then ex) who was open-minded enough to try polyamory in multiple relationships, even if it never did work well for him.
We were too naive, inexperienced, and damaged by life not to hurt each other, but I learned and grew a great deal in our time together. I'm not sure where he is now, but I wish him well. Over ten years later, my long-term partner, Michael, and I live together while battling chronic health problems and disability, raising kids, and reaching out to connect with other partners--long-term, short-term, and casual, that cross our paths.
We hope someday one or both of us will find someone(s) to twine into our life or lives over the long-term. In the mean time, I write about polyamorous life, raising kids while chronically ill, and werewolves. Everything is better with werewolves.
