The Sweet Flag

Well, We've Moved

2010-07-02T17:45:00.000-04:00

And, of course, there are all sorts of jolly little blankety-blank bumps in the PC road. Like having to deal with the insanity known as google.
And there are still major concerns in Real Life - gasp - that will impact heavily on any posting this year. Bear with me while I try to sort them out.

I'm in Chicago and San Francisco Libraries!

2010-01-30T12:43:00.001-05:00

Well, not literally, but Bend in the Road is! If you live in Chicago you can find it on this page:
http://www.chipublib.org/search/details/cn/8426503/results/1/
In fact, the Chicago Library seems to be a darn good site for GLBT works. Check out this page:
http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/poptopics/lgbthistory.php
I am very impressed.
Go, Chicago!And if you're visiting San Francisco, you can find it here:
http://sflib1.sfpl.org/search~S1/a?Barrack+Jeanne
Hooray for the city on the Bay!

A New Review for Bend in the Road

2010-01-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

What a great way to start 2010! Wilde Oats, an online magazine/review site I had sent Bend in the Road to back in August, reviewed it in their December issue and the reviewer, Piet Bach, had some very nice things to say about it.
Quoting just a snippet of the review:
"I will confess that I’m not a great reader of “romance”, either general or specifically male/male. But it isn’t often that a book with the special qualities of this one comes to my attention, either...The details of the troupe’s arrangements, how they travelled, how they ate, how they managed sets and props and costumes, who took which roles, are fascinating and accurate."
"Barrack’s style is simple and engaging. Reading the story with a background in theatre and a cultural Jewish heritage to draw on may have biassed me in that the people and their surroundings were familiar and I found the characters deeply sympathetic."
"I would very much enjoy reading a continuation of her history, set perhaps in New York’s lower East Side in the 1890s, as her characters melt into the American pot."
Thanks so much, Piet!
A sequel is in the works for later this year.

Happy Chanukah!

2009-12-11T12:15:00.001-05:00

Happy Chanukah!!!

Tonight's the first night of Hanukah and I'm on the Speak Its Name holiday advent calendar.
I've got yummy Chanaka recipes and a little gift, too.
Please come and join the party and find out why you see the holiday spelled three different ways in this post!
Link: http://speakitsname.wordpress.com/

Life Happens

2009-11-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

Just a note to those of you who follow my blog. Right now, Steve and I are in a not so nice situation in our life. We're unsure where we're going to be in the very near future.
Any white light and or prayers available would be very appreciated.
Posting will be sporadic at best for a while.
Thanks
Jeanne

Guest Blogger - Lex Valentine

2009-10-29T00:49:00.002-04:00

I'd like to welcome Lex and help her celebrate her birthday. But let's have Lex tell you about her favorite day of the year and her latest release in time for the Halloween holiday.

Lex:
It’s kinda weird when your birthday is on Halloween, you work at a cemetery, and you don’t believe in ghosts. I’ve always known I was a freak but to not believe in the creatures of the night when you’re born on Halloween is kinda sacrilegious. I can’t help myself. I’m a non-believer. I think I’d actually have to meet one and talk to him to believe. And even then, I’d prolly think I was being Punk’d.

The hero of my latest release thinks he’s being Punk’d when he meets a ghost. However, Jason has a problem with the ghost he meets. The man makes his dick hard. Yep. Totally turned on by a ghost. Sounds like a country song, doesn’t it?

In Rousing Caine, my novella in the MLR Press anthology Love Me Dead, you will meet a man with no belief in love, no trust, and who thinks everyone has an ulterior motive and is out to use everyone else in some way, shape, or form. Jason’s love life has sucked for years. People used him. As much as he loves kids, he’s resigned to not having any because he doesn’t trust people.
By contrast to my gloomy, disbelieving hero, Caine the ghost is a positive force with a Zen-like attitude. Everything happens for a reason, including his own demise. It’s just like me to do a ghost who’s not in the least scary. Caine is a famous surfer with an open attitude toward sex and a hot body. He just happens to be dead. Not that Caine lets that stop him.

The incongruous couple embark on an affair once Jason is sure he’s not being Punk’d. It’s a pretty steamy affair too! Caine’s completely in love with Jason and determined to turn his skeptical lover’s attitude around. He tries to get Jason to see that giving up on the idea of being happy is wrong. He makes Jason promise to fulfill a childhood dream of learning to surf and to see a surrogate agency about the possibility of having a child. Caine shines light into the darkness that had crept into Jason’s soul.

Of course, anger and betrayal rear their ugly heads within Jason when he finds out all the details of Caine’s death. He sends the ghost away and then has to face the truth within himself, knowing all the while that he will never again know a love as pure as Caine’s. It’s a bittersweet moment in the story and one I hope you all can embrace. Finding the truth when it’s too late is a horrible fate.

Since this is a love story, I will tell you there are twists to the ending. It’s not your usual ghost story for Halloween and the scariest thing in it is when Jason thinks there’s a burglar in his house! Or when you think he’s lost Caine forever. That one even gave me a few chills!

As you can see, I’m just not normal when it comes to Halloween. Whoever heard of a ghost story filled with M/M sex and a twisted happy ending? Ah, I think it’s just the freak in me that enjoys messing with you on this most un-hallowed of holidays. Chalk it all up to the fact that I arrived in this world at 12:41 am… on Halloween.

Many thanks to Jeanne for having me on her blog during my birthday week. Trick-or-Treat everyone!
Lex

Released just this week in time for Halloween! LOVE ME DEAD, a ghost anthology from MLR Press featuring stories by the venerable but naughty William Maltese, the awesome and erotic AM Riley, and me! My novella Rousing Caine is right in the center of the book.

Buy Link:
http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=ANTHLVDD

Anthology blurb:
Can ghosts influence the living? Can they make a man fall in love? Help him see things in different lights? William Maltese, AM Riley and Lex Valentine weave four tales that pose these questions and answer the question, LOVE ME DEAD?

Rousing Caine Blurb:
Jason Rockham has lost faith in others and himself. He no longer trusts and doesn’t believe in love. When he escapes to his cliffside home in Northern California, he meets a ghost who is the antithesis of everything he’s come to believe about people. Caine Carruthers fell in love with the laugh of a man he didn’t know. After his unexpected death, he sought out the man and found him bitter and disillusioned with life. With love in his heart, Caine sets out to show Jason that life is worthwhile and love is possible. Two incomparable heroes – a man who has lost hope and a ghost who believes love conquers all, including death. This story will make you laugh and cry and most of all... believe.

Excerpt:
They hadn’t had sex again, but the sexual tension between them rose to an almost unbearable level, and as soon as it grew dark, Jason decided he’d had enough of teetering on the edge of a hard-on for hours on end.

They sat in the media room, an old Alfred Hitchcock movie on, and Jason only knew what was happening onscreen because he’d seen the movie so often that he knew the dialog. His hand traced the swell of Caine’s thigh muscle, marveling at the texture of his smooth skin. With his fingers, he teased the hem of Caine’s shorts, brushing his fingers along the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh.

A hiss sounded and Jason smiled. Obviously, the movie no longer held Caine’s attention. Through narrowed eyes, Jason saw Caine’s cock swell beneath the khaki of his shorts.

“You aren’t watching the movie,” he murmured with a chuckle.

“Am t-too,” Caine stuttered as Jason’s fingers brushed his erection.

With a wide grin, Jason leaned over and licked the side of Caine’s jaw. “Are not.”

Caine went rigid in his chair. Jason grinned openly. The ghost’s cock now strained against the front of his shorts. Getting to his feet, Jason pushed Caine’s feet off the ottoman in front of him and sat on it, between Caine’s thighs. He leaned forward and unbuttoned his lover’s shorts.

“Still say you’re watching Rear Window?” he teased, knowing that Caine’s eyes were riveted on him and not the movie.

“Jason.” The name emerged from Caine’s mouth on a groan that made his lover chuckle.

“I thought not.”

Jason’s mouth enveloped Caine’s stiff cock. He licked and sucked the length, letting the salty taste roll over his tongue and fire his own arousal. He loved sucking Caine. The man made such loud, appreciative noises that it drove Jason into a frenzy of lust.

He lifted his head and stared into Caine’s dazed eyes. “Here or the bedroom?” he asked abruptly. Personally, Jason didn’t think he could make it two feet, let alone all the way to the bedroom without just knocking Caine to the floor and taking him.

Caine frowned as he tried to concentrate on the question. “I… I…”

“Aww, fuckit,” Jason muttered and grabbed Caine by the hands, yanking him to the floor. He sprawled atop the ghost, his mouth a hair’s breadth from Caine’s. “Here,” he decided. “Later, the bedroom.”

*****
Lex can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.lexvalentine.com/

Guest Blogger - Xandra Gregory & her guests, Roger and Nigel

2009-10-19T22:23:00.001-04:00

Hello, Flaggers!
I'd like to thank Jeanne for hosting me today. Believe it or not, I'm a bit shy, so instead of wasting space on myself, I thought I'd talk about two really interesting characters in my life--Roger and Nigel.

I'm one of those writers who gets an inspiration for a story out of the blue. I very rarely sit down and start consciously thinking, "Gee, I'd like to write about X in this story." Mostly because I don't get the luxury of sitting down and thinking very often (I've got kids, LOL). No, story seeds happen to me the way random rollerblading accidents happen to other people. And usually at the same near-terminal velocity. :)

But the story seed for Jolly Rogered, my October release from Liquid Silver Books, happened a bit differently. Not with a crash, but a whisper. A very soft whisper from a very shy, reserved, innocent-looking young man who for the longest time, refused to even tell me his name. He whispered in my ear that he had a story to tell, and it was a romantic, wonderful, crazy, and falling-off-the-edge-of-a-cliff-into-blue-ocean scary tale.

Well, naturally, I was curious, but the voices in my head, they have to yell to be heard. So I waved him off. But he was nothing if not persistent, so finally, I sat down (or rather, leaned against the wall with my Palm phone in my hand and two thumbs at the ready--no, I don't do anything easy) and said, "Okay, tell me about this great love story of yours. And don't skip the juicy bits."

Well, the shy guy started talking about how he'd been swept off his buttoned-up feet by Something Fabulous. Someone who took no prisoners and made no apologies and lived life to the fullest. Of course my interest was good and piqued now--I have a soft spot for wild-n-crazy meets Brooks Brothers.

I never expected his wild-n-crazy to be another guy. And what a guy he is. Nigel really does make no apologies and lives life to the fullest. He exploded into my head and started talking nonstop, and quite scandalously, too. Prior to this, the closest I'd come to writing M/M (although I've enjoyed the reading of it since some of the earlier days of slash fanfic) was some subtextual, unresolved sensual tension between characters. But Mr. Nigel--sorry, Captain Nigel, God-Emperor and all-around Debauched Pirate Lord of All He Surveys--took an unholy glee in giving me an eye-opening earful about all the juicy, juicy details of his seduction of, and subsequent conquering of--and by (although he won't admit it)--the shy, slightly-freckled Yank that washed up a charity case on his exclusive luxury shore.

After having to check and verify some of his more outrageous claims--and I don't care what he tells you, the island natives do NOT worship him as a god, but they do value him as a well-paying employer--I surrendered. I had to tell their story to someone, even if it just ended up being my critique partner. And happily, the lovely and talented Tina Burns at LSB also enjoyed the story enough to give it a home at Liquid Silver's Molten line.

Now that I've teased you with a little bit about the two main troublemakers, let's not waste any more time in getting right down to a little taste, which you won't find anywhere else but here at the Sweet Flag!

****
EXCERPT:
Roger's eyes were blue, Nigel realized. Startling, swimming-pool blue, in the right light. Fairly radiating with toxic innocence as the other man leaned forward and searched his face in an expression Nigel recognized. He was looking for absolution, a blessing. Permission. His knee brushed Nigel's. The warmth of stirring attraction swirled in Nigel's gut and he knew that the Tea House would no longer do. Fuck. I'm invested. He needed to back off. Wait for the other man to come to a conclusion. Make his own decision.

Instead, he moved forward with the swiftness borne of a life lived without regret and pressed his mouth against the Yank's. Roger stiffened, then relaxed almost immediately, and Nigel moved his tongue over the other man's lips, waiting for an invitation that came so quickly it was impossible to think it hadn't been expected. He withdrew almost as quickly as he advanced, mildly shocked at his own behavior, but aware his instincts were honed enough to recognize the need to force the issue.

Roger blinked those baby blues owlishly and dragged in a breath. "Um," he murmured. His chest rose and fell for several seconds before he spoke again. "I need to figure out what is honest," he said. "For me. Can I do that here without judgment? Without consequence?"

Nigel searched the Yank's face. "No," he said bluntly. "You can do anything here without judgment. I make no guarantees about the consequences. I cannot say that you'll leave here unchanged from when you arrived."

Roger's breathing accelerated. Nigel noted the rapid rise and fall of his chest and waited. Finally, the American nodded. "It's worth the risk," he said. "Like I said, I don't have much to lose."
* * * *
I want to thank Xandra for giving us a glimpse into Nigel and Roger's story.
To learn more about Xandra check out her website at:
http://www.xandragregory.com

Historical Research ~ It isn't Always Black and White

2009-10-19T12:46:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging at the Rainbow Blog today about historical research. I think writers of gay historical romances have a tougher job than others. And we have to dig deeper. So I've offered an example of some of the research I did for Bend in the Road.

I hope you'll stop by and read and let me know what you think.

The link is: http://therainbowstudio.blogspot.com/

Where Did I Hide that Great Idea?

2009-10-17T11:48:00.000-04:00

I'm over at the Shared Wisdom community today talking about organizing those terrific ideas that disappear so easily. Please drop by and share some of yours!
The link is: http://community.livejournal.com/shared_wisdom/

Guest Blogger - Devon Rhodes

2009-10-15T01:14:00.003-04:00

Devon Rhodes is my guest today and I'm very pleased to have her with us today. First off Devon answers the quickie interview:

Devon Reveals All -- okay, almost all

1. What are your nicknames?
Currently just Mom! Rhody for obvious reasons, Swoop when Dad was still around, Hammer in college...
2. How does your hair look currently?
Extra messy 'Messy Bun', same color I was born with, strawberry blonde. I predict I'm about 6 months from getting impatient with it and donating it for the fifth time.
3. What’s new in your life right now?
Youngest in preschool means I actually get a few chunks of completely kid-free time each week! Gives me more time to devote to my other new thing...writing, which I only started in earnest about 8 months ago.
4. How many colors are you wearing now?
Just two, lavender top and black fleece pants. Okay and brown wool socks, so three. Yeah, I can count. Really.
5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
An introvert unless I have to be "on." I'd rather observe than be observed.
6. What was the last book you read?
Besides my own for edits, Simply Wicked by Kate Pearce. Currently reading Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning.
7 Who is your favorite super hero?
I was a girl in the 70's. Didn't we all pretend to be Wonder Woman?
8. What has made you happy these days?
I'm four for four on contracting stories I've written in less than two months. What a ride! Have plenty of projects lined up and a cooperative muse...life is good!
9. What’s your current obsession?
Autumn! My favorite season. Pumpkins, apples, baking, canning, leaves turning beautiful colors and falling, chill in the air, back to school. ;)
10. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Ready for what? Lol, I'm extremely low maintenance..brush my teeth and fix my coffee and I'm good to go. Five minutes tops.
11. What’s the last thing you laughed about?
I'm a comedian's dream...I would be he one that the camera would stay on in a televised show. I laugh all the time. Probably something that one of my friends said or sent!
12. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
"In and Out" by Katy Perry, my three yr old was singing it all day, so now I am too. The line about PMS'ing is freaking funny coming out of a three yr old's mouth by the way.
13. What’s the last movie you saw?
Watched "Knocked Up" last night, hilarious and light enough to keep me sane. I get enough angst from my writing!
14. What was the last story you wrote?
Rough Riders, which will be published in Total-E-Bound's Gaymes antho in January. Sweaty, athletic guys, locker rooms, and illegal tackles, fun to write. :) I also just today wrapped up revising an old (relatively speaking!) M/M/F futuristic menage novella called Wet Your Whistle.
15. Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about Devon Rhodes?

It was a huge thrill to have my first story come out last month and hold that paperback in my hands. I'm finally doing what I'm suited for...I can't imagine every wanting to "retire" from this.
* * * *

Devon's publishing history:
First pubbed story in Games In The Dark anthology, Dreamspinner Press, came out in September.
Her story is Remarkable Restraint.
M/M, BDSM, Contemporary.
Blurb:

When Chaz finds it impossible to hide his attraction for his straight roommate, he decides that avoiding Justin is the best answer. But Justin is not a man to be ignored, and he takes matters into his own hands by restraining Chaz's hands—and feet—until he gets some answers. It will take remarkable restraint from both to find a way to stay friends... and to grow into something more.
* * * *

Upcoming release is A Pint Light from Total-E-Bound, which comes out on October 26th. Part of their seasonal Voracious Vamps releases.
M/M, Vampire, Contemporary.
Blurb for A Pint Light:
Valerian stole Raine's blood, his magic...and his heart.
What's a vampire to do when every day is the same old dull quest for blood? Head to Maui, of course. But before Valerian can hit the beach, he needs to get rid of the sultry mage seducing him in his sleep. She may have fooled his subconscious, but he doesn't need a mate complicating his life. Imagine Val's shock when he finds out she's a he, yet still has the power to arouse him beyond anything he'd ever imagined.
Raine faints at the sight of blood and isn't looking forward to being a vamp's chew toy. Still, family duty calls, and Valerian turns out to be the hottest, and most powerful, male on two legs. Raine is crushed when the sexy vamp of his dreams runs from their rough play in horror. But his pride can't stand in the way when Valerian accidently steals his magic along with his blood.
Now, with time running out, Raine needs to seduce him one last time to even up the score, and maybe this time, they'll exchange more than blood and power. Magic is in the air, and sometimes love only needs a little nudge.

Excerpt:

“This is where things got out of control last time, wouldn’t you agree?”
Val’s eyes flew open at the unexpected and incredibly coherent question. He tried to get his brain to formulate an answer, but couldn’t manage more than, “Uh...”
Raine sighed heavily, “I can see that I’m going to have to have conversations with you before you’re turned on. Obviously, all the blood must leave your big head when you’re aroused or something.”
Val couldn’t agree more. He could barely process what Raine was saying, only revelling in the fact that he was still sitting on top of his pulsing cock. He continued to push up against Raine, now trying in earnest to remove his tight briefs without letting Raine move off his cock, an impossible task, unless he were to rip them...
He turned thought into deed, and three yanks later, the briefs were in tatters and Raine’s erection popped up, slapping against his own belly, leaving a dab of pre-come behind. Before he even consciously decided to, he reached out and rubbed the spot off with the pad of his thumb, bringing it to his mouth for a lick. He watched those celadon eyes darken with desire as Raine focused on Val’s tongue sliding over his thumb, cleaning it of Raine’s come.
The musky, briny taste, with the same notes as Raine’s amazing blood, hit his senses like a shot of adrenaline. Val reacted without thought, flipping Raine over, grinding down against him as he reversed their positions.
“If you’re going to nail me with those teeth again, you’re going to have to let me suck you off first. Take it or leave it.”
* * * *

Devon's December release is Silver & Gold, part of Dreamspinner Press' Mistletoe Madness 2009 Advent Calendar, a collection of 32 stories centered around the holidays.
Blurb for Silver & Gold:
Geoff Radcliffe is having a mid-life crisis just in time for the holidays. He goes into a tailspin after hearing from his first love, picks up a stranger who locks him out of the house in nothing but his pants, and then he gets up the courage to go get rid of his grey, and the colorist refuses to do Geoff's hair!
But Abe Golden, thrilled that the hunky silver-tipped guy has admitted he's gay, does 'do' him, taking him home for the hottest night of Geoff's life. After three heavenly days of smoking hot sex, Abe has done the unimaginable: he's fallen in love. And when he finds out that Geoff has been using him to practice for another man, Abe is at first heartbroken... and then he plots how to show Geoff the value of combining silver and gold.
* * * *
But wait -- there's more!
Devon has a contest for our readers.
CONTEST:
Devon is working on a new book starting this week:
To win a free e-book of A Pint Light, give her a name suggestion for each of two characters in her contemporary story - demon and an angel.
At this point, she's about 50/50 on deciding whether to make the demon female or male! (eye roll)
So the demon's name can be male, female, or either...and some good suggestions might help her decide which way to go! The angel is ALL male. ;)

Best suggestion will be considered for her characters and will win the e-book
You can also cast your vote to make the demon male or female at her: http://devonrhodes.blogspot.com/

* * * *
I want to thank Devon for joining us today and wish her continued success!

Guest Blogger - Jessica Freely

2009-10-13T01:08:00.003-04:00

My guest today is Jessica Freely. Jessica has Detroit in her blood and her books reflect this. If you read her blog's post ~ Unpacking the Case against M/M: part 4, and check out her links embedded in the text you'll find out even more about the writing life of this talented author.
But today, Jessica is going to pimp her latest book: RUST BELT

Blurb:

Times are tough in the Rust Belt, where once mighty industries now wither and die. As a city struggles for survival, two men find passion, comfort, and redemption in each other’s arms.

Seth is scarred, body and soul, by his experiences in the Pit, an illegal fighting ring where men are brutalized for the entertainment of the crowd. Though he managed to escape, Seth will never forget those he had to leave behind. When he meets David, he is instantly attracted to him but knows that the sexy, bookish blond is far beyond his reach. Then David is attacked on the street and in an eyeblink, Seth alters both of their lives forever.

For lonely, virginal David, Seth comes out of the night like a hero from one of his favorite books, only hotter. Seth’s passion and tenderness pierce the protective shell of isolation David has drawn around himself. In the wake of their shatteringly erotic encounter, David asks Seth to live with him. But just when it seems like happily ever after can happen even in Detroit, Seth’s past comes back to drag them both into the Pit.

Excerpt:

“Want some Thai noodles?”

Seth looked up from the trash can he’d been sorting through and into the most beautiful brown eyes he’d ever seen. They belonged to a young man about his own age, on the short side and slight of build, with blond hair and cute, pert features. Seth had seen him around before, had covertly admired his ass as he made his way to and from his job at the little book store across the street. But until now he hadn’t realized how much he looked like the Kid. The resemblance hit Seth like a mallet to the face and he took an involuntary step backward.

“Hey, easy. I’m not going to hurt you. I just saw you and…” He lifted a Styrofoam box. “I couldn’t finish my lunch and I thought you might…”

Seth blushed, though whether it was because this guy actually thought he was afraid or simply because of being caught rummaging through the trash, he didn’t care to examine. He ducked his head and accepted the noodles. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” The guy turned and walked back across the street to the book store. It was a cozy place with a green awning and old-fashioned brass fittings on the door. It stood sandwiched between a bakery and the Thai Restaurant.

Seth watched him go, noting the way his brisk strides made his butt move. Sudden wistfulness overcame him. “Not for you,” he whispered to himself.

The guy, Seth decided to call him Books, really did look a lot like the Kid, but that was a bad thing to dwell on. If he opened those floodgates he’d drown in a tide of bad memories. Instead, he went over to a nearby bench and opened the Styrofoam box. Steam and chili spice wafted up and he lowered his face over the still-hot noodles, breathing in the aroma. The red pepper stung his nostrils and cleared his sinuses. His stomach, ever the pragmatist, rumbled and he dug in, allowing no more thoughts of things he couldn’t have or change.

God the noodles were good. Hot, with strips of chicken and little ground up chunks of peanuts. Seth couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anything as good as this. And there was a lot of it, too. Enough to take back to his little hidey hole under the overpass and finish later.

Mouth bulging and stomach rapidly filling, Seth sat back on the bench and let one of those rare waves of sated ease wash over him. Hunger and remorse were distant things in this moment. Soon they’d be back to keep him company, but for now, he was free to think on other things.

Like Books, for instance. He’d gone out of his way to give Seth this food, literally: the restaurant was on the same side of the street as the book store. Most people wouldn’t do that. Most people were too caught up in their own lives. Even the ones who did notice him usually shied away, uncomfortable or afraid. Seth was tall, rangy, with long unkempt hair and a black beard badly in need of a trim. With his army jacket from Coats for Hope, he resembled a crazy Vietnam vet. It took a fair amount of guts to walk up to a guy like him, who was pawing through a trash can, and offer him your leftovers. But Books had, and he’d crossed the street to do it.

Seth had seen Books walking to work and back every day. He was a book store clerk without enough money for his own car. He probably could have used these leftovers himself.

There weren’t enough brave, kind people in the world. Sitting there on the bench, staring at the book store as he ate, Seth made up his mind to look out for this one. This little business district was surrounded by a lot of not-so-cool neighborhoods and abandoned industrial areas.

The Kid was dead. There was nothing Seth could do about that and maybe there never had been. But keeping Books safe represented a new opportunity for Seth to do something useful with his misbegotten life.

#

But when Books really needed him, Seth wasn’t there.

It was three weeks since the leftovers incident and every night Seth made sure to be around the book store at closing time. Not wanting to alarm Books, Seth shadowed him from a distance.

The weather that night was typical for November: cold and drizzly. Seth hung back more than usual because the fine mist in the air would carry the sound of his footsteps farther. He desperately did not want Books to notice him, and that made him wonder, was he really protecting him with this nightly secret escort, or just stalking him? The fact that once he got back to his sleeping place under the overpass, he would jerk off to visions of Books as he had done every night for three weeks made a good case for the stalking rap.

So maybe it was these doubts or maybe it was just his ever-demanding hunger that made him go with the trick instead of continuing to shadow Books.

The business district dwindled away past Seventh Street and the next several blocks were dominated by an old derelict stamping plant, its surrounding parking lots, and an abandoned warehouse that now served as a cruising ground. Seth was walking past the warehouse when a car pulled up and some guy leaned out the window. “Hey, I’ll give you a twenty if you blow me.”

Seth turned a trick or two from time to time. Often it was the difference between a meal and another day going hungry. Just like right now. He hadn’t had any luck dumpster diving for the past two days. His stomach was so tight it was wrapped around his spine.

But he’d made a vow, and it’d be kinda hard to protect Books with this closeted suburban queer’s cock down his throat. Seth glanced up and saw Books turning down the street that ran alongside the plant. It was only a few more blocks from there to his apartment.

“Hey, deerhunter, you want the money or not?” The trick waved a twenty at him.

He really did. And Books was almost home. Seth’s hunger took over and he nodded and reached for the money.

He was on his knees in the alley around the corner, clutching the twenty in his fist and about to go down on the trick when he heard the shouting -- angry voices and one frightened one from the direction of the old stamping plant.

Shit! Books!

He stood up and shoved the twenty at the trick. “I’m sorry,” he said, and he took off toward the plant.
* * * *
Although Rust Belt is written to stand alone, there are three previous David and Seth stories. The first two short stories -- Hero and Stay -- are currently out of print but available for a limited time only as free downloads on my Yahoo! newsletter group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely/
Scars, the third David and Seth book, is still available from Torquere:
http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=119&products_id=1637

Oh, and there's a contest, too:
Seth's a great cook and David loves to read. It's David's birthday and Seth is going to surprise David with a special meal and a new book. What are they? Most inventive answer wins a free copy of Rust Belt.

* * * *
I want to thank the multi-talented, Jessica for sharing her latest story with us today. The lady is as versatile as...John Barrowman! :~D

Short to Long ~ EM Lynley

2009-10-09T00:53:00.000-04:00

EM Lynley is my guest today. EM has taken a rather different route than Remmy's and Shannon's.

How did you make the transition from short stories to longer works?
I’ve actually taken the opposite path. My first published work was actually novel length and since that time I’ve had several shorter pieces published. I did have a short story in a Christmas anthology last year, but it was an excerpt from another novel. It’s only since I began writing professionally that I discovered the market for shorter pieces. I wrote two novels before SEX, LIES & WEDDING BELLS but I haven’t revised them yet to submit to a publisher. I’ve learned so much about writing since then and I see a lot of ways to improve them before sending them out. Stay tuned though!
I usually come up with an idea for a story first, generally there’s a conflict that stems from their jobs or positions that brings them into conflict and I do my best to get them together. I’d never really thought much about the length of the piece until I began submitting work to publishers. I discovered novella lengths and specific lengths in publishers’ calls for submissions, and I decided to try my hand at those.

How do you deal with the challenges of writing different lengths:

I discovered I pretty much suck at fitting my stories into a predetermined length. The two novellas I wrote felt rushed and flat, and I knew they needed more space to tell the stories properly. I had a short story released recently: Venus Envy from Cobblestone that began its life as a 7000 word story bound for an anthology. It ended up twice that length before I really liked it and felt it was finished. I’ve therefore decided to go back to my original method of telling the story and once it’s finished I’ll figure out where it belongs.

What length do you enjoy writing most?
My stories tend to end up around 40-50K. It seems to take that amount of space to layer in enough characterization as well as wrap up the story.

I noticed in your bio that you lived in England and Japan. What were you doing?
I’ve always had a huge interest in other countries. I minored in Japanese political economy and my senior year of college I lived in a dorm which was half foreign students, so I knew eventually I’d travel and hopefully live abroad. My background is in financial economics and I did my Masters degree in London, at the London School of Economics. I spent two years there and loved every minute of it. Later I spent five years in Japan working for international banks.

Have you used any of your travels in your writing?
I’m currently finishing up a novel that’s set in Thailand, and I’ve drawn heavily on my experiences there. I spent a couple of months in total in Thailand and I was thrilled to be able to use it in one of my stories. I’m hoping to set one in Japan soon, though I’ve got so many projects on my list, I’m not sure when that might happen.

I hear you just edited your first anthology. What did you get from the experience?

Yes, I just finished working on a m/m fairy tales anthology for Ravenous, called BEDKNOBS & BEANSTALKS. It should be out in a couple of weeks. It was really eye opening to see everything from the opposite perspective. I learned a lot about writing from working on other authors’ work, and I definitely discovered how to best get an editor’s interest (or how not to lose it) which should help me in future submissions! It was a fantastic experience and will be working on a few more anthologies in the near future. Honestly, the hardest part was choosing which stories to include. I had to leave out some good stories that didn’t quite fit in terms of length and theme.

Tell us about publishing your first novel, SEX, LIES & WEDDING BELLS.

I have to admit I’m still walking on air about it! It’s sort of a gay version of "Runaway Bride" though beyond the basic premise it’s quite different. It started out as a story I wrote in about three weeks and then posted online. I got hundreds of really positive comments on it, so it seemed the right time to take a shot at sending it to a publisher. I got a contract offer the day after I sent it off! I was thrilled. It’s been a top seller at my publisher, Ravenous Romance, and they sold the print rights to Alyson Books, which is the oldest GLBT publisher in the US. It’s been great to find that the mainstream GLBT publishing world found it good enough to publish.

What’s coming out next?

I have a novella coming out from Dreamspinner Press near the end of the month. DISGUISES is friends-to-lovers story that takes place during and after a costume party where some very unexpected things happen. This is a theme I really enjoy writing, and most of my stories are about couples getting together rather than about men in established relationships. Readers enjoy series with the same characters but I find getting the guys to realize they belong together is so much fun, I haven’t found any couple that cried out for a sequel, at least not yet.

I'd like to thank EM for joining me today. I love the variety in EM's writing and look forward to the upcoming release of DISGUISES.
You can find EM on the web:
http://www.emlynley.com
http://emlynley.livejournal.com
http://facebook.com/emlynley

Sell link to Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells:
http://www.ravenousromance.com/panamour/sex-lies-and-wedding-bells.php

Sell link to Venus Envy
http://cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/venusenvy.htm

Disguises will be out Oct 28th but it has a page up already:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1574

Short to Long ~ Shannon Frost

2009-10-07T00:30:00.001-04:00

I'd like to welcome Shannon Frost today to share her gambit of going from short to long works.
It’s such a pleasure to be here and to celebrate with everyone on this beautiful day of October 7th, because you see, it’s a very special date in my new novel, Conquest. It’s the birthday of main character, singer extraordinaire, Jesse Alexander! To be able to share this day makes it that much more wonderful. But I’m sure some are wondering, who is this Jesse Alexander? Well, as with many good stories, let me begin at the beginning.

I’ve been writing for years, ever since I penned down what I thought would be my greatest piece in the 4th grade, “Forest Fire, the Littlest Racehorse”. While it was a fun tale filled with action and excitement, I believe, and hope, I’ve surpassed that fine story, and let’s just say my work has taken on a more mature aspect. For the past few years, I’ve written mainly m/m erotic romance. I’ve had two m/f short pieces published, but I simply don’t hold the same passion when writing boy meets girl as I do when writing boy meets boy.

I first got rolling into writing m/m back in 2005 when I was still in college. Now, saying that makes me sound younger than I am, so I’ll admit it took me seven years to finish a BA. Hey, it wasn’t all my fault. I had to eat, so that meant working full-time. While I was in school studying writing, I was still trying to uncover my author’s voice and waiting for my muse to find me. Then an assignment came through for writing dialogue, which made me huff in agitation since it couldn’t be taken from any piece already worked on in class and I didn’t know what to write, but it was then my muse came to me. After pondering for less than five minutes on the assignment, Jesse Alexander burst into my mind larger than life. He had a compelling story to tell, and how could I deny him and his partner, Evan Arden, from taking the stage?

While I worked on Conquest, I came to the conclusion for the first time that I wanted to be a published writer, I wanted to share my work with readers with the hope of bringing entertainment and happiness. But to get a novel published with nothing in your portfolio can be a tricky task, so I started researching what I could do to get my name out there and present myself as a serious author. Some authors find themselves an agent, others may go to self-publishing. I took the route of writing short stories as a way of proving I could be marketable to a publisher.

I submitted my first short story in 2006 to the Cleis Press anthology, Best Gay Romance 2007 edition, and to my astonishment, it got accepted. The story, “No More Mirages”, was actually a spin-off of Conquest using one of the secondary characters, Brandon Alexander, Jesse’s older brother. Encouraged by this success, I wrote more short stories, though rather sporadically. I actually find it quite challenging to develop two or more characters and establish a relationship in 5,000 words or less. Though I certainly won’t complain, because I’ve had the good fortune of being featured in some wonderful anthologies, the most recent being Surfer Boys edited by Neil Plakcy and published by Cleis Press. I’ll also be in an upcoming anthology from Ravenous Romance titled Bedknobs and Beanstalks edited by E.M. Lynley, which is a collection of fairytales with a gay erotic spin.

So for me, I went from writing long works, to short, back to long, and now I do both. The short stories were a means to establish myself in the field with the hope of bringing recognition to Conquest, and it looks like it worked. Conquest will soon be joining the ranks of the many other outstanding titles at MLR Press, an honor beyond any dream I could’ve had for it. And so with that, Happy Birthday Jesse!

To keep up on the latest with my writing, please feel welcomed to visit me at www.sjfrost.com.

Conquest blurb:

As the vocally gifted lead singer of his band, Conquest, Jesse Alexander refuses to let anything hold him back from achieving his dream of becoming one of the greatest performers to ever hit a stage. Evan Arden was thought of as a musical genius when at the height of his career, he vanished from the spotlight. Together, their relationship is just as intense as their music careers, but with the pressures of success and fame pushing down on them, Jesse must decide what's more important to him, his life of music, or his life with Evan.

Thanks again for joining us, Shannon and Happy Birthday, Jesse!

Short to Long ~ Remmy Duchene

2009-10-05T00:49:00.000-04:00

Short to Long
The authors this week all started out writing shorter works before they published their first longer gay fiction. Each has a different story regarding their new journey.
Our first guest is Remmy Duchene
Remmy's bio:
I am a 26 year old author from Toronto, Canada who loves frigid cold days (why? Because I get to stay in, drink hot chocolate and watch movies!) CFL football, hockey and action movies where things blow up - a lot. I speak English and Spanish.
And write darn good stories!
Q. How did you start out on your writing path?
I got started writing when I was a child, mostly poems then gradually graduated to short romance stories. I didn't start out in MM though as many of you already know. But I figured if two straight people who hate each other can be together why can't two gay people who love each other?
Q. How did your writing change/grow from short stories to long?
Well the truth is I didnt have a choice. It was somewhat of a reluctant progression. I've always written short MM stuff because one, I didn't think I could do anything longer and two, well I just didn't have that much time. But a reader of mine messaged me on facebook and said she loved my stuff but they were too short so I figured why not try for something longer? I've always wanted to write REDEMPTION (my longer piece) but I wasn't sure I could do it. But I got pushed from the talented Mr. John Simpson (Another MM author) He believed I could do it and every night over MSN he would crack his writer's whip lol. I also have a novel that I wrote with Shawn Maxwell coming soon to eXtasy Books titled "The Orchid Murders" but I didn't write that alone lol.
Q. What were the challenges?
The truth is the biggest challenge was the emotions. My story tackled a huge lie (secret) that would rip any regular person apart so I had to make sure I got that right and the reactions and all that. Plus I hate hurting my characters and these two characters went through hell, mentally/emotionally, physically--Apparently I did a very good job because Loose Id saw it and liked it.
"The Orchid Murders" took a little shorter time to write for I had a partner. It was challenging as it took tons of emails and MSN messages back and forth to get everything right. As well as some massive rewrites, certain disagreements but it turned out beautifully.

Q. How did this long work come into being?
REDEMPTION took about a year? lol. Seriously. I had the idea ever since before I wrote Caldwell Effect (another short) but I just didnt have the self esteem or courage rather to write it.

"The Orchid Murders" took about two months - because there were two people, two brains working.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit more about your longer story?
*beams proudly* My longer piece is titled REDEMPTION. I would give you a peek but I can't yet, I have to wait until I get the edited excerpt to release and I don't have a cover yet (that's coming soon) but I can however give you the blurb. Please visit my website to keep up to speed with REDEMPTION - http://remmyduchene.webs.com
BLURB:
As a teenager, Rancher Keegan MacLamore was not a very well liked kid in the small town of Thayne. He was a motorcycle riding, longhaired, rebel. At eighteen years old he was sentenced to 25 years to life for a murder he didn't commit. In prison he's hand to stand up for himself and from time to time he was tossed into solitary confinment for months at a time. Fifteen years later he is released on parole and all he wants now is to be left alone. He wants to crawl into a hole and stay there. But his best friend Colter and a long time friend will never let that happen.
Carson Lesley had no family growing up but as soon as he could he leaves Thayne and is quickly picked up for pro baseball. Every year for fifteen years, Carson returns home but for the last five years, he's been fulfilling a promise to a dying old man - to take care of the Rattlesnake ranch on the off-season until Keegan MacLamore could take over. The moment Carson gets to the Rattlesnake and see's the half naked, baseball bat wielding, tattooed hottie with the sad, broken eyes, Carson knows he's in trouble. When he finds out that this man is Keegan, Carson slips deeper and soon he finds himself fighting for this Rancher's love.
But will Carson be the man to completely break Keegan and will love be enough to cure the secrets that are about to be revealed?

Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us, Remmy. You can also find out more about Remmy and Remmy's work at the following places online: ww.myspace.com/remmyduchene
www.facebook.com/remmyduchene http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ohlalaauthors/

Guest Blogger - Neil Plakcy

2009-10-01T00:09:00.000-04:00

I am so pleased to have as my guest today, author, Neil Plakcy
Neil is the author of Mahu, Mahu Surfer, Mahu Fire and Mahu Vice, mystery novels set in Hawaii, as well as the romance novels Three Wrong Turns in the Desert and GayLife.com. He edited Paws & Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog and the gay erotic anthologies Hard Hats and Surfer Boys.

Plakcy is a journalist and book reviewer as well as an assistant professor of English at Broward College’s south campus in Pembroke Pines. He is vice president of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and a frequent contributor to gay anthologies.

*****
My Places in the Sun

“There’s a place in the sun, and before my life is done
Gonna find me a place in the sun.”

When I tell people that my newest romance novel from Loose Id, Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, is set in Tunisia, the first response is usually, “Have you been there?” And I have to admit that sadly, though it’s on my life list of places to go, I have yet to set foot there—or even on the African continent.
So how can I write about it? Simple. I live in a hot place—south Florida—and find myself drawn in fiction to similar locations. With a little research and a little imagination, I use my knowledge of what it’s like to live where I do to create believable places with similar climates.
I have been drawn to places in the sun since I was fourteen, and stepped, bleary-eyed, off an Air France flight at the airport in Nice, France. My high school ran a summer study program in France, and our trip included a few days at the start on the Riviera. I remember being awed by the over-sized tropical plants lining the streets, by the towering palms and the ever-present sun.
Something in me responded viscerally to that place, and I fell in love. I went back again and again as I got older, spending two summers there. During my college and graduate school years I tried, without success, to figure out how I could move there and make a living.
Then I was lucky enough to be offered a job transfer to Miami, and I had that same sense of love at first sight when my airport cab pulled up in front of my new office, and there were palm trees by the sidewalk, and a view of the sparkling water of Biscayne Bay from the office conference room.
That’s when I knew I no longer had to think about moving to Nice; I had found my place in the sun on American soil.
I started writing about Miami almost immediately. There was so much I wanted to learn about my new home, and one of the ways I learn best is to write and research. It took years, though, before I sat down to write GayLife.com, my first M/M romance novel. I had to read a lot in the genre, and spend a few years in the web development business myself, before I was ready.
My inspiration came from a British romance, called an “Aga sagas,” named for a kind of stove, the Aga, that’s common in UK kitchens. A young woman fell in love with her boss, and didn’t realize he had fallen for her, too, until the end of the book. I wondered if I could take that basic plot and give it a gay spin. So I created a young guy, Brian, hired to be the office manager for a start up gay website in Miami Beach. He falls in love with his boss—and the book takes off from there.
Once I sent that book off to MLR Press, I started thinking about writing another romance. One day, as I was driving home from the college where I teach, I was feeling frustrated, by work and my own romance, and thought—what if I just ran away? What would I do? Where would I go? And what kind of hunky guy could I meet there?
That’s how Three Wrong Turns in the Desert began. I teach in an English department that includes a number of ESL instructors (English as a Second Language.) I thought that was a great job to give my new hero, Aidan, because when his boyfriend dumps him, he can go on line and search for a new job several times zones away.
That’s how he ends up in Tunisia, another place in the sun. I was also inspired by a photo I saw years ago, of a naked man showering outdoors. That image jump-started the book. It was lots of fun to research Tunisia, and to apply what I already knew about living in a land of relentless sunshine.
People who read my books often compliment me on the sense of place I’m able to achieve, and assume that I’ve lived in those places for a long time. With the exception of Miami, I have to say no, that I’m writing from my imagination. I think I can do that because I have taken so deeply to my own place in the sun.
* * * * *
I'd like to thank Neil for sharing the inspiration for his latest novel. I completely agree with him: I can't get that vision of that naked man showering outdoors out of my head now! But I think I've got some inspiration of my own with the handsome dude below! ;~D

Guest Blogger - Ava Rose Johnson

2009-09-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

Please welcome my guest today, Ava Rose Johnson. She's put her little ol' body in the hot seat to answer some pertinent (and impertinent) questions.

1. What are your nicknames?
In selected company, I'm often referred to as 'Sexpert'. My sister thinks it's hilarious that I write erotic romance!My friends sometimes call me Lulu too. I have no idea where that comes from :)

2. How does your hair look currently?

I wish it looked shiny and full of bounce but unfortunately the answer is messy. Very very messy.

3. What’s new in your life right now?
My trench coat. I got it half off in a sale! Also, there's a couple extra pounds floating around my stomach area. Fall always makes me want to eat!

4. How many colors are you wearing now?
Including eyeshadow??? 8. I'm a colorful person!

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
It depends on the company. With friends I'm an extrovert. But with strangers, I get very shy.

6. What was the last book you read?
Marley and Me. Sooo cute. Though I bawled like a baby.

7. Who is your favorite super hero?

Batman. He's so darn sexy, especially when Christian Bale is playing him :)

8. What has made you happy these days?
Lucy's Neighbors was released from Ellora's Cave on 18th September and I've already received fanmail for it! I loved writing that book. Menages are always fun *wink*.

Here's the blurb:
Lucy Hills has lusted after her two sexy neighbors since she moved into her condo a year ago. She never would have believed that either Steve or Doug would be interested in her—she is a woman after all. So when they invite her over for dinner, she expects nothing more than friendly conversation. But the night soon spins into an explosive combination of Lucy’s sexual fantasies, and being ravished by two men turns out to be even better than she’d imagined.
Steve and Doug have been together nine years and they’ve shared many beautiful women. But Lucy is the first to steal their hearts. For months they’ve dreamed about getting her out of her panties and now they’ve had a taste of her honey, they want her for keeps. But convincing Lucy that a three-way relationship can work isn’t easy. They’ll have to use everything in their power to keep her trapped between their bodies because they can’t lose her now. She’s the one.

And another new one from Ellora's Cave, Breaking Ground
Buddies since kindergarten, Ray Jenkins and Eric Richards have never crossed the line into a sexual relationship. But when Ray breaks the news to Eric that he’s leaving for war, their friendship suddenly slides into something deeper, and what’s intended to be a guys’ night in turns out to be a guys’ night in bed.
Two years later, their one night of hot sex is a distant memory and having heard nothing from Ray since his abrupt departure, Eric can’t believe it when his old friend shows up. Using his mouth and his hands, Ray makes it clear how much he still wants Eric, and unable to resist, Eric falls right back into Ray’s bed. But fear that Ray will leave again holds him back, and despite the passion growing between them, Eric can’t let go of the pain he suffered while Ray was gone. Ray has to convince him that this time ’round he’s not going anywhere or else their burgeoning relationship will be over before it has the chance to begin.

9. What’s your current obsession?
Post-its. I can't live without them. Also, melons. They're yummy and very healthy too.

10. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
If I was getting up at a reasonable hour, then maybe thirty minutes. But as I usually have to rise and shine at 6am, my co-ordination is worse than a zombie's so it takes a little longer.

11. What’s the last thing you laughed about?
An "Everybody Loves Raymond" re-run. Raymond's mother created a sculpture that resembled a very intimate body part. The funny thing was that she didn't notice the resemblance!

12. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Hurt" by Christina Aguilera. One of the contestants on X Factor (the UK version of American Idol) sang it and she did a fantastic job!

13. What’s the last movie you saw?
"500 Days of Summer". I adored it until the end. I felt jipped as I walked out of the movie theater. :(

14. What was the last story you wrote?
A sexy short for Ellora's Cave. It's set in an office and focuses on the mutual lust between an executive and his PA. It was very fun to write! Watch out for it!

15. Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about Ava Rose Johnson?
I like nothing better than to spend a Sunday in my pajamas watching old movies. And I really like ice-cream. A lot!

Thanks so much for visiting today, Ava. We share some of the same passions. ;~D I love ice cream and watching old movies, too!
You can find out more about Ava at her website: http://www.avarosejohnson.com/

Free-wheeling with AM Riley

2009-09-25T23:28:00.000-04:00

FREE-WHEELING WITH AM RILEY

My guest today is AM Riley. Riley has been writing paranormals and murder mysteries with gay and lesbian characters for five years. She’s been published with Changeling Press, Torquere Press, Loose ID and will soon publish two contemporary gay murder mysteries with MLR Press.

She just released a ‘gay biker vice cop turns vampire’ m/m romance with Loose Id last month called “Immortality is the Suck”.
The blurb reads:
“Undercover Vice cop and former ATF agent, Adam Bertoni, has had a lot of bad nights, but this one takes the proverbial cake. First, a drug deal goes sour. Then, his ex-partner and sometimes fuck-buddy, Peter, gets to watch him bleed to death.
Adam doesn’t know which ticks him off more. That somebody set him up, or that he woke up undead.
Finding his death at the center of a sting that involves Outlaw Motorcycle gangs, the Mexican Mafia, and a lot of missing cash. Adam races to find the killer and clear his name. Because Peter may put up with a lot of Adam’s B.S., but he’ll never have relations with a suspect.
Former informants are dropping like flies. The gamut of Los Angeles lowlifes are sprouting fangs and super-human powers. And, Adam has to face a lot of things he’s been avoiding for a long time.
Immortality is just something he hadn’t planned on.”

With a blurb like that I was dying to know more about the author and the story behind the story so, here’s AM Riley free-wheeling about her writing and her life, which for Riley is really the same thing.
* * * * * *

RILEY:
The story behind the story:
How I came up with the vampire character for Immortality is the Suck is a good question.
I know a marine who became a cop, though not a vice cop. He retired and is now a writer. Anyway, he’s a vampire freak. So’m I and so is a co-worker. Short story long, my buddy came to visit when I was working graveyard on a show with my co-worker. A ghastly cable TV thing, as it happens, and we took frequent breaks to alleviate our despair. That night we started talking vampires. Then arguing vampires. It was a hysterical conversation and my friend the marine is always saying things are the suck. So, I said, “ Immortality is the suck.” And he said, ‘Yeah you should write that.’ And there you have it. It’s his fault.

The main character looks and sounds like my friend the ex-marine. I’ve always thought he’d make a great vampire.

The circumstances that led to the book opening actually happened, though, minus the vampire element. (At least, I don’t think there was a vampire element) The DEA and ATF busted over eighty Mongol’s last October here in Los Angeles, after a lengthy undercover operation involving several agents. My protagonist is my version of one of those agents.

The life:

I live in Los Angeles and I write paranormal as well as mysteries. Interestingly, I think, there are no characters in my books that aren’t people I know or have known. If they seem extreme or bizarre, that’s because most people are pretty danged strange if you bother to listen. Even my vampires are people I know (with fangs).

I write lesbian fiction as well, but most of the people who read my m/m books aren’t interested in lesbian romance or murder mysteries. I’ve been unsure about where to publicize my lesbian fiction, so I guess it will end up on my site, side by side with the other stuff I write.

Lets see... went to Art School, degree in Art History and Lit. That’s where I learned that there is no wrong way to make art. The only thing you can do wrong is copy someone else (there is a difference between copying and emulating. The key is authenticity.) I got into the film industry to pay the bills and sort of fell in love with an editing bay. All those lights and bopping needles and dials in a dark room! Four or more monitors humming away in digital harmony. It’s like the inside of a techno brain!

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for a long, long time. Before I worked in the film industry, (over ten years now. Gad.) I held the gamut of weird minimum wage jobs. I know people who have lived on the streets; I speak Calo -- it's a sort of slangy bastardized Spanish that you hear in Los Angeles. It's so common that you see it on the main broadcasting networks cop shows -- and a sort of bastardized Portuguese which I learned entirely hanging out in the dance clubs. ;~D

My best friend when I first moved here was a member of Avatar and I still have a soft spot for the old leathermen, even though they were sexist bastards sometimes. I wrote “The Elegant Corpse” because of him. I sent it to him to read and he sent it back with grammar corrections. : )

I think gender is the last frontier and that rape is a hate crime. I am first and foremost a feminist. I am currently writing a murder mystery featuring a transgendered PI, based on a truly inspiring individual who has been kind enough to talk to me about the political and personal aspects of being transgendered. I aspire to write anyone so that the reader can relate and root for him/her.

I am a single parent. My daughter rocks. I love pit bulls and so I am also in the midst of a murder mystery that features the horrific dog fighting industry that victimizes them. This one is paranormal.

Paranormal stories feel very much like Aesops fables to me. Or the Greek Myths. That larger than life, or just slightly surreal flavor makes them perfect vehicles for over-the-top moralizing. So I love writing them.

I have two books currently in edits at MLR Press -- “Death by Misfortune” which plays with a murder in the midst of a film production -- and “Son of a Gun” in which I kill off the fictionalized version of a few ex-relatives from Texas.

You can find AM on her website:
http://www.amriley.net/

I want to thank AM Riley for sharing with me today. It isn't only her daughter who rocks. I think she does, too!

Brit Week ~ Stevie Woods

2009-09-25T00:32:00.000-04:00

Rounding up our weeklong British invasion is multi-award winning author, Stevie Woods. Stevie writes gay fiction in several different genres.

Lost Dreams
I was recently involved in an on-line chat about dreams and while many other authors admitted that their dreams provided rich fodder for their writing, I had to admit that I'm one of those folk who don't remember their dreams. I will wake up, usually when shocked awake by a most unwelcome alarm clock, knowing that I have dreamed but totally unable to remember the content of the dream, though sometimes I’m left with wisps that I desperately clutch at. But, they always remain stubbornly just out of reach, until even that feeling that it is something I ought to know fades and there is nothing. On those occasions I feel as I’ve lost something special. I can usually tell if it the dream was good, or perhaps just an indifferent one, or occasionally a nightmare, but that is about it.
As I compared my situation to those more fortunate writers, my first reaction, not surprisingly, was a mixture of frustration - and jealousy. I thoroughly enjoy the writing of some of those authors who mine their dreams for ideas!

However, the subject has hovered around my mind for a while now and I have come to wonder just how much those unremembered dreams of mine may affect my writing. After all, if I cannot remember my dreams how do I know that those ideas that pop into my head at (most inconvenient) times aren't the content of my dreams? (I say most inconvenient because I tend to get some of my best ideas in the bathroom, the toilet to be precise, and to be even more precise about half the time in the loo at work! - but I digress)

So I think it fair to suggest that though my conscious mind allows these (hopefully) interesting dreams of mine to slip away, my subconscious mind is a little more careful.

Of course, that could be a load of hogwash and my dreams might be no more than jumbled images and the detritus of my day. But still, I like the thought that my dreams are not totally wasted after all.
However, having just seen a very nice review for one of my novels I should perhaps be grateful that whatever the truth I can write with or without those elusive dreams.
Speaking of writing, I should at least plug my latest releases …
Drawing the Veil – a gay historical and the prequel to my best-seller Beyond the Veil – was released in August from Phaze Books.
And just released this month, Death’s Desire, my gay historical ghost story published by MLR as part of their anthology, Past Shadows.

I want to thank Stevie for joining us this week. It's been great fun learning more about these authors from across the Pond!

Stevie's website: http://steviewoods.com/
http://bookworld.editme.com/StevieWoods
http://swquill.wordpress.com/
Her Publishers:
http://www.torquerepress.com/
http://www.phaze.com/
http://www.mlrpress.com/

Brit Week ~ Charlie Cochrane

2009-09-22T23:33:00.000-04:00

Charlie Cochrane is my guest today and she brings her own special take on this week's Invasion!
Two nations, separated not only by a common language

Jeanne, thank you so much for letting me drop into your blog. You’ve a real invasion of Brits this week, although I suspect I’m the only one who’s half cockney and half Geordie.

I’ve been writing historical stories, all set in the British Isles and in the early part of the 20th century, although I have to own up to one totally different tale, a contemporary short story about gay werewolves in the anthology Queer Wolf. It was great to be able to take all sorts of humorous digs at contemporary things - like tabloid newspapers and premiership footballers - who got woven into the tale.

Much of my time at present is taken up with my series for Samhain, the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, m/m romances set in Edwardian Cambridge and featuring the contrasting pair of Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith. http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/author.da/405. I’ve also got a Regency m/m novella (with a ghost) just out in e-book for MLR - http://www.mlrbooks.com/upcoming.php - that’s with Stevie Woods, who’s also appearing on your blog this week.

Something that continually strikes me, in researching, in talking to fellow authors, in doing edits, is the huge difference between the USA and the UK. In everything. Yes, we all know the differences in vocabulary – breaks into Fred and Ginger –

“You say sidewalk, we say pavement,
you say trunk, we say boot,
cookie, biscuit,
jello, jelly,
let’s call the whole thing off!”

But there’s lots of little bits of speech which puzzle my poor editors. The most recent was “Chance would be a fine thing” which clearly hasn’t crossed the Atlantic. Yet. And I guess there’s things which are so linked to our culture – Nora Batty’s wrinkled stockings or Arkwright’s till spring to mind for the TV age – that they simply can’t be translated.

So we don’t talk alike. I suspect we don’t think alike, either. The British sense of humour – dry, pawky, call it what you want – doesn’t always travel well, either. I rely on my editor to pick out the jokes or little asides which are too obscure for universal approval. The continual self-deprecation and easy banter is something that doesn’t always connect with my American pals. And we’re hard taskmasters, too – if Dancing with the Stars was made here, no-one would earn a ten!

Both Jonty and Orlando are ‘typically English’, as are William and Benjamin in the Regency story. I love Max Arthur’s books containing soldiers’ and pilots’ recollections of the two world wars – when I read some of the things from WWI veterans I can almost hear Jonty talking. I think it’s really important to get your characters talking in an argot which feels right for the time without being too ‘Hollywood historical’. Perhaps the nicest compliment I’ve received from a reader was that my books felt like an episode of Masterpiece Theatre, which is a huge compliment. The stories certainly play out in my head like some BBC adaptation.

Now, here’s a controversial thought. Do some of our US cousins imagine that all of us Brits have a lifestyle that’s like one of those Masterpiece Theatre stories? I’ve suspected it since one my dear pals from California was shocked to find that white Christmasses are so rare here as to be almost anachronistic. The view was confirmed when some ex-pat friends of ours were asked if we all wore crinolines in England. (No, we don’t. We dress pretty much the same as you do, surprisingly.)

Maybe that perception is because we are so surrounded by history here. When I visit our local town for shopping, I take a little shortcut past a 13th century hunting lodge with Tudor additions and come out by an Abbey which is over 1000 years old. Then I nip round to the old Cornmarket square, past an iron shop sign where two soldiers were hung during the civil war. (Ours.) And I take it all for granted, like many of my compatriots. At least it makes my job easier – go to Cambridge or Bath and you can easily imagine yourself back in time. Some of the locations have hardly changed.

So bear with us, please, even if we seem eccentric or talk in a strange language. We’re lovely, really.

You can find out more about me at my website http://www.charliecochrane.co.uk/ or at my blog, http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/.

Thanks again, Charlie for a fun post. Now, if someone can translate some of those TV phrases I'd be eternally grateful!

Brit Week ~ Sharon Bidwell

2009-09-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

Starting off the British Invasion is fellow Loose Id author, Sharon Bidwell.
Sharon's series, The Swithin Chronicles is an unique series that...well, let Sharon tell you in her own words.
Sharon:
No one can be more surprised than I am by my foray into romance, especially erotic and GLBT titles. I’ve written in other genres for many years, and have numerous published works in well-respected small press magazines. However, the question remained as to when I would have a longer title to add to my writing credits. I’ve always had a love of fantasy but it was through reading authors such as Angela Knight that I stumbled across Loose-Id and decided that I wanted to write for them. Yes, as much as they chose to publish my work, I decided that I wanted to write for Loose-Id. Some might say I can be stubborn but I prefer to call it determination. I think determination and perseverance are among the top requisites for any writer.

I started with one idea that simply wasn’t right for the publisher. That first draft was also very much a learning experience and I hope to revise that het title for another market. Alas, that left me biting my nails, wondering what I could write that Loose-Id would be certain to accept. That’s where the story of the Swithin came into being.

I envisioned a man sitting on a bench in open parkland. I had no idea of who he was or why he sat there. I then pictured a thief creeping towards him. The idea was a vague ember of inspiration, yet I instinctively knew I had “something”. Weeks later, I was searching to name a character in another story. I came across Shavar (Hebrew) meaning “comet”. Quite suddenly, everything clicked into place. I had my story...

Or so I believed. While writing the book, I discovered a few surprises. When I began to consider the opening scenes, I quickly realised that my plot would be more expansive if I created a gay romance. Even then, I eventually realised I simply could not leave one of my “men” behind at the conclusion of the story, yet in so doing I complicated my plot in a way that could confuse or alienate some readers. My characters demanded I take that risk. My prince, Markis, and my thief, Uly, had come into being but unwittingly, I’d created Ryanac, Markis’s personal guard and best friend. I created him to manipulate but I hadn’t expected him to manipulate me as much as he did my characters. He completely changed the outcome. An interesting thing is that you never get into his head. The story is told from Markis and Uly’s viewpoints, and yet Ryanac is such a strong and well-loved character many readers tell me he is their favourite and I can understand why. Loose-Id loved the book and wanted a series.

Looking back I can see many influences, some recent, some not so recent. Reading influences would be too many to mention and none are exactly direct. Mostly, they are works that have sat in the back of my mind where small pieces have come together to create something new and whole when I had the right story for it. Team all this with a visit to Italy and I had the scope to create a rich background and setting. The world of the Swithin is a mix of Arabian and Mediterranean landscapes. Think of crisp white marble, terracotta tiles, fairy-tale castles, pale desserts, soaring cliffs and deep valleys filled with rich and abundant foliage (all things you’ll find in Italy) and you’ll begin to glimpse their world. This is off-set by poorer districts with muddy bandit-infested alleys, but this isn’t the world of the Swithin, merely parts of a planet on which they live.

Without trying to spoil the plot, it’s important to point out that the three main novels are indeed a gay romance, although the books contain a small proportion of het scenes. This occasionally leads to some confusion as to the content, but the reasons are simple. In writing the world of the Swithin, I chose to create a race who freely takes lovers of either sex and live in peaceful acceptance of same sex relationships. Secondly, Markis is a prince and requires an heir. This may seem like a cruel plot twist, but it’s a fact of history that many marriages, especially royal ones occur because of duty. Anyone who quickly gets a feel for Markis’s character should realise that there will be an opportunity for all in his life to choose their own happiness by the end of the series. Markis says to Ryanac in the first novel: “I’m a Prince. I get bored.” Well, I guess I heard him and chose to make his life complicated. Uly tell Markis in book two that his people have a curse: “May your life be interesting.”

By the conclusion all becomes clear, but saying that, you can read book one as a standalone novel. You can also read from book two, but if you read book two the chances are you’ll be curious enough to want to read book three. Book one very much sets the stage and looking back with the experience I have now, I might well choose to tweak a few scenes but ultimately, however received, this series will always be special to me. I still wish to write in other genres but this book began a new direction of writing for me. I love my characters and my story, and if it weren’t for that first novel my father would never have seen a longer work of mine published before he died.

The series has been favourably received enough to warrant a sequence of shorter ‘Swithin Spins’, which are in progress. There will be at least three and no more than five of different pairings. So far, Spin 1 (f/f) “A Queen’s Move” is out with Loose-Id. Spin 2 (m/f) “Redemption” will be out with Aspen Mountain Press soon. I’m to sub Spin 3 (m/m), shortly.

Someone described my Swithin ‘Comet’ books as 'the prince and the pauper crossed with Arabian nights'. I hadn’t thought of that but, it’s a fun comparison. Some readers are dubious but mostly those who have given in to their curiosity have told me they’ve enjoyed them immensely. I believe the books also document my progress and growing confidence. Many people are surprised to hear I had never written a sex scene prior to Uly’s Comet.

Take a race that freely takes lovers of either sex. Give them a prince with a problem. Add his personal guard who loves him and manipulates him for his ‘own good’ without apology; a princess who needs rescuing from a backward nation, a war to avoid, and throw a street thief into the mix to steal the prince’s heart...and you have Uly’s Comet:

Unleash the Comet… Feel the Power…

Markis Shaver, the Swithin Prince, controls the power of the Comet, which may be the only thing that will act as a deterrent in a war between two vast monarchies – a war that could devastate the natural world and must therefore be avoided at any cost, even if that means killing the many to save the few. As if things weren’t bad enough, he may also have to rescue a princess and face a marriage of convenience and it doesn’t help that Markis is still in training and struggles to control the power when he calls it forth. At times, he also struggles to control his temper, which is quick to react where his feelings are concerned. The lessons, alas, do not seem to be working and he is running out of time.

His personal guard and best friend, Ryanac, disagrees with the old teachings and has always insisted that Markis should embrace love, both emotionally and physically, to control the Comet … but then again, he could be wrong.

When Markis leaves the palace one night to indulge in the luxury of a little solitude, he captures a young man and would-be thief. Out of boredom he decides to play a little game with the street brat but little does he know that in time Uly will teach him a whole new lesson in desire … and love. But if he gives into love physically before he has full control, what will it mean for the world?

If Uly, a street thief, can teach a prince to let go of control, maybe love really can conquer all. Markis is afraid of the ride but maybe he should just unleash the comet and feel the power…

If you’ve not already done so, consider checking out the free short story set in the Swithin universe. Read “At What Moment” on my website, for a glimpse into the Swithin world.

Thanks so much, Sharon. I loved learning more about the Chronicles.
Sharon can be found online at the following places:
http://www.sharonbidwell.co.uk
And at Loose Id:
http://www.loose-id.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=237

A Different Kind of Declaration

2009-09-15T11:34:00.000-04:00

We often forget that just as there are many relgious groups that are virulently anti-equality, there are other religious organizations that support the right of all people to be included on an equal footing in all aspects of daily life.
The Religious Institute is an umbrella group that has made LGBT equality an integral component of their mission.
Here's what they say in part:
"The courageous witness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, along with a growing body of social and scientific research, inspire us to affirm sexual and gender diversity as a blessed part of life. Religious leaders must help to create a new understanding of sexual and gender diversity, and to promote full equality of LGBT persons in all areas of religious and public life."
And, also, in an open letter to religious leaders on sexual and gender diversity:
“Heterosexism devalues gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people just as sexism and male privilege devalue women."
Please take a moment to check out some of the various links on their site. Here are a few I found interesting.
Religious Declaration
LGBT Inclusion
Sexulaity Education
Note that the title in the last says "sexuality", not "sex" education. This group has some interesting ideas that might surprise you. For one they *do not* advocate "sexual abstinence" ~ Programs that teach abstinence exclusively and withhold information about pregnancy, contraception and disease prevention fail our young people.
Yeah, I know some might say this is a no-no, but please don't dismiss this group outright.

Guest Blogger ~ Thom Lane

2009-09-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

I'm welcoming Thom Lane today, a new author with Loose Id. Thom volunteered to be grilled, er, interviewed and shares a few of his secrets with us.
So, let's get right down to the nitty gritty!

1. What are your nicknames?
Thom-cat is too obvious to mean mentioning, right...? I had a girlfriend once who used to call me Dickens, because I was always writing. Mostly these days people just call me Thom.
2. How does your hair look currently?
Hair? I'm a man; I don't have hair. I have an interesting skull.
3. What’s new in your life right now?
That would be the man in my bed. ;>)
4. How many colors are you wearing now?
Just two: I am black and red all over.
5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
Intro, definitely. Even when drunk. But I do love parties and company, I'm just the quiet one in the corner.
6. What was the last book you read?
For work? Simon Schama's Citizens, about the French Revolution (research for a book). For fun? Laurie R King's The Language of Bees.
7. Who is your favorite super hero?
A confession: I never got the superhero thing. Even as a kid, I liked my heroes less than super.
8. What has made you happy these days?
Apart from the man in my bed, you mean? That would be my books: especially the Amaranth series - Dark Heart and Healing Heart so far, with many more (I hope!) to come - from Loose Id. I am loving writing these stories. Hot men, kinky bondage and magic, in a fantasy world: what's not to love? Also, they have fabulous covers.You can't judge a book by its cover - but these are perfect.

9. What’s your current obsession?
I refer you to my previous answer(s): (a) man, (b) Amaranth.
10. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Getting out of bed? About two hours (there's a lot of radio to listen to, y'know?). Once up, I'm efficient: ten minutes in the bathroom, two minutes to pull clothes on, five minutes to feed the cats and discuss their day, and then I'm at the computer.
11. What was the last story you wrote?
It's called Runaway Heart, it's a new Amaranth story, it's on my editor's desk...
12. What’s the last thing you laughed about?
Something he said while he shaved, which I am so not telling you.
13. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
Tragically, it's something I wrote myself. How sad is that?
14. What’s the last movie you saw?
Inglourious Basterds.
15. Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about Thom Lane?
I write, I have cats, I have a man - that about covers it, I think.The rest is silence.

Thom's Loose Id books can be found at this link
Thom's presence on the Internet (for now) is his LiveJournal

Around the Blogosphere - Gay Interests

2009-09-01T10:18:00.000-04:00

Just a little list of blogs that I found intriguing on topics that touch on gay interests directly or indirectly
LANGUAGE LOG A discussion on the Think B4 You Speak campaign.
BUTCHVOICES.com A "coming together to take a closer look at the shared experiences of Butches, Studs, AGs, Doms, Tombois, and other transmasculine identities"
QUEERTY And an article about race relations in the LGBT community
MY MOTHER'S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING Come on, doncha want to read about this? The play was a huge hit at Canada's Fringe Festival this year. One more reason to love Canada.
A REVIEW of a play that touches on the religious differences of a gay couple.

Well, that's my little list of blogs.
Let me know what you think of them and if you have one of your own to share.

Where I'll Be in August

2009-08-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

Although August is almost over, I'm going to be a busy bee over the next two weeks.
First up is The Romance Studio's new GLBT Blog The Rainbow Studio Blog on Monday, the 17th.
Next, on Tuesday, the 18th, I'll be over at Lena Matthew's yahoo group taking part in her book a day give away.
Thursday, the 20th, I'm visitng Jeanne St. James at her blog doing some ranting and raving
And then the following week, on Thursday, the 27th, I'll be creating some heat at the Fiction with Friction Blog (try saying that fast three times!)
The month ends up for me on Saturday, August 29th, at Love Romances and More's Blog for their M/M themed month and more romance theme

Fall Guest Bloggers at the Sweet Flag!

2009-08-10T12:22:00.000-04:00

Wow! Do I have a group of TWENTY authors of gay fiction for you! The variety of genres is incredible ranging from contemporary to historical to paranormal. The writers' productivity cover new authors and multi-published ones. The publishers include the top echelon in ebook presses and, I'm pleased to say, all of the publishers with whom I have work, are represented.
As the dates are set they will be announced on the left hand column of the blog.
Guests posts will begin in September and should cover each week until the end of the year.
We'll be starting a special NEW M/M AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT for those authors who have just published their first gay fiction. We're hoping that you'll give these folks a chance to woo you so that you'll put them on the top of your TBR pile!
UPDATE!!!
The number of guests has jumped to Over Twenty! AND we have two special themed weeks scheduled!
The September list will be going up this weekend.

New Contract for sequel to The Sweet Flag

2009-08-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to share that Aftershocks, the sequel that tells the story of Kazvan from The Sweet Flag, has been contracted by Loose Id!
I'm writing my butt off (don't I wish that could happen -- skinny butt d/t writing)to get his story out asap!
And, for those who've asked for it: there's going to be a menage!

Five Stars for Bend in the Road

2009-07-16T12:59:00.001-04:00

Doing the happy dance because Bend in the Road received FIVE STARS from Bookwenches reviews!
Here's a snippet (or two ;~D) from Bobby's review:
"The setting and the characters feel as real and as colorful as they would be if they were standing right before us. Ms. Barrack has developed an entire host of personable characters in this novel that will both entertain and intrigue her readers. Not only do we grow to care about the four main heroes in these stories, but we get to know almost the entire theatre troupe. From Onkle Moyshe and Tante Rivkeh all the way to Yuval’s simple sister Ruteleh and the matchmaking Malkah, these are people who will steal your affection and grab your attention as they work, play and squabble together.
"Ms. Barrack has a polished writing style that draws the reader right into the heart of the story. As I read Bend in the Road, I felt completely immersed in the world of these characters. I was so captivated that I barely took a break as I read and definitely did not want to see the end. When I was finished, not only had I been royally entertained, but I also felt like I’d learned something. And that alone would make this novel more than worth the read. Excellent job, Ms. Barrack. Thank you for sharing these stories with us."

Here's a link to the full review
Thank you, Bobby!

I'm in the Spotlight at Jessewave

2009-07-15T09:40:00.001-04:00

I'm in the spotlight today at Reviews by Jessewave. The Link is HERE
Hope you'll drop by and leave a comment!

5 Star Review for The Sweet Flag from Jessewave

2009-07-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

I am so thrilled to share the five star review that Jessewave gave to The Sweet Flag
The review said in part, "Jeanne Barrack weaves a wonderfully complex tale in The Sweet Flag with terrific characters that move from the past to the present without any loss of continuity. The emotion and romance in this unusual story of a love that survived centuries really captured my imagination..."

Here is the link for the entire review:
http://reviewsbyjessewave.blogspot.com/2009/07/sweet-flag.html

Mick Dementiuk's review of BEND IN THE ROAD

2009-06-11T12:14:00.000-04:00

I am so pleased to share a review by Mykola Dementiuk, author of Times Queer, Vienna Dolorosa and other works, of BEND IN THE ROAD. Here's some of what Mick says:

While reading Jeanne Barrack’s Bend in the Road I couldn’t help but be reminded of that Yiddish story teller Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose Yiddish tales of the pre-Holocaust Europe earned him the Noble Prize. One story especially comes to mind, "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy," in which the girl Yentl, wanting to learn the teachings of the rabbis, disguises herself as a young man and befriends the other young men in pursuing this course of study. Though the latent homosexual traits are obvious to any reader, Singer shies away from exploring the relationship any further…

Not so Jeanne Barrack in her two-part novella, Bend in the Road. In Part One In the Lion’s Den, she explores a relationship between an older male, Aryeh, and Dani, a very young man.

In the other novella, Part Two, From Stage to Stage, Yuval and Tsvi are as different from each other as night and day or Christian and Jew. Yuval runs the music of the theater troupe while Tsvi is a lowly disfigured gardener in a home Yuval is visiting. Yuval convinces Tsvi to sing in the company, at least part time, as they prepare for a recital.

Each man feels he in unworthy of sexual pleasure or true physical love; in this they stand utterly alone, tormented by their sexuality, by their aloneness. No wonder there’s a feeling of lost about them, which will persist until they let another into their lives.

These two stories are exquisite, rewarding novellas...I would highly recommend these two novellas. You’ll definitely learn something from this book about a long-lived culture that now seems so short-lived before anti-Semitism reared its ugly head once again …but until then at least it was gloriously lived!

Jeanne Barrack has shown us what indeed was a fascinating way of life and that underneath all the poverty and hatred was a powerful resilience, a force of love pushing its way upwards not to the sky but directly straight to God…

Thank you, Mick. From one New Yorker to another...
Mick's website: http://www.mykoladementiuk.com

Guest Blogger - Maura Anderson

2009-06-08T11:13:00.000-04:00

Today our guest blogger from MLR Press is Maura Anderson, putting on her editor's hat to share some points about world building in one of her favorite genres: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to be guest blogging on The Sweet Flag. My name is Maura Anderson and I'm both an author and an editor and work in many different romance and fiction genres.

Today I wanted to give you all some insight into what I look for and at when I edit science fiction and fantasy, specifically m/m science fiction and fantasy. After a bit of thought, I figured I'd set out my list of the top seven things NOT to do instead of telling you what to do. Because science fiction and fantasy have such a huge arena to play in, the To Do list might be really huge!

Do NOT skimp on world building.

If you don't know your world well and have rules set out for how it works, it's far too easy to either cheat the reader on the richness they would expect from a fully developed world or create problems you later need to resolve or apologize for. Even if 90% of the details of your world and its history never made it into a book, you won't go wrong by knowing that information yourself.

Do NOT limit yourself to the societal rules and values of today.

If you are building a world for your science fiction or fantasy story, don't feel you have to take today's societal rules as the rules for your world. If gay relationships are the norm in your world, treat them as so. If gay relationships are forbidden, treat them as such too. Maybe things that are crimes to humans now are sanctioned in your world. You can add richness and interest by changing societal rules and values.

Do NOT lose consistency.

The rules of your world need to be consistent and kept so if the reader is to understand and believe them. If you are inconsistent, your readers will question every rule and it will pull them out of the story.

Do NOT use modern slang without good reason

Nothing pulls me out of a science fiction or fantasy story faster than hearing a modern slang phrase tossed in when it clearly does not fit in the world. If a society has no concept of the Judeo-Christian theory of Hell and someone says "go to Hell", I'm going to be pulled out of the story and the world.

Do NOT forget logic

When you build a world, it should be internally logical. That means that if red is the color of the Gods, you wouldn't later refer to a mark of adultery as a scarlet letter. If the reader can't follow the logic of the world, they will start to only see chaos and stop trying to follow it. Or complain about it.

Do NOT skimp on description

This is especially true in science fiction and fantasy where the author can't take advantage of the fact most people are familiar with the current world and can merely emphasize differences. A richness of description and setting up the world will draw the reader in and make them love stepping away from their real life.

Do NOT substitute a rich world for rich characters

With as much emphasis as there is on world building in science fiction and fantasy, don't ever forget your characters. You still have to have characters the reader will fall in love with and care about in order for them to stay interested in the story. Even the best world ever can be tossed aside if the characters aren't strong.

That's my current list of "do NOT" items. I hope it gives you some things to think about when writing or reading your next science fiction or fantasy story!

If you'd like to see some of my work, feel free to visit my website at http:\\http://www.realmsoftheraven.com/.

MLR Press opens online Bookstore

2009-05-14T00:46:00.000-04:00

MLR Press has opened the first phase of their online bookstore starting with ebooks sales. Once they have an inventory and a shipping plan in place, print books will be added to the store.
They're just up and running so if you have any problems, please let them know. As Jay Hartman of Untreed Reads says: "For those who like to see publishers and authors get the full sale of titles instead of a middleman (Untreed Reads raises its hand), this is really terrific news".
The direct link to purchase Bend in the Road is here
The link to the store is:
http://www.mlrbooks.com/books.php

Guest Blogger - Jason Edding

2009-05-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

Today's guest is MLR Press author, Jason Edding

First, congratulations on the release of Dark Robe Edges: Dark Robe Society 2 inThe Edge of Desperation your second dual anthology, this time with the prolific James Buchanan.

Hello and thank you Jeanne! I think, but I'm not sure yet, the second book caused more dancing on the ceiling for me, than the first. And being teamed up with James Buchanan, just wow. I was stunned with excitement from the moment I heard.
Did you and James collaborate on your stories? If not, was there a common theme? -

No, James and I didn't. The common theme was being on the edge... In my story, for instance, each chapter has my heroes on the edge of something.

Did you find writing this second story easier or more difficult than the first?

Oh boy, easier. I swear I had it written in my head for the most part within a month of book one's release. I just had to 'write' it down then and smooth it out.

The cover is totally wild. Did you have any input in it?

MLR Press is authorcentric! I love them. Yes, I had some input. I really wanted some blue in the cover and I wanted a spaceship of some sort. When I saw the one on the cover I just fell in love with it immediately. That ship is entirely what I had imagined. I couldn't have asked for a more awesome cover.
Do you envision any more stories in this world?

Yes, should I just be blunt and say eight more? Maybe twenty? No, kidding, possibly. It's a huge world in my head, so I can just dream and wait and see what the future holds for the Dark Robe Society.

What's next for you?

I'm currently working on two contemporary stories, which I'm very excited about. These two are on the front burner for me, so more DRS stories are shifted and at rest for a while. One, and probably the most exciting for me, I'm working on, is an anthology with William Maltese and Ethan Day. The book will be titled Melting the Slopes, but I've still not thought of a title for my story yet. Soon... The theme for each of the three stories is hot alcoholic drinks and skiing. It's so much fun already. I'm very excited!

What one thing would you like to share with your fans?

I hope they enjoy my stories. I really want the readers to imagine the world and get pulled into it. But that's just off the top of my head.

Thanks for visiting here again, Jason. You've really become an old hand at blogging now! :~D

The Edge of Desperation
Blurb
Over what can love and lust win? Can they win over betrayal? Espionage? Instability? Overthrowing a monarchy? James Buchanan and Jason Edding bring us two stories spanning the universe. Jason continues the Dark Robe Society's story; Jack and Edge return and bring each other and us to the edge again while Toren and Tees share more than a common goal. James introduces us to Alad and Hirah, both out searching for something when they meet, are they the end of searching for each other? All the heroes are on an edge, but is it The Edge of Desperation?
Excerpt
Toren didn’t hesitate, but agilely straddled Tees’ legs and positioned his ass over the obvious mound. He leaned forward, moving his ass over the hardness beneath, until the length of the hidden cock was ensconced between his cheeks. Then he kissed the waiting lips, sliding his tongue in as far as it would reach. Only then did he become aware of it. That swimming sensation in his head. A friend had told him about his own experience years ago. When he had first fallen in love. Toren had his eyes closed, but it was as if flashes of lightning were popping like miniature explosions within his closed lids. He pressed his lips firmly against his lover’s, and couldn’t help but moan.
Tees opened his mouth just long enough to accept the warmth, then closed his lips around it with a soft, passionate moan. He reached down, unzipped his trousers, and released his cock as Toren’s tongue explored him. He reached down and playfully pulled down on Toren’s sagging ball sac, and then the heat of his young ass cheeks embraced his cock fully.

Dark Robe Edges: Dark Robe Society 2 in THE EDGE OF DESPERATION

By Jason Edding and James Buchanan.

Dark Robe Heart: Dark Robe Society 1 in SPACE ESCAPES

By Jason Edding and Angela Fiddler

Available now from MLR Press.

http://www.mlrpress.com/books.php

My website - http://jasonedding.books.officelive.com/default.aspx

My Live Journal page - http://jasonedding.livejournal.com/

My Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JasonEddingGayErotica/

A Review to Treasure for Bend in the Road

2009-05-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

Reader reviews are like precious gems to be treasured. When the reader is also a fellow author, the review is doubly treasured. Author, Z. A. Maxfield's response to Bend in the Road was sent to me through several e-mails and she's graciously given her permission to share it. Thank you, LL, for your very kind words.

I'm reading Bend in the Road and I'm only on page 35 and I LOVE these guys! I'm right where Aryeh and Dani meet and they're uncomfortable...historicals scare me like crazy but you handle it beautifully. So lyrical and lovely.

(after finishing the first story she sent this note) Oh, my what a beautiful story Aryeh and Dani have. I just loved how sweet they were. The conflict was real and scary and it was the sweetness between them that just made everything seem so right. So few m/m writers will write a character that wants to be feminine or dress in women's clothes and yet it's so perfect, how he longs for the soft things, the feminine pretty things so he can feel beautiful with his lover. Dani really touched me and made me feel all maternal. I enjoyed it very much and now I get to embark on Yuval's story.

(after finishing the book she wrote) I wanted you to know that I finished Bend in the Road. I think Yuval's story is my favorite, because I like the musical aspect of it so much! But maybe Dani was my favorite character. Wow, what a lovely set of stories; I just didn't want it to end. I LOVED these people and would very much like to follow them to America, maybe a sequel is in the offing??? *has hopeful puppy eyes*
I think people who like to read a well researched historical will love this book. Intelligent, thoughtful people will come away from the book feeling uplifted and delighted... and maybe a little educated. It's always been my desire (and I can tell it's yours as well) to put out quality work and let the chips fall where they may.
The more books like yours, the more intelligent and well plotted and the more characters are defined and real in romantic m/m, the more legitimate and delightful the books will be. I maintain romance genre books can be great books and still be erotic and romantic as hell, and romance genre readers who say they will only read het will flock like seagulls over the picnic tables at MacDonald's to read them whatever sexual identity the main character couple is. Brava, Jeanne!
Thanks so much for a great read.
LL
Z.A. Maxfield
http://zamaxfield.com/

And thank you again for falling in love with my guys!

Guest Blogger - Ethan Day

2009-04-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

First, I must give credit where credit is due, to the list of interview questions for Ethan. All but one was swiped from MLR Press's Authors Blog. Ethan is such a fun guy and these questions are so much fun, I felt they were a perfect mix. So, thanks go to Alex Beecroft for posting them on our MLR Blog and I hope you'll enjoy sharing in Ethan's exuberance!

Ethan is a fellow Loose Id author and has had his first book, Self Preservation, published this year. His next book, Dreaming of You, comes out this May. It's also, as Ethan says, "a romance that’s bent with my style of humor."
So, here's.....Ethan!

How does your hair look currently?
In desperate need of a cut! My hair has gotten way too long and completely outta control.
What’s new in your life right now?
This whole authory thing is really new and thus far been a lot of fun. I love to write and I’m just super psyched and grateful anyone wants to read it.
How many colors are you wearing now?
All the colors of the rainbow! : )
Who was your first major crush and what was the fantasy date/scene you wanted to be with him?
Well let’s see…there was the boyhood crushes, Sean Cassidy & Parker Stevenson from the Hardy Boys series, Kristy McNichol (my first lesbian crush, LOL) & Christopher Atkins…can’t forget him and all his Blue Lagoon glory. I also had a major crush on Mark Hamilton from Star Wars. It would be a few years later before I matured to appreciating the bad boy Han Solo/Harrison Ford types. Early on I was crushing on the ‘good’ guys.
I’d have to say my first big time major crush was Rick Springfield. He was dreamy!! Ahhh, Rick. I desperately wanted Rick to get over Jessie’s Girl and just admit to himself that I was the only one for him. That movie he made, Hard to Hold, I rewound and watched the part where he ran naked over and over and over…there was definitely a worn out section in that VHS tape, LOL.
Are you an introvert or extrovert?
I’m a little of both, I think. When it comes to my love life I’m all shy and stuff. I seem much more laid back and very passive. The average passerby would never suspect the inner ravings going on in my mind. I hide my crazy really well. There are only a few close friends who have seen my crazy. Because of this, they will always be my friends. They know too much for me to allow them back into society completely unsupervised.
Get a few cocktails (or a lot of caffeine) in me and I can become very extroverted. I’m never gonna be a ‘dancing on the bar & swinging from the chandelier’ type though. Been there & done that. The things we do in our twenties, LOL! I’d say for the most part I’m pretty laid back, but I’m not really the type to hide back in a corner either.
What was the last book you read?
I read The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks a week or so ago. I loved it…thought it was great, but I found myself missing Adrien English. I kept hoping he’d stick his nose in at some point and help solve the mystery with his sarcastic wit. I really love that character. Maybe I can whine at Josh until he either writes another book or at the very least has Adrien e-mail me once or twice a month, LOL.
Who is your favorite super hero?
I actually did read a lot of comics back in the day. I’d have to say that Spiderman/Peter Parker was always my favorite super hero. He was really the first superhero that felt real to me. Superman was hot and all…so big and beefy. Oh…the Christopher Reeves of it all. Peter Parker felt like me, though…the kid next door nobody paid much attention to.
I also really loved X-Men and the Avengers. I always knew I was different as a kid. I didn’t necessarily understand how I was different, but I knew I was. Subconsciously, I think I was connecting to these stories and characters on a lot of different levels. Having to hide who you really are being the most obvious, but I think X-Men and Avengers also gave me my first glimpse at the ‘created family’. These people who had bonded together because of their differences? They lived and worked together for a common goal. It made me realize that while you may not be able to choose your relatives, you most definitely could choose your family.
Is there anything that has made you happy these days?
Being an author! Writing a book and having people actually read it. I can’t think of anything that could make me happier. I love, love, love-love doing it. It can be frustrating at times…make me want to pull all my hair out, but writing is truly my first love. To have an outlet for my over-active imagination, the bustling fantasy life, and day-dream believer inner world I reside in half the time. It really is better than sex. Or maybe it’s just that the sex going on in my mind is better than the real thing?
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
I’m so not going here with you, LOL. There’s only one way anyone’s gonna find out the answer to this question…which of course will now be prefaced with the signing of a non-disclosure/confidentiality agreement.
What was the last story you wrote?
I’ve got four works in progress going at the moment. I have two that are nearing completion, a third Contemporary Rom/Com and a Paranormal/Historical which has turned into a bit longer book than I’d originally planned. These will definitely be out this year…assuming anyone will want to publish them, of course. I’m working on the second book in the Preservation series, though it’s not as far along. And I’m in the plotting/planning & character development for another Contemporary novel as well. I’ll be jumping into these two once I tie up the first two.
What’s the last thing you laughed about?
I like laughs. I laugh all the time…its part of the reason I write romantic comedies. It’s like having my own little party which I eventually get to share with everyone else. I don’t like to delve into the dark and dreary very often. I go there every now and again, but I like to feel good.
I like to know I’ve made other people feel good as well. Readers who’ve contacted me to let me know how much fun they had or how funny they thought Self Preservation was? I love that. Don’t get me wrong…I’m selfish enough to be happy making myself laugh, but I can’t even begin to describe the way it feels to hear that something I wrote lightened someone else’s day.
What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
I listen to a lot of dance/club music or sugary pop music which tends to help keep me in a peppy mood. I don’t know why, but having the ‘thumpa-thumpa’ going on in the background keeps me giddy, which is generally a good mood to be in when you’re trying to write fun, frothy romance. Some say the ‘thumpa-thumpa’ is the gay mans mating call…if that’s true I must be horny all the time as well. Horny and giddy…this is totally going to have people thinking I walk around my house laughing while touching myself, LOL. I promise that isn’t the case.
Anyway…in answer to your actual question, I don’t usually get stuck on one song since I have a constant stream of music going in the background.
What’s the last movie you saw?
Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig…now there’s a man I’d be tempted to do time for. I say tempted because honestly those orange prison jumpsuits…so not my color.
I didn’t love Quantum as much as Casino Royale, but to be perfectly honest that probably had more to do with the fact that Daniel Craig wasn’t naked in the second one. : ) Daniel Craig should just stay naked…I know, he’s a really great actor and all…but a boy can dream.
Do you buy or download the movies you watch?
I’m a Netflix baby. I used to buy movies, but with Netflix I can get practically anything I want within a day or two, plus you can watch from your computer.

Ethan is a delightful guy. And, if you can imagine it, he has still more to share! Surf on over to his Addiction to Fiction Blog and his website to learn about his contests, read excerpts, check out more info on his books and his wips.
And, please, leave a comment here on The Sweet Flag so Ethan will know for sure that "you like him. You really like him!" ;~D

Guest Blogger - Alan Chin

2009-04-21T23:55:00.000-04:00

The Sweet Flag welcomes Alan Chin, author of Island Song to share some tidbits of his life and writing with us.
Thank you so much for being here today, Alan. Here is the blurb for Island Song from your website:
"According to the tenets of Buddhism, life is suffering, and suffering arises inexorably from desire. In my meditative novel, Island Song, the interplay between craving and pain creates the thematic backbone of this story in one man's journey from desire, to anguish, to a metamorphoses. Like most South-Sea romance stories, Island Song envelops all that is unique to Hawaii, the distinctive people, the fertile land, the mythical history. Yet it stands alone by the way it reveals a rare and dignified portrait of a gay couple struggling to satisfy love within an environment that rages against them."
Jeanne: When and where did your interest in Zen philosophy begin? What was it about Zen that called to you?
Alan: I became interested in Zen back in the ‘80s while living in San Francisco and hanging out with drug-happy people who were searching for spiritual meaning in their lives. I didn’t take it too seriously until the early ‘90s, when I gave up the drugs and began to study and practice Zen philosophy in earnest.
What attracts me to Zen is that it’s not about worshiping any kind of “God” or following a list of “thou shalt nots”. It’s about living a pain-free life. The Buddha didn’t profess to believe in a God, or even a spiritual world after death, and he didn’t consider himself a deity. The Buddha’s first law was that life is painful. The rest of his “laws” and his path is devoted to bringing a person to a place where they can live life without the pain that spawns from greed, envy, hatred and a host of other human emotions. It’s about being in balance with nature, with yourself, with the universe. And of all the different forms of Buddhism, Zen seems, to me anyway, to be the most straightforward approach.

Jeanne: In reading your website biography, you wrote that you wanted to incorporate poetry into your stories. I'm curious about this aspect of your writing. Could you elaborate a bit and perhaps share an instance of this? And, also along these lines, do you write poetry?
Alan: I’ve always admired poets, how they coin a world of meaning, imagery and beauty in a few simple lines. I try to do that with my prose, but it usually comes across as florid description, sometimes pretty good description, but I confess it falls short of being categorized as poetry. I wrote poetry a dozen years ago, but not since I started writing novels. Truth be told, I’m a pretty poor excuse for a poet (that’s not false modesty. If you read my poetry you would agree). I will spare you by not including any examples here.

Jeanne: I am envious of anyone who can travel freely. Of the places you've visited what place was the most exotic; the most fun; the one you've returned to the most often?
Alan: The most exotic was Bhutan, a rather small Himalayan country sandwiched between Tibet and Nepal. It is the last Kingdom where the Government is run by Buddhist priests. In an attempt to hold on to their traditions, they only let 2,500 visitors into the country per year. Each tourist pays $200 dollars per day just to be there above the cost of hotel and food. The country has one airport, and only two planes fly in and out of it. There were no paved roads until 1995. It is like stepping back in time a thousand years. It’s how I think Tibet was before being invaded, first by the Chinese and then by tourism. The landscape is spectacular mountains surrounding golden wheat fields in deep valleys. The people are simple, devout, and loving.
The most fun was going on safari in East Africa. Going out over the African landscape to study the million different animals in their habitat was thrilling. I’ve been so close to a male lion I could have reached up and grabbed his ear. And I got close enough to a Black Rhino that I did touch his horn. I was in a tree house when a giraffe walked up, stuck its foot-long tongue out at me, and then butted my head, knocking me down. I had no idea why he didn’t like me. Maybe he simply didn’t like writers?
The place I’ve returned to most often is Thailand. I love it there. In fact, I just got back from a four and a half month trip to SE Asia, and three of those months were spent in Thailand. I love the hill country in the north around Chang Mai and the Golden Triangle, the beaches on the islands in the south, and also the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Thailand has everything: great spicy food, warm people, hot sunny beaches, and it’s dirt cheap. My husband and I can stay at a three star hotel for $25.00 per day and eat for less than $10.00 per day. You can’t beat that.

Jeanne: You mention that you're working on a "gays-in-professional-sports story about a gay coach and a straight teenager trying to make it on the straight dominated professional tennis tour." Can you share a bit more about this story? I think the character mix is exceptionally interesting.
Alan: The back story is two tennis professionals who were drummed out of the professional men’s tour because they were lovers and were outed. Years later they are both still lovers and living in San Francisco; one works as a tennis pro at a posh golf and tennis country club, the other is an alcoholic that give private tennis lessons to gay men. They’re both a bit miserable because they can no longer compete with the big boys. Then one of them is approached by a teenaged tennis prodigy and his overbearing, homophobic father. The teenager has a great game but is too mentally fragile to be able to make it on the men’s tour. But what will happen when an openly gay coach decides to buck the homophobic, straight-male dominated sport of professional tennis a second time to teach this boy how to compete? It will surprise you, and hopefully make you examine your own life, your goals, and what you’re willing to do to achieve those goals.

Jeanne: You've been with your partner for over twelve years -- longer than many "straight" relationships. When I interviewed Dorien Grey, one of his wishes was "that more writers...especially straight writers...[would] incorporate stable, monogamous gay relationships into their books." Do you think having such a stable relationship has enhanced your writing? And, for this hopeless romantic, could you share how the two of you met?
Alan: We’ve been together nearly sixteen wonderful years. Durning that time, Herman has been my foundation. I write, and he takes care of everything else in my life. I could not have finished even one novel without his support. Writing for me is hard, it takes all my energy. He takes care of all those little mundane hurdles that life keeps tossing at us, so that I have the time and space to devote myself to my writing. I often feel that both our names should appear on the covers of my books.
How we met? We had the same series at the San Francisco Opera, every Tuesday night. The first opera of the 1994 season I saw him from across the crowded room, and couldn’t breathe for a moment, to the point I became dizzy. He noticed me staring, hell everyone in the room noticed me staring… We didn’t speak that night, or the next week or the next. We just kept staring at each other. You see, he was always in the company of two other men and I assumed he was in a relationship with one of them. It was during the last opera of the ’94 season, the last intermission, our last chance to make contact, and I saw him marching across the room directly to me. I held my breath as he walked up, handed me his card and said, “If you’d like to have coffee sometime, give me a call.” I called the next day. We had dinner two nights later.

Jeanne: Last question. What one thing would your readers be surprised to know about you?
Alan: I’m a romantic softy. The day after gay marriage became legal in California, we marched down to the Civic Center and became the first male/male couple to be married in Marin County, California. I’m very proud of that. Not so much proud of being the first couple, but of being in the front ranks of that movement, and being able to make that social statement about our relationship. And I can tell you that even after living with Herman for over fifteen years, I got choked up while repeating the vows. It was a very emotional experience.
The other thing I’d like to share is that people can find out more about my writing at my website http://AlanChin.net and my writer’s blog http://AlanChinWriter.blogspot.com You can also read about Herman and my travels at http://HermanAndAlan.blogspot.com
Thank you for the opportunity to share with you and the people who visit your blog.
Thank you, Alan. I loved having you visit. Next time, please bring the photo album. :~D

Guest Blogger - Alex Beecroft

2009-04-13T12:30:00.000-04:00

Guest blogger, Alex Beecroft, author of wonderful gay historical fiction shares her thoughts as
M/M Romance takes on the World!

Alex:
LOL! Perhaps I'm inclined to overdramatize there, but that's a little what it feels like to me today.
Today is the release date of my new book, 'False Colors', conveniently subtitled "an m/m romance" by the publisher so that nobody will think the two good looking young men on the cover are sailing off in search for brides.
Actually it's conveniently subtitled because it is one of two new releases coming out today from Running Press which are being packaged and promoted as mainstream romances. The other book in this new series is 'Transgressions' by Erastes, set during the English Civil War, with an equally gorgeous cover, and also with the helpful subtitle "an m/m romance".
What is going on here then? Well, simply this; Running Press are making a bid to make m/m romance mainstream – to make it as respectable as m/f romance. No more confining m/m fiction to a little ghetto on the internet where the uninitiated can remain ignorant that it exists at all. No more being treated as second class citizens by RWA and Romantic Times because we don't fit their notion of what is a 'traditional' story about people falling in love with one another.

It's an all or nothing attempt. These books are only being released in print, and their tasteful covers are partially there to make it easier to pick one off the bookshelf and take it to the till without feeling self-conscious. Easy to read on the train or in the dentist's surgery (I've tried this myself, with an author's review copy, and not one person looked at me oddly! Result!)

It's… quite a bold move, I think. The publishers (and I too, I admit) are hoping they will succeed like Brokeback Mountain, because the thirst for m/m romance is out there among a lot of women who don't yet know the m/m publishing business exists. But is the world ready to treat same sex romance as if it's the same as opposite sex romance? As if the love stories between hero and hero are as 'normal' to write about and as 'normal' to read about as love stories between hero and heroine? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I hope it is ready, not only because this is my book and I want it to do well. Not even because if this succeeds it will open up new opportunities for m/m writers, readers and publishers that we haven't had before. But mainly because I want to be part of a world in which gay romance and lesbian romance and bisexual romance and transsexual romance is there on the bookshelf next to heterosexual romance. I want to be part of a world that values all people's love stories equally, and I see this as a small first step towards that world.

After all that, you might want to know what False Colors is actually about! So here's a quick run down:

Blurb
For his first command, John Cavendish is given the elderly bomb vessel HMS Meteor, and a crew as ugly as the ship. He’s determined to make a success of their first mission, and hopes the well-liked lieutenant Alfie Donwell can pull the crew together before he has to lead them into battle: stopping the slave trade off the coast of Algiers.
Alfie knows that with a single ship, however well manned, their mission is futile, and their superiors back in England are hoping to use their demise as an excuse for war with the Ottoman Empire. But the darker secret he keeps is his growing attraction for his commanding officer—a secret punishable by death.

With the arrival of his former captain—and lover—on the scene, Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise of a future with the straight-laced John.

Against a backdrop of war, intrigue, piracy and personal betrayal, the high seas will carry these men through dangerous waters from England to Africa, from the Arctic to the West Indies, in search of a safe harbor.
Excerpt
Eighty pairs of eyes watched John as he came up the side and strode stiffly to the Météore’s small quarterdeck. Taking off his hat, he turned to face his crew, noting the slack, bruised faces of men with scurvy, the nose-less, crusted features of those whom pox was slowly consuming from within. The Master was barely being held up by his mate, his linen drabbed with wine-stains. The single midshipman picked his nose as he slouched by his division, then spat over the side. Only the new lieutenant stood straight and alert, in newly laundered dress uniform, his wig powdered, his buttons gleaming and his pale brows arched a little in amusement as he watched John struggle with hat and paper in the increasing wind.
John fumed inwardly at the slackness, the disrespect as well as the waste of lives. Opening Admiral Saunders’ letter he read it aloud in a firm, positive tone, reading himself in as captain, telling them whence his authority came and warning that he had the right to govern and punish as he saw fit. Some of his anger wound its way into his voice, making it snap like the cat, and the more alert members of the crew stood straighter by the end of it.
Hoping to find at least one other person aboard competent to do their job, John was about to quiz the volunteer, when his thoughts were instantly dashed as the huddle of warrant officers parted to reveal the modest black dress and white lace bonnet of an elderly lady. John bowed over the twigs of her fingers, reeling. ‘The Doctor’s wife, Mrs Harper’, a voice informed him, and ‘charmed’ he said, mechanically. They’d sent a woman on board! In God’s holy name—knowing what they knew—they’d allowed not merely a woman, but a lady on board! The blood drained from his face, then returned, thundering and stinging in his ears. A victim. Are we to put up a plucky resistance and then be sunk, so that the outrage may provide an excuse for war? So that the First Lord may say ‘see, we don’t scruple to spare even our women in the pursuit of this menace?’ It was despicable.
His head throbbed suddenly, pain winding up from his clenched teeth to lance through his temples into his eyes. Giving orders to set sail, to clean the decks, and paint a properly anglicized Meteor over the name on the stern, he waited until the life of the ship around him settled into its routine, then ducked into the captain’s cabin to think. But the ruin he found seemed to mock him. The French captain’s cot lay slashed on the floor, stern lockers and all the chests broken open and ransacked.
“A right fucking pig’s ear they’ve made of this, sir,” the voice of his steward grated along his spine, making him straighten up, instinctively. Turning, he found Japheth Higgins looming behind him with John’s portmanteau propped against his hip and his sea-chest dragged by one handle from the other hand. An orange brute, Higgins had a tendency to appear out of random shadows, like the Borneo wild man.
“I thought I told you to stay on the flagship, Higgins.”
“You was having a little laugh, though, right sir? ‘Cos you wouldn’t leave me behind, not was you Admiral of the White.” Higgins dropped the sea-chest by way of final punctuation and scratched his ginger sideburns with a tobacco-stained finger.
John laughed around the queasiness in his throat. An unusual fairy godmother Higgins made, to be sure, but it was true. Assigned to him as a sea-daddy on his first ship, set by the captain to teach the infant young gentleman the ropes—and to make sure he was not too homesick, too lonely, or too much picked on—Higgins had been with him ever since. Now he couldn’t even say “I was trying to keep you safe, you fool,” without spreading rumors he did not need the rest of the crew to hear.
“Not a very good joke, I’m afraid,” he said instead. “I’m sorry Higgins. I’m glad you’re here. See what you can do to sort this mess out, would you? I’m going for the tour.”
Choosing not to notice as he passed the Master retching into a bucket, John paced the length of the gun-deck. Lighting the lantern he had taken from the midshipmen’s berth, he descended to the lightless lowest deck, past the carpenter’s workroom and the gunner’s stores, and so back again to the grated area where the anchor cables were laid to dry. Trying to calm his mind, he strode out nervous and filled with a lightning of energy he had to out-walk before he could think.
On the cable tier, absolute darkness pressed inwards around the circle of his light. Water trickled, glistening, down the Meteor’s flexing sides, the sound of it sweet in the silences between waves. A stench came from the hold, seeping up through the holes of the deck. Below the latticework of planks on which he stood, the ballast of gravel below stirred with a great hiss, like the tide rolling over a beach. Not all the anxiety in the world could prevent him from making a note to order the pumps set working at once.
Around him, on either side, the anchor cables lay coiled, water dripping from them, falling as an indoor rain through the gratings to join the water in the hold beneath his feet. Footsteps knocked on the deck above him but, down here, dark, quiet and solitude calmed him. Breathing in, he sighed, the spring of his anger easing enough to allow thought. It was too early to despair. Somehow, he would complete this mission and return as the hero Saunders described. Or at the least, he would complete the mission while keeping his crew alive, from the old lady to the youngest powder monkey. Here in this waiting space, this space between worlds, as he thought of it, it was easier to believe.
Straightening his back even further, an ache like a fist between his shoulder blades, he picked his way back through the coils of hawser. They rose like cliffs on either side and, as he walked, his lantern light mingled with a growing brown gloom that spilled in from the doorway. There, in the narrow gap between John and the main companionway, stood the volunteer--Lt. Donwell, he reminded himself from the orders--with his wig off and his bold eyes glimmering gold as John raised his lantern to look at him. Walking forward, John expected the man to yield, to step back and let him out. Mere inches separated them by the time it dawned on him that Donwell was not going to move. Confusion striking through him, obliterating even the dread from moments ago, he pulled himself back from a collision only just in time. The skirts of their coats brushed, sending a jolt of invasion through him from thigh to shoulders. What the devil?
His mouth dried as a wave of prickly embarrassment swept over him, bringing guilt in its wake. Yet what had he done wrong? It was Donwell who should flinch, who should feel guilty, who should not be smiling so! John could not wrench his gaze away from Donwell’s face. Limned with gold, it was perfectly nondescript; round, pleasant, and completely lacking in self-conscious guilt. Donwell’s mouth quirked up at one side into a slow, charming smile. And his presence! It was extraordinary. It beat on John’s skin like strong sunshine. He fought the urge to close his eyes and bathe in it. His pulse picked up, waiting, waiting for something....
Returning sanity hit him in the face. He snapped, “Get out of my way! Don't you know who I am!”
Donwell’s smile only broadened. John thought the man would at least salute, but he just passed a hand through the loose blond curls of his hair and stepped away. “I’d know you anywhere, sir.”
“I’ll have a little more respect from you in future, Mister.”
“You may have whatever you like.”
Speech deserted John once more. Aware he should act now to regain the initiative, he had no idea what to do. Instead he pushed past, feeling the man's gaze on the back of his neck like warm breath, and tried to tell himself that he made a dignified exit. But if the truth be told it was a flight, spooked as a partridge from the covert

* * * *
Please check Alex's presence on the Internet at the following links:
website: http://www.alexbeecroft.com/Adventure_and_Romance.shtml
Her LiveJournal: http://alex-beecroft.livejournal.com/
Her Blog: http://alexbeecroftblog.wordpress.com/
Buy Link: False Colors
Buy Link: Transgressions

Guest Blogger - Dorien Grey

2009-04-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

"The Man Behind the Curtain"
I read your blog. I read reviews, excerpts, your books, poetry and finally, I said to heck with it and threw away all my formal list of questions (when did you decide to become a writer; when was your first book published; where do you get your ideas ) and just toss out what came to my mind as I was exploring the world of the "Man Behind the Curtain".
Jeanne: Of all the poetry you've written across the years, what are three of your favorites and why?

Dorien: Books and poems are the children of the writer's mind, and I love allof mine. But I can pick two which reflect the very core of my being."Playmates", which is dedicated to my now-long-dead partner Ray Lopez, who the passage of time, which blunts the sharp edges of reality, now tells me was the love of my life. "The Boy With the Poppyseed Buns", which addresses my deep sense of irony. A third I especially like is "Dreams of a Calico Mouse" which points to the fact that there are two sides to every coin. All are in my chapbook of poems, "The Poems of Dorien Grey" available as a download from GLB Publishers (www.glbpubs.com). Dreams of a Calico Mouse can be found at the end of Dorien's interview.

Jeanne: You wrote: "Nostalgia requires distance." Your non-fiction Navy memoir, A World Ago is slated for release later this year and in reading your blog, you often turn to your life in the Navy. Could you share just a few moments that, in retrospect, impacted on your writing? Dorien:Ah, I wish it were possible to do so, but it isn't...not for me, anyway. Life and Time are the same river, constantly moving toward the sea, and I cannot take a knife and cut it into specific pieces or point to a specific spot and say "here is an example of what made me who I am." I write because I have to write, and every experience I have ever had has contributed to it. I have any number of memorable moments, but to say they influenced me more than, say, a half-remembered dream or someone memorable I encountered briefly on a bus is really impossible.

Jeanne: Okay, I had to ask a book related question because The Angel Singers, your latest Dick Hardesty mystery (an even dozen!) centers on the world of music, a subject near and dear to my heart. (Well, okay, the question isn't quite book related, but music related.) What music inspires your writing? When you were writing The Angel Singers, besides "I Am What I Am", are there any songs that you find particularly meaningful?
Dorien: As an unabashed romanticist, I find that I react to some songs like a tuning fork reacts to being struck with a small mallet, and the effect on me is the same. Anything that moves me deeply, be it a song or a book or a movie or a personal experience, resonates long after the experience has ended. In "The Angel Singers" I very carefully and deliberately chose the songs for the program Jonathan and the chorus perform. Every one of them is, in its own way, an anthem of pride and hope, and those two words sum up my entire view of life.
Songs from the concert include: "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret,"You're a Grand Old Flag," "God Bless America", "I Hear Singing" from Call Me Madam, "Somewhere" from West Side Story, "Oklahoma", "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line, "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Consider Yourself" from Oliver, and "This is My Country." Again, all songs of power, empowerment, and hope for the gay community.

Jeanne: Well, here's another "book related" question. Here you are writing wonderful mysteries with a well-beloved cast of characters, and then "Calico" appears. What prompted his appearance?

Dorien:Truth be told (and I think I'm telling this particular truth here for the first time), "Calico" was the first book I ever had published. I was working for a publishing house in L.A. that needed westerns. I always hated westerns, but the saving grace in them was that they were not quite so blatantly heterosexual as other genres. (The cowboy often rode off alone on his horse, which he seemed to prefer to the heroine.) So I wrote an on-the-surface "straight" western which I called "Calico" (the publisher for some unfathomable reason changed the title to "Stagecoach to Nowhere" which had absolutely nothing to do with anything in the book). That it had a barely-concealed gay sub-theme seemed to elude the editors. After the copyright expired and reverted to me, I rewrote it the way I wish I could have originally done it...as a gay love story.

Jeanne: One more book question. I mean, after all, you "are" an author. Seems that your devoted fans will be seeing number thirteen in the Dick Hardesty series with The Secret Keeper. Can you share a snippet or a brief blurb?

Dorien: Delighted to. Jonathan is hired by an elderly millionaire to help with the old man's garden. When the man is found dead, apparently a suicide, Jonathan...and the man's gay grandson...refuse to believe it, sending Dick off in search of the truth and who, among the man's greedy and dysfunctional family, may have resorted to murder.

Jeanne: Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa and now Vermont have all passed same sex marriage laws. Do you think more writers will incorporate this into their story lines? Would Dick and Jonathan marry if they had that right?

Dorien: I certainly hope that more writers...and especially straight writers...will incorporate stable, monogamous gay relationships into their books. As to Jonathan and Dick's taking advantage of the right to marry, I'm not sure. Probably, if Jonathan insisted on it, and also probably if by doing so Dick could share legal custody of Joshua. But as Dick says, "A piece of paper doesn't make a very strong glue."

Jeanne: And last do you have any questions you'd always wanted to ask your readers?

Dorien: I'm endlessly fascinated by my readers' reactions to each and every book, to the characters in them and to both the issues the books address and the way in which they address them. There is nothing I (or any writer that I know of) loves more than to hear from a reader.
Jeanne: Thanks so much, Dorien.

Dorien: And thank you, Jeanne, for the opportunity to talk to your readers. I truly appreciate it.
* * * *
Dreams of a Calico Mouse

In a quaint little cottage, a calico cat

naps by the hearth on a calico mat.

Contented and warm in the heart of the house,

it purrs in sweet dreams of a calico mouse.

In a garbage-strewn alley, where scrap-paper ghosts

dance in the wind ’round graffiti-scrawled posts,

in a box by a trash bin, a calico cat

trembles in dreams of a calico rat.
* * * *

Dorien's Links:
http://www.doriengrey.com/

e-mail:doriengrey@gmail.com

http://www.doriengreyandme.com/

http://www.doriengrey.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger ~ Nica Berry

2009-03-24T22:26:00.000-04:00

My guest blogger today is fellow Loose Id author, Nica Berry. Nica's work is, to quote, "Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy". Her upcoming novella for Loose Id is -- ready? -- steampunk/Inuit M/M/M! Well, I just had to find out more, so, without further ado: Take it away, Nica!
* * * *
Thanks to Jeanne for letting me stop by!

My latest books have, in a way, been experiments in working with particular cultures and crafting a story within those restrictions. And, of course, basing a story in a particular era or culture means--you guessed it--research.

Sometimes, it's actually easier to write within these confines, and it's actually a bit like writing fanfiction in that you have the world already made for you and you just have to decide what you want to do in it. There's a specific time/area to look at, and a set of rules and expectations already in place. But the same restrictions can also be a pain, from limitations on food, clothing and transportation to trying to keep in mind what words may be anachronistic because of their roots.

There are plenty of ways to add magic to a historical era, the easiest being to work off the myths already in place. I did this in CONSORT, just released from Loose Id in January, which is a re-imagining of Greek myths. That one started when I bought a cicada-shaped ring, got curious, and started looking up cicada myths. I stumbled onto a site about cultural entymology and somehow misread "gay" somewhere in one of the Greek myths mentioned. So my brain fixated on, "Oooh, boys with insect wings!" and I figured out a story from that.

My story ideas often change and improve with the more research I do. I hadn't really looked at any Greek myths since sixth grade, so the more I researched, the more I used. What Greeks considered "acceptable" sex between males became a focal point (they liked it from the front, between the legs; from the back was considered degrading.) I found and used drinking games, food, rituals, and I spent way too long finding a Greek butterfly to use as a symbol of death. And of course there were the various gods and goddesses; Pan and a posse of satyrs, Thanatos and his brother Hypnos, and the muses. Euterpe, the female muse of music, became Euterpius, a male muse, because after all, this is a gay love story.

HART AND SOUL, from Torquere, is pseudo-Native American with shamanism and animal magic. The idea for that came from a short story I wrote for the Clarion SF/F workshop in 2005. Research included lots of library books about shamanism, a handy flyer about totem animals I picked up in Albuquerque, and watching YouTube videos of deer mating and rutting. And, yes, I even did research for the infamous lizard story, in that I wanted to make sure the lizards were, um, anatomically correct.

My new novella, NORTHERN LOVE, is due out from Loose Id on April 14th. It's M/M/M with a mix of steampunk--that is, a sort of alternate, Victorian-era history in which inventions and technology are largely steam-powered--and an Inuit-like culture with shapeshifters. This first idea for this story began with now what is the second scene in the book when two lovers are reunited after one commits a terrible betrayal. And it was cold, in a palace of ice. So I had to figure out what happened for Jerek and Emmanuel to get where they were and why, which grew to include steamships and an Inuit-like people. So I went to the library and brought back piles of books on steam ships and how they worked. I researched Inuit names, lifestyles and rituals, then rented the movie "Atarnajuat" ("The Fast Runner", a movie written and performed by Inuit actors in their native language) and got ideas from that. I enjoyed the research, and I had a lot of fun writing NORTHERN LOVE.

So--if you chose a historical era to base a fantasy novel in, what would you choose, and why? How would you add your fantasy or SF element?

I've had fun in all of these worlds, so for me, it's hard to choose a favorite.

And do feel free to visit me online at http://www.orossy.com/nicaberry

But, before I go, here's a blurb and teaser from NORTHERN LOVE, coming next month!

BLURB: Jerek had long dreamed of finding the mythical citadel of ice with his strong, handsome lover, Emmanuel. Their search led them to years of enslavement aboard a steamship with only each other for comfort until Emmanuel committed a terrible betrayal and left Jerek to follow his dream alone.
Now, three years after escaping the ship, Jerek has found the citadel and a northern lover: mute, shape-shifting Piaktok, who teaches Jerek a new language of love and lust. They’re content until desperate, snow-blind Emmanuel finds his way to the citadel and reignites Jerek’s desire.

Despite their mutual attraction, Jerek cannot forgive or forget the past and unleashes his anger on Emmanuel. Piaktok, in turn, treats Emmanuel with tenderness, sparking love between them. Emmanuel tries to tell Jerek the truth about his “betrayal,” but Jerek refuses to listen. One last fit of rage sends Emmanuel and a gravely injured Piaktok fleeing from the man they love.

Too late, Jerek realizes his errors. If he can find a way to melt the ice around his heart, the three of them will have a sexual and spiritual bond unlike any other. If he can’t, Piaktok will die, and he’ll lose Emmanuel forever.

EXCERPT:

King Jerek’s steward, Suluk, prostrated himself before the dais. “My liege? We’ve found a person of interest.”

“Oh?” Jerek hardly looked up from the clockwork dog with which he played. His guards had brought him several “persons of interest” over the past few years, and none of them had been the one man he’d hoped to see. Several had fit Emmanuel’s basic description -- dark haired, brown eyed, skin near the color of pine bark, but none had been him.

Piaktok, leaning against the side of the throne, regarded Jerek with the doleful black eyes that mirrored his Seal form. The metal dog awkwardly ambled forward along the arm of his throne. Piaktok caught it when it fell off. He cupped the toy in his hands as if wanting to crush it, but he didn’t.

So, if this turned out to be Emmanuel, Piaktok wouldn’t be happy about it. Jerek had taken no other lover for the past year. Jerek wished he could have reassured the Seal that he had no intention of replacing him, but they couldn’t talk now. Not here.

The steward spoke again. “This one babbles, my liege, in the Southerner’s tongue.”

This peaked Jerek’s interest. “Where is he?”

“Just outside, my liege. The Bears found him.”

The king allowed himself a small smile at that. His Bears, Inuq and Nutaaq, were superb trackers, far better at finding the living than ordinary men.

“He’s alive, then?”

“Yes, my liege, and well enough except…” Suluk paused, obviously fearing Jerek’s wrath.

“Go on.”

“He’s…snowblind.”

Blind. At least for a while. The bright light on the snow could be brutal indeed to those unprotected. He took the dog back from the unhappy Piaktok and wound it up again. “Does he know where he is?”

“No, my liege. We’ve said nothing to him.”

“Good. Keep it that way. No one is to speak to him without my permission.”

The steward bowed. “Aye, my liege.”

“Bring him in. I want to look upon his traitorous face.”

Suluk left the room. Piaktok placed a hand on Jerek’s knee. “It’s all right,” Jerek told him. “I only want him because he’s done me harm. It’s time he paid for his wrongs.”

Piaktok’s mournful expression didn’t change. He watched the dog as it ambled along the throne. This time, he made no effort to catch it when it fell. It clattered to the stone floor. After a couple of mechanical seizures, it went still.

Jerek didn’t have time to worry about it. Suluk returned, accompanied by two Bears supporting a bent, struggling figure. It wore a thick, hooded parka of caribou hide, decorated in the style of the tribe that lived near the shore. The clothes were stolen; no one of the tribe would have given a visitor clothing laboriously designed for a hunter. Jerek’s derogatory opinion of the man dropped even lower. He didn’t tolerate thieves in his land.

The two Bears, dressed in parkas of the same white fur as their ice bear counterparts, looked to their king for direction. Jerek waved his arm in an impatient gesture. As soon as Inuq and Nutaaq let go, their prisoner dropped to his knees. He fought again when the Bears stripped him down to a pair of ragged undershorts, but exhausted as he was, he was no match for the two powerful men. Sweat glistened on his bronze skin. Black hair hung in clumps to obscure his face. Iron rings surrounded his ankles and neck. His shoulders drooped in defeat.

The Ice King’s heart skipped in his chest. Could it be him? At last? He couldn’t be sure at this distance. He kicked the dog aside and took the dais’s stairs at speed until he stood before the prisoner. Jerek grabbed the man’s chin and wrenched it upward. The prisoner’s sightless red eyes blinked profusely. He jerked his head in a failed attempt to loosen Jerek’s grip.

Emmanuel. Jerek mouthed the name but did not say it aloud. Angry as he was, he hadn’t actually expected to see his former lover, much less Emmanuel’s weakened, ravaged condition. Lash marks corded Emmanuel’s back, and he’d lost most of the muscle he’d gained while working aboard the Tophet. The skin beneath the iron collar and fetters was raw and bleeding. Jerek’s free hand went to the scars at his own neck. He knew full well what the iron collar meant. He’d worn it himself for a time.

The old Emmanuel would have been full of solid support and love, always aware of what Jerek needed. Then Jerek had been the weaker of the two, easily exhausted by the labors aboard the privateer ship while Emmanuel had been the stronger. Strong enough to betray him.

Now they’d traded places. This Emmanuel looked to be little more than a madman. He was filthy and scarred. And, like the steward had said, he babbled in the Southern tongue.

“Let me go, whoever you are,” Emmanuel said, voice raspy as if his throat was raw. “I’m looking for someone. I have to find him. Have to. I won’t give up until I do.”

Jerek held his breath. Looking for someone. Him? Possibly. Hopefully. The frigid mountains had a way of twisting a man’s greatest need into reality. Jerek said nothing, wishing to draw out Emmanuel’s anguish as long as possible.

“Captain?” he asked, tentative. “I’m sorry I ran. I had to.”

The mere mention of the captain made Jerek’s anger flare. Nails dug into his palms as he made tight fists.

The silence frustrated Emmanuel. “I won’t be your slave any more. At least give me an honorable death instead of letting me die like a mongrel in the street.”

Tempting as the offer was, Jerek refrained. Torturing him for his betrayal was going to be far more fun. At last, he let go of Emmanuel’s chin. He spoke in Suluk’s ear, too quiet for Emmanuel to hear. “This is the one I’ve been waiting for. Get Tupilek to see to his needs. Make him comfortable. Ensure that he feels safe. I will see to his punishment in time.”

“And the collar, my liege?”

“Leave it on for now, but take off the ones at his ankles.”

The steward bowed again. He gestured to Inuq and Nutaaq. They hauled the man to his feet. This time, Emmanuel made no move to resist.

The parka lay where the Bears had dropped it. Jerek crouched beside it. He felt Piaktok’s eyes upon him. This wasn’t betrayal. It was revenge, something the Seal wouldn’t understand. Lifting the parka to his nose, he could smell the musk of the caribou and, mingled with it, the scent of the man he’d been craving for the past year.

Emmanuel.
* * * *

Thanks again for visiting, Nica. Can't wait for Northern Love to come out!

Guest Blogger ~ ZA Maxfield

2009-03-15T22:23:00.000-04:00

I'd like to welcome Z.A. Maxfield today as my March MLR Press guest author. She has a new work coming that involves several of my favorite things: Vampires, alternate history and antiquities and Italy! We also shared participation in the I Do Anthology and that story involved one of my favorite spectator activities: the Tango!
Welcome, ZAM!

I want to thank Jeanne for the opportunity to be here today. I’m fairly new to the blogging world, in fact, I’m fairly new to the writing world! I’ve been published as Z.A. Maxfield since last July (Bastille Day) and it’s been a very exciting ride! I have three full-length novels out, Crossing Borders, The Long Way Home, and Drawn Together, one novella, St. Nacho’s, one stand alone short story, Burning Up, and I participated in two anthologies, Artistically Yours, and the I Do Anthology, (whose proceeds go directly to Lambda Legal Fund for marriage equality).

Everything I’ve done has been some sort of flight of fantasy for me, whether it’s contemporary, romantic suspense, historical romance, or paranormal. I don’t think I’ve found a niche or a voice yet; I’m still exploring and letting my writing take me wherever we can go. To that end, it’s been hard to categorize my work, except to say that you’ll probably find a relationship between two men who are going to fall in love, and there will be a positive ending. Maybe I don’t always write a ‘happily ever after’, but at the very least I can’t stop writing unless I’m hopeful.

One of the newest I’m working on is Notturno, my very own vampire novel, in which Adin Tredeger, an expert in antique documents, is lucky enough to find the well-preserved journal of an obscure Italian petty noble which details a long and passionate love affair between two men.

Tredeger is delighted. He’s gay, the document is beautiful, and having it for his University collection puts him on the top of the food chain personally and professionally. He’s handsome, young, arrogant, wealthy, and now, the envy of all his academic colleagues. The only problem is that the man who wrote it, Nicolo Pietro di Sciarello, now calling himself Donte Fedelta, wants it back.

Now that it’s resurfaced after an almost seventy year disappearance, he has the money to buy it. When he’s prevented by a computer glitch, he knows he can take it from the man who bought it. First he tries seduction and trickery, then reasoning with the man. Donte is certain that once Adin learns who is truly on top of the food chain he’ll get his book back. He doesn’t count on enjoying the process, or admiring the mortal, who at the very least doesn’t seem to be suitably impressed.

Then someone else enters the picture, taking the journal from both of them. Donte plans to find it, Adin is determined to fight for it, and in the meantime, their growing attraction for each other creates a whole new set of problems, including terrible danger that nearly destroys their fragile bond forever.

Here’s a little excerpt of Notturno, due out soon from MLR:

“Caro,” he heard a voice say behind him. He was looking at the light panel on the elevator, watching the floor buttons fire up in a chaotic, random way that made him think of science fiction movies from the ’50s. He jerked forward to step off the elevator again but was prevented by the hand holding his arm. He felt the whisper of Donte’s breath against his ear.
“I’ve called you and called you, yet you only just now come to me. Stubborn.”
“What do you want?” asked Adin, refusing to turn.
“Only that which belongs to me.”
“And what would that be?”
“What do you think, Adin? Of course I want my journal back. And yet…I wonder if you recall how completely you gave yourself to me.” Donte’s sigh lifted the hair on Adin’s nape. “Perhaps I would like that back as well.”
Adin watched the blinking elevator lights and concentrated on thinking clearly. He kept his voice even. “Does this kind of thing work for you?”
“What kind of thing?” Donte stiffened.
“This whole, I am Donte.” Adin affected the accent, giving it a little more Bela Lugosi than was really, strictly necessary. “Come to me, caro, and your blood will sing in the moonlight.”
“Now, I know I have never said that.” Donte put a hand on Adin’s shoulder.
“It’s only a matter of time, I’m sure.”
“I fear it loses a little of the oompah if you are not looking at my face.”
Adin snorted. “I gathered.”
“Turn around, caro,” Donte ordered.
“Nope. When I look you in the eye, things happen inside my head that I don’t necessarily like.”
“I promise I won’t use mind tricks on you right now.” Donte tugged at him. “I am a man of my word, if nothing else.”
“I can tell when it’s happening; it’s no use anyway.” Adin turned.
“You would be foolish to assume that in the future. Just because you can tell it’s happening doesn’t mean you can stop it.”
“What is it, anyway?” asked Adin. The lights on the panel had stopped blinking maniacally, but the elevator moved at an impossibly slow speed, giving the impression they were hovering, floating in the glass-enclosed space.
“What? Oh, I don’t know, a kind of hypnosis, maybe, a push of thought that takes root in someone’s mind because they are weaker.” Donte leaned against the steel railing that surrounded them like a skeleton inside the glass car.
“I see.”
“You don’t like to think of yourself as weaker. I understand, but Adin, you cannot hope to prevail against me as you are.”
“You can’t have the journal; I bought it with proper provenance, but you may try, if you like, to dispute it in a court of law.”
“Yes, well. That presents a problem, though, doesn’t it?”
“Do you really expect me to believe the impression you have been constructing? The biting, the mind control, the Vlad the Impaler accent.”
“Vlad— I’m Italian.”
“Do you expect me to believe that you are…? I can’t even say it.” Adin raised his brows. “The undead. A creature of the night. The prince of darkness.”
Donte pursed his lips. “I believe that was Satan.”
“Yes. Well. Do you?”
Donte’s eyes met his, and he was relieved to feel only an attraction, not a confused jumble of painful desire and fear. “I don’t care whether you believe it. Your belief doesn’t alter the facts. The journal is mine; I drew it. I illustrated it. I lived it. It belongs to me, and I want it back.”
“You will have a hard time proving that in court.”
Donte looked out over the city skyline. “Did you ever hear the story about the brothers who were camping in the woods when a bear crashed into their campsite, enraged, and began to chase them? The first brother says, ‘I must outrun the bear,’ and the second says, ‘I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.’” He shook his head. “You know I cannot take this to a court of law, caro.”
Adin looked out at the city and the darkness beyond it. “Fair warning?”
“Yes.”
“I like you a lot better without the glamour, you know? Whatever causes it.”
Donte’s teeth shone even and white as he smiled, and Adin wondered about that, Age of Enlightenment dentistry being what it must have been. Looking at Donte, he wondered about a lot of things. His most immediate question, which he framed with a smile of his own, crowded out all those other thoughts.
“So, how long do we have the elevator for?”
Donte’s bark of laughter caught them both by surprise. “Caro, you imp. This is almost as unseemly as that airplane bathroom. There are cameras…”
“Then in the morning we can Google ‘gay elevator sex video’ and see if we get a hit on ourselves.” Adin approached Donte, which seemed to be the last thing he expected, and touched their lips together lightly. “I find I very much like tight spaces if they have you in them.”
“This is a glass elevator,” Donte countered, kissing him back hungrily. “I think you should know that whatever you have planned needs to be accomplished before we reach the tenth floor or everyone in the lobby court will be witness to our passion and subsequent arrest for indecent exposure and lewd conduct…”
Adin snorted. “I think you might be that quick off the mark, at your age, but—”
“Invite me to your room,” whispered Donte.
Adin froze. “Ah, yes, well.” He backed up, regret in his eyes. “Sorry. I can’t do that.”
“Superstitious? I could make you do it.”
“Actually, I don’t believe you could.” This seemed as good a time as any to test it. If Donte could get Adin to do anything he wanted, then the game was over before it began anyway. He felt a tremendous wave of emotion wash over him, deep fear, which crawled over his spine like a vine. It was an interesting sensation, but because he expected it, he found he could remain distant from it, acknowledging it and exploring it without letting it touch him. Adin searched the fear, probing it like a sore tooth. At its core, he felt a desire to reach out to Donte for protection.
Donte watched him curiously.
“Hey, nice,” said Adin. “If you could make people think they’d eaten you’d be a remarkable diet aid.”
“I am the very apex of the food chain on this planet, Adin. Try to have a little respect.” Donte’s mouth quirked, the beginnings of a smile forming on his luscious lips.
“Nevertheless, it isn’t going to work on me now that I can feel it coming.” Adin smoothed a hand over Donte’s jacket and tie. Adin’s own tie, which Donte took from him on the airplane. “The color suits you,” he remarked with asperity. “Trophy tie?”
“You spent on my tie, Adin. I’m having it cleaned.”
“Ah.” There didn’t seem to be much more to say. Adin looked back at the numbers.
“Well. This is awkward,” said Donte.
“Give me a minute. I’m warming up to asking you out for dinner.”
“Really?”
Adin looked up at Donte, “Yes.” Donte’s perfect mouth formed in a small O of surprise.
“If I go with you, does that qualify as takeout for me, I wonder.”
Adin laughed again.
“You seem remarkably calm in the face of what could be a very short, very frightening night on the town, do you realize this?”
“Yes, I realize. You could probably kill me, then rent my room, then get your manuscript back. But you haven’t, yet. Instead you’ve turned on your enormous personal charm and turned off your mojo, so I have to figure I stand a chance, at least, to greet the dawn alive.”
“You think my personal charm is enormous, do you, Adin?” asked Donte, leaning in.
“As if you didn’t know you are every month in my Undead Playmate Calendar.”
“I like you, Adin,” said Donte warmly, and the elevator moved again.

Notturno by Z.A. Maxfield, coming soon from MLR press. Thanks a bunch for inviting me I’m glad to be here! You can find my weblog, my books, and my links, as well as some free short stories at my website, here: http://zamaxfield.com/.

Special Guest Blogger ~ Lev Raphael

2009-03-05T22:58:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'd like to thank Lev for sharing some time from his busy schedule with me. Lev is the prize-winning author of nineteen books in genres from memoir to mystery and has seen his books translated into a dozen languages, some of which he cannot recognize. ;>) He escaped academia to write and review full-time and has done hundreds of reviews for the Washington Post, Jerusalem Report, and the Detroit Free Press where he had his own mystery column. Lev has also spent almost ten years on public radio as a guest reviewer and host of his own book show.

I found Lev last year when I was looking for fiction with gay Jewish characters and discovered Nick Hoffman. As Lev states on his website: "Who says academia isn't the real world? It's got the vanity of professional sports; the hypocrisy of politics; the cruelty of big business; and the inhumanity of organized crime. A perfect setting for murder and satire! That's why I started the Nick Hoffman series, set at the fictional State University of Michigan at Michiganapolis. Nick is a composition teacher there, which makes him low man on the totem pole in his Department of English, American Studies, and Rhetoric (EAR). And being involved in murder doesn't help his chances for getting tenure -- or does it?"
Nick is a great character and the Nick Hoffman mysteries -- seven at the moment -- are a delicious blend of mystery, murder and mayhem. Of course what drew me at first was Nick, who is gay (sort of) and Jewish (sort of) and his partner Stefan Borowski. Stefan originated in Winter Eyes, one of Lev's more mainstream books.

So, finally, here's my first question -- in two parts:
You write in several very distinct genres, how do you juggle them? Is there one genre you prefer more than the other?
LEV: I've always read across genres and that's how I write--whatever interests me at the moment is what I work on. It's actually mentally refreshing to be working on two books at the same time in different genres--each book is a great break from the other. They're all great. Each has its challenges and demands, promises and problems.
I started the mystery series because I was aware that some of my work was very dark, and I wasn't really drawing on my mostly comic vision of life in my writing. Academia is a world I knew well, and I picked someone who's a total outsider--a gay Jewish bibliographer who likes teaching freshmen!--because outsiders make great commentators and observors. It's been wonderful for me as a writer to go into and out of the series as a break from other more serious work. My devotion to craft is identical with the mysteries, but the spirit in them is lighter.
I really believe it made your mysteries even more intriguing when you brought in Stefan to Nick's world. Reading the mysteries and learning more about Nick and Stefan's relationship adds an extra dimension to the stories.

Next questions:
Not all writers draw as much on their own life as you do in your mainstream works. You call these books, "Second Generation". Can you explain what this term means? Do you think being a second generation child has impacted your work more than most American Jewish writers? Do you think it can be more difficult for someone who has had little experience or knowledge of the Shoah (Holocaust) on a personal level to understand your characters?
LEV: Whether it's obvious or not, all writing is biographical since we write out of what concerns, moves, and troubles us. Anyone who says their work isn't autobiographical has something to hide. :-)

"Second Generation" is the term for children of Holocaust survivors and there's no difficulty relating to characters like that since they're human beings with their family crises, emotional woes, love lives, etc. It's just like reading a Russian novel or science fiction or anything else: all that's required is an open mind, and a willingness to enter a different world than your own.

Being the son of Holocaust survivors has definitely impacted my work--how could it not? It's part of my inheritance, my material, my "word horde" as the Anglosaxon poets called it.

I know reading your essay, "Writing a Jewish Life" on your website brought back a very early memory relating to a girl I knew when I was only about seven years old. My family rented the first floor of a two family home from her mother and father, Holocaust survivors. Hannah was only a year or two older than me and so we became reluctant friends. One day right after she had lunch with me in my parents' kitchen, I saw her stuff a peanut butter and jelly sandwich inside of a napkin into her pocket. When I asked her why, she said her parents had told her to always make sure she had extra so she would never starve. When I asked my mother what she meant, she explained that Hannah's parents had suffered terribly in the War that had killed my Uncle Jackie and I should be very nice to her.
I tried, but it was difficult. Hannah was not a nice child. She was bigger and bullied me. It was only years later after we had moved away, that I realized how difficult it must have been for Hannah. When I was seven I wasn't able to enter her very different world.

One more question:
Besides being a child of survivors, you are also a gay Jew. What differences, if any, has been your experience being part of two minorities?
LEV: That's a big question and I've written several books to answere it, most reecently a collection of memoir essays called Writing a Jewish Life. Being any kind of minority gives you insight into the majority, whatever it is, that the majority doesn't have. It gives you a unique angle, which is excellent foddder for writers.

And of course, there is one question your fans always want to know: What's in the works for you?
LEV: I've just published a book about Germany in my mind and in reality, a kind of memoir/travelogue: My Germany. And I'm working on a historical Jewish novel, so that's new territory for me, and very exciting.
I'm really looking forward to that one. I love historicals.

Thanks so much for being with me today, Lev.
To learn more about Lev, please visit his website http://www.levraphael.com/
Lev is the author of My Germany due April 2009 in the U.S. & September 2009 in Germany

Fantastic Way to begin the Weekend!

2009-02-21T12:50:00.000-05:00

Bend in the Road was reviewed by Elisa Rolle on her journal at this link and I am so thrilled with her review. Elisa is one of my favorite people and not just because of the review! :~D Her journal is a must read for anyone who wants to expand their horizons. The diversity of her entries makes for fascinating reading.
Grazie, Elisa!
Then, to top off the evening, The Sweet Flag received a FIVE cherries review from LASR/whipped Cream Reviews and is up for Best Book of the Week.
That review can be found at this link
Thank you, Cholla!

I'm Guest Blogging at KZ Snow's Blog!

2009-02-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, the 17th I'm over at KZ Snow's Blog, "Dreams Know No Bounds" baring my soul for her interview. Here's the link: http://kzsnow.blogspot.com/I hope you'll drop by.

Guest Blogger - Dakota Flint

2009-02-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

Our next guest blogger from MLR Press is Dakota Flint
Men in Uniform
Recently in one of the chat loops I belong to, there was a discussion of men in uniforms and how attractive they are. (I believe the words HOT and YUMMY may have been used...once or a hundred times *g*) And it got me thinking. Whether it's cowboy hats and boots, military dress, or scrubs...what is it about men at work and the uniforms they wear? Is it the uniform itself or more what the uniform represents? Personally, I think it's more about what the uniform represents, but I'll be the first to admit certain uniforms look really good.
In light of that, I thought I'd take a look at a few of my favorite men in uniform in M/M fiction--or any romantic fiction--and why I think they're sexy.
The Cowboy--It's no secret that a nice, cool drink of cowboy in fiction sure hits the spot for me. In fact, I have a novella, Seeing You, coming out soon from MLR Press in the Studs & Spurs anthology. (Shameless plugging, thy name is Dakota.) So what is it that makes them so...yummy? Aside from the wranglers that always seem to fit like a second skin and hug their--well, you get the picture. Hopefully. (If not, take a gander at the Studs & Spurs cover. Hoo-boy.) For me, though, it's more about the affinity they have for nature and the animals they make their living with. It's the sense of independence and quiet strength they have, a man and his horse holding onto a way of life evocative of years gone by and the romantic ideals associated with them. The cowboy lives a simple life, bound to the land, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is taken by the idea of a solitary man finding companionship and love--and let's be honest, orgasms--out on the trail. Or the barn loft. Or the stables. Oh yeah.
The Doctor--Mmmm. Scrubs. Easy to remove and...Oh yeah. *clears throat* I think for me it's about the intelligence--always a very sexy thing--and the dedication it takes to become a doctor. The training takes years and is very rigorous, and there is something so attractive about a man who goes through that because he wants to heal and save lives. There's a certain nobility about it all. Doctors also work very hard, so it's nice to see them relax and *ahem* relieve tension when they get home to their honey.
The Military Man--Another one of my favorites, and although ACUs are pretty darn hot, it's definitely more about the men wearing them. Courage, strength, dedication, loyalty. The willingness to die defending their country. What's not admirable or attractive about that? Let's not forget the level of fitness required to perform their jobs, which brings to mind hot, hard, sweating...um, yeah. *fans face* Oh and let's definitely not forget how very, well, homoerotic military training and situations can be. Guys living together in high stress situations and only finding their best buddies around for some tension relief. *fans faster* But maybe that's just me. Either way, the military man is definitely one of the sexier men in uniform in m/m fiction.
Of course, these aren't the only men in uniform I find to be really attractive and sexy in fiction. Some others easily come to mind: The cop. The firefighter. The...postman. No? Heh. I'm just checking to make sure you're still paying attention. But I think it depends on the individual readers what kind of uniform and job they love the best for their men in romantic fiction.

So what man in uniform appeals to you the most?
You can find out more about Dakota Flint and her writing either at her blog,

http://dakotaflint.livejournal.com/ , or her website http://dakotaflint.com/

Bend in the Road - Out today!!

2009-01-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

So, my publisher informed me that Bend in the Road went live much sooner than planned!

So, here's the nitty gritty you need to know.

BEND in the ROAD by Jeanne Barrack

ISBN# 978-1-60820-002-3 (print)
ISBN# 978-1-60820-003-0 (e-book)
Released now from ManLoveRomance Press
A dual novella erotic, m/m historical romance anthology
BEND IN THE ROAD, set in Eastern Europe in the 1880s, introduces us to two couples that find safe havens in the insular world of a traveling Yiddish theater troupe. IN THE LION'S DEN brings us Daniel Bercovich, a young man in the first throes of finding his identity. Can the man he comes to love accept a new side to him? Yuval Smolenski finds more than the inspiration for his music, he finds something everlasting in FROM STAGE TO STAGE. These Jewish men in love must deal not only with the stigma of that love but also fear the rise of anti-Semitism. Can their love survive all the forces that surround them?

Available at ARe at: http://tinyurl.com/Bend-ARe

Available at MobiPocket at: http://tinyurl.com/Bend-Mobi

Available at Barnes & Noble at: http://tinyurl.com/Bend-BN

Available at Amazon at: http://tinyurl.com/Bend-Amazon

BEND IN THE ROAD, Guidepost Two ~ Purim

2009-01-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

The Holiday of Purim and "In the Lion's Den"
Purim offers religious Jewish children an opportunity to dress up in funny clothes and as the people who are the main characters in the holiday in a manner similiar to Halloween, a holiday not celebrated by more orthodox Jews. After all, Haloween is associated with pagan themes, but Purim -- as joyous and free wheeling as Mardi Gras -- easily fills the need for fun. In fact, one is encouraged to drink until you can't tell the difference between Haman, the villain and Mordecai, the hero. The holiday also offers religious adults an unusual chance to indulge in atypical clothing choices as discussed below.
Here's a very brief description of the background of the holiday.

The Book of Esther or the Megilla of Esther, recounts how the Jews of Persia were saved from destruction. During the reign of the King Ahasuerus, one of his advisors, Haman, attempted to destroy the Jews in revenge for being ignored by Mordecai, a Jew who refused to bow down to him. Given the king's permission, Haman draws lots (purim) to determine the day when the king's soldiers will set upon the Jewish citizens. The date falls upon the 13th of the Hebrew month of Adar.
Mordecai finds out about the decree and approaches his cousin Esther, the king's new queen, to intercede with the king. Esther, who has kept her religion a secret, fasts for three days to gain courage to come before her husband. She speaks out against Haman at a banquet for the king and Haman. Haman is hanged and Mordecai assumes his position. Because a royal decree cannot be repealed, Mordecai sends another decree to all the provinces. This one empowers the Jews to protect themselves from their enemies. They do and overcome the soldiers. The days following this struggle with their enemies (the 14th and 15th of Adar) are declared days of feasting and festivity, and today are observed as Purim.

So, how does Purim relate to my story?
"In the Lion's Den", the first story in BEND IN THE ROAD, is set during the holiday of Purim. The story was submitted for MLR's cross-dressing anthology and the celebration of Purim has long been associated with cross-dressing and other unique issues. When I researched the holiday I found that parodies and entertainment that mocked established Judaism were a widespread component of Purim observances.
I learned that written records of the Purim shpiel (Yiddish for "Purim play") could be found in Europe from the 14th century on. Purim shpiels and entertainments at weddings (as in my second story, "From Stage to Stage") were the sole source of Jewish popular pursuits for centuries. The sarcastic content of Purim plays and the spoofing, cross-dressing, and drunken revelry surrounding them offered an opportunity to explore boundary-crossing matters of gender, sexuality, authority, and relations with the gentile world in a safe setting like the traveling Yiddish theater troupe where crossdressing was common during its early days.
Although there are laws that prohibit cross-dressing, these laws would most likely not prohibit cross-dressing in a private setting or for theatrical purposes. The cross-dressing that appears in "In the Lion's Den" then, would be acceptable. How Dani, the young hero in my story feels about feminine clothing...well...
So, did I surprise you about this holiday?

Guest Blogger - Rick R. Reed

2009-01-20T16:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome, Rick. I was going to talk about another one of your books, but going over your backlist found In The Blood and was hooked on the story. I'm a sucker (ouch) for vampires. One of the recurring remarks about the story was that these were not your typical vampires. Can you share with us what made these bloodsuckers different from others?

Thanks so much for having me, Jeanne. In the Blood is my tragic vampire love story. It has its share of gory, heart-pounding moments, but it’s also a meditation on immortality in all its forms: in life, in art, in love. My vampires worship visual art and their hunger for it nearly equals their hunger for human blood. My vampires are very sexy, but they have their ruthless, vicious sides (as I think vampires should). Their appreciation for art also leads them into interactions with artists, which forms the basis of the story. Their interactions with good artists, creatures who carve out their own immortality through what they create, are a source of passion and envy for my vampires because their immortality is borne of destruction rather than creation. I guess, in short, you could say my vampires are sexy and cerebral monsters, which isn’t always the case.

Several different locations are visited in the story. How do you research your settings?

In the Blood tells two parallel stories: one set in 1950s Greenwich Village and the other in modern-day Chicago. When my trio of impossibly beautiful vampires: Terence, Maria, and Edward encounter Elise, they set an explosive triangle in motion. Terence wants to drain her blood. Maria just wants Elise . . . as lover and partner through eternity. And Edward, the most recently-converted, wants to prevent her from making the same mistake he made as a young abstract expressionist artist in 1950s Greenwich Village: sacrificing his artistic vision for immortal life. He is the only one of them still human enough to realize what an unholy trade this is.

I lived in Chicago for 16 years, so it was very easy to write about the city since I knew it so well. I did a lot of research into Manhattan in the 1950s and especially the art scene there to get the details right. It was a fascinating time. I even did some research on no-longer-in use subway stops that the vampires use. Those places are ripe for creepy descriptions!

An actual historic house in Chicago on North Sheridan Road, inspired the house where the vampires live in present-day Chicago. It’s called the Sheridan Colvin House and I used to go by it and could imagine what went on inside. Here’s a picture of me outside the house.

The characters in In the Blood explore different sexual orientations. How did you approach the relationships encountered by this diversity?

Of my three vampires, one is straight, one is a lesbian, and one is a gay male. This opens the door for what I thought were some fascinating love triangles and conflicts. The book is very sensual and sexual, so I really didn’t withhold much in presenting these beings as sexual creatures as well as creatures of the night. Their sexuality played a large part in attracting their prey…and they enjoyed the seduction and sex almost as much as the actual draining of blood. My main human character, Elise, was a lesbian who was a streetwalker by night and an artist by day (and at heart).

Your books cover a wide range of genres and subgenres. Is there one out there that you haven't explored that you plan to? Or is there one genre you think you'll never look into?

It’s funny you should ask that because recently, I have delved into writing gay romantic fiction. I wrote a story called VGL Male Seeks Same, about the games gay men play online, which has been very well received, including great reviews and bestseller status at my publisher’s website (Amber Allure). And I also just released (through Amber Allure again) another story about a young married man coming to terms with his homosexuality called Through the Closet Door, which has also been very well received. I am currently in the process of writing the sequel to VGL Male Seeks Same and am planning a second part for Through the Closet Door. (BTW, that's one HAWT cover!)

Maybe I’m just getting older, but I’m finding that writing about love and its complications just as fascinating as writing about things that go bump in the night.

Okay, the question fans always want to know: What's next for us?

Well, as I said, I am writing a couple of sequels and I have just completed a new novel that combines my twin loves of dark suspense and romance into what I hope is a poignant story that’s also one that will compel you to keep the lights on all night. The novel is called Bashed, and it’s about a horrible hate crime and its after effects. I hope to have some news about its publication very soon.

Thanks so much for sharing some of the writer's process with us. Before we end our discussion, I'm curious if you have a question you'd like to ask your readers?

I’d love to know what really scares them. And another burning question is, of course: Girl, where ever did you find those shoes?!

Rick's website: http://www.rickrreed.com/

Rick's blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/

Rick's MySpace: www.myspace.com/rickrreed

Bend in the Road ~ Cover Art!

2009-01-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

Doing the Hora of joy! My cover is ready!!!

You see before you, Aryeh Nachman from In the Lion's Den. I had to make a decision which of my four lovely lads I would feature and Aryeh sprang to mind because, after all, he's had experience. In the story, Aryeh posed for the real life Simeon Solomon. Solomon was a well known Victorian painter. He was also admittedly gay and Jewish. Oscar Wilde quite admired his work.
I also have my very first front and spine art work! I can't wait to share Aryeh and the boys with the world.

Bend in the Road ~ First Guidepost

2009-01-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

A Guide to a Different World...
My dual novella anthology, BEND IN THE ROAD, from MLR Press takes place in a world so foreign for most readers that it might as well be set in a 'galaxy far, far away...'
So, to help prepare you for your journey, I'll be offering guide posts. Each one focuses on a different part of the world of Aryeh, Dani, Yuval and Tsvi. I hope by the time you reach your destination, you'll want to find out what happened to these four young men in their 'different world'.
The Blurb:
BEND IN THE ROAD, set in Eastern Europe in the 1880s, introduces us to two couples that find safe havens in the insular world of a traveling Yiddish theater troupe.
IN THE LION'S DEN brings us Daniel Bercovich, a young man in the first throes of finding his identity. Can the man he comes to love accept a new side to him?
Yuval Smolenski finds more than the inspiration for his music, he finds something everlasting in FROM STAGE TO STAGE. These Jewish men in love must deal not only with the stigma of that love but also fear the rise of anti-Semitism. Can their love survive all the forces that surround them?
The Titles:
IN THE LION'S DEN
I had the names for Aryeh and Dani before the title for the story. I was looking for a strong name for my older hero and came up with Aryeh very quickly. Aryeh means 'lion' in Hebrew and I've always loved the name. Daniel, for my younger man, is also one of my favorite names. It means 'G-d is my judge'. This too seemed fitting since for these men, G-d is the only judge who matters. It was only after I put the two names together and then called Aryeh 'Lionel', an English version of his name, that I realized I had the perfect title for their story from the biblical tale of the Prophet Daniel.
FROM STAGE TO STAGE
Yuval and Tsvi's story took its inspiration from several sources, primarily folk songs, popular music, liturgical music, poems and fairy tales. Yuval's name appears in the Bible in Genesis where he is known as the 'ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe' - a sort of patron of musicians and yes, the name does have a shared root in the word 'jubilee'.
Tsvi's name also comes from the Bible, this time from the second book of Samuel that includes the beautiful lament of King David for the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. The word used to describe Jonathan is "ha-tsvi", translated as 'the beauty', but it also is the word for "gazelle". Tsvi is a very popular name in Israel.
To some scholars, the story of the love between David and Jonathan is something more than comradely, so the name, Tsvi, fit my character perfectly. I referred to this portion of scriptures and other passages in Yuval and Tsvi's story and the names of the pivotal characters revolve around their Biblical source.
The story's title is taken from a Yiddish folk tune my mother used to sing called, "The Singer". The verse says, "The singer travels from town to town and 'from stage to stage'" - perfect for members of a traveling Yiddish theater troupe.
BEND IN THE ROAD
I found my inspiration for the anthology's title from several sources.
One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost. I've always loved a poem of his called "The Road Not Taken". It came to mind immediately because these men made choices to travel down different paths not only in their relationships, but also the decisions they made about the direction their lives would take.
At the time I wrote IN THE LION'S DEN, I had just seen "The Bubble", a gay Israeli movie and in the film there's a scene in a theater where the play "Bent" is being performed in Hebrew. "Bent" takes place during WWII and refers to the gay community during the Holocaust. I had seen this play years ago and seeing it performed again in Hebrew in the film brought back the initial impact.
And last, and perhaps the most personal, I've found many blogs sharing the gay Jewish experience and a phrase from one of those blogs stayed with me. It referred to the bend in the road not being the end of the journey.
For Aryeh, Dani, Yuval and Tsvi the bend in the road was not the end of their journey.

Guest Blogger ~ Kimberly Gardner

2009-01-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Our first guest blogger from ManLoveRomance Press is Kimberly Gardner. Kimberly's first solo book, Phoenix Rising, has already been nominated for several awards.

Reading on the Rise

According to an article in yesterday's NY Times, reading is on the riseamong adults in the United States. For the first time since 1982, the numberof people over the age of eighteen who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play during the previous twelve months has actually increased.

Now far be it for me to cast a shadow over what is, to be sure, a ray of sunshine in an otherwise grim perspective given the amount of dire news we're hearing about the economy in general and from the publishing sector in particular. But really, one book in the previous twelve months?

Like most of you who are regular readers of this blog, I am an avid consumer of fiction of all genres. In fact, just this weekend I bought five new books. So the fact that there is a huge segment of the population who either reads nothing at all or has read no more than a single poem, play or short story during the past year is absolutely appalling to me.

The report, titled "Reading on the Rise", was sponsored by the nationalEndowment for the Arts. It says in part,

"The proportion of adults reading some kind of so-called literary work -just over half - is still not as high as it was in 1982 or 1992, and the proportion of adults reading poetry and drama continued to decline. Nevertheless the proportion of overall literary reading increased amongvirtually all age groups, ethnic and demographic categories since 2002. It increased most dramatically among 18-to-24-year-olds, who had previously shown the most significant declines."

And what is "literary reading" anyway?

Would the books I read count as literary reading? Would the books I write count? Why do I suspect not?

Furthermore, does this report take into account the reading of ebooks, the popularity of which have been consistently rising. Do the authors of the report count audiobooks among their findings? The author of the article, Motoko Rich, doesn't seem to know either.

Call me overly optimistic if you like, but I suspect that if the definition of "reading" were expanded to include all the aforementioned media as well as online reading, we would see a far more dramatic increase in the numberof people regularly enjoying fiction.

If you'd like to read the article--c'mon, you know you want to--here's the link. The article will also steer you to the full report if you're so inclined.

So let's break out our celebratory beverage of choice and put on our dancing shoes. Or would that be our reading glasses? Because reading is on the rise and that can only be a good thing.

You can find out more about Kimberly and her writing at http://www.kimberlygardner.com/home/

The New Year - So much in store

2008-12-29T01:05:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe how much is on my plate for the first quarter of 2009.
First, I'm part of a wonderful anthology, "I Do" in support of marriage equality, to raise funds for the Lambda Legal Fund. All the proceeds will go toward the organization. My story "Finally Forever" is very brief, but continues my goal to write about identifiable Jewish gays, this time in a contemporary setting. MLR Press has graciously and generously offered to provide the publishing and editing for this effort.
Speaking of MLR Press, my single author anthology, "Bend in the Road", will be out hopefully the end of February or early March. Along those lines, I'll be posting regularly during January and February, a guide to the world in BITR.
Also coming out in March, most likely, "A Perfect Symmetry", my sequel to "The Shimmering Flame" will be released by Liquid Silver Books. Several of the characters in this book are gay or bisexual and menages - perfect or imperfect play an integral part in the story. I'm very excited about this one since it continues the story of Brigid, Ethan and Gabe and introduces a new cast of Terrans.

That's just the the first part of the year. In the works are more historical gay fiction, some paranormal, m/f (or m/f/m), a sequel to "The Sweet Flag" and as much as my little fingers can write.

Stay tuned for regular monthly visits from MLR Press authors on the blog!

And the Winner is

2008-12-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

Lori!
I'd like to thank all the authors and readers who participated in the Contest. I hope that you discovered some wonderful authors and stories and had some fun along the way.
May all of you have a Happy Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, Soltice and just a good Winter!
Jeanne

Glowing Hanukah Lights Contest

2008-12-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

Hanukah begins Sunday evening the 21st when we light the first of eight candles. In my story The Game, we meet Dave Harris during a very special Hanukah weekend visit.
The Game will be available on the 19th from Aspen Mountain Press at this link.
Here's the blurb:
Dave Harris is a NYPD vice detective. Single, handsome and straight, with a brand new sexy girlfriend, he shares an apartment with Frank Paterno, his best friend from High School, unaware of Frankie's feelings for him.

Shari Nelson, a freelance reporter is madly in love with Dave, her new boyfriend, but has some secrets that are driving her crazy. Only Marcie Kaplan, her roommate and a lady with a few secrets of her own, knows just how much Shari's little vices are eating at her.

When Dave invites Shari to share his grandfather's cabin in upstate New York for a Hanukah weekend, she spontaneously invites Marcie along for moral support forcing Dave to invite Frankie along as Marcie's date.

Snowbound in the cabin, with no way of getting help and a cupboard more empty than Old Mother Hubbard's, they divert the time playing "Strip Dreidle", a game that will force them to reveal their hidden secrets and desires.

If they're rescued, will they still feel the same?
EXCERPT:
Dave Harris had pulled more than a couple of strings to get off time from work to take this little four-day excursion. The Holiday season was always busy for the police, but somehow he’d managed to get that four-day back-vacation owed him.
He looked down at Shari’s sleeping form sitting in the front seat next to him. A strand of vivid auburn hair screened her face from view. His shoulder ached from keeping still for the past three hours so he wouldn’t wake her.

He sighed.

He’d planned on some alone time with Shari. After a month together, he still knew next to nothing about her other than that she was a reporter for the Brooklyn Bridge newspaper, a weekly rag that focused on news and human interest stories that affected the borough.

They’d met at a crime scene at a club in the Park Slope area. She’d been hanging around looking for a story and Dave had been instantly drawn to her flame-colored hair. He’d always been a sucker for redheads.

When she saw him eying her she boldly walked up to him, handed over her business card and simply said, “Call me”.

He had.

And for the past four weeks they’d gotten together whenever they had free time -- night or day. He smiled. ‘Get together’ was a pretty pallid way to describe what happened whenever they were in the same space.

Sex. Pure, hot, wet, quick, furious, sweaty fucking.

He met her once a week for lunch at Angelo’s, an Italian joint near the precinct. He’d never taken Angelo up on his offer to use the back room whenever he wanted, until Shari. The nooners had become a weekly ritual. His lips twitched as he realized that now whenever he smelled Italian food he got a hard on.

He’d taken her once, standing up against the wall in an alley in back of a snitch’s apartment near where she worked. On the spur of the moment, he’d text messaged her with the address and just one word -- “now”.

Ten minutes later, her skirt was up to her waist, her thong was down to her ankles and his cock was deep in her pussy. She’d come twice with his hand and once with his prick.

When they finished, she kicked off the thong and handed it to him.

“Think of me.”

And she walked back to work leaving him standing in the alley holding the scrap of black lace, her scent wafting from it, his cock hard and aching again.

The rest of his shift had been shot. His hand kept drifting to his pocket, fondling her gift and his mind kept drifting to the image of her walking around the rest of the day bare-assed. Finally, he’d gone into the men’s room and, locking the door behind him, jacked off.

He couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a full conversation. Hell, why talk? She was always wet and ready when he wanted her, no matter when he got off work. After the second week, she’d given him a key to her first floor apartment of the two-story brownstone she shared with her friend, Marcie. He’d crawl into her bed and she’d wake up instantly. They’d make love without saying a word, then fall asleep after. The next morning he’d leave after setting up coffee for her, a little thing that, but it was his way of making a connection outside of the bedroom.

He’d been like a kid given permission to indulge in his favorite wet dream.

But he wasn’t a kid and now he wanted more. More of the kind of relationship that comforted you when people got killed and you came home pissed and frustrated because you couldn’t do anything enough about it. He wanted more than just someone to go to bed with. Yeah, he wanted more.

But more Shari, not more people!

* * * *

Frank Paterno stared at the back of Dave’s neck and indulged in his favorite fantasy.

He was in the shower in the apartment he shared with him. The hot water pounded down on his aching muscles. Steam swirled around his body and his hair fell into his eyes as he rinsed off the shampoo. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep the lather from stinging, and when he opened them Dave stood there, naked, his cock hard and erect.

“Need some help washing your back?”

In his fantasy, he couldn’t speak, didn’t need to speak. He just nodded and Dave stepped inside the stall and shut the door.

He smiled, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners. He wore his curly, dark brown hair short and it stood up in little swirls around his ears.

Frank wanted to caress those curls, nip his strong neck and feel Dave’s cock deep in his ass.

And in his dreams, he did.

“Turn around, Frankie. Let me get that spot you always miss.”

It was his dream and so he could observe the scene as though watching a movie. He saw himself turn around facing the tile wall, bracing himself for what he knew would come next.

Dave lathered up his hands and sank one lean finger deep inside his anus. Frank swore he could really feel it move within him, driving him straight over the edge.

He watched as he slid down to the slick, ceramic floor and heard Dave’s forceful command.

“Get on your knees and suck me. Now.”

He rushed to comply. Dave was so much more powerful than him. Even in high school, Dave was the one who earned a letter in basketball while he was the math whiz.

Dave’s folks loved to tease him.

“Maybe the stork figured wrong and left the athlete here with us by mistake. Duhvidle could use a little of your brains, boychik.”

Everyone would laugh and Dave’s mother would put another piece of noodle pudding on his plate.

God, he loved Dave’s family.

After high school, it seemed natural for them to share an apartment. Their natures balanced each other’s.

Dave never knew how much he’d agonized over being close to him on a daily basis and not being able to tell him how much he wanted him. He compensated by making sure to pick up Dave’s cleaning and keep the apartment neat. And he fantasized every time Dave shared the highlights of his latest female conquest. Dave had always kept his love affairs sweet and short, but even though he had only been with Shari a month, it was different this time. Dave had never stayed over night at a woman’s home. He had never wanted to get too close because of his job, but now things had changed. He agonized over how long it would be before Dave moved out completely.

He never brought over any of his gay friends, at least not the ones he was fucking. He had female friends who thought it a riot to cover for him. He’d actually once convinced Dave that he was engaged. When the so-called engagement ended, Dave consoled him with beer and pizza and season tickets to the Knicks. They’d sit next to each other at the games and each time Dave would grab him and scream in his face when the Knicks scored, he’d dream that the screams were ones of ecstasy.

He’d milked his broken heart for over a year so he didn’t need to bring home any females. But he’d finally run out of excuses.

He wondered though if he might have guessed how he felt. Every now and then he’d catch Dave eying him, especially after his so-called break-up. Probably not or he wouldn’t be sitting in the back seat of Dave’s car next to Shari’s friend, Marcie.

Time to get back to his dream and Dave’s hard cock waiting for him...

* * * *
And please check out my paranormal story, The Sweet Flag, an m/m historical paranormal romance with unique Jewish characters from Loose Id. And coming early in 2009 from ManLoveRomance Press, A Bend in the Road, about four Jewish gay men in 1880's Europe.

Remember to send an email to borntowrite@writeme.com with the name of my two Jewish characters to be part of a drawing to win a selection of holiday gifts! Your next stop on the Hanukah trail is EM Ben Shaul at this link.

Guest Blogger - Victor J. Banis

2008-12-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

Victor J. Banis has found a happy, new home with ManLoveRomance Press and currently has several wonderful books out with them, including Lola Dances, but his latest release, Angel Land, is so timely, that I asked him to share his writing process with us relating to this story. Angel Land will be published soon in e-book format by MLR Press.
Here is the blurb for Angel Land:
Late in the 21st Century: ravaged by the deadly Sept virus, the one time United States has disintegrated into The Fundamental Christian Territories, where Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos: The Zones of Perversion.
Harvey Milk Walton, a runner, finds his way to the ghetto in Angel Land, oldest of the territories, where a legend says that his long ago martyred namesake will return one day to lead his people to freedom—but even to speak of freedom, of leaving the FTC, is punishable by death.
In a crumbling totalitarian society, where evil masquerades as piety, two men fall in love, and begin to dream of escape from Angel Land

When I first committed to writing this blog, I intended to write about writing, a subject about which, after all these years and all these books, I might be expected to have learned at least a little something, and I thought it might be worthwhile to share some of what I have learned with others.

When the suggestion was made that I write instead about my latest novel, Angel Land, I was not only surprised, but, frankly, it gave me pause. First, because this was intended to be a blogging opportunity for MLR authors, and although I am a happy member of the MLR family, as I like to think of us, Angel Land was contracted for before I joined the family and so is published elsewhere (although happily the upcoming e-version will be released by MLR.)

Second, and this gave me the most pause, I am not very good nor very enthusiastic about tooting my own horn. I have always subscribed to the philosophy that it is better to tell people about your shanty in the country and let them discover for themselves that it is really a palace, than to describe your palace, and have them discover that it is only a shanty. I am always fearful that when I steer others to my writing, they may discover that it is only a shanty. So to devote this column to my own work seemed to me like dbsp—that is to say, disgustingly blatant self promotion.

On the other hand, not since The Man From C.A.M.P., published in 1966, have I had a novel that created so much buzz. Certainly the reviews have been raves; Robert Buck, on the GWR review site, says, "I recommend Angel Land as highly as I have ever recommended a book." AJ Llewelyn, at Dark Diva Reviews, calls it "the work of a master artist." And reviewing the book on Amazon, Bethann Korsmit says, "I give Angel Land my highest recommendation, and I think it should be read by everyone."

Nor is it only reviewers either who have expressed their enthusiasm. In the short time since its introduction, I have already received enthusiastic fan letters, and both readers and those simply contemplating reading the book have flooded me with questions about its creation, its plot, the characters, and the like.

Something about the book, then, has captured the attention of people. Of course, it is not difficult to see why this should be so. First, the movie, Milk, a biopic about the martyred Harvey Milk, has just opened to its own rave reviews, and Harvey Milk, or at least his name and his legend, play an integral part in Angel Land. Indeed, my protagonist's name is Harvey Milk Walton, a fact of considerable consequence in the story.

Moreover, the villains in the piece are religious fundamentalists—Fundies, in the book's parlance. In the wake of recent election results in which gay marriage was outlawed in California and gay adoption in Arkansas, both events largely backed by religious groups, the suggestion of religious persecution of gays and lesbians must certainly seem timely. It is hardly surprising that these unplanned coincidences have touched common chords through the glbt and the writing communities.

In the end, however, I decided to go with the suggestion of writing about Angel Land for the simplest and, yes, vainest of reasons: I like the book.

I like it, in fact, very much; but the truth is, I like most of what I write, or it does not see print. Angel Land, however, is, I think, somewhat unique. Certainly it is not like anything else I have written, but I cannot think of a book by anyone else which it altogether resembles either. Perhaps it is only vanity, but I think it is an important book—not, I hasten to add, a piece of great literature destined to become a classic as time goes along, nor better written than a dozen or so of MLR's writers could deliver, and almost certainly less entertaining than much of what you would find in that publisher's catalog.

It is, however, a thought provoking book. It has much to say that is cautionary, and it is ultimately a celebration of human spirit. It touches upon spiritual issues that I think are important to many homosexuals; and, almost from beginning to end, it is about love, in its many, often contradictory facets. It is, in fact, a book I should like everyone to read, and not simply because I want the sales or the money (though neither is to be scorned); and not just those in the glbt community, either. I think it is a timely book.

But, ever mindful of that shanty in the country, I did not set out to deliver a sales pitch. I will content myself instead with sharing some of the questions that I have been asked, and my answers. I will let them deliver the pitch for me, if one is needed.
Q: Was there any reason for your choice of including Baptists with Catholics and Jews in the ghettos?

A: Actually, none of the above live in the ghettos. The ghettos were created for the sexually deviant, as explained in these excerpts from different parts of the book (and, it should be explained, the POVs of several different characters):

The creation of the Zones:

Harvey Milk Walton: A Reverend Elihu Gaston founded The Fundamental Christian Church early in the century. Fueled to a great extent by the eruption of Sept, the FCC began to gobble up the other churches. Overnight, it seemed, the Church of God went, and the Church of Christ, the Methodists. One by one the lesser fishies succumbed to the great black shark in the sea of religion…
* * *
The Manager: Of course, originally the ghettos had not been intended solely for the gay population. Zones of Perversion they were called, and the statutes were written to include almost any non-marital, non-procreative activity. Some—the rapists, the child molesters, the incestuous—were sent straight off to the camps or, in the extreme cases, to their rewards, but the Zone was the prescribed punishment for any sex outside of marriage. In the early years a few young men had found themselves transported to the Zone for the sin of masturbation, but legend had it that one or two of them grew too fond of the punishment, and after a while, it was decided that a day or two in the public stocks was sufficient for all but the most incorrigible.
Like the heretically religious, the Tribes—the Afros, the Asiatics, the Latins and others—enjoyed what was termed “restricted freedom,” whatever that might mean. It was a crime, however, to “make a perversion of one’s racial or ethnic status.” “Too black,” as Chip put it, and sometimes one of them landed in the Zone as well, sexual orientation notwithstanding.
Not many years passed, however, before the Zones had become de facto ghettos for the territories’ gay populations. And not all of them complained.
From the Nineties of the Twentieth Century through the Teen years of the Twenty-first, the various mutations of the AIDS virus had ravaged the world. With the coming of Sept, however, gays suddenly had more to fear from their neighbors and fellow citizens than from the disease.
He’d heard the tales of mobs rampaging throughout the newly created territories, of sobbing gays dragged from their homes, chased screaming through the streets, beaten, lynched, sometimes burned alive mid-street.
For the gays, the ghetto walls had meant sanctuary from unrelenting terror, and the Fundies were true to their word on that score: the guards at the gates kept the gays in, but they kept violence out too. Perhaps not entirely: gay-bashings weren’t all that unusual, but at least there were no lynch mobs.
Catholics, and Jews are required to be registered as heretics.
Harvey: I said, quickly, firmly, “I’m not Catholic.” Ostensibly, the heretical religious—Catholics, Jews, Baptists et al—were free, but everyone knew that was a crock of butter. In actual practice, they too were registered, their religious services restricted, travel within the territories restricted, travel outside the territories forbidden under pain of death. And everyone knew that Catholic and Queer was a one-way ticket to slave labor. “No religion at all.”
That wasn’t exactly true: I was a devout believer in the religion of Look-Out-For-Number-One, but that wasn’t going to buy me a prayer of a chance.

Initially, Baptists were spared, but in time they too fell afoul of the FCC:
Aram: He was astonished by himself, by the things he had done then, things he had never in his wildest fantasies imagined himself doing—things that had given him pleasure he’d never dreamed existed, had never imagined could be found in the heretofore unexalted act of sex.
He wondered what that said about the state of his Christian soul? He and Elam had been raised in Christian homes. Their parents had been Baptists. Although the Baptist Church had remained independent when the FCC had gobbled up its sister religions, the two churches had remained closely allied for years.
Eventually, though, differences had sprung up. “Mostly,” his mother told him once, “if you can believe it, over music. Baptists love to sing. Fundie music is pious but there’s no passion.”
In time the Baptists had joined the list of heretics…

Q: What research, if any, did you do before and during the writing of the story?

A: Hmm. You know, most of the research I did was Biblical – I did a lot of scriptural reading, and I read a number of books on the question of homosexuality vis-à-vis Christianity; but, in fact, I did most of that research when I was writing my memoirs, Spine Intact, Some Creases, and I expand on the subject a bit more fully there. So, when I came to write Angel Land, it was more a matter of refreshing my memory. I lived in San Francisco (which becomes Angel Land) for many years, so I hardly needed to research the terrain; and most of the rest came from imagination.

Q: Besides the somewhat obvious name choice of Harvey Milk Walton for one of your characters, did you select names with relation to what feelings/reactions that name might evoke? Although I sometimes consciously select names for specific reasons involving my stories, I find that often a name will pop into my mind and I later discover my subconscious has been at work behind my back to pick the perfect name.

A: I think my choices were, like yours, more subconscious. The names just popped into my head, and then when I investigated, I found obvious connections that my writing mind had made. Aram, as an example, is one of Noah's offspring, the clan given charge of recreating the world after the flood; and, there's an obvious symbolism there in the book's end, but I wasn't conscious of it when I was writing.

Q: When you started this story, was the anniversary of Harvey Milk's murder in the back of your mind?

A: No, but like many gays, especially those of us who lived through that time, that is a name very prominent in our thinking; and, of course, the gay liberation movement, from the sixties through Harvey's assassination, was my era, that was my fight as well, so of course, his death had a great significance for me.

Q: How long did the writing of this story take?

A: Forever, it sometimes seemed. I often write very quickly. My novel, Longhorns, for instance, I did in two weeks, though I did spend subsequent time polishing it up. But Angel Land, gosh, I started it, I think, in 2003, so there were five years there before the book was finished. Now, I didn't work on it non stop over all that time, but I did come back to it repeatedly. It was a very complex story, with many characters and many themes running through it. The initial manuscript was something more than 300,000 words, so it required lots of pruning, editing, polishing up. And, I was very fortunate in having Lori Lake for my editor. She's a friend and a fine writer herself, and, let me say, a formidable taskmistress. She worked very hard at making me work very hard, but I am truly grateful to her. She deserves a lot of credit for the final product.

Q: Did you always have this ending in mind as you wrote?

A: Yes, absolutely. The first things I wrote were that travel brochure that opens the novel, and the final scene and epilogue—and, I confess, those last two never fail to bring tears to my eyes, and I hope my readers share that experience. I think that, really, there is the heart of the book, in those last few pages, what it's all about. Hope and Courage and Love.

Q: Obviously, you created a sort of alternative world for this novel. Were there other elements of this future world that do not appear in Angel Land?

A: Goodness, yes. There were those 200,000 some pages that I trimmed. I named and described all nine of the FCT, for example, and even wrote travel brochures for them: Beulah Land (formerly Old South); Eden; Canaan, Jubilee, Jordan, Gilead, The Apostles and Ararat. And not all of the USA became the FCT; there remained the free states—Seattle Free State, DC Free, the Conch Republic, et al. I could fill an entire book with the material I didn't use. But, having written it, it gave me a great sense of the time and place, made Angel Land really come to life for me. I always felt as if I were there.

Q: Various readers have described Angel Land in different terms. Robert Buck, in his review on the GWR blog site, calls it "a crackling good, edge-of-the-seat adventure;"
Rick R. Reed will shortly review it on darkscribemagazine.com, a site devoted primarily to horror. Elisa Rolle calls it "apocalyptic" and "a love story." AJ Llewelyn likens it to "Huxley’s Brave New World. There’s tinges of that. There’s Blade Runner and without giving away too much, shades of Planet of the Apes." These people might almost be describing different books. How do you personally define Angel Land?

A: Oh, you know, with all that it has to say and everything it contains, for me, this still boils down to a love story:
Aram: What he couldn't ignore were his feelings for Harvey, feelings that seemed to grow with each moment, feelings that were both a joy and a torment. He had always thought himself a good Christian, even, smugly, a model one. He tithed and prayed and obeyed the letter of the law. He’d had sexual orgasms before of course, mostly alone and once he had mounted a woman, entered and dutifully gave her his tribute, and he had taken a perverse sort of pride in the fact that it had left him so little moved. Surely, he had reasoned, that was proof of his purity, wasn’t it?
Or so he had thought, until that night with Harvey. There had been nothing pure about him then. He had been white hot, wanton, insatiable. His erection would not soften; he could not leave Harvey’s penis alone.
Not a “penis,” he told himself—a cock, a word that he had never spoken aloud, was sure that he had never even consciously thought. Even now, even alone, he blushed when it came into his mind, but once entered, it would not be evicted.
Simply remembering—the intensity, the fervor, that breathless desire that drove him, the pleasure so keen it was painful, the pain so sharp it was pleasurable—just remembering it, he felt a stirring in his trousers. That, too, was new to him. He had lived most of his life with his sexuality carefully tamped, held in rigid check, and now he had to fight to hold those memories at bay.
Despite his efforts, his memory of the passion Harvey had aroused in him would not be denied. And Harvey, too, had been insatiable. Was it always like this when two men made such a connection? Was this why the Church was so adamantly opposed to men with men? How could he know?
All he did know was that it consumed him. It was not so much that the passion was within him, it was more as if he was within it. His desire was like a hot summer haze that enveloped him.
All he really knew for certain was that he was in love.

I couldn't say it better myself.

I want to thank Victor so much for being with us today. I hope you'll visit him at his site where you can learn more about him and his work.

Guest Blogger - Tina Burns, Liquid Silver Books

2008-12-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome Tina Burns, Liquid Silver Books publisher.

Please tell us a bit about LSB and your position with the publisher.
Atlantic Bridge Publishing was founded in early '99 by Raven and Mike as an Internet Marketing company, Raven went the pub route soon after with ABP which pubbed its first book in Jan 2000, while Mike stayed in marketing until LSB got busy.
In 2002, they branched off AB and founded Liquid Silver Books, the erotic romance imprint of AB. LSB pubbed its first book Jan 2003. Until mid 2004, LSB pubbed one book a week when we moved to two a week since--450 books published so far. We’ve enjoyed steady stable progress mainly due to excellent staff who have been with us since they joined, guided by Raven and Mike's decades of corporate and small business experience.
LSB is all about quality and long-term viability for everyone involved readers, authors and staff. From start-up to the consolidation business phases, LSB has been successful and is now embarking on an expansion phase over the next few years.
My role as Publisher is to “spread-the-good-LSB-word”. My goal is to increase sales, widen our reader base, author retention, and getting LSB to the next phase of ePublishing.
It seems that more and more epublishers are acquiring GLBT titles, specifically M/M stories. What makes an LSB gay title different from the rest of the pack?
While it does seem M/M titles are becoming a dime a dozen, I think there is still room for more. We have a few books with F/F elements in them, but only one dedicated F/F romance book and I'd like to see more. What sets us apart are our high standards, every book we accept is exceptional in its own way, then goes through rigorous editing, polishing it even more. Our books are relationship focused stories that will melt your socks off. :~D
Could you tell us how many titles are specifically M/M?
Whew, you made me count. Looks like we've got about 35+ M/M dedicated books and/or books with M/M elements.
What subgenres appear to be the most popular?
There’s actually a pretty even mix of Contemporary and Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Are there plans for further defining your Molten Silver line to indicate LGBT titles, making it easier for readers to find particular genres?
We are currently building a new shopping cart which will allow us to better designate the elements in our books. I’m hoping to see that up and running for the public by March of 2010.
Are there any themed submissions calls coming out that you feel authors of GLBT stories will find particularly attractive?
I do have some themed submissions coming out for 2010, but I’m not quite ready to reveal them. ;) I do have spots left for our Firemen series, Hearts Afire, which is a pretty popular M/M genre. Here’s the link to the Phase Two submissions call. Please read the submissions guidelines and note that Phase Two is still open.
Any comments you'd like to share with our readers?
I’d love to see more GLBT stories submitted to Liquid Silver Books, and am open to suggestions for themes that cater to GLBT stories as well. My inbox subs2008@liquidsilverbooks.com is always open so feel free to email me anytime!
Thanks so much for joining me here today, Tina.
Thanks for having me!

Guest Blogger ~ Stormy Glenn

2008-11-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

My guest today is Stormy Glenn. The reason? Well, heck, cowboys, werewolves and M/M??
Do you need to ask? But in case you do, here are Stormy's reasons

Hmmm…Werewolves, Cowboys, and M/M?
Okay, let’s talk about werewolves. I just love the general idea of werewolves and seem to be somewhat obsessed with writing about them right now. First off, they have "mates" that they know on sight, smell, or whatever. Just kind of cuts down on the crap. There’s no blind dates, etc. You just know. The great part of that is you can usually jump right in to the good stuff without having to go through the whole "gee, do I like you" stuff…unless you’re human and have just been mated by a werewolf. That could cause some problems…at least we can hope.

There is also the problem of finding a mate but that usually works it out somehow, for at least one of the characters in the book, sometimes more. And, depending on how I write the story, they are mated for life. I think that is extra cool. The second part of my love for werewolves is the dominant alpha male. Hot! Hot! Hot! There is just nothing like an alpha male. They’re dominant, possessive, and sexy. What more could you want? Besides, I usually try to have my alpha males "mated" to someone that makes their life very interesting. In Full Moon Mating, the werewolf in this story falls in love with a guy that doesn't speak but has some unusual abilities that make his life very interesting.

I’m presently working on the third installment of the Tri Omega Mates series right now, called Hidden Desires. Caleb is the alpha of Hunter Pack. He finds himself mated to Micah, who could really care less that he is the alpha. Micah is human. He’s never even heard about werewolves until he’s mated to one. When he tells Caleb they need to go talk, Caleb reminds Micah that he is the alpha of his pack. Micah’s response? "I’m happy for you, now let’s go talk." Caleb’s status means nothing to him. For Caleb, having been the alpha of his pack for so long, Micah’s attitude is very unusual to him and he is totally unprepared with how to deal with it, or Micah. Tends to create some interesting situations.

Werewolves, cowboys, and M/M together?
I like writing about the story behind men falling in love, especially when the men in question are werewolves. If they’re cowboys, that’s even hotter! Having fallen in love with men in cowboy boots as a teenager, I believe that there is nothing sexier than a man in cowboy boots…two or three men in cowboy boots is even better. Then, if you add the alpha male aspect? Is there anything better? I’ve always associated sexy men with cowboy boots…a man could be dressed in a gunny sack and still be sexy as long as he is wearing cowboy boots. Hence, the cowboys…I REALLy like cowboys.

As for the M/M aspect…I never started out to write M/M novels. It just happened that way. Now, I find that I read as much M/M as I write. I love the dynamics behind two men falling in love…three is even better. In my experience, men tend to be rather possessive, especially if they are alpha males. It doesn’t matter whether they are gay or straight. It just is. If you add a third person to the relationship, it makes for some very interesting, and often humours situations. I think I tend to write stories where there is at least one alpha male type, if not two, and then someone that would be considered not so dominant. However, I find that the ones that are considered more submissive are actually the ones that hold the relationship together. However, my more "submissive" characters tend to be little spitfires too. The combination is great!

My Books
I spend a lot of time writing…sometimes I think too much, but I love it, every aspect of it. I love the ability to create entire worlds and cultures. I can do pretty much anything, write pretty much anything. Take "The Katzman’s Mate" for example. This is an entire planetary system…new worlds, new cultures, new life forms. There’s even a guy with blue skin. The sky, or planetary system in this case, is the limit. I never really know what I am going to write until I write it. I also don't write a book to fit a particluar genre. I write the book, then decide where it fits. I just recently finished a series about a group of special ops soldiers that have special "abilities" who each find love, either together or with others. There are sveral differnt genres here...M/F/M, M/M, M/F, and M/M/M. I have three more books planned for this series so who knows where its going to go. Like I said, I never know what I'm going to write until I write it, sometimes not even paragraph to paragraph. I let the characters guide me.

I have another series that I researched and created for a year before I started writing. The "Warriors of Akasha" is still a WIP. I spent so much time on this series because of the detail involved with creating this entire culture, from the Blood Rhyte Ceremony to the tattoo’s that each warrior receive when he/she is mated. I even have an entire dictionary that I created for reference when writing the stories. I hope to have this series released in a few months. I want to get at least two of the books done before then, then I’ll finish the other three that I have planned…and maybe more.

Tri Omega Mates is my first series. A Tri Omega is a special type of omega that needs two mates to keep him grounded and safe. Without two mates, he will die. As such, all of the books in this series are M/M/M menage.

1. Secret Desires – released October 20th from Siren Publishing
2. Forbidden Desires – Due December 29th from Siren Publishing
3. Hidden Desires – Due February from Siren Publishing
4. #4 unnamed as of yet – release date sometime in 2009.

Wolf Creek Pack is my next series. This series totally unconnected with the Tri Omega Mates series. They are not even the same type of werewolf…different mating rituals, packs, cultures, physical forms. The first book in this series is Full Moon Mating. It is due for release in June 2009. I presently have four sequels in progress.

My Lupine Lover is a stand-alone novel (due for release May 2009 by Siren Publishing) but it is connected to the Tri Omega Mates series. It was not added under that series name simply because it is not a M/M/M menage. Only a M/M story…sorry. However, if you enjoy the Tri Omega Mates series, I would suggest this book also.

I never meant for either of these series to actually be a series. I actually wrote the first books to each, Secret Desires and Full Moon Mating, with no intention of them being a series. However, after I wrote them, their characters were just so alive, and I loved the werewolf idea so much, that I just continued. Besides, the minor characters in each book kept bugging me for their own books, so…

To go totally off on a different tangent is my M/M futuristic book, The Katzman’s Mate, due for release in March 2009 from Siren Publishing. No werewolves, no cowboys, but I kept the dominant, possessive, sexy male. Chellak Rai is just a cat… or Katzman. I wanted to write about an alpha male that didn't look totally human... he has a light coating of fur, pointed ears, a face that is not altogther human looking, a great scense of smell and hearing...and sexy as can be. He's also the displaced heir to an entire world and he just found his mate.

I have several more books due for release or WIP’s. I think I’m working on like, seventeen books right now. I don’t believe in writer’s block. I f I get stuck, I just move on to another story until I can go back. To find out more about me and my books, release dates, book trailers, etc, please visit me. There are several places to find me…
My web site: www.stormyglenn.com
My blog: http://stormyglenn.blogspot.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stormyglenn
Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/stormyglenn
Siren Publishing: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/stormyglenn/
Buy my books at Siren-Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/stormyglenn/
M/M Romance Readers & Writers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MMRomancereadersandWriters/
I love to hear from readers so stop by and drop me a line… stormyglenn@hotmail.com

CONTEST
I'll be offering a free copy of my eBook, Secret Desires, this month. On Nov. 30th, I will choose a winner from all replies. You need to answer one question for me. The most interesting answer will win. And you have the rest of the month to answer so answer as many times as you like. The best answer wins!
Author's Question: why do we write in genres that we do?
Reader's Question: why do we read the genres that we do?
Just visit the Novel Sisterhood Retreat at Coffee Time Romance & More and leave your answer to enter. Please do not email me your answer.

Guest Blogger ~ Angela Fiddler

2008-11-18T22:09:00.000-05:00

Writer's block -- dealing with problems in the beginning of a novel before they turn into huge problems at the end

I love writing. Writing rocks. Writing, when everything is going well, is about the best feeling in the world. I have a loving wife who supports me and who understands that 'Can't talk. Writing' is a perfectly good excuse when the hard questions, such as 'did you unload the dishwasher' or 'shall we go visit your folks this weekend' come up. In short, writing is the most awesomest awesome, awesome thing that a single person can do in public, private, or with pets in the room. Go writing!

Unless you can't write. The words don't come and the cursor seems to mock you with its empty, useless blinking. Or worse, you live on a ground floor, your windows are painted closed, or you've signed some sort of ridiculous rental or condominium by-law agreement that made you swear you weren't going to throw whatever you use to write out the window. Then what?

I know there are dozens and dozens of books and websites out there on how to deal with writer's block, but these are things that work for me. I'm not going to lie to you. Some of the treatments I talk about are worse than the cure. I've cut, and cut drastically the first/middle/last 20,000 words of something I was working on, and although I cut and pasted it into a new document, I knew, in my heart, that there was either nothing in those words to salvage, or that those words only fit in the piece one way, with the characters in only one mental state, and though I said I'd go through and pick apart cute turns of phrasing, I never have. Because amputation is amputation, and anything sewn back on after it's been cut off is bound to go evil, as any science fiction or horror writer will tell you. (Your mileage may vary on that last 'going evil' part.)

So here is what works for me when I'm either the one writing, or I'm critiquing for a friend whose story is going nowhere.

Did I begin at the beginning?

This is the petering out problem. A great, cracking story has begun, fantastic characters are introduced, and a great world is built up around them and…nothing. It may go a page, it may go twenty, but then there's the feeling of 'and now what' and you don't have a single clue as to what that what is supposed to be. From all the work I've critiqued, I can normally tell a great story that has petered out has failed because the story did not begin at the right spot. Especially for fantasy and science fiction, the desire is to start it either after a great battle has finished (for both science fiction and fantasy) or as the intrepid hero is off to the castle to meet Y about problem X (for most often fantasy, but substitute 'home base to get new orders,' for 'castle' and it works for science fiction, too). More to the point, as the reader of these failed beginnings, I get the sense time and time again it's either began far too early before the action has begun, or too late for the reader to either (A) care about the characters about to be thrown under a bus or (B) way after the epic whatever had happened.
I always ask myself, at what point do things change to the point where if nothing is done, the world ends, and what where my main characters doing immediately before that? (In erotic fiction, that answer should be fairly obvious, btw)

Am I loving the Bacon Guys?

There's a brilliant scene in Season 1 of Stargate Atlantis. It's just two guys, talking about how bacon is the food that makes other food worth eating. And you can't help but nod with the wisdom behind that, religious or vegetarian objections aside. Bacon *is* the food that makes other food worth eating! These two, nameless, uniformed men speak the truth! You love the bacon guys. Go bacon guys! Then Koyla comes through the gate and shoots them both. And seriously, you just met the bacon guys, and they're dead, but you *care*. It's an awesome scene. If the action starts before your reader loves your characters, even just a little, they're going to have a hard time connecting with them as horrible things are being thrown at them.

Am I too afraid something may not be explained?

Back story is important. It adds a dimension to the characters, a history that can be hinted at, and conflict between characters that can be eluded at or ignored with tragic consequences. And I'm all about the tragic consequences.

However, back story doesn't usually belong in the front of a story. As much as the author cries that the reader won't understand their prose if the reader doesn't understand that Bad Guy X did Action Y to main character Z in the very first scene, or that if it's not explained how the main character got to the action of the start of the book, then reader isn't going to understand.

The author shouldn't be afraid that their readers isn't going to trust them. I mean there is a limit of how much mysterious mystery you can cram in (I'm looking at you, Lost), but there's a fair bit of tension you can have. Most readers are more likely turn the page to find out why rather than give up in disgust because everything is not instantly explained. Critique groups are partly to blame for this, because the moment they get to something that isn't completely explained in a neat package, some people feel compelled to ask for more exposition. In commercial fiction there is a trust that the author will get to the dark looks between the dreaded Count and his beautiful Ward eventually. As long as you know you'll get to it, eventually, don't let a critique partner demand to know more information than they really ought to have. Don't interrupt the flow of what is happening now to talk about what happened last week/month/century.

The first chapter has to do three things. It has to introduce an interesting character, in an interesting world, with an interesting problem he or she has to either solve, or fail miserably at solving, by the end of the book. Everything else can wait.

Why am I using today as a starting point?

It should be clear, to you, if not immediately to the reader why you have started the novel the day, of all the days in the character's life. What causes the change that makes the character suddenly need to get involved outside their day to day lives to fight the greater good? It helps if there is a personal as well as global reason, and helps even more if their motivation doesn't come down to just 'money' 'family' or 'trying not to die'. Sadly, we all need money, we all should think family is important, and we're all, even crossing the street at the cross-walk, trying not to die. What makes your character more unique than that?

What happens if the character fails?

This may not have to be dealt with in the first chapter. But soon, the reader has to know what will happen if your character stops fighting. If he or she throws up their hands, says, "Bugger this, I'm going back home to my farm/my town/Alpha Centauri" there has to be dire consequences. How does the world end? This question may not work when dealing with a contemporary romance, but in science fiction and fantasy, it is of upmost importance.

And if they can quit and walk away, it's a huge failing of:

Where's my tension?

No, really, where is it? Tension is needed, even from page one. If you've ever seen pictures of slush piles, or hear editors talk about slush burning parties, there is no hope for a story that starts getting good in chapter 4. Sad, tragic, not the way they did it in the old days, but true. Back story, as it is in the back and not in the present, pretty much guarantees that the main character, if he or she is in it, will survive. There goes your tension.

And there has to be a buildup of tension. The characters rarely can still be solving the same problems in chapter thirty as they are in chapter one. The characters, by their own actions, have to struggle to fix the problem, even if their attempts have just made the situation worse. Your bad guy is out there, stirring the pot, and it's not enough that your characters just react to what is thrown at them. They have to try to get ahead of the ball and start making changes themselves, for better or for worse. The stakes have to get higher, the personal involvement the characters feel needs to get deeper, and if they give up, their world has to end or change so badly, it might as well have ended.

Okay, I have all that. And I'm still vacuuming my cat. Now what?

Checklist time!

◊ Do you have the right main character? Is he/she/it going to be the character who has the most to gain, the most to lose, and is most at odds with the message of the book. If no, a book can be done from the outsider point of view, but it's very hard to pull off well when the greatest emotion is reported, but not shown. While working on Castoffs, my first erotica novel, there was a blond thug in it that had to bring the main character from place A to place B. I decided he needed a name, called him Vision, and Vision stole the next four books right from under the main character's nose. In the second book, I needed a name for Vision'sdriver, a character I had no plans for at all. I called him Hanz. The vampire series is now the Vision and Hanz show. I'm just saying.
◊ Is your world too big? Do you have a cast of thousands already and you've not gotten past the first chapter? Eliminate as many duplicate point of view characters as possible. Remember any more than a couple characters introduced on a page are too many characters for the readers to keep straight.
◊ An antagonist that does not just kick children and steal candy from puppies is a rare, valuable thing. What is he doing to make sure the good guys don't just waltz in and take over? Why is he being antagonistic in the first place? Does he have a legitimate gripe against your main character? The more real he is as a character, the more he will be remembered.
◊ Is the startling point, the point that changes everything and gets the story rolling happening off screen? And if it is off screen…why? Drag the action onto the page, get your characters in the thick of things for their emotional involvement, and then have them deal with the consequences as things spiral out of control.
◊ Take away the easy outs. Make the characters work. Eliminate any character that only exists to go to the main character to tell or give them stuff. Knowledge has to be hard won. I'm the first to admit that it is rough to have painted the characters into the proverbial corner, but it's even tougher to make readers care about characters that never have to suffer or earn what they're given.
◊ If a chapter/scene/section isn't working, switch it up. Switch point of views. Switch motivations. Switch the outcome of the scene itself. If that doesn't help ask yourself why you need that scene to begin with. If you need to cut, cut swiftly. It will hurt less. Go back to the point in the story where you know deep down that you've backed the wrong horse or gone on the wrong tangent and begin again. For me, it's amazing how listening to the little voice in the back of the head telling you that the scene isn't working can save so much effort. It is almost impossible to recover a scene that feels like it was forced out.
◊ Trust yourself. If you are bored with a scene, ask yourself why. Be honest. I find this especially useful when I've written things out long hand to be dictated or transcribed into text, or I'm reading it over in a draft stage. If I'm bored with a section, or if it goes nowhere or nothing happens, I'm more likely to skip it or work on it then and there so it becomes important, things change, or it goes somewhere. These nowhere scenes and nobody characters can change the book in a whole new way you hadn't even thought of, connecting a bunch of random scenes that had come at the beginning to make it seem like you had that very thought in your head the whole time. Go with it.

I don't plan my novels. I may break out the odd post-it note to work out a tricky scene, but I'm very fluid when it comes do what happens next. I trust my intelligent characters to react intelligently to the problem they're dealing with. Whatever you do, as long as it works for you, is fantastic. But a good solid base can carry a novel through the muddle in the middle right through to the end, and a bad beginning can sink a story before it even had a chance to get good.

So, what's your surefire way to unblock writer's block?

Angela's website: www.angelafiddler.com
Angela's Loose Id titles can be found here
Angela's ManLoveRomance Press are available here

Guest Blogger ~ Laura Baumbach

2008-11-12T06:45:00.000-05:00

New Characters to New Worlds—even new or *improved* body parts!
Writing in the sci-fi genre

That’s what you can achieve when you write sci-fi.
Hello. My name is Laura Baumbach. I’m an author and publisher of M/M erotic romance. I write for several publishers including MLR Press, Aspen Mountain Press, Samhain, Changeling, LooseId, Torquere, and Forbidden Publications. I written in several different sub-genres such as paranormal-vampires, werewolves and ghosts, suspense, contemporary, crime drama, thrillers and my current fixation - science fiction.
This month I'm spending all my time that isn't taken up by my family or my business writing my latest novel GENETIC SNARE. This one is the second in my sci-fi DETAILS series. The first on was the 2007 EPPIE finalist DETAILS OF THE HUNT.
This series came about when I took a challenge off the Sci-Fi Channel's website to write a story using the theme of pirate treasure and outer space. I thought it would be fun to change around the traditional story and make the pirate the treasure. I realize there are modern day pirates, and will probably be pirates in the future, but when I think about them I imagine the swashbuckling, cunning buccaneers of the 18th century.
But then came the challenge of how to incorporate an 18th century earth pirate into a futuristic space tale. Obviously, I needed to add time travel elements to my story, remembering that anything I did couldn't affect the time line continuum in the process of telling my story.
I didn't want the travel to be a common occurrence either. I wanted the talent to be restricted to an ethical few. So I created a race of warriors that had the ability to time jump. These beings, six to seven foot tall, gray skinned, muscle bound, slightly reptilian looking, fierce warriors, would have learned over time to keep the source of their talent secret, and to use the ability for the benefit of not only themselves but other races. Thus was born my time traveling alien bounty hunters, the Oracan.
The Oracan accept petitions for hunts from anyone, anywhere in the universe. The one requirement is that the hunt must have some type of altruistic goal, a benefit for more than just personal gain. They procure anything from inanimate objects to people. Those Oracans that choose to become Hunter have a high moral code to go with their extreme physical skill and warrior upbringing. Think navy seals/secret agents on massive growth hormones and steroids. *lol*
My Oracan hero is named Talos. Mr. Tall, Gray and Stoic. High moral fiber, strict rules of conduct and an attitude that comes from knowing he can take any male in the room on and win without even trying. I mean, Oracan cultural ritual practices eating the hearts of their fallen enemies. Tough guys personified. And this one learned to speak English from watching ancient Earth gangster films from the 1930's an 40's. When he calls a woman a 'dame' he's not referring to any type of British title. *g*
Once I had my 'big guy' I had to create my 'small guy'. This is a dynamic I love to write. It may not be your thing, but it is definitely mine. I like the physical contrasts, making imbalance of power dynamic. I like showing that my 'little guy' can be just as tough and manly as the 'big guy', and in some cases like in MEXICAN HEAT, even more stoic or scrappy than his partner.
Aidan Maymon was born out of this dynamic. I wanted my pirate to be young in keeping with the short life expectancies in the 18th century, cunning and quick-witted as he would need to be to survive the times and be captain of a buccaneer ship, and brave enough to stand up to the worse of the immoral criminals that made up a fair share of the seafaring men. Quick with his sword and a creative curse, Aidan has a core of fair play and goodness wrapped in a survivor's thick, clever, conniving hide. And he's an excellent pickpocket. *g*
And the marvelous, wondrous thing about writing sci-fi is that you have the flexibility to combine two such radically unique characters in one story and still make it work. As long the author creates a believable world and sticks to their own rules through the novel or series, anything they can imagine is possible. Which s how I ended up with an 18th century pirate pairing with a 6th century alien bounty hunter for adventure and love.
I'm continuing the adventures of Talos and Aidan in the series with GENETIC SNARE. I have a total of seven books planned, one per year. Originally it was written as a two-hour buddy flick movie script for a TV pilot with an additional six episodes. The script won a couple of minor awards but never went anywhere. The cost of producing a sci-fi movie was a big stumbling block.
But I love the characters and didn't want them to go to waste. So I moved that buddy flick relationship over the line to lovers and rewrote the story a bit to develop that relationship into a M/M erotic romance. Since that was were I was inclined to take it when I wrote the mainstream version, it wasn't a difficult task. The end result earned DETAILS OF THE HUNT a nod as a 2007 EPPIE finalist for best GLBT novel.
No where but in sci-fi do I find the freedom to be as unorthodox as my imagination can be. And trust me, my imagination can run a lot of wild places, some of them maybe even in my upcoming December release (hopefully) GENETIC SNARE!
Pirates, aliens, bounty hunters, mating rituals, combats rituals, murder, mayhem and LOTS of steamy, and uniquely alien-endowed lovemaking in this one. My muse was looking for an unrestrained run.

Alex Beecroft ~ Writing the Historical Ghost Story

2008-11-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

From that title you'd suppose I was some kind of expert on historical ghost stories, but that's very far from the truth. My qualifications to talk on the subject are that I have written one historical ghost story – 'The Wages of Sin', due to come out in time for Halloween 2009 in an anthology by ManLove Romance Press. But I very much enjoyed the process, to the extent that I'm hoping to write more. So, if you thought of this as 'writing the historical ghost story – for complete beginners', that would be more like it.

Although this was my first ghost story, I started out from a background of writing historical novels set in the 18th Century. So I already had a lot of historical information about the setting on hand, and a good idea where to go to find more.

I figured that if I was writing a historical novel about brewers, I would research into how brewing was done in the 18th Century and see if any ideas were sparked by the techniques or attitudes of the time towards brewing. So why should ghosts be any different?

I started off with an overview of how ghosts have been perceived throughout history:

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00689/Pages/historyghosts.html

http://www.paralumun.com/ghosts.htm

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/paranormal/spirit_world/history/index.shtml

Those and many more websites, and a couple of books on the subject, seemed unanimous that ghosts linger in the world because of something left undone. Either an injustice done towards the person when they were alive, which they remain to avenge, or an injustice the ghost did to another, which they need somebody to right for them before they can move on. That, or the person's burial rites were not completed properly – they were buried in unconsecrated ground, or without the correct sacrifices etc.

This early conception of ghosts as being people who had a good reason to linger – people who were trying to put something right – carried on into the 18th Century. Once I'd got an overview, I concentrated on reading about the most famous ghost of the era – the Cock Lane ghost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Lane_ghost

http://www.forteantimes.com/reviews/books/68/the_cock_lane_ghost.html

This ghost, which claimed to be the murdered wife of a man who had subsequently re-married and lived in a small lodging house in Cock Lane, was heard by hundreds of people in London. It became a bit of a fashion to go and listen to it answering questions by the famous 'one knock or two' method.

Eventually the 'ghost' was unmasked by a team of investigators, including Samuel Johnson of Dictionary fame. The knocks were being faked by the young daughter of the man's landlord.

What's most scary about this story is the way a whole family united in an attempt to get their lodger lynched by the mob for a murder he didn't actually commit. The ghost itself was a bit of a fairground sideshow.

But again, what's notable is that once the ghost identified itself as the lodger's first wife, everyone assumed that she must have returned in order to gain justice for herself. A ghost was assumed to be proof positive of murder.

Which, of course, makes it easy to tie a ghost story into a murder-mystery. What violent deed in the past created the ghost? How does that tie in with the events in the present? Who will see the ghost, and what will they need to do to right the wrong and allow the ghost to move on?

In the course of reviewing the evidence about ghosts through history, I came across a lot of 'real life stories' which were spine chilling, and quite a few – like the Cock Lane ghost – which were only scary from a perspective of human psychology. So naturally I paid a lot of attention to the elements of the scary ones, to see what was working on me and what wasn't. I soon decided that I found poltergeists, which can move objects and therefore harm you, more scary than the classic ghost which just walks along a corridor on windy nights. So I made mine a poltergeist.

I also came across some delightful evidence of early vampires. I wasn't sure whether vampires were around in the 18th Century, but it turns out that one of the things the 18th Century did for us was to introduce the Western world to the concept of the vampire.

http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Vampire_-_Eighteenth_century_vampire_controversy/id/5570895

These were not your modern suave and sexy (even glittery) vampires, but the blood-sucking walking corpses of legend. As with the Cock Lane ghost in London, so many people believed these creatures existed that there was public hysteria in Prussia over them. Eventually official investigators were sent to make a scientific inquiry into whether vampires existed or not, and the investigation reported that they did not.

Newspaper reports spread the information all over Europe, so I feel no shame at making Jasper - one of my heroes – into an early 18th Century vampire hunter. But that's something for a different story, I hope!

Bend in the Road ~ Update and Blurb

2008-11-03T12:36:00.000-05:00

Well, we now have a title for my 2009 work coming out from ManLoveRomance Press. - Bend in the Road. And a Blurb (unedited). Here it is:
BEND IN THE ROAD, set in Eastern Europe in the 1880s, introduces us to two couples that find safe havens in the insular world of a traveling Yiddish theater troupe. IN THE LION'S DEN introduces us to Daniel Bercovich, a young man in the first throes of finding his identity. Can the man he comes to love accept a new side to him?
Yuval Smolenski finds more than the inspiration for his music, he finds something everlasting in FROM STAGE TO STAGE. These Jewish men in love must deal not only with the stigma of that love but also fear the rise of anti-Semitism. Can their love survive all the forces that surround them?
Well, what do you think?

Guest Blogger ~ Jason Edding, a new star!

2008-10-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

JB: I'd like to thank ManLoveRomance Press debut author Jason Edding for joining me at The Sweet Flag today. Jason is the author of Dark Robe Heart: Dark Robe Society 1 part of the two author anthology, Space Escapes with Angela Fiddler. So, Jason, first, let's get the nittygritty out of the way, tell us a little about yourself.

JE: Thank you Jeanne for having me today. I was born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My family is fairly large. I have nine brothers and sisters, and while we still lived on the Cape, we had a virtual farm of animals living with us. Cats, dogs, a skunk, rabbits, a snake, a turtle and I'm not sure, but possibly one or two other wild animals. I was too young to remember all of these critters, because when I was four we moved to Maine. I started reading when I was pretty young and we moved around a lot, so books became very important to me.

JB: Can you tell us about the premise of your story? Since the title says Dark Robe Heart: Dark Robe Society 1 I'd suspect we'll be seeing another story in the series. Will this be a stand alone or do you envision doing it as another novella with one of MLR Press's wonderful cadre of authors?
JE: Jack Harrow is a clone who has escaped to find his own life. At first he thinks all he wants is to get away from it, but he realizes he wants to destroy the Dark Robe Society and end their total domination of the world. They are the world leaders. They control the military, and in fact there is nothing they don't control. He meets Edge Fland who has been sent to kill him and return with something Jack has that the Dark Robes want.
Yes, Dark Robe Heart is book one. When this story came to me, I envisioned a huge world and I keep telling a friend of mine, 'this story could go on forever.' I am currently working on the sequel. The title is Dark Robe Edges and will have not only Jack and Edge returning, but two new heroes: Alton Tees and Toren Mir. This story will tell how they go against the Dark Robes and their leader, the Hierarch Ernst Venderhem... As of yet whether it will be a novella or stand alone is up in the air. LOL

JB: Do you think you might incorporate your love of cats in your stories? I know this might sound a bit weird, but when we got our little kitties earlier this year, I wound up putting a cat in a sequel I was working on.
JE: I have another story on the back burner involving vampires and a young book collector, who just so happens to have a cat who has the same name as my kitty, so yes, I have every intention of having lots of cats in my stories. I have to plug them now and then. LOL

JB: Did you find your love of astronomy made it easier to write a story that takes place in space?

JE: I found that my love of astronomy spurred me on to write sci-fi. I have countless astronomy books and I'm always searching for more information. The universe is so vast and we'll never know it all. I've found the Hubble images of the universe to be thought provoking. And every time astronomers find a new planet out there, it's exciting! So, to answer your question, yes, it certainly helped me write.

JB: An author can choose the genres in which they write. What led you to write not only a sci/fi story, but one with gay characters?
JE: Hmm, writing sci-fi and gay romance. Well, I've always found it fun and interesting to write gay erotica. To write a love story between two men is something I've always wanted to do. To have them in a sci-fi, space, futuristic environment at the same time is just icing on the cake. Besides, it's really so much fun to create the passion.

JB: What's on the horizon for you? Will you be doing any stories not in the Dark Robe world?
JE: On my horizons. Well, I have the vampire novella/novel that I'm working on from time to time, and I've got an idea for a totally new sci-fi story that may or may not take place on the planet Saturn. I've always wanted to write a fantasy novel, but no plans for one yet. Those won't be in the Dark Robe world. However, in my mind, the Dark Robe world may be here for a long, long time.

JB: Now for something totally frivolous: What are your favorite scifi shows or films and if you could, what two heroes do you think would make a hot couple?
JE: Favorite tv shows? Hmm, I love Battlestar Galactica. I mean, I froth over it. The new version. Omg, what a fantastic show! Also I watch M*A*S*H five days a week. My mom and I would watch it together, and she has passed away. It's one of my ways of remembering her and her laughter. Two heroes that would make a hot couple... oh boy. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. LOL That's my dream couple. I'd love to know what readers think.
Thank you Jeanne, this has been a great time for me.

JB: You're quite welcome. I always love having guys visit The Sweet Flag!

EXCERPT:
Jack shrugged. "When one show stops, another begins soon after."

"Shit, I'm living in here." Edge guzzled his liquor, until only half still remained.

"I found a contact with the information we need," Jack told him, fingering his bottle.

Edge leaned close. "Yeah? Where?" He looked around the dim joint.

"The owner. Don't worry about that part, the less you know for now, the better," Jack replied quickly.

Edge smiled at Jack and shrugged. "Too many secrets spoil the fun, Jack."

Jack placed his hand on Edge's. "I'm glad you liked the show, because they've already picked the next two guys to fuck."

Edge clanked his bottle against Jack's. "Good, I'm not even close to being satisfied. That young guy had a hot cock and a sweet ass; I'm surprised he's down here." He threw his head back and stretched to the ceiling. "Hot ass...wonder if I could get him out of here and to our bed."

Jack nodded slowly. "That young guy has probably been bought and sold more times than you've pissed on the ground," Jack told him. Edge had told him he liked to be one with nature, back on Earth. Jack had wished he had been there to see it, but hearing it was the next best thing.

"Good, there'll be a new show soon." Then he added, "Part of the deal I made was that the next two men to go into that cubicle to fuck will be you and me." Jack grinned, but he was frowning behind the mask.

"What?" Edge's mouth dropped open and he let his bottle drop, spilling half of its contents across the table and his lap.

Copyright 2008 Jason Edding