Friday, June 22, 2012

Manga and Romance Blog Hop


I'm a huge Manga fan - or more specifically Yaoi fan. Yaoi is "boy love" (M/M).

Koisuru Boukun, by Takanaga Hinako
I have a lot of yaoi books in my bookshelf and I never tire of reading them. The art is beautiful, the stories are romantic and they very often make me laugh too with the jokes and humor (in fact, yaoi humor has influenced my own m/m writing). My favorite yaoi authors are Nakamura Shungiku (Junjou Romantica and Seakiichi Hatsukoi), Takanaga Hinako (Koisuru Boukun), Sakuragi Yaya (Renai Kyoutei Nukegake Nashi!), and Minase Masara (Gokujou no Koibito). But there are others who are amazing as well. 

Gokujou no Koibito, by Minase Masara
I came from yaoi to m/m romance and I discovered that there are different rules to the two. M/M romance is more realism, more serious, while yaoi is often lighter. That is not to say that yaoi is only comics in the comical sense. Works like Koisuru Boukun and Sekaiichi Hatsukoi are very deep and my heart gets wrenched out every time I read them. A yaoi book can affect me as much as a romance book can - sometimes even more - both with the story line and with the facial expressions. The phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" is very true when it comes to yaoi.

Kousuru Boukun by Takanaga Hinako
Other differences is that in yaoi, the roles of top and bottom are usually fixed. There's no switching. The bottom is the smaller, effeminate guy who also tends to be hot tempered and often inexperienced in sex and sometimes also quite oblivious/innocent. The top is the taller, more masculine and is often the one who has a calm, patient temperament and is more experienced. Things are not always that way though and I haven't found two yaoi stories with exact same kind of characters (it's amazing how the authors can create unique characters), but I have only once seen the fixed-top/bottom rule broken. 

Okay, I'll stop now. Seriously, I could go on forever, hehe. This is supposed to be a giveaway ^.^ (yes, I got that emoticon from manga...).

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi by Nakamura Shungiku
Before I get to the good part, if there's any yaoi fan out there who'd like to try m/m romance, I had a new release yesterday and it's free! Half-Baked Promises can be downloaded from Goodreads (pdf, ePub, and mobi formats - download pdf to read from your computer screen if you don't have an e-reader).

I'm offering one of my books to two people who comment below along with their email address. Please state which book you would like to have if you win. If you don't want to leave your email address on the internet then feel free to contact me at eripike at gmail dot com (don't forget to say which book you'd like to win. I will do a random drawing for winners and contact them on Monday.

What do I have to offer? One of the below:

A Life Without You:
Jesse's like a bar of soap: the tighter Adam holds on, the faster Jesse slips away. Or thats how it feels to Adam. It doesnt help that Jesse has a girlfriend back home and claims to be straight, but there's no way with all the sparks and physical intimacy flying between the two roommates.

When Adam believes he has reached his ultimate happiness, the bedroom walls come crashing down with a visit from Jesses girlfriend.

Now Jesse has to decide if he can come to terms with his sexuality, while Adam has to learn to accept that Jesse might never be able to crawl out of the closet.

Absolutely Eric:
Eric Wesley is short and snazzy, hot and happy. Or thats what he thought. After three years of living on the wild side hes tired of being a playboy and wants to find love.

Eric, however, has never been in love before and doesnt see that the guy whos been gazing at him all summer might be Mr. Right. Alexander Centauri isnt only style-less and clumsy, but also terribly awkward. After a miserable date, Eric plants Alex on another guys lap and goes after Mr. Wrongwho looks so right.

When Eric realizes his mistake, it might be too late.

Hot Hands:
For weeks, college student Casper has been the victim of sail-by goosing and groping. The problem is that Casper would very much like to get more than groped by those wonderful, big, hot hands. 

With a journal full of clues, he sets out to discover who his mystery groper is. However, he may be in serious trouble once he discovers the ominous identity, trouble that has nothing to do with the light bondage involved.




Grade-A-Sex Deal:
When College professor Daniel Corrigan was brutally kicked out of his home after revealing his true sexuality to his wife, he had to make a whole new life for himself. For the first time in two years Daniels main heartache isnt the none-existent relationship with his two kids, but the fact that the grade-A-sex deal with his student Troy Anderson is about to expire. After a whole semester of office fun, Troy has managed to squeeze his way into the core of Daniels soul. Daniel, however, is positive hes nothing more to Troy but a teacher who can modify a grade.




The Walls Have Ears:
Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each others voices, but they have never met in person.

When Harleys roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome.

When Harleys affections shift to Tasha, his heartache hits an all time high because with all the girls hanging around, Tasha has to be straight.

But there's more!

We're offering a grand prize to one of the people who comment on any of the blogs in this hop. You can gain one entry for every blog you comment on. You can find more info here (but really, you just have to comment on the blogs, leave your email, and you will be entered).

As for me, I have a follow button I'd love for you to push - if you're interested in keeping up with me and whatever silly things I have to say (oh, and updates about book releases and such). I also have a newsletter option, if you want to get news in your email box. I'm also on facebook and twitter. You can find all these buttons on the right side of this blog. None of this is necessary to take part in this giveaway though.

Are you a yaoi author? I'd love to swap a book of mine for a book of yours, if you're interested :)

First impressions in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi below. Don't you just love Takano San? ^.^

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, by Nakamura Shungiku
Here are the other blog participants:

46 comments:

  1. I love Yaoi and am super sad I didn't participate in this blog hop. Minase Masara is one of my faves, love all that pretty artwork. Right now I am kinda obsessed with Ike Reibun so freaking awesome.

    I read so much Yaoi, I think it does wonderful things for sexuality on a whole. Sometimes with the cross dressing, and feminine characters. There is wide representation of gay men even though they can be difficult lol.

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    1. Oh my freck! I just googled images of Ike Reibun (though I was pretty sure I'd seen that name before) and I soooo need to read him now. Wow, those images are great.

      I had my nose stuck in yaoi for about seven months before I got into m/m romance, hehe.

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  2. I have not read any Yaoi but it looks interesting. I thoroughly enjoy M/M and graphic novels so I don't think it would be much of a jump for me ;)

    sionedkla@gmail.com

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    1. Oh you should definitely try. There are places like manga.animea.net and http://www.mangafox.com that have translated manga, though of course I recommend buying the ones that are officially translated and sold in English. Many aren't though, so you rely upon fans to "scanlate" them (erase the Japanese and put English instead on scanned pages).

      For a first, I highly recommend Koisuru Boukun. Morinaga just about tears my heart out with his sad facial expressions, hehe.

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  3. Honestly, I haven't read any Yaoi either. I don't know why because I'm sure I would really like it. I definitely love the artwork. :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    lkbherring64(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. If you already love the artwork, you'll definitely love the stories. They're amazing. I recommend Koisuru Boukun as a first read. Seakiichi Hatsukoi as a second read. I can't say which one is more of a favorite for me, but everyone falls for Koisuru.

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  4. I have not read Yaoi yet but am looking forward to it. I have read many of your books, but do not have Hot Hands, so that is my choice if I win.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  5. The Walls Have Ears sounds absolutely fantastic! I'll definitely check out Half-Baked Promises, too. My favorite yaoi series is SHOUT OUT LOUD...not as steamy as some others I've liked, but with a heartfelt yet quirky story and great characters. (And I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew! What a horrible, heartbreaking thing to happen. Please don't push yourself too hard, and take care!)

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Thanks. We're trying to cope with the loss.

      The heartfelt yaoi can be just as good, and sometimes better, than the steamy yaoi. It was the heartfelt yaoi that made me go out and seek m/m romance, because I wanted the substance, not just the sex. Not that I didn't get substance in yaoi, but I wanted more...because I'd probably read just about every yaoi I could find, hehe.

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  6. I love yaoi manga and anime! My favorite is Kousuru Boukun or Tyrant who Falls in Love!

    Thank you for participating in the give away!
    Tabatha Hansen
    mmparanormalromance@gmail.com
    mmparanormalromance.wordpress.com

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    1. That's one of my favorites too ^.^ I have the books that are out, but of course I've cheated and read what hasn't been officially published, because I couldn't wait, but I'm planning on buying those books, so...

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  7. I would absolutely love to get Absolutely Eric. I don't think I've read manga but the drawings look like the covers of some of my favorite books, so maybe I have.

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    1. The drawings are beautiful. My love for yaoi is probably why I love yaoi-like covers on m/m romances ^.^

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  8. Absolutely Eric would be my choice.I have not read any yaoi yet.Now I'm interested.
    cvsimpkins@msn.com

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    1. Just be forewarned, if you try yaoi, you might not get out again, hehe. Soooo addictive.

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  9. So many great new yaoi titles I'm picking up from this hop! Hi Erica! Thank for sharing! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

    charliecochet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Charlie ^.^ This hop is great, right?

      I'm not having such a great weekend, but it's nice to have events like these to get my mind off things.

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  10. I have not read too much Yaoi but would like to try some. If I win I would love to read hot Hands
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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    1. Hot Hands is a good choice, Debby :) You should definitely try yaoi - I recommend Koisuru Boukun as a first read.

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  11. I'm not here to enter. I wanted to thank you for participating and throw in my 2 cents about uke and seme switching roles: I think I've seen it once as well lol. If I ever come across it again, I'm saving the title in an extra special place.

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    1. Haha, yeah. I can't remember the name of the one I read, but I'd recognize the name if I saw it. It was very unconventional in almost everything regarding the story line, probably because it's an old yaoi. Thanks for organizing this ^.^

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  12. I so agree about the Yaoi manga! I love the art work and the stories. Some make me cry, others make me laugh till I cry!

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    1. Oh yes, I've shed more than a few tears over yaoi. More than I have actual m/m romance! They can be funny as hell too though.

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  13. Hello Erica, how are you Sweetie? Thank you for participating in the Manga and Romance Blog Hop.

    Yaoi is a new Genre to me, I haven't read any either, but I am LQQking forward to it.

    If I'm lucky enough to win, the book I would like to select would be "Grade-A-Sex Deal". With all the computer problems I have had, I can't open your Book 2 in the College Fun and Gays Series any longer. :( I am soooo bummed, I click on it & nothing happens. :( Thank you so much for this opportunity Erica in this very generous giveaway.

    Ohhhhhh & Thank You sooooo much Erica for being especially nice to your Fans, like you Always are :) , by offering your new release, "Half-Baked Promises" for free Goodreads. You are sooooo Nice to Us. :) I'll be sure & download my copy tomarrow.

    Take Care Erica, Sending Cyber Hugs Your Way & Stay Naughty,
    PaParanormalFan Renee’ S.
    paranormalromancefan at yahoo dot com

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    1. You're welcome, Reneé. You should definitely look into yaoi, I can almost guarantee you'll love it...so much that you'll become addicted, hehe. It's truly amazing art and the stories just suck you in. Try manga.animea.net and http://www.mangafox.com and see if you like anything there.

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  14. Where to start? First, I loved your post. Second, Koisuru Bouken is so funny, even if he acts like he doesn't want it. Actually that's the funniest part of the story to me. The bottle of 'liquor' he drinks, always cracks me up.

    And Takano? Mmmm, probably the sexiest Seme ever. I'm very much team Takano. Lol. Isn't it amazing how an artist can capture that still image of a character's eyes and you just *know* how they're feeling? Yaoi is incredible in that sense, because not only are you reading, but you're experiencing the story visually, therefore tugging at a few more heartstrings. Seakiichi Hatsukoi hit the nail on the head in that department. So many feelings, so little page, but it was done and done well.

    Okay, I have to stop. I could ramble about Yaoi forever. :) Thanks for sharing, Erica!

    ~Night Tempest♥

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    1. Oh yes, Takano is definitely the sexiest seme ever. He can dominate me any day, lol.

      Souichi is a bulldog, but a funny one. I love his temper attacks, but watching Morinaga go through all the heartache just pinches my heart (I'm a big Morinaga fan, he can dominate me any day too - in fact, he'd probably be a lot nicer to live with than Takano, haha).

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  15. The more I read about yaoi, the more I see I REALLY need to check it out lot, lol. I do love the art work, which should tell me all I need to know. *Grin*

    Absolutely Eric (all your books actually) looks great. I'd love to read it. :)

    Hope your weekend looks up.

    ~M
    nomoretears00@hotmail.com

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    1. Thanks M :)

      Yes, you really need to check it out - but be forewarned, you'll likely get sucked in :P That can be a good and bad thing. I've gotten some great inspiration out of yaoi, but I read it slowly to experience all the feelings, so it's time consuming (for me).

      Thanks for stopping by ^.^

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  16. I, like a lot of people it seems, have not really explored the world of manga, but with this hop that is going to change! Thank you for sharing your views and experiences, I find myself even more intrigued!

    Lillywriting@gmail.com

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    1. Yeah, I have a feeling we've turned more m/m romance readers to yaoi than we have yaoi readers to m/m romance, lol. Probably because us m/m readers keep gushing over yaoi.

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  17. I have thoroughly explored the world of manga and am just starting in on the world of written mxm romance! I am really looking forward to reading your story, and it is always great to meet more people who share my interests! Krowhop@gmail.com

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    1. Oooh! Yaoi reader! Welcome ^.^ Hope you enjoy the story.

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  18. Hi Erica,

    Great post! ^.^ You mentioned the fixed roles in yaoi as well. ^^ I'm going to work on trying to switch my guys up a little. Some of them anyway. :P

    I'm not here to enter the drawing, simply because the blurbs to your books really intrigued me and I kind of went and bught them all. (Yes, I'm a very impatient person.) I'm so looking forward to reading them all! ^__^

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    1. Wow! I'm honored ^.^ Thanks so much.

      Yeah, I have to remind myself to switch up the roles sometimes, because I do tend to make an uke and seme. I'm getting better at it though, after having written and read more m/m romances.

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  19. Love the images from The Tyrant Falls in Love (man the Japanese title is SO much shorter!). It's the only manga I try to actually keep up with online. ;) And I watched both seasons of Sakai-ich Hatsukoi and hope for more!

    If I win, I'd like Absolutely Eric.

    Thanks!!

    lina7391(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. God, yeah, I made the effort to learn how to spell Koisuru Boukun, because the other title is just too long, lol. It's the same with Seakiichi Hatsukoi (World's Greatest First Love...). Okay, maybe not so long, but it sounds a bit funny in English.

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  20. I enjoyed the post; it was a great read.

    I'm a big yaoi manga and anime fan. I also love m/m novels, romance, mystery, fantasty, etc.

    Two of my favorite yaoi mangas are Junjo Romantica and The Finders series.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks Tracey :)

      Junjou was my first ever yaoi and it totally got me hooked. I loved it, but I loved Seaki ichi Hatsukoi even more (same author: Nakamura Shungiku).

      Okay, *sigh* time to get my butt of this chair and clean the apartment. I've done everything I possibly can on the computer now to stall, lol.

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  21. Ooh, thanks for getting me on this hop, Erica! I love yaoi (and m/m!), so I'm definitely checking on every single stop. :)

    Ashley E
    ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. Yeah, I love the idea of this hop. Why did no one come up with it sooner? lol.

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  22. This was a very interesting post, especially the point you make about the "rules" being different in yaoi and m/m. When it comes to storytelling, I am an avid rule breaker, which is probably why I like trying to mix some of the conventions of yaoi with the conventions of m/m. In my yaoi reading, I tend to prefer the stories that don't stick as closely to the rules of yaoi. And since I grew up reading mostly yaoi and literary fiction (odd combination, right?), I really don't make much of an attempt to stick to the so-called rules of the romance genre in my m/m writing. To me, a good story is a good story, and the genre label is something you paste onto it after you're done putting together your good story.

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    1. Yeah, I break the rules all the time and skirt people's morals. I also get a slap on the wrist for it from readers every time, lol. Some don't mind it, but some get very furious if I write something that doesn't agree with their morals (no matter if I solve it in the book and provide a lovely HEA). But they have a right to complain, since they're spending money on my books.

      The question for me is, do I keep people content and stick to the rules, or do I continue...bending them? Easy-breezy romances with little conflict tend to get boring, so I guess I'll continue bending ;)

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  23. Hey Erica! Great post. I've actually read all your books. Yaio is new to me but I'm going to have to check it out after this blog hop.

    angietate2002@yahoo.com

    AJ

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    1. Definitely, and if you need recommendations, shoot me mail ;)

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