Monday, July 29, 2013

Cover Reveal! Black Hurricane (Gay rock stars!)


Hey guys,

Remember that gorgeous cover I revealed a couple of months back? The one made by Zathyn Priest? Well, I'm using it for a different story, because he just had to go and make a new cover and I HAD to have it. Looking at the picture, you can see why! Other than missing a tattoo, he's perfect as Dean McQueen, the lead singer of Black Hurricane.

Speaking of, you may be wondering when the book will be released. All I know is that I sent in the final edits today, it's been forwarded to formatting and the MLR Press site says it'll be out in August. I know! It's almost August!

Want to know what it's about? Okay, here's the blurb:

Twenty-three year old Jasper Jones fell in love with Dean McQueen at fourteen, but after a disastrous relationship, Jazz would like nothing better than to see the rock star choke on his own vomit.

After a catastrophic reunion, Dean seems bent on destroying Jazz’s life. It all started when an impromptu bar performance ended up on YouTube and Jazz became an internet sensation overnight. The name “Jazdean” keeps popping up in headlines and the paparazzi stalk his every move. To make matters worse, Jazz is about to end up on the streets for the second time in his life. 

In a desperate attempt to keep his home, Jazz signs a deal with Dean’s band, Black Hurricane, to perform at a couple of concerts. It feels like one of Dean’s feeble attempts to get Jazz back, but painted into a corner like he is, Jazz has no choice.

So:
Sex - check
Drugs - small check
Rock 'n' roll - check
Leather - check
Jeans - check
Angst - check
Eric - check
Fun humor - check
Hot Boston boys - check check check

There you go :) I cannot wait to share it with the world! It's 79k long, which means it's a little longer than Absolutely Eric (78k) and a lot longer than A Life Without You (73k). 

It deserves to be displayed a little bigger, yeah?


Saturday, July 27, 2013

The College Fun and Gays Anthologies are out!


On All Romance eBooks, anyway ^.^ I uploaded them to Amazon last night and they should be up there today. 

These are two different anthologies with 3 stories in each. The word count is around 41,000 words in each. As explained before, I'm pricing them at $3.99, which means $1.99 a book for Anthology One (because Hot Hands is free), and $1.33 a book in Anthology Two. These will also be available in print sometime in August for $6.99 each (yes, I will bring some to GRL).

I've raised the prices of the individual books to $2.99 - HOWEVER, I'm in the process of uploading them to Smashwords (yes, I beat their meatgrinder!) and I've generated a coupon for the books that are currently up there. These coupons expire on August 15th 2013. Furthermore, I've put a discount on the books at ARe, so they cost $1.99 until August 15th.

Smashwords coupons:

Cold Hands: QX92Z
The Walls Have Ears: ZK64X
Little Stalker: VV83C
Welcome, Brother: AN82M
Grade-A-Sex Deal: EQ53B

(You can also see the coupons on the College Fun and Gays page under each title.)

The ARe purchase links for the anthologies are here: One and Two


Friday, July 26, 2013

Fun Facts with Edmond Manning!


I cannot believe I got Edmond Q. Manning to do fun facts with me and I cannot believe I didn't ask him sooner! I shouldn't be surprised he accepted, he's a very fun guy. I met him at GRL last year and I'm very much looking forward to hang out with him again this year. I've made him an honorary Viking, because he'd fit right in here in Iceland, and dubbed him Edmond the Fierce (because he battles zombies in his spare time...or at least plans to once the zombie apocalypse breaks out).


1. First off, I lied about my middle initial being Q. It’s not. 


What do you mean, you lied?? Just for that, I'm sticking a picture of John Cleese as Q instead of that new hottie Ben Whishaw (God, Ben's soooo hot!)

2. For many years I had a favorite shirt, thick yellow and blue stripes. It dissolved after many, many wears. Then, I purchased a new favorite shirt, dubbed Favorite Shirt II because it was also thick yellow and blue striped. After many years use, I lost Favorite shirt II on a tubing trip. Somewhere along the way it drifted quietly down the river, like an Eskimo death for the elderly. I think I miss ‘Favorite Shirt II’ more than I do ‘Favorite Shirt.’

Men and yellow shirts. Douglas Black has one too, though is isn't lost because he's not allowed to wear it outside.

Edmond's jam.
3. Generally, I don’t eat jam. I've got nothing against jam but when I’m eating toast, I’ll only use jam about 15% of the time. I love blueberry jam best, strawberry second, raspberry third. I also make a ton of raspberry jam from the raspberries in my back yard and give jars as birthday gifts and as a host/hostess gift when they invite me over to dinner. 

So that's what all that jam's for? I was wondering if you were stocking up for the apocalypse, maybe to pull a possum act and use as fake blood if the zombies come into your house. 

4. I own Return To Gilligan’s Island on DVD, a 50 cent buy from a Blockbuster’s bin years ago but I’m afraid to watch it because it’s going to make me sad and feel weird about that TV show. I’m not sure if Gilligan’s Island was big in Iceland, but it was a staple of my childhood. Do I really want to watch them turn that lonely deserted island into a resort? I think there was a “special” where the Harlem Globetrotters visited Gilligan’s Island. Ish. I’m afraid to watch it.

It never aired in Iceland, but every respectable adult in Iceland knows that Americans love Gilligan's Island.

Believed to have been the property
of the mythological creature,
Edmondus Manningus.
(Photo by Xandert)
5. I buried a small treasure, something I value, at the base of a redwood tree in Muir Woods in northern California outside San Francisco. The tree is off the path and pretty far back in the woods, so I’m confident it will never be found, certainly never by me. But I like to believe someone will discover it, perhaps hundreds of years from now.

6. I never cheated on a test in high school or college. Tempted, yes. I remembered and profited from previous students who would share stuff like, ‘this professor likes essay questions about Chaucer…’ But never consciously cheated. 

I did. Once. I couldn't remember how to say "boots" in Danish and my friend (unasked) wrote it on her eraser and gave it to me. I've never forgotten that word since, so you see, people learn best from cheating!

7. My mom once told me that if I had been born on August 1st, they were going to name me ‘Augustus.’ I would have been Augustus Manning. Weird. Probably would have gone by Gus Manning. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have been the same person if I had been named Gus.

If you'd be different as Gus, then I'm glad you weren't born on August 1st ;)

8. I had skin cancer in my twenties. I had a melanoma removed (those are the kind that successfully kill you). There’s a long story about how I got diagnosed and treated, but the short version is that an administrative secretary behind a desk was the first person to take my concerns seriously and she snuck me into a cancelled appointment the next day instead of making me wait four months for an appointment. I would have been dead. That administrative secretary saved my life. 

Wow, I'm so glad she did *hugs*

An egg to be defiled deviled...
and devoured.
(Photo by DuBoix)
9. At parties, I always want more deviled eggs than I allow myself to eat. I know what a pain they are to make. I want to eat twelve of them, but I limit myself so that others can enjoy them, too. But if there were 300 deviled eggs on the table and no one was in danger of not getting any, there is possibly no limit to how many I would consume.

I've never had a deviled egg. They look yummy.

10. I always wished I had black hair. I think black hair is sexy as hell. 

Ohhh, me too. Sexiest ever. Seriously, ask my cousin, Thora. We strongly disagree on this matter.

Edmond has just released his second novel, King Mai:


Adopted from Thailand and never one to fit in with the local bubbas, life has been rough around the edges for Mai Kearns, even before he came out of the closet. Now, almost ten years past the torture of high school, Mai still can't catch a break: he and his parents stand to lose their beloved farm.

How will a “King Weekend” help change Mai’s fate? What has narrator Vin Vanbly been up to for the four weeks he’s been sneaking around Mai’s hometown? At the urging of a ransom note from ‘The Lost Kings,’ Mai embarks on an impossible treasure hunt chasing mystic poetry, Fibonacci Hopscotch, ancient prophecy, the letter ‘x,’ and a confounding, penguin-marching army.

The stakes are high: if Mai fails, the Lost Kings will permanently claim him as their own. Finding the treasure may unlock the secret to saving his family farm. But can this angry farmer risk opening his broken heart before the weekend is over? Mai Kearns has 40 hours to get very, very curious in this second installment of The Lost and Founds.

Available on Amazon and ARe.

Curious about the first book? Here's King Perry:

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Amazon Royalty System

Hi guys,

I don't know how many of you know about Amazon's royalty system, but this is what they offer:

70% for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus transfer fees)
35% for books priced below $2.99 and above $9.99

35%? Nuts, isn't it? 

The College Fun and Gays series has sold surprisingly well. It has sold more copies on All Romance eBooks than Amazon and I'm grateful for that. Right now, my books are priced $1.99 and $0.99. I wanted to keep the prices low so people could more easily afford them. However, I am hardly seeing any royalty from Amazon at these prices. Amazon price-matches, so I can't have it $1.99 in one place and $2.99 on Amazon. It wouldn't be fair to Amazon customers either.  

So, this is what I'm going to do: I'm going to bump up the prices of the books to $2.99 after a couple of days. This still gives you time to buy them at a lower price until then (probably Saturday). In return, I'm going to publish the anthologies before I increase the prices. There are two of them, three stories in each book. The anthologies will be priced at $3.99 each. That's less than a Starbucks Frappuccino (yes, I can already hear you think "I'd rather have the Frappuccino" - bad example. Let's go with a cup of coffee and a blueberry scone - okay now I'm just hungry...). Anthology One contains Hot Hands, which is free, so you're really buying the two other stories for $1.99 each. For Anthology Two, it will be $1.33 per story.


I might also publish another anthology with the whole lot in it and price it at $6.99 (it's 81,500 words, $1.40 per story if I don't count Hot Hands, $1.16 if I do). I don't know when this will be, if I do it.

So, kids, what does this teach us? That Erica is a greedy girl? Nah, I'm just trying to make a living like everyone else. I don't really make that much from my books as is. No, this teaches us that Amazon forces people to increase the prices of ebooks. On the flip side, Amazon is "protecting" those who are selling novel-length books. Those people won't have to price their 300-page volumes at $0.99 to stay competitive. On the other end they're "protecting" customers from having to spend more than $9.99 for an eBook. However, I think Amazon should re-consider their policy based on book length. They should allow people to sell short stories and short novellas for less than $2.99 and still get the 70% royalty (or 60%, or whatever, just not 35%!).

The 3-pack anthologies will also be available in print, but not right away (in August, hopefully) for $6.99.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Five Bestsellers in Eight Days


I know, it shocks me too. The first in the series, Hot Hands, is free and it ranks very highly in its categories (currently 5th in Romance), 1st in Romance > New Adult, and 23rd in Romance > Erotic Romance).

Yes, I'm talking about the College Fun and Gays series. Three titles sat in the Top 50 Bestsellers list on All Romance eBooks last Friday while four titles had earned their stars as a category bestseller. 

Cold Hands: Top 50 and category
The Walls Have Ears: Top 50 and category
Welcome, Brother: Category
Little Stalker: Category

Grade-A-Sex Deal is no longer in the Top 50, it was first to reach it and first to go, but Cold Hands and The Walls Have Ears are still there :) 

Cold Hands also reached the top 100 list on Amazon. The only screenshot I captured was the 16th place in Erotica, but I have no idea if it went higher (damn time differences). I don't know if the other titles reached the top 100 there, since you don't get a notification and I failed to check. When I checked on Cold Hands, they weren't in the top 100, so let's just assume they never made it. Most of the sales have gone through All Romance eBooks anyway ^.^


This is my first "OMIGOSH" post of this kind, so I hope you'll bear with me. I'm afraid this will come off as if I'm bragging, but I'm really just very excited about the success of these stories. It was so unexpected. Four of these titles are republished (five, if we include Hot Hands), and one is brand new. A Life Without You and Hot Hands earned their stars on All Romance eBooks last year, but I didn't know about it back then. It wasn't until much later that I discovered it. This is why you're currently seeing me with stars in my eyes and a huge grin on my face; this is my first real success report. 

But it's not about bragging. I'm thankful to everyone who bought one of these books (and my other books), and continue to be thankful. I'm also thankful to Douglas Black for editing the series, and Zathyn Priest who made these lickalicious covers. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, all, for unintentionally bringing a smile to my face. I hope you like the books ^.^

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Reader Appreciation: Win a College Fun and Gays eBook


I'm taking part in The Sweet Spot's Reader Appreciation Day. Head on over to sign up :) Plenty of books in the pot. If you win my prize, you may choose from one of the College Fun and Gays eBooks. You'll need to either have a Yahoo account or sign up for one, unfortunately, but this contest is held every month with various prizes. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Excerpt: Cold Hands


The red, pink and blue lights of the wheel spin so fast you can hardly see the carts with people in it. Good luck to him. I don’t really like fast rides. Except if Cass wants to go.
Looking down at him, I relax at the reluctant expression on his face. He looks so gorgeous in his dark, grey woolen coat and thick blue scarf. Every time he exhales, little clouds of steam puff out of his mouth. He doesn't move away when I sneak my hand to the small of his back, guiding him to some of the funfair games. 
I let go of him and we walk side by side. 
“What do you wanna do?” I ask as we walk between the booths, our fingers brushing now and then, sending sparks through my system every time. 
“I don’t know,” he says, but then spots something interesting behind me. “Shoot ducks?”
He answers my big grin with a shy smile, walking ahead of me to the stand. It’s decorated like everything else in the park in red, white and green Christmas decorations. 
“Let’s play for something, all right?” I ask while we wait our turn.
“Like what?” he asks, a little gleam in his eyes I don’t see too often. It makes him look damn sexy. Not that he isn't sexy all the time.
“Like a kiss,” I murmur, leaning toward him with a wide smile. 
“Not here,” Cass whispers, pushing me back, but there’s a playful smirk on his face. 
“Okay.” I step up behind him to whisper in his ear. “If I win, you’ll make out with me on the Ferris wheel.”
“And if I win?” he asks, twisting his torso to look up at me.
“You can ask one thing of me.”
“One thing?”
“Yes.” I steal a touch by sliding my hands along the rough fabric on his coat, over his stomach. “Whatever you want, and I’ll try my best to make it happen.”
“Deal,” he says, still looking up at me, still with that playful gleam in his eyes. 
For a moment we just stand like that, gazing at each other. I’d just have to bend down a bit to kiss him. It looks like he wants me to, but he asked me not to earlier. Does he want to now? I lower my head a little, just to test the waters. He tilts his head up in return.
“Hey!” I jump back at the loud yell from the booth, taking in the middle-aged guy with a black beard. “You guys are up.”
We step away from each other and Cass picks up a riffle. 
“You’re gonna lose,” he mutters, taking his aim as I hand the supervisor a ticket and let out a laugh.
“No way. Got a date to impress,” I say back, watching him as he waits with that little smile still on his lips.
The man flicks a switch and starts busying himself with arranging toys. A line of wooden ducks starts moving back and forth and Cass shoots the first one down. And another. And another. I gawk as he shoots them down one by one until none are left standing. He even has a shot to spare. Cass lowers the riffle with a shy grin.
“Wow,” says the bearded guy, raising the ducks and stopping their movement. “Pick a prize.” He points at the big stuffed animals lining the top shelf.
“Ummm…the zebra,” Cass says. He stuffs the huge animal under his arm, the four long legs dangling.
“Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?” I ask.
“Joey’s dad runs a shooting range. Did I win already?”
“Not so fast,” I say with a laugh, picking up the riffle and taking my aim. The guy flicks the switch again, now a little more interested in the game. Just as I’m about to pull the trigger, Cass gently bumps into me. I jerk back and miss my target.
The beard guy shakes his head and continues arranging the stuffed toys.
I glance back at Cass who’s got his face half buried behind the zebra’s head, looking back at me all innocent. I chuckle and take another aim.
A black zebra hoof “accidentally” brushes against my face when I take my second shot, missing the duck by a foot.
“Casper?” I say, trying hard to keep the laughter out of my voice.
He looks all innocent again. “Oh, sorry.”
Shaking my head I go for the third shot, but then I feel this cool hand brush against the back of my jeans just as I pull the trigger. “So, it’s gonna be like that, huh?” I ask, barely holding in my laughter.
“Like what?” asks Cass from behind the zebra.
I end up winning a tiny pink dog key chain for shooting one duck—a duck next to the one I was aiming at. Cass breaks out in laughter every time he sees it.

$1.99 on Amazon and All Romance eBooks

New Release: Cold Hands (Gay, College, Bullying)


Finally! You've been waiting so long and so have I. Cold Hands is the sequel to Hot Hands and contains a BIG spoiler if read first. To make it easier on people, I've made Hot Hands FREE

Cold Hands:

“Hot-Hands” and Casper have been dating for a month, but their relationship is about as smooth as shattered glass. It doesn't help that Hot-Hands is racked with guilt over his high school bullying of Casper, or that Casper darts away whenever his boyfriend gets a little too frisky.

Desperate to hang onto Casper, Hot-Hands tries to earn back the trust he destroyed years ago, so they can face their disastrous past and have a chance at a happy future. 

Cold Hands focuses on high school bullying for being gay. 

$1.99 on Amazon and All Romance eBooks.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Re-Release: Little Stalker (College, Gay, Internal Homophobia)


Little Stalker has been re-released :)

It's even up on Amazon already. All Romance eBooks as well. $1.99

Blurb:

College student Coby is being stalked by a young guy and has no idea why until someone suggests that the stalker may have a crush on him. The idea both excites and terrifies Coby, who is so deep in the closet he can barely manage to think the word “gay” without freaking out.

Little Stalker focuses on the deep, dark closet.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Re-Release: The Walls Have Ears (Gay, College, New Adult)


Here's the next one :) Only two more to go and then I can focus on other things ^.^ Little Stalker will be out tomorrow and Cold Hands the day after, if nothing goes wrong. Again, edited by Douglas Black and cover by Zathyn Priest.

$1.99 on All Romance eBooks and Amazon.

Blurb:

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 other’s voices, but they have never met in person. In fact, he doesn't know a single thing about his wall-mate except that he looks and sounds incredibly hot. 

When Harley’s roommate, Ryan, is asked 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. 

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Re-Release: Grade-A-Sex Deal - Crazy Hot Cover!


Don't you just want to lick the both of them? Droooooool. Again, cover by Zathyn Priest and edits by Douglas Black

$0.99 on All Romance eBooks and Amazon (soon).

Blurb:

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 Daniel’s main heartache isn't 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 Daniel’s soul. Daniel, however, is positive he’s nothing more to Troy but a teacher who can modify a grade.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Re-relase: Welcome, Brother (M/M, College, Fraternity)


And now they come rolling in ^.^ I've already formatted two other CFaG stories and they'll be out over the next couple of days. Hopefully, they'll all be out of my hands by the beginning of next week - Cold Hands included - so I can focus on other things.

Welcome, Brother had a different cover as this is the second edition. It's been edited by Douglas Black and the cover is by Zathyn Priest at Scarlet Tie Designs.

Blurb:

When arts student Kyler Morris applies for membership to The Nova Britannia Brotherhood, he's immediately floored by their intimidating leader, Hunter Kingsley. Fellow arts student Hunter, however, isn't the bad-ass he's made out to be and takes Kyler under his wing.


While Kyler struggles to keep his crush under control and his sexuality hidden from the Brothers, Hunter battles daemons of his own in the form of two Brothers who aren't playing by the rules.


Welcome Brother focuses on acceptance in college and gay bashing.


$1.99 on All Romance eBooks and Amazon 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Fun Facts With Douglas Black


Remember Douglas Black? He's my editor for the College Fun and Gays series. We've gotten along great and, since I think he's a funny guy, I asked him to do Fun Facts in honor of his new release, A Secret Love.

1. When I started working on archaeological digs, I named my trowels. One is called Indie; the other is called Junior. When I qualified I had their names engraved on them. (I am by no means the only archaeologist to have a bit of a thing for Indiana Jones!)

You know how my eyesight is still blurry? I read "towels" and went "Okay, that's just weird", lol.

2. My favourite shirt is a bright yellow Inka Kola t-shirt that I bought from a market stall in Cusco a few years ago. Sadly, on account of its garishness, I have been banned from wearing it outdoors. 

I went to look for an image of Inka Kola and my display driver crashed - not kidding. I can only imagine the effects a t-shirt would have!

3. As a student, I spent six months working on a flower farm on the Isles of Scilly. The experience bred in me a deep loathing of ‘scented pinks’.

I'm not a fan of the smell of roses either. 

4. I can recite the entire script of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory from memory. Perfectly. Talk about a misspent youth…

For me, it's the Interview with a Vampire ^.^ I bet everyone has one of these.

5. Venice is my favourite place on earth. I want to live there one day.

© IvanBliznetsov
6. My ex-boyfriend is now a Catholic priest. I really hope that decision wasn't entirely because of me!

He cannot love another mortal after loving you ;)

7. I can solve a standard 3x3x3 rubik’s cube in under three minutes. This ability, disappointingly, has not made me any more sexually attractive.

I can't even get three in a row...

8. I once reversed a Toyota Hilux off the edge of a cliff. It wasn't a big cliff, and I wasn't hurt, but it was painfully embarrassing considering I was working as an off-road driving instructor at the time.

© Dazdraperma
9. Garden peas taste like soap. I have conducted many experiments over the years, and have concluded this to be true.

How do you know what soap tastes like? ^.^

10. I am such a boring individual, I can’t think of a tenth fun fact about me. Which is pretty upsetting, actually…

I have one: Douglas lives in Scotland! That, in itself, is very interesting. I bet you have a kilt and wear it commando ;)

Thanks for stopping by, Doug! Or Dog, with my accent. Here's the blurb to your latest release:


A Secret Love

James is nervous when he pulls into the car park of the secluded and conservative Caledonian Hotel. He slips off his wedding ring, gives a false name at reception and checks into his room.

When Mark finally arrives James expects their time together to conform to the usual pattern, but Mark surprises him. Mark wants candlelit dinners and walks on the beach. James, well, James just wants to make up for lost time. More importantly, he doesn't want to get caught. They have six months left before they can leave behind everything they know and start a new life together and James is desperate to be discrete. Unfortunately, he never could control himself around Mark. Throw in an interfering old couple and some very public displays of affection and Mark and James’s short hotel stay might just be about to destroy not only the secrecy that has always shrouded their relationship, but also their plans for a future together.

Available on Amazon and Evernight Publishing




Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Re-release: Hot Hands (free)


I finally got Hot Hands out again and I'm working on the others. I decided to go the shelf-publishing route because I've been wanting to try it for a while. My editor for the College Fun and Gays series is Douglas Black and Zathyn Priest made the jaw-dropping covers.

The series can be read in any order, except for Hot Hands and Cold Hands (huge spoiler if you read Cold Hands first). Hot Hands will be free of charge, but I'll ask $0.99-$1.99 for the others, depending on length. 

You can download the new version of Hot Hands on All Romance eBooks. Hot Hands is up on Amazon, but it's going to take forever and a day for it to be free there, so if I make any money there for any of my free stories the money will go to an LGBT-related charity. If you have time, please help try to make it free :)

Here are the steps to make Hot Hands free on Amazon:

2. Scroll to Product Details
3  Click on "tell us about a lower price"
4. Choose "Website"
6. Put 0 in the price
7. Put 0 in shipping cost
8. Press the "Submit feedback" button

Thank you :)


Giveaway Winners

I'm a day late! Sorry about that. I've used random.org to find the two winners:

Christopher and Jean!

Congrats, guys ^.^ You have been contacted.
Thanks for playing, all :)

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blog Hops: Equal Rights and When Sparks Fly


I signed up for two blog hops taking place at the same time, but I just couldn't pass up the "Equal Rights Blog Hop". So, since there are two hops, I'm offering two prizes, but you only have to comment once to take part in both. 

First of all, happy 4th of July, those who are celebrating :) Secondly, What does being a member of the GLBT community means to me

I'm part of the GLBT writing and reading community, but I also have my little toe in the Icelandic GLBT community. I'm heterosexual (or a 1 on the Kinsey scale), but I am a member of the Samtökin 78, the only Icelandic GLBT organization, as a supporter. One affects the other. Since I started reading and writing M/M fiction, I've become increasingly active in GLBT rights over the web. I am a member of the organizations educational committee, so I am now able to get my ideas across, and possibly into action. My focus is on the schools. I want GLBT children to be able to feel safe in schools and not fear rejection and bullying. I was bullied as a kid, but like for most kids, it came out of nowhere and there was no tangible reason behind it. GLBT kids, on the other hand, know they run the risk of being bullied if the come out. I guess, to answer the question, I get a good feeling of trying to help make the world a safer place, whether it be trying to make things better for Icelandic GLBT kids or spreading the message about massacres of GLBT people in far away countries. 

Now, my prizes are a choice between A Life Without You or Absolutely Eric for two commenters (the third will be out this summer, Black Hurricane!). Please provide your email address with your answer, or send me a message at eripike at gmail dot com if you don't want your email out there for everyone to see. I will randomly draw, contact, and announce the winners on July 9th.

But wait! There's more. Queer Town Abbey is offering three grand prizes for people
who comment. They are three $25 Amazon gift cards. To visit the other blogs in the GLBT Equal Rights Blog Hop, please click this link.

To visit the other blogs in the When Sparks Fly blog hop, please click this link (there are 10 M/M authors in this hop, we're marked with {m/m} under our names).