LGBTQ Push Back Giveaway!

Hi guys,

I'm taking part in a massive giveaway to try to raise money for LGBT organizations. What you need to do to try to win one of the 224 books offered is to donate to an LGBT organization of your choice (but this is in answer to the Indiana pizza place disgrace, so an Indiana LGBT organization would be nice - but not necessary), comment about it on this site: LGBTQ Push Back, and do the Rafflecopter (on their site). 

Here's a direct quote from the organizers of this fundraiser:

"Changing laws and attitudes takes time, and right now there are LGBT people in need who can’t afford to wait. The sooner we can help them, the better, and the more resources we have, the more help we can offer.

That’s why 224 authors, review bloggers, and publishers have got together to offer something wonderful: a reward for people who do a little bit to give back to charity. Instead of spending $5 on a book in the next two weeks, give that $5 to an LGBT charity of your choice, tell us about it in the comments, and go into the draw to win a book from one of our participating donors. And because it’s not all about money, if you can’t make a donation then please take a moment to share a charity’s links and tell us about that instead.

Three fundraisers have been set up to counter the hateful effects of Indiana’s SB 101. #Pizza4Equality is aiming to match the money raised by *that* pizza parlor, with all donations going to Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund. Another fundraiser is aiming to raise $100,000 for Indiana Youth Group. Finally, Planting Peace is trying to raise $100,000 to provide beds for homeless LGBT people.

Please consider giving to one of these deserving fundraisers, or any other LGBT charity anywhere in the world. We’re not telling you where you should donate your time and money, only asking that you do. The smallest things can make the biggest difference, and together, we can do something incredible.

The Charity Giveaway will run from the 18th of April until the 1st of May. [This last emphasis is mine]"

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:

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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 

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. 

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:

1. Click this link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DU26GSK

2. Scroll to Product Details

3  Click on "tell us about a lower price"

4. Choose "Website"

5. Put in this url: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hothands-1228391-340.html

6. Put 0 in the price

7. Put 0 in shipping cost

8. Press the "Submit feedback" button

Thank you :)

Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia: Holocaust

Most people have heard of the Holocaust that took place under Nazi German rule between 1933-1945. Millions of people were brutally killed by guns, gas chambers, and concentration camps. Most were Jews, but there were also other groups that ended up in those camps. The lesser talked about were the estimated 100,000 homosexuals (mostly men) who were arrested, over half of which were sentenced to the camps or simply murdered. Like the Jews and all other groups, the homosexuals were forced to wear a triangle. Theirs was pink. I doubt it's a coincidence that the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia's symbol is a pink triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle:

Take action against homophobic and transphobic discrimination!

Taking action is exactly what May 17th is all about. You can help by posting about homophobic and transphobic discrimination, reading about it, donating to LGBT charity organizations, and just get the word out there. Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia is the effort of nearly 180 writers, publishers, reviewers, and cover designers to spread the word and to try to get our readers active during the day and for ten days thereafter. Please stop by and read our messages. A prize will be given at each stop.

Back to the topic: a holocaust is a thing of the past, right? Wrong. LGBT people in all countries (even in tolerant Iceland, although it's not very frequent or visible) have to face homophobic and transphobic discrimination. In some countries, they are killed, either by officials or the public.

There are many, many countries that imprison people for their sexuality. One such country is Uganda, but they want to take things further. They have been on the verge of a homosexual and transsexual holocaust twice now, trying to push through the "Kill the Gays Bill". Politicians want all homosexual and trans* people imprisoned, and everyone who helps them in any way (this includes their landlord for renting them a roof over their heads). They want the public to point out who's gay or even displaying homosexual/transsexual behavior. If this bill ever goes through, one must make certain never to touch an individual of the same gender for too long or they run the risk of being accused of being same-sex oriented, and thereby thrown in jail or hanged. If this bill goes through, it will be a modern-day holocaust.

Currently, the bill's been put on hold, but if you ever see it prop up again (it's on the agenda for 2013), I beg you to sign petitions against it and do whatever you can to stop it. Every little bit helps. 

In honor of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, I'm donating $50 to Icebreakers Uganda, and will make it my choice of future donations when I have more money. If you have money to spare, this is a great cause. Frank Mugisha and his people have been working hard to stand up for LGBTI rights, but it's like swimming upstream with all the public and political prejudice in Uganda. They need all the backing they can get.

Now, if you leave a comment below along with your email address, you may have a chance to win a book from my backlist. I will use Random.org to choose, announce and contact 3 winners on May 28th.

Thanks for stopping by!

#Smashwords and #LGBT: Please Recognize Us...

I'm am severely disappointed right now. I was very happy with Smashwords during the whole Paypal censorship matter and thought, hey, that's a place I want to do business with in the future. Seeing my titles up there will make me proud. I still retained those ideas until this morning.

Recently, my publisher, No Boundaries Press, uploaded all their titles to Smashwords and I was very excited. I didn't have time to look at it until today when I rushed off to the Gay & Lesbian section and searched...and searched...and searched for my titles (yes, I wanted to see them in the "New" section, instead of searching for my name - I was that excited). Fifty New titles in and I started to wonder if my titles had been incorrectly cataloged. 

So I did a search for my titles and discovered that instead of Gay & Lesbian - Gay, they were cataloged as Erotica - Gay Erotica. My titles are Romance Erotica, not Erotica, but I understood how my publisher was forced to catalog my titles there (since there are explicit scenes - she's been forced to do this elsewhere as well, though All Romance eBooks did create a special Erotic Romance category for the thousands of titles like mine). However, very few people looking for gay & lesbian titles will look under Erotica first. Besides, "Erotica" means sex only, as in there's no romance involved, and my stories are all based on love instead of just sex (even my Grade-A-Sex Deal is a Romance Erotica). It genuinely hurt to see my titles among titles such as Flaming Hot Gay BDSM, The Electrician's Ass, Confessing to Daddy, My Neighbors Little Girl, A Boy for the Tentacle Monster, Dripping Lust, Lubrication, Breeding His Daddy's Friend, Prison Sissy Sex Slave, Grocery Store Gang Bang... You get the picture and no offense to these authors - these titles and (probably) content belong under Erotica while mine (and more I saw lumped under Erotica) belong under Romance Erotica. There's a huge difference between a stroke-off and a Romance Erotica - both have its literary merits, I'm in no way down-talking Erotica here, I've even written a few that are unpublished yet - but a lot of retailers don't see a difference. It's gay sex, so it must be Erotica!

Okay, so my stories were doomed to hang out with the true Erotica titles. But hey! Farther down the page was a Romance category! I checked to see if there was a Gay sub-category there. They had Erotica sub-category! That's Romance Erotica, so maybe they have Gay under there...but they didn't. Of course, the male/female stories get their very own plethora of Romance sub-categories while the Gay & Lesbian get chucked under Erotica. Nothing new here. It's been this way ever since LGBT literature existed. Smashwords, I'm deeply disappointed. 

So I thought, hey, what about all those sub-genres of LGBT fiction out there. Most of them are Romances (and a lot of them containing some level of Erotic content) with sub-categories of: Sci-Fi, Historical, Paranormal, Horror, Action & Suspense, Holiday, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, not to mention all the hundreds and hundreds of Westerns (gay cowboys, anyone?). But was there a "Gay" under these categories? Of not! 

So, a reader's option, when looking for Gay Lit, is to search through an impossibly long list of titles in the Gay & Lesbian - Gay (and no sub-cats like Historical, Sci-Fi, Horror, etc.), or Erotica - Gay Erotica (and I still insist that people who are looking for gay literature - erotic or not - do not go searching under Erotica to find them unless they know to look for them there, or unless EVERY category (Historical, Romance, Sci-Fi, etc.) has a Gay sub-category).

Yes, I'm probably being harsh writing only about Smashwords here. To their credit, they do have LGBT under Young Adult (not many do that). The reason I write about Smashwords specifically is because I always figured they were different, more open, more inclusive than other retailers. They're groundbreaking, they're iconic, they fight for writers. It breaks my heart to discover that, in the end, they're might just be like all the others when it comes to LGBT literature...  

If there are any retailers reading this. Please, please reconsider your cataloging of LGBT titles. Most (If not all) of you are behind times. There's been an explosion of LGBT titles in the past years and as things are now, it is extremely difficult to search through all the thousands and thousands of LGBT titles to find, for example, the most recent Sci-Fi title. I know you each have your own way of cataloging your titles, and you have very limited sub-categories, but I recommend using one (or both) of these methods:

This one's more politically correct. Have a sub-genre of Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bisexual under each of your main categories (or as a sub-sub genre if you have Paranormal under Romance - so Romance - Paranormal - Gay, Romance - Paranormal - Lesbian). Historical - Gay, Sci-Fi - Gay, Horror - Gay (yes, there are gay horror stories out there and they're damn good). Please be aware that most people looking for Lesbian literature are NOT looking for Gay (as in male/male). Please also be aware that there's a big difference between Erotica and Romance Erotica.

This one's easier for people to find what they're looking for - at least at first, while they're getting used to the changes of LGBT literature being included in mainstream categories. Have an LGBT main genre, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bisexual under that (and again, people looking for Transgender are NOT looking for Lesbian - it's not the same thing even though we're fighting for rights under the same umbrella), and then sub-sub categories of romance, erotica, romance erotica (or erotic romance - whichever way you wish to call it), Historical, Sci-Fi, Western, Paranormal, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic etc. etc. So, LGBT - Gay - Historical, LGBT - Lesbian - Sci-Fi, LGBT - Transgender - Contemporary, etc.

Personally, I recommend you do both, so readers have it easier to find what they're looking for. That's the point after all, right? The reason I usually stick to LGBT specific sales sites is because it's easier to find what I'm looking for. I just don't have the time to scroll through titles and titles of mixed sub-genres (or titles that aren't even cataloged under LGBT - like Erotica when I'm looking for a Romance Erotica). Don't wait too long and don't ignore this. This is a market increasing at a spiraling rate and I can only see it exploding further with all the changes in the USA today and in the future. Do you really want to miss sales because your cataloging is outdated? 

Header image by plrang via Stock.xchng.com (free stock images)

Happy National Coming Out Day!

The National Coming Out Day on Facebook

Today is the National Coming Out Day and I decided to blog about it to show my support. 

I can't even begin to imagine the fears going through the minds of closeted people. Coming is often easier said than done. Some people grow up in closed-minded communities. There's fear of rejection from families, friends, school mates, work buddies, church, fellow hobby people, and the whole community. Coming out in one country can be easier than coming out in another. Coming out in an area of a city can be more difficult than coming out in another area of the same city. There are so many factors to consider for people who are considering coming out. What they all have in common though is the fear of being discovered and the fear of being rejected. Many even hate themselves for being who they are. Many just want to die.

It's easy to say just forget about everything and come out! You'll feel so much better! True, some people do feel better after coming out, but there are others who lose their whole support network.

Am I saying stay in the closet? No, I'm saying come out in your own time, when you're ready. Try to remember that things will get better and easier in the future. Someday being LGBT will be considered as natural as being black or white. Remember that those who discriminate and try to stop the progress of LGBT rights are living on the wrong side of history. Just hang in there :) If all else fails and you're old enough, move to a gay-friendly city and find a new life along with new friends. Hey, if you came out and everything is falling apart around you, you have nothing to lose, right?

But wait, I can being to imagine what it's like. I do know a little bit about being in the closet. I write m/m books and although I don't expect to be shunned for it, I don't always say what exactly it is that I write. Why? Because I write erotic romance, and when people hear gay literature, they immediately jump to erotica (it's just how thing are right now, if people hear "GLBT" most will think "sex"). I'm a shy person by nature. I always have been. People assume I'm a little goodie-goodie who would never even have erotic thoughts! However, it's been 10 months since I published my first m/m and I have started to tell people little by little. One person here, one person there. I have never, ever gotten a negative reaction. I don't know if it's the fact that people are just generally interested that I'm writing stories and publishing in the USA or if they're just okay with m/m. Many ask "why" and I answer "because it interests me". Those who are closest to me know what I write. People who I meet and ask me about what I do get to hear that I write books. I leave it at that unless they ask more (and then I say, directly translated: I write romance stories about two men).

I've been wondering if I should announce it on my personal facebook timeline, but I've been holding back because my sons will start school next year and we live in a small town. I can just hear the other kids make fun of them for what I write. If I were living in the city I would have no qualms about announcing my career - even to the people who live in this small town (a town I grew up in). The city gives a certain anonymity and not everyone knows who you are and it's unlikely that the kids at school would ever hear about what I write. That's not the case in my small town. So I'm staying in the closet with one foot out for now. Maybe next year I'll decided to to announce it, but I feel that now is not the time. 

Gay Players: Sexual Liberty

One of Jessica's books. Isn't it gorgeous??

Hi guys :)

Sorry for having you over just to send you on to another site! I wrote a guest blog for Jessica Freely's blog: Friskbiskit where I'm talking about gay players and sexual liberty in fiction. As those who have read my books know, my guys have often been around the block and although I shouldn't have to defend it - because there's nothing wrong with it - I wanted to explain my view.

As some of you know, this dude's a major player
and enjoys sex very much!
He's also unapologetic about it. 

An Exorcism of Icelandic Library Ghosts

Photo by Thora R.K.

Roughly a month ago I sent out a plea to my fellow GRL2012 goers to see if anyone would be interested in donating print books to Iceland's only LGBT center. Their library is very outdated in the fiction section because there hasn't been money to buy anything new in years, so their fictional section is looking rather forlorn.

Photo by Thora R.K.

Chicks & Dicks kindly offered to feature the issue and the post went live today ^.^ I'm happy to say that the LGBT center has a few new books already, either donated by me or sent by people (like Anne Tenino!), and a lot of people - including two publishers - will hand me their donations at GRL for me to take to the center. I thought maybe one or two people might respond to my plea, but I was unprepared for the 20+ people who responded. It goes to show how tight and giving this community is. Now there will be titles in the library by KC Burn, Victor Alexander, Geoffrey Knight, Tara Lain and more, for people in Iceland to read. I'm also hoping this will generate an interest of the local bookshops to buy more m/m books in print (I've already contacted the biggest one and they're very positive - they currently only have a few e-book m/m titles in their online store - by Sara York and Geoffrey Knight, among others. Looks like the shop has a deal with Total e-Bound or something). 

Photo by Thora R.K.

Anyway! If you want to read a bit about Iceland, please head on over to Chicks & Dicks. If you want to send an LGBT book to the LGBT center (by you or anyone else), the address is listed in the post (just please make sure you mark the package as a donation so they won't have to pay the VAT). If you'll be at GRL in ABQ, I'd be happy to save you the shipping cost and take the books to the center myself :)

The Icelandic LGBT Center

Sound Familiar?

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Homophobia isn't a huge problem in Iceland anymore. People were receiving death threats because of their sexuality 30 years ago. Some even had to flee the country, but no more. Sure, there's still some homophobia, but in general things are good and people generally strike against anyone who speaks badly about homosexuality in newspapers etc., so it doesn't happen very often. Icelandic homosexuals have the exact same rights as heterosexuals and cannot legally be discriminated against in workplaces or other venues. They may marry (even in churches), adopt children, and live their lives with all the same benefits as heterosexuals. This didn't happen all by itself. It's taken the Icelandic LGBT Organization 30 years to change the minds of people through campaigns and education. 

Icelanders are hard workers with the mentality that hard work makes you a "real" person. In fact, disabled people face a lot more prejudice than homosexuals. Disabled people in Iceland are considered weak and/or less. Leeches upon the society. It looks like the association for disabled people are trying to change that image. I heard an ad on the radio yesterday as I was driving to the city. It really caught my attention. Translated, it sounded something like this:

Prejudice prevents companies from hiring disabled people. Being disabled is neither a choice nor a lifestyle.

Sound familiar?

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