Alex Beecroft's Blog, page 52

Charlie Cochrane and I in Romance Matters

Charlie Cochrane, as well as being an amazingly prolific and talented author is also a whiz at thinking up ideas for places to promote.  Recently she suggested that as we were both members of the RNA (the Romantic Novelists' Association – the UK equivalent of the RWA) we should write a piece about gay historical romance for their in house magazine.

Since we joined the RNA, neither of us have noticed any difference between the way they treat gay romance and the way they treat straight, and here again they have proved their quality (or should I say their equality) by printing the feature.  You can see a scan of the shortened article here:

(Click to enlarge.)  Or the full, unedited text is up on the Macaronis here: Writing Breeches Rippers

Massive thanks to Charlie for being the brains of the outfit, and to the RNA for their inclusiveness

Interview with Rawiya/Michael Mandrake

I met Rawiya on Twitter, and was struck by her enthusiasm and drive.  Anyone who can get 5-6 stories out of a single holiday is awesomely productive by my measure   We agreed to do a blog swap for the day, so I'm handing over to her now:

1. Who has been the biggest influence upon your work?

MM: Lately, it has been fellow author and editor, Sascha Illyvich. He has really given me a lot of confidence that I can be a better writer. I'm still learning, and when you are a newbie, you need someone to guide you. Through my first set of edits for Only When I Lose Myself, he did just that.

2. What upcoming project of your own are you most excited about?

MM: my first hetero book, SQUEE! *laughs* – Not that I'm abandoning gay erotica romance but I like being able to tackle new endeavors. Because I write mostly gay erotica, African Sun will be a different look from me. It's the longest story I've ever written, it has 4 books, only 2 are completed, and it's filled with a little of everything, including a gay couple who are villains throughout the series.

3. While doing research have you ever done anything really exciting or

strange?

MM: Not yet. I mean, most of the research I do is in front of the computer on the net. The most "research" will come from my next series of books involving the city of New Orleans, Lousiana called "Lost in the Masquerade." (Tentative Title) I recently visited there the second time and I have about 5-6 stories that I wrote down in response to everything I had seen.

4. Who is your favorite fictional character created by someone other than yourself?

MM: I know this will sound cliché but Anne Rice's Lestat and Louis are my favourite characters.

5. Who is your own favorite character?

MM: At the moment, it would be my Doctor in African Sun, Doctor Nicholas Fairlight. He's a bisexual physician who is quite intelligent, witty, and he's a smart ass. In my head, he is dashingly handsome too. *grins*

6. How long have you been writing? What made you start?

MM: I've been writing most of my life, since my late teens but only pro for a year. What made me start was the great comments I was getting on my work. It all started with fanfiction then it went to publishing.

7. What was your first book and what was it about?

MM: My first and only sole author book is True Meaning of Love. It's about a gay couple living in Brighton, who have an argument which results in an accident for the older man in the relationship, London Davies. Once they've gotten over that occurrence they will figure out what matters most in life.

8. What are you enjoying reading at the moment?

MM: Right now, I'm finishing up part three of Everything Erotic series by Danielle Gavan, Keta Diablo, and others. Next, I'll be reading Berengaria Brown's Changing Cherry and S.L. Danielson's Diary of a 46 yr old Bellhop.

9. Do you do anything to summon up inspiration – write to music, have a special writing hat etc?

MM: I write to music all the time. It relaxes me, brings me new ideas. I usually cannot go on without it.

10. What do you do when you're not writing?

MM: What? Is there such a thing? *Laughs* No, really, I like hanging out with my friends when I come out the cave. Spend time with my family, hubby and kids. Of course not in that order.

11. What works in progress have you got on the go at the moment?

MM: Oh man, I have 5 of them going. My free read, a gay ménage called Mi Familia is posted on my blog every Friday, 3 gay erotica fiction stories, Vertigo, My Lieutenant and Lessons in Ink, and my ménage M/M/F. Trois in Tune.

12. Tell us about the books you have out

MM: My only book is True Meaning of Love but I am part of 13 anthologies. Instead of my listing them all, I would visit my blogs, which I'll share later.

13. If your book became a big Hollywood film, who would you cast to play your characters?

MM: Wow. Well, if True Meaning was a film, maybe I'd have George Clooney play London Davies and a young Brad Pitt to play, Brandon. WOW, talk about HOT!

14. Do you ever suffer from writer's block? What do you do then?

MM: I don't. A fellow author and friend told me it doesn't exist. She said follow your characters. If the story stalls, to go back and reread then change what you've written.

14. Alpha males, do you – (a)love them? – (b)think they should be shot? Why?

MM: No, I love Alpha's. Occasionally, you need a strong man, especially when he's gay.

16: Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

MM: nope, not yet

17: How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

MM: I felt proud. It was the anthology of Rock and Roll all over from STARbooks. The Wretched was my first published story. True Meaning is only on e-book at the moment.

18: What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

MM: A wide variety depending on the story. Sometimes its dance music, it may be a little 80's pop, maybe even some rap; not too often on that last one.

19: Do you think you have specific themes you continue to return to? If so what are they?

MM: I would say yes. I always like the sweet love stories with tension in the middle and happy endings. My specifically, I have a thing for closeted military men. I'm working on two stories that involve that. I also love interracial gay erotica romances. I want more of them out there where the black man isn't a thug or some rough neck. It is possible for a gay black man to be sweet and not be a diva.

20: What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?

MM: My two lovely, happy, healthy children and my writing career.

21: Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

MM: My all time fave is Anne Rice. When I was younger, I liked Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe.

Right now, I'm reading mostly gay erotica. Blak Rayne is tops on my list. I just read her first two books and I'm awaiting more work from her.

23: Have you seen those 'author's cave' photos that show the office/study/corner of the table where famous writers work? What does yours look like?

MM: Well that would be my kitchen. Our house is too small for me to have a den. In my next house, I know I must have that.

24: Do you enjoy TV and movies? If so, what are your favorite shows/films? Do you find they inspire your writing?

MM: I'm not really a TV or Movie Watcher. My inspiration comes from what I read, see, and listen to.

25: Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know. Include information on where to find your books, any blogs you may have, or how a reader can learn more about you and writing.

MM: Okay then. I'm Michael Mandrake aka Sharita Lira, Rawiya, and BLMorticia.

Here are my links to find out more about me.

The True Meaning of Love by Michael Mandrake http://xoxopublishing.com

Michael Mandrake – http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com

Rawiya – http://rawiyaserotica.blogspot.com

Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/rawiyamikembl

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/SharitaLira

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3542690

This last one, is a new blog I have started with fellow authors. Opens April 1st Its Raining Men Blog –

My writing updates are posted on LiveJournal – http://desiresdd.livejournal.com/

I write for XOXO publishing, STARbooks press, and Sizzler Intoxications.

I also have free reads posted on EveryNightErotica.com, Literotica.com, and GayDemon.com

Here are the covers from my latest stories:

At XOXO, 9Clouds, Amazon, and ARE

Blurb - Brandon McFerry and London Davies are a couple that has been together six years. After having an argument over the importance of Brandon's event at his art gallery versus London's party at his club, London is involved in a serious car accident that makes him temporarily incapacitated. During his rehabilitation, Brandon and London will learn the true meaning of love thus bringing them closer together.

Only When I Lose Myself part of the My Sexy Valentine Anthology

Available at Sizzler/Intoxications, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Blurb: Adrian Vanderguard is the hottest singer in the music business right now and is currently on tour supporting his third album. Now that the long journey is coming to a close, he is visiting his home away from home in New York City to play a string of six exclusive shows at New York's famous Falcon Theatre in front of sellout crowds that include top celebrities.

Adrian is also a loner who is in need of companionship. While on this lengthy trip, he has made up in his mind that he would like to be dating by Valentine's Day of the following year, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish this.

Matthew Gionapolis is the Falcon's environmental engineer. A young, healthy, twenty- something, that takes his work very seriously. Matthew is one person who likes everything to be in place, and really is not into having much contact with people unless he has to.

Not knowing this, Adrian decides that he would like to get Matthew to be his assistant despite the fact that the young gentleman was rather rude to him when he tried to introduce himself. Undeterred, Adrian even goes as far to point out the fact that Matthew must do as his managers say or else it could mean his job. This upsets Matthew but because he would like to be employed, he goes along with Adrian's ploy, and while all this is going on, he develops a soft spot for the kind hearted, gorgeous crooner that may change his mind about wanting to be alone for the duration of his existence.

Longing for a Normal State of Vertigo Part of the Riding the Rocket anthology

Available at Sizzler Intoxications, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Blurb: Among the other great stories by Cecila Tan, M.Christian, Nix Winter, Kiernan Kelly, and others, editor Sacha Illyvich gave me the privilege to be part of this awesome gay sci-fi/paranormal anthology, Riding the Rocket.

My story, Longing for a Normal State of Vertigo is a historical story involving a young doctor in search of love that's unique while still trying to make the next big discovery. In the most unbelievable situation, he will find what's he's looking for but at what price?

Sugar Daddy by Rawiya

Available at STARbooks press and Amazon, Spring of 2011

Blurb: A short story of a young man, Matthew Davidson, who is seeking the love of an older black man. When he goes to an internet dating site, he finds the man he is looking for but the ad calls for a black or Hispanic male. Interested, Matthew puts up the picture of his best friend, Devon Peartly who is Black. Now though, his chat buddy would like to meet him in person.

Japan, interview, and UK Meet.

Treat yourself and help Japan

First of all, I was going to post about the wonderful birthday present I got from Mirien, which I absolutely love.  I've put it on a black thong to wear it because that seems to go better with the feeling of wearing something out of antiquity.  I tried to take a photo of it, but failed to get one that was good enough to show it off properly.  You can see what it looks like at her post here.

So, as I say, I was going to post about that, but then Mirien decided to make some charms for sale in aid of the Japan relief effort, and I thought it would be better to post about that instead.  She has made some lovely sakura-blossom shaped silver charms stamped with a leaf pattern, suitable for wearing as a pendant or a bracelet or phone charm, or as earrings if you get two.  They're available for £14, which is not much for a handmade piece of jewellery from an up and coming designer.  Of that, £4 is the price of the silver, and £10 will go to Japan.  So you can buy yourself (or someone else) something nice while also doing a good deed.  Win/win

~

I am interviewed on Sharita Lira's blog

It's been a long time since I did an interview, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing this one, as Sharita's questions were very interesting and up to the minute:

You can find that here

Thanks Sharita!

~

UK Meet – 23rd July

Advance notice of the UK Meet – a con for writers and fans of GLBT Fiction, whether that's M/M romance, F/F romance or any other genre featuring GLBTQ characters.  That's being held on the 23rd of July in Milton Keynes.  You can find details of the venue and booking information on the UK Meet website.  If you know anyone who you think would want to come, do pass the info on.  Thanks!

When I say "con", mind you, what I mean is "it's a meeting with a few talks, and you can stay for dinner afterwards if you like."  We're not promising anything huge and highly polished, so much as a chance to come and meet some of the UK authors and hang out

Days 4 and 5 (updated on day 7)

I started this diary of the tattoo healing process because I assumed there would be something to report.  I'd googled it a bit and I was aware of horror stories such as waking up the first morning after with the tattoo stuck to the sheets and pulling out half the ink trying to get it off.  I thought there would be something of interest to report every day.

However, one of the things I did notice on Googling was that there were large amounts of people telling tattoo newbies to take the clingfilm off at once, OMG! So perhaps it's of some use that I can provide an alternative opinion.

I kept the clingfilm on for the full four days, taking it off every 8 hours to gently wash the tattoo with mild liquid soap.  I allowed it to air-dry for about 15 minutes before putting clean clingfilm back on.  I tweaked my schedule so that I could wash and re-dress it immediately before going to bed.

Over the four days all that happened was that the tattoo slowly became less inflamed.  It slowly stopped seeping plasma, and by the end of the fourth day it was dry to the touch throughout.  There was no visible scabbing and there was no itching (although I may have missed the itching because my skin elsewhere on my shoulder was itchy from reacting to the tape used to keep the clingfilm on.)

Meanwhile, because of the clingfilm, I didn't have to worry about the seeping wound sticking to my clothes or sheets, nor did I have to worry about it being exposed to dirt or germs.

Today (day 5) I'm supposed to take the clingfilm off, so I have done.  I think it's pretty much healed, although it's ever so slightly rougher than the rest of my skin.  I don't know whether that's normal, or that's an invisible scab, so I'm giving it a dose of tattoo aftercare cream every 8 hours just to be sure.  But seriously, if I'd known that so little was going to happen, I wouldn't have committed to doing this tattoo healing process diary.  Not that I mind in any way that it turned out to be so much less dramatic than I expected!

Revealed to the world:

(Although not actually, because I've still got to keep it out of the sun, swimming pools or sunbeds for another 3 weeks.  At this time of year, that shouldn't be too difficult.)

It's a bit tiny, isn't it?  Next time something bigger, I think

Updated on day 7 to say that a few hours after I posted this, it started to peel the way a sunburn peels and that rough layer flaked off.  By the end of day 6 it was fully healed and looking like skin again, though still just as dark as it looks in this picture.  I can officially say that the process is over and was thankfully very anti-climactic throughout.  Let's hope the next one goes as well!

Days 4 and 5

I started this diary of the tattoo healing process because I assumed there would be something to report.  I'd googled it a bit and I was aware of horror stories such as waking up the first morning after with the tattoo stuck to the sheets and pulling out half the ink trying to get it off.  I thought there would be something of interest to report every day.

However, one of the things I did notice on Googling was that there were large amounts of people telling tattoo newbies to take the clingfilm off at once, OMG! So perhaps it's of some use that I can provide an alternative opinion.

I kept the clingfilm on for the full four days, taking it off every 8 hours to gently wash the tattoo with mild liquid soap.  I allowed it to air-dry for about 15 minutes before putting clean clingfilm back on.  I tweaked my schedule so that I could wash and re-dress it immediately before going to bed.

Over the four days all that happened was that the tattoo slowly became less inflamed.  It slowly stopped seeping plasma, and by the end of the fourth day it was dry to the touch throughout.  There was no visible scabbing and there was no itching (although I may have missed the itching because my skin elsewhere on my shoulder was itchy from reacting to the tape used to keep the clingfilm on.)

Meanwhile, because of the clingfilm, I didn't have to worry about the seeping wound sticking to my clothes or sheets, nor did I have to worry about it being exposed to dirt or germs.

Today (day 5) I'm supposed to take the clingfilm off, so I have done.  I think it's pretty much healed, although it's ever so slightly rougher than the rest of my skin.  I don't know whether that's normal, or that's an invisible scab, so I'm giving it a dose of tattoo aftercare cream every 8 hours just to be sure.  But seriously, if I'd known that so little was going to happen, I wouldn't have committed to doing this tattoo healing process diary.  Not that I mind in any way that it turned out to be so much less dramatic than I expected!

Revealed to the world:

(Although not actually, because I've still got to keep it out of the sun, swimming pools or sunbeds for another 3 weeks.  At this time of year, that shouldn't be too difficult.)

It's a bit tiny, isn't it?  Next time something bigger, I think

Third day of aftercare

Really nothing to report at all.  The inflammation has gone altogether, it's still slightly dampish at the very thickest parts of the ends of the cross, but dry everywhere else.  No scabbing, no itching, no nothing.  Thankfully the micropore tape does not give me the allergic reaction the zinc-oxide tape did, so I'm on course for keeping the clingfilm on for the full four days.  But tomorrow will be the fourth day, and surely it should have started scabbing/itching if it was going to?

2nd day of aftercare

(Or maybe the first full one?  I'm not sure.)  Anyway, this is what I was worried about last time I posted:

I saw this under the clingfilm and thought OMG! I washed it the first time with a washcloth and now I've ruined it.  All the ink's coming out and it's a disaster!

However, when I took the clingfilm off and washed it after the first 8 hours under wraps, it looked like this:

So evidently the horrible black blotch was just excess ink coming out.  I then washed it and re-covered it again before going to bed, and in the morning it had only seeped a little.  The seepage was clear and the inflammation had gone down, although not completely.

Benefits of clingfilm dressing include not having to worry if you will stick to your sheets at night or clothes during the day.  Drawbacks include the fact that it's fussy and difficult to do when you don't have a helper.  Also that the zinc oxide tape I used to tape it down has started to bring me out in an itchy rash.  The rash is nowhere near the tattoo, so I'm putting up with it for the moment until I can get some microporous tape instead, first thing tomorrow.

I checked the instructions I was given when I left the shop and it turns out I'm supposed to keep the clingfilm on for 4 days, so non-itchy tape sounds like a necessity.

Unexpected side effects of tattooing include my family behaving weirdly around me as if I had somehow become a different person overnight.  This goes firmly in the "I'm never having another one," column.  Here's hoping they get over it and don't disown me.  I'll add that to the list of worries alongside "what if it becomes infected and I have to have my arm amputated?"  (What? I know it's a remote possibility, but I can't completely rule it out.)

Not an enormously eventful day.  It's seeping less and it's looking less inflamed now than it did in that picture.  Also one of the rays is looking slightly wiggly.  But otherwise nothing else has happened.  This doesn't seem like a bad thing to me, and I'm cautiously optimistic that I may still get through this with the use of my arm.  (God willing.)

Diary of a First Tattoo

Today I went for my first ever tattoo.  It was a big deal for me, made bigger by the fact that I'm the sort of person who worries about every single thing that could go wrong as if all of them could happen at once.  But it was also a big deal because I'd wanted one for so long and had begun to think I'd die before I ever got my nerve up.

So, I hit my interim target on the diet and used that as an excuse to book myself in at the studio I'd had recommended.  I chose a design of a small black cross, thinking I would test out my reaction on something small and work my way up.  Very appropriately, I got the appointment on Ash Wednesday, which felt right – to be marked with a painful black cross on a day of penance.

 

Last night and this morning I was so anxious and afraid that I almost suggested to myself that I didn't have to go through with it.  I didn't sleep, and I arrived at the studio, thankfully quite early (10.30am), in a state of nerves.  However, I passed myself off as a normal person while he was applying the transfer of my design to my shoulder.  Then I was distracted by the setting up of the needles (removed from sterile wrapping in my presence.)  They look huge!  I mean, way bigger than sewing machine needles.  But they're actually a bundle of smaller needles all contained together.  I'm not sure if that makes it better.

After bracing myself for what would come, I was surprised, relieved and even strangely disappointed that it wasn't really what I would consider painful at all.  I think he was very good.  I had told him I was ridiculously sensitive and had a low pain threshold, and he started off very slowly, with quick touches that I didn't really start to feel before they were over.  Even when I'd relaxed a bit and he'd got a bit more heavy handed, he'd always stop just before 'that's strange and hot and maybe even uncomfortable' crossed the line into 'that's painful.'

When it was done, I had a look at it in the mirror and absolutely loved the look of it.  Though I suspect now that I was in the kind of elevated mood where I would have loved anything.  I certainly was on a bit of an endorphin high for an hour or two afterwards.  However – word of warning – when the high wore off about one and a half hours after getting it, I then felt like I had a mild case of shock afterwards.  I felt shaky and sick for at least the next three hours.

Anyway, he covered it in clingfilm and told me to wash it in 2 hours, then re-cover it, and to repeat that every 8 hours thereafter.  I'm to keep the clingfilm on for the first two days, and then use ointment to keep it soft thereafter until it's finished healing in about 3 weeks.  That way he says it should not scab at all.  Watch this space to find out if it works like that!

I took this very bad photo immediately after washing and recovering it the first time

(What, it was hard to photograph my own shoulder!  I had to hold the camera upside down and look in the viewfinder in a mirror.)

Right now it appears to be seeping black liquid under the clingfilm.  I hope this is normal.  I have Googled on the subject and find that seeping plasma is normal, but I always thought plasma was clear/yellow rather than black.  Hope I'm not losing ink, but again, watch this space tomorrow to see how that turns out   I thought I would update each day on the progress, as I haven't been able to find anyone else who's done so and it could be useful to other tattoo newbies.

Introverts Untie: Staying sane with Social Media

I appear to have completely failed to tell anyone about this guest blog that I did on Julia Knight's blog.

How to stay sane with social media

so I thought I would link it now.  I do, in fact, try to keep up with Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Livejournal and my list of blogs I read in Google Reader, but the post is the fruits of the fact that I started out keeping up with them more and ended up being too depressed and hassled to write.

And on a completely different subject, what is probably the coolest thing ever (if you're me).  False Colors is being taught by Eric Selinger as part of the upper-division (advanced undergraduate) course on popular romance fiction at DePaul university.  I was terribly curious to know what kind of things the students would be asked about it, and thrilled when Eric posted about that very thing on the Teach Me Tonight blog.

The "is penetrative sex considered by women to be the apex of sex?" question is of course something that's been discussed in slash-writing communities for some time.  It's therefore something I actually thought about when writing the book.  But I am surprised to find that the violence in the book is a talking point.  I suppose there is a lot of it, but I hadn't really thought of it as a notable feature before.

I just can't say how much I'm thrilled to think False Colors can stand up to being  subjected to sustained intellectual study.   (At least, I hope it can.  I don't know what the students actually think of it!)

Unavailable for the weekend

Just a quick update to say that my ancient computer has become so hesitant and arthritic that it's going to have to be rebuilt with a new hard drive.  That's going to take most of the weekend, so I won't be around for a day or so.  If I don't answer your emails in that time, it's not because I'm ignoring you, it's just because I have no way of seeing them