Ryan Field's Blog, page 450

Don't Let Dream Crushers Get You Down, Writers

From time to time I post things that I think will encourage new writers. There are so many things about which to be unsure these days for new writers it makes the old days of having no choices but to query agents look easier.

But this blog post made me smile. It was written by a talented young author named T.D. McFrost whom I've posted about before on this blog.

There Is No Need to Be a Bee

 Boy do I have a story to tell you guys today. Get your popcorn and some Skinny Girl wine...

Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades Giveaway

Here's an e-mail I received from the people publishing "Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey."

Hi, Fifty Writers contributors!

The Fifty Days of Fifty Shades giveaway away is drawing to a close next week, on pub day, so we're giving it a final push. If you could share the last section link with your readers, we'd love your help in getting the word out! You can find the post here: http://www.smartpopbooks.com/fifty-shades-of-pop-culture/ .  It looks like a nice contest and I have to say t...

Matthew Mcconaughey Plays Character with AIDS

When I first noticed the startling photos of Matthew Mcconaughey after he'd lost so much weight because he's playing a character with AIDS, I skipped over it fast. I've seen and watched what AIDS can do to people first hand and it's not always something I like to revisit. But I did want to write a post about it because it's also good to revisit things like this to in order to keep yourself grounded and to remember all those people who have gone through full blown AIDS and died from full...

A Dumb Insulting Video about Gay Men by College Humor

I just watched the dumbest video about gay men by College Humor I've ever seen before. I'm treading lightly here and I'm really trying to keep an open mind about this. On the one hand it's funny and even I laughed when I first started watching. On the other, the more I watched the more I saw that it's about as insulting as any stereotype of any minority I've ever seen before.

Here's the link to a video that's titled, "Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends." I'm guessing it's supposed to be...

An Algorithm that Spots Fake Reviews and Exposes Sockpuppets

When I read about an algorithm that can now expose fake online reviews of any kind and expose sockpuppets, I found myself re-reading the article more than once. Evidently, someone's invented new technology that will not only sort out fake reviews from real reviews, it can also expose sockpuppets and those sockpuppet names will turn hot pink all over the Internet so everyone knows they are socks. The fakes will be linked to their real identities forever. And, even more interesting, the blogs a...

Colin Farrell Sex Video and Erotica/Romance

I've posted before about what I think the differences between porn and erotic romance are. Though it can get more complicated because it is so subjective, I think erotic romance has sex with a storyline and the sex should move the storyline forward. Porn is just sex with no story. Even erotica that's not romance should have a storyline, and the sex should move that storyline forward. How much sex is too much or too little depends on the author and the reader.

This is just my opinion...

Press Release: "Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey" Event in NYC

This is a press release for a non-fiction book I'm in titled, "Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey." The book is a non-fiction collection of essays by 50 writers about the runaway bestselling novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James. I thought this event might be of interest to those who are fans of the book who live in the NY tri-state metropolitan area. And the event itself looks like it should be fun and it's something I'm going to try to get to depending on my sche...

A Sign from Heaven Above on Allromanceebooks.com

Here's a link to allromanceebooks.com where "A Sign from Heaven Above" was just released.

I'll post more links as I get them.

Cover Preview: Billionaire Ivy League Rake & A Sign From Heaven Above

(Update: I said earlier in this post that "A Sign from Heaven Above" will be on Amazon in the lender's program, but after I talked it over with someone we decided it's better to not get stuck in the three month contract that limits us only to Amazon. So the book will still be priced at .99 everywhere, but it won't be part of the lender's program on Amazon this time so I can release it in other markets right away. I hate to do that because I love the lender's program, but I don't lik...

George Clooney's Sister Talks about Gay Rumors

With the link below, you will be directed to a clip where George Clooney's sister talks about whether or not he's gay.

He's not, according to his sister.

And frankly, I don't think it's anyone's business whether he is or he isn't gay. That kind of pressure isn't something I support anymore, not with men or women.

If someone is gay and they are ready to come out, wonderful. But if they aren't, that's okay, too...especially if they aren't really gay.

I've learned never to make broad assumptions...