Ryan Field's Blog, page 457

You Don't Need to Schmooze Or Go To Conferences To Get Published

You don't need to schmooze or go to conferences to get published is a post I've been thinking about writing for a while. One thing I've seen for years is how so many writers think of publishing as this clear cut industry where the writer queries the agent, the agent gets the book deal, and everyone lives happily ever after. Another thing I've seen is this impression that there's this "in-crowd" where everyone in publishing knows each other and that's how people get published.

B...

Former Gay Porn Star Ryan Idol Gets Stiff Sentence

Former gay porn star, Ryan Idol, got a stiff 12 year sentence this week for bashing a woman over the head with the lid of a toilet tank a few years ago.

A Sacramento judge handed down the prison sentence on September 26, more than a year after Idol’s conviction. The sentencing was delayed to make way for a motion for a new trial, which was rejected.

I met Ryan Idol in the nineties backstage at a night club in Philadelphia after he did a strip show. He was part of a group of gay porn...

Banned Books Week and "Skater Boy"

After what I experienced last year with censorship, I had to write something about Banned Books Week and my short story, "Skater Boy." I see it all the time everywhere I go. Most people in a general sense focus on big books being banned, like "Fifty Shades of Grey," or "Catcher in the Rye," but they never consider the fact that a lot of books are banned quietly that no one ever knows about. 

I guess it's something inherent to publishing and writing, as it is to other arts like acting and...

Who Couldn't Love a Pink Pumpkin?

October is national breast cancer awareness month, and this year there's something different.

Pink pumpkins!

Although October is designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NBCAM is dedicated to raising awareness and educating individuals about breast cancer throughout the year.

The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation is new. And from what I can see, it's not only helping in the fight against breast cancer, but also a segment of the farming industry in the US.

The Pink Pumpkin Pa...

A Little Inspiration for Writers Who Are Tired of Bad Advice

In world where everything changes so fast these days, trying to work in an industry like publishing can be daunting sometimes. I received a long e-mail from a new writer over the weekend that prompted this post. She's been rejected enough times to know that getting a book deal isn't easy. But she's also confused and frustrated because of all the conflicted publishing advice she's seeing these days.

The best I could do was offer advice from what I've gathered along the way through my pers...

Why One Gay Couple Hates "The New Normal"

I've posted several times about how I like "The New Normal." I can identity with most of it, which is one of the reasons why I like it so much. I thought I would be in the majority on this, but last night I found out I was wrong.

Tony and I have two very good old friends, a gay couple who have been together since 1975. They were only in their very early twenties when they met, so they aren't that old now. One is a retired English professor and the other has been working in publishing since th...

Enjoying The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling...

I wanted to post something short about The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling because of a few reviews I saw, including one in the NYT. And based on these reviews, if I were an average reader who was thinking of purchasing TCV, I might be a little confused. I'm not disagreeing with the reviews. I'm just offering another opinion in case anyone is confused. And take into consideration that I've never read "Harry Potter," nor do I ever intend to read HP. So I'm reading J.K. Rowling for the first tim...

Frank Ocean - Strawberry Swing

Matt Bomer; White Collar Renewed; Fifty Shades and New Film

According to eonline , USA is renewing Matt Bomer's show, White Collar, plus three other shows.

 The move was expected, as each of those series has proven to be a reliable ratings performer, with the trio ranking among the top 10 basic-cable summer dramas in adults 18-49 (aka the catnip-to-advertisers demo). Collectively, the shows recently helped USA notch a seventh straight win as summer's No. 1 basic-cable network in all key demos. 

It's one of the shows I plan to DVR. I'll have th...

Is Sarah Palin Still Eating at Chick-fil-a; Book Reviewer Jerome Whitehead; Whatever Became of "Romfail?"

It looks as though Chick-Fil-A has altered its stand on gay marriage, at least it appears that way at a glance.

Chick-fil-A is looking to put this summer's fast-food culture wars behind it and will no longer donate money to groups fighting to block same-sex marriage—at least that's what gay rights advocates in Chicago are saying. The chicken chain, however, is saying suspiciously little about the whole thing.

You can read more here in an article by Josh Voorhees.

I posted several times about t...