Ryan Field's Blog, page 459

Blogger Fail: The Worst Food Photo of All Time

One of the reasons why food stylists work so hard at making food look good is because it's not an easy thing to do. I never tackle food here on this blog for that reason. I know I'm not equipped to create a professional, enticing photo with food...or even a tempting photo with food.

And when you're not equipped to publish food photos, and you know nothing about food styling, you run the risk of nauseating your blog readers. I see it sometimes, though not often, on social m...

Publishers Weekly Review of Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey

I just heard about a Publishers Weekly Review for an upcoming book I'm in, "Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey." The book was edited by Literary Agent and Editor, Lori Perkins, with whom I've worked closely before. She's very demanding, and yet very articulate. I prefer working with editors like that...no nonsense. She balances that out by being just as nice.

I'd also like to say that I've enjoyed working with the people at Bella Books. I've worked with a lot of publishers over th...

How Do You "Disemvowel" Someone?

Technically, you don't disemvowel people. To state that would be vacuous. You disemvowel words...from what I gather. I'd never heard of this term before last night. I was perusing the web and catching up on various blog posts where high drama seems to be out of control sometimes and came across "disemvowel" and couldn't resist looking it up.

Wiki says this about "disemvoweling."

Because disemvoweling makes text legible only through significant cognitive effort, it is used by moderators o...

Gay/Lesbian Fiction Book Reviews...

I've been wanting to post about this web site for a while and haven't had a chance. So I'm making time right now because it's a great site and I think it will help readers vet books and make choices.


I'm linking to the homepage, here. The first review right now is a book by author Andrew Grey. Although I haven't read this book, I did collaborate with Andrew last year on another book I won't shamelessly promote in this post. He's a great guy and wonderful to work with.


Here's a blog description...

TV Show "The New Normal" So Accurate It Reminded Me of Something That Happened to Us

For those who don't know, there's a TV show in the US this fall that revolves around the lives to two gay men...a "married" gay couple who seem to be in their thirties or forties. I've posted here about the show before.

I think last night's episode was only the second to air. I enjoyed the accuracy of the first show and was hoping for something similar for the second. I wasn't disappointed. The two gay men are in the process of having a baby and they're going through all the emotions all marr...

More Detail About Sockpuppets and How Broad a Topic It Is

There have been many things written and discussed about sockpuppets and reviews in the past few months. Most of the time I'm left slightly confused because I'm honestly not sure where some of these things are going. I've seen bloggers quote the bible, I've seen people comment out of sheer frustration, I've seen a handful of bloggers literally go batshit crazy berserk, and I've seen most go completely blank on the topic altogether.

But most of all I've seen confusion. I just finished reading an...

In One Person by John Irving: Bi-Sexuality, LGBT, AIDS, and Sexual Suspects

The reason I titled this review of John Irving's "In One Person" this way is because it is a book that encompasses all these things and more. It's also about the way people live and die while trying to make sense of everything that happens along the way. In this novel, it's about the life of Billy Abbott, a boy with a quirky mother, a cross-dressing grandfather, and an extended family that never seems to fully understand him. Part of his quest in life is to learn more about his father, a man...

The Double Standard of Prince Harry and Princess Kate in the Press

When Prince Harry got caught with his pants down last month in Vegas I didn't hear anyone from the press trying to protect HIS privacy. The Palace made a short statement that basically said nothing, moved forward, and shipped him off on another tour of duty.

And there's nothing wrong with that. If you are in a position like Harry's and you take off your clothes, the odds are someone is going to take your photo. He has nothing to worry about.

There's also nothing wrong with Princess Kate takin...

Cover Preview: Captain Velvet's Velvet Box

Here's a cover preview for an upcoming release with Loveyoudivine.com. It's a short story with a superhero theme I'll post more about as I get closer to a release date.

Should There Be Old People in Romances?

Whether or not there should be old people in romance novels could be a matter of opinion. And I'm going to tread lightly here because I don't want anyone to accuse me of being shallow. My favorite author, Anne Tyler, has written many glowing novels with older people in romantic situations..."The Beginners Goodbye," and "Back When We Were Grown Ups"...that I've loved. I've read the latter six times.

But these books aren't romances. They are literary/mainstream novels with romantic themes, with...