Ryan Field's Blog, page 494

Visa (And MasterCard Now) Responds to Letter About PayPal Regarding Book Banning

(Update: Here's something from this comment thread, left by Banned Writers, I wanted to add to this post: "We have now received a letter from MasterCard saying pretty much the same thing: they aren't behind PayPal's policy." You can get there from here to read the entire post and the letter from MC. For those who don't know, this was PayPal's comment.)

Banned Writers sent a letter to Visa and they received a response. The book banning issue gets better each time I read something new. For a while there I almost believed it was the credit card companies pressuring PayPal.

Thank you for your email regarding PayPal's recent decision to limit the sale of certain erotica content. First and foremost, we want to clarify that Visa had no involvement with PayPal's conclusion on this issue. Nor have we seen the material in question. This fact is made clear by PayPal's recent blog post where it states that its own policies drove the decision. https://www.thepaypalblog.com/2012/03...

To read more, click here.

Talk about passing the buck. Now I'm not sure whom to believe.

All I can say is authors and publishers make sure your tags, titles, and blurbs don't contain anything that would cause a search engine to put you on the banned list. I'd hate to think that a children's book titled "Dad's Favorite Little Girl," that was written for children was banned because a book retailer trusted a search engine to decide which books are banned and which aren't.

Visa Responds to Letter About PayPal Regarding Book Banning

Banned Writers sent a letter to Visa and they received a response. The book banning issue gets better each time I read something new. For a while there I almost believed it was the credit card companies pressuring PayPal.

Thank you for your email regarding PayPal's recent decision to limit the sale of certain erotica content. First and foremost, we want to clarify that Visa had no involvement with PayPal's conclusion on this issue. Nor have we seen the material in question. This fact is made clear by PayPal's recent blog post where it states that its own policies drove the decision. https://www.thepaypalblog.com/2012/03...

To read more, click here.

Talk about passing the buck. Now I'm not sure whom to believe.

All I can say is authors and publishers make sure your tags, titles, and blurbs don't contain anything that would cause a search engine to put you on the banned list. I'd hate to think that a children's book titled "Dad's Favorite Little Girl," that was written for children was banned because a book retailer trusted a search engine to decide which books are banned and which aren't.

Joanna Trollope: Guess She's Not Too Fond of E-books

According to Ms. Trollope, "you cannot love a library of e-books." I read about it in the Telegraph. There's a link below to read the full piece.

The article says this:

"She (Trollope) also claimed the rise of e-books was "homogenising" literature by putting the works of Leo Tolstoy and Katie Price, the glamour model, on the same screen."

I don't really understand that statement. I really don't. I've read Tolstoy and Snookie on my e-readers and never even thought of comparing the two. In fact, had it not been for the e-reader I probably wouldn't have read half the classics I have read in the past few years. Then the article goes on to quote Ms. Trollope about the weight of books and something about how authors visualize books while they are writing them. Maybe it's generational, but I don't get anything about the these preferences between print and digital. The only thing I didn't see in the article...I may have missed this because to be honest I skimmed a good deal...was that she didn't get into the smell of print books. This is a smell that has passed me by. And I don't think I'll ever understand why so many people crave this smell.

Of course Ms. Trollope has a right to her opinion and I do respect it. The great thing is now we can all choose between print and digital and get the best of both worlds. The problem is that's not going to last. If you don't believe me, take a look at little kids these days and see what they are doing. Right now the discussion about e-book and print book is relevant. But fifty years from now, when all kids will be reading digital, and will be reared by parents and grandparents who started on digital books, I doubt this will even be a discussion. It might even be a joke.

But what really surprised me were the comments left on this article. It's been a long time since I've seen such strong opinions about e-books.

Absolute balderdash! EBook sales are already way ahead of hardback sales, and before long eBooks will dominate the publishing market. So no matter what she thinks, the iPad and the Kindle will pretty much replace paper, and soon.... And the idea that the heft of a book is an indication of quality.... good grief! Obviously a woman who thinks that size matters :-)

Stupid woman. "You cannot love a library of e-books". Yes, I can. I do. Welcome to the future, Ms. Canute! I suspect that the real reason why she is against e-books is financial - something to do with the royalties.

There are more comments and most seem to be in favor of digital over print. I think it's worth checking out. Just for the sake of the fact that there seems to be one thing in common among published print authors who've been around for a while: they don't like e-books, and they will give you tons of emotional excuses as to why they don't like them, but I've never seen a practical reason. And I have to wonder if one reason they don't like them is because of all the competition they've been getting in recent years.

In the article, Trollope also said this:

"I don't think we should worry. There is a great excitement at the moment [about e-books] but I'm not sure we'll be so excited in three years' time. And children like books. They like looking at a line of Anthony Horowitzes and saying, 'I've read every one of those'."

I've wondered about this, too. I'll admit that I wasn't sold on e-books in the beginning either. But, like I said earlier, if you have any doubts take a look at what kids are doing these days. I doubt Ms. Trollope, or anyone else, is going to make them stop reading e-books, working/playing on computers, and finding ways to learn in a world that is constantly moving forward. And when you see what these kids can do nowadays...as young as two years old...it's fascinating to watch.

John Simpson, "Condor and the Crown," and Dreamspinner Press

My partner Tony has been asking me to write this post for a while and I finally decided to set the time aside and just do it. Tony is a huge fan of John Simpson's work and I've known John through social media for a few years.

The last book of John's that Tony read was "Condor and the Crown," and he raved about it so much I've put it on my own endless TBR list. So while I haven't read the book, and I'm not going to review anything right now, I am posting this little piece about John to let readers know how Tony feels about him...and his work. And, trust me, Tony has strong opinions about what he reads. I rarely hear him say he actually loved something. For that matter, I rarely see him talk about books he's read often. With John's work he never stops talking. I've even heard him recommend John's work to friends at dinner parties.

From what I know about John, a good deal of his work is published with Dreamspinner Press. I have never published anything with Dreamspinner, nor do I have any plans in the near future to publishing anything with them. But I've only had positive experiences reading Dreamspinner books. In fact, last year I collaborated with an author who writes a great deal with Dreasmspinner, Andrew Grey. I'm a huge fan of Andrew and his fiction. The other books I've read published by Dreamspinner were just as excellent.

But this post is about John Simpson, who I find both charming and intelligent on a personal level. And I want to focus on that right now. When I first met him on facebook, I remember how polite and cautious he was. He didn't slam me with promos about his books, he tried to get to know me instead. He's also active in his community and gives back all the time. He's also very honest and you always know where you stand with him. We have similar backgrounds in the sense that we've both been published by Alyson Books...and he's been with his partner for 36 years and I've been with mine for twenty. Even though there's an age difference, I'm sure that when we do finally meet in person...which we will...we'll find we have even more in common. He recently asked me about a cruise this spring he's going on with his partner. Tony and I spend time in Miami Beach off and on during the winter and the times didn't work out. But I have a feeling it would have been a great trip.

Here's a short bio:

John Simpson is a Vietnam Era Veteran, former Police Officer of the Year, a Federal Agent, a Federal Magistrate, an armed bodyguard to Saudi Royalty, a senior Federal Government executive, and recipient of awards from the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of Treasury.

John feels that for too long fiction writers neglected gay men. John writes entertaining, enjoyable, and enthralling fiction centered on the lives and lifestyles of gay men. John allows his readers to see life through gay mens' eyes. And just like real life, John's characters have active and exciting sex lives. John calls on his broad personal and professional experience in writing gay erotica. John is author of numerous full length novels available through Dreamspinner Press, TeB and Naughty Nights Press and several short stories in Alyson Books anthologies. Additionally, John has just signed on with Silver Publishing who will be putting out short stories and novellas. John has written magazine articles for gay and straight audiences alike.

John lives with his partner of 36 years who he legally married in 2008, and their three Scottish Terriers. John is highly involved with the Church, specifically seeking to repair rifts between Christendom and the gay community.

John wishes to extend a very special thanks to his many female readers. He appreciates and loves the fact women enjoy male/male erotica, and he thanks you for your past and continued support. He hopes to never disappoint you, and always leave you wanting more!

John now has a total of 16 full length novels in print!

Some of the short stories previously published by Alyson Books include:

"The Virgin Marine," "The Acropolis of Love," "The Tower," "The Serpent," "Locker Room Heat," "Campus Steam," "Lust in the Sand," and now "Love on the Rocks," for the "Island Boys," edition. Additionally, he has written numerous articles for various gay and straight magazines.

John has five short stories available through Dreamspinner Press: "The Smell of Leather,", "The Sheriff", "Fairy Tale", and the very popular "Officers in Need," and "That's the Ticket." Check them out today! A sixth short story, "Uniform Hardness," which continues the story started in "Officers in Need," is now available through Dreamspinner Press. If these stories don't rock your boat, you're in dry dock!

Having signed with an additional publisher, Silver Publishing, John's first short story for Silver, "Piece of the Universe," has just been released, along with "The Duke of Orleans," a novella, now out, and "Spanking for Love," and "Home Sweet Home," also out now. John has also just signed with TeB publishing which will publish the jointly written novel with A.J. Llewellyn, "My Yakuza," and written by himself, "Undefeated Love." Look for numerous new titles coming soon!

Here's a link to John's website, and another where you can check out his books at Dreamspinner Press. If you're looking for gay fiction written by someone with experience, take the time to check him out. According to Tony, you won't be disappointed.

And I believe that John not only deserves my praise, but also my respect.

Award For Bathhouse Outreach Worker: John Steven Cummins

As far as blogs go Bathhouseblog.com is surprising because there's always something smart and relevant, and I usually wind up finding out something I didn't know after I've read one of their posts. I have no idea who is writing this blog, but whoever it is deserves credit for doing it right. In all the years I've been reading information about the LGBT community online, through blogs and web sites, this one is in my own personal top ten for excellence in awareness.

The post I'm linking to now is about a young med student, John Steven Cummins, who just won an award:

"...for founding MizzouMed Pride, a group which promotes and raises awareness LGBTQ health issues."

I've written and posted about this before several times. The health problems facing the LGBT community range from elderly issues to youths who can't afford health insurance. And let's not forget about how expensive HIV meds (ARVs) are and all those who can't afford to spend thousands of dollars a month. The numbers are alarming.

To read more, follow this link to the post at Bathhouseblog, where other links will lead you to places to learn more about what John Steven Cummins is actually doing and about the award he won.

So True!! Writers Need Inspiration Sometimes...

Writers go through tons of emotions on a daily basis, whether they are published or not. These emotions range from learning how to deal with rejection to worrying about pleasing everyone.

Self-esteem is important. How you see yourself is just as important. Here's a link to something that makes you think twice. We all won't agree with everything in the article, but there's at least one thing for everyone that makes sense.

PayPal's Side of the Censorship Issue

I just read a blog post written by PayPal's, Anuj Nayar, Director of Communications, which explains PayPal's side of the recent censorship issue that seems to have everyone up in arms...an understatement.

I've posted about how I've been affected and I don't even write, as Mr. Nayar states, "rape, incest or bestiality"...and never will either. In my case, I was caught in the crossfire of censorship because of certain harmless tags that are part of the banned list.

For me the issue is more about how things tend to mushroom whenever books are banned and censored...to the point where people who aren't even part of the issue are targeted. I personally don't care about PayPal's moral stand on any issue. Morally, I'm not fond of rape, incest, or bestiality either. But I'm less fond of censorship of any kind. And while I respect the right for every business owner to do as he or she pleases, I don't have to like it or patronize it.

Check out the blog post here.

Titanic Debris Field Mapped Out

I'm afraid you're going to have to indulge me for a while. I had a completely different post planned for today about authors behaving badly, but it's going to have to wait. When I see something that's Titanic related and looks interesting I'm posting about it. This is partly because I've always been interested in the subject and partly because this is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and I think it deserves attention. And, since I started writing "Unmentionable: The Men Who Loved on the Titanic," I've become slightly hooked. Nasty authors can wait for another day (smile.)



Here's part of, and a link to, an article I read this morning.



SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Researchers have pieced together what's believed to be the first comprehensive map of the entire 3-mile-by-5-mile Titanic debris field and hope it will provide new clues about what exactly happened the night 100 years ago when the superliner hit an iceberg, plunged to the bottom of the North Atlantic and became a legend.



Marks on the muddy ocean bottom suggest, for instance, that the stern rotated like a helicopter blade as the ship sank, rather than plunging straight down, researchers told The Associated Press this week.



An expedition team used sonar imaging and more than 100,000 photos taken from underwater robots to create the map, which shows where hundreds of objects and pieces of the presumed-unsinkable vessel landed after striking an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people.



Here's a link that I hope works now, where you can read more.

March 16th Release: "Cowboy Howdy"

Here's a preview of the cover for my next release with Loveyoudivine.com. For those who don't know, Loveyoudivine.com publishes...and has been publishing...tons of lgbt fiction for many years now. They were the first publisher I went with when I moved into digital only publishing, and I've concentrated on my favorite medium with them, the short story. I've written a few novellas for them as well. But most of my work has been concentrated on the shorty story.

Unlike some of the parodies I've written for other publishers, by turning what I've always considered cheesy, sexless straight romances into updated contemporary romances with gay characters that have four times the heat and very different storylines, all my work with Loveyoudivine.com has always been fiction that personally inspired me in one way or another...nothing at all to do with films. In this particular story, "Cowboy Howdy," I wanted to put a Texas cowboy together with a spoiled brat gay guy from New York City to see how the dynamics would work. It's interesting to see how they come to depend on each other in very different ways.

I'll post more in the future as we get closer to the release date.[image error]

For My Friend Ryan

My blogging buddy, Ryan, over at "Ryan's Life" has been dealing with trolls and haters recently. He's not new to this, but sometimes it gets to him. I know how he feels and it kills me to see him have to go through this. I privately pointed him to a link where someone (a self-proclaimed female author, of all things..the shock!)had recently harassed and defamed me on her blog; just to show him that it's something we all have to deal with.

And it is part of life if you're going to put yourself "out there" and deal with the public, including the wing nuts. You're never going to be able to please everyone no matter how hard you try. And, there's no denying, some people are born wings nuts and they'll die wing nuts.

I'm hoping my friend Ryan decides to continue blogging for a long time. I know a lot of people would miss him if he decided to stop because of these haters.

I've always found the best approach is total dismissal. Turn your head, look the other way, and don't even acknowledge these haters exist. It's always better to show them, "You got it, babe," than to tell them.