Ryan Field's Blog, page 498

Must Read Gay Stories About Coming Out...

I found this web site and wanted to share. It contains links to stories about coming out that I think most gay men can identify with.

Because heterosexuality is so broadly assumed, there is a process shared by gay people of constructing and asserting a gay identity. Most important for gay people is coming out to one's self, but coming out is an ongoing process where a gay person asserts one's identity as a gay person at all levels of a society that assumes heterosexuality and tends to treat gay people with disrespect.

Here's the link. As I said, it will lead you to other links where you can read stories that are fascinating.[image error]

The Book That's Destined to Fail...

Just like the fabled Edsel, some great books are destined to fail. Sometimes it's because the cover is wrong. It could be because the title is wrong. Other times the cover copy is off and doesn't describe the book well. And sometimes the reason is a little more complicated and the author has no control.

In November 1956, Ford settled on a name for its new line of mid-priced automobiles: It would be called the Edsel, after the son of the firm's founder. Launched the following September, the Edsel was an utter flop, and has since become an exemplar of a product gone wrong, of how seemingly omnipotent firms and advertisers can be laid low by grass-roots consumer antipathy.

An author friend contacted me about a year ago about something he was going through. Here's the abbreviated version below. No names, but I do have his permission to write about it now.

Author friend: My publisher wants me to use a pen name for my next book.

Me: Okay. Are you switching genres? That makes sense.

Author friend: No. The book is in the same genre.

Me: But you already have a few books out in this genre and readers know you. Why would the publisher want you to use a pen name?

Author friend: They think I have too much exposure.

Me: Seriously? No offense, but you're not exactly Ryan Seacrest. You're writing in a sub-genre, m/m romance, that's on the fringes of publishing. How could you possibly ever get too much exposure?

Author friend: I don't know. That's what they said. They brainstormed about it and decided I should use a pen name.

Me: You don't sound too happy about it.

Author friend: I don't totally get it. And I can tell you right now there's no way I'm going to be able to promote this book the way it should be promoted. I feel creepy about using a pen name in my own genre. It's uncomfortable and I'll probably wind up not doing a thing to promote the book.

Me: That's a shame. Can't you talk to your publisher and reason. You know your readers better than they do. Maybe they'll listen.

Author friend: They won't. I love them and don't want to hurt their feelings. When it comes to these things they always believe they are right. They have PR people giving them advice. They have a lot of experience.

Me: Well, maybe they are right. You never know.

Author friend: That's what I've been telling myself. But deep down, I don't have a good feeling.

Me: Let me know how things work out. It's not the worst thing in the world.

Author friend: Okay. Thanks for listening.

Six months later I spoke with my friend again and he told me the book did, indeed, tank. He said he started a blog and tried to do as much basic promotion as he could. But in the end, he was a brand new author with a handicap. He didn't feel comfortable promoting a book in a genre with a pen name where he was already established with his own name.

When I asked him what the publisher said about all this, he told me the publisher said the book just wasn't strong enough. They said it had nothing to do with the pen name. Of course my friend didn't agree. Not enough people ever read or reviewed the book to know whether or not it was strong enough.

And this is how some books fail. If anyone has ever experienced anything like this, feel free to comment anonymously.[image error]

Hold On to These People

[image error]

Hearts on Fire Book Reviews: All About Yves

Someone e-mailed me about a review for All About Yves. From what I gather, it was posted a week ago. Don't shoot me, but I don't do google alerts, so I rarely ever know what's being reviewed...or said. When I factor in writing time, editing, social media, and personal life (which usually suffers the most), there isn't much time left. The good thing is I have a network of good friends and we all tell each other about these things whenever we see them.

I'm linking now because there were never many reviews done for All About Yves . And also because I'd like the thank the reviewer for being so kind.[image error]

Joe Konrath: "Amazon Will Destroy You"

Here's an interesting blog post by Joe Konrath. It's not a long post; it gets right to the point. I recommend reading it, especially if you're a new author.

I agree on some things, I'm not sure about others. I'm not sure because I still haven't tried out self-publishing with Amazon. This doesn't mean I wasn't one of the first to get into e-publishing. I don't know when Konrath started looking into digital publishing, but I started with one e-publisher nine years ago who was bought out by someone else. Three years after that, I moved on to loveyoudivine.com (where I remain), and then started writing genre fiction for ravenousromance.com. Including all the work I've had published with traditional publishers over the years, I have about 90 different published works out there (I'm honestly not completely sure about the exact number), most with my real name.

I have no regrets. I'm glad I made the switch to e-publishing in spite of more than one piece of advice from publishing professionals who told me not to waste my time with e-publishing. I'm glad I didn't listen. The switch to e-publishing has allowed me to write more, release more, and build my reader base.

My overall experience with e-publishers has been very positive. Even though I'm not self-published and I don't have complete control, I don't have any complaints. More often than not the advice I receive from my publishers has been something that has helped me move forward. I'm not sure I could have done that alone. This doesn't mean I'm still not curious about the self-publishing program at Amazon.

Last Book In Virgin Billionaire Series...

Earlier this week I submitted the tenth, and last, book in The Virgin Billionaire series. I titled it, THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S LITTLE ANGEL, because I wanted to go for something more emotional this time. We'll see if that title remains. Publishers often decide to change titles and they have the final say. As it turns out, many times they are correct and the author was glad he listened.

Though I'd never planned to write a series, it was an interesting experience to write one. It gave me a chance to show the main characters, Luis and Jase, grow with each book I wrote. In the first book, Jase is a closeted gay virgin who moves to New York to find himself...in his late thirties. He's already been married and divorced, built a billion dollar empire, and has been around the block a few times. Luis, on the other hand, is a flighty young gay man in his early twenties living in New York as a silly escort who dates much older men. Though Luis never has sex with any of them, his only concern in life is what new shirt he'll buy for Saturday night and how his hair turns out.

With each book I tried to show how they grow, sometimes in large ways and sometimes in small ways. And by the time I reached the last book, Jase and Luis are starting to think about things like growing older and building a family. They don't change as people. I don't believe people can change. We are who we are from birth. But Jase and Luis grow and mature in ways I hope readers will think are viable.

In this series, I had a chance to do a few things I normally wouldn't do. For example, Jase isn't the cliched gay man who is a left wing political zealot. He's more on the conservative side and he's not ashamed to talk about it. Luis, on the other hand, tends to be more of a cliche in the sense that he follows trends, and he's not afraid to talk about his liberal values either. It's this balance that keeps their lives interesting. I've always believed opposites do attract...at least from what I've seen from my own personal experience it seems to work.

I also wanted to tackle a more serious topic in the final book. As with everyone's life, Luis and Jase find themselves dealing with something so serious Luis isn't sure he can get through it. For most people what Luis goes through would leave scars for the rest of their lives. I'm not going to say exactly what I did because I never give spoilers, but it is something that changes almost everyone in the book in one way or another.

I'll post more about the final installment as I get closer to a publishing date. Right now we haven't even started edits on it and I'm not certain when we will. It's also a little longer than most of the other Virgin Billionaire books, with 65,000 words. Most of the romance novels I'm contracted to do are for 50,000 words, which seems to be a standard in e-publishing. I prefer to write novels that are not less than 60,000 words and this time I think I would have done a disservice to the reader if I'd skimped. Thankfully, publishers don't mind this. If writers go over a word count, they are usually fine with it.

Here's an unedited raw excerpt from the manuscript I just submitted. It's a dream/nightmare scene, where Luis dreams that he's been impregnated and he's acting as a surrogate. The stress Luis has been under, because Jase insists on building their family through surrogacy, has stressed Luis out so much he actually has nightmares about it.

When Luis opened his eyes again, he was standing in the kitchen at Cider Mill Farm in his bare feet in front of the sink. He was wearing something he would normally never wear, not even to work outside in the garden: a loose baggy T-shirt with a character from Sesame Street on the front and over-sized cut off jeans that had long strings hanging down to his knees. The T-shirt had stains and the jeans hung low on his waist. He glanced through the window and saw Isabelle and Mary sitting on the patio in white dresses, fanning themselves. Hunter was running around on the back lawn with a puppy Luis had never seen before. But it wasn't a cute puppy. This one had green-gray patchy fur, bugged, lopsided eyes, ears that came down to his paws, and saliva dripping from his mouth. He pressed his palm to his torso and felt something peculiar. When he glanced down at his waist, he saw a huge mound that had to be at least forty-four inches round.

Jase came up from behind, looking sexier and better than he'd ever looked before. He reminded Luis of the young version of Jase he'd once met after he'd dreamed he went back in time to when Jase was eighteen years old.

Jase gave Luis a playful pat on the behind and said, "How's my chubby little husband doing today? Did I tell you today how much I love all the cellulite on the backs of your legs?"

Luis's jaw dropped. He pressed his palm to the huge mound that used to be his perfectly thin, flat waist, and said, "I'm not sure how I'm doing." He remembered being in the clinic and having The Procedure, but nothing in between then and now.

"You're looking hot this morning," Jase said, as he grabbed Luis's ass and squeezed it. "I love the way your ass got so big with this baby. It's the biggest, fattest, hottest ass I've ever seen."

Luis glanced down at his thighs and gulped. They seemed to have quadrupled in size, to the point where they would rub together if he started to walk. "Hot. You think this is hot. I look like a goddamn whale. My entire body is swollen, my feet are killing me, and there's a strange, hideous animal creature running around outside with my son. Where did that dog come from? And where is Camp?"

Another Indie Book by a Traditionally Published Author

This week I received a surprise e-mail from an author I've known for a few years now. His name is Hal Bodner and I read his book, Bite Club, and loved every single word of it. I might even have posted about it here somewhere. I'm not sure now.

He's been published by Alyson Books and I met him after he wrote something for Ravenous Romance. We both have a lot in common because we've both been published by "traditional" gay presses before we moved into digital publishing. We can sit and remember the good old days when things get hectic.

I would consider Hal a classic gay author, and in more than one way. He has the voice of a gay man, the wit and humor of a gay writer, and the ability to convey his message without coming off too harsh. He writes smoothly, with tight narrative, and his characters jump from the page with authenticity. The wit and humor of some gay authors is not something that can be duplicated. It comes from within. Sometimes it can be cutting; other times downright hysterical.

Now Hal has decided to do something different. I had no idea he was doing this and I couldn't be more thrilled for him. He just released a book through Amazon Kindle titled, The Trouble with Hairy. I've started reading it, I love it, and I'll post more about it in a week or so, depending on how much time I have to read for personal pleasure right now.

But I wanted to do a short post to let people know The Trouble with Hairy is out on Kindle and that it can be purchased here.

Those who read this blog regularly know how interested I've been in indie publishing, particularly published authors who have decided to take control of their careers and go that route. Though I'm still on the fence about doing it myself at this time, I am thrilled for the authors who've decided to do this. And I couldn't recommend an author like Hal Bodner more. This is one case where I know an indie e-book on amazon isn't going to disappoint the readers who purchase it. In other words, you're getting a book by a seasoned author who knows what he's doing.

Here's the blurb:

Oh, Bloody Mary – with a twist!

Cruel, sharp teeth hunger for a taste of human flesh. Powerful jaws salivate at the thought of innocent victims. And twisted, gnarled claws are just dying for a manicure!

Something not-quite-human stalks the city streets under the full moon after the gay bars close. As the ravaged corpses start piling up, coroner Becky O'Brien and her unlikely allies realize they are the only defenders who can protect scores of unsuspecting pretty boys from a grisly, bone crunching Death by Werewolf.

Welcome back to West Hollywood, where the drinks aren't the only things that are stiff! Get ready to howl with laughter under a full moon when Becky, her best friend Christopher Driscoll – who happens to be the city's resident vampire! – and his quirky boyfriend Troy battle to save West Hollywood's hottest men from a vicious monster's hunger.

Brace yourself for another runaway macabre black comedy from the author of Bite Club where you, too, will find yourself trying to discover just what, exactly, is… The Trouble with Hairy.

Hal Bodner's previous book in the Chris and Troy series, Bite Club, was a genre best seller. A widower, he lives in West Hollywood with several dogs, a veritable flock of parrots and a new boyfriend barely half his age who was astonished to find out that Liza Minelli is Judy Garland's daughter.

So Rosie O'Donnell is Afraid of Little People

I had a completely different post in mind for today, but this piece about Rosie O'Donnell and Chelsea Handler popped up this morning and I changed my mind.

In this article, it states that O'Donnell and Handler have offended little people. O'Donnell said this:

"I'm a little ashamed about it [but] I have a mild fear or anxiety around little people," O'Donnell confessed before asking Handler point blank: "Would you ever do a little person?"

Okay. I'm sorry. But I had a WTF moment after reading that the first time. Who says things like this? And on national television? Just imagine switching the subject from little people to any other minority and see how awful it sounds.

Handler went on to say this:

"I love little people," she said. "I want to tackle them. I see them and I want to hold myself down. I bite Chuy [Bravo] sometimes. ... He's so cute and that's my ultimate body. If you're going to have a little person, I want that shape, the corpulence."

If you watch the clip, you'll see it was a really bad interview. I actually felt sorry for Handler this time. Again, take this subject and switch it to any other minority and see what you get.

Little People of America have responded with this:

Spokeswoman Leah Smith says both viewpoints are equally offensive, but in different ways, so the group has taken the steps of sending separate open letters to Handler and O'Donnell to make their concerns known.

"We decided to separate the two because they are both equally offensive, but separate," Smith told HuffPost Weird News. "Handler used a lot of 'pity rhetoric' when discussing Chuy, saying he couldn't get a job if not for her.

"For the record, we're not in need of 'getting saved.' We are capable of being successful in any job."

Leah Smith also states that their organization, Little People of America, isn't going to make a huge thing out of this. They aren't going to ask for a boycott of the entertainers. They sent the letters and they are more than willing to sit down and discuss that matter with O'Donnell and Handler.

What I find interesting is that it seems the only way for O'Donnell to get attention these days is to do or say something that sparks controversy. Given her stand on LGTB issues, I would like to believe O'Donnell would know better when it comes to insulting any minority group. So I'm not quite certain why she would even bring up something like this. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Gay Civil Rights and Chick-fil-A

It seems there's a problem with Chick-fil-A now. Evidently, they've allegedly contributed money to groups that don't support same sex marriage...and groups allegedly considered anti-gay. I don't know anything about Chick-fil-A. I've never been to one, so I can't comment on the product.

But I'm in the minority here. I've had e-mails from friends locally who want to disassociate themselves and all local community events from Chick-fil-A. I've read other e-mails that take this to a national level.

If you read this article here, about the situation, it's amazing how slanted it is on one direction.

Protests like the one aimed at Chick-fil-A are partly or even mostly attempts to exhibit the power of the protesters. That aim has nothing to do with winning the argument—is gay marriage a good social policy or a mistaken one?—and everything to do with controlling the narrative. Only those who agree with the protesters are granted a legitimate voice hereafter. Roar loud enough and you may intimidate the target, but that's of less importance than pumping up excitement among followers and creating a secondary wave of self-censorship among others who correctly surmise that it is dangerous to disagree.

This makes little sense to me. Is this person saying people are dumb and can't form their own opinions? The objective of protesting is, indeed, to gain power in numbers and to obtain a louder voice. Without protests, and groups protesting in large numbers, there wouldn't be a glimmer of a chance to change things. As far as I know, no one in the LGBT community is telling anyone they have to agree. No one in the LGBT community is telling people how they should think. What I'm seeing and hearing is that those in the LGBT community and those who support same sex marriage simply aren't going to support a corporation that supports organizations who are openly against same sex marriage. This is the risk any high profile business runs when it decides to support something that's highly charged with politics and emotion.

In this article there's more information, based on facts, and lists of anti-gay organizations that Chick-fil-A has supported.

Chick-Fil-A's Employment Practices Are Hostile Towards "Sinful" Candidates. Chick-fil-A requires potential franchise operators to disclose their marital status, number of dependents, and involvement in social, church, and other organizations. Employees may be fired for engaging in "sinful" behavior, and Truett Cathy has said he aims to hire workers who are married.

And then here's the controversy that sparked a lot of what's been happening locally in the past few days.

In January, a local Chick-fil-A restaurant in Pennsylvania donated food to the group Family Life to put on an event called the "The Art of Marriage: Getting to the Heart of God's Design." Both Chick-fil-A and co-sponsor Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI) were originally listed as sponsors of the "Art Of Marriage" event, although Chick-fil-A scrubbed its name from the event's advertisements after the controversy began. Both PFI and Family life are virulently anti-gay. [New York Times,2/14/11; Joe. My. God., 1/4/11]

I haven't heard anyone in the LGBT community try to stop this group. All I've heard is that anything even remotely associated with Chick-fil-A will now be boycotted by the LGBT community because of who Chick-fil-A chooses to support. That sounds fair enough to me. It's called making a qualified decision based on the information given to you. And the LGBT community shouldn't be expected to support a company that supports organizations that are outright against them.

This piece in the NYT describes the entire ordeal best. Check it out here. Some of the comments are interesting.

On the other hand, Rhonda Cline, a dental hygienist in Atlanta and a devout Christian, has only gotten more outspoken in her support. She was one of nearly a thousand people who logged onto the Chick-fil-A Facebook page to comment on the issue.

"I applaud a company that in this climate today will step out on a limb the way the Constitution allows them to," Ms. Cline said in an interview. "This is the United States, so we should be able to practice our business the way we like."

I couldn't agree with Ms. Cline more. I applaud her. We all have these rights. And the LGBT community has the same right to back off from anything Chick-fil-A related. The only right the LGBT community doesn't have is the ability for same sex couples to be joined in a legal union that protects them against all kinds of things that range from inheritance taxes to power of attorney.

If you want to read even more, there are tons of links out there. What I just posted is only the most basic information. All I know is that when any company in business for profit supports anything this controversial, they run the risk of losing business and they deserve what they get. And that's just a plain hard fact of life.

Fred Karger Files Discrimination Complaint Against CPAC

As I've stated before, when I post this info I'm doing it objectively, so no political attacks. I really am an independent voter and I don't always follow partly lines in one direction or the other.

But I do think Fred Karger is making history this year. And I want to post about him because no one else seems to be doing this. I could list a variety of reasons why I think this is, but I'll stick to the facts and let Fred do his thing.



For those who don't know, Fred Karger is openly gay and he's trying to run for President on the Republican ticket. But it's been tricky at best, and this is partly because the mainstream media won't even mention his name. As far as I know, this is, indeed, considered making history. I don't know of any other openly gay people who have run for President on the Republican ticket. And in spite of what we often hear from mainstream media, there are a lot more conservative gay men and women than we are led to believe.



Here's the latest e-mail I received from Fred Karger's campaign staff:

It was a very busy five days in Washington. We had lots of meetings, interviews, food and met lots of amazing people. Three of those days were at the American Conservative Union's (ACU) annual conference – CPAC. About 50% of CPAC attendees are under 30. This younger half is there to hear about balancing the federal budget, foreign policy, national defense and to hear a variety of speakers. Divisive social issues are of little or no interest. The organizers and mega financial backers sadly have a different view.

For the second year in a row I was denied a speaking slot at CPAC, as well as a booth at its trade show. I applied for the booth way back in November, but they were mysteriously "sold out," just like last year. I was the only Republican candidate for President who was not allowed to speak.

When I am denied my rights, I fight back. Ten days before the conference I filed a discrimination complaint against the ACU. Here is a story in BuzzFeed about it:

Friday was our first meeting with the lead attorney at the DC Office of Human Rights, which is charged with combating discrimination anywhere in Washington, DC. The "Intake Hearing" went well and we will know soon if we will go directly into mediation with CPAC officials. Here's another article from buzzfeed.

I hope to end Chairman Al Cardenas' "no gays allowed" policy at CPAC. If they refuse to change their bigoted ways, next year they may well be forced to move to a state that does not have any discrimination laws.

We will keep you posted as the case moves forward.

And I'll continue to update as I receive e-mails. At the very least, I would imagine the LGBT community is more than interested in learning more about an openly gay candidate running for President, at least from a historical POV.[image error]