Ryan Field's Blog, page 535

The Bachelor: Book Description

Here's a quick book description of The Bachelor, which was recently released.



I'll post an unpublished excerpt later this week. And if anyone wants to read a published excerpt check out this link. (I'm a big fan of the way ARe does product details.) It's all right here. Or, the publisher's link, here.



Jim Johnston has been trying to break into show business for seven years, and now he has a chance to audition for a new reality show called The Gay Bachelor. But he missed the Hollywood auditions, so he has to travel back home to the deep rural country of Southern New Jersey and audition in Philadelphia.

Jim arrives at his parents' old brick plantation style house for the first time since he graduated high school. When he sees how much they've aged since he's been gone, it tugs at his heart and he is determined to make things right again so it doesn't take another seven years for him to return.

But this doesn't stop Jim from having a quick affair with his mother's maid's strapping nephew while his mother and father are at church. And it doesn't stop him from falling hopelessly in love with one of the producers of the new reality show, The Gay Bachelor, when he auditions in Philadelphia.

With all the obstacles Jim faces before the audition, he discovers a few things about himself he didn't know. In spite of the disappointments...and a few awkward moments with a chocolate cupcake...he's determined to concentrate more on love than on casual sex. Even though he's not sure how it's all going to work out in the end, he's ready to take his chances for the sake of love.

Have a Safe Labor Day...

Can't believe summer's almost over. I know they say Labor Day is the end of summer. But we really do have a couple of weeks left. And even though fall is my favorite time of year, I like holding on to what little there is left of summer. Plus, this photo is the far back end of my property, and in a few weeks it will be covered with leaves. Leaf clean up around here is a two day a week event from October until mid-December.



Next week I'm posting about another interesting self-published author who contacted me from a previous post. After that, I'm going to get into a few author interviews, which I've been dying to do for a long time. I used to do these things for bestgayblogs.com and miss doing them. I made friends, some of whom I've met in person, thanks to those interviews. And I think people like reading interviews more than they like reading straight forward blog posts.



I'll also be posting something about 9/11 later this week.



Have a safe and happy Labor Day.

Something Funny...

I swiped this from a facebook friend and thought I'd share. It's the first thing I've actually seen like this anywhere...at least mentioned so openly.



All Financial Experts Urge Americans To Invest Money In Print Media Immediately



All experts agree that the failing U.S. economy is no reason not to invest in print media, Dick Cheney's new memoir reveals he's going to live a long, happy life and we're powerless to stop him., and Charmin introduces a new disposable toilet paper. It's the week of August 29th, 2011.



Here's the link...with a nice video.

Good For Cher: Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars

I probably should have left up my new release post for the weekend. But I saw this about Cher and Chaz Bono and couldn't help posting about it right now.



When I made my last post, about Chaz doing the reality show, I was a little surprised at some of the negative reactions I received. And from gay and straight people, too. Well, anyone who knows me knows I don't buckle when it comes to things like this. I kept the post up and I'm posting about it again. This is what the T in GLBT is all about, and I'll fight to my death for tolerance.



Good for Cher for coming to his defense!!



As for Chaz, you may not like it, you may not understand it. You may not even want to like it or understand it. But the point is that Chaz Bono is doing something most people wouldn't have the guts to do. And I find that amazing...on so many levels I could fill this entire blog with examples. And I don't even like dancing myself...can't do it....won't even try. But I'll be watching this show.





....Cher takes to Twitter to defend Chaz Bono on DWTS



By Sandy Cohen | AP – Thu, Sep 1, 2011 9:08 AM PDT

....tweet240EmailPrint...

..LOS ANGELES - Cher is taking to Twitter to defend her son Chaz Bono.



The superstar posted several tweets Wednesday defending his participation on the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars." Bono is the first transgender competitor on the hit ABC show.



Cher says her son, who was born female and underwent surgery to become a man, is being "viciously attacked" on blogs and message boards since the new cast was announced Monday.



"This is Still America right? It took guts 2 do it," Cher wrote, adding that she supports him no matter what he chooses to do.



"Mothers don't stop Getting angry with stupid bigots who (mess) with their children!" the 65-year-old singer wrote.



Bono, 42, is paired with pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer on the reality show, where celebrities and their professional partners perform various ballroom dances for judges' scores and viewer votes.



"Dancing" fans have posted both angry and supportive comments on the show's message boards. One called the casting choice "disgusting" and said "ABC should be ashamed of theirselves for harassing mainstream Americans and Christains."



Another wrote: "I never and mean NEVER watch DWTS but will this season to support/vote for (Chaz)."



On his own Twitter page, Bono described himself as "the luckiest guy around" and thanked his fans for their support. He also thanked Cher.



"Thanks for all your support mom," he wrote. "The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can."



The 13th season of "Dancing With the Stars" is set to premiere Sept. 19.

The Bachelor: Release Day

If you recall, we weren't sure whether or not this would be The Gay Bachelor, or The Bachelor. We (the publisher and I) decided on The Bachelor in the end mainly because it worked so well with the cover. And the two guys almost kissing should be a clear indication this isn't about a straight bachelor.



It's also a play on words in a sense. For years, many gay men all over the world have been referred to as bachelors because being openly gay has always been so taboo. And for those who don't realize it, this is still happening today as I write this blog post. And I wanted to make a small statement about it in this book.



It's a full length novel, about 75,000 words. You can find it here and in most places where e-books are sold, including amazon, kobo, and google. And if anyone has any questions about it before I post more next week, please feel free to e-mail me.

Ryan's A Guy In Love...Blog Going Blank

I've been following my friend Ryan's blog for more years than I can remember now. And this morning I found out it was going blank.



I don't know the exact reasons why the blog is going blank. I've e-mailed Ryan and I didn't ask for details because I know he's a private person and I respect his privacy. My concern was to be sure everything was okay with Ryan and Tyler. At this point, I think of them both as adopted brothers.



And if I did know the details, I wouldn't mention them because they are Ryan's business.



But I do know a lot of people are going to miss Ryan's blog, including me. For me, Ryan is what blogging was always intended to be. When personal blogging first started, it was supposed to be about online personal journals, where people talked about their lives, their interests, and their dreams. It wasn't supposed to be about promoting books, reviewing books, and hocking goods and wares for personal gain.



Then blogging caught on and became something entirely different, which is fine. I'm just as guilty as everyone else. But I'm gonna miss the old ways. And it's just not going to be the same without Ryan around on the interwebs.

Hayden Thorne...YA Author

I recently had a nice e-mail exchange with author, Hayden Thorne, and I've been checking out Hayden's books. We have one thing in common that gave us both a good laugh.



Though I don't wite YA, I do like to read it for pleasure. And I'll be checking out Hayden's work. "Jumpstart" the world, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, a YA, was one of the best books I read all year.



And Hayden's books look just as good.



She's a writer of young adult fiction, specializing in contemporary fantasy, historical fantasy, and historical genres. Her books range from a superhero fantasy series to reworked folktales to Victorian ghost fiction. Her themes are coming-of-age, with very little focus on romance (most of the time) and more on individual growth with some adventure thrown in.





Here is Hayden's web site.



And here is the amazon page.



I also love the name Hayden, and will probably swipe it for a character in a book one day very soon.

2011 Hurricane Irene Floods in Paterson, NJ part1.avi

Hope these folks are okay. I went to college in north Jersey, Florham Park, and I used to shop at the Willowbrook Mall not far from Patterson.

Don't Poke That Tiger

I've been accused of being the monkey in this video at times in my life (smile).

Don't Let It Get You Down...

I was up late last night consoling a good writer friend who had suffered a bad review. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. But she thought it was and she was devastated.



I told her about this comment someone once wrote about me, below, hoping she'd feel a little better:



Did y'all know Alyson, a reputable GLBT print pub, will be putting out paper editions of two RR books, one of which is by the inimitable Ryan Field? Some coup.



This was a comment left on a review blog by some nasty bitchy woman author about me, roughly two years ago. It was meant to be snide, not as a compliment. I don't know her and hope to never meet her in person anywhere. I won't mention her name because I wouldn't give her an ounce of publicity on my blog. The interesting thing is the post on which she commented wasn't even about me. And even more interesting, she had no idea that when Alyson bought my book I'd already been published by them in so many books I can't even count them. I remember when Sasha Alyson started Alyson books back in the day. They were on Plympton Street in Boston. I didn't know him well. But I knew him. And here this dumb woman had no idea I already had contacts with many publishers and editors long before she ever thought about writing m/m fiction during her mid-life crisis.



I think I helped my friend after I told her this story. I told her a few others, too. By the time we hung up, I even had her laughing. And I hope I taught her the importance of never taking any reviews too seriously. I'm talking about the great reviews, too. They can inflate your ego even when you don't think they can. And the best thing to do is just keep writing, keep doing what you love, and pay attention to what's in your heart.