Ryan Field's Blog, page 541

Chav Culture: A New Trend in Gay Culture?

Until I read the article below, I knew nothing of "Chav" culture. I didn't even know what a "Chav" was.

According to urban dictionary: There are people in the world who think that the label "Chav" is classist, and refers to those who are working class. However, once and for all, it does not. "Chav" in fact refers to those who have absolutely no respect for anything at all, though in fact demand to be respected all the same. They can be found spitting on the streets; they can be found sitting in bus shelters cadging a smoke off other people; they can be found in courtrooms everywhere for street crimes. They will happily attack anyone who so much as looks at them

Here's the link to read examples.

And here's a post about the new trend. Remember, I didn't write this one. I'm only relaying the message.

Study examines fascination with 'chav' culture among middle-class gay men

New research at the University of Leicester is investigating a growing fascination with 'chav' culture among middle-class gay men in Britain.

Professor Joanna Brewis, from the University of Leicester School of Management, UK, will conduct primary empirical research into gay class tourism following publication of findings reported last year in the journal Sociology.

Research she carried out with her former colleague Professor Gavin Jack, now at La Trobe University in Australia, revealed the complex consumer patterns of middle-class homosexual men who go 'slumming' at chav nights in clubs, typically dressed in tracksuits, baseball caps and flaunting showy diamond and gold bling.

Professors Brewis's and Jack's findings overturn the traditional stereotypes of gay men as cultured, bourgeois consumers, suggesting instead an interest in the lower-class values of 'chavs' encapsulated in certain types of pornographic material, sex lines and night clubs.

Professor Brewis commented: "Our research opens up some interesting questions, including whether the fascination with chavs opens up the gay space for working class homosexual men, or just reinforces the view of the 'unselective male libido'."

Professor Joanna Brewis has been a member of the University of Leicester School of Management since 2004. Her research interests are in the intersections between the body, identity, sexuality, consumption, culture and processes of organizing. As well as the project described above, other recent research work includes exploring intimacy, motherhood and life-work 'balance'; and discourses of Same and Other around culture and professionalism in Aotearoa New Zealand social work.

Professor Gavin Jack joined the La Trobe Graduate School of Management in 2009. His research interests include international management issues, consumption and postcolonial organizational analysis.

Questions About E-publishing and Self-Publishing E-books...

I'm not trying to step on any toes here. But I wrote a post about the difference between self-publishing and e-publishing, and I've had a lot of e-mails because people didn't feel secure leaving comments on the thread.

I've answered them all. I don't know much about self-publishing because I've never done it. But I do know the process for e-publishing very well because I've been doing it for seven years now. And the I know the basic difference between the two, at least enough to help steer a new author in the right direction.

So please feel free to use this open comment thread to ask questions anonymously and I will answer them the best I can. I hate to see authors and readers confused, especially when it involves money out of their own pockets. And if I can help with some of the misinformation out there, I will. And If I don't know, I'll admit it and try to point you in the right direction to someone who does know.

All comments will be treated with absolute discretion and you can comment a year from now if you'd like.

E-publishers Are Not Self-publishers...

Rather than write a long post about my feelings. I'm keeping this short and sweet.

There are a few people starting new ventures on the Internet for self-publishing and they are calling it e-publishing.

They are wrong. They haven't been paying attention.

Maybe they are just arrogant. I'm not sure.

But they are misleading authors and readers. And the pioneers of e-publishing take offense to this.

I work with e-publishers, not self-publishers. I started working with e-publishers when everyone was still laughing at e-books. And I'm proud to be associated with them, too.

Don't get me wrong. I love self-published books and I support them whenever I can. I love the brave authors who had the courage to take the chance to self-publish their own books with their own money. I might even do it myself someday.

But there is a huge difference between an e-publisher and a self-publisher.

And that difference is that an e-publisher will not charge you a dime. With self-publishing you have to pay.

Another Regular Bud...Unpubbed Excerpt

I posted fast about ANOTHER REGULAR BUD last week, and wanted to share an unpublished excerpt.

For some reason, A REGULAR BUD has generated a lot of wonderful e-mail from readers. I appreciate them all because I'm not always certain what readers want. And with a story like A REGULAR BUD I can never really be certain unless I hear feedback.

This is why I wrote ANOTHER REGULAR BUD. It's not a sequel in a planned series. I may never write another story like this again. But it does follow the high heel theme from the first story. One reader pointed out that there aren't many stories out there that get into high heels for men. Another pointed out that if you google high heels for men you'll come up almost empty handed. I did that and the reader was correct. The few sites that are up don't really get into anything I got into in the short story.

This was an accident on my part. I just thought of a story I thought would be fun and wrote it. I wanted it to be a little campy, a little funny, and still have a certain amount of emotion. And I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that it's resonated with so many nice people out there. Keep in mind this is the unedited, raw version.

"What's the story with those high heels in the backseat?" He asked, with his deep, raspy tone.

"I can't believe you saw them," I said. "I thought I threw them on the floor."

He laughed. "Well, one landed the seat. I couldn't help noticing it." Then he slapped my ass hard. "What are they for?"

I took a quick breath, sorry I'd been so careless. "A Halloween costume I'm wearing this weekend. I've never done drag…I don't do drag. This is a joke a friend talked me into doing. I'm going as a burlesque queen." I felt the need to explain it in more detail, so he didn't think I was into women's clothes all the time. You never know.

"Put them on," He said.

I sent him a glance. "Seriously. You want me to put them on right now?" I'd never done anything like this before with a man. I'd once worn a pair of black lace panties for a guy who was into that sort of thing, but never high heels, and never in a public place.

He nodded. "I think they're hot. Take off your pants and just put the high heels on." He was so excited about me wearing the high heels he released me, leaned through the back window, and pulled the high heels out of the backseat himself.

Something New At BookEnds, LLC for Self-Published Authors

They just announced something new over at BookEnds, LLC. For those who don't know, BookEnds has been a reputable literary agency for a long time. And now they are doing something new with self-published authors who are interested in getting into publishing their own e-books. To me, this is helping authors in a new way.

I'd rather you check out the link yourselves than me trying to explain it and misquoting anyone. It's an interesting venture and I left my own two cents on the comment thread in support.

And, of course, as usual, there are the negative types who know it all (God, I'm so tired of know-it-alls!!) and aren't patient enough to see what BookEnds is actually going to do. The fact is that publishing is changing and agents, like authors, are looking into new and interesting ways to deal with business. And I can't help but offer a huge round of applause to anyone who does something new with the best of intentions.

First Gay Marriages in New York

The photo of this couple was taken at the first gay marriages in New York. I've been following this and reading other m/m author blogs and I've been seeing interesting blog posts about it.

One thing we can all agree on is that it's a wonderful thing for all gay people in New York to be able to legally marry. They've been fighting and waiting for this for a long time and they deserve to enjoy the moment for as long as they can.

But...and you knew there was a but coming...I'm surprised at how little I've seen mentioned about the real issue at hand, which is legalized gay marriage/unions, on a federal level. And when I see this lack of understanding on m/m author blogs for all gay Americans on a federal level it leads me to wonder whether the blogger just isn't up on what's happening within the gay community nationally, or whether they just don't get it because they are only getting their information on the surface.

I'm thrilled for the women in the photo above. I'm thrilled for everyone else who was married in New York. But I personally know hundreds more like them here in Bucks County, PA, where gay marriage is still illegal and probably will be for a long time. Same goes for New Jersey.

So while I'm thrilled about legalized gay marriage in New York, I'm not jumping up and down right now. Even if ten more states in the union legalized gay marriage tomorrow, it still wouldn't be recognized on a federal level and gay Americans are still not going to be treated with the equality they deserve...on some very important levels, too.

So for those authors writing m/m fiction who think they are helping gay people when they post about how wonderful gay marriage in New York is, I wish you'd take the time to fully learn the ramifications of what gay marriage means to us on a federal level and start posting more about that in the future. That's where it really counts. That's where we really need your support and your loud voices. That's when gay couples in the military will receive benefits and when gay couples won't have to pay federal inheritance taxes on their own homes when their lifelong partner passes away.

Check Out "My Big Gay Blog"

As a lot of readers know, I used to interview and review gay bloggers for bestgayblogs.com, and I'm always surfing the net looking for something new. I don't know how I missed "My Big Bay Blog" for so long, but I did.

I don't know how often the blogger posts, but I loved this post so much I'm linking to it so you can see for yourself.

This is one of those times when I love blogging, especially for gay men who've been so cut off and sheltered from society for so long. It's an honest glimpse into the lives of real gay men living and working and playing just like everyone else.

Here's the link to a post I loved from April. And here's the main link.

A Must Read for Anyone who Buys and Reads E-books!!

Here's another reader post, not an author post, that I hope will help a few of my readers. Admittedly, I'm one of those technically deprived people who buy all my e-books from Kobo. It's simple. I push a few buttons on my e-reader and I get the books like magic. Up until six years ago, I was still submitting manuscripts to some publishers in hard copy. I've learned a lot about computers since then and I'm obviously still learning. I've been 100% electronic for six years now.

But I haven't been happy about the Kobo shopping process...for many reasons that I've explained in previous posts. So I'm linking to this post because I think it's important for everyone who reads e-books to check out. The blogger in question isn't a huge fan of mine; we have completely different taste in books. But I respect her opinion and her right to express it. I also think she wrote a damn good post that will help a of readers, so I'm linking to it, here.

1964 Ford Falcon Commercial

Are You Having Trouble With "Stats" On Google Blogger?

I updated my windows last month and I haven't been able to get my stats on google blogger since then. I'm not one to check them every day, but I like knowing who reads the blog and where the traffic is coming from.

As most who have their main e-mail account with aol, I use aol for everything on the Internet...even news and information. I've been with them for fourteen years and I'm never going to switch. And I've never had a problem until recently, when I couldn't get my stats.

I'm no computer techie. I know the basics and I know what I need to know to survive. But when something like not being able to get my stats on google blogger happens, I'm lost for a while.

But I just found out that if I use Internet Explorer instead of aol I can get the stats. So if anyone else is having this problem, try out Internet Explorer. I was surprised at how simple it was. But this only shows how little I know and how much I depend on my tech guy. I've also had a few problems commenting on some google blogs. So I'm going to try out Internet Explorer next time and see if it works with that, too.