Ryan Field's Blog, page 580
December 17, 2010
Three Christmas Novellas in One Book

Here's the second release I was talking about in an earlier post this week. It's a Christmas book, with three novellas. Mine is titled THE CHRISTMAS GIFT, and it's a continuation of characters I wrote about last year in a short Christmas Story. Here's the link, and below is a product description from the publisher web site.
Most of the time anthologies contain a collection of many short stories. But this one is unusual in the sense that it's three novellas, which to me, speaking as a reader, is like getting three short novels for the price of one. And I don't see that very often.
Synopsis
Three delicious tales of male/male romance for the holidays!
Meet Aaron and Brant, who escape to a tropical island for the holidays, under the pretense of doing a big business deal, but end up doing each other, in EM Lynley's CHRISTMAS BONUS.
Best-selling author Ryan Field brings back Lance and Nathan, two high school lovers who reunited on Christmas Eve, as they now explore their new relationship a year later and find the true meaning of Christmas in THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.
And finally join Alec and John, the military pilot and doctor from Chloe Stowe's FOREVER BOUND, as they dance through another holiday of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," in FOREVER BOUND WITH TINSEL.
Don't miss this twinkling collection of holiday lust!
Published on December 17, 2010 07:02
December 16, 2010
Xerox is Doing Something Cool to Support the Military...
I wanted to post this because I think it's important to let the people serving in the military know we care. It's not hard to do. So take the time out of your busy schedules to send a message.
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.
How AMAZING it would be if we could g et everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.
Thanks for taking to time to support our military!
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.
How AMAZING it would be if we could g et everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.
Thanks for taking to time to support our military!
Published on December 16, 2010 12:58
December 15, 2010
Why My Characters Use Condoms at all Times
This post was originally supposed to be a post for another blog. But I misinterpreted what the blogger wanted and did a rewrite. So I decided to post it here, on my own blog instead, hoping readers will find it interesting as a topic itself.
I never lie about the fact that most of my sex scenes are taken from personal experiences. So I'd like to begin with a personal story that happened to me about twelve years ago. I'd gone out to a bar with friends and met an adorable, athletic, guy, with short blond hair and huge biceps. I'd been to this particular bar in the past, and this type of guy was not their normal client. He told me he was just passing through town, on his way home from college, and decided to stop in for a drink.
Then one thing led to another, and before we knew it we were in the back seat of his car making out. He was very aggressive, and I didn't mind in the least. Though I knew this guy wasn't going to be the love of my life, there was a strong sexual energy between us. By the time we were both undressed, he asked me if we could do something very specific. And I asked him if he had a condom. I didn't want to ask, I didn't want to even bring the subject up. But I knew I had to do it. I normally have condoms in my car at all times. But I was with friends that night and didn't even have my car. Unfortunately, this gorgeous guy didn't have any condoms either and my heart sank.
He continued to persuade me, without being shy about it. He even said, "I'll just pull out fast toward the end. I swear I will. I know what I'm doing." And for a moment, I even contemplated letting him do this. I was almost ready to submit completely. It was one of those moments where you either move forward, or everything comes crashing down. He tried to coax me for another twenty minutes, and I kept refusing. I felt like the prom date who wouldn't put out, and I didn't want him to think I was teasing him. But it all came crashing down anyway. I even picked up a hint of annoyance in his tone when I started getting dressed. All the chemistry between us disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. He didn't even open the door for me when it was time to get out. But I had no regrets. For me, growing up in the New York area and watching people die with HIV/AIDS, left a strong impression. And I didn't care whether his feelings were hurt or not. I wasn't going to have unprotected sex with anyone, and to this day, I still haven't.
But when I started writing gay erotica and gay romance almost twenty years ago for publishers like Alyson Books and Cleis Press, I wasn't this strict with my characters. I felt that my readers were tired of safe sex and frustrated about all the things they couldn't do themselves. They were reading these books to escape from the real world, not be reminded of it. I didn't think they wanted the characters to use condoms. This was fantasy, not reality. I was making it all up as I went along, thinking "what if" all the time. If there is such a thing as poetic license, I believed what I was doing benefited the reader, not the socially conscious. And, to be honest, I was enjoying what I was writing just as much. Though I've always used condoms, I can't admit I'm a huge fan of them.
But I do think the world has changed in the past twenty years, with regard to being both politically correct and socially correct. Most readers nowadays don't even know Times Square was a huge sex attraction. They have no idea what went on down at the docks in the West Village. When I go back today and read some of the things I had published almost two decades ago, I'm shocked at myself sometimes. Did I actually do that? And we were in the height of the AIDS epidemic then? In the past five years or so, I have rarely written a sex scene without condoms. I try to make it fast and get the condoms out of the way, but they are almost always there. Sometimes I try to make the condom scene sexy, but that's often hard to do. And I'll be honest about this; I'm always worried (concerned) that someone might get the wrong impression. I'm not as concerned about professional reviews as I am readers. I receive a lot of e-mail from young men all over the world who are just starting out and I feel a responsibility to educate them. I know we're taught about the importance of condoms here in the US, but I'm not sure about other parts of the world. And I don't want to assume anything.
But I don't always write about characters who use condoms, and I still seem to get heat for this. I think I have valid reasons, but not everyone agrees. For example, I'm finishing up the third in a series of three books right now. Both main characters are in love, monogamous, and living happily as any other married straight couple. They've both been tested for HIV and both were negative. So it would be pointless for them to continue using condoms as a couple. I don't know any straight married couples who use condoms, so why should gay couples be any different? And I still receive complaints about this. I'm not sure what to think. Is it so strange to think of two gay men sharing their lives the same way straight men and women share their lives? Millions of gay men all over the globe are in relationships and they are monogamous. And to suggest they need condoms is to suggest there is something flawed about their relationships, which I won't do.
Then I wrote about a young gay couple who were not monogamous. They were in love and they were a couple. But they had an open relationship with one important rule: whenever they fooled around with someone else they had to use condoms. These characters respected each other and trusted each other, as people in love tend to do. And they set this rule up early in their relationship so they wouldn't have to use condoms when they were together. In other words, if they were both using condoms if and when they were with other people, they were practicing safe sex all the time. This meant they would remain HIV negative and there would be no need for condoms when they were with each other. But some readers either didn't get this or took offense to the entire concept, and they all let me know about it without being shy. And there's really no way to defend something like this. It is what it is. And, for the record, I know several gay couples in real life who have open relationships like this.
After that experience, I decided that if my characters weren't going to use condoms, I'd explain why in more detail. Maybe I didn't explain it well enough in the past? And most of my characters, in fact, do use condoms these days. But I'm not advocating this for all authors as a set rule. I do agree with those who believe many readers are reading these stories and books to escape. They want the fantasy; they want it, so to speak, raw. As a gay man, I can understand this need to escape. I still look back on the incident with that gorgeous blond guy and still kick myself for not having a condom with me. And whenever I read an erotic romance where the characters are not using condoms, I don't take offense and I understand that this is fantasy, not reality.
I never lie about the fact that most of my sex scenes are taken from personal experiences. So I'd like to begin with a personal story that happened to me about twelve years ago. I'd gone out to a bar with friends and met an adorable, athletic, guy, with short blond hair and huge biceps. I'd been to this particular bar in the past, and this type of guy was not their normal client. He told me he was just passing through town, on his way home from college, and decided to stop in for a drink.
Then one thing led to another, and before we knew it we were in the back seat of his car making out. He was very aggressive, and I didn't mind in the least. Though I knew this guy wasn't going to be the love of my life, there was a strong sexual energy between us. By the time we were both undressed, he asked me if we could do something very specific. And I asked him if he had a condom. I didn't want to ask, I didn't want to even bring the subject up. But I knew I had to do it. I normally have condoms in my car at all times. But I was with friends that night and didn't even have my car. Unfortunately, this gorgeous guy didn't have any condoms either and my heart sank.
He continued to persuade me, without being shy about it. He even said, "I'll just pull out fast toward the end. I swear I will. I know what I'm doing." And for a moment, I even contemplated letting him do this. I was almost ready to submit completely. It was one of those moments where you either move forward, or everything comes crashing down. He tried to coax me for another twenty minutes, and I kept refusing. I felt like the prom date who wouldn't put out, and I didn't want him to think I was teasing him. But it all came crashing down anyway. I even picked up a hint of annoyance in his tone when I started getting dressed. All the chemistry between us disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. He didn't even open the door for me when it was time to get out. But I had no regrets. For me, growing up in the New York area and watching people die with HIV/AIDS, left a strong impression. And I didn't care whether his feelings were hurt or not. I wasn't going to have unprotected sex with anyone, and to this day, I still haven't.
But when I started writing gay erotica and gay romance almost twenty years ago for publishers like Alyson Books and Cleis Press, I wasn't this strict with my characters. I felt that my readers were tired of safe sex and frustrated about all the things they couldn't do themselves. They were reading these books to escape from the real world, not be reminded of it. I didn't think they wanted the characters to use condoms. This was fantasy, not reality. I was making it all up as I went along, thinking "what if" all the time. If there is such a thing as poetic license, I believed what I was doing benefited the reader, not the socially conscious. And, to be honest, I was enjoying what I was writing just as much. Though I've always used condoms, I can't admit I'm a huge fan of them.
But I do think the world has changed in the past twenty years, with regard to being both politically correct and socially correct. Most readers nowadays don't even know Times Square was a huge sex attraction. They have no idea what went on down at the docks in the West Village. When I go back today and read some of the things I had published almost two decades ago, I'm shocked at myself sometimes. Did I actually do that? And we were in the height of the AIDS epidemic then? In the past five years or so, I have rarely written a sex scene without condoms. I try to make it fast and get the condoms out of the way, but they are almost always there. Sometimes I try to make the condom scene sexy, but that's often hard to do. And I'll be honest about this; I'm always worried (concerned) that someone might get the wrong impression. I'm not as concerned about professional reviews as I am readers. I receive a lot of e-mail from young men all over the world who are just starting out and I feel a responsibility to educate them. I know we're taught about the importance of condoms here in the US, but I'm not sure about other parts of the world. And I don't want to assume anything.
But I don't always write about characters who use condoms, and I still seem to get heat for this. I think I have valid reasons, but not everyone agrees. For example, I'm finishing up the third in a series of three books right now. Both main characters are in love, monogamous, and living happily as any other married straight couple. They've both been tested for HIV and both were negative. So it would be pointless for them to continue using condoms as a couple. I don't know any straight married couples who use condoms, so why should gay couples be any different? And I still receive complaints about this. I'm not sure what to think. Is it so strange to think of two gay men sharing their lives the same way straight men and women share their lives? Millions of gay men all over the globe are in relationships and they are monogamous. And to suggest they need condoms is to suggest there is something flawed about their relationships, which I won't do.
Then I wrote about a young gay couple who were not monogamous. They were in love and they were a couple. But they had an open relationship with one important rule: whenever they fooled around with someone else they had to use condoms. These characters respected each other and trusted each other, as people in love tend to do. And they set this rule up early in their relationship so they wouldn't have to use condoms when they were together. In other words, if they were both using condoms if and when they were with other people, they were practicing safe sex all the time. This meant they would remain HIV negative and there would be no need for condoms when they were with each other. But some readers either didn't get this or took offense to the entire concept, and they all let me know about it without being shy. And there's really no way to defend something like this. It is what it is. And, for the record, I know several gay couples in real life who have open relationships like this.
After that experience, I decided that if my characters weren't going to use condoms, I'd explain why in more detail. Maybe I didn't explain it well enough in the past? And most of my characters, in fact, do use condoms these days. But I'm not advocating this for all authors as a set rule. I do agree with those who believe many readers are reading these stories and books to escape. They want the fantasy; they want it, so to speak, raw. As a gay man, I can understand this need to escape. I still look back on the incident with that gorgeous blond guy and still kick myself for not having a condom with me. And whenever I read an erotic romance where the characters are not using condoms, I don't take offense and I understand that this is fantasy, not reality.
Published on December 15, 2010 16:46
Call for Submissions: Ravenous Romance Football Anthology

Below is a call for submissions from the ravenous romance blog. I'm not sure I'll be in this book, but I was in last year's football book and it sold well. Here's the link, and below is the post. Lori Perkins is the editor, and I think she's great to work with.
Call for M/M Football Stories
Last year's Super Bowl anthology, TIGHTENDS, sold really well, and got great reviews, so we're doing it again. We need stories for DOUBLE TEAM: M/M Football Erotica.You'll never look at football the same way again! Our readers like multiple partners, so the more the merrier. Brings a new meaning to huddle!So think of high school football hunks (everyone has to be over 18), college trading, coaches, pro football, love amongst teammates and love between teammates. And I want to see a really hot story about half time!!! We could even do one about men who write those great Superbowl commercials! Be creative, please!As in all RR anthologies, we pay a $10 advance and a pro rata share of all royalties. We're looking for stories of 2500-5000 words. Pass the call around! Send stories attached as word doc, with up to date bio (even if you think I have it) to Lori@ravenousromance.comDeadline is Jan. 10, 2011.
Published on December 15, 2010 11:34
December 14, 2010
Five New Book Releases This Month

Pardon the cliche, but when it rains it really does sometimes pour. I have five new releases coming out this month. One is a full length novel, two short story stand alones, one novella that's part of a Christmas collection, and one Christmas short story that's part of an anthology.
It's been a busy fall, and I'll post about each one as they come up. But the one I'm posting about today is one of the short story stand alones for loveyoudivine.com. The title is DIRTY LITTLE VIRGIN, and it's just as smutty as it sounds. And although there is a little bit of modern romance in the story, it's not what I would consider an absolute romance.
And...once again...just so it's clear: this is not a full length novel. It's a short story stand alone that will be priced accordingly (cheaper than a full length novel) and all the info will be written up in the product details on most web sites. If you shop at amazon, though, you might want to check out fictionwise.com or allromanceebooks to read the product details. I love amazon, but I think they fall short when it comes to product details.
Published on December 14, 2010 07:26
December 12, 2010
You Don't Need an E-Reader to Read E-books
I just read something interesting on another blog thread I'd like to address. It's for people who are curious about e-books, but don't have an expensive e-reader. For long time, I didn't have an expensive e-reader myself.
Someone commented that she didn't know she could download an e-book to her computer. She was under the impression you needed an e-reader in order to read an e-book. And this is not the case
So if you're curious about e-books, but don't have an e-reader and you've been afraid about making the purchase, there are web sites like fictionwise.com where you can buy e-books and download them right to your computer. I've done it many times. Actually, I do prefer to read a lot of my e-books on my computer. And, all the e-books I read for The Rainbow Awards I read on my computer, not on my e-reader.
So...you don't need an e-reader to read an e-book. All you need is a computer.
Someone commented that she didn't know she could download an e-book to her computer. She was under the impression you needed an e-reader in order to read an e-book. And this is not the case
So if you're curious about e-books, but don't have an e-reader and you've been afraid about making the purchase, there are web sites like fictionwise.com where you can buy e-books and download them right to your computer. I've done it many times. Actually, I do prefer to read a lot of my e-books on my computer. And, all the e-books I read for The Rainbow Awards I read on my computer, not on my e-reader.
So...you don't need an e-reader to read an e-book. All you need is a computer.
Published on December 12, 2010 17:51
Indie Bookstores Closing Because Of E-books
When I first saw the changes coming in publishing about five years ago, I started rethinking my own career as a writer. And, trust me, I'm not one who embraces change. If I could, I'd still be writing on my old IBM typewriter and sending manuscripts through the post office.
But times have changed. And I think this quote from StarTribune.com states it better than anything I've read so far:
Booksellers are calling the shift a "Gutenberg moment" for the entire publishing industry, likening it to Johannes Gutenberg's game-changing invention of movable type almost 600 years ago.
But times have changed. And I think this quote from StarTribune.com states it better than anything I've read so far:
Booksellers are calling the shift a "Gutenberg moment" for the entire publishing industry, likening it to Johannes Gutenberg's game-changing invention of movable type almost 600 years ago.
Published on December 12, 2010 17:38
The Characters in Pretty Man
Though PRETTY MAN is by no means the first piece of fiction I've ever written, it was one of the first books I wrote for ravenousromance.com. As with almost all of my books, I take little pieces of real people that I've known personally, put them altogether, and create fictional characters. It's almost like sewing a quilt, or putting a puzzle together.
I'm sure all writers have a difference process. But this is how I do it. Let's face it, even the most interesting person I know wouldn't be interesting in fiction. Fictional characters have to be, and are supposed to be, larger than life...even when those characters are simple and unassuming and don't seem all that exciting.
But I saw a few reviews and comments about the characters in PRETTY MAN that surprised me. And frankly, they still surprise me two years later. Some readers didn't like the way the two main characters had an open relationship and thought nothing of inviting other men into their relationship. They didn't think it was realistic enough, which left me shaking my head.
In the real world, and I know this for a fact, there are many gay couples in long term relationships that engage in three-way sex or with multiple partners, without thinking twice about it. I have many good friends who have been together for many years and having an open relationship, for them, is what actually keeps their relationship exciting. I also have many gay friends who don't do this. They just aren't into it. But we only seem to hear about the gay men who don't do this, not the gay men who do this. And that's just not real.
The characters in PRETTY MAN do have an open relationship. And I wrote this as a conglomerate of knowledge I've gained in my forty years of living on this earth as a gay man. I didn't just dream it up; it exists whether we like it or not. And I tried to portray the two characters in PRETTY MAN as having a solid, dependable relationship in spite of their penchant for inviting multiple partners into their relationship. And I gave them a happy ending I thought was appropriate to their situation.
In order to keep these characters alive, and to show readers they did actually live happily-ever-after, I've included them in the new sequel I'm writing, THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY. And the contrast is interesting, because the two main characters in THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY are completely monogamous and they don't invite anyone into their relationship.
Once again, gay men are as complicated as they are simple. And in gay relationships it's not uncommon to find couples who have been together for many years engaging in sex with multiple partners. I don't just make this stuff up. I wish I did, but I didn't. And I think it's important for readers to know that the gay couples they see on TV and in movies, are pretty much nothing like gay couples in real life. And before anyone comments, I'm sure there are couples like the two gay guys on Modern Family. Only I don't know any, and I know more gay couples than straight couples.
I'm sure all writers have a difference process. But this is how I do it. Let's face it, even the most interesting person I know wouldn't be interesting in fiction. Fictional characters have to be, and are supposed to be, larger than life...even when those characters are simple and unassuming and don't seem all that exciting.
But I saw a few reviews and comments about the characters in PRETTY MAN that surprised me. And frankly, they still surprise me two years later. Some readers didn't like the way the two main characters had an open relationship and thought nothing of inviting other men into their relationship. They didn't think it was realistic enough, which left me shaking my head.
In the real world, and I know this for a fact, there are many gay couples in long term relationships that engage in three-way sex or with multiple partners, without thinking twice about it. I have many good friends who have been together for many years and having an open relationship, for them, is what actually keeps their relationship exciting. I also have many gay friends who don't do this. They just aren't into it. But we only seem to hear about the gay men who don't do this, not the gay men who do this. And that's just not real.
The characters in PRETTY MAN do have an open relationship. And I wrote this as a conglomerate of knowledge I've gained in my forty years of living on this earth as a gay man. I didn't just dream it up; it exists whether we like it or not. And I tried to portray the two characters in PRETTY MAN as having a solid, dependable relationship in spite of their penchant for inviting multiple partners into their relationship. And I gave them a happy ending I thought was appropriate to their situation.
In order to keep these characters alive, and to show readers they did actually live happily-ever-after, I've included them in the new sequel I'm writing, THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY. And the contrast is interesting, because the two main characters in THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY are completely monogamous and they don't invite anyone into their relationship.
Once again, gay men are as complicated as they are simple. And in gay relationships it's not uncommon to find couples who have been together for many years engaging in sex with multiple partners. I don't just make this stuff up. I wish I did, but I didn't. And I think it's important for readers to know that the gay couples they see on TV and in movies, are pretty much nothing like gay couples in real life. And before anyone comments, I'm sure there are couples like the two gay guys on Modern Family. Only I don't know any, and I know more gay couples than straight couples.
Published on December 12, 2010 16:38
December 10, 2010
Do You Capitalize "Navy?"
I'm not talking about the color, navy blue. I'm talking about the U.S. Navy, as in military.
The reason I'm asking is because this came up in edits for a new book I have coming out that deals with the gays in the military and the unfairness of DADT. And I wanted to be sure to get certain facts right.
When I submitted the book, I had the word capitalized. I did my research at libraryonline and here's what they said:
Army, Navy and Air Force – Capitalize when referring to these organizations by name or with other widely accepted references to them. Examples:· the Army · U.S. Army · French Army · Organized Reserves · 1st Regiment · the Navy · U.S. Navy · British Navy · Marine Corps · the Marines · the Air Force · U.S. Air Force · Royal Air Force · Edwards Air Force Base
However, there seem to be different schools of thought on this topic, because when I received the book from the copyeditor this morning the Navy was now the navy.
Evidently, some publishers go with The Chicago Manual of Style, which doesn't capitalize navy, as in the Navy. So I figured they knew better than I did and let it go.
But, to all the reviewers and persnickety types out there who do believe the Navy should be capitalized. Don't come after me on this one. Authors do not, in spite of what everyone thinks, get the chance to veto all editorial decisions. So I learned something new today about the Chicago Manual. And if it's good enough for The Chicago Manual, I suppose I can learn to live with it.
But if anyone feels like commenting, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
The reason I'm asking is because this came up in edits for a new book I have coming out that deals with the gays in the military and the unfairness of DADT. And I wanted to be sure to get certain facts right.
When I submitted the book, I had the word capitalized. I did my research at libraryonline and here's what they said:
Army, Navy and Air Force – Capitalize when referring to these organizations by name or with other widely accepted references to them. Examples:· the Army · U.S. Army · French Army · Organized Reserves · 1st Regiment · the Navy · U.S. Navy · British Navy · Marine Corps · the Marines · the Air Force · U.S. Air Force · Royal Air Force · Edwards Air Force Base
However, there seem to be different schools of thought on this topic, because when I received the book from the copyeditor this morning the Navy was now the navy.
Evidently, some publishers go with The Chicago Manual of Style, which doesn't capitalize navy, as in the Navy. So I figured they knew better than I did and let it go.
But, to all the reviewers and persnickety types out there who do believe the Navy should be capitalized. Don't come after me on this one. Authors do not, in spite of what everyone thinks, get the chance to veto all editorial decisions. So I learned something new today about the Chicago Manual. And if it's good enough for The Chicago Manual, I suppose I can learn to live with it.
But if anyone feels like commenting, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Published on December 10, 2010 16:03