Ryan Field's Blog, page 590

New Release by Michael Russell: FIRST FLOOR ON FIRE

Elisa Rolle has been doing an author survey for a while now, discussing what authors read and how these books inspire them. I still haven't submitted anything to her because my tastes are so eclectic as a reader I'm not sure what to submit.

However, I'm reading FIRST FLOOR ON FIRE right now and I'm enjoying it. It's not a m/m romance and it's nothing I'd write myself, which is probably why I'm enjoying it so much. Books like this keep me grounded and connected to the real world. I'm from the Philadelphia area and I know the setting in this book well. And though I love reading m/m romances as much as I love writing them, once in a while I need a good dose of reality, too.

So check this out on amazon. If you're a fan of the TV show, "The Wire," or the movie, "Precious," you'll enjoy this book by Michael Russell. And remember, you saw it here first.

Here's the blurb and the link:

First Floor on Fire is a conflicted love letter to dangerous outcasts and misfits.Imagine a Greek tragedy in the North Philly inner city. First Floor on Fire has a passionate anger and emotional complexity that could appeal to audiences who loved Sapphire's Push (the book Precious is based on) or season four of The Wire. The story centers around Nevaya Briggs, a strong, fragile, complex African-American teenager who must fight a predatory principal who thinks he's saving her, an abusive mother, a collapsing school system and a violent classmate. Her ally is her openly gay brother Donyair, who must also battle a bigoted world while hiding his affair with his older brother. A seasoned teacher, Ms. Dee, tries to protect Nevaya, but Nevaya has learned to never trust adults. When she rejects her principal's advances, he manipulates Nevaya's enemies to exact revenge, and the consequences are disastrous. Every adult in Nevaya's life has let her down, and she will fight anyone to save herself from getting hurt even more deeply.

RIP: Jill Johnston

Jill Johnston passed away on September 18th and I didn't learn about it until last night while I was reading "milestones" in Time Magazine. I watch the six o'clock news every night and didn't hear this mentioned once. But I'm not surprised. The local news seems geared more toward sports fanatics than cultural fanatics these days. Don't get me wrong. I love sports. But I like a balance, too. And it would be nice to actually get some news while I'm watching the news.

Who is Jill Johnston?

For those who don't know, Jill Johnston was the feminist author of LESBIAN NATION and a writer for The Village Voice. She started writing a dance column for TVV back in 1959 when it was just a little paper in The Village no one ever thought would last. From there she went on to write several controversial pieces that kept her often at odds with the feminist movement throughout the l960's. TVV even refered to her as, "the country's first shamelss public lesbian."

During a debate in New York in l971, Johnston had a three-way kissing session, in public, with two of her friends, which casued more than a few raised eyebrows then. And I think it would still raise a few eybrows now.

But for me, Jill Johnston was the beginning of an era for gay liberation and equal rights. Jill and other gay people like her started a movement that not only liberated gay people in general, but also opened up doors for books and other cultural mediums that might not exist today if it hadn't been for their courage.

If you're l, g, b, or t, I urge you to read her work. If you're not and you're interested in the lgbt community, you'll find her work just as fascinating.

RIP, Jill.

Waiting to Hear From Dalia...

I'm waiting to hear from Dalia!!

Who is Dalia?

Dalia is the talented editor and artist who just finished editing my new short story, SIR, YES SIR, and creating the cover art for the book.

I'll post more about the book as it gets closer to release. But I wanted to thank Dalia right now for working so hard and being so damn talented. When I get links to her blog and her info, I'll also post them here so if anyone's interested they can check her out, too.

I write fast. If I had to I could probably w...

What is the Problem with Parenthesis?

I don't totally get this. There seems to be some kind of ban on using ( ) I haven't heard about (smile).

I have a degree in English from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham-Madison Campus, I've been reading novels all my life, and I've seen ( ) used time and again. In Anne Tyler books, I think her funniest, wittiest moments were done with the use of ( ). In stream of consciousness literature it's essential to use ( ).

So why is it that I can't seem to get one single story or novel past a co...

How Can President Obama Help Us With Bad Book Reviews?

This post was prompted by a facebook post I read late last night. A young author received a bad review and he was absolutely devastated. I felt bad for him. My heart broke. But there was really nothing I could do other than offer support. Every author has to learn how to deal with bad reviews in his or her own way.

I've been lurking around the Internets long enough to have experienced all kinds of book reviews. For the most part, I've been thankful. But I've had a few bad reviews, too. One in ...

How Can President Obama Help Us With Bad Books Reviews?

This post was prompted by a facebook post I read late last night. A young author received a bad review and he was absolutely devastated. I felt bad for him. But there was really nothing I could do other than offer support. Every author has to learn how to deal with bad reviews in his or her own way.

I've been lurking around the Internets long enough to have experienced all kinds of book reviews. For the most part, I've been thankful. But I've had a few bad reviews, too. One in particular was f...

Do Gay Men Like Being Called Boys?

I've seen it and heard it all my life. Straight people, without meaning harm, referring to a gay couple as The Boys. I know a successful attorney who has been openly gay all his life and straight people refer to him as one of the boys. It doesn't matter that he can buy and sell them ten times over. It doesn't matter that he has more education and more life experience. In their eyes, he's a boy, not a man.

In my lifetime, I've been called a boy many times. At parties, the wife will shout, "The...

Buyer Beware? Huh?

KEVIN LOVES COWBOYS hit number one in the fictionwise.com erotica category this week. This little loveyoudivine.com short story stand alone surprised me even more than A REGULAR BUD did.

But I'd like to make it clear that this is gay erotica, not gay romance. And it's a short story stand alone and not a full length romance novel. I noticed on Amazon a reviewer from a place called Broomall, Pennsylvania slammed KEVIN LOVES COWBOYS with a one star rating and a nasty review because he was under t...

Don't Ask Don't Tell: Interesting How Some Democrats Want to Continue the Ban

Even a nice day in Carmel, CA can dampen. And yesterday's vote to continue DADT did worse than that to millions of lgbt people around the globe.



But what I find interesting is how the mainstream media is saying the GOP blocked the repeal. And I'm not even very political. I know the GOP didn't help us, but seriously, the Democrats are supposed to be on our side and some still voted to continue the ban.



I did a little checking to see who voted for continuing DADT and who voted for stopping it...

Carmel-by-the-Sea this Week

Other than taking a few weekend getaways this summer, I didn't go anywhere. Actually, I haven't been away for a while. This is partly because of work and deadlines, and partly because I have two dogs and I take them with me everywhere I go. I don't like leaving them at a kennel, I don't like leaving anyone alone in my home, and I just don't feel comfortable leaving them in someone else's home. Last summer I picked up a puppy from the side of the road, took her to the SPCA where they...