Eden Winters's Blog, page 73
December 7, 2011
Settling the Score won an Honorable Mention at the 2011 Rainbow Awards
Today I received a very unexpected email from Elizabeth Rolle that said:
"I'm glad to announce you are among the finalists or honourable mentions of 2011 Rainbow Awards. Best Gay Contemporary General Fiction."
I'm shocked, thrilled, and dancing with glee...which could be dangerous for a woman my age.
Here's the category results.
Thanks to Elisa Rolle and her team of judges. This had to be a grueling undertaking. I'd also like to congratulate all the winners. What a year!
I saw many names I knew and have added countless books to my TBR pile, thanks to this effort. Elisa's support and the Rainbow Awards do so much to help promote the genre we love. Thanks again, Elisa.
"I'm glad to announce you are among the finalists or honourable mentions of 2011 Rainbow Awards. Best Gay Contemporary General Fiction."
I'm shocked, thrilled, and dancing with glee...which could be dangerous for a woman my age.
Here's the category results.
Thanks to Elisa Rolle and her team of judges. This had to be a grueling undertaking. I'd also like to congratulate all the winners. What a year!
I saw many names I knew and have added countless books to my TBR pile, thanks to this effort. Elisa's support and the Rainbow Awards do so much to help promote the genre we love. Thanks again, Elisa.
A Very Timely Post
It seems my post on Jeff Erno's Bullied yesterday was extremely timely, for today that same book won an Honorable Mention at Elisa Rolle's Rainbow Awards for Young Adult/Coming of Age category.
Please join me in offering my congratulations. Bravo, Jeff!
Here's the awards link:
Please join me in offering my congratulations. Bravo, Jeff!
Here's the awards link:
December 6, 2011
Lovely Review for A Lie I Can Live With at Queer Magazine Online
Reviewer Serena Yates had this to say about A Lie I Can Live With:
Here's the blurb:
With a few extra pounds and a geek reputation, Otis Tucker despairs of ever finding someone to share his life with. When the GLBT dating service GetaDate.com matches him with handsome hunk Garret, he thinks it's some kind of joke. But the more he learns of Garret, the more he realizes that even gorgeous people can be taken at face value and that Mr. Perfects come in many different sizes.
Read an excerpt:
Find it here:
"If you like stories with a strong humorous streak (this had me in stitches as often as it almost made me cry with the depth of the emotions Otis experienced), if you want to read about two men taking it slow so they can build a proper relationship, and if you like hot sex (even though they will make you wait), you will probably like this story as much as I did."Read entire review here:
Here's the blurb:
With a few extra pounds and a geek reputation, Otis Tucker despairs of ever finding someone to share his life with. When the GLBT dating service GetaDate.com matches him with handsome hunk Garret, he thinks it's some kind of joke. But the more he learns of Garret, the more he realizes that even gorgeous people can be taken at face value and that Mr. Perfects come in many different sizes.
Read an excerpt:
Find it here:
Bullied by Jeff Erno - Post 2 of 2 - A Guest Post by Jeff
When Jeff Erno first agreed to do a guest post on my blog, we thought about something Holiday-ish, but when he sat down to write, his words took an entirely different direction. Tears came to my eyes as I read his post, and I'm honored to share his words with you. - Eden
***
Why I Care About Bullying by Jeff Erno
Around the time I started grade school, I had a religiousconversion experience at the Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School. I had been "born again" or "saved". I think all the kids who attended got saved.It might have been mandatory. At the very least, it was expected. Well, I tookit quite seriously, although I may have been the only one. From that pointforward, I was deeply religious.
My religiosity and my effeminacy eventually becamesynonymous. Well they were to my mother anyway. The fact that I was so devoutand so disciplined about my faith was consistent with Mom's belief that I wasspecial. As I got older I began to figure out that other people hadexpectations. There were behaviors which were considered normal and otherswhich were not. There were boy toys and girl toys. There were things that boyscould like and things that girls could like, and if you happened to be a boywho liked girl things, you had to keep them secret. In the fourth grade Ilearned how to crochet. I could only do my crocheting at home in secret,though, and making a beautiful afghan was not something I could brag about orbe proud of.
By the time I was in the fifth grade, I was being bulliedpretty badly at school. I cried a lot and begged my mom not to make me go. Thisseemed strange to her because she knew how much I had always loved school.Around this time, she and my father were having marital problems and werefighting constantly. Mom took me to a doctor and he prescribed someanti-anxiety medication for me. He told me I needed to stop worrying so muchabout everything. Mom was convinced that my biggest problem was stress causedby the fighting in our home as well as by the bullying at school. She believedthe kids picked on me because I was religious—not because I might be gay.
I was pulled out of the public school in the sixth grade andsent to a Christian school where all my classmates were religious. It shouldhave been the ideal situation for me because I no longer was different. Ishould have fit right in and been accepted with open arms. During the secondweek of classes, my teacher held me after class for a one-on-one counselingsession. He pulled out his Bible and quoted verses to me from the Old Testamentto show me that God wanted boys to act like boys and girls to act like girls.He said I needed to start working on becoming more manly. Follow the example ofthe other boys in class, he said. I was so embarrassed that I never toldanyone.
The bullying continued even at the Christian school, but itwas much subtler. One time I was taken into the bathroom and gut punchedrepeatedly. Another time I had my head flushed in the toilet. I knew I couldnot tell anyone though. I knew I had to be tough because God expected it.
High school was different. I got sent back to public schoolbecause my parents felt that the small Christian school would not have theclasses I needed. They didn't have a chemistry lab or even a gymnasium. Well,that's what my mom and dad said, but the real reason was that they couldn'tafford the tuition at the Christian school any more. I had thought the bullying was bad in theprivate school, but it was nothing compared to public. My freshman year of highschool was Hell on earth.
When I turned fifteen I began working at the localsupermarket as a bagboy. I talked my mom into letting me use the money I madeto pay for my own tuition so that I could return to Christian school. I went backin the tenth grade and worked really hard to complete my classes as quickly aspossible. I advanced through three grades in just two years and graduated ayear early.
Eventually I figured it all out. By the time I was eighteenI knew I was not "special". I was just gay. I finally left my religion and embraced my authentic self. During the90s I was very active in my local gay community. I volunteered with PFLAG andthe AIDS outreach organization. I moved to a town that had a social group forLGBT people, a Gay Alcoholics Anonymous, and even a gay bar. I stayed in theretail grocery business and eventually became a manager.
Now here it is twenty-some years after high school, and wehear all of this stuff about bullying. We now have Facebook and other socialnetworks which did not exist back when I was growing up, so there is a lot morepublic discussion about bullying. When a gay kid commits suicide, it doesn'ttake long for a lot of people to find out. Every time I hear a story of a kidlike Jamey Rodemeyer, my heart breaks. I can't help but think, "There but forthe grace of God…"
When I was a teenager I wished that some adult hadunderstood. I didn't want to be special. I didn't want to be given specialrights or privileges. I didn't even want to be noticed. I just wanted to besafe. I just wanted the pain to end.
I do not know how to make things different. I really wish Idid. To be truthful, I don't know what I can do, if anything. That's why Iwrite. That is why I wrote Bullied. It's the only thing I could think of to do.And that's why the issue of bullying is so important to me.
***
Thank you, Jeff for sharing this very personal look at your life with us.
I have already mentioned his book "Bullied," but Jeff also has a soon to be released novel that I am very much looking forward to: Second Chances, coming January 1, 2012 from Camel Press. Pre-order now at Amazon.
Harold Wainwright is dying. At seventy-nine, stricken with malignant cancer, the multi-billionaire insurance mogul realizes he has much to regret. In his youth he rejected his only true love and instead chose to advance his career and build his financial empire. Single-mindedly he focused upon achieving his own goals, looking out for number one, and acquiring a monetary fortune. Now he is alone, and all he has is his money…and his life is over.
Doctor Timothy Drayton has devoted his entire career to developing the technology to prolong human life. His entire focus has been upon creating a computer chip which can be implanted into the human brain, allowing human consciousness to be transferred from one human subject into the mind of another. Given optimum circumstances, he is confident that he can now preserve the consciousness of a dying patient into the mind of a donor subject with an electronic surgical implant.
Jesse Warren is eighteen years old, about to graduate from high school. He's a track star, model student, and the typical all-American kid. One day while on his way to track practice, tragedy strikes, and Jesse is in a terrible accident, rendered comatose. When his family learns the horrifying news, they believe they've lost their son forever. Jesse Warren is pronounced "brain dead".
When neurosurgeon and world-renowned brain specialist Dr. Timothy Drayton arrives, telling the Warren family that he has an advanced form of experimental treatment which can possibly save young Jesse and restore his consciousness, the Warrens are convinced that God has sent them a miracle. They are overjoyed the next morning when their son undergoes surgery and awakens as a new man. His memory loss, they are convinced, is amnesia due to his accident.
Jesse lives, and is given a second chance. Will his new life prove to be the impetus for significant change, or will the old Harold Wainwright emerge to make the same mistakes a second time around? Most of us are given but one chance to make the right choices, but imagine if… there were such things as Second Chances.
Visit Jeff at his site:
[image error]
***
Why I Care About Bullying by Jeff Erno
Around the time I started grade school, I had a religiousconversion experience at the Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School. I had been "born again" or "saved". I think all the kids who attended got saved.It might have been mandatory. At the very least, it was expected. Well, I tookit quite seriously, although I may have been the only one. From that pointforward, I was deeply religious.
My religiosity and my effeminacy eventually becamesynonymous. Well they were to my mother anyway. The fact that I was so devoutand so disciplined about my faith was consistent with Mom's belief that I wasspecial. As I got older I began to figure out that other people hadexpectations. There were behaviors which were considered normal and otherswhich were not. There were boy toys and girl toys. There were things that boyscould like and things that girls could like, and if you happened to be a boywho liked girl things, you had to keep them secret. In the fourth grade Ilearned how to crochet. I could only do my crocheting at home in secret,though, and making a beautiful afghan was not something I could brag about orbe proud of.
By the time I was in the fifth grade, I was being bulliedpretty badly at school. I cried a lot and begged my mom not to make me go. Thisseemed strange to her because she knew how much I had always loved school.Around this time, she and my father were having marital problems and werefighting constantly. Mom took me to a doctor and he prescribed someanti-anxiety medication for me. He told me I needed to stop worrying so muchabout everything. Mom was convinced that my biggest problem was stress causedby the fighting in our home as well as by the bullying at school. She believedthe kids picked on me because I was religious—not because I might be gay.
I was pulled out of the public school in the sixth grade andsent to a Christian school where all my classmates were religious. It shouldhave been the ideal situation for me because I no longer was different. Ishould have fit right in and been accepted with open arms. During the secondweek of classes, my teacher held me after class for a one-on-one counselingsession. He pulled out his Bible and quoted verses to me from the Old Testamentto show me that God wanted boys to act like boys and girls to act like girls.He said I needed to start working on becoming more manly. Follow the example ofthe other boys in class, he said. I was so embarrassed that I never toldanyone.
The bullying continued even at the Christian school, but itwas much subtler. One time I was taken into the bathroom and gut punchedrepeatedly. Another time I had my head flushed in the toilet. I knew I couldnot tell anyone though. I knew I had to be tough because God expected it.
High school was different. I got sent back to public schoolbecause my parents felt that the small Christian school would not have theclasses I needed. They didn't have a chemistry lab or even a gymnasium. Well,that's what my mom and dad said, but the real reason was that they couldn'tafford the tuition at the Christian school any more. I had thought the bullying was bad in theprivate school, but it was nothing compared to public. My freshman year of highschool was Hell on earth.
When I turned fifteen I began working at the localsupermarket as a bagboy. I talked my mom into letting me use the money I madeto pay for my own tuition so that I could return to Christian school. I went backin the tenth grade and worked really hard to complete my classes as quickly aspossible. I advanced through three grades in just two years and graduated ayear early.
Eventually I figured it all out. By the time I was eighteenI knew I was not "special". I was just gay. I finally left my religion and embraced my authentic self. During the90s I was very active in my local gay community. I volunteered with PFLAG andthe AIDS outreach organization. I moved to a town that had a social group forLGBT people, a Gay Alcoholics Anonymous, and even a gay bar. I stayed in theretail grocery business and eventually became a manager.
Now here it is twenty-some years after high school, and wehear all of this stuff about bullying. We now have Facebook and other socialnetworks which did not exist back when I was growing up, so there is a lot morepublic discussion about bullying. When a gay kid commits suicide, it doesn'ttake long for a lot of people to find out. Every time I hear a story of a kidlike Jamey Rodemeyer, my heart breaks. I can't help but think, "There but forthe grace of God…"
When I was a teenager I wished that some adult hadunderstood. I didn't want to be special. I didn't want to be given specialrights or privileges. I didn't even want to be noticed. I just wanted to besafe. I just wanted the pain to end.
I do not know how to make things different. I really wish Idid. To be truthful, I don't know what I can do, if anything. That's why Iwrite. That is why I wrote Bullied. It's the only thing I could think of to do.And that's why the issue of bullying is so important to me.
***
Thank you, Jeff for sharing this very personal look at your life with us.
I have already mentioned his book "Bullied," but Jeff also has a soon to be released novel that I am very much looking forward to: Second Chances, coming January 1, 2012 from Camel Press. Pre-order now at Amazon.
Harold Wainwright is dying. At seventy-nine, stricken with malignant cancer, the multi-billionaire insurance mogul realizes he has much to regret. In his youth he rejected his only true love and instead chose to advance his career and build his financial empire. Single-mindedly he focused upon achieving his own goals, looking out for number one, and acquiring a monetary fortune. Now he is alone, and all he has is his money…and his life is over.
Doctor Timothy Drayton has devoted his entire career to developing the technology to prolong human life. His entire focus has been upon creating a computer chip which can be implanted into the human brain, allowing human consciousness to be transferred from one human subject into the mind of another. Given optimum circumstances, he is confident that he can now preserve the consciousness of a dying patient into the mind of a donor subject with an electronic surgical implant.
Jesse Warren is eighteen years old, about to graduate from high school. He's a track star, model student, and the typical all-American kid. One day while on his way to track practice, tragedy strikes, and Jesse is in a terrible accident, rendered comatose. When his family learns the horrifying news, they believe they've lost their son forever. Jesse Warren is pronounced "brain dead".
When neurosurgeon and world-renowned brain specialist Dr. Timothy Drayton arrives, telling the Warren family that he has an advanced form of experimental treatment which can possibly save young Jesse and restore his consciousness, the Warrens are convinced that God has sent them a miracle. They are overjoyed the next morning when their son undergoes surgery and awakens as a new man. His memory loss, they are convinced, is amnesia due to his accident.
Jesse lives, and is given a second chance. Will his new life prove to be the impetus for significant change, or will the old Harold Wainwright emerge to make the same mistakes a second time around? Most of us are given but one chance to make the right choices, but imagine if… there were such things as Second Chances.
Visit Jeff at his site:
[image error]
Bullied by Jeff Erno - Post 1 of 2
As the year draws to a close, I tend to look back over the last twelve months at both the highs and the lows. I've been priveledged to have had a very good year. I can accredit two of the high points to one man: Jeff Erno. When I met him at GayRomLit, I found him to be every bit as sweet and engaging as he is online. I'm thrilled to have met him face to face. I also feel priveledged to have read his book, "Bullied", for as much as I came to know him through conversation, I knew him better after reading such a deeply personal and eye-opening book.
Ever wonder how someone can be a bullly? Turn a blind eye to bullying? Believe the victim "brought it on themselves?" I couldn't. That is, until reading this remarkable set of short stories that allow us to step outside of ourselves and see the entire bullying issue from other points of view. At times heartrending, other times triumphant, at all times thought-provoking, "Bullied" is a must read in my book.
While I don't think I've ever recommended a book on my blog, I feel the need to recommend this one. Mr. Erno has generously donated proceeds from sales of this book to anti-bullying campaigns such as The Trevor Project.
Here's the blurb:
Every day, all over the country, teenagers struggle with the realities of bullying. Tormented, ridiculed, and beaten—simply for being who they are—these teens face alienation, humiliation, and even the explicit assertion that they have somehow brought this upon themselves, that they should just blend in. Bullied is a series of short stories exploring the world of these teens from several different viewpoints: the victim, the bully, the gay bystander, the straight friend, the concerned parent.
Closeted Bryan wonders why Christian Michaelson doesn't just try to blend in if he hates being bullied so much. Star athlete David isn't a homophobe—after all, he's not afraid of anything. Jonathan, a Christian fundamentalist, must weigh the Bible against peer pressure and what he knows is right when he discovers his childhood friend is gay. Bully victim Chase Devereaux finds an unexpected ally in a brave fellow student. A single mom struggles to accept the reality that her only son is gay. Two tough gay teens are forced to confront their own inner demons when tragedy befalls a classmate they failed to help. And overweight Kirby finds the strength of character to make a friend, which leads to a lifestyle change and a chance at love. Each character grows as an individual as he or she comes to terms with what it means to be a gay teenager in America.
Find it here:
Ever wonder how someone can be a bullly? Turn a blind eye to bullying? Believe the victim "brought it on themselves?" I couldn't. That is, until reading this remarkable set of short stories that allow us to step outside of ourselves and see the entire bullying issue from other points of view. At times heartrending, other times triumphant, at all times thought-provoking, "Bullied" is a must read in my book.
While I don't think I've ever recommended a book on my blog, I feel the need to recommend this one. Mr. Erno has generously donated proceeds from sales of this book to anti-bullying campaigns such as The Trevor Project.
Here's the blurb:
Every day, all over the country, teenagers struggle with the realities of bullying. Tormented, ridiculed, and beaten—simply for being who they are—these teens face alienation, humiliation, and even the explicit assertion that they have somehow brought this upon themselves, that they should just blend in. Bullied is a series of short stories exploring the world of these teens from several different viewpoints: the victim, the bully, the gay bystander, the straight friend, the concerned parent.
Closeted Bryan wonders why Christian Michaelson doesn't just try to blend in if he hates being bullied so much. Star athlete David isn't a homophobe—after all, he's not afraid of anything. Jonathan, a Christian fundamentalist, must weigh the Bible against peer pressure and what he knows is right when he discovers his childhood friend is gay. Bully victim Chase Devereaux finds an unexpected ally in a brave fellow student. A single mom struggles to accept the reality that her only son is gay. Two tough gay teens are forced to confront their own inner demons when tragedy befalls a classmate they failed to help. And overweight Kirby finds the strength of character to make a friend, which leads to a lifestyle change and a chance at love. Each character grows as an individual as he or she comes to terms with what it means to be a gay teenager in America.
Find it here:
December 3, 2011
Saturday Snark!
Today's episode of Saturday Snark is from Highway Man. Killian Desmond likes to be in control -- the man he dubs "Tex" sees no problem with that.
Check out the other snark at by clicking the links below, or join in the fun at Marie Sexton's site:
"Mind if I drive?" Killy asked. He'd come a long way in three years, but still couldn't handle someone else's driving.
"Gonna kidnap me, haul me off somewhere, and have your way with me? No need for all that; I'm willing." Dimples framed Tex's devilish grin.
"Nope, I just prefer to do the driving."
"Then I reckon you'll have to make it up to me, that not-kidnapping thing, 'cause let me tell ya, ever since you walked into the bar I've been fantasizing. And oh hell yeah, you can do the driving. Now and later."Find Highway Man here:
Check out the other snark at by clicking the links below, or join in the fun at Marie Sexton's site:
November 30, 2011
A Review That Made Me Cry.... in a Good Way
I am a huge fan of Tom's at A Bear on Books, and was honored to discover that he planned to review The Angel of Thirteenth Street. He posted that review tonight, and I cried, not only for his kind words, but how beautifully this man writes. Here's some of what Tom had to say:
Visit A Bear on Books to read complete review here:
"This book was one of those amazing perfect storms that doesn't happen very often. The characters are so sharply drawn, but disturbingly human and shaded and nuanced, the storyline engaging and relevant without pretense, the dialogue crisp, and the romance heartbreakingly painful and bittersweet. I was drawn in and grabbed from the first page, and was unable to put this book down until I had devoured it whole.
"God, I loved this book. I read it through twice just to savor what it tastes like and feels like and smells like when a master prepares a feast for me. "
Visit A Bear on Books to read complete review here:
November 25, 2011
Remiss in Posting Reviews
If I've been remiss in posting reviews, am I in remission? Or is correcting that a "re-mission"? Whatever the case, my stories have recieved four awesome reviews from Mrs. Condit Reads Books (and they scored some Sweet Peas too!)
Check out her kind words here:
The Wish
The Boy Under the Bridge
And for her Veteran's Day post:
The Telling
Night Watch
Check out her kind words here:
The Wish
The Boy Under the Bridge
And for her Veteran's Day post:
The Telling
Night Watch
November 24, 2011
Can Women Write Hot Gay Sex? Dr. Porne's Verdict
I recently read an article over at Chicks & Dicks, entitled "Can Women Write Hot Gay Sex? Dr. Porne's Verdict." As you can imagine, that gripping headline got my attention. Intrigued? Check out what the doctor has to say at: Chicks & Dicks
Now I need a T-Shirt that says, "President of the Doctor Porne Fanclub."
I'd also like to say that while you're on the site, check out some other articles there. "One Family's Transgender Tale" left me in tears, and reminded me that family is what and who we make it. Very, very moving tale.
Now I need a T-Shirt that says, "President of the Doctor Porne Fanclub."
I'd also like to say that while you're on the site, check out some other articles there. "One Family's Transgender Tale" left me in tears, and reminded me that family is what and who we make it. Very, very moving tale.
November 23, 2011
Another chance to win a copy of A Lie I Can Live With
On Saturday, November 26, the good folks at Brief Encounters Reviews will host a contest for a copy of A Lie I Can Live With. Leave a comment on the giveaway thread stating that you'd like to be in the drawing. So head on over to Brief Encounters on Saturday, and be sure to check out their awesome reviews while you're there.
Find them here.
Find them here.
