'Nathan Burgoine's Blog, page 112

Sunday Shorts – “Not Just Another Pretty Face” and “Men in Love” Q&A with Vinton Rafe McCabe

Back in April, I got to be with a group of the authors of Not Just Another Pretty Face at a reading for the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival, and it was fantastic to listen to them speak about their images and their inspirations. Vinton Rafe McCabe wasn’t there, unfortunately, but happily he was available for a digital chat. We talked about the book, and also about his story in Men in Love. I’m chuffed to share two tables of contents with him, and to share this chat with you.

The stories, poems, and essays in this collection have a single element in common that unites their wide range of literary styles and genres: they all spring directly from photographs of go-go boys.

The ideal go-go boy is the perfect erotic object. We may imagine him as lost or broken so that we might rescue him, or as potent and aggressive so we might be the focus of his desire. But the images captured here suggest deeper, more complex realities. These dancers are whimsical, haunting, satiric, playful, ominous. They are not icons, but stories waiting to be told.

Twenty-three photos of male go-go dancers become the basis for stories, poems, essays, and drama by twenty-seven authors, revealing unexpected mysteries, romance, fantasy, and humor. Contributors include 2015 Sue Kaufman Prize winner Michael Carroll, 2013 Lambda Mid-Career author Trebor Healey, and Lammy winners Jeff Mann, David Pratt, and Jim Provenzano.

Spring approaches with the promise of new beginnings, fresh adventures, and the thrill of romance rekindled or discovered. Hot, sexy guys abound—meeting on the ball fields or the boardroom, at the theater or the classroom—falling in love and lust for the first time or celebrating a lifetime. Come join the rites of spring and indulge yourself in the passion and pleasures of our luscious men in love. Stories from some of today’s popular m/m romance authors explore the many faces of men in love: gay for you, seductions, weddings and more.

NB: Each of the pieces in Not Just Another Pretty Face were inspired from photographs. Was working from an image a new process for you? Did you have a full piece more-or-less occur to you with your image? Tell us about the evolution of your piece. Likewise, tell us what we’re in for from your story in Men in Love, and what sparked the idea.

VRM: I’ve always considered pictures to be just another sort of language, I guess.  Perhaps because I wrote for television for some years and, very early on, and came to think of a television show as being structured more or less the same as a magazine is/was.  Picture, words, picture, words. There’s been, for me, an ongoing connection between the two.  So the idea of basing a story on a picture was not, for me, that odd.  Especially since the photos were of individual men, each of whom presumably had a story to tell.  So the task became one of uncovering what was unsaid in the photo or series of photos.  And bringing the photo to life in revealing that man’s story.

This process of uncovering became all the more intriguing when I saw the picture of the guy I chose to write about.  I don’t know his name to this day, but there was something about him in the picture that jumped out at me: a theatricality, a sense of display, a promise that no good could come from flirting with him that caused me to jump for him.

NB: Ha! Yes, I think we’ve all seen that fellow before, and had that same reaction.

VRM: In the same way, I had had the idea for my first novel, Death in Venice, California, for years.  A black comic retelling of Thomas Mann.  A modernization that could include plastic surgery and injectables instead of just hair dye and mustache wax.

But I was totally stuck when it came to writing because I needed the image of the right young man, the modern Tadzio, before I could bring the thing to life.  Then one day I saw a picture of a young Ben Godfre walking out of the ocean half clothed with the sun setting behind him.  And that was all that I needed.  The image of a young man whose beauty and whose force of will could entice an older man to do things that he would never do for any other person, any other reason.  And the book became suddenly easy to write.

This story sort of wrote itself once I saw this young man, who I called Django, in among the others in the photo collection.  He quite simply enticed the story out of me.

As for the Men In Love story, I wanted to write something that reflected my reality.  I met my husband David just over thirty years ago at the Smith Club Book Fair in Greenwich, Connecticut, where we were introduced by a mutual friend who herself was the author of YA fiction.

The three of us went to lunch afterward and I invited David, who is an architect, to come over to see my apartment in a huge old Queen Anne house in which I was living in the turret.  As the place was architecturally significant, and as the round exterior walls boggled the mind, it seemed the perfect excuse for me to get to see him again.  And he moved in with me not long after.

Over the decades, our relationship has not only endured, but flourished.  We have any number of anniversaries, for meeting, for committing to each other, for a civil union, and finally, for marriage.  I wanted a story that explored that reality—the lifelong commitment.  A moment on a wet Saturday afternoon that exemplifies the whole of what a relationship can be, the shared language, the seemingly casual nature of a relationship that has reached the molecular level.

NB: That’s one of the things I really enjoyed about Men in Love as an anthology, actually: the stories were set across a wide range of periods in relationships. Beginnings, yes, and youth, yes, but also relationships starting later, or joining in the narrative in much further established couples. It was refreshing.

Another facet of Not Just Another Pretty Face that’s unusual is the range of the collection from a point of view of format: short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and even a short play. I’m generally in awe of poets, and know many novelists who find the idea of writing a short story terror inducing. You, however, seem to move through the various formats, writing nonfiction, poetry, plays, novels and short fiction. Do you prefer one to another, or have a different relationship with the various forms?

VRM: They’re all just words, really, so I’ve never felt much transition in jumping from one genre to another.

And, to me, the project at hand has always sort of indicated the means by which it should be told.

That said, I think I’ve always written poetry and have always seen it as the wellspring from which everything else springs.  Poems are comprised of crystallized words.  Each perfectly chosen, perfectly placed in a way that can never be achieved in prose of any kind.  Prose is all about variables in word choice and rhythm and is an art form in which meaning is linked to words.  Poetry lives sort of in denial of this:  meaning can be explicit or implicit, or it can hide in the negative spaces between the words.  That is another reason for my ongoing attraction to poetry, the various shades of meaning coupled with the music that flows through it all.

I’ve found that the poem, uncoded, can evolve into a play, a story, a novel, into anything, really.

I made my living for a good many years exclusively from my prose writing, from journalism, and literary, theatrical and film critique, and my books on holistic health and healing.  Those books, like Practical Homeopathy and The Healing Bouquet have given me my greatest response as an author.  They’ve been translated into multiple languages and continue to sell today, years after I wrote them.  Best, they have allowed me to form myriad relationships via email with readers all around the world.

But I reached a point several years ago when I felt that I had written all that I wanted to on those subjects and that I had wearied with the whole process of nonfiction—legal reads, fact checking, etc.  So, instead, I promised myself that for what remains of my life I get to work solely through my imagination instead.  And I went back to all the promises that I made myself at a very early age, of writing the Great American Novel, etc., and turned my attention to long and short fiction.

Fiction is, at this stage in my life, my greatest source of joy.

I’m working hard gathering together a collection of interwoven shorts stories called Get Thee Behind Me and putting the finishing touches on a second novel.  And I’d love to be a part of other anthologies in the future, as the two that I’ve submitted to so far have allowed me to share a single binding which an array of wonderful material.

NB: I adore short fiction collections where threads from one tale weave into another, so please keep me posted. And, speaking of that, is there an anthology theme you’d love to see (and contribute to) that you haven’t seen? I’ve been asking almost everyone this question, and I swear I’ll pitch the ideas to as many editors as I can.

VRM: I’d love to see, write for, and edit, actually, an anthology that celebrates LGBT elders.  Not just because they/we were the ones who walked through fire for the victories we have attained in recent years, and not just because we are the survivors who have such great stories to tell.  Those who are over fifty today have faces that are the best camouflage in the world.  Our wrinkles and thinned hair disguise the fact that we belong to the most vibrant generation in human history.  We were never meant to fade into invisibility, no matter what previous generations have done.

I’d love to see a volume of stories, poems, short plays, whatever, that not just honours but celebrates those of us who have arrived at a certain age while still being passionate, political, sexual and worthy of a nice, big, thick volume.

NB: I’ll raise a glass to that. Thank you!

You can get Men in Love directly from the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, here, and Not Just Another Pretty Face through Beautiful Dreamer Press, here. Or, of course, you can check your local brick and mortar (try Indiebound, which lists both Men in Love, and Not Just Another Pretty Face and helps you track down your local store). And, of course, they’re available online and wherever quality LGBT books are sold.

Vinton Rafe McCabe is the author of ten books of nonfiction and one novel, Death in Venice, California, which was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction in 2015.

An award-winning poet and playwright, and a life-long journalist, McCabe also reviews for The New York Journal of Books.

Triad Blood is now available (and free e-“Three,” too!)

Now Available at boldstrokesbooks.com

It’s official. Triad Blood is available now through the Bold Strokes Books webstore. Follow that link and Luc, Anders, and Curtis will be right with you.

The law of three is unbroken: three vampires form a coterie, three demons make a pack, and three wizards are a coven. That is how it has always been, and how it was always to be.

But Luc, Anders, and Curtis—vampire, demon, and wizard—have cheated tradition. Their bond is not coterie, pack, or coven, but something else. Thrust into the supernatural politics ruling Ottawa from behind the shadows, they face Renard, a powerful vampire who harbors deadly secrets of his own and wishes to end their threat. The enemy they know conjures fire and death at every turn. The enemies they don’t know are worse.

Blood, soul, and magic gave them freedom. Now they need to survive it.

 

You know what’s a great price for  a short story? Free. Free is a great price.

But wait, there’s more!  If you pick up an e-book from the Bold Strokes Books webstore any time this month—not just Triad Blood, any e-book at all mind you—you can get my erotic short story “Three” free. To enjoy this promotion, choose the bundle from any eBook product page and put both titles in your cart at once.

During the full moon, the vampires gather to renew their bonds. It takes three, and those in groups have total power over those who aren’t. For Luc, alone since he was created, the full moon is his only opportunity. 

Seeking blood to satiate him for the month ahead, Luc finds a rival instead: Anders, a demon just as alone, who’s also on the hunt. 

They choose the same prey: Curtis, a handsome young man resistant to their supernatural charms. When neither a vampire’s glamour nor demon’s passion work on him, it becomes clear their only chance of success lies in the unthinkable: working together.

How do you snag the freebie? Don’t worry. Bold Strokes Books is all over that. Put any e-book into your cart, and the following pop-up will appear. You just have to select the bundle for the freebie to be tucked right in.

Don’t forget, if you spend $25, enter code TEN% to save 10%.

I hope you enjoy the Triad boys.

‘Nathan

Writing Wednesday – Conventions, and Launches, and Giveaways—oh my!

I have that “standing on the edge of a high cliff” feeling about the next few weeks. May is packed, and I’m starting to get super-excited (which, being me, also includes being super freaked out, naturally).

So. Convention. Launch. Giveaways.

Convention – Romancing the Capital – May 5th and 6th.

The official blurb for RtC is this:

In May 2016, Ottawa is the place to be for Canada’s most awesome romance reader conference! At Romancing the Capital, you’ll interact with your favorite authors, discover new authors and meet other readers who share your passion for reading romance.

Priced right, and with attending authors in every genre from sweet to erotic, contemporary to paranormal, RTC offers something to please every reader. Numerous events are planned, starting from early morning to late at night, so don’t miss the fun!

Treat yourself, and come to Romancing the Capital, where the winters might be cold, but the romance is sizzling hot.

I hope to live up to that. Specifically, if you look at the schedule (link in the title above), I’ll be speaking at a few events during the convention:

The Many Shades of LGBT Romance; a panel on Friday May 6th at 9:00am. Join myself, Elizabeth Lister, Angela Stone, Kayleigh Malcolm, and Kristine Cayne as we chat a bit about the rainbow and romance.
Adding Queer Characters; or, as I’m calling it, “organic is for carrots.” That’s at 9:00am on Saturday May 7th, and is going to be a more interactive Q&A session about writing queerfolk and representation in romance, so bring your ideas, your questions, and your sense of humour, because generally I approach most topics by laughing a lot.
Author Speed Dating; Saturday May 7th, at 10:00am, I’ll be doing this insane thing where myself and twenty-odd other authors chat with readers for, like, two minutes a pop in a giant round robin and… yeah. This? Terrifies me. So hopefully I don’t barf on anyone.
The Book Sale / Book Signing: 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Saturday May 7th. It’s important to note this is totally open to the public, so even if you can’t/didn’t register for the event, you can come schmooze and pick up some great books (and swag, because wow do these authors put out a lot of effort into their swag).


The Launch – Stonewall Gallery – May 12th, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Come join me at Stonewall Gallery to officially launch my second novel, Triad Blood.

The law of three is unbroken: three vampires form a coterie, three demons make a pack, and three wizards are a coven. That is how it has always been, and how it was always to be.

But Luc, Anders, and Curtis—vampire, demon, and wizard—have cheated tradition. Their bond is not coterie, pack, or coven, but something else. Thrust into the supernatural politics ruling Ottawa from behind the shadows, they face Renard, a powerful vampire who harbors deadly secrets of his own and wishes to end their threat. The enemy they know conjures fire and death at every turn. The enemies they don’t know are worse.

Blood, soul, and magic gave them freedom. Now they need to survive it.

I’ll be reading from Triad Blood, and there’ll be wine and fun to be had in a beautiful surrounding (you have no idea how gorgeous the products are at this gallery/bookstore). I’ll be signing books, and there will be some backlist available, including copies of Light, and Men in Love, among other anthologies in which I’ve got stories. As always, huge thank-yous to Michael Deyell for being a freaking angel and hosting the event.

If you want to come, click the link up there and say so at the event page over on Facebook land, or you can go to Stonewall Gallery’s web-page and contact Michael directly.

And Giveaways, Oh My!
Click here to enter the giveaway for Triad Blood.

I have two giveaways underway at the moment on Goodreads. The first is for a copy of Men in Love, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler, which just released. The second is for Triad Blood, which, oh, hey, that’s the second novel I keep talking about and it’s not even out yet!

Click here to enter the giveaway for Men in Love.

If you want to enter the giveaways, just click on the covers here and you’ll end up on the Goodreads giveaway pages. I did have to limit it to Canada and the U.S. thanks to postage prices (I wish I could do giveaways of e-copies, too, but Goodreads doesn’t allow that).

Both giveaways end May 1st, so if you want to click your way through to enter, time is running out. Please do, and hey, if you want to tell friends to do so, too, I won’t argue. I like giving things away for free when I can, and it’s usually a positive experience to do so.

 

That’s it for this week. I’ll get back to my regular “state of the ‘Nathan” updates next Wednesday, once I’m neck-deep in the merry month itself. In the meanwhile, here are the calls of which I’m aware (and tempted):

Open Calls I Know About (and find tempting)…

Flight – Flash fiction contest with a theme of “flight,” Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Gents: Steamy Tales from the Age of Steam – Gay male erotica set during the Victorian/Edwardian era, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Survivor – SF/F anthology looking for stories of everyday trauma survival, Lethe Press, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Magic and Mayhem – Mage/cyborg or tattoo artist/soldier stories (very specific, but it’s for a charity anthology, details at the link), Gay Romance Northwest, Deadline: March 31st, 2016.
Novella Call – The Book Smugglers, Deadline: May 30th, 2016.
Animal Magnetism – Tales of men drawn together over their love of animals, JMS Books, Deadline: July 31st, 2016.
This Wish Tonight – Holiday M/M Genre romance, Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: August 1, 2016.
A Scandal in Gomorrah: Queering Sherlock Holmes – Queering the canon or something more transformational, Lethe Press, Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Don’t forget to check the Lambda Literary site for more calls, as well as the Queer Sci-Fi calls for submission page (always a trove!)

Sunday Shorts – “Threesome” Q&A with N.S. Beranek

N.S. Beranek is another author I met through the incredible Saints & Sinners Literary Festival, and we’ve shared tables of contents a few times now (the first time, I think, was in one of the short fiction contests for the festival in question, come to think of it). I don’t think I could come up with a cohesive list of all the wonderful things Saints & Sinners has done for me, but top of that list would definitely be the readers and fellow authors I’ve met through the event. N.S. was kind enough to sit down and chat with me about the opening story in Threesome.

Few sexual fantasies are as potent or lasting as “the threesome” – as an adolescent, the first time you saw a hot couple walking hand in hand and you wanted to follow them back home and into their bed, as an adult when you discover that your partner has been fantasizing also about the bartender at your favorite club.

1+1+1 = sensual delight!

 

Editor Matthew Bright, no stranger to threesomes himself, has invited twelve authors to write stories that range from the sweet and romantic to erotic and playful and even a bit depraved.

 

NB: First off, your story in Threesome, “Call for Submission,” is the opening tale. This means congratulations are in order. I’ve been speaking with a lot of editors about selection and placement of tales in anthologies, and they’ve all mentioned how important the opening story is. What gave birth to the story?

NSB: Congratulations right back, ‘Nathan. Your story, “Vanilla,” is a terrific tale. I particularly loved your main character’s idea of luring customers in with sexy sculpture and rich chocolate. If you ever turn your love for baking into a real world enterprise, that would be a great tactic.

As for my story going first in the anthology, (Lethe Press publisher) Steve Berman said, “I’m going to hold you responsible if the book fails,” so it’s rather a Sword of Damocles, isn’t it? Seriously, I have faith in our fearless editor, Matt Bright. I think the decision to have three sections with three different types of stories is pretty clever. I’m certain there’s something here for everyone.

What gave form to the story was my being unnerved by the idea of writing something for an erotica collection. I’d never done that, or attempted it, or even considered it before that point.

NB: Been there. The first time I wrote erotica I swear I was blushing the entire time. My husband mocked me.

NSB: My fears, and the arguments I had with myself when I first decided to try it, informed the conversations between Eric and George. So did the fact that they took on a life of their own almost immediately. I didn’t write their dialogue as much as I eavesdropped on it. In quiet moments I’d realize they were talking, and I’d grab a pen. About seventy percent of the story was taken down in one session, but I didn’t know quite what to do with it after that, so I put it aside and tried other things. Seven other things, to be exact. “Call” was the second of the nine attempts I made to come up with a story for this. The one that I thought was going to be it hit a wall, and so at the eleventh hour I went back, gave this story a fresh look, and was able to see what had to happen in order for it to be finished.

NB: I am so glad to hear I’m not the only one who does that. You’ve beaten my record, though. I think my best was four story attempts where the fifth one worked (for Jerry L. Wheeler‘s Bears of Winter.) I love the idea of “eavesdropping,” and that makes sense to me when I read your prose. Your stories are always very character driven, alongside a sly humour and often a very “day to day” vibe of people just trying to live their lives. Where do your characters come from?

NSB: My characters are manifestations of my experiences. Probably the single biggest influence on my writing is the fact that when I was nine my mother became very good, albeit long distance, friends with actor/director/writer/gay rights activist Michael Kearns. I saw the way the world responded when he refused to hide his sexuality. The sanitized version is: It wasn’t pretty. Meanwhile, I was raised Catholic but we lived in a Jewish neighborhood; my classmates were, quite literally, from all over the globe; the principal of my grammar school was black; and the principal of my high school was a woman. It meant that I felt society was on the same sheet of music regarding diversity, in wanting to be inclusive… except where sexual orientation was concerned. I felt the hostility whenever I tried to broach the subject, but mostly I witnessed the prejudice. I feel like I’ve lived that Phil Collins song, “In the Air Tonight.” I was there and I saw what they did. What they still do.

As for humor, there’s a line from a Jimmy Buffett song that sums it up nicely: “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”

NB: No kidding. What projects are on the horizon for you? And, a question I’ve been asking a lot of the authors: what anthology theme would you love to see and contribute to that you haven’t seen yet?

NSB: The very next project is the Saints and Sinners 2016 anthology. Again, congratulations to you for having a story in that volume. My story for that is the last of the nine I started while trying to come up with an entry for Threesome. It’s the one that hit a wall at the last minute. I find that the “Saints and Sinners” theme is often the precise thing needed to kick a story over the finish line.

That’s March and April. In May a book that I edited, The Role, written by Richard Taylor Pearson, will be released, and then in October my debut novel, Angels Fall, will be out. Both are from Lethe Press.

NB: Angel’s Fall has a flipping gorgeous cover, by the way.

NSB: Thank you! It was designed by Matt from Inskpiral.

After that I’m editing another novel, but I’m not yet at liberty to give details, so….

An anthology theme I’d love to see, huh? Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you, and I reaaaaally don’t want to do that, especially considering what you wrote for Threesome.

Just sayin’.

NB: Well, I look forward to seeing all these projects come to light.

You can find Threesome: Him, Him and Me directly at Lethe Press here, or—as always—check Indiebound for your closest brick and mortar. It should also be available wherever fine quality LGBT books are sold.

Born and raised in Chicago, N.S. Beranek holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Theater and Design and for nineteen years was an Assistant Propmaster in regional theatre. Other stories she has written have appeared in Best Gay Romance 2014 (Cleis Press), Diverse Voices Quarterly, vol. 6 issue 21, and Saints & Sinners: New Fiction from the Festival 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 (Bold Strokes Books). She is the editor of The Role by Richard Taylor Pearson (Lethe Press, May 2016), and the author of the gay speculative fiction novel, Angels Fall (Lethe Press), which will be released this October.

BONUS POST – 5 Gay Romance Books to Watch Out For

Well, now, this is a lovely surprise. Though I’m not sure Triad Blood will fit everyone’s description of a romance per sé, I’m quite chuffed.

Ballyroan Reads

Here’s five new and forthcoming gay romance novels (also referred to as m/m or male/male romance) to watch out for:

Men in Love – Edited by Jerry L. Wheeler (12 Apr 2016)

Spring approaches with the promise of new beginnings, fresh adventures, and the thrill of romance rekindled or discovered. Hot, sexy guys abound-meeting on the ball fields or the boardroom, at the theater or the classroom-falling in love and lust for the first time or celebrating a lifetime. Come join the rites of spring and indulge yourself in the passion and pleasures of our luscious men in love. Stories from some of today’s popular m/m romance authors explore the many faces of men in love: gay for you, seductions, weddings and more.

Selfie by Amy Lane (18 Apr 2016)
One year ago, actor Connor Montgomery lost the love of his life to a drunk driver. But what’s worse for Connor…

View original post 641 more words

Writing Wednesday – Target Practice

This isn’t going to be my usual Writing Wednesday update of how the writing is going because, frankly, the writing hasn’t been going very well at all this last couple of weeks. My application for citizenship was processed, and I have a test to write in two days, so I’ve mostly been using my free time to swot, a skill that has certainly atrophied over the years since university. I’m learning, though, and I think most of it is sinking it.

Alongside that, I’ve not had a full night’s sleep in… uh… It’s April now, right? Well, I think since I got back from New Orleans, I’ve not actually slept more than four or five hours in one go. I’ve also had two nights this week already where I’ve not slept at all.

This happens to me. It comes, happens, and goes, so I know it will turn around.

In the meanwhile, I’m going to practice not looking at word targets. I’m still working on the novels and short pieces, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve turned off the word counts and the daily goals and am floating to and from the keyboard as I can. I’m walking the dog in the sunshine as much as possible (he also found a massive wet and horrible body of filth to roll in the other day, which ate up an hour extra of unscheduled ‘clean and dry the dog’ to the task list) and trying hard to be okay with just resting instead of sleeping (another skill I’ve let atrophy since the last time I got smacked by this level of insomnia).

I’m actually willing to bet that the moment my citizenship test is written, I’ll come home and fall asleep. I’ll be annoyed at myself for letting it bother me this much, if indeed that’s what happens, but there you go.

So.

In place of word-counts, I’ll just repeat that I’ve got some giveaways going on, and the book launch is in less than a month.

Giveaways? Yep. Giveaways!
Click here to enter the giveaway for Triad Blood.

I have two giveaways underway at the moment on Goodreads. The first is for a copy of Men in Love, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler, which just released. The second is for Triad Blood, which, oh, hey, that’s my second novel and it’s not even out yet!

Click here to enter the giveaway for Men in Love.

If you want to enter the giveaways, just click on the covers here and you’ll end up on the Goodreads giveaway pages. I did have to limit it to Canada and the U.S. thanks to postage prices (I wish I could do giveaways of e-copies, too, but Goodreads doesn’t allow that).

Obviously, I hope giveaways attract attention, and in the past they’ve been a good way to generate reviews. Which is already happening for Triad Blood (and “Three,” too, which surprised me!) thanks to NetGalley. My first review of both has been more-or-less a positive one, so I count myself lucky. Fingers crossed these guys find the readers they’re looking for.

Less than a month until Launch of Triad Blood. RSVP!

Speaking of Triad Blood… The launch of Triad Blood event posted is over on Facebook, right here. It will be at After Stonewall, here in Ottawa, on Thursday the 12th of May. That’s less than a month from now and that’s terrifying! More details are available through the event link. If you’d like to come, make sure you RSVP, as the owner has to watch for capacity laws.

I’m likely to have a silly game ready by then, too. Yep. That’s right. A silly game.

Open Calls I Know About (and find tempting)…

Flight – Flash fiction contest with a theme of “flight,” Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Gents: Steamy Tales from the Age of Steam – Gay male erotica set during the Victorian/Edwardian era, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Survivor – SF/F anthology looking for stories of everyday trauma survival, Lethe Press, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Magic and Mayhem – Mage/cyborg or tattoo artist/soldier stories (very specific, but it’s for a charity anthology, details at the link), Gay Romance Northwest, Deadline: March 31st, 2016.
Novella Call – The Book Smugglers, Deadline: May 30th, 2016.
Animal Magnetism – Tales of men drawn together over their love of animals, JMS Books, Deadline: July 31st, 2016.
This Wish Tonight – Holiday M/M Genre romance, Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: August 1, 2016.
A Scandal in Gomorrah: Queering Sherlock Holmes – Queering the canon or something more transformational, Lethe Press, Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Don’t forget to check the Lambda Literary site for more calls, as well as the Queer Sci-Fi calls for submission page (always a trove!)

Sunday Shorts – “Threesome” Q&A with Chris Colby

This week, I’m having a virtual sit down with Chris Colby, who is making his nomenclatural debut with his erotica piece, “Fancy Dress,” in Threesome. Chris was a “new to me” author, and meeting new folk is one of the reasons I undertook the Sunday Shorts project.

Few sexual fantasies are as potent or lasting as “the threesome” – as an adolescent, the first time you saw a hot couple walking hand in hand and you wanted to follow them back home and into their bed, as an adult when you discover that your partner has been fantasizing also about the bartender at your favorite club.

 

1+1+1 = sensual delight!

 

Editor Matthew Bright, no stranger to threesomes himself, has invited twelve authors to write stories that range from the sweet and romantic to erotic and playful and even a bit depraved.

NB: Hi Chris. Thanks for chatting—it’s nice to “meet” you.

CC: Hi ‘Nathan! Thanks so much for having me on Sunday Shorts! This is actually my first time being interviewed about my writing, so I’m quite excited!

NB: You have no idea how hard it is to resist the urge to say ‘I’ll be gentle.’ Damn. Couldn’t do it. First off, tell me about your story in Threesome. What are we in for?

CC: My story in Threesome is called “Fancy Dress.” It’s set in a three-person dorm in an university where the narrator Brian has come to the big city to go to college and be, finally, A Gay, and have all those experiences that he’s only dreamed of but he hasn’t gotten that far—he’s finding it hard to make friends and college life is not all it’s cracked up to be. His roommates are the shy, burly Reggie and Graham, who is always on the phone to his boyfriend. Brian has a thing for Graham but doesn’t know what, or how, to go about doing anything. It’s a fun little story with a little angst, an erotic Viking dream, an evening of competitive Halloween drag, and some sex that nobody expected.

NB: That’s so very much the opposite of my post-secondary education experience. If there’d been more erotic Viking content, I might have had a better time. I can’t wait to read “Fancy Dress.” I love it when short fiction goes in directions I wasn’t expecting. What about you? What’s the most recent piece of short fiction to really grab you?  Where can we find it?

CC: I haven’t read a lot of short fiction recently. I’ve been reading lots of mm/gay romance and non-fiction. The last short story I read and absolutely loved was Matthew Bright’s “Golden Hair, Red Lips.” Now, I’m aware that Matthew is the editor of Threesome but he’s also a mate, so when the much anticipated Queers Destroy Horror came out, I immediately devoured it. “Golden Hair, Red Lips” is a Dorian Grey story that absolutely floored me. The sheer quality of the writing was gorgeous. And the story, which I am going to tell you absolutely nothing about, was just fantastic. And that refrain – it sent shivers down my spine. Luckily, if you’re curious, you can read the entire thing for free here.

Apart from that, the last piece of short fiction that really grabbed me was a few months back. Aleksandr Voinov writes some fantastic fiction – the majority of it is in the m/m romance genre but he has also written some excellent novels that don’t fit that category, such as his newest, Nightingale, which is a gay historical set in occupied Paris during WWII, that had me up half the night to finish it. Anyway, he has a short story/novella/little book called Skybound which is about 47 pages and it is also a WWII story, this time about two german soliders who fall in love at the end of WWII. The writing in it is laser sharp and beautiful. I highly, highly recommend it.

NB: This is the danger of these discussions. I end up with a giant “to-be-read” pile. New authors to discover? Yes please. In fact, one of the joys for me in reading anthologies is finding new-to-me authors and new authors, and I’m always curious to know if there is an anthology theme other authors would to see (and contribute to)? Is there a story you’re itching to tell, or a theme you’d love to see explored?

CC: I love a good anthology and theme and they can be a great spur into action. I’ve been very lucky that this year, as well as Threesome, which is my first publication as Chris Colby, I’m going to be part of two other anthologies: The Myriad Carnival – Queer and Weird Stories from Under the Big Top (also edited by Matthew Bright) and Not Just Another Pretty Face (ed. Louis Flint Ceci). Both of those, however, are under my real name, Mark Ward, and are both poems. 

As for an anthology theme, I’ve always thought, and have been tempted, to do an anthology about queer writers and their relationship to books, from ekphrastic responses to how books impacted their queer life to navigating (the now dwindling) gay sections of bookshops. I may get to it someday. I’m working on a number of things slowly (I don’t always have as much spare time/writing time as I’d like, so I do it when I can). As Chris, I’ve started work on a romance that I’m very excited about, which doesn’t have a title yet, so hopefully that’ll be the next thing from Chris, unless an anthology theme jumps out at me and I’ve a free weekend.

NB: I’ve got my copy of Myriad already pre-ordered and we’ll be discussing Not Just Another Pretty Face later on, too. I always admire poets; it’s a skill set I just don’t have. Thanks for taking the time, Chris.

CC: Thanks again for having me on Sunday Shorts!

 

You can find Threesome: Him, Him and Me directly at Lethe Press here, or—as always—check Indiebound for your closest brick and mortar. It should also be available wherever fine quality LGBT books are sold.

Chris Colby is a writer from Dublin, Ireland. His story, “Fancy Dress” is his first publication and is in Threesome (ed. Matthew Bright) and he’s currently working on his first novel.

As Mark Ward, he has written and produced a number of plays, and his poetry has been featured in Assaracus, Storm Cellar, The Good Men Project, Off the Rocks and The Wild Ones. He has finished his first chapbook, How to Live When Life Subtracts and is currently working his first full-length collection, Circumference. 

His writing blog is at http://astintinyourspotlight.wordpress.com

In other lives, he is also a cabaret performer and for many years, he made noise music under the name Where is This.

 

Writing Wednesday – Any Excuse for a Brownie

It’s been a rough week. My mother broke her foot, my head decided a multi-day headache was in order, and on top of that it turns out that I need very little nudging to decide to declare a “brownie day.” Headache? Brownie Day. Struggle with a short story? Brownie Day. Hangnail? Brownie Day.

So.

Want a brownie?

You Like Free Stuff? Yep. Free Stuff!
Click here to enter the giveaway for Triad Blood.

I have two giveaways underway at the moment on Goodreads. The first is for a copy of Men in Love, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler, which just released. The second is for Triad Blood, which, oh, hey, that’s my second novel and it’s not even out yet!

Click here to enter the giveaway for Men in Love.

If you want to enter the giveaways, just click on the covers here and you’ll end up on the Goodreads giveaway pages. I did have to limit it to Canada and the U.S. thanks to postage prices (I wish I could do giveaways of e-copies, too, but Goodreads doesn’t allow that).

Obviously, I hope giveaways attract attention, and in the past they’ve been a good way to generate reviews. Which is already happening for Triad Blood (and “Three,” too, which surprised me!) thanks to NetGalley. My first review of both has been more-or-less a positive one, so I count myself lucky. Fingers crossed these guys find the readers they’re looking for.

Yet Another Reminder to Respond to the Launch RSVP!

Speaking of Triad Blood… The launch of Triad Blood event posted is over on Facebook, right here. It will be at After Stonewall, here in Ottawa, on Thursday the 12th of May. That’s less than a month from now and that’s terrifying! More details are available through the event link. If you’d like to come, make sure you RSVP, as the owner has to watch for capacity laws.

I’m likely to have a silly game ready by then, too. Yep. That’s right. A silly game.

The Novel(s)

Let’s just move on this week, shall we? No need for messy word counts. Nope. Ooh! A brownie.

The Short Stuff

I’ve been working on the second Village story again, which doesn’t have a home or even a plan for a home, so I need to step back and work on a short piece to submit somewhere before the month is over.

Open Calls I Know About (and find tempting)…

Dark Captive (Manlove Edition) – Alpha Men, Evernight Publishing, Deadline: April 15th, 2016.
Flight – Flash fiction contest with a theme of “flight,” Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Gents: Steamy Tales from the Age of Steam – Gay male erotica set during the Victorian/Edwardian era, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Survivor – SF/F anthology looking for stories of everyday trauma survival, Lethe Press, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Magic and Mayhem – Mage/cyborg or tattoo artist/soldier stories (very specific, but it’s for a charity anthology, details at the link), Gay Romance Northwest, Deadline: March 31st, 2016.
Novella Call – The Book Smugglers, Deadline: May 30th, 2016.
Animal Magnetism – Tales of men drawn together over their love of animals, JMS Books, Deadline: July 31st, 2016.
This Wish Tonight – Holiday M/M Genre romance, Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: August 1, 2016.
A Scandal in Gomorrah: Queering Sherlock Holmes – Queering the canon or something more transformational, Lethe Press, Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Don’t forget to check the Lambda Literary site for more calls, as well as the Queer Sci-Fi calls for submission page (always a trove!)

Sunday Shorts – “Men in Love” and “The Biggest Lover” Q&A with Jerry Rabushka

I refer to the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival quite a bit, I know, but it’s been very much the epicentre of my literary life. I’ve been blessed to meet dozens of authors through the event, and today’s author is no exception. Jerry Rabushka agreed to have a chat with me about his upcoming stories in not just The Biggest Lover, but also Men in Love.

Spring approaches with the promise of new beginnings, fresh adventures, and the thrill of romance rekindled or discovered. Hot, sexy guys abound—meeting on the ball fields or the boardroom, at the theater or the classroom—falling in love and lust for the first time or celebrating a lifetime. Come join the rites of spring and indulge yourself in the passion and pleasures of our luscious men in love. Stories from some of today’s popular m/m romance authors explore the many faces of men in love: gay for you, seductions, weddings and more.

 

NB: Welcome! We’re finally sharing a table of contents, which makes me happy. I think we’ve hopscotched each other in various collections of the Saints & Sinners short fiction contest collections, but never the same year until this year—when you won! Can you tell me a wee bit about your two tales? You’ve got short fiction pieces in both The Biggest Lover and Men in Love.

JR: “Golden Walrus” from The Biggest Lover, is about two guys feeling their age and wondering if they should pair up or just continue on their own. Hector Lieberman is 49 and suddenly finds himself a lot bigger than he planned on, but this catches the eye of hot and hairy Barkley Roger, who’s is 38 and feels he’s almost too old to find that bigger and older man to take care of him. Heck’s interested in Bark, but has two conditions: that he cut his ponytail and that he recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Bark has some nasty stuff in his past that’s stunted his emotional growth ever since.

“Crewman,” from Men in Love, features Noah, a haphazard painter, and Carl, his boss, who keeps insulting him and manhandling him. They’re both tough on the outside guys, and Noah’s too dense to figure out why Carl keeps him on crew if Carl keeps complaining about Noah’s incompetence. Since this is part of a book called Men in Love, you can probably guess why. But how can you tell someone you love them when you can barely admit you like them?

NB: You’re no stranger to writing characters that don’t fit in the typical ranges seen in gay romance and gay erotica (I remember loving that about the characters in “‘Til it Bleeds”). The Biggest Lover explores a theme rarely seen in erotica. Did you find theme inspiring, or were there any challenges you hadn’t expected?

JR: I’ve often written about relationships where there’s a difference between the characters, age, race, interests, something that makes them not a usual pair. I feel there are so many romances that imply love is reserved for the rich and beautiful. What I try to do is this: even if the characters aren’t conventional beauties, they are attractive to the people in the story—the people that matter most. (Once someone stopped reading a short novel I wrote because, he said, he wasn’t attracted to the characters.)

NB: Yeah, I’ve bumped into that, too. The “I can’t enjoy a book with two men” comment comes up in some of the romance circles, unfortunately. You’d think a romantic story could transcend, but for some readers it seems it’s too difficult.

JR: In “real life” a lot of bigger folks find love and happy marriages or relationships. I guess a challenge is, when a character is specifically attracted to that, and the other character feels it’s a liability, how do you reconcile that? That comes up in “Golden Walrus,” and neither party is quite sure how to handle that.

NB: After talking with Jerry L. Wheeler about Men in Love, I know the range of stories in the collection really runs a wide range. Do you have a favourite kind of romantic story—the meet cutes, the long-term relationships, or something else?

JR: I tend to like “how they met” and what happens after that, and can the guys build their relationship off that initial attraction. In “Crewman” the initial attraction goes on for a long time, but nobody’s sure how to act on it, so the story picks up when they finally get to the point. There’s a certain heart-pounding in a first meeting and I like exploring the possibilities, hopes, and sweat that can be generated during a first encounter. I’ve always been a fan of random meetings turning into something. I met my partner of 8 years on the riverfront in New Orleans, where neither of us lived. We got to talking and here we are now still together. I think it comes from my experience of never really fitting in anywhere so love and friendship has to come from unusual places if I can’t find it in the typical haunts.

NB: On that note: is there an unusual anthology theme you’d love to see (and contribute to)?

JR: Most of my romantic characters have awesome mustaches, that’s what the “Golden Walrus” is, so there’s one I could get into. Perhaps The Biggest Lover can start a trend where people who aren’t usually the subject of romances can get their place in the sun.

NB: Hey, I’m a fan of the facial hair, too. What do you think, everyone? Moustache theme?

 

You can get Men in Love directly from the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, here. You can get The Biggest Lover directly from Bear Bones Books, here. Otherwise, you can always use Indiebound to look for your closest brick-and-mortar, or visit any store where quality LGBT books are sold.

 

Jerry Rabushka is the author of two published novels: The Prophecy and Star Bryan. He is a prolific playwright and his plays are produced throughout the US and beyond. He is also a pianist and composer with several CDs of original music. He’s the winner of several writing competitions including three with Saints and Sinners, and the long-time editor of a national business trade publication. He lives with his partner in St. Louis, MO.

Writing Wednesday – Saints, Sinners, and Giveaways

 

I’m home again.

I need to gather my thoughts about Saints & Sinners, but if I’m completely honest, I’m still wiped. This time, my flight back had me up at a very early hour, and between that, a day full of flying, and a terrible night’s sleep, I ended up feeling like roadkill yesterday. Today is quite a bit better, at least.

It’s now April, which resets my goals for the month, and today will be the first real day I’ve had to write beyond the notebook scribblings I made while in New Orleans, but I do have various news events to put forth today, so…

Free? Free!
Click here to enter the giveaway for Triad Blood.

I have two giveaways underway at the moment on Goodreads. The first is for a copy of Men in Love, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler, which just released. The second is for Triad Blood, which, oh, hey, that’s my second novel and it’s not even out yet!

Click here to enter the giveaway for Men in Love.

If you want to enter the giveaways, just click on the covers here and you’ll end up on the Goodreads giveaway pages. I did have to limit it to Canada and the U.S. thanks to postage prices (I wish I could do giveaways of e-copies, too, but Goodreads doesn’t allow that).

Obviously, I hope giveaways attract attention, and in the past they’ve been a good way to generate reviews. Which is already happening for Triad Blood (and “Three,” too, which surprised me!) thanks to NetGalley. My first review of both has been more-or-less a positive one, so I count myself lucky. Fingers crossed these guys find the readers they’re looking for.

Yet Another Reminder to Respond to the Launch RSVP!

Speaking of Triad Blood… The launch of Triad Blood event posted is over on Facebook, right here. It will be at After Stonewall, here in Ottawa, on Thursday the 12th of May. More details are available through the event link. If you’d like to come, make sure you RSVP, as the owner has to watch for capacity laws.

I’m likely to have a silly game ready by then, too. Yep. That’s right. A silly game.

The Novel(s)

Okay. 40k by end of April. And… go.

Self-promotion stuff continues apace, I’ve got two interviews lined up now for Triad Blood.  I’m also going to do a couple of guest blogs, swap some Q&A space, have figured out bookmarks… Still that potential podcast, too. Oh, and I believe Apartment 613 will be mentioning me, too, which is lovely, and timely for Romancing the Capital. QSF is listing the release, I’ll have my BSB blog, and… oh! Right. Launch party. Just mentioned that.

 

The Short Stuff

 

April means resetting my “submit something!” button, so time to really pay attention to what’s below this next break. Deep breath, and begin again…

 

Open Calls I Know About (and find tempting)…

Queer Planet – Strange Horizons Magazine, Deadline: April 10th, 2016.
Dark Captive (Manlove Edition) – Alpha Men, Evernight Publishing, Deadline: April 15th, 2016.
Gents: Steamy Tales from the Age of Steam – Gay male erotica set during the Victorian/Edwardian era, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Survivor – SF/F anthology looking for stories of everyday trauma survival, Lethe Press, Deadline: May 1st, 2016.
Magic and Mayhem – Mage/cyborg or tattoo artist/soldier stories (very specific, but it’s for a charity anthology, details at the link), Gay Romance Northwest, Deadline: March 31st, 2016.
Novella Call – The Book Smugglers, Deadline: May 30th, 2016.
Animal Magnetism – Tales of men drawn together over their love of animals, JMS Books, Deadline: July 31st, 2016.
This Wish Tonight – Holiday M/M Genre romance, Mischief Corner Books, Deadline: August 1, 2016.
A Scandal in Gomorrah: Queering Sherlock Holmes – Queering the canon or something more transformational, Lethe Press, Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Don’t forget to check the Lambda Literary site for more calls, as well as the Queer Sci-Fi calls for submission page (always a trove!)