Erica Pike's Blog, page 18

Sound Familiar?

ImageHomophobia isn't a huge problem in Iceland anymore. People were receiving death threats because of their sexuality 30 years ago. Some even had to flee the country, but no more. Sure, there's still some homophobia, but in general things are good and people generally strike against anyone who speaks badly about homosexuality in newspapers etc., so it doesn't happen very often. Icelandic homosexuals have the exact same rights as heterosexuals and cannot legally be discriminated against in workplaces or other venues. They may marry (even in churches), adopt children, and live their lives with all the same benefits as heterosexuals. This didn't happen all by itself. It's taken the Icelandic LGBT Organization 30 years to change the minds of people through campaigns and education. 
Icelanders are hard workers with the mentality that hard work makes you a "real" person. In fact, disabled people face a lot more prejudice than homosexuals. Disabled people in Iceland are considered weak and/or less. Leeches upon the society. It looks like the association for disabled people are trying to change that image. I heard an ad on the radio yesterday as I was driving to the city. It really caught my attention. Translated, it sounded something like this:
Prejudice prevents companies from hiring disabled people. Being disabled is neither a choice nor a lifestyle.
Sound familiar?

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This Picture Takes My Breath Away...

Photographer: Dan Skinner
Copyright Holder: Erica Pike
It's late, and I'm supposed to be in bed, but I just had to share this Dan Skinner photo with you. And guess what? I bought it!! That's right, this photo belongs to me now to use as I see fit. I plan to use it as a cover for the novel I'm working on (no, I'm not ready to share info on it - it's not the Jazz story). 
Dan Skinner is the same photographer who took the photo on the Absolutely Eric cover. This guy is a genius and the model he found, Jan? That guy should be a super model. Check out Dan's other photos, the most recent ones featuring the stunning Jan.

Why Straight Women Love Gay Romance

Why indeed?
That's what m/m author Geoffrey Knight attempts to answer with the aid of 32 women in this book. Some of them are m/m writers and some are m/m readers. So why am I promoting this book, other than for its awesomeness? Because I'm one of the 32! I won't be hard to find, being the only little miss Iceland. And yes, that guy on the cover is just lickalicious.
Why Straight Women Love Gay RomanceOut NOW! MLR Press Goodreads Page

It’s one of the world’s biggest secrets, and it’s about to come out … Why do straight women love gay romance?
What is it that attracts straight women to the idea of two men falling in love? Is it the muscles? The mystery of the male mind? The idea of true love overcoming all odds? How has it changed who these women are and how they see the world? And how powerful is this once-silent army of readers in the fight for equality?
32 women across 9 countries and 4 continents – from the world’s best selling romance authors to the biggest female fans of Gay Male Romance — are about to reveal — Why Straight Women Love Gay Romance.

Backlist Winner and Future Hops

The Backlist Hop is over and the winner is:
Jaime (jaimiessmiles)!
I've already sent you an email.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone :) There are loads more hops and giveaways coming. You can see them all in the right hand sidebar, but just to be sure, here's what's coming:

September: (16-22) Indulgent Blog Hop(27-30) GLBT Madness Hop(28-1) NBP's Back to School Bash (open for all authors)
October:(1-31) Jaidis Shaw's Book-Tober Bash(16-29) Howloween Blog Hop(24-1) Wicked After Dark Blog Hop
December:(14-17) Purrrfect Giftasmic Christmas Blog Hop(??-??) Makayla's December Bash
There will probably be more, but these are the ones I've signed up for.
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Backlist Hop - Back When I Was a Baby.

It's time to dust and revive the oldies. Of course, my oldies are only eight months old, but they still feel ancient to me. Wow, I was such a newbie back in January.
Technically, I had three releases that month. The very first was a freebie, In His Pocket. It's a very short, very fast read just to give people a taste for my writing style. Me being an Icelander, the topic really didn't seem that off-putting, but I learned fast that it didn't go down well with everyone. "Daddy kink" someone called it, which I suppose it is, though there was no blood relation and only seven years age difference. However, it's a cute little fic (by my standards - and everyone's of age).
The second was my short story Hot Hands, published by No Boundaries Press. It was the first in what will be five short stories (maybe six). I got the idea for this one when I was walking to my seat in a theater and someone accidentally brushed against my bum. I figured, hey, that would be an interesting story, and so the story of Casper being goosed and groped without catching the groper was born. It's a fun, fast, and a bit achy story. Have you already read this and thought the ending was a bit abrupt? Well, I'm currently editing the sequel, Cold Hands!
The third, and my official debut novel, was A Life Without You, published by MLR Press (came out in print, too). It's the first in a series about a group of friends in Boston. Technically, these two characters aren't a part of the group until later, but a sort of a third wheel and the sun of the group, Eric, is introduced and he's the main character in the next book. This book (ALWY) is about a gay college boy, Adam, who falls in love with his straight roommate, Jesse. Of course, like with most of these stories, Jesse isn't all that straight, just ass-deep in denial. For those who have already read this, I have a sequel in mind for this couple. It'll probably be more of a novella, but I intend to write it for next year. If you like angst, you'll probably like A Life Without You.


So, what am I offering for this backlist hop? A choice between A Life Without You or Hot Hands. Please leave a comment with your email address and your preferred format: pdf, mobi, or ePub.
But wait! Before you go, there are more people taking part in this. You can go to the main site or you can click the links below.
Oh and hey, if I'm a new-to-you author, feel free to grab a copy of my other free read, Half-Baked Promises.

Cover Reveal: Little Stalker

Hi guys :D
Yes, that's me with a huge grin on my face. I just got the finalized cover for Little Stalker (College Fun and Gays #4). I don't have the exact date for the release, but I'm hoping it won't be too long now. Here's the blurb:

College student Coby is being stalked by Grayson, but he has no idea why until someone suggests that Grayson may have a crush on him. The idea both excites and terrifies Coby who is so deep in the closet that he can barely manage to think the word “gay” without freaking out.

After Coby confronts Grayson, he will have to reconsider his sexuality, because he can’t get rid of the image of Grayson…or the ugly bruise around Grayson’s eye – the one that’s hidden by that kitten-soft hair.



I've set up a Goodreads page for it, if you want to add it to your list.

Rainbow Hop Winner

I used Random.org to draw a winner and the person receiving a copy of The Walls Have Ears is: 
Lilly Jones ^.^
Congrats, Lilly. I'll send you mail.

The Rainbow Book Reviews Blog Hop!

Hi guys :)
I'm taking part in the Rainbow Book Reviews Blog Hop over the weekend. I'm a day late, so I'll let my part of the contest run through August 25th-27th. I hope that's okay with the organizers.
The reason for this hop is to celebrate the launch of a new review site: Rainbow Book Reviews. They're doing a very generous giveaway on their own site, but there are also over 70 GLBT authors giving away individual prizes. Just click the link - but first, read on for my contest:
Now, what does writing GLBTQ literature mean to me?
A hell of a lot. Not only has it helped me open my eyes to the many issues regarding the GLBTQ community, but has also urged me to help in any way I can. I was never a homophobe. Granted, I didn't understand it when I was a teen, but I was never against GLBTQ people. In my twenties I'd scowl at people who spoke against homosexuality, because I felt that they were being idiotic. In my thirties I started writing and reading m/m stories, and now I understand that things won't change by staying silent. I'm a member of Iceland's GLBTQ organization and a proud supporter. I also take it upon myself to attempt to "correct" people when they're unknowingly sounding homophobic (with jokes, generalizations, comments and such that aren't necessarily meant in a demeaning way - as would be the case with most Icelanders). But there's more. I've also discovered new things about myself after I started reading GLBTQ lit, things I'm still figuring out. This literature has also brought me close to new people, friends I now find are invaluable, so I owe this category a lot.
Now, for my contest. I'm giving away an e-copy of The Walls Have Ears. If you already own it, you can choose from the other College Fun and Gays stories (just got the cover for the next one, will reveal it soon!). All you have to do is leave a comment with a way for me to each you :)
Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each other’s voices, but they have never met in person.

When Harley’s roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome.

When Harley’s affections shift to Tasha, his heartache hits an all time high because with all the girls hanging around, Tasha has to be straight.

Back with a Bash! (Giveaway + First-Time-Excerpt)

Hi guys! I'm back from my vacation and feel all rejuvenated. Especially after that clubbing I did last night. Ah, I love dancing.

I'm getting back to Jazz's story on Tuesday, since I've got appointments and stuff on Monday, but for now, Elisa Reviews is doing a Giveaway-every-two-days from the GayRomLit2012 authors! I'm up today, so do stop by Elisa Reviews and leave a comment (I don't think you need an LJ account to leave a comment, just leave anonymous reply and put your name and email address in the body of the text).

What's up for grabs? An e-copy of Absolutely Eric.

Oh hey! I'm sharing a very short excerpt from Jazz's story on facebook, because people sent me a challenge. Figured I'd share it here, too:


It’s not like I’m going to get up close and personal with the lead singer, Dean McQueen, anyway. Eric and I are sitting in the back with at least ten rows of chairs between us and the platform. It seems like every news agency in Boston decided to show up for this, and no wonder since the star himself is from around here. 
Eric’s been buzzing about Black Hurricane – or more specifically Dean – and he’s told me over five times that they’re ending their tour in this city.

Eric pulls his white hair into a low ponytail, sky-blue eyes scanning the empty table on the platform. His white skin looks even paler against the deep-red sleeve as he tucks a few strands of hair behind his ears.

“I can’t believe this is happening, Jazz. I’m actually gonna see him,” Eric says, for the tenth time.

I roll my eyes as I slide myself further down in the uncomfortable plastic chair, fiddling with the sparkly pink tag hanging around my neck that screams Glitter Guys Magazine in huge letters. Eric has a matching one. He designed them this morning when he found out he had to have some sort of a tag from the magazine he’s representing. 

The buzz in the room dies down as a couple of people walk onto the platform.

Copyright © 2012 by Erica Pike

Vacay

Officially starting my vacation with my boys today. Won't be online much for the next couple of weeks. Might pop in a few times, but not enough to answer emails or such.

Hope everyone's enjoying the summer! Or winter, if you're in Australia.