Rick R. Reed's Blog, page 111

Does Not Compute: Homosexuality=Pedophilia

If you travel back a little bit in my family tree, you'll find that the white bread last name Reed can be pushed aside rather quickly by my mother's maiden name: Comparetto. Yes, on the maternal side, I am Sicilian and being a Sicilian, there is no other church I was going to be raised in other than what my family called the Church. I was baptized, confirmed, went to catechism, and was raised in a strict Catholic household.
And now I feel the church is a place I am not welcome, where I am...

Author Anne Brooke on Why She Writes

Anne Brooke is a favorite of mine. She is a born storyteller and her books always engage. Below, she tells us what inspires her...


Why do I Write?by Anne Brooke I write because it helps me make sense of the worlds in my head. All my life I've made up stories and writing them is the only way to release them. It's also the only way to find out what happens at the end, as I never know when I begin.
I also write to give a voice to the very strong gay male voice in my head. He's always been...

A New Amazon Review of Tales from the Sexual Underground

Sometimes, an Amazon review can make me smile...like this one. Five stars and the important thing is that the reviewer, Lesli Richardson, really "got" the book.

Review of Tales from the Sexual Underground
Rick R. Reed does it again. I admit I'm biased toward his work, but still, for me, this collection was satisfying on a number of levels.

Reader be warned, this is not a collection entirely of fiction. It is a mix of short stories and essays, and some of the subject matter isn't for the fain...

Living In the Real World

One of the other hats I wear these days (and quite fashionably too, if I may say so myself) in addition to writer is editor.

I am an editor for MLR Press. As part of my duties as a substantive editor is making decisions on submitted manuscripts as to whether or not they are right for MLR to publish. The senior editor forwards stories to me that are in the consideration hopper and I give a thumbs up (or regrattably) down. Recently, she sent me a book that was very historical with some fantasy e...

How Writing is Like Being Queer: C.M. Harris

This time around, we have Lambda Literary Award-nominated author C.M. Harris sharing with us her unique reasons for putting words to paper...
Being a writer is like being queer
It's not a choice, but a foregone conclusion

As a young girl, I wrote to escape my closeted life in a religious sect. And then, after I left the safety of that home to make my way in the outside world, I wrote to keep myself sane. Once I fully came out of the closet and met my girlfriend, I wrote for fun.

Then...

Let Him In! Sluggo Snares a Vampire

So my latest release from Amber Allure is now out, with the usual terrific cover from Trace Edward Zaber. Sluggo Snares a Vampire is an ebook short about one very frightening night in the life of a mousy gay man who spends far too much time online...and far too much time enmeshed in the traditions of horror cinema.

Yet, when he runs across a sexy, enigmatic, and deadly vampire in a chat room, he forgets about one of the main cardinal rules of vampires: they can't come in unless you invite them...

Evolution of a Cover A DEMON INSIDE

A Demon Inside is my gay horror/romance about a possessed house in the wilds of Wisconsin, coming out next summer from MLR Press.

I recently had the privilege to work with the great--and very receptive--cover artist Alex Beecroft on the cover for the book and wanted to share with you the process we went through in order to get to the final product, which you see at left.

I stared off by giving Alex the following suggestions, along with the synopsis that had already been developed for the back c...

Christiane France on Why She Writes

Christiane France is a writing peer of mine at Amber Quill Press. The highly successful romance author tells us, below, what makes her tick.

WHY DO I WRITE?By Christiane France
Because I can? Because it's the safest way of doing things I'd never have the guts to do otherwise? Because I want to show off my writing skills? Because I need to do something with my hands other than umm…err…well, you know, doing whatever there is to relieve the boredom of endless TV?  Or is it because I'm hoping...

TALES FROM THE SEXUAL UNDERGROUND Gets Very Mixed Review

Well, my gay erotic collection, Tales from the Sexual Underground , has its first review. The review was on "Well Read" which reviews mostly romance books, so I'm not surprised at some of the less than positive comments. One the one hand, the reviewer said:

"the quality of the writing was superb..." and "One poignant story, It Still Happens, told of the last hours of a man dying of AIDS and...had me in tears by the end."

But then the reviewer, well, I can't say "took me to task" but pointed...

NEW Release! SLUGGO SNARES A VAMPIRE

My latest e-book short, the funny, eerie, creepy, and slightly romantic Sluggo Snares a Vampire has just hit the shelves! This week only, my publisher is offering it at 35% off...so here's your chance to have a small taste of my work for only $1.95.

Buy Sluggo Snares a Vampire here.

Synopsis
When Sluggo cruises online chat rooms, he isn't looking for a hook-up, he's looking for love. But love has a way of being elusive, especially when you're not being honest. Presenting himself as "Sir Raven," ...