Andrew J. Peters's Blog, page 14
October 14, 2015
A Quick Addendum/Erratum
So I just found out that there’s a distribution problem with the e-book version of Banished Sons of Poseidon. That version is available at the publisher Bold Strokes Books, but unfortunately, it will not be for sale at most retailers until October 19th.
Oops! I spoke a little too soon.
Paperbacks are indeed available everywhere. My apologies for the confusion.
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October 13, 2015
Release Day! Banished Sons of Poseidon!!
October 14th, 2015: Today is the day! Banished Sons of Poseidon, the follow up to The Seventh Pleiade, hits stores, spreading some high fantasy, Atlantean queerness around the world.
Early reviews have been a bit slow to come in, but I was thrilled that BSoP was picked out by All Our Worlds Diverse Fantasy Fiction.
” ★★★★1/2. Monsters, magic and vibrant characters. A lot of fun.”
You can read the full review here.
Here’s the cover and the story blurb:
After escaping from a flood that buried the aboveground in seawater, a fractured group of boys contend with the way ahead and their trust of an underground race of men who gives them shelter. For sixteen-year-old Dam, it’s a strange, new second chance. There are wonders in the underworld and a foreign warrior Hanhau who is eager for friendship despite Dam’s dishonorable past.
But a rift between his countrymen threatens to send their settlement into chaos. Peace between the evacuees and Hanhau’s tribe depends on sharing a precious relic that glows with arcane energy. When danger emerges from the shadowed backcountry, Dam must undertake a desperate mission. It’s the only hope for the Atlanteans to make it home to the surface. It’s the only way to save Hanhau and his people.
Buy it now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or through Indiebound if you prefer.
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October 1, 2015
The Great, Big #BSoP Facebook Giveaway!
From October 1st to October 8th, head over to my Facebook page where every day, I’ll be posting images, links, videos, and extras related to my upcoming release Banished Sons of Poseidon. Like, comment, or share something on that page, and you’ll create a virtual ticket stub to be churned around in my virtual raffle drum. You can also enter, if I may be so bold as to recommend, by suggesting to your friends that they like my page!
The raffle prize is the winner’s choice of The Seventh Pleiade or an advance copy of Banished Sons of Poseidon, which hits stores October 14th. The winner will be chosen 12:00 AM EST October 9th.
Come over to like my page and make my day! 
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September 24, 2015
A Night Celebrating Local Authors and LGBT Spaces
L to R: Nancy Agabian, Tim Fredrick, Shelley Ettinger, Andrew J. Peters and Rigoberto Gonzalez
Just in case you missed last week’s 2015 LGBT Queens Book Night, here’s a recap.
Sponsored by Newtown Literary Journal and Poets & Writers, the event brought together four local authors to discuss and read from their 2015 releases. The program was moderated by Nancy Agabian, and a nice Q&A took place at the end, ranging from questions about the status of LGBT characters in fantasy to the importance of LGBT-specific (or queer) literary events. More about that later.
As it happened, three of the four of us had participated in Lambda Literary Foundation’s Fellows program. Rigoberto Gonzalez was one of its first faculty. Shelley Ettinger was a fellow at its second annual program, and I was a fellow in 2011. We reminisced and tried to explain to the audience what the experience had meant to us. We each felt that it was one of those rare life-changing moments from which we emerged wiser and stronger. For me, it was an affirmation of my identity not only as a writer but as a queer writer. It gave me the push to get my work out in print.
Queens Pride House hosted the event, which was wonderfully appropriate for a program celebrating the work of local authors. Kew Gardens has been my home since 2001. My husband and I moved into an apartment together in the neighborhood right after our wedding, and we bought the place in 2009.
One thing that we Queens residents are proud of is the tremendous cultural diversity of our borough–the most diverse borough in New York City. Just walking around the block, you have exposure to cultures from around the world. Queens doesn’t have the glam of Manhattan or the hipster vibe of Brooklyn’s trendy neighborhoods. But it has a comfy, down-to-earth feel, and it’s truly a microcosm of the world.
Nancy asked each of us about our take on queer spaces for writers. I can’t say verbatim what my response was, but I know it was enthusiastic. There’s an age-old debate over whether creating queer spaces provides needed validation and support or keeps us segregated from the mainstream. I’ve heard non-queer people say that by closing ourselves off, we deprive them of our experience and point-of-view. That’s something I understand to an extent when I think about the parallel process in other minority communities.
But I don’t think it’s a sufficient argument against creating queer spaces, or spaces just for women or just for other minority groups. It’s based on a false dichotomy. We’re not either in our own community or in the broader community. We’re continuously in that broader community from the time we leave out for work in the morning to the time we come home.
I believe we need our own spaces. For many of us, our lives are full of social, family and professional circles where we exchange and interact with non-queer people, and naturally we grow and change through those experiences. But something special happens when we get together, just as us, unchallenged by real or potential non-queer disapproval. I don’t mean that it’s necessarily more valuable or profound than other spaces that we share with non-queer writers. But it’s a different way of nourishing our souls.
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September 3, 2015
LGBT Queens Book Night!!
I’ll be out and about for a reading event this month. Tim Fredrick of Newtown Literary Journal was nice enough to invite me to participate in LGBT Queens Book Night. The event features four Queens-based authors who have new releases in 2015.
Here’s some information about the line-up.
Andrew J. Peters is the author of the Werecat series, The Seventh Pleiade and its forthcoming follow-up Banished Sons of Poseidon. He grew up in Buffalo, New York, studied psychology at Cornell University, and has spent most of his career as a social worker and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. A lifelong writer, Andrew has been a contributing writer at The Good Men Project, YA Highway, Reading Teen, Dear Teen Me, La Bloga, and Layers of Thought among other media. Andrew lives in New York City with his partner Genaro and their cat Chloë.
Shelley Ettinger is a longtime activist in the LGBTQ movement, and in anti-racist, anti-war and union struggles. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in many literary journals, including *Nimrod*, *Stone Canoe*, *Mississippi Review*, *Cream City Review*, *Blithe House Quarterly*, and *Lodestar Quarterly*. *Library Journal *called her recently published first novel, *Vera’s Will*, “powerful, superbly written,” and “a breathtaking achievement.”
Tim Fredrick is a short story writer and author of the collection We Regret to Inform You: Stories. His stories have been published in Burningword, Pif Magazine, Wilde Magazine, Em Dash Literary Magazine, and Circa. He is also the founding editor of Newtown Literary, a semiannual literary journal focused on publishing the work of writers from and living in Queens, NY.
Rigoberto González is the author 17 books and the recipient of numerous awards including Guggenheim, NEA and USA Rolón fellowships, and a Lambda Literary Award. He is professor of English at Rutgers-Newark and the recipient of the 2015 Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle.
Host: Nancy Agabian is the author of Princess Freak (Beyond Baroque Books, 2000), a mixed genre collection of poems, short prose, and performance texts on young women’s sexuality and rage, and Me as her again: True Stories of an Armenian Daughter (Aunt Lute Books, 2008) a memoir about the influence of her Armenian family’s history on her coming-of-age. Me as her again was honored as a Lambda Literary Award finalist for LGBT Nonfiction and shortlisted for a William Saroyan International Prize. Nancy has an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She teaches creative writing at Queens College, where she was awarded for excellence in teaching in 2012, and in the Writing Program at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. In 2012, she founded Heightening Stories, a series of community-based writing workshops for the personally brave and socially conscious, online and in Jackson Heights, Queens.
The reading will take place at Queens Pride House, a local LGBT community center with programs for teenagers who are coming out, which I think is especially cool. I’ll be reading from Banished Sons of Poseidon and signing copies.
Check out the Facebook event page and join by clicking here.
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August 26, 2015
Notes from the Underground
A Wordle or “word cloud” created from Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground, retrieved from acetinc.com
I thought I’d pop my head out of the social media manhole where I’ve been hiding these past few weeks. I’ve never been a wiz at keeping up a dynamic presence here and over at my other haunts like Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. The month of August was particularly sketchy for me since I had deadlines for two projects.
That does make for some exciting news…
I finished the last round of proofreading, and Banished Sons of Poseidon is in its final stages of production. Advance Review Copies (ARCs) should be available real soon. The book, a sequel to The Seventh Pleiade, releases on October 13, 2015.
And, I completed the manuscript for a farther upcoming release titled The City of Seven Gods. It’s another ancient world-themed novel with less magic and more Game of Thrones-ish drama, not for the kids table at Thanksgiving dinner. The book was picked up by Bold Strokes, and it’s on the production schedule for an April 2016 release.
Other than that, I’ve snuck in some tennis watching (Go Federer, winning a master’s event in Cincinnati!), and beach-going, and weekend barbecues. Of the latter, I have the mosquito bites to prove it. I’m writing this post while scratching away at my ankles. Grrr…
Oh, I also discovered Terry Pratchett! Well, just his books I’m afraid, may he RIP. I sped through Dodger this summer and was blown away. That’s the way books should be written IMHO: ferociously clever, utterly transporting, satisfyingly tragic and triumphant (and with far less adverbs).
So what did you do this summer?
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July 11, 2015
Heroic images from Paris
We took my parents to Paris for their 50th anniversary. It was my third visit, and instead of the usual tourist photos, I was drawn to taking some shots of sculpture, artwork and architecture, naturally of a classical and heroic style. This of course is from the steps of Opera Garnier.
My husband and I attended the Gaultier exhibit at the Grand Palais.
I only took one shot from the exhibit because this really surprised me: Kurt Cobain in vampiric Gaultier menswear.
A pillar from the highly ornamental Pont Alexandre III.
Lion and cherub.
A nobleman in the gardens of Versailles. Possibly Alexandre the Great?
I took a number of photos of fountain sculptures at the gardens of Versailles. These are some scary looking dogs.
Fountain sculpture with hunting scene.
A fountain nymph
Inside the Chateau de Versailles, I just took a few shots. Here, the flamboyant Louis XIV.
Apollo has been interesting me lately, and I spotted him on this ceiling fresco in the “Apollo Salon.”
The goddess Diana in the Hall of Mirrors
The splendid gates of the Chateau de Versailles
Rodin archer statue at Musee d’Orsay
Portrait of Napoleon outside the Musee de la Legion d’Honneur
Le Serment de Spartacus in the Tuileries Gardens
Theseus and the Minotaur
Cain, after killing his brother Abel.
A Dionysius at the Louvre
And, my favorites: Antinous statues in tribute to Hadrian’s famed lover. The description of this work said that it was likely a statue of Hercules, which Hadrian commissioned to have modified to portray his heroic lover.
Antinous bust
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June 15, 2015
My FLAMECON Photoessay
I arrived at FLAMECON not sure what to expect. The Grand Prospect Hall, a catering hall in Brooklyn that was built in 1892 as a showplace for wealthy Park Slope residents, was transformed into a multi-room convention center.
The first people I met were this cute couple from Gay Geeks of NYC who organize gaymer events at the LGBT community center.
Browsing around, I was not surprised to see Golden Girls artwork. Though I’ve never seen them turned into cats.
I took a selfie with a guy dressed up as Green Lantern. That was a popular costume for guys and girls.
I attended a YA Panel with (l to r) David Levithan, Sara Farizan and Adam Silvera. The room was overfilled, and it was nice to see lots of young people in attendance.
This was the table for the Freaky, Fantastical Four (l to r): David Swatling, Daniel W. Kelly, Tom Cardamone, and me. I was happy that I sold six books.
This was some artwork that caught my eye.
As did this booth: MASSIVE artwork by Gengoroh Tagame and Jiraiya.
All in all, it was a fantastic day, and I even took a photo with the FLAMECON mascot.
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June 1, 2015
FLAME CON and the Freaky, Fantastical Four
It’s been a little while since I’ve been on-the-road peddling my writerly wares, and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be out with pride at the inaugural FLAME CON.
Presented by Geeks Out, FLAME CON is a one-day expo representing: “all corners of LGBTQ geek fandom.” There was some buzz about this first-ever east coast con at last year’s BENT CON in Los Angeles. Based on the programming they put together — an impressive list of of artists and writers including young adult authors David Levithan and Sara Farizan — it should be a great event.
And it’s taking place at the famously kitschy Grand Prospect Hall…
Grand Prospect Hall Commercial – NEW
Gotta love homespun commercials for catering halls. I don’t think there’s anyone in New York City who hasn’t tried an impersonation of that last line.
I’ll be at an exhibitor booth as part of the Freaky, Fantastical Four. Haven’t heard of us? I imagine you are not alone. We are four gay authors who have joined forces to represent queer genre fiction. The FLAME CON website is preventing me from lassoing our banner over here, but you can scroll down the exhibitors page to see us in our noirish glory.
Separately, we are speculative fiction author Tom Cardamone, horror/erotica author Daniel W. Kelly, and mystery author David Swatling. I’m standing in for fantasy and young adult fiction.
Together, we are Freaky and Fantastical.
So come on out to Brooklyn on June 13th. Tickets are a mere 20 bucks. Get your autographed copy of Werecat: The Trilogy or The Seventh Pleiade. Take a selfie with a Danaerys Targaryen impersonator (I predict there will be a few).
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May 17, 2015
#HAHABT: Some thoughts on activism past and present, and writing diverse portrayals
The Hop Against Homophobia and Bi- and Transphobia is on!
I’m taking part by writing a short blog post and sharing the list of participating writers/bloggers who you should visit. Each of us hosts a giveaway. Drop a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win my recent release Werecat: The Trilogy.
#HAHABT is a weeklong event (May 17th – May 24th) created by writers to join forces for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. I’ve been participating since I found out about it in 2013.
A writer-led campaign to advance social justice for LGBTs? Yes, please!
I caught the social justice bug at student protests against Cornell University’s investments in Apartheid-era South Africa. I remember the rush of my first demonstration. As individuals, we had no influence on the university’s financial practices, let alone the situation in South Africa. Together, we were strong and filled with belief.
I joined Take Back the Night marches to eliminate violence against women. In the early 90s, I demonstrated to protest the first Gulf War. When I came out as gay, I marched to protest gay-bashings, religious condemnation, and government inaction on the AIDS crisis.
Activism has changed in the digital age. We take to Twitter, Facebook and online petitions instead of taking it to the steps of City Hall or stopping traffic on Main Street. An important, recent exception is the “Black Spring” to protest police brutality, which has called for traditional strategies of civil disobedience. But generally we communicate and organize in different ways.
I miss the real-life camaraderie and the homespun feel of old school social action. One of my fondest memories is when a group of friends was so energized to counter-protest a “pro-life” group targeting Planned Parenthood that we had an all-night party painting signs, talking politics, and of course tossing back a sizeable quantity of beer.
But a good case can made that technology has made activism more effective. Taking for instance the reaction to the state of Indiana’s regressive legislation to sanction religious bigotry, social media can be a powerful platform for change. The flood of memes (#boycottindiana) with personal testimonials on Facebook and Twitter created a tidal wave of social pressure. That nationwide phenomenon had impact on corporations and elected officials that I don’t believe would have happened through local demonstrations alone.
As a fantasy author, I don’t very often write explicitly about homophobia or transphobia in a modern context. I do think a lot about how fairly I portray sexuality, gender and “race.” One of my current manuscripts features a lesbian character for example who happens to look physically male and to express herself in a “masculine” way, and I puzzled for some time about what that would say to readers since she is the only lesbian in the story.
We need more diverse portrayals of LGBTs in books. I don’t claim to be the authority on how to do that well in every instance though my gut feeling is that it’s a good thing when writers question what we write and ask people who are representative of the characters we’re writing about for feedback.
I’ll stop there and look forward to your comments. Feel free to fill your red, plastic Dixie cup from my virtual keg while you’re here. Leave your e-mail address if you would like to enter a drawing for an e-copy of my latest book Werecat: The Trilogy. I will pick a winner through random.com on May 25th 12:00 AM EST.
And don’t forget to click below to check out some of the 100+ writers/bloggers who are participating in #HAHABT this year:
http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=644125FF-AACF-4A13-A08A-696A562D8FB3” >
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