Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 391

2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: Canning the Center by Tara Lain

Canning the Center by Tara Lain
Gay Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 17, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 163216261X
ISBN-13: 978-1632162618
Amazon: Canning the Center
Amazon Kindle: Canning the Center

A Novel in the Long Pass Chronicles

Six foot seven inch, 300 pound Jamal Jones loves football, so when he finds out the ultra-conservative owner of his new pro football team fired their current center because he’s gay, bisexual Jamal decides to stay in the closet and hang with the females. Then, at a small drag show, he comes face-to-face with his sexual fantasy in the form of Trixie LaRue, a drag queen so exquisitely convincing she scrambles Jamal’s hormones—and his resolve to nurse his straight side.

Trevor Landry, aka Trixie LaRue, hides more than his genitals. A mathematician so brilliant he can’t be measured, Trevor disguises his astronomical IQ and his quirk for women’s clothes behind his act as a gay activist undergrad at Southern California University.

To Trevor, Jamal is the answer to a dream—a man who can love and accept both his personas. When he discovers Jamal’s future is threatened if he’s seen with a guy, Trevor becomes Trixie to let Jamal pass as straight. But Trevor risks his position every time he puts on a dress. Is there a closet big enough to hold a football pro and a drag queen?

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html



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Ken & Miguel Kimball-Santana

Born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Miguel Santana (born April 22) has lived in the United States most of his life. Miguel Santana's first novel was presented in Spain by Grijalbo. The novel earned Miguel Santana literary recognition; in addition to Spanish, the book was published in English and Polish, while Frasinnelli has purchased Italian rights. Examiner.com ranked Santana's third novel, The Marien Revelation, among the 100 most anticipated novels of 2010.

Miguel Santana is married to Ken Kimball (born February 19), his partner in life and agent since March 21, 1998.

The Marien Revelation won a 2010 Rainbow Award as Best Gay Contemporary.


Miguel Santana has lived in the United States most of his life. Miguel Santana's first novel was presented in Spain by Grijalbo. The novel earned Miguel Santana literary recognition; in addition to Spanish, the book was published in English and Polish, while Frasinnelli has purchased Italian rights. Examiner.com ranked Santana's third novel, The Marien Revelation, among the 100 most anticipated novels of 2010. Miguel Santana is married to Ken Kimball, his partner in life and agent since March 21, 1998.

Further Readings:

The Marién Revelation by Miguel Santana
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Alligator Press (April 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0967565855
ISBN-13: 978-0967565859
Amazon: The Marién Revelation
Amazon Kindle: The Marién Revelation

About to turn forty, Marién Valbuena, finds herself evaluating her relationships, her faith, and her life. Two millennia separate her and Mary, a young woman in Ancient Judea. While Marién can't find a reason to hold on to a complicated pregnancy, Mary shelters her own on the intricacies of a prophecy. Intertwined across time, the lives of these two women come together, inviting us to reconsider the fine lines between fiction and reality, between myth and assumed truth. In this novel, Miguel Santana is revealed as a mature and visionary writer. He masterfully weaves passages from the Bible and other sacred texts into his imaginative and poetic prose. Readers are transported to a world where they not only recognize the pillars of our civilization, but also feel the need to question them.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: elisarolle.com , Rainbow Awards/2010


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Cover Reveal: Blood and Ghosts by Shira Anthony

Blood and Ghosts (Blood Book 2) by Shira Anthony
eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...

Sequel to Blood and Rain

With vampire Nicolas Lambert’s marriage to a rival clanswoman only weeks away, Adrien Gilbert struggles to come to terms with his defeat at the hands of Verel Pelletier, a vampire hunter and an immortal like himself. Adrien and his former teacher, Roland Günter, begin to explore his newly acquired abilities. But without his soul’s sword, Adrien flounders.

On Nicolas’s wedding day, a two-hundred-year old secret is revealed, sending the wedding party into a blazing battle between hunters and vampires. Once again Adrien finds himself facing Pelletier’s superior strength. Just as Adrien believes all hope of a future with Nicolas is lost, he finally learns his true gift—he can turn back time. But time travel comes with a high cost. To save Nicolas, Adrien must become strong enough to use his power without descending into madness.

( Excerpt )



About the author: Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, i Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle. You can hear Shira singing Puccini's "Tosca" by clicking here: http://www.shiraanthony.com/wp-conten...

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthon...
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shira-...
Twitter: @WriterShira
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/anthony0564/
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...



Tour Dates & Stops:
Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Molly Lolly, Amanda C. Stone, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Bayou Book Junkie, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, My Fiction Nook, Andrew Q. Gordon, Emotion in Motion, BFD Book Blog, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Charley Descoteaux, Love Bytes, Divine Magazine, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Rafflecopter Prize: 2 prizes: 1Wibbly wobbly timey wimey pendant or 1 e-copy of Blood and Ghosts.
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway






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Paula Aboud & Terri Berg

Paula Aboud (born March 20, 1950) is an American politician who is a member of the Arizona Senate, representing the 28th District. A Democrat, she serves as the Senate's minority whip. Aboud's partner is Terri Berg. She is one of four openly LGBT members of the Arizona State Legislature, serving alongside Senators Jack Jackson, Jr. (D–Window Rock) and Robert Meza (D–Phoenix), as well as Representative Matt Heinz (D–Tucson). Her campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

Aboud was born in Tucson, Arizona. She attended Tucson High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Arizona. After receiving a teaching certificate, she taught English and coached girls' tennis and volleyball at Rincon High School for several years. Afterward she followed her family in entering the real estate field for five years, before relocating to Waterville, Maine, where she coached college tennis and squash at Colby College. An illness in her family led her to return to Tucson to work as property manager for her family's real estate business.

In addition to her professional career Aboud was a long-time activist for the Tucson Democratic Party. On January 3, 2006 she was appointed to the Arizona State Senate by the Pima County Board of Supervisors, following the resignation of Gabrielle Giffords, who stepped down to run for the United States House of Representatives. She represents the 28th legislative district, centering on Tucson.

Following her appointment, she was elected in her own right later in 2006. In the Democratic primary election on September 12, she saw off a challenge from State Representative Ted Downing, and faced no Republican opponent in the general election. She was re-elected unopposed in 2008 and faced only independent challengers in 2010 (including Ted Downing), prevailing easily.


Paula Aboud (born March 20, 1950) is an American politician who is a member of the Arizona Senate, representing the 28th District. A Democrat, she serves as the Senate's minority whip. Aboud's partner is Terri Berg. She is one of four openly LGBT members of the Arizona State Legislature, serving alongside Senators Jack Jackson, Jr. (D–Window Rock) and Robert Meza (D–Phoenix), as well as Representative Matt Heinz (D–Tucson). Her campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Aboud

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2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: The Inheritor, Book 6 of The Marketplace series, by Laura Antoniou

The Inheritor, Book 6 of The Marketplace series, by Laura Antoniou
Transgender Erotica
Series: The Marketplace Series
Paperback: 692 pages
Publisher: Circlet Press (August 1, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613901275
ISBN-13: 978-1613901274
Amazon: The Inheritor, Book 6 of The Marketplace series
Amazon Kindle: The Inheritor, Book 6 of The Marketplace series

The long-awaited sixth installment of Laura Antoniou's Marketplace series! A surprise hit when first published in the 1990s by Masquerade Books, THE MARKETPLACE launched a series that eventually grew to five books. The author, Laura Antoniou, wrote them slowly, while working a day job, and after Masquerade went under, moved to a small press. After that press's demise, the series faltered, but in 2010 Circlet Press began to re-issue the series in new ebook editions. The revitalization of the entire franchise in the face of "50 Shades" mania has been nothing short of incredible. Antoniou's work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Life Story, and elsewhere as a safe, sane, and consensual alternative to "50" and now, at last, after a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, a brand new, never before published sixth installment is ready to foray into bookstores! When last we saw Chris Parker, he had been bought by master trainer Tetsuo Sakai and was blissfully ensconced in Japan under Tetsuo's wonderfully sadistic boot. And here we join Robin Cassidy, now contentedly serving a slave contract for a rich Chicago businessman. But the Marketplace is shaken when a new Trainer of Trainers must be anointed and the resulting machinations and clashing loyalties threaten to tear their world apart. Everyone has a stake in the outcome and Chris Parker is about to find out who is with him and who is against him. Richly told, interconnecting threads of Parker's previously unseen past with his complicated present, The Inheritor also weaves in the narratives of many favorite Marketplace characters, including Robin, Ken Mandarin, Ron Avidon, and features appearances by many more, including Jiro, Rachel, Michael, and Grendel. Laura Antoniou is the award-winning author of The Killer Wore Leather and the long-running series that began in 1993 with The Marketplace.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html

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Jae (born March 19, 1978)

Jae grew up amidst the vineyards of southern Germany. She spent her childhood with her nose buried in a book, earning her the nickname "professor." The writing bug bit her at the age of eleven. For the last eight years, she has been writing mostly in English.

She used to work as a psychologist but gave up her day job in December 2013 to become a full-time writer and a part-time editor. When she's not writing, she likes to spend her time reading, indulging her ice cream and office supply addictions, and watching way too many crime shows.

Departure from the Script won a 2014 Rainbow Award as Best Lesbian Contemporary & Erotic Romance and True Nature won The Cate Culpepper Award for Best Lesbian Paranormal Romance.

Further Readings:

Departure from the Script by Jae
Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: Ylva Verlag e.Kfr. (June 30, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3955331954
ISBN-13: 978-3955331955
Amazon: Departure from the Script
Amazon Kindle: Departure from the Script

Aspiring actress Amanda Clark and photographer Michelle Osinski are two women burned by love and not looking to test the fire again. And even if they were, it certainly wouldn't be with each other. Amanda has never been attracted to a butch woman before, and Michelle personifies the term butch. Having just landed a role on a hot new TV show, she's determined to focus on her career and doesn't need any complications in her life. After a turbulent breakup with her starlet ex, Michelle swore she would never get involved with an actress again. Another high-maintenance woman is the last thing she wants, and her first encounter with Amanda certainly makes her appear the type. But after a date that is not a date and some meddling from Amanda's grandmother, they both begin to wonder if it's not time for a departure from their usual dating scripts.

True Nature by Jae
Paperback: 468 pages
Publisher: Ylva Verlag e.Kfr. (October 31, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3955330346
ISBN-13: 978-3955330347
Amazon: True Nature
Amazon Kindle: True Nature

When wolf-shifter Kelsey Yates discovers that fourteen-year-old shape-shifter Danny Harding is living with a human adoptive mother, she is sent on a secret mission to protect the pup and get him away from the human. Successful CEO Rue Harding has no idea that the private teacher she hires for her deaf son isn't really there to teach him history and algebra-or that Danny and Kelsey are not what they seem to be. But when Danny runs away from home and gets lost in New York City, Kelsey and Rue have to work together to find him before his first transformation sets in and reveals the shape-shifter's secret existence to the world.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: elisarolle.com , Rainbow Awards/2014


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Diane & Jacob Anderson-Minshall

Diane (born March 19) and Jacob Anderson-Minshall are co-conspirators in life and love. Their memoir, Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders (Bold Strokes Books), is about their 23+-year-relationship, which survived Jacob's gender transition. Their story has been the subject of numerous articles (including in The New York Times) and radio shows (like NPR's Story Corp). The couple also write the Blind Eye Detectives mystery series (Blind Curves, Blind Faith, and the Lambda Literary Award finalist Blind Leap).

Diane is currently the editor at large for The Advocate, the world's oldest LGBT magazine; editor in chief of HIV Plus magazine, the most widely read magazine for people with HIV; and contributing editor to SheWired.com, Gay.net, and OutTraveler.com. A longtime journalist who has appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Bitch, Us Weekly, Seventeen, Film Threat, Passport, Bust, and Glamour magazine, she was also the co-founder of two women's magazines (Girlfriends and Alice) and the longtime editor in chief of Curve magazine.

Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders won a 2014 Rainbow Awards as Best Transgender Non Fiction and Best Transgender Book.


Diane (born March 19) and Jacob Anderson-Minshall are co-conspirators in life and love. Their memoir, Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders (Bold Strokes Books), is about their 23+-year-relationship, which survived Jacob's gender transition. Their story has been the subject of numerous articles (including in The New York Times) and radio shows (like NPR's Story Corp). The couple also write the Blind Eye Detectives mystery series (Blind Curves, Blind Faith, and the Lambda Literary Award finalist Blind Leap).

Further Readings:

Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders by Diane & Jacob Anderson-Minshall
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (May 13, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1626390622
ISBN-13: 978-1626390621
Amazon: Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders
Amazon Kindle: Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders

Imagine if, after fifteen years as a lesbian couple, your partner turned to you and said, “I think I’m really a man.” What would you do? How would you respond? For Diane and Jacob (née Suzy) Anderson-Minshall this isn’t a hypothetical question. It’s what really happened. Eight years later, the couple not only remains together, they still identify as queer, still work in LGBT media, and remain part of the LGBT community. How did their relationship survive a gender transition? The authors explore this question and delve into their relationship to reveal the trials and tribulations they have faced along the way. In doing so, they paint a portrait of love, not only to each other, but to the San Francisco Bay Area, LGBT publishing, and the queer community. Queerly Beloved is a love story that flies in the face of expectations and raises questions about the true nature of identity, sexuality, and love.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: www.elisarolle.com/ , Rainbow Awards/2014


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Astolphe de Custine & Edward Saint-Barbe

Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine (18 March 1790 – 25 September 1857) was a French aristocrat and writer who is best known for his travel writing, in particular his account of his visit to Russia in 1839 Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia. This work documents not only Custine's travels through the Russian empire, but also the social fabric, economy, and way of life during the reign of Nicholas I.

Astolphe de Custine was born in Niderviller, Lorraine, of French nobility. His father's family had possessed the title marquis since the early 18th century and owned famous porcelain works. His mother, Delphine, also came from a prestigious family and was known for her intelligence and great beauty.

Custine's father and grandfather both sympathized with the French Revolution but were both guillotined. Custine's mother barely escaped the same fate. It was to be the beginning of a difficult life.

Custine was raised by his strong-willed mother and saw a lot of the writer Chateaubriand, who was his mother's lover. Custine was given an excellent education and seemed to be headed towards a life in society. He spent time in the diplomatic service, attending the Congress of Vienna, and even accepted a military commission. In the early 1820s, Custine went along with a marriage arranged by his mother. The Marquis, later to admit his homosexuality and to live openly with a male lover, was genuinely fond of his wife and had a son with her, but she died after only a few years of marriage. Still, during the marriage he met and established a romantic relationship with an Englishman, Edward Saint-Barbe, who remained his life companion.


Astolphe de Custine was a French aristocrat and writer who is best known for his travel writing. His mother, Delphine, also came from a prestigious family and was known for her intelligence and great beauty. While married, he met and established a romantic relationship with an Englishman, Edward Saint-Barbe, who remained his life companion for over 30 years. After a group of soldiers carried out an attack towards him “Custine would figure, in the cruel gossip of the day, primarily as France's most distinguished and notorious homosexual." 

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_Custine

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher

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2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: The Sum of Everything by April Kelley

The Sum of Everything by April Kelley
Gay Contemporary Romance
Link: www.extasybooks.com/The-Sum-of-Everything/

They say opposites attract but can they make love last?

Greg Mitchell’s entire childhood was filled with violence and abuse—that is, until he came to work on the Heath Farm. His life has forever changed for the better, including meeting Brian Stockwell. From the first moment Greg met Brian he's been in love. But a threat his father made four years ago has always held him back from pursuing any real relationship with Brian—until he learns his father is on his deathbed and of no further harm to himself or Brian.

Greg finds out his family ties are stronger than he thought, and they hold him back from really getting to know Brian the way he truly wants to. Both men discover that they have more differences than they originally thought.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html



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Everett Lysle Boyer & Forrest Leroy Snakenberg

Everett Lysle Boyer (October 7, 1927 - August 31, 1998) & Forrest Leroy Snakenberg (March 17, 1932 - January 13, 1986) are buried together in Plot: Range 61 site 250 and 251 at the Congressional Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, not far from many other notable gay burials, like
- Leonard Matlovich: the gay activist who has the famous memorial reading "When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one")
- Butch Zeigler: onetime elementary school teacher, and co-owner of Capitol Prompting Service whose clients include both Heads of State and major corporations
- Frank Kameny: was a WWII veteran and the father of the modern gay rights movement
- William Boyce Mueller: the gay grandson of the founder of the Boy Scouts of America
- Frank Warren O'Reilly: a WWII veteran with a Ph.D. in International Relations, and a music critic for The Washington Times and founder of Miami’s Charles Ives Centennial Festival and the American Chopin Foundation which sponsors an annual national Chopin piano competition
- Tom Swann: a gay Marine Corps veteran and longtime activist for gay equality
- Larry Worrell & James Duell
- Dan Hering: a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and served 20 years in the US Army
- Barbara Gittings: Barbara and her wife Kay were together for 46 years during which they were major figures in the gay rights movement. Both were close allies of Frank Kameny with whom Barbara helped convince the American Psychiatric Association to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness, and fought dismissals of gay civilian employees by the Department of Defense and other federal government agencies
- John Frey & Peter Morris: Together 43 years, they met while Catholic University students at DC’s then most popular gay male establishment, the piano bar/restaurant the Chicken Hut on H Street near Lafayette Park where biweekly, Sunday afternoon gay dances were later sponsored by the Mattachine Society of Washington in 1961 and 1962
- Kenneth Dresser & Charles Fowler: The “artistry [that] enchanted millions” referred to on Dresser’s side of the shared stone was the Electric Light Parade at Disneyland, the Electric Water Pageant at Epcot,, and the Fantasy of Lights at Callaway Gardens, Georgia — all designed by Dresser. Charles Fowler was an arts educator and writer, director of National Cultural Resources, Inc., and a guest professor at several American universities
- Peter Doyle: a veteran of the Confederate Army, is thought by historians to have been the greatest love of gay American poet Walt Whitman



Everett Lysle Boyer's tombstone reads: Arise up my love, Tis the time of singing birds (Song of Solomon 2:12), Forrest Leroy Snakenberg's, same style of that of Everett, reads: So be truely glad there is wonderful joy ahead (Peter 1:6)

Source: www.leonardmatlovich.com/images/HCC_Gay_Graves_Map_DRAFT-B.pdf


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