Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 403

Blog Tour: An Infatuation, a novella by Joe Cosentino

AN INFATUATION, a novella by Joe Cosentino
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press; 1 edition (February 4, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: An Infatuation

As a teenager, it was love at first sight for Harold while tutoring football star Mario, until homophobia and bullying drove Mario deep into the closet. Now they’re both married men. Mario, a model, is miserable with his producer wife, while Harold, a teacher, is perfectly content with his businessman husband, Stuart. When the two meet again at their ten-year high school reunion, the old flame reignites. Harold faces this seemingly impossible situation with inimitable wit, tenderness, and humor as he attempts to reconcile the past and the future.

( Excerpt )

Author’s Bio: Joe Cosentino is the author of the acclaimed mystery novel, Paper Doll (Whiskey Creek Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. His one-act plays, Infatuation and Neighbor, were performed in New York City. He wrote a musical theatre adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals), and The Perils of Pauline educational film (Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. His upcoming novels are Porcelain Doll and Drama Queen (Lethe Press). JoeCosentino.weebly.com.

Author’s Contact:
Website: https://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KRPXJP6

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Blog Tour: Artistic Endeavor by Whitley Gray

[image error]Artistic Endeavor by Whitley Gray
Publisher: WGP (January 7, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: Artistic Endeavor

When friends ask one-night stand connoisseur Michael Esteban to introduce college professor and virgin Cobey Miller to the joys of sex, Michael balks. Lust is his thing, not leading a twenty-five year old novice. But shy Cobey has problems meeting men, and their introduction fuels Michael’s decision to help Cobey become a gay-sex-loving guy. It’ll all be fun and games—unless someone falls in love.

( EXCERPT )

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WHITLEY GRAY’S BIO: Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered having two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day.

LINKS:
Website: Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitley.gray
Blog: www.whitleygray.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitleygray

Giveaway Details:
• 1 Winner will take away a $20 Amazon Gift Card.
• 3 Winners will get a free e-copy of “Artistic Endeavor” each.
Link: a Rafflecopter giveaway





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Blog tour: Shifting Weight by Tina Blenke

Shifting Weight (Shifting Paradigm Book 1) by Tina Blenke
Publisher: eXtasy Books (November 21, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: Shifting Weight (Shifting Paradigm Book 1)

Jason is a West Coast wolf Shifter who leaves his native Pack Lands to search for his destined mate. When he finds the large muscled man working out a local gym, Jason is ecstatic and apprehensive. Eric is a Changeless human and there are tense sides to the politically heated debate around the integration of Shifters and Changeless. Jason is at risk of losing control of his wolf without bonding with his destined mate. But, will Eric accept that Jason is a Shifter? And can Eric trust Jason after his heart has been left shattered from a previously failed relationship.

( Excerpt )

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[image error]Author Bio: Tina is a retired Air Force brat and has lived in several states as well as a handful of countries. She has always had a soft spot for literature and is a voracious reader. When she isn’t writing, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. Though Tina adores a thrilling novel with sappy lovesick heroes, she is terrified of things that go bump in the night. This makes for quite a complicated relationship with zombies, something that she just can’t get enough of.

Author Contact:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tina-B...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tinablenke
LinkedIn: Tina Blenke
Instagram: tinablenke
Wordpress: http://tinablenke.wordpress.com/
Website: http://tinablenke.wix.com/author
Tumblr: tinablenke

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Tour Dates: November 17, 24, December 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 6
Tour Stops:
17-Nov Decadent Delights
24-Nov Parker Williams
1-Dec MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
8-Dec Carly’s Book Reviews, Queer Town Abbey, Molly Lolly
15-Dec Prism Book Alliance, Amanda C. Stone
22-Dec Multitasking Mommas, Kimi-Chan, Hearts on Fire
29-Dec Cate Ashwood
5-Jan Dawn’s Reading Nook, BFD Book Blog
12-Jan Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Love Bytes
19-Jan Inked Rainbow Reads, My Fiction Nook
26-Jan Crystal’s Many Reviewers
2-Feb Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Shifting Weight and a gift certificate





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Lord Arthur Clinton & Ernest Boulton

Thomas Ernest Boulton and Frederick William Park were two Victorian cross-dressers and suspected homosexuals who appeared as defendants in a celebrated trial in London in 1871, charged "with conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence". After the prosecution failed to establish that they had had anal sex, which was then a crime, or that wearing women's clothing was in any sense a crime, both men were acquitted.

Ernest Boulton (1848–1904) was the son of a stockbroker. From childhood he liked wearing female clothing, and was encouraged in his impersonations of maids and other women by his mother; he used the nickname "Stella". As a young man he met Frederick William Park and the two became friends. Park, who was of similar age, was an Articled clerk (law student) at a solicitor in London and his father was Master of a superior court. Boulton worked as a clerk at his uncle's stockbroking firm and subsequently at a bank, before leaving in 1866 or 1867.

The two men then formed a theatrical double act, touring as Stella Clinton (or Mrs Graham) and Fanny Winifred Park, and receiving favourable press reviews for their performances. For around two years they also frequented the West End of London in both women's and men's dress, attending theatres and social events. They were ejected from both the Alhambra Theatre and the Burlington Arcade on several occasions. On one occasion they were bound over to keep the peace after being mistaken for women dressed as men.

A third person involved in the affair was Lord Arthur Clinton, who had lived with "Stella" as his/her "husband" and had exchanged love letters with him.


Thomas Ernest Boulton "Stella" and Frederick William Park were two Victorian cross-dressers who appeared as defendants in a celebrated trial in London in 1871, charged "with conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence." Lord Arthur Clinton was an English aristocrat and Liberal Party politician, member of Parliament for three years. Lord Arthur Clinton had lived with "Stella" as her "husband“; he presumably committed suicide on June 18, 1870, the day after receiving his subpoena for the trial.

( Read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulton_and_Park

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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Statistics: January 2015

Here are the 3 months statistics for the visits on my website and 2 journals:

Site November 2014* December 2014 January 2015   elisarolle.com 549.644 602.830 700.967 16,3% reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org 23.825 24.539 23.853   elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 21.673 25.677 44.854   Total 595.142 653.046 769.674 17,9% *on a 31 days basis        
there was an increase of the 16,3% on the visits on the website, and of 17,9% on the total number of visits for all three locations. For the first time, the visit on the website went over 700.000 per month in January.

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I decided to remove the ad banners from the website, thank you so much to all publishers who contributed the past year.

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Cover reveal: Strike of the Diamondback (Venomous Mates) by Jackie Nacht

Strike of the Diamondback (book 4 in the Venomous Mate series) by Jackie Nacht
Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/The-Strike...

Two years ago, TL came across his fire ant mate, Rio. Duty kept them apart, and they were only able to love each other from afar.
When Striker escapes the tortures of the anti-venom pack, running into the wild, he didn't expect to encounter his mate. However, he is a shell of his former self, broken from the abuse done to him.
Rio saved TL once, and when his TL comes to ask for help, Rio finds himself shocked that the venom he’s always loved is holding their mate, a mate they’ll have to heal together.

Authors Note: The first half of this book overlaps in timeline to Pursued by the Wandering Spider. For better reading enjoyment, it is best the series be read in order. Thank you.

( Excerpt )



Author Bio: Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a long way.
That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.
Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Where to find the author:
You can find Jackie at:
Website: www.jackienacht.com
Blog: www.jackienacht.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieNacht



Tour Dates: February 1, 2015
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, Decadent Delights, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Tara Lain, Love Bytes, Andrew Q. Gordon, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, The Blogger Girls, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Queer Town Abbey, MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire, The Hat Party, Velvet Panic, Carly’s Book Reviews, Charley Descoteaux, Fallen Angel Reviews, My Fiction Nook

Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway







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Elsie Wood & Mabel Griswold

Mabel Griswold was a suffragist and a member of the National Woman’s Party. Having been a suffragist, and especially having been jailed, gave her status within the NWP. She wrote that people in her city flocked to see and hear a party speaker because she had been in prison: "The work for suffrage is now far enough in the past to cast glamor and appeal on those who worked for it." (Mabel Griswold to Agnes E. Wells, August 4, 1950) 

When Griswold, executive secretary of the Woman’s Party, died in 1955, a family member suggested that the Party send the telegram of sympathy to Elsie Wood, the woman with whom Griswold had lived. (Alice Paul to Dorothy Griswold, February 2, 1955)

Wood commented after the serious auto accident that eventually killed her companion that Griswold "could bear the broken bones but the breaking up of her life's work was far harder to take." (Elsie M. Wood to Alice Paul, February 1, 1955)

Elsie Wood was on the staff of Sen. John J. Blaine of Boscobel from the time he was Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1919-1921 as was his secretary, Griswold. Griswold was also Executive Clerk to Blaine when he was 24th Governor of Wisconsin from 1921 to 1927. In 1930 Griswold and Wood returned to Eau Claire where Wood became a law clerk in the law firm of Bundy, Bundy, Heach, and Holland.

The Wisconsin Society for the Equal Rights Amendment, the Wisconsin branch of the National Woman's Party, was founded January 4, 1947, by Miss Mabel E. Griswold. Its purpose as stated in the constitution was to raise the status of women and its activities centered on promoting adoption of a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights to women.

( Read more... )

Source: digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx

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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Love for the Cold-Blooded by Alex Gabriel

I have to admit that, considering this is not the first time I read a novel with superheroes and villains all living together in a somewhere in the future city not so distant from our own universe, I'm starting to feel like I'm missing a big piece of cultural background... is this scenario part of some literary universe? is it a sci-fi subgenre or maybe a classical fiction I'm not aware of?

In any case, in this novel, Alex Gabriel approaches the usually light tone with even an heavier push on the hilarious button, and, while dealing with villains trying to conquer the world, instead of being scared, it seems like the mere civilians were amused. I think that no alive being was affected, and only some building took the brush of the villains' actions.

And indeed Pat, one of our heroes, is the son of a villain (female), and his three sisters are as well. Pat is not cut for the villain life, and he prefers to be an architectural student, while working part-time as house manager of a superhero, Nicholas. But Pat is a night house manager and interacts with Nicholas through an AI which is managing the whole house, so they never met, until the night Nicholas asks for a rent boy, and Pat, who didn't understand the request, reply by person... and well, you can imagine what happens next.

The story is a mix of naughty and funny; but even when dealing with sex, while explicit, the author always maintains the humor sublayer, so that, the whole experience of reading this story is a light one, nice, funny, comfortable, happy.

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Alex Gabriel Books; 1 edition (December 22, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1505695988
ISBN-13: 978-1505695984
Amazon: Love for the Cold-Blooded: Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero
Amazon Kindle: Love for the Cold-Blooded: Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero

More Reviews by Author at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/ , My Reviews



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James S. Russell & Steven Blier

The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett. It presents an annual series of concerts in New York City dedicated to the art of song, classical, modern and popular. In addition, this organization commissions new works and recordings, including the Grammy Award winning recording of Leonard Bernstein's Arias and Barcarolles (Koch), and the Grammy nominated recording of Ned Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen (1997, New World Records).

James S. Russell: It hasn’t been that hard to mesh our lives together. I think we were both really grateful to find each other. That was a big motivator. And partly it’s because we can be separate very successfully. Steve’s disability is progressive, so he wasn’t in a wheelchair when I met him. He had a little funny, rolling walk -- that’s very characteristic of the muscular disability that he has -- and that was it. We talked about that because it was important for me to know. But I think one of the smart ways I dealt with it was by not over-anticipating. I said to myself, Well, you know it’s progressive. I don’t know what this means. Why don’t I, for a change, enjoy what we have now? You take things as they come, and then you deal. And Steve makes it pleasurable to live with him. He has to deal with a lot, but it doesn’t define his existence. He doesn’t want to be the disabled guy who happens to be a pianist.

It’s a little hard for me to leave for long periods of time as the disability has progressed, but I was surprised when I was talking to someone recently who said, “Oh, so you’re the caregiver.” That had never been said to me before. I was really taken aback. I said, “Is that who I am?” To be identified as “caregiver” is a little spooky for me, just as Stevie doesn’t want to be “disabled guy.” Of course, I do that, but he takes care of me in lots of ways, too. It’s a mutual thing.


Photography by Eric Ogden
The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett. "I derive a lot of animal comfort from being with Jim," Blier explains. "I like being near him. There’s just this great sense of home with him. It’s the kind of thing that no one can match-make for you, because it’s so deep. But now, after being married, when I hold Jimmy, I have this feeling of, This is my husband, not just some guy I have slept with for 15 years."

( Read more... )

Source: www.out.com/out-exclusives/love-issue/2013/01/31/home-him-steven-blier-james-s-russell

( Further Readings )

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Blog Tour: The Way Things Are by A.J. Thomas

The Way Things Are by A.J. Thomas
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press; 1 edition (January 29, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: The Way Things Are

A night of drunken confusion at nineteen resulted in Patrick Connelly fathering a child. Determined to be there for his son, Patrick walked away from a sport he loved and forever hid his sexuality. After Patrick's brutal divorce and a vicious hate crime, his son, Jay, has become obsessed with graffiti. Hoping for a fresh start, Patrick moves Jay to his childhood home in Seattle. Within two weeks, Jay is arrested again. On his way to pick Jay up, Patrick stops an assault, then finds himself in handcuffs too. Thinking things canʼt get any worse, heʼs confronted by the sexiest man heʼs ever seen—his sonʼs new probation officer, Ken Atkins.

The hardest part of Kenʼs job is working with difficult parents, and the undeniably handsome Patrick Connelly is going to be a difficult parent. A chance encounter and steamy hookup with Patrick leave Ken blindsided. As they work together to try to keep Jay on the right path, the passion between them proves impossible to resist. When the assault Patrick prevented comes back to haunt them and Jay gets into trouble again, Ken must convince Patrick that ensuring his sonʼs happiness doesnʼt have to mean sacrificing his own.

( Excerpt )



Author Bio: A.J. Thomas writes romantic suspense. She’s earned a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from the University of Montana and worked in a half-dozen different jobs, from law enforcement officer to librarian, before settling down. Life as a military spouse has tossed her around the country so many times she doesn’t know how to answer when people ask her where she’s from, but she delights in living as a perpetual tourist, visiting new places and discovering amazing things.

Her time is divided between taking care of her three young children, experimenting with cooking and baking projects that rarely explode these days, and embarrassing her husband with dirty jokes. When she’s not writing, she hikes, gardens, researches every random idea that comes into her head, and develops complicated philosophical arguments about why a clean house is highly overrated. Her work has won multiple awards, including the 2013 AMB Ovation Award for Best LGBT Inter-racial Romance, and the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Contemporary Fiction.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AJ.Thomas.Ro...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJThomasRomance
Other: http://www.ajthomasromance.blogspot.com/



Tour Dates: January 30, 2015
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, My Fiction Nook, Inked Rainbow Reads, The Hat Party, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Havan Fellows, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Cate Ashwood, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Lee Brazil, Velvet Panic, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Iyana Jenna, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews

Rafflecopter Prize: An e-book copy
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway







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