Debunking Myths: Clint Eastwood Supporting Same Sex Marriage

One of the biggest misconceptions people outside the US get all the time is that Democrats are all automatically pro gay marriage and Republicans are all anti gay marriage, and this piece about Clint Eastwood and other Republicans is proof this is nothing more than a misconception. The fact remains that those who are for it or against it could be affiliated with any political party.

He's not the only Republican supporting gay marriage either:

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood has taken his well-publicized support of same-sex marriage one step further, calling upon the U.S. Supreme Court to drop Prop 8.

As Breitbart's Mike Flynn reports, the Oscar-winning actor and director joined more than 100 Republicans in signing a Supreme Court-bound brief in favor of allowing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples the right to legally wed.

I have personally known gay Democrats in office in Washington who have kept younger gay lovers on the side in apartments or condos. They are married with children and closeted, and would be the first to look the other way on the topic of gay marriage.

I've been posting about gay Republican candidate Fred Karger for a long time, an openly gay Republican who is actively campaigning for legalized same sex marriage.

 The 82-year-old Eastwood discussed his generally pro-same-sex marriage stance in a September 2012 appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. "The condition of society right now, with the high unemployment rates and the tremendous debt we're increasing and the government spending, we'd think there'd be [many more worthy issues] to think about [rather] that worrying about gay marriage," he told DeGeneres.

I tend to lean to the left for the most part, but I also like getting support wherever I can for gay marriage, and the dividing line between Democrat and Republican does not begin and end with social issues like gay marriage.

Read More

A Unique Wedding Registry from Freedom to Marry...

In the latest news from equality organization, Freedom to Marry, there's a wedding registry for those who are planning to marry or those who are going to weddings this season. But it's not like the typical straight wedding registry, where you ask people to give you loot just for getting married. I like the concept, I'm going to do it with the next wedding I get invited to, and I'm hoping it catches on.

I have spent more money than I care to count in the past twenty years between friends' weddings and family weddings. I've been in them, I've been to them. I've been in them the second time around and I've paid through the nose the second time around. And none of these weddings I've been to have ever so much as offered a dish towel to Tony and me. I know that's a small material thing, and it might not be the best attitude. But it does get tired.

In fact, the next time I get invited to a straight wedding, I'm going to make a donation to Freedom to Marry in the happy straight couple's name instead of buying a gift.

From my inbox...

 Before you know it, wedding season will be upon us.

Whether you're getting married or attending a friend's wedding this year, registries will be the go-to spot to find the perfect gift. But we already know a great gift to give or receive this wedding season, Ryan: the gift of marriage.

There's no better way to celebrate your marriage, or a friend's, than by helping make sure others have the opportunity to share in the life-long commitment of marriage by setting up a wedding registry supporting Freedom to Marry.
If you're getting married this year, start a Freedom to Marry registry now.

Not tying the knot this year? You can still help -- make a donation in someone's honor!

If you're tying the knot, you have the chance to set up your own Freedom to Marry wedding registry. You can customize your page and set a fundraising goal asking your friends to make a gift to Freedom to Marry in lieu of, or in addition to, those towels you want.

If you're not getting married this season, you can give the gift of marriage to other committed couples by donating to Freedom to Marry on behalf of your friends who are getting married.

Photo attribution here.

Read More

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I don't think I could add anything too different from what's already been said about The Casual Vacancy in over three thousand Amazon reviews. I've noticed that the reviews are mixed, and about half either loved the book or half didn't. I'd like to add up front that I did not read anything in the Harry Potter series because I'm not a fan of that genre. I saw a few of the movies and I yawned through them. Once again, because I'm not a fan of that particular genre.

But I am a fan of J.K. Rowling now and it's all because of The Casual Vacancy. I've read where a lot of people didn't like the fact that there are so many characters. I found this aspect not only refreshing, but also something most writers aren't capable of doing. As a writer I know how difficult it is to weave multiple characters into a plot and I don't do it often because it's so difficult to keep the story flowing and at the same time keep reminding the reader who the characters are. And I didn't have any issues following all the characters in The Casual Vacancy. In fact, what kept me reading and thinking about the book was what was going to happen to these characters. And there's really nothing extraordinary about them, and yet you wind up caring about them.

I will admit that I started this book a while ago, and then I put it aside because I got busy with other things. But that's something else I loved about it. I do that with authors like John Irving sometimes. I'll start the book, get to a certain point, and then stop reading for a few weeks...even months sometimes...and then come back to it right where I left off. And after all that time, if the book is good enough, those characters and the plot are with me to a certain extent. I can't say that about many other books I've read in my lifetime. And that's because a book like The Casual Vacancy only comes along once in a while.

I noticed a lot of people compared TCV to Peyton Place. I would go so far as to say that it did remind me of Peyton Place, but I don't think Grace Metalious was anywhere near the author J.K. Rowling is. If I had to compare Petyon Place to anything nowadays I would probably compare it to Fifty Shades of Grey instead of The Casual Vacancy because I think Metalious and E.L. James are probably on the same level as far as author skills go. And that's by no means a slur to either of them. They both wrote great books and people loved them.

But there's a literary quality to The Casual Vacancy that crosses that painfully thin line into mainstream commercial that truly interested me. From page one, I found myself caring about the people of Pagford and wondering what was going to happen to them. I also found reading about lifestyles in the UK just as interesting. In many ways, it's not all that different from the US, and Pagford could have been my little town, New Hope, in Bucks County, PA....from the politics to the class warfare to the little secrets going on behind the scenes.

What some readers have commented on is that there's a dark side to this book, and I just didn't see that. There's a realistic side. I saw that very plainly. But I didn't see all the darkness and gloom. Like I said, it's real and sometimes it's intense. And sometimes there's some wit and humor worked into the book when you don't expect it. It's also gossipy in the way many small towns are. But I just didn't see all that darkness and gloom others talked about.

Rowling could have held back in some instances, especially with regard to the male teenage characters. And yet she didn't, and I found this aspect of the book more like a character study. It surprised me, too. As someone who never had read Harry Potter, I honestly didn't think she had it in her. This is why I didn't want to get into an overall plot description with this review. So many others have done that well in other reviews, and I wanted to add a few different thoughts...if that's possible...for readers who might be thinking of reading The Casual Vacancy but aren't sure if it's the book for them.

All I can say if that if you like things glossed over and hidden, and you're not a fan of really reading about some of the more intense things in life, this might not be the book for you. If you tend to take the more difficult aspects of life seriously and you carry images around in your head for a long time, this book might not be for you either. But if you are interested in reading something that gets into the realities and complications of what life is like today, I think you'll be pleasantly surprsed at how J.K. Rowling managed to pull this off. And I hope there are more books like this one in her future.

Read More

Interview with TV Star/LGBT Author Jeffery Self

As I posted last week, TV star, Jeffery Self, has a new LGBT book out and he was kind enough to grant me an interview. I wanted the interview questions to put him at ease, and at the same time get to know more about him as a writer, an actor, and man.

He not only sent the answers to the questions back in record time, I think he did a great job providing more insight into who he is and what he's all about. As a side note, it was a lot of fun for me because I have been a fan of his for a long time, especially his TV show on Logo, Jeffery & Cole Casserole. When I used to watch it I never thought I'd be interviewing him about a book.

Here's a link to his new book, "50 Shades of Gay," on Amazon. And here's one for the publisher's web site. The book is out in both digital format and in paperback. The Amazon link will lead you to both.  This is a link to his facebook page where you can follow his updates.

1. I love your online bios because they make you sound like so much fun, but what can you tell me about yourself that's not listed in any bio out there?

Well, first of all I am NOT all that  much fun. I'm actually a handful. However, I guess the main thing my bio leaves out is that I am OBSESSED with wigs and made for TV movies.

2. You've accomplished a lot of things so far for someone so young, how did you get into writing fiction?

I had the idea for "Fifty Shades Of Gay" and decided to just try and write it. I don't come from the world of fiction writing so I just decided to write the book in my own weird voice and see if I could actually finish it. Turns out- I DID!

3. If you had to tell me what your book is about in one or two sentences, what would you say?

The sexy and secretive world of Hollywood.


4. The writing process is different for every writer. Some work fast. Others take their time. Some work late at night. Others work in the early morning. What's it like for you? Or do you even have a schedule?

I try to have a schedule but I never seem to stick to that. I usually get most of my writing done in the daytime because my boyfriend has a normal person schedule and I like being done with my work at night so we can watch "The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills" or "Nashville" together and binge eat.


I usually write a few pages, stop and look at Facebook, write a few more, Facebook again, rinse and repeat until I exhaust myself or get hungry.


5. What inspired you to write a novel like this?

I had been hearing so much about the original "Fifty Shades Of Grey" from so many different people... and I thought... if a book appeals to both MY MOM and drag queens on the Internet then this must be something I'd enjoy.


While reading it, I realized it's basically just a campy, contemporary version of what Jaqueline Susann did so brilliantly in the seventies. Which is a trashy but glamorous and exciting story that takes readers just enough out of their comfort zones but with characters they can
identify with. So with my book I wanted to capture that campy, celebrity obsessed Jaqueline Susann tone and mix it in with the original tone of "Fifty Shades Of Grey".


6. I noticed in a few things I read about you online you're kind of/sort of a pop culture junky with respect to TV shows like "Designing Women." I'm a huge fan of that show and I agree that Carlene just never could compare to Charlene :) And no one could ever replace Suzanne. If you could identify
with one character on that show, which would it be?

I reckon Delta Burke (Suzanne) just because she's on the surface a little showy but underneath a neurotic and slightly annoying mess.


7. What other pop culture has influenced or inspired you as an actor or a writer?

I love sitcoms like Roseanne. I also love the writing of playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick. He is one of the first writers who's writing really made me go... "Oh. I want to do that." I also have a lot of super talented friends who influence and inspire what I do...folks like Cole Escola, Drew Droege, Erin Markey, Bryan Safi, Max Steele, Ben Rimalower, Jim Hansen, Julie Klausner, Rachel Shukert, and Billy Eichner.


8. Could you list a few of the TV shows you've appeared in?


Hot in Cleveland, 90210, Shameless, Torchwood, 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives.


9. As a writer, I'm always curious about how other artists in other fields work. You've done both writing and acting. How does one differ from the other...or do they differ?

They're totally different. Writing is obviously a lot harder than acting, while I think acting is stupidly easy. Mind you, I'm not a "real actor" in that I've never really done anything but play myself or version of myself in the character of a sassy gay sidekick but I think that acting is without a doubt the easiest job on earth.


I think the big difference is that writing requires every single facet of your brain to show up, while acting you really only need like fifty percent. That said, I am more referring to what is it I DO as opposed to someone who's a real actor like Meryl Streep or the little girl on "Modern Family".


10. There's a lot of talk these days about how publishing is changing and how authors have to work harder to promote their books. I always find it difficult to talk about myself, and yet if I don't promote the book suffers. How are you going about the promotion of this book?

I am trying to do my part to get the book directly to people that I know will enjoy it. For me, that's been getting friends in subcultures like gay porn and erotic fiction and Hollywood gossip to say to their fanbases: hey, this book is something you might enjoy.

I don't know the publishing world BEFORE it's change to what it is now so for me, it feels moderately natural to have to pound the digital pavement.


11. Is this recently released book going to be a series? Can we expect more to follow?

Maybe so! I have an idea for a sequel I've been playing around with.


12. I was actually a huge fan of Jeffery & Cole Casserole, especially because it was filmed on webcam. I used to look for it all the time on Logo. What plans, if any, do you have in the making for future shows...or TV appearances?

Cole and I wrote a movie a while back that is sort of a "Jeffery and Cole Casserole" type adventure. In a dream scenario, we'd be able to make that sometime in the near future. As far as tv stuff goes... I've written some pilots this year that I'm proud of, so we'll see if anything ever happens with those and I'm in a made for tv movie on MTV coming up in April called "Made: Ladies Man". I play neither the lady nor man.


13. I hate to ask anything too personal, but you are interesting, extremely good-looking, and people do like to hear more personal things sometimes. Is there anything you'd like to share in that respect?


My boyfriend and I have been together for a few years now and we just got a puppy named Bodhi who is the cutest thing on planet earth.


14. I've always been fascinated by closeted gay actors in Hollywood, which is what I saw mentioned in your book description that caught my eye so to speak. Is there anything in your new book that's based on real life?

I've been around a lot of closeted actors in LA and in New York. It's such a weird thing for me to witness because I'm SO disconnected from any sort of mindset that says you can't be out. I honestly don't know what that would feel like. However, there IS something very sexy about
the idea that this public persona who advertises himself as straight is secretly doing guys. I've witnessed some of this first hand and while I am not naming names, we all know Hollywood is FULL of them.


15. You and other actors like Matt Bomer are putting yourselves out there, as openly gay, and you're creating role models for younger gay men who need these role models. Do you have an opinion on closeted gay actors? And, does being openly gay create obstacles?

Its tricky because people should be allowed their private lives, however I think if you're putting yourself out there as a public figure then you should put yourself out there entirely. Not just some version of yourself that your agents at CAA think will make them more money.

I think that openly gay actors in Hollywood DO have a harder time. I happen to play quirky gay characters so it's somewhat easier for me but I do have friends who are going after leading man roles that are perfect for the industry except that studios and networks are too scared to take the risk on someone who happens to be gay.

The same goes for writers to some degree... Hollywood still has a lot of hyper masculine people at the helm and while I think that's rapidly changing... it's an annoying and old fashioned road block for so many talented people.


16. Was there anything interesting or unusual about writing this book that you'd like to share?

It was my first time writing anything sexy so it was all sorts of bizarre to sit in my local coffee shop and describe the feeling of a dick in your ass.


17. Do you have any book signings planned? Feel free to share.

Not at this time!

 
18. I know this might sound like a dumb question to ask a writer, but I have to ask anyway. I've seen a lot of photos of you online and almost each one seems markedly different from the others. You always look great, but you  always look different, too. Is this something you plan, or does it just work out that way by accident?

Sort of by accident and sort of by choice. I am constantly getting tired of the way I look or dress and deciding to do a "appearance overhaul."


19. What would Suzanne Sugarbaker say if she read your new book?

I think Suzanne would be pretty turned on by my book. She'd read it with her blinds shut and door locked but she'd definitely read the whole thing.


20. Now, what would Bernice Clifton say?


Could Bernice read?

Read More

What is Quiltbag-Centric? Plus, Gay Desinations and Gay Conventions

When I wrote the post below this about Rainbow Con 2014 I noticed something called "Quiltbag-Centric." I wrote that post fast, but made a mental note to come back to it later to find out more about it. Then a blog reader asked me something about it on Facebook and I could only find one link. I couldn't even find it at my mainstay for all things new and different...Urban Dictionary.

A few hours after that, the same blog reader posted this definition for Quiltbag-Centric:

Queer/Questioning, Unidentified, Intersex, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay.

But it's more complicated than this. So here's a web site for a small publisher, Storm Moon Press, that seems to focus on Quiltbag-Centric fiction.

 We are a small press, defined as a Limited Liability Company, dedicated to a specific niché market. There is no intention on our part to become a medium or large press in the future. Our goal is to publish quality fiction, and no more than 24-48 titles a year. Any more than that and we believe we will compromise our original intent for this press, which was to offer erotic romances (with an emphasis on GLBT and alternative lifestyle characters and themes) in print formats while offering our authors the best royalties we could.

I actually had a little fun with this with my agent friend who tends to know all and EVERYTHING...smile. He admitted he didn't know what it was, but I could just imagine him scrambling through google the minute after he fired off his reply to me.

This is from a blog that did a post about Quiltbag-Centric and mentioned Storm Moon Press. And after I read this, it started coming together better for me.

One of the things that we’re always looking for more of at Storm Moon Press is genre fiction. There is a distinct lack of QUILTBAG-centric mysteries, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Instead, the market is flooded with contemporary romances. And while there’s nothing wrong with romance, it’s a source of frustration that in order to read something more, you have to look to the mainstream. So, the obvious question is “why?” Why is it so hard to find good QUILTBAG genre fiction? I believe there are a few reasons.

I think it's an interesting post and I suggest reading it in full. And here's yet another that goes into more detail.

If anyone knows where I can find something more concrete for a set definition, please feel free to comment and I'll update the post.

Gay Destinations and Gay Conventions

I've posted about two gay conventions recently, one of which was Gay Rom Lit Retreat 2013 where there was a bit of a kerfuffle over policy changes implemented this year. A lot has been written about this and I'm not going to add a single thing. One, because I'm not affiliated with them on an active level and I would never be that presumptuous. And two, because I have seen too many people who are not affiliated with them jump onto the proverbial bandwagon offering suggestions. In other words, this one's none of my business.

But what has always interested me with all of these conventions...in a broad and general sense...is that whenever I see one of these conventions pop up they are never held in a place where gay people would go willingly. I honestly don't want to sound like the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, but Albuquerque is not a place I would go under any normal circumstances for fun and pleasure. It's not a place where any of my gay friends, or lesbian friends, would go for pleasure either. I'm sure it's a nice place. But there are only certain places you can go in one lifetime and if you're gay Albuquerque is not at the top of the list. When I think of Albuquerque I think Ethel May Potter, not gay fun.

And these conventions are expensive. Plus, Tony and I don't travel as often as we would like because we have two dogs and we don't board them or hire pet sitters. We've heard too many horror stories and we won't take that chance. So what we do is take the dogs with us everywhere we go. Unfortunately, that often limits us to dog friendly towns. And gay friendly towns. I would love to go to a convention as a reader, not even as an author. But it should be at least a little enticing as far as location goes. I mean they wouldn't hold the Republican or Democratic Conventions in Paris. That wouldn't make sense.

My point here is that I honestly don't get why gay oriented conventions would be held in places where gay people don't usually go for pleasure. We go to Provincetown (photo above) and don't think twice about it. In fact, P'town has many events for gay people all year long now, from Women's Week to Family Week. When we go to Florida, it's not Tampa. We go to Ft. Lauderdale, South Beach, or Key West. And then there's Palm Springs and Russian River. There are also a few places lesser known, like right here in New Hope, PA, where we even have our own gay pride event every single May. So having a gay convention in a location where gay people don't want to go kind of defeats the purpose. At least I would think so anyway. But then what do I know.

Read More

New LGBT Convention: Rainbow Con 2014

I don't know much about this, but I wanted to post something because it looks interesting and I think my blog readers like to know these things.

There's a new convention called Rainbow Con, and it's taking place next March in Tampa, FL.

RainbowCon is a four day QUILTBAG-centric conference held in Tampa, Florida geared toward readers, writers, artists, and small publishers. Throughout the four days of the conference, attendees can enjoy panels, workshops, activities, and even a field trip into the heart of Ybor's club district! RainbowCon is also a deliberately small conference, limiting the number of general attendees to 175, with authors and special guests making up the remaining 75 slots in its 250 attendance cap.

2014 may be its first year, but we have plenty in store for those attending. The panel descriptions, special guests, and venue are already up, and while registration information is available, formal registration and hotel booking will not open until March 1st, 2013.

We hope you enjoy the content to be found in RainbowCon. Our schedule features both an reader track as well as a writer track, catering to those on both sides of the proverbial pen. Workshops are available for aspiring and established writers alike. We also offer roundtable discussions of sub-genres of QUILTBAG literature and activities, so there are plenty of opportunities to participate and socialize. RainbowCon is all about the personal approach, and it's our goal to ensure each attendee has a fantastic time!

Here's a link to the web site where you can read more about it.

Read More

Bradley Cooper Nude Scenes; Erin Andrews Puts Rapper 50 Cents in His Place

(Update 6/4/13: When I wrote this post I didn't know anything about Cooper. Since then I've seen Silver Linings Playbook and I've come to admire his work. I've seen four of his other films. And though none compare to his performance in Silver Linings, I loved them all.)

We've been hearing so much about actor, Bradley Cooper, and the Oscars lately, I was curious about whether or not he'd ever done any nude scenes in films. In all honesty, I don't know much about him or his films and I've never been a huge fan. He's from the Philadelphia area and grew up in a Philly suburb not far from New Hope...Jenkintown...but I just never was drawn to any of his films.

But I'm always curious about the double standard in Hollywood with respect to women and men in nude scenes, especially with full frontal nudity. And male full frontal nudity is always the last place "they" will go.

I couldn't find anything about full frontal nudity for Bradley Cooper, but I did find this link to a nude scene he did once.

He also did a gay sex scene in the 2001 film, Wet Hot American Summer. Check out the link for photos.

"I remember saying," says Cooper, "'What if we wear tube socks, and I'll go up on the wall, and you'll come from behind me.' And I said in the scene, 'Say my name,' and Michael says, 'Ben!' And I say, 'No! Say my Christian name,' and he whispers, 'Benjamin,' and that's when I came."
But aside from nude scenes, there's been speculation about whether or not Cooper is gay in real life. Here's one link, here's another, and yet another.

This gay "rumor" bothers me on several different levels. One, if Bradley Cooper is gay and he's not ready to come out that's his business. Period. Two, whenever the press starts a rumor about whether or not an actor or actress is gay there's always a hidden meaning...as if there's something wrong with being gay. And that's what bothers me the most.


Erin Andrews Puts Rapper 50 in His Place

At the Daytona 500 this weekend, reporter Erin Andrews wound up in an odd situation with rapper, 50 Cents.

50 decided to show his appreciation for Andrews' work, and, well, Andrews didn't much dig it.

Not quite. It's more than just that. 50 Cents went to hug and kiss Andrews and she put an end to THAT fast. From the way it looked, I think he was ready to tongue kiss her. You can watch it on the video here. And you can see how aggressive and insulting 50 Cents was to this young woman.

This is the sort of thing we see all the time and no one ever complains about it. A woman is doing her job, and someone like 50 Cents comes along and sexually harrasses her. Would he have attempted to kiss Ryan Seacrest that way? Would he have attempted to kiss any male reporter that way? I highly doubt it.

Frankly, I wouldn't have been unhappy if Erin Andrews had hauled off and smacked him right in the face. Or, kicked him in the nuts. I'm so tired of seeing women treated this way. I'm also tired of the press making light of things like this.

As a side note, to give you more insight into 50 Cents, this is what 50 Cents tweeted when he arrived at the Daytona 500.

Earlier, 50 had surely raised the blood pressure of NASCAR officials when he arrived at Daytona and tweeted, "Damn I don't see no black people lol."

Now, that's the kind of racist remark I absolutely despise, too. As an author I know how powerful words like that can be and I don't take them for granted. We're all trying to put an end to that brand of racism. It's just not funny anymore.

Read More

Erotic E-books Inspire Lending Across the Pond

 

I've had this article in my in-box all week but didn't have time to post it. It's about how erotic e-books have affected the overall digital market in the UK, and how people are lending/borrowing e-books. I have to admit I'm a little surprised because I didn't think lending erotica was all that popular. In other words, I've always thought of it as a discreet genre where people would hesitate to borrow either e-books or print books. I always thought of them as purchases. But I guess this is becoming more popular now, and no complaints from me.

A rare bit of good news for the nation's beleaguered local libraries: erotic fiction is being credited with a boom in e-book loans.

Surrey County Council has experienced a rise in loans from 16,231 in 2011 to 19,847 in 2012 with this January seeing the busiest month in the authority's e-book history with 2,469 loans.

The most popular e-book in 2012 was romance novel 'At the Argentinean Billionaire's Bidding' by India Grey, followed by 'Bedded By The Greek Billionaire' by Kate Walker in second, and 'Beauty And The Billionaire' by Barbara Dunlop in third.

You can read more here.

The article is from Huff Po UK, and I'm not surprised at all to see how many readers in the UK enjoy erotic romance. I've found a good deal of my own sales come from the UK, and so do a lot of my personal e-mails from readers. It's an interesting article, with book covers, and I think it's worth reading in full. It gets into how erotic romance is a guilty pleasure, and how digital books are changing the rules now. These are things a lot of us already know. Hell, I write it because it's a guilty pleasure for me. But I also think a lot of other people are just beginning to get turned on to it.

Read More

Gay Rom Lit Retreat 2013 New Policy; Obama Gets Involved In Gay Marriage Issue

President Obama is now weighing in on Gay Marriage. I didn't hear much about it in the mainstream yesterday, but I could have missed it because I've been focused on so many work related projects lately. In any event, here's something from CNN.

In a preview of a major constitutional showdown at the Supreme Court over same-sex marriage, the Obama administration said on Friday that a federal law denying financial benefits to legally wed gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional.

The Justice Department filed the first of a series of briefs in a pair of cases dealing with the multilayered issue, outlining the executive branch's positions.

 

The high court will hear oral arguments next month on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 congressional law that says for federal purposes, marriage is defined as only between one man and one woman.

 

This is significant for many reasons, one of which is that I've been hoping the President would weigh in on the issue. I wasn't sure. With this, he has a chance to make history once again, because the fact remains that the issue of gay marriage runs far deeper than love and romance. For many older gay couples who are facing hefty inheritance taxes it's far more pragmatic than emotional. And that's just part of it. I recommend reading the article in full to get a grasp on what this means to gay couples.

 

And, this article from Politico explains it in simpler terms.

 

A legal brief the Justice Department filed with the Supreme Court Friday asking the justices to strike down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act is raising hopes among gay rights advocates that President Barack Obama is on the verge of embracing a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/obama-brief-fuels-marriage-fight-87976.html#ixzz2LkrYOIYP

 

Gay Rom Lit Retreat 2013 Announces New Policy:

 

For GayRomLit 2013, the organizers have revised the way author registration occurs in order to cut down on retreat stress and improve the reader-to-author ratio. In the interests of serving our readers and not pulling them in too many directions, registration will be strictly limited to 100 author registrations: 70 Featured Authors with established careers and 30 Supporting Authors who are building their fanbase. These authors need only prove publication of a minimum of titles. (3 for Featured / 1 for Supporting)

 

For those who don't know, Gay Rom Lit Retreat is an event where authors, readers, and fans of all things m/m romance gather each year. The event is taking place this year in Atlanta, from October 17 - 20. You can read more about that here. And here. And, here's a full explanation of the new policy. The official web site is not up and running yet, but I'm sure it will be soon.  

 

I should also mention there's been somewhat of a firestorm on the Interwebs since the new policy was announced last week. I don't follow these things closely for lack of time, but you can read more about it here, where people (readers and authors) responded on facebook and people from GRL replied. There's one facebook status update with over 100 comments. Others have written blog posts about it. But I'd rather not link to individual blog posts right now because I can't find any that balance out. In other words, I like to remain objective about things like this and if I can't find two sides of the story I don't link to anything. This one link above to facebok seems to explain why some are upset, and how GRL addressed those concerns.

 

Although I've always been curious about GRL, I hadn't planned on attending this year. I'll be in the Hamptons with two other gay couples we've known forever. From October 16 - 22, we're going out for a birthday party and I'm looking forward to being out there that time of year. And, Tony's birthday is also October 17th, too. I actually like East Hampton better in the fall than in the summer, and the traffic isn't usually as bad either.  

 

 

 

Read More

Gay Marriage: We've Been "Married" All This Time and You Never Knew

This morning I received copy edits from ravenous romance for the next book in the Bad Boy Billionaire series, The Actor Learning to Love. In this book I don't actually get into anything too detailed about gay "marriage," but I do mention it often because the main character is a gay man who has been "married" more than once. His last relationship, one in which he considered himself "engaged," has just ended and he's moving into a new apartment with his 10 year old son. And after so many failed "marriages" the only thing he's looking forward to is jump-starting his career and making sure his kid gets into good schools.

If you notice, I'm putting the word "marriage" and "engaged" and anything related to this in quotes for a reason. So stick with me.

Whenever I get copy edits back from any publisher I usually tread with care. Most of the time it's basic because I always try to submit manuscripts that are neat, clean, and don't require much copy editing. Most of the time I'm lucky. But every so often I get one back with a few notes on the side and that can take up a lot of time. Also, most of the time the copy editor is right and she/he has caught something that needs to be fixed. It's a mixed feeling. On the one hand I'd rather not have to deal with them, and on the other I'm always thrilled that a good copy editor found an issue I need to address. So, I want everyone to know I'm not talking about copy editors here. I think copy editors are the most unrecognized group in publishing, and also the most important in the end.

Back in the early 1990's when I first starting going out to gay clubs and meeting other gay people, everything was fairly new to me. I used to pull up to a gay club and wonder about them, in a general sense, when I saw them all going into the club in groups. How did they all get to know each other? When did they do this? Why don't I know any so I don't have to go in alone? At the time, it really did mystify my that there were gay people out there socializing and getting together everywhere, not just in gay night clubs and gay cruise spots.

In time, I met a few people and I became part of a circle of friends, too. I stopped wondering and started living. But I do remember certain things that used to come up in the beginning that would stun me. And one of those things was gays being "married." For example, a friend would introduce me to someone and I would express interest. Then my friend would tell me that person was "married," and I wasn't sure exactly what he meant. Did he have a wife and kids? Wasn't gay "marriage" illegal? I never actually asked because I didn't want to look stupid, so I listened carefully and figured it all out on my own.

What I didn't realize back then, and what so many straight people don't realize now, is that when gay men (or women) refer to themselves as "married," it's often in an off-handed way that carries a certain amount of both truth and snark. Sometimes it can be sweet and endearing, and sometimes bittersweet. In other words, they are in committed relationships, and some have been in these relationship for years, but since they aren't allowed to legally "marry" they use the word "married" anyway in an almost sarcastic...or campy...way. They refer to their partners as "husbands," or "wives," too, in the same way. Some even say they're "engaged." It took me a while to get the hang of that. I tend to be a very literal person. At first I thought they were really "married," like with women and kids. But that wasn't the case then and it's still not the case now.

So when I looked at the copy edits this morning and I saw how confused the copy editor was each time I used the word "married," or anything related to that, I knew I had to explain somewhere in the book that this is how a lot of gay people talk when they refer to their relationships or their partners, or their situations. The copy editor, and rightly so, was getting into when gay marriage had become legal in NY where the story takes place, and I had to explain that it doesn't really matter when gay marriage became legal in NY because the character considered himself "married," with or without it being legal in NY. The book is about gay relationships and love, not about politics or legal things that don't matter in this case. I meant to be off-handed and it wasn't a mistake.

I live in PA where gay marriage is not legal and I still refer to my relationship as a "marriage" and to Tony as my "husband" at certain times. I may not do this in public all the time with straight people I don't know well, but I do it with good friends and that's how I think of it. I literally think "married," and I'm not the only one. I have been hearing gay couples talk this way for twenty years, and they talked that way twenty years prior to that. And it doesn't end with "marriage." Gay people who are not allowed to legally "marry" sometimes split up and they consider that a "divorce." So I saw no need to rectify this in the manuscript. It is what it is.

You see, one of the things I don't think about seriously is gay "marriage" on a state to state level. I know I probably should sometimes, but I live in PA, only about an hour from NY, and legalized gay "marriage" in NY  or any other state means absolutely nothing whatsoever to me. The moment a gay couple from New York crosses the state line, they are no longer "married" legally. I have friends who joke about it when they fly across country. They take notes during the trip to see which states consider them legally "married." So, once again, this legalizing gay "marriage" from state to state means nothing to me. And until gay "marriage" is legalized on a federal level, the same way interracial "marriages" were legalized at one time, I'm not going to take the exact dates and times gay marriage became legal in any other states seriously, especially not in one of my own books. 

The irony in all this is that here we've been "married" all this time and no one ever knew it. And it had nothing to do with laws or religious groups protesting us, or votes and rallies. It has nothing to do with Presidents or legislators who promise the world and throw us a bone. That's because we defined it ourselves a long time ago and no one can take that away from us. And if you see me talk about gay "marriage" in a book, or anywhere else, don't get too hung up on the exact dates of when it was legalized in a particular state, because it means nothing to gay people who don't live in that particular state. It has to be done across the board. And even when that happens, if I write about gay people who were "married" ten or twenty years ago, I'm still going to refer to them as "married." And that's because they thought they were, and that's good enough for me.

  

Read More

New Beginnings: The Jersey Boy Story...Tim Tebow Cancels Speach at Anti-Gay Church

Before I get into the main part of this post, I wanted to mention that Tim Tebow canceled the speech he was supposed to be giving at an anti-gay church in Texas. I posted about it before, here, and this is from SportingNews.

Tim Tebow is calling an audible and canceling his appearance at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, home of controversial reverend Robert Jeffress.

Tebow's decision to speak at the megachurch in Jeffress' presence was questioned by many, most notably CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel, because of the reverend's history of anti-Muslin, anti-Jewish, anti-Mormon and anti-gay platforms.

Of course when Tebow announces he's going to give a speech at an anti-gay church it's plastered all over the Internet in bold headlines. When he cancels the speech, it's posted way in the back where no one can see it. Interesting how the press plays the gay card as often as they play the race card.

New Beginnings; New Publisher; New Book Coming Out Soon

One of the reasons I haven't indie published anything this year...so far...is because I signed with a new publisher to write a full length novel about gay vampires who live in New Jersey and work in organized crime. I know that sounds a little Soprano-ish, however, the focus on this book was on the younger generation of vampires, not the older ones.

I wanted to ad a touch of new adult along with paranormal, and of course erotica. Even though the main characters are gay vamps and they are over 100 years old, they still look and act like any other new adult out there. And, I was born in Newark, NJ, raised in NJ, spent my summers in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, and went to Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison Campus, in NJ. So I think that qualifies me to write about New Jersey, and a good deal of what I wrote it based on things I saw and experienced myself.

In my book the characters face a lot of the same things human new adults face as well. One of which is figuring out what to do as a career choice, and in their case it's going into the "family" business of organized crime. I can't post any details at this point because a lot of the details are still up in the air. For example, I might use a pen name this time because it's a different genre. But if I do, I will not keep that pen name a secret and I will disclose it. The only reason I would use one would be for search engines, and to keep this book away from my other books that are not paranormal. But as I said, no decision has been made on that yet.

The publisher is also someone new, and I'll post more about them when I have more details. I hate to post anything until everything is set in writing. The only reason I posted these comments is because the book has been submitted and it's ready to go.

Here's a short excerpt and book description. Right now it's tentatively titled: The Jersey Boys

When organized crime meets the underworld of the living dead, it creates endless possibilities for intrigue and passion. Combine that with a traditional old vampire clan from Sicily trying to mainstream with humans in northern New Jersey as business people, and it winds up becoming an adventure into darkness of epic proportions.

Anton Pagano is from an old Sicilian vampire clan that migrated to New Jersey in the late 1800's. He lives in a mansion in northern New Jersey with his mom and dad, and he's never had to worry about anything other than his wardrobe, his latest new car, and the secret love affair he's been having for years with another vampire in his clan. At a glance, he looks and sounds just like anyone else between the ages of twenty-one and thirty years old.

But when Anton's dad, the head of their clan, decides it's time for Anton and his vampire cousin, Digger, to get into the family business, Anton's not all the excited about it. Until he meets a sweet young human man named Leo on his first night at work. They wind up spending the rest of the night together, and then things get even more complicated when they bring Anton's secret vampire lover into the picture a few weeks later.

After a bloody battle with werewolves, and the beginning of what Anton predicts will be an all-out war between two vampire clans in New Jersey, Anton and his secret vampire lover decide it's time to consider turning Leo into a vampire so all three of them can be together for eternity. But thanks to fate, nothing is as simple as it looks, and they wind up doing the one thing they ever wanted to do to Leo as a last resort.

 

Excerpt:  

            On the way down to the parking lot, they punched each other and joked around in the elevator. If anyone had seen them they would have thought they were a couple of college kids without a care in the world. When they reached the parking lot, Digger pulled a set of keys from his pocket and held them up high. He jiggled them and said, “Let’s take my car.”

       This was news to Anton. “When did you get a car?” Uncle Sonny had taken away his last car because he’d been caught driving ninety miles an hour on the wrong side of the Garden State Parkway.  

      “My dad got it for me,” Digger said. “It’s a brand new Cadillac CTS.”

            Anton glared and said, “Then what the fuck am I doing here? Why didn’t you just pick me up?”

        Digger looked up at him with a seductive sideways glance and smiled. “I thought we’d have some fun when you got here. I didn’t know you’d be all serious. You’re the only reason I’m living here, so there’s a place for us to go. I hate this fucking place.”

            He couldn’t get mad at him no matter how hard he tried. Digger could make most people crazy to the point of distraction. He was prone to nasty one-liners that put people in their places, he would insult anyone without thinking twice, and he would bounce and move so fast sometimes it looked as though his battery had been overcharged.

 

        But even the worst things he did made Anton smile. So he put his hand on Digger’s back, shoved him forward, and said, “After work I’ll come back here. I’ll call them and tell them I’m bunking with you because I’m tired.” This wasn’t unusual. And his mom and dad would never even think they were having sex together. They’d shared the same coffin many times over the years and no one gave it a second thought, not even Dino and that little bastard could sniff out trouble for miles away.

           

Read More

Gavin Newsom Interview; Snapshot Self-destructing Photos; Catfishing: Konrath on KDP Select

In this week's Time Magazine, former San Francisco mayor and supporter of gay marriage, Gavin Newsom, is the focus in the "10 Questions" section. He's also the present California Lt. Governor and the author of a new book titled, Citizenville.

The questions are interesting, especially this one about the Catholic Church, which I found interesting because I was raised Catholic and went through twelve years of strict Catholic education. I basically feel the same way he does, and I understand his difficulty.

How do you Square your politics with your Catholicism?

It's difficult. It's hard for all of us, especially for those with progressive leanings, to square (the gay marriage issue). Then there's stem cells, choice, birth control. That said, it's very important to me, my faith.

I also have issues with the way the Church looks at divorce, too. I recently had to fill out a long questionnaire for someone who has been divorced and is seeking what's called a Papal Annulment. Without this grant from the Church, divorced people are basically excommunicated.

In any event, here's a link to a video of the full interview.

"Snapshot," or, Self-destructing Internet Photos

This link is amazing. Check it out and watch what happens.

But that's not why I'm posting about this topic. Images seem to be running rampant on the Internet these days. Just this week an older friend who is getting a new computer asked if I could show him how to take photos from his digital camera and put them on facebook. This is someone who never dreamed he would have been on facebook five years ago, let alone posting personal pics there.

 "If I texted you a photo of myself, you could keep it forever and then I have no control over what you do with it," said Travis Mayfield, director of social media for Fisher Communications.

But Snapchat can make images vanish into thin air. The app allows users to put a self-destruct timer on photos, giving the recipient only seconds to see the image.

You can read more here. Supposedly parents are worried about sexting, and from what I gather screen grabs can be taken before the photos self-destruct. But I don't think most people take screen grabs unless they are on some kind of mission. I know I've only taken them twice, and just because I wanted to back up something I'd posted about.


Catfishing

I'm sure a lot of people already know what this is, but I didn't know until recently and I figured I'd share for those who still might not know.

From Urban Dictionary:

The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time).
Sounds like something that takes sockpuppetry to a whole new level. Tony actually plays a lot of online poker, with people from all over the world. And some of the stories he tells me about how these people...mostly straight...flirt and play around with each other online is very entertaining. The most recent was about some guy in the Netherlands who's been flirting romantically with a woman from Texas. She's been flirting right back. Both are married. Turns out the woman's IP can be traced to Canada, and now this guy is freaking and they've never even met. Oh what a tangled web we weave!

Konrath on Kindle Select Program

Joe Konrath, of the A Newbie's Guide to Publishing fame, recently wrote a blog post titled, "Hungry Dogs." It's a good post for the most part. But I found a few things that wouldn't work for me as a writer who has self-published four books in the past year, all of which have hit bestseller lists (I'm not bragging about that. I'm just pointing out that I must have done something right while self-publishing, and unlike Konrath, I do ALL the "nuts and bolts" work alone and pay no one for their services to format or layout. There's nothing wrong with using someone to e-publish, but I wanted to have that control, too. And, learning formatting and HTML has made me much stronger than I thought it would.)

This was one things I found in Konrath's post that wouldn't work for me:

What's changed has been making titles free using the Kindle Select program.

To wit: there are millions of people with Kindles, and the majority of them haven't heard of me, haven't come across my titles, haven't read me before. So by getting three ebooks on the Top 100 Free list, I am making myself known to them.

I'm a huge fan of the Kindle Select Program in a general sense, and I have been part of it with several books and I have no huge complaints. However, Konrath is talking "Hungry Dogs," and I agree with him completely. But that means that when I'm self-publishing I need to think distribution in as many places as I can get my books, which includes places like Allromanceebooks.com and Kobo.com. I need to think like a hungry businessperson, not an author.

And with Kindle Select I found myself locked into an exclusive that kept me from distributing the books anywhere for a long period of time, and that just didn't work for me. And I don't think Amazon allows you to just put a book up for free for a week unless you're part of Kindle Select (I would do these promos often if they did). At least that's how it's been explained to me. So I've opted out of Kindle Select for this reason with all my books, and in turn I've had a lot of success offering free book promotions on Allromanceebooks.com for my readers, and other web sites were e-books are sold. But more than that, I can offer these free promotions and no one's locking me into an exclusive. And I can tell you that after twenty years of publishing experience, I don't do exclusives with anyone unless the deal is so sweet I can't pass it by. It's why I'm not asking for an exclusive with the upcoming anthology I'm indie publishing this summer (more to come on that soon.)

In a general sense, if you don't know how to aggressively distribute your e-book, I do have to agree with Konrath. Taking advantage of Kindle Select might work for you if you don't want your book anywhere else, or if you don't know how to put it anywhere else. However, my advice would be to take the next step and learn more about e-book distribution if you're serious about self-publishing. Because your goal is to get that book into as many places as you can. There are a lot of venues like allromanceebooks that sell a lot of e-books to people who prefer this boutique e-book shopping experience instead of going to Amazon.

My point is this: get that book out there to as many retail web sites as you can, including Amazon. And that's something I've learned from digital first book publishers, not something I figured out by accident.

Read More

New Gay Fiction by Jeffery Self: Openly Gay Actor

Update: Smashwords link

When I saw a press release in my inbox about a new novel written by openly gay actor, Jeffery Self, I knew I had to post something about it before the day was over. As those of you who read this blog may know, I've posted so many things about closeted gay actors in Hollywood over the years it would take too much time to link to them now in this post.

Jeffery Self is a young gay actor who has had parts in more than a few highly successful TV shows. One of the things he's done that I recall was on Logo, titled, Jeffery and Cole Casserole. The fact that he's adorable helps me remember even more, but I digress.

From Wiki: 

Jeffery & Cole Casserole is an American sketch comedy program that aired on Logo in 2009 and 2010. The show is written, directed and edited by real-life comedy duo Jeffery Self and Cole Escola. The series debuted on Logo on June 19, 2009, and was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 9, 2010, also on Logo.^[1] The show was canceled on March 17, 2011.

This is Jeffery's bio from Huff Po:

Jeffery Self is an actor, writer, vlogger and lover of a lot of things (especially peanut butter and Oprah Winfrey). He co-created Jeffery and Cole Casserole on LOGO with friend Cole Escola. He has also appeared on other shows, including Hot in Cleveland, Shameless, Torchwood, 90210 and 30 Rock as Randy Lemon. He lives in Los Angeles and makes daily vlogs at jeffery-self.com. Follow him on Twitter @jefferyself.

With that said, he's written a new novel titled, "50 Shades of Gay," and I'll post the press release below. I haven't read it yet, but I plan to as soon as it's released, and you'll see why when you read the book description below in the PR. I don't have any official purchase link yet, but I will try to get him to do an interview with me after the book is released.

From my inbox:

Feb. 20, 20013 – Magnus Books, an imprint of Riverdale Avenue Books, is pleased to announce the publication of 50 Shades of Gay by Jeffery Self, a well-known Hollywood actor/writer and comedian.

You may have seen Jeffery Self on Desperate Housewives, 90210, Hot in Cleveland, and in 30 Rock as Randy Lemon, Liz Lemon’s gay cousin. But you’ve not yet read his new erotic romance inspired by E.L. James’ international phenomenon, 50 Shades of Grey.

In 50 Shades of Gay, a young celebrity blogger, Alex Kirby, interviews Taylor Grayson, a superstar leading man in Hollywood blockbuster films. Grayson also happens to be a closeted gay man with a passion for BDSM. When Grayson draws the younger man into his private orbit and initiates him into his sexual world, the younger man can tell that kinky sex has shielded Grayson from having a real emotional connection with another man. But he is head over heels in love with the older, powerful, gorgeous man who has selected him for the pleasures of submission. Ultimately, Alex decides to experiment with the power differential between them, and see if he can break through the armor that Grayson and his layers of Hollywood handlers have imprisoned him in.

The author joked about his inspiration for the book. “Ever since moving to Los Angeles I've been fascinated by two things: frozen yogurt and closeted movie stars. There's something so sexy and mysterious about both. So I decided to write a book about one of them."

Read More

Gender Politics in M/M Romance; The Virgin Bachelor; Elton John AD Cover

I actually wrote a much longer post on gender politics in M/M Romance, however, it turned out to be so dull and pedantic I decided to save it and keep it in the archives. What brought me to this topic was a post I read over a week ago about gender politics in M/M Romance, a post with which I didn't completely agree. And since I have my own blog, I decided to just write my own post on the topic for my readership.

And keep in mind that this is coming from my own personal experience, not from sociological articles, or "research says," and, "studies show." I didn't spend hours in the archives researching it either. I'm writing it from the POV of a gay man in a twenty year relationship and I think that qualifies me more than enough on the topic of gender politics within gay relationships...in M/M Romance or anywhere else.

First, here's the definition of gender politics, according to English Dictionary:

Plural noun (sociology) debate about the roles and relations of men and women

Second, I should add I've never had much faith in anything sociology related because it's always so generalized and sometimes opinionated. I took my required sociology electives in college and thought I'd lose my mind getting through them. It took four cups of coffee just to sit through a one hour and fifteen minute lecture sometimes. And I can tell you without flinching that my money would have been better spent taking art history classes instead.

But I digress.

Is there gender politics in M/M Romance?

Some. But not much. In other words, all men are conditioned in a certain way and that can't be disputed. However, the gender politics between two men...gay or straight...is never going to be significant enough to worry about unless you're talking about extremely unusual circumstances. And that's because men think like men. The gender politics Tony and I see sometimes happening between straight couples we know leaves us speechless. And often thankful that we are gay men and don't have to deal with that kind of gender politics. It makes life just a little easier.

One of the things I've always hated the most is when someone straight who knows very little about gay men wants to know who the "guy" is in a gay relationship and who the "woman" is...as if one gay man is more like a woman than the other. And that's just not how it works. It's one of the oldest stereotypes out there, and it's also one of the most insulting. The fact that there is such a small amount of gender politics in gay relationships actually helps dispute this stereotype.

If I'm a straight woman writing M/M Romance, do I have to worry about gender politics?

Nope. Not unless you're writing a sociology book, you don't. Worry more about how your male characters interact with each other, worry more about how they express their emotions, and worry more about how they react to each other. But more than that, worry more about your storyline and whether or not the book moves with an even pace. Focus on the fiction and create your own gender politics if you think you need it. You're writing fiction and telling a story, not preparing a paper for sociology class. It's your world, you're creating it, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

On the most basic level of gender politics, I always think of the Ray Romano show, where Ray and Debra are constantly at odds due to the strong gender politics. He can't figure her out; she can't figure him out. And that's not something you see too often in gay relationships, not even with two gay woman. Because of this lack of gender politics in gay relationships, there's an understanding that's usually unspoken. If Tony tells me he's playing golf again this Saturday, I don't roll my eyes and complain about it. I tell him to drive safely and I go to the gym. Plain and simple. I'll see you when you get home.

I'm not linking to anything else because there's obviously a debate about this. The only problem I have with some of the people in the debate is that, once again, I'm the gay man and I'm speaking from experience, not from sociological studies and research. And, frankly, I'm getting a little sick and tired of feeling like a lab rat that's been put on this earth to analyze and dissect by those who aren't gay and think they know it all.

The Virgin Bachelor

A guy on the TV show, The Bachelor, has made a lot of covers lately. Evidently, it seems Sean Lowe is a kind of sort of virgin. And because I write romance and I find the entire topic of virginity fascinating in a general sense, I wanted to post about it in case anyone is wondering if there are still any virgins left. I'm not being snarky about that either. If Sean Lowe is, indeed, a virgin, I applaud him for waiting and not rushing into sex. Especially in a world where I think we sometimes feel pressured into sex at a young age. In my book The Virgin Billionaire, Jase didn't lose his gay virginity until he was almost forty years old. And that's not all that unusual for gay men. In fact, I think most gays, if they were honest about it, would admit they lost their virginity at a much later time in life than straight people. And that's because while all the straight people are screwing around on prom night...or before...we're hiding gay porn and sex toys under our mattresses and trying to figure out ways to get out of our small middle class towns alive. Now put that in your sociology book and analyze it!

 Lowe is currently engaged to one of the final four women from the ABC series, and the 29-year-old former fitness model and his fiancé are waiting until their wedding night to have sex, a source dished.

Though Lowe had sex back in his college days, the religious Christian no longer believes in premarital sex, the source explained.

“Sean doesn’t want to have sex until he’s married,” the source said. ““It’s very important to him.”

If this is true, I applaud him once again for knowing what he wants. I only wish they'd find a real virgin next time for The Bachelor, because having sex in college does NOT constitute one as a virgin. And now I am being snarky. Virginity does not grow back. Once you lose it, it's gone for good and you can't get it back. Maybe they should look for a gay guy around Sean's age, instead of a straight guy who started having sex at an early age. The odds are the gay guy would be a virgin. You younger gay guys know exactly what I'm talking about, too. 

Sir Elton John Makes the Cover of Architectural Digest

Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, made the cover of AD this month. As a longtime subscriber to AD, I raced to open it this month and see what was inside when I spotted John and Furnish on the cover. And not just because I'm such a huge lifelong fan of Elton John as an artist. I find that AD is one of those magazines that always recognizes gay men for their accomplishments, treats them with respect, and breaks so many of the low-end stereotypes we often see in other publications. And they often do this without even saying this one or that one is gay. In other words, we're all just people and whether we are gay or straight doesn't really matter.

It's a rock star of a Hollywood pad. And why not? It is, after all, home to a legend of the breed, Sir Elton John, and his partner, David Furnish. “We love it,” exults Furnish, who dreamed up the couple’s ode-to-the-’70s chrome-and-glass palace with his friend and designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard. “Our goal for this apartment was neither entertaining nor having houseguests—it’s about function, about us. As a filmmaker, I needed a base here, as did Elton, who tours a lot on the West Coast. Though Elton’s definitely a maximalist, I, a more clean-line minimalist, we both wanted something very L.A., very ’70s, à la the building’s architecture. Immediately, I thought: Boogie Nights.”

The article is interesting and the photos of their home are spectacular. You can read and see more here if you're not a subscriber.

Read More

Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter

The reason why I always post things from the (KDP) Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter is to let others know what's going on, and to show what so many indie authors are doing things these days. I've posted about how I'm a fan of "Downton Abbey," and that's largely because I find the changes the characters were going through during post Edwardian times are fascinating. In many ways, 100 years later, we're going through the same changes in this century. Publishing alone is changing constantly, on a daily basis sometimes.

I've indie pubbed four works of fiction through KDP and I've enjoyed the experience. I haven't done anything in a while because I've been contracted with publishers, but I do see myself going back in the future and indie pubbing more works. My reasons for doing this are strictly for the control it gives me. And this control covers many areas of getting an e-book out, from creative to actual book pricing...think business person now, not author. I've also been able to offer free book promos with my indie books that wouldn't have been able to offer with publishers.

The following would probably be the most important things for authors who haven't done this at all.

From my inbox:

Kindle Select News

You can earn more money and reach more readers by enrolling your titles in KDP Select. Once enrolled, you will earn a share of the global fund amount every time your book is borrowed from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.fr.

For February, the KDP Select Global Fund amount is $1.2 million, including the regular monthly fund of $700,000, plus $500,000 bonus. A total $2.2 million bonus amount over December 2012-Febrary 2013 has been added on top of the regular fund amount so you can earn even more money. In the month of January, KDP Select-enrolled authors earned $2.23 each time their books were borrowed.

KDP Upcoming Events

Making plans to attend London Book Fair, April 15-17, 2013? Visit KDP in Earls Court exhibition hall at booth V555.

 

Tip of the Month...Should you Attend a Writer's Conference?

 

Here's a link to the article at Amazon. They claim you should. I'm on the fence about this, though. I think if you have the time and the money to spend, go for it. On the other hand, if you don't, I wouldn't worry too much. There are people who've made avocations out of going to these things and I've never seen them with big books or on any bestseller lists. For many, it's more of a social get together than anything else. But as I said, if you feel so inclined, it certainly can't hurt. Just don't feel it's the only way to succeed in publishing.

 

Read More