I can almost see summer from here. Almost.

I usually have MUCH more free time in the summer months. From September to June, the day job is constant and demanding. I don't often read during that time just because it takes a lot more of my concentration.

However! I made a resolution this year to change that, and I've done well so far. My e-reader has gone a long way in helping with that change. But my question is, come summertime, will I go back to paperbacks? My ritual in the past has been to head to my little used bookstore and stock up on all the yummy beach reads I can find. It's nice to have a book in my beach bag all the time. Besides, my books tend to get sunscreen, water, and diet soda on them when I have them at the pool with me.

So, the question for this year will be.... iPad or paper book? iPad isn't great for reading in bright light. And I'm terrified I'll somehow drop it in the ocean, not to mention having sand scratch the screen. I hate to give up my paperbacks completely, especially when I like supporting small businesses like my little used bookstore.

Besides, holding a book in my hand while I accidentally stain the pages with sun tan lotion is the true sign that summer is here. And that's what I really look forward to.

Quickie Post

Between NaNoWriMo and edits for my m/m/f novel that comes out around the new year, plus my show closing this weekend, I'm crazy busy. Therefore I will leave you with this link to a cool blog I recently discovered. You may already know it: Hot Guys Reading Books. Mostly photos with brief explantions of location, reading material, etc. Enjoy!

Join me in Philly August 12 & 13

An Evening of Gay Men’s Romance at Giovanni’s Room

Join myself and other MLR Press authors at Giovanni’s Room for an up close and personal book signing featuring the award winning authors of some of the best in contemporary gay fiction.  The evening will include readings by: Victor Banis, Ally Blue, James Buchanan, Z.A. Maxfield, William Neale, and Rick R. Reed. Selections from their current releases will showcase a variety of heat, from sweet romance to scorching erotica, and genre ranging from horror through mystery, BDSM, humor and more. 

Giovanni’s Room, founded in 1973, is the oldest gay bookstore in the US. Housed in historic buildings from the 1800s, Giovanni’s intimate setting and comfortable ambiance allows readers and authors to connect one-on-one, providing a unique experience. Attendees can mingle with their favorite author or discover new books and authors.

Owned by best-selling, award-winning author Laura Baumbach, MLR Press offers the highest quality stories to readers of gay fiction and erotic romance. MLR Press titles include multiple award-winning and Lambda nominated books such as the Donald Strachey Mystery Series by Richard Stevenson and The Golden Age of Gay Fiction edited by Drewey Wayne Gunn, a Benjamin Franklin Award winner. Books from MLR Press take readers on amazing adventures through the creative minds of a small, select group of bright, uniquely talented authors and artists.

Friday, August 12, 2011
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Giovanni’s Room
345 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA

Also attending and signing books: Laura Baumbach, Kimberly Gardner, Ethan Day, Jet Mykles, Diana DeRicci, Taylor Donovan, Liz Strange, DH Star, David Juhren, and Karenna Colcroft.
 
If you can't make it there, I'll also be doing the Book Signing at Author's After Dark, Saturday, August 13, 2011, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Doubletree Hotel, Philadelphia PA

Join 116 + authors for three hours of awesome books and merriment! The booksigning is free to the public (Ormandy Ballroom). Please see our website for the full list of attending authors!
 

Talkin' about the X-factor...

In the midst of juggling a million-and-a-half things, I have rediscovered something this year: my love for comic books. I'm not talking about my general enthusiasm for the medium--I've been a fangirl since I started reading them in *GASP* 1993 and I've always loved my fave characters. But somewhere along the way, I stopped collecting issues in favor of the occasional wiki recap (HORROR OF HORRORS!) to keep me reasonably up-to-date with the Marvel or DC U. And then...it happened...

A few weeks ago, a long-time friend smacked me upside the head and said, 'What the hell's wrong with you? Do you know what you're missing??' She's a huge X-Factor fan, and with her enthusiastic encouragement, I hit my local comic shop on a personal quest to check this book out. First up, Peter David's writing the series, and if you don't know who he is, that's only because you haven't looked at your shelf of fantasy books and Star Trek novelizations in a while. The dude gets character's *right*, his dialog is tack sharp, and the artist he's paired with on the series is a kick-ass comic book chica. Oh, and did I mention that Shatterstar and Rictor are still very much a hot m/m item? Their relationship is so much fun to read about, and they're a big part of why I am not trolling around the comic shop every 1st Wednesday of the month for the latest issue.

I hiiiiiighly recommend you guys check this book out! There are graphic novels collecting individual issues on Amazon if you're not a mega-nerd like me and need the individual issues. Just sayin'.

Great Reading!

Hi guys and gals! I hope everyone reading the blog today is well. I'm kind of a flustered mess at the moment, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite recent reads with you all.

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Bestselling author Michael Thomas Ford demonstrates once again why he is the master of portraying the contemporary gay experience, in this moving, beautifully told story of love, family, and finding one's place in the world.

When a car accident leaves photographer Burke Crenshaw in need of temporary full-time care, he finds himself back in the one place no forty-year-old chooses to be--his childhood bedroom. There, in the Vermont home where he grew up, Burke begins the long process of recuperation, and watches as his widowed father finds happiness in a new relationship that's a constant reminder of everything Burke wants and lacks.

Meeting Will Janks is an unexpected complication. Will is the twenty-year-old son of Burke's high school best friend, Mars. After what transpired between them one summer long ago, Burke had hoped he and Mars might become more than friends, but Mars has always pretended that night never happened. Will, in contrast, makes no secret of his interest in Burke, who can't resist his attraction to the handsome young man.

The burgeoning relationship draws Burke out of himself and into the community he left behind. Exploring local history, he discovers an intriguing series of letters from a Civil War soldier to his fiancé. With the help of librarian Sam Guffrey, he begins to research a 125-year-old mystery that seems to be reaching into the present day. The more Burke delves into the past, the more he's forced to confront the person he has become: the choices he made and those he avoided, his ideas of what it takes to be a successful gay man, his feelings about his mother's death, and the suppressed tension that simmers between himself and his father.

Compelling, frankly funny, and often wise, The Road Home is the story of one man's coming to terms with who he is, what he wants out of life, and where he belongs--and the complex, surprising path that finally takes him there.

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Ryan's relationship-phobic, preferring to live his life from one anonymous hook-up to the next. He never remembers a name, and he never goes back for more. But then he meets Jayden, the one-off who won't get out of his head, his life -- or, indeed, his bed. Ryan remains in a denial, however; he has no place in his life for emotion or feelings, despite how much difficulty he finds in keeping away from the gorgeous, confident Jayden.

It's not until Jayden gets a boyfriend, bringing their non-relationship to a sudden end, that Ryan thinks he might have been feeling something all along. Feeling a lot, actually, but it's too late. Jayden's happy with his new man, and Ryan shouldn't want to get in the way of that -- but he's selfish, and he's had an epiphany, and maybe the only way to get Jayden back is to reveal more of himself than he knows how to handle. But is it enough for Jayden to take a risk on a man who, by his own admission, has no idea how to love?

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My name’s Cameron. And I’m a male escort. I’m the best, and most expensive, at what I do. I have one rule—never let anyone in.

In five years of hooking I’ve never picked up the wrong guy. But when I met Toronto ad man Trevor Barclay in a Manhattan bar, his soft green eyes and shy smile drew me right in. When I discovered the error I had made, I should have written it off as a mistake and moved on. But memories of the steamy encounter we shared in his hotel room continued to haunt me.

I never should have agreed to see him again, but from that very first night he worked his way under my skin and into my heart. I can’t stop thinking about him. But how can I tell him the first man he’s been with in sixteen years sells himself for a living?

Vacation, Anyone?

I spent the first week of March in Vegas and I need another vacation to recover from that one. Oi. But besides my car smelling like a casino and discovering the dangerous lure of gambling, I'm feeling pretty good.

Which means I'm still exhausted and I've been spending all my time just lounging and reading. Thought I'd share what was on my back-from-vacay list :)

Beyond Duty by James Buchanan (in the Edge of Desperation antho with Jason Edding)
No Souvenirs by KA Mitchell
Bound and Determined by Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow
Sympathy by Jordan Castillo Price
Blue Fire by ZA Maxfield

So I'm pretty eclectic in what I'm into. What do you like to take on vacation or recover with? Any recs?

More Interesting Discoveries on Amazon

So, as I was saying in my last post, I've been trolling around online lately, searching for something different to read. I've found some great new authors to follow and some other ... interesting books that I couldn't resist buying, mainly out of morbid curiosity than anything else.

Now, before I share, I'm not knocking fetishes. If you have your thing, and it works for you, then that's great. All I'm saying, is that some subjects strike my whimsy and I can't help but laugh. The book below and it's subject matter is one of the later. And, yes, before anyone asks, I've bought it and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival from Amazon. ;P

The Milk Farm By Luc Milne

You'll have to use your imaginations as far as what this book is about, because Amazon doesn't list a blurb and I haven't read it yet. All I have is one word for you -- glibly stolen from a review someone else posted on the novel -- Mancows.

*giggles like a twelve year old*

Book Recommendations

I ran out of reading material lately and had to go hunting on Amazon to find something to entertain myself with. I've been reading quite a bit lately and thought I would share some of the gems I've unearthed with you all.

Lucky's 13

This book was actually better than I expected. I thought it would be erotica, and it turned out to be a really hot romance. Lots of yummy scenes and a happy ending. It doesn't get much better than that.








Bought And Paid For

This book probably isn't for everyone. It's very light on descriptions and jumps time quite a bit. I wouldn't even really call it erotic, since most of the intimate scenes seem forced, or coerced at the very least. And yet something about it held my attention all the way through and prompted me to buy the two sequels (which are still in transit from Amazon). It could be the hint of mystery regarding a secret organization one of the two main characters is involved in. I just love a good conspiracy.

Yaoi Manga

Anyone who’s read our work knows Barb and I are huge fans of yaoi. The genre’s popularity keeps growing with Western audiences, with certain titles moving 10,000 copies a month, according to this article in Publisher’s Weekly. Meanwhile, a number of online publishers include a category for fiction written in a yaoi-style.

So whaddaya mean you haven’t picked up a yaoi manga yet?!? It's time to dive in!

These are three of my favorite titles, which also make good starters for newbies to the genre. The next time you’re shopping online at Amazon or visit your local Barnes & Noble, drop one into your basket and give it a try. :D

Gerard & Jacques by Fumi Yoshinaga

This two-volume series is the first one I suggest for anyone who’s never picked up a yaoi manga before. With the French Revolution serving as the story’s backdrop, Gerard is an aristocrat-hating author (famous for penning scandalous tales about lesbian lovers) who surprisingly rescues Jacques, a young man indentured to a brothel in order to work off his father’s debts. The series has its moments of political intrigue, drama, humor and tenderness that tug on your heart strings as the two men realize their love for each other is more than platonic. Meanwhile, the art is simple, expressive and compliments the story beautifully. (And for those of you worried about such things, the sex scenes are not too graphic.)

Last Portrait by Akira Honma

This manga offers readers two thoughtful, artistically rendered stories with memorable characters. The first story focuses on a young artist who discovers he’s in love with his sister’s fiancé, but prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the second story in particular. In it, a wet-behind-the-ears FBI agent must work with an ex-member of Bureau who is only days away from being executed for a crime he didn’t commit. It's not the kind of plot I've come across often in yaoi manga, and the action coupled with drama makes for some great tension. As with Gerard & Jacques, there is sex, but not depicted in an overly graphic manner.

And because I can’t resist a good romp…

But…I’m Your Teacher by Yoshino Somei

This volume collects a number of short mangas, all of which *do* contain graphic sex. If cute, blushing penises on every other page aren’t your thing, leave this book carefully tucked away in its shrinkwrap. But for a series of fun, sometimes over the top stories, But I’m Your Teacher will not disappoint. (There is just one short near the end of the book that takes a dark, unexpected twist—but it’s handled in a very interesting way.)

M/M Romance & Children

Ever read a gay romance where one or both of the men had children? No? That's cause there aren't that many out there. Sean Michaels wrote one (First Steps) and Bobby Michaels has one (Jock Dorm 2), but other than those two, I can't think of any. If anyone knows of any others, let me know. I'd love to read them.

You have to wonder why there aren't more stories available involving single fathers. Pretty much any kink under the sun can be found in gay romance, but if you want to find something contemporary and sweet, say single father meets Mr. Right, then you have to look elsewhere. That doesn't make much sense to me.

What do you all think? Does domestication kill the illusion of the single gay man, or is there a call for more of these type of stories?