• The Case of the Missing Drag Queen

    Broke, saddled with a mountain of debt, and dependent on his Aunt Callie’s support, aspiring writer Luke Tanner has returned to Kentucky to put his life back together after a failed five-year relationship. On his twenty-fifth birthday, Luke meets diminutive Pixie Wilder, a long-time performer at the Gilded Lily. After headliner Ruby Dubonnet doesn’t show up, Pixie takes her place as the star of the show—a motive that makes her a suspect in Ruby’s disappearance. Luke reluctantly agrees to help his new-found friend clear her name. He and Pixie set out to find the missing drag queen, and in the process, put themselves in danger.

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  • Aucune Bonne Action

    La veille de Noël, en 1966, Philip Potter, un conservateur du Smithsonian au grand cœur, termine ses achats de dernière minute. Au même instant, James, son compagnon depuis plusieurs années, s’ôte la vie chez eux. Inconscient de ce qui l’attend, Philip dépose des cadeaux à un refuge pour sans-abris, un acte généreux qui fera plus tard de lui un suspect dans le meurtre d’un prostitué. Après la mort choquante de James, deux hommes entrent dans la vie de Philip… et tous deux conduisent une Continental jaune. L’un d’eux, toutefois, est un tueur avec le sang de six prostitués sur les mains. Et tous deux cachent quelque chose. Comme Philip est sur le point de le découvrir, aucune bonne action ne …

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  • Equality: What Do You Think about When You Think of Equality?

    In the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Stride Toward Freedom and Malala Yousafzai’s, I Am Malala, Equality: What Do You Think About When You Think of Equality? presents thought-provoking and compelling personal essays that probe a concept professed to be the very foundation of our democracy—a concept that may even be more vital today than in the past. From international bestselling author, Anne Perry who asserts we must look within ourselves to our emotions, experiences, and beliefs before we attempt an honest and truthful answer, to Dennis Palumbo, psychotherapist and author, who claims diagnostic labels used in treating mental illness often stigmatize and dehumanize the patient causing clinicians to view their patients in terms of their diagnosis rather than …

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  • No Good Deed

    On Christmas Eve in 1966, Philip Potter, a kind-hearted Smithsonian curator,  wraps up his last-minute shopping. Meanwhile, his lover of several years takes his own life back in their home. Unaware of what awaits him, Philip drops off gifts at a homeless shelter, an act of generosity that will later make him a suspect in the murder of a male prostitute. Following James’s shocking death, two men enter Philip’s life—and both drive yellow Continentals. One of them, though, is a killer, with the blood of at least six hustlers on his hands. And both are hiding something. As Philip is about to discover, no good deed goes unpunished. (Originally released by MLR Press in 2013 as After Christmas Eve)

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  • Whippersnapper

    Tellumo Magnamater is a fresh-out-of-college, first-year English teacher at Salt Lick County High School in Kentucky. He rides the bus to and from work, and every day he walks to the gym behind his small efficiency apartment to exercise. Perhaps because of being raised by two lesbians, Tellumo is attracted to older men. He sets his sights on fifty-something available bachelor Oliver Crumbly. But Tellumo isn’t the only resident interested in Oliver. Peggy Tucker, a widow approaching her sixtieth birthday, is determined to marry again, and she thinks Oliver is her perfect match. Despite Tellumo and Peggy striking up a friendship at the gym, neither realizes they are interested in the same man. But the joke might be on both of …

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  • Happy Independence Day

    Terrence Bottom wants to change the world. Little does he know the world is already changing, and his part in it won’t be what he expects. A prelaw student at Columbia University, Terrence’s interests range from opposing the draft and the war in Vietnam, to civil rights for gays, to anything to do with Cameron McKenzie, the rugged blond hanging around the Stonewall Inn. Too bad Cameron bolts whenever Terrence looks his way. College dropout Cameron McKenzie left tiny Paris, Kentucky with dreams of a career on Broadway. Although he claims to be straight, he prostitutes himself to survive. Now the Mafia is using him to entrap men for extortion schemes. He’s in over his head with no way out—at …

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  • The Bear King of Snowbird Mountain

    Recently single Jeremy Jenkins is an average guy working hard as a landscape designer in the mountains of Tennessee. At a conference in DC, he meets gorgeous Donald Matthews, who says the strangest things—like how he thinks Jeremy is hot and wants them to spend the rest of their lives together. This story is part of A Taste of Honey, a Dreamspinner Press Anthology. Other stories in the collection: The Bear Fetish, by John Amory The Bear Next Door, by Jack Byrne The Bear at the Bar, by J. Scott Coatsworth Barefoot, by Lillian Francis Just Breath, by John Genest Bear Chasing, by Renae Kaye Golden Bear, by G. P. Keith Hunting Bear: A Fairy Tale with a Very Hairy …

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  • Until Thanksgiving

    Josh Freeman knows his best days are behind him. After his partner of seventeen years has an affair with a younger man, Josh buries himself in takeout boxes, half-smoked joints, and self-pity until his best friend gently kicks him in the ass and encourages him to try out a new job in Washington DC—at least until Thanksgiving. Though DC has its share of troubles, specifically in the form of a murderer targeting gay men, Josh soon discovers its charms as well. Unlike his old home, DC is crawling with men who want to date him—apparently he’s not as overweight, out of shape, or over the hill as the man he once loved made him believe. In particular, Josh would love …

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The Crotchety Old Man

Jul 14, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In An Author's Life, Becoming a Writer, Gay Lifestyles
4 Comments

Finding Myself as a Writer

What kind of books do you write? That’s the first question I get when someone finds out I’m an author. “Writing stories true enough for government work” is my tagline, but says little about my novels. When pressed, I’ll say I write gay fiction which is…er… close enough for government work. My first novel is a thriller. After Christmas Eve is more of a mystery. My next novel (scheduled for release by Dreamspinner Press on August 20), Happy Independence Day is — I suppose — an historical romance. The story includes two budding romances and the first glimpse of a couple who came together in After Christmas Eve. But the Stonewall uprising of 1969 is the  main attraction. As I was wrapping up the story, I …
Jul 10, 2014
By L.E. Franks
1 Comment

The Fourth Act

Perspective is important for a writer. And I’ve discovered I have none. Not really. Gone are all the illusions that I once held about my writing talent—that it is inviolate and absolute…and as ready to leap to my call as the first gush of water from a turn of the spigot. Last November I murdered the last shreds of confidence retained from the all accolades heaped upon my youthful and undisciplined brow by all the professors I admired, and later all the employers who appreciated my skill with a report or SEC filing. Those three weeks in November taught me something I’d never known before: Writing is hard and the words are more likely to kick you in the face …
Jul 07, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In Advice, Dieting, Habits
Comments Off on Making Lemonade…Really

Making Lemonade…Really

My beverage of choice is coffee. I drink several cups every morning and another cup or two in the afternoon. Later in the day, however, I want something without the caffeine. When an ice-filled glass of water or a soft drink won’t do, a refreshing glass of lemonade really hits the spot. In the past, lemonade rarely turned up in my grocery basket. At most, I’d buy a can or two of frozen concentrate once or twice a year. I bought my first carafe of Simply Lemonade maybe a year ago, and now I’m addicted. I’ll swirl every sip of the delicious liquid around my mouth, swallow, and then exclaim, “Delicious!” It’s delicious because eight ounces has 28 grams of sugar (seven teaspoons), clocking in at 120 …
Jul 04, 2014
By Eden Winters
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Diversion

Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family’s pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.

She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, “We could do this, you know.” Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ char...

Jul 03, 2014
By K-lee Klein
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Unbreak My Heart

I met Michael when our eyes met across a crowded room alit with candles. Soft music played in the background amidst the gentle burbling of a fountain filled with fragrant rose petals. Magic crackled the still air, and as I tentatively approached him sparks flew and my knees became weak. I covered my mouth when I realized I’d seen him before, earlier when I was at the pool. He’d been half-naked, displaying his sparkling charm and burgeoning assets for an over-abundance of female attentions pulling him this way and that. His eyes were bright and attentive as he gazed into mine, and when he took my hand to introduce himself, I barely found the words to reply. “I’m very pleased …
Jun 30, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In Pet Peeves
7 Comments

Writing Pet Peeves: Comma Confusion

The presence of rules suggests one correct way to punctuate a given sentence. At least, that’s how I was taught. Pity the fool who disagreed with my high school grammar teacher about the correct placement of a comma, semicolon, or colon. Rather than memorizing the complicated rules she tried to teach us, I learned to trust my gut. If in doubt, I go with the pause rule and add a comma when a pause is desired. By graduate school, aside from the occasional missing or extra comma in the reference section, I’d more or less mastered comma usage. Editors for dozens of academic publications of one kind or another agreed, rarely adding or removing commas to anything I’ve written in the last 25 years. Faith in my punctuation instincts …
Jun 26, 2014
By Tempeste O'Riley
5 Comments

Desire’s Guardian

Good morning everyone. First, I would like to thank Michael for hosting my new release! Thanks Michael!!! Now, what am I here to talk about? That’s always a fun thing for an author to figure out. In my case, I want to discuss non-standard characters and genre labeling. You see, in Desires’ Guardian, as well as its sequel due out in September (Temptations of Desire) you meet and journey with characters that are not your typical m/m characters. First, you have Chase and Rhys, the main characters of the story. Chase is a total twink and is presumed to be a total bottom. Rhys is 6’5” ex-Marine, PI/Bodyguard, and built like a wall… so he’s a top, right? Um… well… …
Jun 23, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In An Author's Life, Gay Lifestyles, Modern Gay Dating, My Love Life
8 Comments

Single Life and the Serial Monogamist

For me, a relationship has always been as essential for life as clean air and water. Except for the hours, days, or weeks required to find a new one, I’ve been seeing someone steady since the fifth grade. By high school graduation, I’d spent thousands of hours on the telephone with dozens of girls who sported cheap jewelry engraved with my name or initials. My goal to stay in a relationship continued through college, after I came out, and beyond. A partner was proof somebody loved me. Desperation guided my selection process, with unsurprising results. Yeah, I know. Pathetic. Pardon the pun, but I had a hole to fill. Decent guys ran like the wind, leaving nothing but riffraff to sort through for my next partner. My last ex …
Jun 19, 2014
By Jenn Dease
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Captain’s Mate

I am Jenn Dease, and my first book just came out from MLR Press. It is titled ‘Captain’s Mate’ and is the first book in the Dragon Marines series. This is a Military, Dragon Shape-Shifter Romance set in the future. I am currently working on the second book in the Dragon Marine series and a short Christmas story set in the same world. Here is a short excerpt: Dane lay in his bunk going over the day’s events. The Team Liaison he’d requested had finally arrived. A very handsome, blond human with the most striking eyes. They were the color of the sea near his home island. A turquoise color. The lieutenant commander was the type of man Dane was …
Jun 16, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In An Author's Life, Dieting, Exercise, Friends, Habits, Modern Gay Dating, My Love Life, The Day Job, Toodles
Comments Off on Priorities

Priorities

My father taught me anything worth doing is worth doing well. Of course, he never actually used those words. Instead, he’d berate me for being half-assed. Thanks to this early training (or an undiagnosed personality disorder), I don’t do things by halves. Nope. Not me. I’m whole ass or not at all. Insecurity nourishes my obsessive tendencies. To compensate for feeling like I’m not up to the task, I play to win and am always looking for ways to improve my game. This competitive nature, on occasion, makes me come across as a bit of a jerk. Time and success have softened hard edges, but insecurity still drives me to overachieve. Life can be overwhelming. There’s always so damn much to do, and change is constant. With …
Jun 12, 2014
By Rick R. Reed
Rick R. Reed Dinner At Home Blog Tour
10 Comments

Nurse Jackie Is My Inspiration

I was watching the latest installment of the angst, drug- and comedy-fueled saga that is Showtime’s Nurse Jackie the other night and I thought to myself, “Why do I like this show so much?” I mean, other than the obvious—amazing performances not only by Edie Falco, but the whole ensemble; fresh, snappy writing; and direction that keeps the pacing breathless yet engaging—but what deeper things draw me to a television show so much that my uniform reaction when the credits come up is disappointment? Not because I wasn’t satisfied, but because I was so engrossed. I came up with five reasons that I realized also were goals in my own storytelling. Whether I even come close to succeeding as well …
Jun 09, 2014
By Charlie Cochet
8 Comments

Hell & High Water Cover Reveal

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes se...
Jun 05, 2014
By Haley Walsh
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Skyler Foxe Mysteries

When Your Erotic Mysteries Are Set At A High School… Okay, calm down everyone. The setting is a high school, yes. But the main protagonists are two teachers. Everything you read about in the novels is between two consenting adults. Whew! But even in this day and age, you’ve got to be careful. I write the Skyler Foxe Mysteries. Skyler Foxe is in his first year as a high school English Lit teacher. But he has a penchant for stumbling upon murder and has the need to solve them, whether it’s to discover who killed his principal’s son, sleuthing out the murderer of an old friend from college, or, in the case of the latest, FOXE FIRE, if the recent …
Jun 02, 2014
By Michael Rupured
In Advice, An Author's Life, Becoming a Writer, My Life
7 Comments

Five Steps to Becoming a Successful Author

On this date just two short years ago, with a lot of encouragement from my friends in the Athens Writers Workshop, I submitted a query for my first novel. I waited for the “not what we’re looking for at this time” message to file with the rejections I’d already received for Glass Houses — my still unpublished memoir. Instead, less than three months later, the fine folks at Dreamspinner Press sent me a contract for Until Thanksgiving. When I signed that first contract, my expectations about overnight success as a published author were a tad unrealistic. I haven’t quit my day job. You won’t find excerpts from my books in The New Yorker. Terry Gross hasn’t interviewed me for Fresh Air, nor has Oprah called. Even …
May 29, 2014
By Poppy Dennison
Belligerent Beta Blog Tour
2 Comments

The Science of Shifters

Based on the title of this post, you might be thinking I’m smart or something. I’m not. Well, not where science is concerned. Or physics. Or whatever science would be involved to allow a person to shapeshift. Does such a science exist? Anyhoo, I’m not smart in those areas. I have been called a smart ass a time or two, but that’s another post. *g* No, today I want to talk to you about the science of shifters. There seem to be two different mind sets among authors on how shifters work. One is through magic. Shifting just happens. The other gets into the physics of it. Mass must equal mass. Or something like that? Clearly, I’m of the first …