Queereaders discussion

Currently, there are 101 Goodreads authors who are members here.

Why not take a moment to introduce yourselves, tell us about your current work and future projects, and what inspires you.

Feel free to post reviews and excerpts and anything else of interest.

Hi everyone. I'm Greg Lilly, author of FINGERING THE FAMILY JEWELS -- A Derek Mason Mystery, DEVIL'S BRIDGE, and UNDER A COPPER MOON.

FTFJ was my first book and has been in the top 25 Gay novels on Amazon. The first book in a series of "Derek Mason Mysteries", it has Derek coming back to Charlotte, NC when his beloved Aunt Walterene dies. He has to face all the reasons he left including his mother "Gladys the Bitch", his cousin Mark, and the discovery of a possible lynching of a man that his Uncle Vernon (US Senate candidate) may have been involved in.

DEVIL'S BRIDGE follows two long-time friends, Topher and Myra, as they discover their lives aren't what they want. Topher's lover ignores him and Myra's husband Gil has become abusive. Topher and Myra decide to leave town and start over, but Gil is determined to stop them.

UNDER A COPPER MOON is the adventures of a mail-order bride in the Arizona Territory in 1894. The setting is Jerome, Arizona, a copper mining town that the New York Post called the "Wickedest Town in America." From mine explosions, rowdy men, and enterprising prostitutes to Chinese slavery, opium dens, and a lonely sheriff, a young girl fights her way to independence and respect.

Currently, I'm writing the next Derek Mason Mystery. It combines FTFJ and DEVIL'S BRIDGE. Derek meets up with Topher and some interesting (and tragic) things have happened.

My inspiration hits me like a truck. I can hear it coming for weeks, then WHAM, I'm all over the windshield and stick to it for months (maybe years). Okay that wasn't the best visual, but you get the idea. Usually, ideas inspire me that affect my daily life or the people close to me. I like to write about individuals going through personal trials and triumphs that mirror bigger issues. Even with a historical novel like UNDER A COPPER MOON, there are parallels to today's marriage struggle.

Nancy, thanks for asking. It’s nice to get out of the manuscript once in a while and reflect on what I’m doing and why.


Fingering the Family Jewels

Devil's Bridge

Under a Copper Moon

Hi, everyone! I'm Anne Brooke and I write gay psychological crime fiction and fantasy. I'm the author of A Dangerous Man and Maloney's Law (both on Goodreads). You can find out more about these at http://www.annebrooke.com and keep up to date with writing projects' progress (and lack of ...) at http://annebrooke.blogspot.com

I live and work in the UK and am (sadly!) a closet birdwatcher, but don't tell anyone and my secret will be safe ...

Currently I'm working on the second book in my fantasy trilogy and I'm also thinking about a ghost story as a future project. Later this year, the sequel to Maloney's Law - another gay crime novel called The Bones of Summer - is being published by Dreamspinner Press, so I'm looking forward to that!

:))

Axxx

Hello all, I'm Collin Kelley. My debut novel, Conquering Venus, is coming this summer from Vanilla Heart Publishing. I am also the author of three poetry collections -- Better To Travel, Slow To Burn and After the Poison. My poetry has appeared in dozens of journals and magazines around the world, I have a couple of awards under my belt for poetry and playwriting, but my first love was fiction. Conquering Venus has been in progress for well over a decade, so I am excited that it's finally found a home.

You can find out more about me and the book at http://www.collinkelley.com or at my good reads page. The video trailer for the novel has just been released, too, and I'm quite proud of it.

If anyone would like to read the first two chapters of Conquering Venus, we're sending out a PDF sample from the uncorrected galley. Just drop me a line and let me know. Looking forward to interacting with you here.

Hey all, I'm Bryl Tyne. My first published work, a novella,If I Were a Lady... is out at Noble Romance Publishing. I also have a story titled, Exposed, in the STARbooks Press NERDVANA Anthology set to be released this fall. And another short story contracted with Noble Romance called, Best Unspoken.

I write may genres/cross-genres, and enjoy getting to know other writers. Thanks for the invite to this group, Nancy.

You can find more about me at bryltyne.com

My cyber-door's always open. Drop me line! =)

Hello! Thanks for the invitation, Nancy!

I'm Astrid Amara. I write predominantly gay science fiction/fantasy, but occasionally dabble in contemporary romance as well. My novel The Archer's Heart is a Lamba Literary finalist this year and is available through Amazon.com and at the publisher's website, www.blindeyebooks.com .

I also write science fiction/fantasy romance e-books for a living and have four titles currently available through Loose Id (www.loose-id.com) and a new supernatural thriller coming out this month entitled Water, which will be part of a series. Excerpts of all my books, and blurbs about them, can be found on my website: www.astridamara.com

I've been lurking around here since the group started, but maybe I'll try to be less shy. :) I'm not very vocal on the internet, but I do love reading the posts.

All the best,

Astrid.The Archer's Heart

This is great! Thank you all for posting.

Congrats, Astrid! I loved your stories inTangle and am looking forward to The Archer's Heart.

Collin, I enjoyed the excerpt of "Conquering Venus" and look forward to your book this summer. I believe Kate Evans has a new book coming out around the same time?

Hi Nancy & all,

Yes, Collin's and my novels should be coming out around the same time. We are planning to do some reading events together, in fact.

Speaking of which, here's a brief early review:

As with her first novel, For the May Queen, Kate Evans explores not so much a coming of age story as a coming to terms story in her new novel Complementary Colors.

Gwen Sullivan returns to the Bay Area after a stint teaching English in Japan. With nowhere else to go, and mostly only the clothes in her suitcase, she moves in with her boyfriend, Daniel, a genius but self-absorbed scientist who, though inviting Gwen to live with him, makes no accommodations for her presence—physically or emotionally.

Along with her increasingly unsatisfying relationship and a job that doesn’t thrill her, Gwen decides to take a poetry class to ease her discontent; it is here that she meets Cat and Jamie, a couple of rollicking rough and tumble dykes, who are as intrigued by Gwen as she is by them. And while poetry may be the medium, a myriad of creative and sexual fires are alighted within Gwen against a backdrop of a widening void between herself and Daniel.

As we follow Gwen’s journey for self-awareness, we are not so much rooting for her peace as we are cheering for her to come to terms with and embrace her truest desires. Whether she is imbued with confusion or clarity, we are rallying for Gwen’s appreciation of her creative and sexual self as she comes closer to realizing and living her own truth.

A deftly crafted exploration of self-identity as only Kate Evans can achieve. Brava!


--Cynn Chadwick, author of the Cat Rising, Girls With Hammers, Babies, Bikes, and Broads , and Angels and Manners

My debut novel, Conquering Venus, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $14.95 with a release date of Aug. 5. The book will also be available for Kindle, the Sony Reader and other devices if you want to read it digitally. I'm also hoping that many of you will write a review on Amazon once you've read it and maybe even discuss it here in the group. I'm so excited this book is being published after more than a decade of work.

Collin wrote: "My debut novel, Conquering Venus, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $14.95 with a release date of Aug. 5. The book will also be available for Kindle, the Sony Reader and other devic..."

What is the novel about?

And many others:

Ethan Day
Craig Laurance Gidney
Robert Dunbar
Qwo-Li Driskill
Eowyn Wood
Dharmashanti Kelleher
Catherine M. Wilson
Wade Rouse
Kate Evans
Collin Kelley
Shannon Yarbrough
Astrid Amara
Bryl R. Tyne
Greg Lilly
Perry Brass
Anne Brooke

Collin wrote: "My debut novel, Conquering Venus, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $14.95 with a release date of Aug. 5. The book will also be available for Kindle, the Sony Reader..."

Congrats, Collin! I recently got an iPod Touch and can now read Kindle books, but still prefer print ones. Is the Kindle edition considerably cheaper?

Hi all, my debut novel "Conquering Venus" is now available as an ebook at Scribd, Omnilit and Smashword. It WAS on Kindle, but my publisher pulled it because the formatting was a mess. Sigh. I've got a blog post up on my Goodreads page with links to the ebook sites. The print version is out this week, too! Very exciting. More soon!

Ralph wrote: "Collin wrote: "My debut novel, Conquering Venus, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $14.95 with a release date of Aug. 5. The book will also be available for Kindle, the Sony Reader ..."

Ralph, it's a love story and mystery set in Paris in 1995. You can read the prologue and first chapter (and read the synopsis) at http://www.conqueringvenus.blogspot.com

The print edition of Conquering Venus is out now, too. Amazon and BN.com have it in stock and it's been sent to distributors like Ingram and Baker & Taylor. It will be on some bookstore shelves, but please request a copy at your local bookstore to help spread the word. I hope some of you will buy (or download a copy) and discuss it here.

Collin wrote: "The print edition of Conquering Venus is out now, too. Amazon and BN.com have it in stock and it's been sent to distributors like Ingram and Baker & Taylor. It will be on some bookstore shelves, bu..."

I really enjoyed the excerpt and look forward to reading it soon.

Thanks, Nancy! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

A few new authors have joined us recently. Please come out and introduce yourselves!

Hola! I'm a Havana-born YA lesbian author raised in Miami's Cuban community who wrote the first Cuban-American LGBTQ YA novel with an all cast of Latina/o characters, including Afro Cubans and a tranniboy, in his/herstory. Latinos didn't have a questioning book and I'm proud to have written the first!(everyone is out except main character who's questioning). LAMBDA has just changed its policy to nominate only LGBTQI authors and I'm so excited about that. My next two novels are edgy, with main characters who've never been exposed in YA lit. I will let you know when they're published.

Gracias for inviting me here, Nancy. It was exciting to read all the homo author comments and I look forward to reading their books. A shout out to my fellow authors: Congrats on having been published! Good luck with all your books!
xxxooo
Mayra (aka: Mayra Lazara Dole)

A warm welcome to Mayra and all the other authors who joined us!

Hi Everyone!

Wow, it's really exciting to see all of these lesbian and gay authors gathered in one place!

My debut novel was published this fall with Regal Crest Enterprises. The Vampire's Angel is set during the French Revolution and includes romance, vampires, and witchcraft.

I live in the Chicago area.

Welcome, Damian!

Is there an excerpt of your book posted anywhere?

Not yet - being new to good reads, is there a place to put an excerpt on my page or something?

Hi Damian,

I was looking for an excerpt at your website, but I suppose you can post it on your Goodreads profile as well.

Hi everyone,

My name is Amber Lehman and my first novel is a coming of age story called TORN. TORN is a Young Adult novel written primarily for teens 17 and older and focuses on issues of sexual identity and finding yourself. I was inspired to write this book quite some time ago in my early twenties after hearing and witnessing situations in my friends lives that I thought would make a good story. I guess you could say it’s more “faction” than fiction, but the lines really do tend to blur at some point.

The story follows a 14-year old girl named Krista during her transition to her first time in public school in California after only knowing life at an all-girls parochial school in Ohio. At her new school she faces obstacles—one of which is a dare that goes against her religious upbringing—and is forced to grow up quickly. I guess I would classify this as a glbt romance novel. You can find out more about my work at my website: http://www.closetcasepress.com . I also have a video trailer for my book on my author’s page here on goodreads.

When I first wrote this book it was 1100 pages long. I cut it down to 404 pages. So now I’m working on the sequel with the rest of the material I didn’t use for the first book.

After I finish my sequel I would like to explore writing in other genres too, such as dark fantasy.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share!

Amber :)

I'm Aleksandr Voinov and I make shit up. :) My books are in my profile, same with my website, and I hope to be more active here, despite deadlines...

Welcome, Aleksandr! Going to check out your books now...

Grab "Spoils of War" - it's a short story free at Smashwords :)

Just got it, thanks! :)

Hey, everyone! Just realized I've never shouted out. I write mostly in the mystery/thriller/suspense genre but currently working on a paranormal-thriller short that should be out this spring. My short, VOYEUR, is on Goodreads and available via multiple sites, such as Amazon, Fictionwise, AllRomance-E and loveyoudivine.com (direct).

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58...

I live in Atlanta (same as Collin Kelley). I took some time off from writing last year due to family issues and didn't release anything, so I'm looking forward to what this year can bring!

http://www.jonmichaelsen.net
http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.ph...

Looking forward to discovering new authors!

When I first started this topic in March, there were only 7 authors here. Now we're up to 46!

Y'all have to stop writing so fast so I can catch up!

Isn't it great, Nancy?! I've discovered new authors since becoming a member of Goodreads that I likely wouldn't have come across...I'm lovin' it!

Jon, I've been a member here a little over two years and don't even want to talk about how many books I have. Probably enough to start a small-town library!

Thank goodness for e-readers! My stack of books continues to grow without taking up any space.

This website is truly amazing...I have an e-reader too and find myself reading reviews before purchasing; that way, I know what I'm in for...before, I'd peruse a bookstore for hours, walk out with a book or two and find I couldn't get into it! This way - I'm saving money!!!

Jon

OK, I can't remember if I have ever formally introduced myself or not. So, I thought I'd better.

My name is Paul Bens and I've been writing dark fiction/horror for about the last 10 years. I've had short stories published in Cemetery Dance, Velvet Mafia, Outsider Ink and have a piece forthcoming in Dark Discoveries. My first novel Kelland was released late last year to largely favorable reviews and won a Black Quill Award for Best Small Press Chill (Editor's Choice).

I have a number of free reads up on my website for those who might be interested.

This year, I'm donating all the 2nd Quarter (April through June 2010) royalties I receive from Kelland to SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused By Priests) , an important organization. If you'd like to sample the novel, I have a number of excerpts over at Who is Kelland?

That's kinda me in a nutshell.

Welcome, Paul! I already have my copy of Kelland and look forward to reading it soon.

Nancy wrote: "Welcome, Paul! I already have my copy of Kelland and look forward to reading it soon."

Hi Nancy! Thanks for the welcome. And since you already have a copy, I shall add my royalty from that sale to the donation to SNAP. =-) Thank you for picking it up. I really appreciate it.

Hi all,

My name is Chris Delyani, I've been passionate about writing for as long as I can remember, and last year I self-published "The Love Thing," a romantic comedy set in San Francisco. You can read all about it on my website,

http://www.chrisdelyani.com

I hope you check it out!

Chris

Welcome, Chris!

The link to download the first chapter doesn't seem to work. Is your book available as a Kindle edition?

Hi Nancy,

Sorry about that: that link used to go to an Amazon short that Amazon has since pulled from the site. (I should take the link down but I'm not good at managing websites.) Yep, the book is definitely available on Kindle. Thanks!

Chris

Wow! Thanks for doing this, Nancy. Remarkably accomplished group we’ve got here. I know Greg’s work of course, and Paul’s. Always nice to meet new people.

My turn? My name is Rob Dunbar, and I’ve written for scores of gay presses. I’m also the author of two novels, the supernatural thrillers The Pines and The Shore, which don’t have much queer content, and the collection Martyrs & Monsters, which does. (I have another novel due out later this year.) There’re very few kinds of writing I haven’t explored. Wait – I can insert a quote from the infernal bio. “Dark literature has only recently become the principal focus of Dunbar’s career. Both his mainstream fiction and his poetry have appeared in respected literary journals, and several of his plays have been produced in regional theaters. Dunbar has also written extensively for television (and has appeared as a guest on a variety of programs). Currently, he’s focusing his energies on launching a new independent press: UNINVITED BOOKS. For more information, visit http://www.DunbarAuthor.com and http://www.UninvitedBooks.com "

Oh. And I moderate a group here at goodreads called LITERARY HORROR. Please feel free to drop by, everyone – always looking for fresh blood.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Hi there!!

I'm David H. Burton. As my profile indicates, I'm an adoptive father of 3 boys, manager of chaos, science and technology geek, person of the queer persuasion, and purveyor of sacrilege. :)

I'm an indie author and have a new book that came out just over a month ago. It's ebook only at the moment. Here's a quick synopsis:

Five hundred years have passed since the Earth shifted on its axis – a catastrophic event that wiped out civilization and released the powers of the dead back to Earth. With technology long abandoned, a dark age has shrouded our world once more. Travel to a future of blood sacrifice, demons, witchcraft, and an immoral God that has returned to reclaim his former dominion.

It's not for the religiously sensitive and has lots of queer characters in it. I have some great blurbs for it as well:

"Beautifully written, dark and eerie vision of an apocalyptic future" - New York Times Bestselling Author, Margaret Weis

"David H. Burton is a dark new talent in the genre. This one will make you leave the lights on for a week!" - USA Today Bestseller, Cathy Clamp.

The Second Coming is available at Amazon and is in the Top 5 Bestsellers (as well as the #1 Fantasy Bestseller) at Smashwords. And with a little luck I should be on the iPad as well this weekend. :)

Here is the book trailer for the novel.

I can be found online at http://davidhburton.com

Nice to meet you!!
Cheers!
David

Hey, Ann. Best of luck with the new book. I've often dropped by Outlaw Reviews. Some fine work there. And don't worry, we won't hold Paul against you. (Wait. That came out weird.)

Thanks for posting, everyone! I love discovering new authors.

Ann, if I subscribe to Outlaw Reviews, does that mean I'll get notified by e-mail when there are updates? Sadly, I don't have the time to follow all the blogs I'd like to and it would be nice to read them all in one place.

Ann wrote: "Yes, Nancy, you should get updates. Or you could add the blog to your RSS reader, or to facebook, or to Twitter. I'd arrange for a nubile young man to stop by and sing the reviews to you, but sadly he's, er, already in use ;)..."

A nubile young woman with cropped hair and black leather would work well too. ;)

No Facebook or Twitter for me...getting the updates by mail is fine.

Nancy wrote: "Thanks for posting, everyone! I love discovering new authors.

Ann, if I subscribe to Outlaw Reviews, does that mean I'll get notified by e-mail when there are updates? Sadly, I don't have the ..."

If you use Google Reader you can read all your blog updates in one place. I use it to follow several writing related blogs.

I have Google Reader, but can I get all blog updates there?

Yup! Most blogs have the option to subscribe via Google Reader, but if they don't you can go to the Google Reader page and click "Add a Subscription" on the left and enter the blog URL.

Oh, I didn't know that. I assumed the blogs had to have the option to subscribe. Thanks, Ralph!

Vestal McIntyre here, author of You Are Not the One and Lake Overturn which is nominated for this year's Lambda Literary Award and Ferro-Grumley Award, and has won the Grub Street National Book Prize in addition to being named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and a Washington Post Best Book of 2009. Lots of new writing and links at:

https://vestalmcintyre.com