In memory of Celeste De Blasis

Celeste N. De Blasis was born on May 8, 1946 in Santa Monica, California. She grew up at the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, California located in the high Mojave Desert. She was the daughter Jean De Blasis. Jean De Blasis and Joseph Campbell are the children of author Mrs. Kemper Campbell (Litta Belle Campbell). Joseph, who passed away in 1990, was a Superior Court judge. Jean served as a councilwoman in Victorville. Celeste De Blasis attended Wellesley College, later transferred to Oregon State University, and in 1968 was graduated from Pomona College where longing to be back home at the ranch had drawn her. She continued to live on the ranch until her death of cancer on April 13, 2001.

"Though my parents could ill afford it, they helped give me and my brother David time to savor different cultures," she said. "They were wise in their knowledge that realization of a dream should not be put off. Shortly after David returned home, he found that he was suffering from a rare and fast-growing form of cancer. He fought an incredible battle for two years. His laughter, wit, courage, and dignity never failed; only his body could not bear the burden." David died two years later in September, 1973, at the age of twenty-five. A week before David died, she finished the manuscript of The Night Child and sent it to her agent. When told of it, David answered her that it would be a success. And it was.

Her final book did not follow her proven historical romance formula. It was a biographical work titled "Graveyard Peaches" about her life at the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, California. After the publication of this work, Celeste De Blasis battled cancer until her death in 2001. She was cremated and her ashes were spread along her favorite trail at the Kemper Campbell Ranch where she had walked nearly everyday.

To read more:

http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/20310623/

In memory of Celeste De Blasis

Celeste N. De Blasis was born on May 8, 1946 in Santa Monica, California. She grew up at the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, California located in the high Mojave Desert. She was the daughter Jean De Blasis. Jean De Blasis and Joseph Campbell are the children of author Mrs. Kemper Campbell (Litta Belle Campbell). Joseph, who passed away in 1990, was a Superior Court judge. Jean served as a councilwoman in Victorville. Celeste De Blasis attended Wellesley College, later transferred to Oregon State University, and in 1968 was graduated from Pomona College where longing to be back home at the ranch had drawn her. She continued to live on the ranch until her death of cancer on April 13, 2001.

"Though my parents could ill afford it, they helped give me and my brother David time to savor different cultures," she said. "They were wise in their knowledge that realization of a dream should not be put off. Shortly after David returned home, he found that he was suffering from a rare and fast-growing form of cancer. He fought an incredible battle for two years. His laughter, wit, courage, and dignity never failed; only his body could not bear the burden." David died two years later in September, 1973, at the age of twenty-five. A week before David died, she finished the manuscript of The Night Child and sent it to her agent. When told of it, David answered her that it would be a success. And it was.

Her final book did not follow her proven historical romance formula. It was a biographical work titled "Graveyard Peaches" about her life at the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, California. After the publication of this work, Celeste De Blasis battled cancer until her death in 2001. She was cremated and her ashes were spread along her favorite trail at the Kemper Campbell Ranch where she had walked nearly everyday.

To read more:

http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/20310623/

Save Me (2007) directed by Robert Cary

Director: Robert Cary

Writers (WGA): Robert Desiderio (screenplay)
Craig Chester (story)
Alan Hines (story)

Genre: Drama

Plot: When Mark (Chad Allen), a young gay man addicted to sex and drugs–hits bottom, his concerned brother checks him into a Christian retreat in the New Mexico desert. Run by a compassionate husband and wife team, Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted have made it their life’s mission to cure young men of their ‘gay affliction’ through spiritual guidance.

But after Mark bonds with fellow resident Scott (Robert Gant) and their relationship evolves, they are forced to confront their true selves. Featuring powerful performances and even-handed direction, this acclaimed drama is a subtly nuanced and deeply sympathetic look at both sides of one of the most polarizing debates in America: the conflict and possible reconciliation between homosexuality and Christianity.

Stars Robert Gant of Queer as Folk and Judith Light of Ugly Betty.

Up there with Brokeback Mountain as one of the most powerful gay dramas of recent years. --Time Out London

A thoughtful, important film of exceptional insight and quietly devastating power. --Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Awards: 2009 GLAAD Media Award Nomination as Outstanding Film - Limited Release

@IMDb
@Amazon: Save Me - Theatrical Cover
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video



( more pics )

Cast (in credits order)
Chad Allen ... Mark
Robert Gant ... Scott
Jeremy Glazer ... Trey
David Petruzzi ... Dustin
Arron Shiver ... Jude
Colin Jones ... Randall
Stephen Lang ... Ted
Judith Light ... Gayle
William Dennis Hurley ... Bill
Robert Baker ... Lester
( rest of the cast )

( trailer )

Save Me (2007) directed by Robert Cary

Director: Robert Cary

Writers (WGA): Robert Desiderio (screenplay)
Craig Chester (story)
Alan Hines (story)

Genre: Drama

Plot: When Mark (Chad Allen), a young gay man addicted to sex and drugs–hits bottom, his concerned brother checks him into a Christian retreat in the New Mexico desert. Run by a compassionate husband and wife team, Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted have made it their life’s mission to cure young men of their ‘gay affliction’ through spiritual guidance.

But after Mark bonds with fellow resident Scott (Robert Gant) and their relationship evolves, they are forced to confront their true selves. Featuring powerful performances and even-handed direction, this acclaimed drama is a subtly nuanced and deeply sympathetic look at both sides of one of the most polarizing debates in America: the conflict and possible reconciliation between homosexuality and Christianity.

Stars Robert Gant of Queer as Folk and Judith Light of Ugly Betty.

Up there with Brokeback Mountain as one of the most powerful gay dramas of recent years. --Time Out London

A thoughtful, important film of exceptional insight and quietly devastating power. --Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Awards: 2009 GLAAD Media Award Nomination as Outstanding Film - Limited Release

@IMDb
@Amazon: Save Me - Theatrical Cover
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video



( more pics )

Cast (in credits order)
Chad Allen ... Mark
Robert Gant ... Scott
Jeremy Glazer ... Trey
David Petruzzi ... Dustin
Arron Shiver ... Jude
Colin Jones ... Randall
Stephen Lang ... Ted
Judith Light ... Gayle
William Dennis Hurley ... Bill
Robert Baker ... Lester
( rest of the cast )

( trailer )

Amazon Sales Rank: The reply from Amazon

I sent an email to Amazon Customer Service last night as one of their Top Reviewers:

"I'm one of your Top Reviewers. I have a LGBT Review blog with a daily average visit of more than 500 and I always included the Amazon buy link. But now most of the books I review have no more sales rank and are disappeared from the Bestseller List. To a Gay Novel author who asked a reason why, one of your people replied:

"In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us."

Can you tell me why you decided to define "adult" material a book like "A Secret Edge" by Robin Reardon, that is a Young Adult book with no sex? Or "Maurice" by E.M. Forster that is a classic of English literature? Why the paperback editions of "Call Me by Your Name" by Andre Aciman or "Almost Like Being in Love" by Steve Kluger have no more the sales rank?

Thank you, Elisa Rolle"

and this morning I received this reply:

"Hello, Thanks for reviewing our website.

We recently discovered a glitch in our systems and it's being fixed.

Thanks again for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.

Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.

To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.

Best regards,

Sornalatha"

Obviously I already replied that it was not a "glitch" and that the problem was not resolved since I still can't find "A Secret Edge" by Robin Reardon with the general search, and when I check the book, it has not its sales rank. I'm taking that book as example since it is a Young Adult book, with almost no sex (I read it and I know), and it was a book at the top of their Bestseller Lists before this change.

Yesterday night I also sent an email to all the 100 authors in my Top 100 Gay Novels List; some authors replied, most of them didn't know what was happening and said they will take measure. Who replied (even if their books are not "purged"): Barry McCrea, Lee Rowan, Robin Reardon, Lynn Flewelling, Ruth Sims, Paul Lisicky, Tom Dolby, Ronald L. Donaghe, Blair Mastbaum, Mark Kendrick, W.A. Hoffman, Alex Sanchez, Marc Acito, Christopher Rice, Steve Berman, Damian McNicholl.

( Replies from Authors )

ETA: Dear Author hypothesized that Amazon used Category MetaData to filter ranking, so I made an analysis on the first 20 title of my Top 100 Gay Novels List:

( 20 titles analysis )

So it appears that if you have a Gay & Lesbian category, the book is stripped of the Sales Rank, but if the category is Homosexuality, the Sales Rank remains, and this allows some "strange" result in the Amazon search right now.

Please sign the petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy

ETA: The search engine on Amazon website is starting to behave:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/594190.html

Amazon Sales Rank: The reply from Amazon

I sent an email to Amazon Customer Service last night as one of their Top Reviewers:

"I'm one of your Top Reviewers. I have a LGBT Review blog with a daily average visit of more than 500 and I always included the Amazon buy link. But now most of the books I review have no more sales rank and are disappeared from the Bestseller List. To a Gay Novel author who asked a reason why, one of your people replied:

"In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us."

Can you tell me why you decided to define "adult" material a book like "A Secret Edge" by Robin Reardon, that is a Young Adult book with no sex? Or "Maurice" by E.M. Forster that is a classic of English literature? Why the paperback editions of "Call Me by Your Name" by Andre Aciman or "Almost Like Being in Love" by Steve Kluger have no more the sales rank?

Thank you, Elisa Rolle"

and this morning I received this reply:

"Hello, Thanks for reviewing our website.

We recently discovered a glitch in our systems and it's being fixed.

Thanks again for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.

Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.

To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.

Best regards,

Sornalatha"

Obviously I already replied that it was not a "glitch" and that the problem was not resolved since I still can't find "A Secret Edge" by Robin Reardon with the general search, and when I check the book, it has not its sales rank. I'm taking that book as example since it is a Young Adult book, with almost no sex (I read it and I know), and it was a book at the top of their Bestseller Lists before this change.

Yesterday night I also sent an email to all the 100 authors in my Top 100 Gay Novels List; some authors replied, most of them didn't know what was happening and said they will take measure. Who replied (even if their books are not "purged"): Barry McCrea, Lee Rowan, Robin Reardon, Lynn Flewelling, Ruth Sims, Paul Lisicky, Tom Dolby, Ronald L. Donaghe, Blair Mastbaum, Mark Kendrick, W.A. Hoffman, Alex Sanchez, Marc Acito, Christopher Rice, Steve Berman, Damian McNicholl.

( Replies from Authors )

ETA: Dear Author hypothesized that Amazon used Category MetaData to filter ranking, so I made an analysis on the first 20 title of my Top 100 Gay Novels List:

( 20 titles analysis )

So it appears that if you have a Gay & Lesbian category, the book is stripped of the Sales Rank, but if the category is Homosexuality, the Sales Rank remains, and this allows some "strange" result in the Amazon search right now.

Please sign the petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy

ETA: The search engine on Amazon website is starting to behave:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/594190.html

Man Candy Day: Mathias Lauridsen

Ahah I know what most of my friends were thinking, "we couldn't care less of Amazon, it's Monday and we WANT the Man Candy!". Sorry guys, I was really thinking to not post it this week, I believed that there were more important things to blog about, but then we received good news, books by Jane Davitt, Alex Sanchez, Alex Beecroft, Marquesate, Tamara Allen (and probably many more) have their sales rank back, the Search Engine on Amazon is starting to work normally again and so... also the Man Candy is back! You deserve a prize for all the work you did on these two days. erastes  the pic with the foil is especially for you, he isn't dressed in frilly garment, but he has an "ancient" taste, hasn't he?


Mathias Lauridsen by Craig McDean

( more pics )

Mathias Lauridsen (born January 13, 1984) is a male model from Copenhagen, Denmark and has been featured in numerous ad campaigns including: Missoni F/W 08, H&M F/W 08, Lacoste F/W 08, Bruuns Bazaar F/W 08, Free Soul F/W 08, Rogatis F/W 08, Givenchy S/S 08, Hugo Boss Black S/S 08, Hugo Boss S/S 08, Trussardi F/W 07, Marco Polo F/W 07, Costume National F/W 07, Gucci Pour Homme Fragrance S/S 07 (by Mert and Marcus), Jil Sander, and Hermès.
 
He was discovered in 2003 and is currently signed with Ford Models in Paris, New York Model Management and Scoop in Copenhagen. He is considered to be one of the best male models, and has landed many lucrative contracts, for example the Gucci Pour Homme II fragrance. His runway credentials include opening shows for Hermès, Belstaff, Jill Stuart and closing for both Valentino and John Galliano.
 
He has appeared in editorials for: Cover Magazine (A Matter of Grace by Kacper Kasprzyk), Numéro Homme (Spleen et Ideal by Liz Collins), Euroman (God Dag Far Ver by Dennis Stenild & New Modern Classics by Henrik Bulow), Ten Men Magazine (I Regretted Doing My Same Old Shy Act by Richard Bush), Another Man Magazine (From Decadence to Dystopia by Serge LeBlon), L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Paris, GQ and Details. The photographers he has worked with include Karl Lagerfeld and Richard Avedon. Avedon photographed Lauridsen for a Hermes ad editorial in 2004 that proved to be one of the photographers last works.

He was on the cover of Euroman, October 2008, by Henrik Bulow.

He is currently ranked number 1 on models.com out of 50 other male models, and number 2 in the list of the most successful male models in the world, published by Forbes.

His distinguishing feature is a scar he has on his left cheek.



( more pics )

@Wikipedia
@Ford Models Europe
@New York Model Management

Man Candy Day: Mathias Lauridsen

Ahah I know what most of my friends were thinking, "we couldn't care less of Amazon, it's Monday and we WANT the Man Candy!". Sorry guys, I was really thinking to not post it this week, I believed that there were more important things to blog about, but then we received good news, books by Jane Davitt, Alex Sanchez, Alex Beecroft, Marquesate, Tamara Allen (and probably many more) have their sales rank back, the Search Engine on Amazon is starting to work normally again and so... also the Man Candy is back! You deserve a prize for all the work you did on these two days. erastes  the pic with the foil is especially for you, he isn't dressed in frilly garment, but he has an "ancient" taste, hasn't he?


Mathias Lauridsen by Craig McDean

( more pics )

Mathias Lauridsen (born January 13, 1984) is a male model from Copenhagen, Denmark and has been featured in numerous ad campaigns including: Missoni F/W 08, H&M F/W 08, Lacoste F/W 08, Bruuns Bazaar F/W 08, Free Soul F/W 08, Rogatis F/W 08, Givenchy S/S 08, Hugo Boss Black S/S 08, Hugo Boss S/S 08, Trussardi F/W 07, Marco Polo F/W 07, Costume National F/W 07, Gucci Pour Homme Fragrance S/S 07 (by Mert and Marcus), Jil Sander, and Hermès.
 
He was discovered in 2003 and is currently signed with Ford Models in Paris, New York Model Management and Scoop in Copenhagen. He is considered to be one of the best male models, and has landed many lucrative contracts, for example the Gucci Pour Homme II fragrance. His runway credentials include opening shows for Hermès, Belstaff, Jill Stuart and closing for both Valentino and John Galliano.
 
He has appeared in editorials for: Cover Magazine (A Matter of Grace by Kacper Kasprzyk), Numéro Homme (Spleen et Ideal by Liz Collins), Euroman (God Dag Far Ver by Dennis Stenild & New Modern Classics by Henrik Bulow), Ten Men Magazine (I Regretted Doing My Same Old Shy Act by Richard Bush), Another Man Magazine (From Decadence to Dystopia by Serge LeBlon), L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Paris, GQ and Details. The photographers he has worked with include Karl Lagerfeld and Richard Avedon. Avedon photographed Lauridsen for a Hermes ad editorial in 2004 that proved to be one of the photographers last works.

He was on the cover of Euroman, October 2008, by Henrik Bulow.

He is currently ranked number 1 on models.com out of 50 other male models, and number 2 in the list of the most successful male models in the world, published by Forbes.

His distinguishing feature is a scar he has on his left cheek.



( more pics )

@Wikipedia
@Ford Models Europe
@New York Model Management

Amazon Sales Rank: Something is happening

Like a some strange magic something is changing in Amazon website and search.

Yesterday if you searched "A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon" with the search Filter set to "All Departments" the only result you had was:

The Secret Handshake: Mastering the Politics of the Business Inner Circle by Kathleen Kelly Reardon Ph.D. (Paperback - Jan 15, 2002)

That was not obviously the fiction book on a teen dealing with the discovery of being gay.

Today with the same search, you also find:

Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon (Paperback - May 1, 2008)

That is still not the book I was searching but it is at least the second book published by the same author. Strange enought, both books, "A Secret Edge" and "Thinking Straight" still don't have their sales rank restored, but it's a good sign that something is happening.

I will continue to check

ETA: LLF Statement on Amazon Controversy

April 13, 2009--In response to the recent uproar over Amazon's deranking of "adult" titles and its effect on LGBT books, Board President Christopher Rice has released this statement:

( LLF Statement on Amazon Controversy )

http://www.lambdaliterary.org/index.html

Channel 4 coverage (where interesting and detailed):

( Video coverage )

Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener's comment:

Amazon calls mistake 'embarrassing and ham-fisted'

ETA: Apparently everything is back to normal:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/595428.html

Amazon Sales Rank: Something is happening

Like a some strange magic something is changing in Amazon website and search.

Yesterday if you searched "A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon" with the search Filter set to "All Departments" the only result you had was:

The Secret Handshake: Mastering the Politics of the Business Inner Circle by Kathleen Kelly Reardon Ph.D. (Paperback - Jan 15, 2002)

That was not obviously the fiction book on a teen dealing with the discovery of being gay.

Today with the same search, you also find:

Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon (Paperback - May 1, 2008)

That is still not the book I was searching but it is at least the second book published by the same author. Strange enought, both books, "A Secret Edge" and "Thinking Straight" still don't have their sales rank restored, but it's a good sign that something is happening.

I will continue to check

ETA: LLF Statement on Amazon Controversy

April 13, 2009--In response to the recent uproar over Amazon's deranking of "adult" titles and its effect on LGBT books, Board President Christopher Rice has released this statement:

( LLF Statement on Amazon Controversy )

http://www.lambdaliterary.org/index.html

Channel 4 coverage (where interesting and detailed):

( Video coverage )

Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener's comment:

Amazon calls mistake 'embarrassing and ham-fisted'

ETA: Apparently everything is back to normal:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/595428.html