2009-07-02

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Dragon’s Kiss by Ally Blue

Dragon's Kiss was a previously released short story in a Band of Thebes theme anthology. So the main focus of the story is the relationship between fellow soldiers, on manlove relationships bring on more on an almost friendship basis than real love.

In a futuristic world, a mix of Apocalypse Now and Back to the Future, Bear is one of the survivors from a natural disaster that destroyed the Earth as we know her. People now live among the ruin of the past world, but they are back to an almost medieval era. Bear is born generations after the catastrophe, and so he has not knowledge of the world as it was before, and he lives in a closed community, lead by a Council that considers all past things evil. There is acceptance for the homosexual relationships, more, they are encouraged, but only among the members of the pack. The ostracism now is no more for who is "different", but for who is "stranger". People who dare to cross the pack borders are most likely killed and also who wants to go away.

Bear and his fellow soldier Lynx are sent by their Council leader to capture a trespasser; they find the man, Dragon, a member of a near pack who was banished from his people to be an heretic: he doesn't believe that all the past was evil, he wants to know, he wants something forbidden, the knowledge. Bear knows that, if they bring back Dragon to their pack, the man would be probably killed, and Bear fears this event since the same sin Dragon committed, is haunting his mind.

This is only a short story, so apart set the place and give the chance to the characters to meet, there is nothing much more. But the most interesting thing is how the prejudice is still present: it shifted from the people to the society, the ignorant crowd no more fear the single man, the different (race, sexuality, rank...), they know fear an entire society, past or stranger, everything is outside their community is evil. And the leaders know that, to preserve their powers, they have to maintain the crow ignorant.

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/dragon-s-kiss

Amazon Kindle: Dragon's Kiss: A Mother Earth story.

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Cover Art by Anne Cain

Dragon’s Kiss by Ally Blue

Cover Art by Anne Cain

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referrals program

Referrals Program: June Top 10

I love statistics ;-) I love lists, I love rates... and so I can't avoid to enroll in a Referrals Program: Amazon allows me to have reports on the clicks people do from my LiveJournal to its site. And not only the number of clicks but also on what product... after the recent Amazon's trouble, I'm quite satisfied to see that I'm sending a lot of people interested in a particular type of romance or argument, I'm all for fighting from the inside... and then, let tell the truth, Amazon is the only online bookseller that has ALL the titles and in ALL the countries.

Truth be told, before enrolling in Amazon Referrals Program, I signed to join an indie online booksellers, devoted to LGBT fiction... my request was simply ignored. And if it was not, their Referrals Program would have been not so specialized as this one, but I would have joined nevertheless... but probably my LiveJournal was not judged good enough, or maybe the problem is that I live in Italy... don't know they didn't give me a reason.

So now, I would like to share with you the Top 10 of the month, the products which received more clicks in the previous month. It's also a way to see what it was "hot" in the last month, and so, if someone lost a particular post, he can be updated. The Top 10 has more than 10 items since there are some tie.

The Desire for Dearborne
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/688416.html
Referral Link: The Desire for Dearborne

Shelter: A Novel
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/693833.html
Referral Link: Shelter: A Novel

The Rest of Our Lives
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/680513.html
Referral Link: The Rest of Our Lives

Somebody Killed His Editor: Holmes & Moriarity, Book 1
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/689401.html
Referral Link: Somebody Killed His Editor: Holmes & Moriarity, Book 1

Geography of Murder
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/680961.html
Referral Link: Geography of Murder

Between Love & Goodbye
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/695641.html
Referral Link: Between Love & Goodbye

Boy Culture: A Novel
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/701110.html
Referral Link: Boy Culture: A Novel

Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance (New Cultural Studies Series)
Post: http://community.livejournal.com/shared_wisdom/47327.html
Referral Link: Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance (New Cultural Studies Series)

Edinburgh: A Novel
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/519698.html
Referral Link: Edinburgh: A Novel

Fellow Travelers: A Novel
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/698803.html
Referral Link: Fellow Travelers: A Novel

Holy Communion
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/700800.html
Referral Link: Holy Communion

Kaji Sukoshi & The Shining One
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/707893.html
Referral Link: Kaji Sukoshi and The Shining One

Latter Days: A Novel
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/686889.html
Referral Link: Latter Days: A Novel

M4M (A Collection of Gay Erotic Romance)
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/651391.html
Referral Link: M4M (A Collection of Gay Erotic Romance)

The Art of Dying: Partners in Crime #4
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/706609.html
Referral Link: The Art of Dying: Partners in Crime #4

The Notorious Dr. August: His Real Life and Crimes
Post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/678951.html
Referral Link: The Notorious Dr. August: His Real Life and Crimes

Referrals Program: June Top 10

Crossposts: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/2546996.html

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Raphael Perez: The Artist is Art himself

I was contacted by this artist, Raphael "Rafi" Perez, an israeli painter living in Tel-aviv. Apart from the usually joy when someone contacts me since he values my LiveJournal (Rafi was obviously more interested in my Art post, but he said that my blog "is amazing with great LGBT subject"), I found his email and the attachments really interesting since he made himself part of his art; he sent me photos of his paintings with him near them, other than sending me some photos where he himself is the subject. I then browsed his website, almost a labyrinth of links where you can loose yourself, and was even more fascinated by the fact that he really lives his art. So today, I'd like to present you Raphael Perez.

Two primary styles dominate the Raphael Perez paintings:

REALISTIC STYLE in which red is the dominant color.

Man on Couch, 2004, Acrylic on canvas, 140 X 100, Private Collection

( Realism Paintings )

NAIVE STYLE which has been influenced by my experience working with children.

Gay Artists

( Naive Paintings )

Part of the site is devoted to Rafi's muses, Eitan Bismut, Chen and Kobi

Kobi on Arm Chair, 2000, 140 x 120, Acrylic on canvas, For Sale

"He is young. He is sexy. He is provocative. Kobi was 19 years old when I met him and in the closet. He was extroverted and sexy. However, he could not come out. He sequestered his sexuality from his parents. And this is how I depict him in the works and photos of him that I place before you all. He covers his face because he is closeted. But yet his bottom half of his body is naked and his body language is obvious in the works which show his emerging exceptance of his sexuality and his love for life."

( My Boyfriend )

Finally part of the website is devoted to Raphael Perez's works as photographer, both as subject than only witness. The fact that he created a series of shots of older couple made me smile.

( Raphael Photography )

The artist, Raphael Perez, was born in 1965 and was raised in Jerusalem. He currently resides and works in Tel-Aviv. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem school of Visual Arts where he studied from 1988 through 1992 and where many of his acryllic, oil, laminated wood pieces and drawings can be found. Beginning in 1995, the artist's drawings depicted intimate relationships between two people whether man and woman, two women and two men. The entire concept of a relationship and sentiments between two people is brought to light. In each painting there is an evident contrast between shade and light. The color red is central to his paintings and consistently symbolizes masculinity, passion and dominance. Within each gallery, one can find a short paragraph of information regarding that particlular gallery.
Perez`s creations deal with the subject of homosexuality. He puts a strong emphasis on single-sex families, pride parades, soldiers, male birth giving, portraits, male nudity, as well as male, female and heterosexual couples. His paintings put to test the boundaries between eroticism and art, while characterizing gay relationships and love as they are expressed in everyday life.

http://www.gaypaintings.com/

More Artists at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Art

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Missing the Ocean (Moment of Truth 3) by A.J. Wilde

With the third chapter in the Moment of Truth series, the author almost made me think that I didn't understand anything of the story... the second book ended with Gary who confessed a betrayal to Dan, he said that there were someone else. Dan stomped out of their home to drawn his sorrow in the alcohol, but he receives the advice to not let it go. Meanwhile Gary was again thinking to suicide, but this time he is stronger and he is able to weight the good and bad side of life. When Dan comes back to him, Gary is also able to let Dan understand that it's not only his fault if their relationship is having trouble, and that Dan has to take upon himself his responsibility.

Now if you haven't read the story and don't like to be spoiled, stop to read NOW.

If not, please continue... at the beginning of the relationship Gary was straight; he was a former abused child, and he denied his homosexuality. In fact he acted as and more than a normal straight man, he had girlfriends and he was quite popular. Then he met Dan and thanks to his love for him, he was able to consider a gay relationship. As often in a "gay for you" themed book, Gary has no interest for other men, he is in love with Dan, and only due to that love, he can have also a sexual relationship with a man. But basically Gary never stopped to like women. And Dan had this fantasy to see him with a woman... it was like putting the straw near the fire! Now Gary has feeling for a woman, and Dan has to decide if he loves enough Gary to share him with another person, a woman... or maybe he has to decide if he loves Gary so much that he can't even consider to share him. According to you, what Gary wants? For someone who doubts to be a good partner choice for anyone, he would prefer that Dan accepts to share him, or he, instead, would like to hear from Dan that he can't share his love? Dan is facing a test, and the more romantic readers just know the answer to the previous question.

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1877

Series: Moment of Truth
1) To Serve and Protect: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/560100.html
2) Choosing the Light: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/675731.html
3) Missing the Ocean

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle