2010-03-15

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 10:28 am

Man Candy Day: X-Rated Pretty Men

Last week I posted the Boys of Bel Ami, and among them there was Lukas Ridgeston. Lukas is too beautiful a man to not being worthy of a post of his own, and to give him company I chosed other three "adult" male star: Tom Wolfe and Chad Manning, couple on the screen and in real life, and Xander Scott, well, since I love that naughty pic ;-)

Lukas Ridgeston (April 5, 1974) is a Slovakian actor in gay erotic movies and model in Bel Ami gay erotic magazines and books. He was born in Bratislava, then part of the former Czechoslovakia, now capital of Slovakia. In 2005 he made his final appearance as an actor but he is still very much involved with Bel Ami as a cameraman, editor and director of Internet episodes.



more pics )

His stage name originated with the editors of Freshmen magazine. (It is common practice for magazines to assign names to photos of models, rather than the studios or the models themselves.) The magazine didn't want to use a name from an Eastern Bloc country and chose the name "Lucas Ridgeston" as sounding more "Ivy League". BelAmi changed the spelling to "Lukas" as it is the correct Czech and Slovakian spelling and both have been used ever since. Ridgeston received a university degree in architecture in June 1999. One of Ridgeston's other interests is in Mini Coopers. An owner of a Mini, he is a member of an organization of Mini Cooper owners. A race was held at one of the meetings of the organization, which he won.

Among the characteristics for which he is known are startling blue eyes, which have been described as "wolf-like". His last films as a performer were Lukas in Love and The Private Life of Tim Hamilton but he continues to work for BelAmi as a director, cameraman, and editor.

When asked, "Do you identify as gay, straight or bi-sexual?", he replied, "I always say I am sexual".

---

Tom Wolfe is 26 years old and Chad Manning 33 years old. Tom says of himself: “The All American farm boy, I grew up in the rural Midwest on a small family owned farm comprised of approximately 1,000 acres. We ran cattle and horses and harvested hay crops. I am a simple country boy, no more no less!”

 
Cover Art by Dan Skinner

more pics )

Chad and Tom work together for Massive Studios and Titan Studio and they are a real life couple. They are also favorite models of Dan Skinner (http://danthedanimal.deviantart.com/) who is developing a whole series of erotica romance covers with the two of them.

---

Xander Scott is a 24 years old Californian guy working for Randy Blue. No more info about him and so, I decided to post a bonus picture of Malachi Marx, one of his partners on the screen.



more pics )
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 10:28 am

Man Candy Day: X-Rated Pretty Men

Last week I posted the Boys of Bel Ami, and among them there was Lukas Ridgeston. Lukas is too beautiful a man to not being worthy of a post of his own, and to give him company I chosed other three "adult" male star: Tom Wolfe and Chad Manning, couple on the screen and in real life, and Xander Scott, well, since I love that naughty pic ;-)

Lukas Ridgeston (April 5, 1974) is a Slovakian actor in gay erotic movies and model in Bel Ami gay erotic magazines and books. He was born in Bratislava, then part of the former Czechoslovakia, now capital of Slovakia. In 2005 he made his final appearance as an actor but he is still very much involved with Bel Ami as a cameraman, editor and director of Internet episodes.



more pics )

His stage name originated with the editors of Freshmen magazine. (It is common practice for magazines to assign names to photos of models, rather than the studios or the models themselves.) The magazine didn't want to use a name from an Eastern Bloc country and chose the name "Lucas Ridgeston" as sounding more "Ivy League". BelAmi changed the spelling to "Lukas" as it is the correct Czech and Slovakian spelling and both have been used ever since. Ridgeston received a university degree in architecture in June 1999. One of Ridgeston's other interests is in Mini Coopers. An owner of a Mini, he is a member of an organization of Mini Cooper owners. A race was held at one of the meetings of the organization, which he won.

Among the characteristics for which he is known are startling blue eyes, which have been described as "wolf-like". His last films as a performer were Lukas in Love and The Private Life of Tim Hamilton but he continues to work for BelAmi as a director, cameraman, and editor.

When asked, "Do you identify as gay, straight or bi-sexual?", he replied, "I always say I am sexual".

---

Tom Wolfe is 26 years old and Chad Manning 33 years old. Tom says of himself: “The All American farm boy, I grew up in the rural Midwest on a small family owned farm comprised of approximately 1,000 acres. We ran cattle and horses and harvested hay crops. I am a simple country boy, no more no less!”

 
Cover Art by Dan Skinner

more pics )

Chad and Tom work together for Massive Studios and Titan Studio and they are a real life couple. They are also favorite models of Dan Skinner (http://danthedanimal.deviantart.com/) who is developing a whole series of erotica romance covers with the two of them.

---

Xander Scott is a 24 years old Californian guy working for Randy Blue. No more info about him and so, I decided to post a bonus picture of Malachi Marx, one of his partners on the screen.



more pics )
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 11:14 am

Call for Submissions: Aspen Mountain Press

Aspen Mountain Press will launch its new Aurora Regency imprint on July 21, 2010.

Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press is a line devoted to Regency romance. Traditional Regency romances, as exemplified by Georgette Heyer’s work, are first and foremost historical fiction about a very specific (and short) era. So what are they looking for? Hopefully, this will answer any questions you might have about Aurora Regency’s guidelines.

1) They expect historical accuracy. This includes language, clothing, customs, etiquette, events and places. Your book should have rich detail, the appropriate language and slang and an understanding of life in Regency England or, if set outside of England, according to the customs of the country. That includes behavior appropriate to a character’s life, position and social situation. (For example: divorce was not an option in Regency England so no new divorcées gallivanting at Almack’s in competition with the Season’s loveliest debutantes.) Historical accuracy will be a consideration in the acceptance of manuscripts and an integral part of the editing process. If your manuscript has several historical errors, you may be asked to revise and resubmit.

2) They hope for novel plotlines or exciting new twists on old themes. They are open to paranormal or Gothic themes as long as these elements do not compromise the Regency romance genre. So if your impoverished but well-born governess falls in love with the lord of the manor that’s fine. Just make it interesting.

3) They expect romance—oh, loads of it! Every kind of hero is fair game in a Regency romance and their heroines should be head over heels in love with them. But remember—this is a Regency romance. Spice is okay; jalapeno salsa is not. In an era were even the smallest infractions would lead to social ruin, well brought up young heroines were virgins on the wedding night. {However, if your Regency is about a member of the demimonde (a courtesan) and is erotic in nature, please indicate this in your query letter.} And, naturally, a HEA is the conclusion of choice.

4) Great dialogue. In the Regency romance, conversation is well-crafted and engaging. Half of the process of falling in love occurs when the hero and heroine engage in a battle of wits. Repartee is an art form; conversation is seduction. Anachronistic sayings or language are strongly discouraged.

5) Society. Society rules these characters’ lives. The Season is capitalized for a reason. As Jane Austen said in Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Society dictates that universal truth, and in a Regency romance Society is where the bridal hunt is carried out. It can be London or Bath or Brighton or even a simple country parsonage involved in county society—but society (either capitalized or not) is as big a character as any human being.

6) Fun. Above all, Regency romances are fun—both to read and to write. The more adventures your madcap heroine has, the better. Paranormal Regencies are acceptable as are the more intricate Regency murder mysteries. Even the darker side of the Regency world is fun.

Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press will open for submissions on February 15, 2010.

For more info: http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/submissions/info_6.html
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 11:14 am

Call for Submissions: Aspen Mountain Press

Aspen Mountain Press will launch its new Aurora Regency imprint on July 21, 2010.

Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press is a line devoted to Regency romance. Traditional Regency romances, as exemplified by Georgette Heyer’s work, are first and foremost historical fiction about a very specific (and short) era. So what are they looking for? Hopefully, this will answer any questions you might have about Aurora Regency’s guidelines.

1) They expect historical accuracy. This includes language, clothing, customs, etiquette, events and places. Your book should have rich detail, the appropriate language and slang and an understanding of life in Regency England or, if set outside of England, according to the customs of the country. That includes behavior appropriate to a character’s life, position and social situation. (For example: divorce was not an option in Regency England so no new divorcées gallivanting at Almack’s in competition with the Season’s loveliest debutantes.) Historical accuracy will be a consideration in the acceptance of manuscripts and an integral part of the editing process. If your manuscript has several historical errors, you may be asked to revise and resubmit.

2) They hope for novel plotlines or exciting new twists on old themes. They are open to paranormal or Gothic themes as long as these elements do not compromise the Regency romance genre. So if your impoverished but well-born governess falls in love with the lord of the manor that’s fine. Just make it interesting.

3) They expect romance—oh, loads of it! Every kind of hero is fair game in a Regency romance and their heroines should be head over heels in love with them. But remember—this is a Regency romance. Spice is okay; jalapeno salsa is not. In an era were even the smallest infractions would lead to social ruin, well brought up young heroines were virgins on the wedding night. {However, if your Regency is about a member of the demimonde (a courtesan) and is erotic in nature, please indicate this in your query letter.} And, naturally, a HEA is the conclusion of choice.

4) Great dialogue. In the Regency romance, conversation is well-crafted and engaging. Half of the process of falling in love occurs when the hero and heroine engage in a battle of wits. Repartee is an art form; conversation is seduction. Anachronistic sayings or language are strongly discouraged.

5) Society. Society rules these characters’ lives. The Season is capitalized for a reason. As Jane Austen said in Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Society dictates that universal truth, and in a Regency romance Society is where the bridal hunt is carried out. It can be London or Bath or Brighton or even a simple country parsonage involved in county society—but society (either capitalized or not) is as big a character as any human being.

6) Fun. Above all, Regency romances are fun—both to read and to write. The more adventures your madcap heroine has, the better. Paranormal Regencies are acceptable as are the more intricate Regency murder mysteries. Even the darker side of the Regency world is fun.

Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press will open for submissions on February 15, 2010.

For more info: http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/submissions/info_6.html
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 11:24 am

Call for Submissions: Cobblestone Press

Seasonal Submissions, Space is very limited! Mark your submissions accordingly so they will be routed to the proper place for consideration.

Octoberfest 2010
Word Count: 10k-40k
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Must be submitted by July 10, 2010

Shifters, vampires, ghosts, and everything in between. Octoberfest is about celebrating all things paranormal. Titles featuring All Hallow's Eve will be featured in our line "Hallowed".

12 Days of Christmas 2010
Word Count: 10k-40k
Genre: Mainstream/Sensual/Erotic Romance (Must be Christmas oriented)
Must be submitted by September 1, 2010

All genres welcome for this line. Fun and heart-warming tales are of special interest.

More info: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/submissions.htm#Seasonal_Submissions_
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 11:24 am

Call for Submissions: Cobblestone Press

Seasonal Submissions, Space is very limited! Mark your submissions accordingly so they will be routed to the proper place for consideration.

Octoberfest 2010
Word Count: 10k-40k
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Must be submitted by July 10, 2010

Shifters, vampires, ghosts, and everything in between. Octoberfest is about celebrating all things paranormal. Titles featuring All Hallow's Eve will be featured in our line "Hallowed".

12 Days of Christmas 2010
Word Count: 10k-40k
Genre: Mainstream/Sensual/Erotic Romance (Must be Christmas oriented)
Must be submitted by September 1, 2010

All genres welcome for this line. Fun and heart-warming tales are of special interest.

More info: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/submissions.htm#Seasonal_Submissions_
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-03-15 09:35 pm

Best Gay Contemporary Romance (3° place): The Wish by Eden Winters

If not for the modern setting, this would be the perfect Regency romance with a touch of paranormal: poor niece brought up by wealthy relatives? Checked (even if here is a nephew…); old wiser aunt who plays matchmaker? Checked (even if here is an uncle); handsome rake who apparently doesn’t believe in love, but for true is only searching for the one who will deny him, proving that there is a soul mate out there for him? Checked. This is the classical old fashioned plot, and the originality is given by the today setting and by the presence of a ghost who plays second fiddle to the matchmaking uncle.

Alfred and Byron were the perfect couple, even if at first nobody would have bet on them: Alfred not only was a homosexual in the closet, but he was also 22 years older than Byron and way more rich. Thirty years ago, people would have bet that Byron was a gold digger and that he would have leaved Alfred at first chance with all the money he could grab. But Alfred and Byron were true soul mates and they set as example for both their nephews, Alex of Alfred and Paul of Byron. Alex and Paul, in a way, are the modern Alfred and Byron: Paul so proud and honest, all integrity and dignity, stubbornly refusing any help from his uncles and trying to find his way in life alone, but deep inside dreaming of a long term relationship as his uncles have; Alex disputed between his loving uncles, his unloving grandparents and his estranged father, and in the end having no one while he was growing up. Now Alex is apparently the exact replica of his uncaring father, living as a parasite with the money his uncle is foraging him.

First scene we have with Alex is quite hard, even if indeed Alex had a one night stand with a man who has only proven to be more interested in Alex’s name and money than in him as a man, on the other hand Alex treats the young boy in a so cold manner that made me almost feel pain for that boy, wondering what was of him… I had this imagine of him under a bridge, cold and starving. And when Alex meets Paul for the first time, he is so self-centered and maybe even jealous of his uncle love (I don’t think it’s a money issue), that he is ready to think the worst of him; actually I think that Alex is projecting his guilt on Paul, he fears people think of him only interested in his uncle Alfred’s money, and so he is the first to accuse Paul of that crime.

Now Paul… he is so perfect to be almost too much. As often when the character is too perfect, he is in danger of not being “nice”. Paul’s borders on sainthood, and so he risks to be annoying. But the author chooses a “naughty” way to make him fall from the pedestal, describing a Paul who during sex becomes bossy and masterful, reversing the tables: Alex is now the prey of Paul, in bed there is not difference in social status or amount of money, and neither the physical differences bound them to a strict role, Alex is taller and stronger, but nevertheless, Paul is the one in command.

Now the paranormal side of the story; first it’s the consequence of one of the most romantic and most sad part of the book, the last supplication of Alfred on his lover’s coffin to not be left alone; Alfred was the older of the two, way older indeed, and he knows that he has no much to wait for reuniting with his lover in the alterlife, and so he asks Byron to “wait” for him; what Byron understands is to not going away without him, and he “remains” around, a presence that has never the chance to really manifest, but that is like a guardian angel on all the men he loved in life, Alfred, Paul and Alex. He is like that, a gentle presence, something you can believe exist but if you don’t want, well the story is realistic all the same; Byron’s ghost doesn’t do anything of paranormal, if not giving a kind comfort to the ones he loves.



http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=293&products_id=2496

Amazon Kindle: The Wish

Reading List:

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