The Inside Reader: Katrina Strauss
Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends - Silas Weir MitchellKatrina "Kitty" Strauss is one of the nicest authors I know, and one that has my same lover for pretty cover art, I suppose: first time I noticed one of her books it was for the cover of P.L. Nunn, a cover artist I was already following. But the book, the first in the Blue Ruin series, was up to the cover. And Katrina always create very nice postcards from that covers, so that, I believe, there is a black market for now then ;-) Katrina Strauss is also one of those authors who can live in the middle between Gay and Het romances, she didn't turn to the Gay genre for the money, but since she liked it, without forgetting that she is also able to write het romances, maybe both of them with an edge, but indeed always good.
Katrina Strauss's Inside Reader List
1) Family Album by Danielle Steel. I´m sure a few people will be surprised to see Danielle Steele topping this list, but Family Album was the first book I read that presented a gay character in a positive light. The character of Lionel is simply looking for love like the rest of his siblings; he just happens to be gay. Ms. Steele treats his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, followed by the challenges of coming out to his family, with open-minded sensitivity. (Although I must mention - Lionel´s first sexual encounter is one of the hottest love scenes I´ve read to date, yet Ms. Steele handles it without being overtly graphic.) Having read this book on the heel of a few others that appear farther down the list, I was primed for a shift in my adolescent thinking. Thanks to Lionel´s storyline, I walked away from Family Album with the conviction that everything my homophobic mother and church had taught me about sexuality was wrong. Who knew Danielle Steele would be the one to light my way? Mass Market Paperback: 438 pages
Publisher: Dell; First Thus Edition edition (July 10, 1989)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440124344
ISBN-10: 0440124344
ISBN-13: 978-0440124344
Amazon: Family Album
Through forty years—from Hollywood's golden days in World War II to the present—Faye Price would create first a career as a legendary actress, then a family, and finally she would realize her dream of becoming one of Hollywood's first woman directors. But nothing was more precious to Faye than her five children. In a changing world, a milieu where family values are constantly challenged from without and within, the Thayers would face the greatest challenges and harshest test a family can endure, to emerge stronger, bound forever by loyalty and love. It is only when Faye is gone that they can each assess how far they have come, and how important their family album is.
2) Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I´ve seen this title turn up in quite a few of Elise´s Inside Reader posts, and with good reason. For many of us, the relationship between Louis and Lestat was our first gleaning in fiction of a long-term relationship between two men, while the vampires´ inability to have sex somehow made it all the more sensual. Then again, this book opened quite a few worlds to me after my father (perhaps seeking to counterbalance my mother´s influence) loaned it to me when I was in the eighth grade, giving me a headstart on Anne Rice before my goth set peers would discover her work a few years later. Looking back, Interview was a defining, pivotal influence in my life that sticks with me to this day, from my superficial love of gothic fashion and pretty men, to my deeper views on sexuality and my approach to writing. Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 18, 1997)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345409645
ISBN-10: 0345409647
ISBN-13: 978-0345409645
Amazon: Interview with the Vampire
Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force--a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.... "Magnificent, compulsively readable." --CHICAGO TRIBUNE
( books from 3 to 10 )
About Katrina Strauss: Greetings from Katrina Strauss, author of dark romance, erotica & yaoi!
I discovered my love of romance novels with childhood peeks at my grandmother's paperbacks. As an author, I pay homage to the timeless genre of romance with my own modern, spicy twist. Be it homoerotic, heterosexual, or "menage", from steamy romance to BDSM kink, my stories are all about finding that special someone. I embrace paranormal, historical, and contemporary themes, while my male/male stories are heavily influenced by yaoi, a special brand of homoerotica with roots in Japanese manga.
A Texan by birthright with the accent to prove it, I currently reside with my family near St. Louis, Missouri. When not writing, I enjoy reading, cooking, music, and entirely too much anime. Thanks for coming to my site, and I hope my selection of books whets your appetite”
Blue Ruin 4: Need You Tonight by Katrina Strauss Publisher: Loose Id
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Blue-Ruin-4-Need-You-Tonight.aspx
ISBN-13: 978-1-60737-478-7
Amazon: Blue Ruin 4: Need You Tonight
Blue’s summer is heating up in more ways than one. When he befriends Dusty Sterling, he sees the opportunity to give his master Derek their first true threesome. But first, Blue must meet a requirement issued by Derek.
Derek is content with Blue as his exclusive lover, but when offered the chance to bring the beautiful Dusty into their bedroom, Derek's definitely tempted. He agrees to Blue’s idea under one condition—it’s Blue who must seduce Dusty.
Blind since birth, Dusty is proud, independent, and knows what—and who—he wants. In need of temporary shelter, he accepts an offer to stay with Derek and Blue. The fact that he finds them both attractive doesn’t hurt, but Dusty must let his hosts in on a secret—his unique and sometimes frightening way of “seeing.”
When Dusty’s nightmares reflect a pair of real-life murders, Blue uses his connections with the police to bring Dusty in on the case. The friends grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, but their bond will truly be tested by the evil that lurks in plain sight.
1) Family Album by Danielle Steel. I´m sure a few people will be surprised to see Danielle Steele topping this list, but Family Album was the first book I read that presented a gay character in a positive light. The character of Lionel is simply looking for love like the rest of his siblings; he just happens to be gay. Ms. Steele treats his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, followed by the challenges of coming out to his family, with open-minded sensitivity. (Although I must mention - Lionel´s first sexual encounter is one of the hottest love scenes I´ve read to date, yet Ms. Steele handles it without being overtly graphic.) Having read this book on the heel of a few others that appear farther down the list, I was primed for a shift in my adolescent thinking. Thanks to Lionel´s storyline, I walked away from Family Album with the conviction that everything my homophobic mother and church had taught me about sexuality was wrong. Who knew Danielle Steele would be the one to light my way? 
2) Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I´ve seen this title turn up in quite a few of Elise´s Inside Reader posts, and with good reason. For many of us, the relationship between Louis and Lestat was our first gleaning in fiction of a long-term relationship between two men, while the vampires´ inability to have sex somehow made it all the more sensual. Then again, this book opened quite a few worlds to me after my father (perhaps seeking to counterbalance my mother´s influence) loaned it to me when I was in the eighth grade, giving me a headstart on Anne Rice before my goth set peers would discover her work a few years later. Looking back, Interview was a defining, pivotal influence in my life that sticks with me to this day, from my superficial love of gothic fashion and pretty men, to my deeper views on sexuality and my approach to writing. 
Blue Ruin 4: Need You Tonight by Katrina Strauss 
A to Z, the title of the book, has different meanings. It’s the name of the video rental shop Zach owns in Arvada, Colorado, a place that, more or less, stays in the middle between a little town and a medium size city. There is still the chance for a small shop like A to Z video rental to survive, it’s still possible for Zach to live with few, but it’s not for sure the place for having a successful life. And in fact, Zach came to Arvada with his former boyfriend soon after college, and when the boyfriend left him to, maybe, find that success somewhere else, Zach instead was stuck in the place by his lack of initiative. Zach is not a bad guy but he is not a leader; he is not even aware of his good side, he is handsome and nice, and instead he considers himself “average”. Zach is someone who needs a shock to realize things, or at least for someone to tell him with simple and clear words how the things are. Now don’t get me wrong, Zach is not dumb, but he is a little bit clueless. 
A to Z, the title of the book, has different meanings. It’s the name of the video rental shop Zach owns in Arvada, Colorado, a place that, more or less, stays in the middle between a little town and a medium size city. There is still the chance for a small shop like A to Z video rental to survive, it’s still possible for Zach to live with few, but it’s not for sure the place for having a successful life. And in fact, Zach came to Arvada with his former boyfriend soon after college, and when the boyfriend left him to, maybe, find that success somewhere else, Zach instead was stuck in the place by his lack of initiative. Zach is not a bad guy but he is not a leader; he is not even aware of his good side, he is handsome and nice, and instead he considers himself “average”. Zach is someone who needs a shock to realize things, or at least for someone to tell him with simple and clear words how the things are. Now don’t get me wrong, Zach is not dumb, but he is a little bit clueless. 