Second Chances by T.A. Webb

There are romances I like, there are romances I love and then there are romances I think there are no words to describe. 1 out of 100 maybe. Second Chances made me cry, and then smile, and then cry some more, smile, and cry, smile, and cry… and in the end I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do.

It’s 10 years in the life of Mark, and that is a long time for good and bad things to happen. And each one of them felt too real for my heart not to hurt; right from the very beginning, when Mark is dealing with his mother’s illness and death, I had exactly the same experience, my father died at home and I was beside him, but on the contrary of Mark who was telling his mother she can let it go, I was selfishly telling my father I loved him and I didn’t want to lose him. They had to remove me from his bed to allow him to go. You can imagine what I was feeling while I was practically reading the retelling of that experience. And that wasn’t the only time this romance rung so true to almost being scaring.

I loved how the author was respectful of both Mark’s lovers, Brian and Antonio. There is no good and bad, they are both good and bad. Brian is the one cheating on Mark, but he was probably fighting some demon; he is also the one who loved Mark so unconditionally that was able to see the special bond between Mark and Antonio and not being jealous of that. The one Mark felt so comfortable with that he was able to really telling him everything.

On the other side we have Antonio, strutting around like a peacock, so full of pride but also so fragile. Antonio so strong for his son, and so open to Mark’s needs, and I’m not absolutely talking of sex. For a long time Antonio was who Mark needed beyond sex, he was the mainstay, probably the only safety anchor for Mark. And once Mark was back on his feet he was able to give everything back to Antonio, but also to many others.

This is a saga, an old fashioned family saga and in a way, spanning “only” 10 years was short, so many things happened they could have filled many more years. It felt a long journey with Mark, and in a way it was too short. Good job, I loved Mark, this bear of a man, with the heart matching the size of his animal counterpart.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3315

Amazon: Second Chances
Amazon Kindle: Second Chances
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1623800323
ISBN-13: 978-1623800321

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


Cover Art by Paul Richmond

Martin Berusch & Mike Ruiz

Mike Ruiz (born December 8, 1964) is a world-renowned Canadian-born photographer, director, TV personality, former model, spokesperson, creative director and actor.

Ruiz, who is of French Canadian and Filipino-Spanish ancestry, was born in Montreal in 1964, but raised in Repentigny, Quebec, Canada. At the ripe age of 20, he moved to the states with just $300 in his pocket and a desire to be in the entertainment world. After modeling for a decade he moved to Los Angeles to study acting. He appeared in the independent film Latin Boys Go to Hell, but found the work unsatisfying and undemanding. After the release of Latin Boys Go to Hell, Ruiz was asked to audition for several major studio films but he acknowledges that the required interest did not exist. "I wasn't passionate about acting and it showed‚" Ruiz was quoted as saying.

At the age of 28 Ruiz began in the field of photography. "I found a camera under my Christmas tree and within minutes, I was obsessed. I began shooting everything in sight. I taught myself the intricate mechanics of the camera but it was several years before I realized that I could actually make a living with my work‚" Ruiz was quoted as saying. Presently based in New York, Ruiz is known for his high-impact, surreal brand of celebrity and fashion photography. Ruiz is a founding partner of Miauhaus Studios, a Los Angeles photography complex with four studios. (Picture: Mike Ruiz and Martin Berusch)

His work has appeared in numerous American and international magazines such as Vanity Fair, Flaunt, Conde Nast Traveler, Interview, Paper, Citizen K, Dazed and Confused, Arena, Italian Elle, Spanish and Brazilian Vogue and was a contributor to Dolce and Gabbana's Hollywood book and Iman's The Beauty of Color beauty book. He photographed the album cover for Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted. He has also directed several music videos for such artists as Kelly Rowland, Kristine W, Jody Watley, Traci Lords and Shontelle. Ruiz's keen eye and astute entrepreneurial skills have landed him positions in a wide array of fields. He founded Aardvark Aartists, an agency representing photographers, retouchers, art directors and set designers. In late 2012 Ruiz launched an APP for the iPad which will be a digital interactive extension of his book, Pretty Masculine.





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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ruiz

( Further Readings )

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

More LGBT Couples at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance

Queers in History: Howard Rollins, Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996)

Howard Rollins, Jr. shot to fame when he starred in the play and then the film of A Soldier’s Story. He was brilliant as the eighty-year-old super in Herb Gardner’s I’m Not Rappaport during its West End production opposite Paul Scofield. He became well known to TV audiences for his role opposite Carroll O’Connor in In the Heat of the Night and the hugely successful Ragtime.

Personal demons, including drug abuse, haunted Rollins, who went into rehab following a DUI arrest. Toward the end of his life he was appearing on talk shows, greatly changed in appearance and wearing feminine attire. It was rumored that he worked the streets as a transvestite, and photographic evidence appeared in National Enquirer.

Rollins died from complications from lymphoma, six weeks after being diagnosed with AIDS. His family and his agent at first refused to release information about the cause of his death.

On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's Great Blacks in Wax Museum.

Stern, Keith (2009-09-01). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals (Kindle Locations 10352-10359). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

( Further Readings )

Queers in History: Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez (July 17, 1729 – December 8, 1788)

Pierre-André de Suffren de Saint Tropez has been called the greatest French naval commander of the eighteenth century. In 1778 and 1779 he commanded part of the squadron supporting the US patriots off the coast of North America and in the West Indies. He led the line in the action with Admiral John Byron off Grenada, and his ship, the Fantasque, lost sixty-two men.

In 1780 he was captain of Zèle, in the combined French and Spanish fleets that captured a great English convoy in the Atlantic. He sailed from Brest on March 22, 1781, on the mission that was to put him in the first rank of sea commanders. On April 16 he found the English expedition, under the command of Commodore George Johnstone, at anchor in Porto Praya, Cape Verde Islands. Both squadrons were en route to the Cape of Good Hope—the British to take it from the Dutch, the French aiming to help defend it and French possessions in the Indian Ocean. Suffren attacked at once, in what became known as the Battle of Porto Praya. Some of the French ships weren’t ready for action, so Suffren had to withdraw, but nevertheless it was a French victory, as Suffren was able to beat Johnstone to the Cape and warn the Dutch before continuing to Mauritius.

Suffren was well known for the loving attention he gave to the sailors under his command, including special provisions for food and medical care. His men returned the affection. The Admiral was always surrounded by handsome young sailors, known as “Suffren’s mignons.” He encouraged same-sex unions on board his ships and enjoyed matching up older sailors with younger ones, declaring that “men married to each other will behave the best in combat. They will help each other. They are always in good spirits.” His ideas harkened back to the Greek ideal of unit cohesion exemplified in the famous “Army of Lovers” led by EPAMINONDAS.

Stern, Keith (2009-09-01). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals (Kindle Locations 11431-11445). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

( Further Readings )

Best LGBT Non Fiction: Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire by Johnny Townsend

Recently I talked about this book with another reader, and she told me, “I have to read this book, Elisa, haven’t I?” and the meaning of that was we were aware how devastating the experience would have been, but it was right, and the only thing we could do for the victims, to read this book.

This is a forgotten tragedy, for many reason I suppose; first and foremost, because it regarded the gay community at the beginning of the ‘70s, a period when society preferred to ignore rather than acknowledge. Secondly it involved ordinary people, no famous name, no heroes: but for the fathers, mothers, sons and friends who were waiting these men at home, they were more than heroes, they were a piece of their life. Lastly, and that is probably a very strong affirmation I’m doing, 10 years later a bigger tragedy, the AIDS plague, would have stolen the scene, and this “small” tragedy, involving 32 people, in comparison to a plague killing millions, was nothing. But again, it was not nothing to who lost beloved ones, and the aim of the author is to give the chance to whom wants to remember them, to have a place where to find their stories, told through the voices of who knew them.

And while this is a non fiction work, the author is a skilled fiction author, and so he managed to respect the realism of the story, while at the same time recreating their lives and voices. It’s probably thank to the skills of the author that this piece of non fiction goes well beyond a simple recording of events.

In June 2013 it will be 40 years from when this tragedy happened, and Let the Faggots Burn took away those 40 years, letting the reader experiencing everything like it was yesterday.

Amazon: LET THE FAGGOTS BURN: The UpStairs Lounge Fire
Amazon Kindle: LET THE FAGGOTS BURN: The UpStairs Lounge Fire
Paperback: 342 pages
Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. (August 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1614344531
ISBN-13: 978-1614344537



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