Nicholas Dante (November 22, 1941 - May 21, 1991)

Nicholas Dante (November 22, 1941 - May 21, 1991) was an American dancer and writer, best known for the hit musical A Chorus Line.

Born Conrado Morales in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Dante's early career was spent dancing in the chorus of Broadway musicals such as Applause and Ambassador. In 1974, he was approached by friend Michael Bennett who invited him to the sessions which led to the basis of material for the book of a musical about Broadway "gypsies," the dancers who serve as a backdrop for the leading performers. Eventually, collaborating with James Kirkwood, Jr., the result was A Chorus Line, which earned him the 1976 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In particular, the story of Paul, the homosexual Puerto Rican dancer whose early career consisted of working in a drag show, was based primarily on Dante. The actor who originated the role on the famous monologue, Sammy Williams, won a Best Featured Actor in a Musical award in 1976 for the role. Dante himself went on to play the role in later mountings of the show.

He also authored a screenplay, Fake Lady, and a stage musical based on the life of entertainer Al Jolson entitled Jolson Tonite, but never again achieved the success he did with A Chorus Line.

Dante died on May 21, 1991 from AIDS-related complications in New York City.


(back row, left to right) Ed Kleban, Marvin Hamlisch, (front row, left to right) James Kirkwood, Michael Bennet, Nicholas Dante)


AIDS Quilt

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

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Ronald Firbank (January 17, 1886 – May 21, 1926)

Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank (17 January 1886 – 21 May 1926) was a British novelist. In Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Swimming Pool Library Firbank's work and life is a key theme.

Ronald Firbank was born in London, the son of society lady Harriet Jane Garrett and MP Sir Thomas Firbank. He went to Uppingham School, and then on to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He converted to Catholicism in 1907. In 1909 he left Cambridge, without completing a degree.

Living off his inheritance, he travelled around Spain, Italy, the Middle East, and North Africa. He died of lung disease in Rome, aged 40.

He published his first book, "Odette d'Antrevernes", a story, in 1905 before going up to Cambridge. From then, he produced a series of novels, from The Artificial Princess (written in 1915, published posthumously in 1934) and Vainglory (1915, his longest work) to Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli (1926, also posthumous).

Inclinations (1916) takes place mainly in Greece, where Mabel Collins, 15, is traveling with her female chaperone, Miss O'Brookomore; Mabel elopes with an Italian conte, but the plot is of minor importance, the book's interest – as with all Firbank's work – lying in the dialogue. His next novel Caprice followed in 1917.

Valmouth (1918) is based on the activities of various people in a health resort on the West Coast of England; most of the inhabitants are centenarians, and some are older ("the last time I went to the play...was with Charles the Second and Louise de Querouaille, to see Betterton play Shylock.") The plot, such as it is, is concerned with the attempts of two elderly ladies, Mrs Hurstpierpoint and Mrs Thoroughfare, to marry off the heir to Hare-Hatch House, Captain Dick Thoroughfare. Captain Thoroughfare, who is engaged to a black woman, Niri-Esther, is loved frantically by Thetis Tooke, a farmer's daughter, but prefers his 'chum', Jack Whorwood, to both of them. Meanwhile Mrs Yajnavalkya, a black masseuse, manages an alliance between the centenarian Lady Parvula de Panzoust and David Tooke, Thetis's brother. A musical comedy of 1958 by Sandy Wilson gave the novel some popularity in the 1960s. It has been revived several times and recorded on CD.

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

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UK GLBTQ Meet Ebook Giveaway: Charlie Cochrane - Tumble Turn

I asked to all the authors joining the UK GLBTQ Fiction meet in Manchester in July (http://ukglbtfictionmeet.co.uk/2013-event/2013-attendees/spotlight_authors-2/) a personal favor, a special Ebook Giveaway: twice a week I will post 1 book from each author, and among those who will leave a comment, I will draw a winner. Very easy and very fast ;-) I will send a PM to the winner, so remember to not leave anonymous comments!

And the ebook giveaway goes to: gaycrow

Today author is Charlie Cochrane: As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries. She lives near Romsey but has yet to use that as a setting for her stories, choosing to write about Cambridge, Bath, London and the Channel Islands.
Charlie has stories with Samhain, Carina, Cheyenne, Noble Romance and MLR. A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie’s Cambridge Fellows Series, set in Edwardian England, was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name.

Tumble Turn by Charlie Cochrane
Publisher: MLR Press,LLC (April 5, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: Tumble Turn

Winning isn't everything...except when everything rides on being first.

Ben Edwards is the rising star of British Paralympic swimming, with a medal at London 2012 firmly in his sights. Love isn't going to be allowed to get in the way -- until he meets Nick, who proves to be a big distraction from training. With his times sliding, and a family illness, to worry him, it looks like Ben's Olympic dreams are in tatters. Until Nick comes up with the most outrageous incentive for winning.

Too Stupid To Live by Anne Tenino

This was one of the nicest, cutest and sexy novel I have read lately. It goes directly atop of my all time favorite.

Aside for the simple fact that I can easily identify with Sam, a romance novel reader who would like to find his Prince Charming in real life too, Too Stupid To Live was romantic, clever and well-paced. For once I didn’t mind at all that the two main characters shared a physical relationship almost from the beginning, it was right for them and it gave them the chance to understand that appearances don’t matter.

Sam maybe is not a twink, model-like gay boy; he is tall, dorky and thin (and no, I don’t mean lean, I mean thin, as it just a level up being underweighted). And of course when he finds the courage to ask for a date to Ian, he is kindly, but firmly turned down. Ian is a former firefighter, tall and muscular, handsome and very dominant; he has always considered his ideal partner to be like him, someone who can take his passion and give it back multiplied. Sam doesn’t seem the type… but he is wrong.

I loved the sweet romance mixed with hot passion; Sam and Ian manage to be tender and cute when outside the bedroom, and hot as hell when inside of it (or even in the parlor, dining room, kitchen…). Both of them are new to be really in love and of course they make big mistakes. Sam is trying to play according to the “romance rules”, but instead his body tells him to forget them and to let Ian conquers him; doesn’t matter if it’s only a no strings attached pursue, at least he will enjoy it. But of course, once Ian has a taste of Sam’s sweetness, he becomes addicted and in no way he will let the boy go.

There are a lot of supporting characters, all of them so nice and well developed that I’m sizzling with the anticipation of reading their stories, because I’m sure the author meant to use this novel to introduce them and this is not where they will end. (PS: Nik and Jurgen's stories, Whitetail Rock and The Fix, are free download from the author's website)

http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/too-stupid-live

Amazon: Too Stupid to Live (Romancelandia) (Volume 1)
Amazon Kindle: Too Stupid to Live (Romancelandia) (Volume 1)
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing; first edition (January 3, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937551857
ISBN-13: 978-1937551858

Series: Romancelandia
prequel-1) Whitetail Rock
prequel-2) The Fix
1) Too Stupid To Live

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