Aaron Tone & Andrew Sullivan

Andrew Michael Sullivan (born 10 August 1963) is a British author, editor, political commentator and blogger. He describes himself as a political conservative. He has focused on American political life.

Sullivan is a speaker at universities, colleges, and civic organizations in the United States. He has been a guest on national news and political commentary television shows in the United States and Europe. Born and raised in England, he has lived in the United States since 1984 and currently resides in Washington, D.C. and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He is an openly gay Catholic.

Sullivan is a former editor of The New Republic and the author of five books. He is perhaps best known as the author and editor of his blog, The Dish, which mainly focuses on political issues.

Sullivan, in 2003, wrote a Salon article identifying himself as a member of the gay "bear community". On 27 August 2007, Sullivan married his husband Aaron Tone, a younger actor and artist, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. They met in 2004 at a gay club-night in New York City and “fell head-over-heels in love, in a way I never had before”.

Sullivan was born in South Godstone, Surrey, England, to a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent, and was brought up in the nearby town of East Grinstead, West Sussex. He was educated at Reigate Grammar School, and studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was awarded a first-class degree Bachelor of Arts in modern history and modern languages. In his second year, he was elected president of the Oxford Union, holding the office in Trinity term 1983.


Andrew Sullivan is a British author, editor, political commentator and blogger. He describes himself as a political conservative. He has focused on American political life. Sullivan, in 2003, wrote a Salon article identifying himself as a member of the gay "bear community". On Aug 27, 2007, Sullivan married Aaron Tone, a younger actor and artist, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. They met in 2004 at a gay club-night in New York City and “fell head-over-heels in love, in a way I never had before”.

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

( Further Readings )

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

Adrienne J. Smith (January 9, 1934 - August 10, 1992)

Adrienne J. Smith was an American psychologist, a lesbian author, and a women`s activist. She was one of the first openly gay lesbian psychologists within the American Psychological Association. She wrote and edited several publications and appeared on local and national television and radio programs promoting gay and lesbian rights. Born in 1934, she died of cancer in 1992.

A Chicago native, educated at the University of Illinois and with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, Adrienne Smith came out publicly as a lesbian in 1973. Since then, she has appeared on national and local television and radio programs, talking about gay and lesbian rights. Additionally, she was called on repeatedly to testify before committees of both the Chicago City Council and the Illinois House of Representatives during the early years of the struggle to pass human rights legislation protecting lesbians and gay males.

As one of the first openly lesbian psychologists within the American Psychological Association and within the city of Chicago, Smith was one of the people who maintained pressure on the American Psychological Association to change its homophobic policies. These efforts led to the formation of the APA's Division 44, the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues; Smith recently completed a term as the group's president.

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Source: http://www.glhalloffame.org/index.pl?todo=view_item&item=12

( Joyce Warshow, Adrienne J. Smith and Barbara Sang, 1991, by Robert Giard  )

( Further Readings )

More Particular Voices at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Particular Voices

Casey Donovan (November 2, 1943 – August 10, 1987)

Casey Donovan (November 2, 1943 – August 10, 1987) was an American male pornographic actor of the 1970s and 1980s, appearing primarily in adult films and videos catering to gay male audiences.

Following a brief career as a teacher and a stint as a highly-paid male model, Donovan appeared in the film that would cement his status as a gay icon, Boys in the Sand, in 1971. Attempts to build on his notoriety to achieve mainstream crossover success failed, but Donovan continued to be a bankable star in the adult industry for the next 15 years.

Casey Donovan was born John Calvin Culver in East Bloomfield, New York, growing up there with his parents and older brother, Duane. He graduated from teachers' college in 1965 and after graduation accepted a teaching position in Peekskill, New York. He went on to take a job at the private Ethical Culture Fieldston School on New York City's Central Park West but was fired during his second year following an altercation in which he physically disciplined a female student (reportedly the daughter of actor Eli Wallach). Following his dismissal he drifted into being a prostitute and relocated to New York City. He also began pursuing an acting career, appearing in summer stock theatre with the prestigious Peterborough Players.



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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Donovan_(actor)

( Further Readings )

Gene Malin (June 30, 1908 – August 10, 1933)

Gene Malin (June 30, 1908 – August 10, 1933) was an American actor, emcee, and drag performer during the Jazz Age. He was the first openly gay performer in Prohibition-era Speakeasy culture.

Gene Malin, also known by stage names Jean Malin and Imogene Wilson, reportedly was born Victor Eugene James Malinovsky in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1908. He had two sisters and two brothers, one of whom worked for a sugar refinery, and one who became a police officer.

As a child, Malin attended P.S. 50 in Brooklyn and then went on to Eastern District High School. As a teenager, he was already winning prizes for his costumes at the elaborate Manhattan drag balls of the 1920s. By his late teens Malin had worked as a chorus boy in several Broadway shows ("Princess Flavor”, "Miami”, "Sisters of the Chorus"). Around the same period, Malin worked at several Greenwich Village clubs as a drag performer, most notably the Rubaiyat.

In January 1931, in New York City, Malin married Lucille Heiman/Helman (1901 - 1975, aka Martha Farrell, aka Jeannette Forbes, aka Fay Heiman/Helman). The marriage took place shortly after a raid that closed Malin's employer, Club Abbey; he and the bride had known each other from his days performing in drag at the Rubaiyat. Malin filed for divorce in Mexico in November 1932, though at the time of his death, the couple were still legally married. Between 1936 and 1944, Malin's widow served stints in prison for operating "exclusive call houses" (brothels) and violating the Mann Act.



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

( Further Readings )

Renaud Camus (born August 10, 1946)

Renaud Camus (born 1946) is a French writer.

He was born in Chamalières, Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne region of France. He spent some time studying in England and traveling in the United States, particularly New York and California (he taught for a semester in a college in Arkansas). He quickly began to circulate among writers (Louis Aragon, Roland Barthes, Marguerite Duras, etc.) and visual artists (the Warhol circle, the New York School, Gilbert and George, etc.). He also circulated in gay communities and is an outspoken defender of gay rights, although, as with social issues in general, he keeps his distance from doctrinaire positions. One of his first published works (and the only one (partially) translated in English), with a preface by Barthes, is Tricks (1979; enlarged and revised in 1982 and 1988), a “chronicle” consisting of over-detailed descriptions of homosexual encounters in France and elsewhere. Fragments of other works were published in the 75th issue of Yale French Studies (1988).

Camus is an exceptionally prolific writer. His work could be divided into four categories: straightforward prose (travel writing, traditional-form novels, polemic, and lengthy yearly journals (diary) published from 1989 to the present; “creative” prose: “experimental” novels and a large and ever-growing, largely unpublished web text, Burnt Boats (Vaisseaux brûlés); writings on painting and culture; and personal essays.

He has also formed a political party, "Le Parti de l’Innocence", continually evolving its platform, a curious blend of traditional leftist/socialist political values and conservative social values. It plays no role in French politics, but Camus seems to take it very seriously, adding position statements to the party’s website on a nearly daily basis.

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

( Further Readings )

Gay Romance Challenge: August 2013

Here is the Bestsellers List on Amazon I'm referring to for the challenge:

Bestsellers in Gay Fiction

And here is the actual situation (in bold the books I read with link to the review and marked as New the books entering the Challenge this month):

1) The Littlest Assassin-Shifters by Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAOMBMC/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
2) His Roommate's Pleasure by Lana McGregor
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CC68G7Y/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
3) Burden by Annmarie McKenna
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJQYAQW/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
4) Skye's Limits (Lost Shifter) by Stephani Hecht
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEF00NE/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
5) Bloodlust (Dark Hollow Wolfpack 9) by Shannon West
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECCKNJK/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
6) Christian (The Beck Brothers Series) by Andria Large
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E3UOBG2/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
7) Out of the Blackness by Carter Quinn
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DUPVNNK/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
8) Leader and the Writer by Joyee Flynn
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9XWUKC/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
9) Box of Nails: This Young Stud by Sean Michael
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EDK7VE6/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
10) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0486278077/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:

( books from 11 to 100 )

New Releases Ebook Giveaway: Julian Griffith - Love Continuance and Increasing

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 Stevie Carroll

Love Continuance and Increasing is Julian Griffith's debut novel, published by Storm Moon Press. It's a historical m/m/f ménage romance set in England during the Napoleonic Wars.

About Julian Griffith: Julian Griffith’s first book was a travelogue of St. Croix, lavishly illustrated in crayon. She’s been writing ever since. Meanwhile, she’s worked as a professional gift wrapper, a receptionist, a baker and caterer, a data entry clerk, and has even run a jackhammer on a construction site.

She’s been a devoted fan of Doctor Who since she was a teenager, and hopes to finish her Fourth Doctor scarf sometime before the end of the decade. She also has a strong interest in historical cooking, and a good thing, too, because there are times when her characters won’t let her write the next bit until she makes what they’re supposed to be eating.

Julian says, “I never expected to find myself writing romance, because I’ve been a fantasy and science fiction reader since I discovered The Hobbit at age seven. But I’ve always liked stories that focus on the relationships between characters more than they focus on the magic or technology they use, and the past is another world just as surely as any distant planet. And one you can research, at that.”

“I choose to write about QUILTBAG characters in historical settings because, as I and so many people close to me fall under that umbrella, I can’t help but think about how our lives would have been different in another era. How do my characters live their lives in a culture that doesn’t even acknowledge them, much less accept them? How do they think of themselves, before the terms ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ existed the way they do now? And, most importantly, how do they find happiness? Whether I’m writing romance, or just stories with strong romantic elements, or even the detective stories that two of my characters are insisting I need to write for them, those are the questions that are always on my mind.”
Julian lives in New England, sharing a house with two writer friends, six computers, and an ever-expanding collection of books. If only the collection of bookshelves were able to keep up!
Website: http://www.julian-griffith.com/
Goodreads: http://www.julian-griffith.com/http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7181923.Julian_Griffith
Dreamwidth: http://www.julian-griffith.dreamwidth.org
Livejournal: http://www.julian-griffith.livejournal.com
Tumblr: http://juliangriffith.tumblr.com
Twitter: @julianxgriffith

Love Continuance and Increasing by Julian Griffith
Publisher: Storm Moon Press LLC (August 1, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Love Continuance and Increasing
Buy link: http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Love-Continuance-and-Increasing.aspx
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18220654-love-continuance-and-increasing

Lieutenant William Thorne, of His Majesty's Navy, was a man of humble origins. He knew that his affair with Major Anthony Rockingham of the 43rd Infantry couldn't last forever, not only because the war against Napoleon sent him on blockade duty in the English Channel while the major's regiment trained ashore, but because Rockingham was a viscount, and viscounts must marry. When Rockingham's letter reached him, saying that he'd chosen Miss Caroline Filmer as his bride, it was no more than Thorne had expected.

What he had not expected, when he returned home after the Battle of Trafalgar, was to find an invitation to the christening of Rockingham's son. He had not expected, when he met the young viscountess, that he would fall instantly and passionately in love with her. And he had certainly never expected that Caroline would fall just as desperately in love with him. Thorne was sure that their feelings for each other could only lead to disaster, even more so as his love for Rockingham had never gone away. While the war with France continued, he found himself fighting a war within his own heart...

( Excerpt )

Rainbow Awards: Cover Contest (July)

This is the first round for the 2013 Cover Contest. Voting on each slot will happen every 2 weeks.

- in round 1 there will be 12 slots, 1 for each month in the Submission period (from September 2012 to August 2013).
- in parallel with the poll, a special jury will vote the covers; the jury is composed by: Ali, Anne Tenino, Brent Hartinger, Dylan Rosser, Jodie, Julie, Linda, Mitzie, Tammy, Zahra Owens.
- you can vote as many covers as you want, using the poll in this post

Last week, most voted cover was:


The Dragon's Hoard

will pass to round 2:
And So It Begins (Paul Richmond)
Another Secret (Trace Edward Zaber)
Boy Crucified (Paul Richmond)
Britlit
Canary
Catch My Breath (L.C. Chase)
Children of the Knight (Reese Dante)
City of Jade (Anne Cain)
Cops
Crazy Pavements
Ditch Water
The Dragon's Hoard
Feeling Women's Liberation
Heart of the Race (Catt Ford)
Infected, Undertow (Anne Cain)
Just Queer Folks
Meeting Robyn
Monarch Season
Same Page (Design Bug)
Tragic Bitches
Wild Girls Wild Nights

All the covers are here:

http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/2013CoverContest_11.htm

and here is the poll:

[Poll #1928524]