Rae Gee (born February 14, 1981)

Born and raised in the heart of England, Rae spent her formative years bouncing around the globe with her missionary family. When she wasn't on a plane, she was often found with her head in a book. These days she racks up air miles by learning to fly.

When she's not writing, she enjoys making documentaries, roaming the South Downs, teasing the cat and her dad (normally at the same time!), taking photos and naming her electronics. She believes that she's trapped in the wrong era and should be roaming the streets of 19th Century London.

She also has a tattoo of a Boeing 747 and is only too happy to tell the tale behind it. Feel free to ask; she promises not to bite too hard!

Rae currently lives just outside of Leicester and is partly owned by Bertie the cat.

Mars on the Rise won a 2012 Rainbow Award as Best Bisexual / Transgender Sci-fi/Fantasy and Best Best Bisexual / Transgender Debut.

Further Readings:

Mars on the Rise by Rae Gee
Paperback: 340 pages
Publisher: Torquere Press (April 25, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610403053
ISBN-13: 978-1610403054
Amazon: Mars on the Rise
Amazon Kindle: Mars on the Rise

A storyteller steps off a pier and into a world of steampunk oddities, fearsome weapons, and a dangerous man. Promised fame and fortune by the country's largest weapons manufacturer, Cedo gratefully falls into the arms of Erus Veetu. Dark, dangerous and with nothing to lose, Erus shows him that Svenfur isn't all Cedo thought it was. For beneath the streets is a dark, gas lit world of slavery, human sacrifice ,and deadly machines. With the machines waging war in the East, can Cedo stop the country's deadliest man from bringing it to the shores of England? Or is he too late to penetrate the cold exterior of his Master and halt the cogs and gears of progress? Set in a Victorian world of sex, drugs and steampower, Mars on the Rise tells is a dark, gritty story of what happens when our dreams come true. Whether we want them to or not.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, Rainbow Awards/2012

Alex Kondracke & Angela Robinson

Angela Robinson (born February 14, 1971) is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. Robinson's partner is television writer and director Alexandra "Alex" Martinez Kondracke, the daughter of Morton Kondracke, whom she met while they were both studying at NYU. In 2009, Kondracke gave birth to their first child, Diego. They live in Los Feliz, California.

Robinson was born in San Francisco, California and later grew up in Los Angeles. Robinson attended Brown University where she majored in theatre and later received an MFA from New York University.

Robinson frequently deals with gay and lesbian topics in her films. Robinson has directed an award winning short film D.E.B.S. (2003) produced by POWER UP and a feature length film D.E.B.S. (2004). In the feature length film, Robinson centers the film around the young lesbian relationship of characters Amy and Lucy. In the undercover spy film, several of the teenage girls depicted are either lesbian or bisexual, and those sexual orientations are central to the film. Amy, played by actress Sara Foster, is the pride and joy of her all-female teenage spy school, because she is the first ever to achieve the perfect score in the secret spy test hidden in her SATs. Her sweet demeanor catches the attention of bad girl Lucy Diamond, played by Jordana Brewster, who sets her sights on seducing Amy while striving for world domination. Although some feared that producers would pressure Robinson into downplaying the lesbian aspects of the film, Robinson later indicated that she received full support, and that the lesbian relationship between Amy and Lucy remained intact. Robinson said "If anything, we worked together on the script to make the relationship more complex and intimate".


Angela Robinson is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. Robinson's partner is television writer and director Alexandra "Alex" Martinez Kondracke, the daughter of Morton Kondracke, whom she met while they were both studying at NYU. In 2009, Kondracke gave birth to their child, Diego. They live in Los Feliz, California. In 2007, Robinson created the online series Girltrash! which resides on www.ourchart.com, an online offshoot of the television series, The L Word.

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Robinson

( Further Readings )

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

Tere Michaels (born February 14, 1968)

This bio would be more interesting if I could fictionalize it...

I am an East Coast girl (Metro NYC to be exact), born and bred and with some slight princess traits. For example, "camping" is staying in a hotel without a pool.

Writing has always been my dream, my goal, the way my brain and my heart found a happy place. When I was five my mom got me a subscription to a Disney magazine and precocious early reader that I was, I immediately caught on to the fact that someone, indeed, WROTE these stories. That it was a real profession and from then I was locked in to what I wanted to do.

Of course it took me til just past my fortieth birthday to fully succeed by having my first novel, "Faith & Fidelity" published, but I've been writing for decades and whether or not I made a dime, it was always my "must do" thing.

In the meantime I've freelanced, worked in offices, managed a bookstore, lived in LA, starved and prospered and became a married mom in the 'burbs.

Right now my wonderful husband and my darling son and I live in a cute house in the NJ suburbs; we share our abode with three cats, a hamster and approximately 100 fish (warning: when the pet store says "they're all male!" don't believe them). Life is good and I am beyond grateful to my family and friends and fans who've brought me to this point.

Further Readings:

Faith & Fidelity (Faith, Love, and Devotion Book 1) by Tere Michaels
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press; Second Edition edition (October 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632161362
ISBN-13: 978-1632161369
Amazon: Faith & Fidelity (Faith, Love, and Devotion Book 1)
Amazon Kindle: Faith & Fidelity (Faith, Love, and Devotion Book 1)

2nd Edition

Faith, Love, and Devotion: Book One

Reeling from the recent death of his wife, police officer Evan Cerelli looks at his four children and can only see how he fails them. His loving wife was the caretaker and nurturer, and now the single father feels himself being crushed by the pain of loss and the heavy responsibility of raising his kids.

At the urging of his partner, Evan celebrates a coworker’s retirement and meets disgraced former cop turned security consultant Matt Haight. A friendship born out of loneliness and the solace of the bottle turns out to be exactly what they both need.

The past year has been a slow death for Matt Haight. Ostracized from his beloved police force, facing middle age and perpetual loneliness, Matt sees only a black hole where his future should be. When he discovers another lost soul in Evan, some of the pieces he thought he lost start to fall back in place. Their friendship turns into something deeper, but love is the last thing either man expected, and both of them struggle to reconcile their new and overwhelming feelings for one another.

1st Edition published by Loose Id LLC, September 2008.

New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He's trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies' man, all sex/no commitment. He's depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed.

The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly -- can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?

More Spotlights at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Lists/Gay Novels

Stephanie Figarelle & Lela McArthur, Phil Fung & Shawn Klein

Stephanie Figarelle and Lela McArthur met as college students in Alaska and Phil Fung & Shawn Klein met at a nightclub in Manhattan. They became the first same-sex couples to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012.

"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Stephanie Figarelle told Lela McArthur as they exchanged rings in a ceremony at the iconic skyscraper.

"I will always love you forever, with every beat of my heart," said McArthur, who is taking her partner's name.

Figarelle and McArthur were among four couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building designed by event planner Colin Cowie.

After the ceremonies in a 61st-floor area that is rented out for parties, the couples posed for photos on the 86th-floor observation deck.

Figarelle (born 1983) and McArthur (born 1988) met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.


Stephanie Figarelle and Lela McArthur became the first lesbian couple to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012. Figarelle and McArthur were among 4 couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building. Figarelle and McArthur met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.


Phil Fung and Shawn Klein became the first gay couple to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012. They met in 1994 at the Roxy, a popular nightclub that has since closed. "You can find true love on the dance floor. It can happen," said Klein, who works in procurement at New York Presbyterian Hospital while Fung works in the technology department of a financial firm. They walked up the aisle to the strains of the Michael Bolton song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You."

( Read more... )

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/alaska-women-stephanie-fi_n_1276208.html

( Further Readings )

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

Rick Fishman & Steve Snyder

Steve Snyder: It was Valentine's Day, 1980. I was 18, Rick was 19. That evening, the most handsome man I'd ever seen walked into the Frat House bar in DC. We immediately hit it off, chatting about our love for Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and more.

Our first dinner date was at my apartment, and our love grew quickly. We spent many nights in Rick's single bed with Jane Olivor spinning on the record player, talking until we fell asleep. We believe those early times formed the mutual bond that has kept us together ever since.

On our first anniversary, February 14, 1981, sitting on the floor of our apartment, we exchanged rings and made vows to each other.

Our love grew over the next three decades - our families gave us acceptance and love; we bought property; we had canine children. We’re now entering our 50s as a married couple.

On our 29th anniversary, Rick shocked me with a proposal. A year of planning ensued... we would marry on our 30th anniversary: Valentine’s Day, 2010.

Manchester, NH would be the location, as our home state of Maryland doesn't allow same-sex marriage. We kept the wedding simple due to the distance involved for family and friends. We exchanged our personally written vows in a ceremony structured to highlight of our years together. The rings we first exchanged in 1981 were re-exchanged while songs of Jane Olivor played in the background.

( Read more... )

Source: www.out.com/out-exclusives/wedding-guide/vows/2011/11/15/steve-snyder-and-rick-fishman

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

Blog Tour: Rise & Fall by Charlie Cochet

Rise & Fall (THIRDS Book 4) By Charlie Cochet
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 2, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632167689
ISBN-13: 978-1632167682
Amazon: Rise & Fall (THIRDS Book 4)
Amazon Kindle: Rise & Fall (THIRDS Book 4)

After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he’s done. But Dex’s plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition’s crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn’t taking any chances. Dex’s team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost.

With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies—however well intentioned—begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who’s pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it’s up to Sloane to show him what’s at stake, and finally put a name to what’s in his heart.

( Excerpt )

Author’s Bio: Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.charliecochet.com
Blog: http://www.charliecochet.com/blog
Thirds Headquarter: http://thirdshq.com/
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorcharliecochet
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlieCochet
Tumblr: http://charliecochet.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5621569.Charlie_Cochet
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/charliecochet
Newsletter: http://www.charliecochet.com/newsletter

Giveaway: A $25 Amazon Gift Card + a THIRDS Swag Pack. One winner, and it's open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b4c0001d137/?

2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: The Fallen by Dawn Carter

The Fallen by Dawn Carter
Lesbian Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Shadoe Publishing (December 26, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1505536197
ISBN-13: 978-1505536195
Amazon: The Fallen
Amazon Kindle: The Fallen

Turned into a vampire 1200 years ago, Nira fights hard to regain her humanity. She makes a pact with the Gods to fight the evil who is trying to destroy mankind and in return, the Gods agree to grant Nira her wish to become human. A vampire assassin hardened by centuries of fighting against evil; disciplined and loyal, Nira never strays from her mission or the rules set out for her. She purged all her weaknesses, including her emotions to the back of her mind. In a twist of fate she meets Stephanie, and finds herself not only fighting for her soul, but for Stephanie's life. But the moment she met Stephanie, something dangerous awakens in her, something possessive and powerful, she discovered she would do anything to protect the woman who was slowly claiming her heart, even break all the rules if she has too. What happens next, not only shocks Nira but also Stephanie. In the end, it is Stephanie who saves Nira...and more.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html

2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: Desert Foxe by Haley Walsh

Desert Foxe (The Skyler Foxe Mysteries Book 5) by Haley Walsh
Gay Mystery / Thriller
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (November 7, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608209636
ISBN-13: 978-1608209637
Amazon: Desert Foxe (The Skyler Foxe Mysteries Book 5)
Amazon Kindle: Desert Foxe (The Skyler Foxe Mysteries Book 5)

Skyler and his friends go to Palm Springs for the annual White Party and find murder! Out and proud high school English teacher Skyler Foxe and his posse of friends go to the annual Palm Springs White Party for a weekend of fun, frivolity, and luscious men. But there are boy troubles of all kinds ahead. Skyler's boyfriend and high school coach Keith Fletcher has to endure an embarrassing number of Skyler's former hook-ups, one of the SFC might be going solo, Skyler encounters unexpected and unwelcome participants at the party, and there's a murder on the dance floor, literally at Skyler's feet! Both Skyler and Keith are drawn into investigating more than murder when the FBI asks Skyler to do the unthinkable.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html