Rebecca Buck (born April 26, 1982)

"I was born in Nottingham, England, in 1982 and didn't leave until 2000 when I had a brief flirtation with studying history at Oxford. However, Oxford and I didn't really suit each other (and I have since characterised the city as a vampire in my latest published short story...) so I left at the start of 2001, returning to Nottingham to study English at The University of Nottingham.

For reasons I can't quite explain, since I love my hometown, after I graduated I went to live for a while in the former Yugoslavian country of Slovenia. A truly beautiful place, but I wasn't made to be a country dweller. I worked as a private tutor and dabbled with properly renovation until 2010 when I came back to Nottingham, at around the same time as my first novel, Truths was released. I'd always wanted to be a writer and the realisation of that dream was possibly the most exciting thing that ever happened to me.

A brief spell in retail taught me to be kind to shop assistants in the run up to Christmas, before I found my way into a job much more inspiring to me, as an interpreter at the Galleries of Justice museum in the old Lace Market district of Nottingham. It's the old Shire Hall and Country Gaol, and the place I fictionalised in Truths. On any given day you might find me dressed as a Victorian warder, a drunken Georgian prisoner, or conducting a mock trial with a group of children. As a total history geek and creative to my core, it's the perfect place for me.

Outside of work and writing, I love to listen to stupidly loud music, I read incessantly (recomendations always welcome) and I love to study. I'm currently reading up on history and theology. Just some light entertainment...I'm also a big fan of travelling and I adore many cities all across Europe, my favourire right now being Budapest.

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Source: www.rebeccasbuck.com/

Further Readings:

The Locket and the Flintlock by Rebecca S. Buck
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (May 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602826641
ISBN-13: 978-1602826649
Amazon: The Locket and the Flintlock
Amazon Kindle: The Locket and the Flintlock

Will the masked outlaw who stole Lucia’s locket also claim her heart?

When Miss Lucia Foxe is robbed by a band of shadowy highwaymen, she does not realize this frightening event will change her life forever. Her brave quest to retrieve her stolen locket brings her into close contact with the thieves and their dashing and fearless masked leader, Len Hawkins. But there is more to Len than meets the eye. Beneath the robber’s mask lies a woman who, in her heart, is not really so very different from Lucia.

As their unlikely love grows against the backdrop of the poverty and violent protest of Regency England, Lucia learns how much more there is to the world than her upbringing has taught her. Len flirts with death every day, and eventually, an attempt at exacting revenge on her cruel father threatens to snatch her from Lucia’s arms.

Will Len survive her encounter with death and avoid the retribution of the agents of justice? And can respectable gentlewoman Lucia love Len enough to sacrifice everything she knows?

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

Adrienne Monnier & Sylvia Beach

Adrienne Monnier (April 26, 1892 - June 19, 1955) was a French poet, bookseller and publisher and a figure in the modernist writing scene in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. While conducting some research at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Sylvia Beach found the name of Adrienne Monnier’s bookshop in a French literary journal and decided to seek out the little store on the rue de l'Odéon. There she was warmly welcomed by the owner who, to her surprise, was a plump fair-haired young woman wearing a garment that looked like a cross between a peasant’s dress and a nun’s habit, “with a long full skirt … and a sort of tight-fitting velvet waistcoat over a white silk blouse. She was in gray and white like her bookshop.” Although Beach was dressed in a Spanish cloak and hat, Monnier knew immediately that she was American. At that first meeting Monnier declared, "I like Americans very much." Beach replied that she liked France very much. They later became lovers and lived together for 36 years until Monnier’s suicide in 1955.

In 1915 when she opened her bookshop called "La Maison des Amis des Livres" at 7 rue de l'Odéon, Adrienne Monnier was among the first women in France to found her own book store. While women sometimes assisted in a family bookstore, and widows occasionally took over their husband’s bookselling or publishing business, it was unusual for a French woman to independently set herself up as a bookseller. Nonetheless Monnier, who had worked as a teacher and as a literary secretary, loved the world of literature and was determined to make bookselling her career. The book she was most known for was the story of a young boy growing up in America. What has survived from the story is not much, however we know the name of the character "Bill Monnier" a American boy with a royal bloodline traced back to the French monarchy. Although the story never really caught on in the United States with readers, it was very popular in Paris, and all over France. The book, which later became a series of stories, follows Bill's life growing up with his two sisters in a small town near the Ohio River.


While conducting some research at the Bibliotheque Nationale Sylvia Beach found the name of Adrienne Monnier's bookshop and decided to seek out the little store. There she was warmly welcomed by the owner who, to her surprise, was a plump fair-haired young woman in a peasant's dress/nun's habit, "with a long full skirt and a sort of tight-fitting velvet waistcoat over a white silk blouse. They later became lovers and lived together for 36 years until Monnier's suicide in 1955. Beach died 1962.

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

Sylvia Beach (March 14, 1887 – October 5, 1962), born Nancy Woodbridge Beach, was an American-born bookseller and publisher who lived most of her life in Paris, where she was one of the leading expatriate figures between World War I and II.

Beach was born in her father's parsonage in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, on March 14, 1887, the second of three daughters of Sylvester Beach and Eleanor Thomazine Orbison. Although named Nancy after her grandmother Orbison, she later decided to change her name to Sylvia. Her maternal grandparents were missionaries to India, and her father, a Presbyterian minister, was descended from several generations of clergymen. When the girls were young the family lived in Baltimore and in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Then in 1901, the family moved to France upon Sylvester Beach's appointment as assistant minister of the American Church in Paris and director of the American student center.

Beach spent the years 1902-1905 in Paris, returning to New Jersey in 1906 when her father became minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton. Beach made several return trips to Europe, lived for two years in Spain, and worked for the Balkan Commission of the Red Cross. During the last years of the Great War, she was drawn back to Paris to study contemporary French literature.

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

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
Amazon: Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher

Lily Parr & Mary

Lilian "Lily" Parr (26 April 1905 – 24 May 1978) was an English professional women's association football player who played as a winger. She is best known for playing for the Dick, Kerr's Ladies team, which was founded in 1917 and based in Preston, Lancashire. (P: from Alice Woods’ album, photograph of the young Lily, discovered in the photo album of Alice Woods that had been passed down to Alice’s daughter, Lynn Fabian)

In 2002 she was the only woman to be made an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum.

Parr was born in a rented house in Union Street, Gerrard's Bridge, St. Helens; the fourth of seven children born to George and Sarah Parr. Her father was a labourer at the local glass factory and the family rented out space in the yard and rooms at their house for extra income.

As a girl Parr displayed little enthusiasm for traditional pursuits such as sewing and cookery. Instead her fearless streak and robust frame allowed her to compete alongside boys in both football and rugby. Under the tutelage of her elder brothers she became proficient in both sports.

During the First World War in England there was a growing interest in women's football and Dick, Kerr & Co. was the name of the Preston munitions factory where most of the women on the team worked. The Dick, Kerr's Ladies team regularly drew large crowds including a famous event on 26 December 1920 at Goodison Park that drew more than 53,000 spectators.

During her time working for Dick, Kerr & Co she lodged in Preston with one of her team mates, Alice Norris. She was good friends with her team-mate Alice Woods, who was also from St Helens. While playing for the Dick, Kerr's Ladies she was noted for her large appetite and almost constant smoking of Woodbine cigarettes.


P: from the Bill Parr collection, photograph of Lily playing football by William, Lily’s brother.
Lily Parr was an English professional women's association football player who played as a winger for the Dick, Kerr's Ladies team of Frankland. Frankland had raised considerable sums of money for Whittingham Hospital and Lunatic Asylum. The hospital was always willing to employ and provide accommodation for Frankland's players. This included Lily Parr. While working at the hospital Lily Parr met her partner Mary and together they bought a house in Preston. Openly lesbian, she lived with Mary in Preston and has become a LGBT rights icon.

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

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher

Jonathan Rauch (born April 26, 1960)

Jonathan Charles Rauch (born April 26, 1960 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author, journalist and activist. After graduating from Yale University, Rauch worked at the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina, for the National Journal magazine, and later for The Economist magazine and as a freelance writer.

Currently, a contributing editor of National Journal and The Atlantic, is the author of several books and many articles on public policy, culture, and economics. He is also a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution in Governance Studies and a vice president of the Independent Gay Forum. Rauch is also the author of five books, including Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America (2004).

A critic of U.S. government public policy in general, and specifically in its relation to homosexuals, Rauch has pursued gay-related topics as an openly gay author since 1991 when he spoke out against hate crime laws in The New Republic. He is an avid proponent of same-sex marriage, which he believes will improve the quality of life of both LGBT people and married heterosexuals. He co-authored an op-ed article in the New York Times that proposed the compromise of nationally recognised civil unions for gay couples, which he did with the goal of "reconciliation" with religious opponents of same-sex marriage.

Peter H. Wehner, conservative writer and director of the Bush-era Office of Strategic Initiatives, has called Rauch "the most formidable and persuasive voice for same-sex marriage."

Rauch is also well known for an article he wrote in The Atlantic Monthly in March 2003, entitled "Caring for Your Introvert: The habits and needs of a little-understood group". In this article, Rauch described his own experiences as an introvert, and how being an introvert has had an impact on his own life. For many introverts, his piece became a long sought after explanation of their own personality traits. Rauch's original article has drawn more traffic to The Atlantic Monthly site than any other article.

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

Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America by Jonathan Rauch
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; First Edition edition (February 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805078150
ISBN-13: 978-0805078152
Amazon: Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America
Amazon Kindle: Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America

"Thoughtful and convincingly argued . . . Rauch's impressive book is as enthusiastic an encomium to marriage as anyone, gay or straight, could write."
—David J. Garrow, The Washington Post Book World

In May 2004, gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, but it remains a divisive and contentious issue across America. As liberals and conservatives mobilize around this issue, no one has come forward with a more compelling, comprehensive, and readable case for gay marriage than Jonathan Rauch. In this book, he puts forward a clear and honest manifesto explaining why gay marriage is important—even crucial—to the health of marriage in America today, grounding his argument in commonsense, mainstream values and confronting social conservatives on their own turf. Marriage, he observes, is more than a bond between individuals; it also links them to the community at large. Excluding some people from the prospect of marriage not only is harmful to them but also is corrosive of the institution itself.

Gay marriage, he shows, is a "win-win-win" for strengthening the bonds that tie us together and for remaining true to our national heritage of fairness and humaneness toward all.

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

Martin Wilson (born April 26, 1973)

Martin Wilson was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1973. He lived there until he finished high school and entered Vanderbilt University, where he earned a BA in 1995, majoring in English. After graduation, he moved to Austin, Texas, where he worked as an editorial assistant at a small educational publishing house. In 1996, he moved to Gainesville, Florida, joining the MFA program of the University of Florida. While at Florida, one of his short stories won a Henfield Foundation/Transatlantic Review Award. After earning his MFA in 1998, he moved back to Austin and, once again, began working for the same small educational publishing house as a copyeditor and, eventually, as a managing editor.

In 2003, Martin moved to New York City, where he still lives and works as a publicist in the book publishing industry. His short stories have been published in Virgin Fiction 2, Pieces: A Collection of New Voices, Rebel Yell 2, Rush Hour, and other publications. What They Always Tell Us is his first novel.

Besides writing, Martin enjoys reading, jogging and exercising, watching tennis, traveling, listening to cheesy pop songs on his iPod, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. Some of his favorite books are Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler, Open Secrets by Alice Munro, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell, I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip by John Donovan, and many, many more. Favorite movies include Alien and Aliens, Heathers, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Nashville, All About Eve, Donnie Darko, and many more.

Source: http://martinwilsonwrites.com/

Further Readings:

What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385735081
ISBN-13: 978-0385735087
Amazon: What They Always Tell Us
Amazon Kindle: What They Always Tell Us

JAMES AND ALEX have barely anything in common anymore—least of all their experiences in high school, where James is a popular senior and Alex is suddenly an outcast. But at home, there is Henry, the precocious 10-year-old across the street, who eagerly befriends them both. And when Alex takes up running, there is James’s friend Nathen, who unites the brothers in moving and unexpected ways.

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

2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: Square Affair by Timmothy J. Holt

Square Affair by Timmothy J. Holt
Gay Contemporary General Fiction
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Christine F.\Anderson#Publishing & Media; First Edition edition (January 14, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692350640
ISBN-13: 978-0692350645
Amazon: Square Affair
Amazon Kindle: Square Affair

In the small Midwestern town of Dewers, amidst the turmoil of the 1960s, the casual conversations of five men lead to public sex in the courthouse restroom. Their arrest for public indecency takes the town on a journey through good and evil that will alter it, as well as the five men and their families. Through it all the town confirms its perseverance of community and ability to survive. Each man tells his version of the story that starts at Squeaky’s bar with a planned weekend fishing trip. On that weekend the five men discover a shared sexual interest in each other. This newfound release triggers a need for more, leading to anonymous sex in the courthouse restroom. Their private encounters become public knowledge when the sheriff, acting on a tip, observes the behavior. All are arrested and accused of public indecency, a charge that could land them in jail or a psychiatric hospital. It will lead the town out of its ordinary world and through a land of forbidden, deviant sexual behavior. The men reveal complex, unknown, and differing motivations for their behavior. It is not erotic but gives insight into the behavior’s erotic appeal. On the day of the men’s hearing, Clara May, a retired English teacher, and Frieda, a retired principal’s assistant, guide us through the thoughts and actions of the men and their families as they await the outcome. Bob, a law professor, has experimented sexually with other men. Sexual tension in his marriage leads both him and his wife to seek gratification elsewhere. Gary is a transplant from Chicago. He knows he is attracted to men. As an outsider, Gary is mistrusted by the town and blamed for the affair. Thomas, a farmer, experimented sexually in the Navy. His continued desires, deeply held religious beliefs, and controlling parents threaten him and his marriage. He turns to alcohol. James, a car dealer, satisfies his identity crisis with a red sports car and sexual release at out-of-town meetings. His wife suspects but she does not act until her husband’s arrest. Danny’s fundamentalist father forces him to live with his grandfather because of his interest in male muscle magazines. Two questions are on all their minds: Who am I? Is anyone out there like me? After the hearing the men meet at Washington Street Bar, a place where anonymity is respected.Knowing there will be a plea deal and no jail, the men discuss tomorrow’s uncertainty. Returning home from the bar, each man confronts the day’s events with their families. Readers learn, through Clara May and Frieda, that the town questions if it will maintain its natural order of life or enter the stream of a changing world. One thing is certain:Pastor Jones will not cross that threshold of change and tells the town to shun the men and their evil ways. The ordeal brings the men, their families, and Dewers an armor of truth where acceptance can find a home. Not even Pastor Jones’s sword of words will penetrate it. No one remains unchanged. The town finds it has the power to heal, to change, thanks to the power of forgiveness.

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