Aleksandr Voinov (born May 4, 1975)

Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London where he makes his living as an editor in the financial services sector. After many years working in the horror, science fiction, cyberpunk and fantasy genres, Voinov has set his sights now on contemporary and historical gay novels.

Voinov's natural form is the novel, as all short stories eventually turn into novels. Described as a "workaholic speed-writing freak" by fellow writers, a "creative writing class drill sergeant" by his writing 'padawans', Voinov is a self-confessed geek and has enlarged his days by 12 secret hours in return for the sacrifice of ten albino virgin pygmy hippos.

Voinov's style has been called "dynamic to the point of breathlessness", "dark and gritty" and "disturbingly poetic" by publishers and literary agents.

He has just barely enough time to take care of a bonsai standing in the kitchen, goes weight-lifting, and confuses opponents as a left-hander in foil fencing. Intellectually, he is drawn to the dark side of human nature and history. As a trained historian, Voinov is fascinated by wars, religion and the conflict between the individual and society.

Interest at the moment include professional chess players, Swedish massage, tailored suits, and networking with writers and literary agents. The interests are subject to change from one day to the other, and Voinov single-handedly sustains three bookshops in London.

Dark Edge of Honor, co-authored with Rhianon Etzweiler, won a 2011 Rainbow Award as Best Gay Sci-fi / Futuristic. Country Mouse, co-authored with Amy Lane, won a 2012 Rainbow Award as Best Bisexual Erotic Romance and Incursion won as Best Bisexual / Transgender Sci-fi/Fantasy and Best Bisexual / Transgender Novel. The two novellas If It Flies and If It Fornicates, co-authored with L.A. Witt, won a 2013 Rainbow Award as Best LGBT Erotica.

Further Readings:

Dark Edge of Honor by Aleksandr Voinov and Rhianon Etzweiler
Publisher: Carina Press (August 15, 2011)
Amazon Kindle: Dark Edge of Honor

Sergei Stolkov is a faithful officer, though his deepest desires go against the Doctrine. A captain with the invading Coalition forces, he believes that self-sacrifice is the most heroic act and his own needs are only valid if they serve the state.

Mike, an operative planted within Cirokko's rebels, has been ordered to seduce Sergei and pry from him the Coalition's military secrets. His mission is a success, but as he captures Sergei's heart, Mike is tempted by his own charade and falls in love.

When the hostile natives of the planet Cirokko make their move, all seems lost. Can Mike and Sergei survive when the Coalition's internal affairs division takes an interest in what happened in the dusty mountains of Zasidka Pass…?

Country Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing; first edition (August 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1626490449
ISBN-13: 978-1626490444
Amazon: Country Mouse: The Complete Collection
Amazon Kindle: Country Mouse

Owen may be a bit of a country mouse, but after a long day playing tourist on his London vacation, he’s on the hunt for some cheap beer and a good burger. Instead he finds a man hunting him with only one thing on the brain: the kind of meat that doesn’t come on a bun.

Owen’s all for an adventure, but he’s not the pushover Malcolm Kavanagh thinks he is, and Malcolm’s not as shallow as he tries to be. They both soon learn that nothing’s too intimate to share with a stranger, and the strangest things happen when two people share the most important pieces of their hearts.

Incursion by Aleksandr Voinov
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (July 7, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: Incursion

When the local authorities ask Kyle Juenger to hunt a shape-shifting Glyrinny spy, he can’t refuse. After all, he can use the reward to replace his paralyzed legs with cyberware, and maybe even to return to his home planet. Besides, he hates the morphs—those invasive, brain-eating monstrosities whose weapons cost him his legs.

Kyle’s best lead is the Scorpion, a mercenary ship armed to the teeth. Grimm, the Scorpion’s pilot and captain, fascinates Kyle. He’s everything Kyle lost with his legs, and he’s from the same home world. He’s also of the warrior caste—half priest, half savior. But Grimm’s been twisted by life as a merc, and Kyle’s stuck undercover as a criminal on the run.

That doesn’t stop Grimm from coming on to Kyle, or from insisting he’s more than the sum of his past and his useless legs. But Kyle has other concerns—like tracking a dangerous morph who could be wearing anyone’s face. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, Kyle can’t tell if Grimm is part of the solution . . . or part of the problem.

If It Flies (A Market Garden Tale) by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (March 9, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: If It Flies (A Market Garden Tale)

Spencer is in a rut. Long hours at the law firm are sucking the life out of him, and he doesn't have time or energy for a relationship. He’s lonely, horny, and itching for something new, so he tries the Market Garden, an exclusive—and expensive—brothel. Spencer isn't in the door five minutes before a cocky rentboy makes his move.

Nick isn't just any rentboy, though. He’s a Dom, he’s a sadist, and he’s everything Spencer didn't know he was missing. One night turns into more, and before long, Spencer is one of Nick’s regular clients.

Both men think they’re just scratching each other’s backs: Spencer’s exploring a submissive, masochistic side he never knew he had, and Nick is getting off and getting paid. But as time goes on, it’s clear their strictly professional arrangement . . . isn't, and if Nick has one hard limit, it’s that he doesn't get romantically entangled with his johns. The problem is, while Nick doesn't want to be owned, Spencer’s no longer content with just renting.

If It Fornicates (A Market Garden Tale) by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (June 8, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: If It Fornicates (A Market Garden Tale)

Nick is a top earner in the Market Garden, where rentboys fulfill their high-rolling clients’ every sexual fantasy. As a Dom and a sadist, he sets his own price and is experienced enough not to let any client get out of hand. He’s damn good at his job, and it’s easy money.

Or at least it used to be. But now he has a boyfriend. Spencer is a former client, a closeted corporate lawyer, and so beautifully submissive he’s perfect for Nick. He doesn’t even mind how Nick earns a living. He just wants to take care of Nick—something Nick isn’t quite sure how to handle.

In fact, Nick’s clearly off his game these days. Sure, he’s tired from his shift work and his studies, but mainly he’s bored by his clients and distracted by thoughts of Spencer—dangerous for everyone when he’s wielding a whip. Now Nick has to make a choice: give up his independence, or walk away from the only man he’s ever loved.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, Rainbow Awards/2011, 2012 & 2013

Libby Drew (born May 4, 1970)

Libby glimpsed her true calling when her first story, an A.A. Milne /Shakespeare crossover, won the grand prize in her elementary school's fiction contest. Her parents explained that writers were quirky, poor, and often talked to themselves in supermarket checkout lines. They implored her to be practical, a request she took to heart for twenty years, earning two degrees, a white-collar job, and an ulcer, before realizing that practical was absolutely no fun.

Today she lives with her husband and four children in an old, impractical house and writes stories about redemption, the supernatural, and love at first sight, all of which do exist. She happens to know from experience.

Libby's STATE OF MIND received rave reviews for being fast, clever, and relentless and was nominated for a Bookie Award for Best M/M Novel of 2011. 40 SOULS TO KEEP, Libby's third novel, has been described as intense and heart-poundingly good and was praised by Publishers Weekly for maintaining a high level of suspense.

An avid supporter of gay rights, Libby donates her time to the Trevor Project and organizations that work to support marriage equality.

Secrets of Neverwood, co-authored with G.B. Lindsey and Diana Copland, won a 2014 Rainbow Award as Best LGBT Anthology / Collection.

Further Readings:

Secrets of Neverwood by G.B. Lindsey, Diana Copland & Libby Drew
Publisher: Carina Press (June 30, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: Secrets of Neverwood: One Door Closes\The Growing Season\The Lost Year

Three foster brothers are called home to Neverwood, the stately Pacific Northwest mansion of their youth. They have nothing in common but a promise to Audrey, the woman they all called mother—that upon her death, they would restore the house and preserve it as a home for troubled boys.

But going home is never easy.

Cal struggles to recover from past heartbreak, while Danny fears his mistakes are too big to overcome. Devon believes he may never break down the barriers that separate him from honest emotion.

On the path to brotherhood, they discover the old mansion holds more than dusty furniture and secret passageways. Audrey's spirit still walks its halls, intent on guiding "her boys" toward true love, and an old mystery stirs up a new danger—one that could cost the men far more than just the house.

Secrets of Neverwood includes:
One Door Closes by G.B. Lindsey
The Growing Season by Diana Copland
The Lost Year by Libby Drew

More Rainbow Awards at my website: elisarolle.com, Rainbow Awards/2014

Bent Høie & Dag Terje Solvang

Bent Høie (born 4 May 1971) is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party who has been Minister of Health and Care Services since 16 October 2013. He is a representative of Rogaland in the Storting and was first elected in 2001. Høie is married to Dag Terje Solvang.

Høie was born in Randaberg. He studied law at University of Bergen in 1991, also education from Norwegian School of Hotel Management 1991-93. He also represents his party in Stavanger Municipal Council and Rogaland County Council. As we see he has no education in Health and Care, that shows in his policy. He thinks that people outside bigger cities bleeds slower, and he does not like people who lives north of the polar circle. His wish is that everyone moved to Oslo.


This picture is from Dag Terje's 40th bithday. Photo: Per Gunnar Sværen.
Bent Høie is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party who has been Minister of Health and Care Services since 16 October 2013. He is a representative of Rogaland in the Storting and was first elected in 2001. Bent Høie partnered with Dag Terje Solvang in 2000. Although they are in the same party, a healthy discussion is part of their cohabitation. "If we get bored, we can discuss whether you should stand aside or be involved in the Norwegian church," tells Høie. He think the church has to change from within.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bent_H%C3%B8ie

Charles Desjardins & Juan Antonio

Born March 11, 1962, Quebec City, Quebec, Charles Desjardins graduated from Laval University in Montreal in 1983 with a degree in actuarial science.

In 1983, Desjardins worked for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company of Canada, and from 1983 to 1985 he worked in the ratemaking department for Wellington Insurance Company. While at Wellington he was responsible for implementing and updating the company’s loss reserving databases and evaluating its IBNR needs. Desjardins moved to Commercial Union in Toronto, Ontario in 1985 as an actuarial assistant. Desjardins became an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society in 1989. Christopher J. Townsend (FCAS 1986), a colleague of Desjardins at Commercial Union, recalled his clever wit. In particular, Townsend remembered Desjardins’ definition of a large loss as being a “failure to meet plan.” Although Desjardins left the actuarial field in 1992, he continued as a member of Ontario Conference of Casualty Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society.

A close friend of Desjardins, Andrew Hamilton, described him as the “life of every party.” “At every gathering, you would be sure to see him, fashionably dressed, talking a mile a minute and surrounded by people,” said Hamilton. Desjardins was a thoughtful man who never forgot birthdays or anniversaries and whose gifts were always beautifully appropriate to the occasion. “Charles was a brave man,” said Hamilton. “Living with a terminal illness was both difficult and debilitating, but Charles remained cheerful, optimistic, and concerned about others. Few of his friends knew how ill he was because he hid it so well. He was always asking about his friends, rather than dwelling on his own problems. We miss him.”

( Read more... )

Source: http://www.casact.org/pubs/proceed/proceed98/981118.pdf

Juan Antonio (4 May 1945, Mexico City - 24 May 1990, Toronto, Doctors Hospital, age 45) was an accomplished dancer and occasional choreographer, closely associated with the work of Louis Falco. (Picture: Juan Antonio in Louis Falco's Kate's Rag. Photo: Francette Levieux)

He trained at the American Ballet Theatre School in New York and at the American Ballet Center before debuting with Nuevo Teatro de la Danza Mexico at age 18. At 19 he joined the Ballet Clasico de Mexico and went on to guest with such troupes as the Limon Dance Company and Netherlands Dance Theater, and with the companies of Pearl Lang, Anna Sokolow, Carmen de Lavallade, and Glen Tetley. 

He co-founded the Falco Company with Louis Falco in 1967 and became associate artistic director and choreographer of the company until the company disbanded in 1983. He also choreographed for the Ballet Nacional de Espana and later moved to Toronto to take the position of balletmaster and co-director of Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. 

In 1985 he co-founded the Toronto-based company Confidanse, with Fanny Ghorayeb. The company performed in his honor August 1990 and officially folded in 1991.

Obituaries indicate that Antonio was survived by his companion, Charles Desjardins, his mother, Ophelia, of Mexico City, and his father Juan Antonio Jimenez, of Spain. According to Fanny Ghorayeb, Desjardins died in February 1998 at 35.

( Read more... )

Source: http://www.artistswithaids.org/artforms/dance/catalogue/antonio.html

( Further Readings: )

More LGBT History at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Gay Classics

Forman Brown & Richard Brandon

Forman Brown (January 8, 1901 - January 10, 1996) was one of the world's leaders in puppet theatre in his day, as well as an important early gay novelist. He was a member of the Yale Puppeteers and the driving force behind Turnabout Theatre. He was born in Otsego, Michigan, in 1901 and died in 1996, two days after his 95th birthday. Brown briefly taught at North Carolina State College, followed by an extensive tour of Europe.

Forman's Yale Puppeteers, which he established upon graduating from University of Michigan (class of 1922), opened a puppet theatre in Los Angeles in 1941 (the Turnabout Theater) that attracted celebrity attention and support from some of Hollywood's biggest names, e.g., Greta Garbo, Marie Dressler, and Douglas Fairbanks, as well as other notable figures including Albert Einstein. Brown wrote all the songs and sketches for the troupe's productions. Regular performers included Elsa Lanchester and Odetta. Bette Midler recently sang one of Forman's songs, Mrs. Pettibone, at a Los Angeles AIDS benefit.

Along with Yale Puppeteers Harry Burnett and Richard Brandon (Brown's life-long lover), Brown launched Turnabout Theatre in 1941 as "a vehicle for performing both puppet plays and revues for adults." Turnabout Theatre was a highly popular puppetry venue until its dissolution in 1956. Reversible seats were installed in the theatre so that after the puppet shows were performed at one end of the auditorium, the puppeteers asked the audience to "turnabout" their seats for the Turnabout revue staged at the opposite end of the auditorium.

In 1933, he wrote, under the pseudonym Richard Meeker, a controversial novel called Better Angel about a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality. This novel is regarded as "the first American novel to present the 'gay' experience in a healthy light."


Harry Burnett, Forman Brown, and Richard Brandon (lt. to rt.)
Forman Brown was one of the world's leaders in puppet theatre, as well as an important early gay novelist. Along with Yale Puppeteers Harry Burnett and Richard Brandon (Brown's life-long lover), Brown launched Turnabout Theatre in 1941 as "a vehicle for performing both puppet plays and revues for adults." In 1933, Brown wrote, under the pseudonym Richard Meeker, a novel called Better Angel: this novel is regarded as "the first American novel to present the 'gay' experience in a healthy light."

( Read more... )

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

In his 1933 novel Better Angel, Richard Meeker directly attacked "the professors" ad "fools... (for) manufactur(ing) all sorts of shifts and silly dodges to avoid calling Shakespeare an invert." Meeker announced to his readers that Shakespeare "loved the boy actor (the object of many Shakespeare's sonnets), and he celebrated his love in the finest... poetry of his whole career." His novel also asserted that Marcel Proust, Andre Gide, and Thomas Mann were part of a gay canon and were valuable guides in their own right to the literature of homosexuality. --Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 by George Chauncey

( Forman Brown with his cousin Harry Burnett, 1989-90, by Robert Giard )

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

Fidelma Cadmus & Lincoln Kirstein

Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City. According to the New York Times, he was "an expert in many fields." (Picture: Lincoln Kirstein by Walker Evans)

Born in Rochester, New York, the grandson of a successful Rochester clothing manufacturer, he grew up in a wealthy Jewish Bostonian family; his father was president of Filene's Department Store when Lincoln entered Harvard.

In 1927, while an undergraduate (he graduated in 1930), he was annoyed that the literary magazine The Harvard Advocate would not accept his work. With a friend Varian Fry, who later married his sister Eileen, he convinced his father to finance their own literary quarterly, the Hound & Horn. Moving in 1930 to New York, the quarterly became an important publication in the artistic world and lasted until 1934 when Lincoln decided to fund George Balanchine instead.

His interest in Balanchine and ballet started when he saw Balanchine's Apollo performed by the Ballet Russe. He became determined to get Balanchine to America. Together with Edward M. M. Warburg (a classmate from Harvard), they started the School of American Ballet in Hartford, Connecticut, in October 1933. In 1934, the studio moved to the fourth floor of a building at Madison Avenue and 59th Street in New York City. Warburg's father invited the group of students from the evening class to perform at a private party. The ballet they did was "Serenade", the first major ballet choreographed by Balanchine in America. Just months later Kirstein and Warburg founded, together with Balanchine and Dimitriev, the American Ballet.


Lincoln Kirstein by Pavel Tchelitchew
Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City. According to the New York Times, he was "an expert in many fields."  In 1941 married Fidelma Cadmus, the sister of the artist Paul Cadmus. He and his wife enjoyed an amicable if not stressful relationship until her death in 1991. Some of his boyfriends lived with them in their East 19th house; "Fidelma was enormously fond of most of them."

( Read more... )

Souce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Kirstein

( more pictures )

( Further Readings )

Keith Haring, Juan Dubose & Juan Rivera

Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s. By expressing concepts of birth, death, sex and war, Haring's imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century.

His first love was a girl named Suzy. Keith always thought he’d be with a girl, and he enjoyed it. But his increasing appetite for men eventually drove the two apart. Keith later had male partners, such as Juan Dubose, a deejay who died of AIDS complication before Haring, and Juan Rivera, a carpenter/limo driver. Of all the long term partners that he had, he was unfaithful to all of them. He used to cruise the streets and attend a local baths to seek sex with men.

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Haring grew up in Kutztown with his mother, Joan Haring, and his father, Allen Haring, a cartoonist. He also had three younger sisters, Kay, Karen and Kristen. Haring was interested in art from an early age. From 1976 to 1978 he studied commercial art at The Ivy School of Professional Art, an art school in Pittsburgh. He soon lost interest in commercial art and moved on to study Fine Arts. (Picture: Juan Dubose)

At age 19, in 1978, Haring moved to New York City, where he was inspired by graffiti art, and studied at the School of Visual Arts.

Haring achieved his first public attention with public art in subways. These were his first recognized pieces of pop art. The exhibitions were filmed by the photographer Tseng Kwong Chi. Around this time, "The Radiant Baby" became his symbol. His bold lines, vivid colors, and active figures carry strong messages of life and unity. Starting in 1980, he organized exhibitions in Club 57. He participated in the Times Square Exhibition and drew, for the first time, animals and human faces. That same year, he photocopied and pasted around the city provocative collages made from cut-up and recombined New York Post headlines. In 1981 he sketched his first chalk drawings on black paper and painted plastic, metal and found objects.


Keith Haring and Juan Dubose by Andy Warhol
Keith Allen Haring was an artist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s. By expressing concepts of birth, death, sex and war, Haring's imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century. His first love was a girl named Suzy. But his increasing appetite for men eventually drove the two apart. Keith later had male partners, such as Juan Dubose, a deejay who died of AIDS complication before Haring, and Juan Rivera, a carpenter/limo driver.


Juan Rivera and Keith Haring


AIDS Quilt

( AIDS Quilt )

( Read more... )

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

( Further Readings )

More Artists 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

Blog Tour: Bus Stories by Sean Michael

Bus Stories by Sean Michael
Sales Links: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4385

Jonathon and Benny get on the bus separately, but are clearly together as Benny wears a tattoo on his neck that is the exact match for Jonathon’s scarring. What follows are six short stories that each explore a different tale of why they got on the bus and where they go from there.

( Excerpt )

About the author: Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004713810507
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/seanmichael09
Blog: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca/
Website: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com/



Tour Dates & Stops:
Parker Williams, Molly Lolly, Amanda C. Stone, Butterfly-O-Meter, Bike Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, MM Good Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Divine Magazine, Chris McHart, Mikky's World of Books, 3 Chicks After Dark, Velvet Panic, TTC Books and More, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews

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