Darcy Abriel (born July 15)

Darcy Abriel delights in the stories that flirt with the dark side of emotion and passion. Going back to the days of Saturday Night Chiller Theaters, series such as Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits, toss in a dash of Alfred Hitchcock and these are the stories that have always fascinated Darcy. That edgy sense of danger that leaves one tingling. Be it a roller coaster ride, a Dracula movie, or a good erotic horror read at the darkest slice of night. Visit the dark side with mystery and passion, eroticism and tingling fantasy. Explore what makes your heart pump faster, your blood run hotter, and the adrenaline surge.

Silver won a 2012 Rainbow Award as Best Bisexual / Transgender Romance/Erotic Romance.

Further Readings:

Silver (Humanotica) by Darcy Abriel
Series: Humanotica
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing; Reprint edition (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609283120
ISBN-13: 978-1609283124
Amazon: Silver (Humanotica
Amazon Kindle: Silver (Humanotica)

Born to freedom. Molded into submission. Pleasure is her only weapon.

No matter what the law decrees, Entreus is no one’s chattel. And he’s determined that no other humanotic—part human, part robot—spends one more second under the stranglehold of the power-mad government machine. That means doing whatever it takes to advance the cause for freedom. Even seduce a government minister’s favorite toy, a newly minted trinex named Silver.

Silver was a free woman until she committed the ultimate sin—pretending to be male to gain entrance to an exclusive science academy. Her punishment: modification. Now she is equal parts female, male and machine. The property of the secretive, charismatic Lel Kesselbaum, whose appetites push her new sexual abilities to heights of pleasure that make her wonder who is master, who is slave.

Until Entreus bargains his body in exchange for a secret meeting that rekindles her longing for freedom. Yet helping the fiery revolutionary execute his plan isn’t so simple, especially when she discovers her master’s secret—a secret that leaves her heart torn between two men. And one step in the wrong direction could mean death for them all.

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

Benjamin McGuire & Joshua Janson

In November 2007 in Boston, Joshua Janson, a slender and boyish 25-year-old, invited BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS to an impromptu gathering at the apartment he shares with Benjamin McGuire, his considerably more staid husband of the same age (both are born in 1982). It was a cozy, festive affair, complete with some 20 guests and a large sushi spread where you might have expected the chips and salsa to be. (P: Benjamin McGuire (left) and his husband, Joshua Janson, at their home in Boston. Erwin Olaf for The New York Times)

“I beg of you — please eat a tuna roll!” Joshua barked, circulating around the spacious apartment in a blue blazer, slim-fitting corduroys and a pair of royal blue house slippers with his initials. “The fish is not going to eat itself!”

Spotting Benoit alone by a window seat decorated with Tibetan pillows, Joshua, who by that point had a few drinks in him, grabbed his arm and led him toward a handful of young men huddled around an antique Asian “lion’s head” chair. “Are you single? Have you met the gays?” Joshua asked, depositing him among them before embarking on a halfhearted search for the couple’s dog, Bernard, who, last Benoit saw him, was eyeing an eel roll left carelessly at dog level. (At the other end of the living room, past a marble fireplace, the straights — in this case, young associates from the Boston law firm Benjamin had recently joined — were debating the best local restaurants.) 


BENJAMIN & JOSHUA: In their living room in Boston. Each 25, they were sweethearts in college and married soon after. Photograph Erwin Olaf for The New York Times; Prop stylist Jeffrey W. Miller.
JOSHUA AND BENJAMIN had each only recently come out of the closet when they became friends in 2000 during Benjamin’s freshman year at Brown University. Joshua and Benjamin were deeply committed to each other by the time Benjamin graduated from Brown in 2004, the same month that Massachusetts began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Marrying seemed obvious and inevitable, said Benjamin, because he and Joshua had no doubt that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

( Read more... )

Source: Young Gay Rites, By BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS, Published: April 27, 2008 (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27young-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)

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

Barry Brennessel & David Skanderson

Barry Brennessel (born January 1, 1964) has earned degrees in English and French from the State University of New York College at Brockport, and a Master of Arts in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University. (P: Courtesy of Barry Brennessel. Barry Brennessel and David Skanderson)

Tinseltown, a Finalist in the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, is Barry’s first novel. His novel The Celestial won the Gold Medal in the 2012 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards and was a Finalist in the 25th Annual Lambda Literary Awards. His novel Paradise at Main and Elm, and two collections of short stories—A Special Kind of Folk and Reunion—were all Finalists in the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards.

When not embroiled in his own writing, Barry sips wine, nibbles on chocolate, and watches films and TV—both the classic and the cheesy.

David Skanderson (born November 1, 1963) is an economist who works in consulting on issues related to financial institution regulation and litigation, particularly on consumer protection regulations. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Rochester, and a B.A. with majors in Economics and Italian from the California State University, Sacramento.

David was born and raised in Northern California. When he is not working, he can be found practicing karate and aikido, and tending the garden.


Courtesy of Barry Brennessel. Barry Brennessel and David Skanderson
Tinseltown, a Finalist in the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, is Barry Brennessel’s first novel. His novel The Celestial won the Gold Medal in the 2012 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards and was a Finalist in the 25th Annual Lambda Literary Awards. David Skanderson is an economist who works in consulting on issues related to financial institution regulation and litigation, particularly on consumer protection regulations.  Barry and David's anniversary is on July 15, 1988, and they married on July 15, 2013.

( Read more... )

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

Michael Lassell (born July 15, 1947)

Michael Lassell (born July 15, 1947; New York City) is a professional writer and editor. Michael Lassell has been one of the best-kept secrets of contemporary gay poetry. His books Poems for Lost and Un-Lost Boys and Decade Dance are treasured by those who know them.

Michale Lassell is the only child of Michael Joseph Lassell (1917-2006) and Catherine Lassell (b. 1920). He studied at Great Neck South High School (grad. 1965), Colgate University (B.A. 1969), California Institute of the Arts (MFA 1973) and Yale School of Drama (MFA 1976).

Lassell has written extensively in the fields of design, travel, the arts (especially theater), and GLBT studies. His poetry, stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, journals and anthologies in the U.S. and abroad, as well as numerous college and university textbooks. He has been most often anthologized for his poem, written at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, "How to Watch Your Brother Die." His work has been translated into numerous languages, including French, Dutch, Spanish, German, Catalan, and Braille. His work behind the scenes on Broadway with Disney have been described as some of the most honest accounts of production life.

He served as features director of "Metropolitan Home" from 1992 until 2009. Prior to that, he served as managing editor of Interview and L.A. Style magazines, also as a theater critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and L.A. Weekly.

( Read more... )

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

( Michael Lassell, 1988, by Robert Giard  )

( Further Readings )

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

UK Meet: Lynn Lorenz

Starting from June 1, 2015, I will daily feature authors attending the three conventions I will join, Euro Pride in Munich (July), UK Meet in Bristol (September) and GRL in San Diego (October).

For the UK Meet in Bristol, September 11-13, 2015, today author is Lynn Lorenz (Lynn Lorenz will also attend GRL in San Diego): "I’m from New Orleans, that’s N’awlins for those of you who speak the language. I grew up in the Riverbend, or Carrollton, for the old timers, but was a Quarter rat from the age of 11, taking 3 buses to go to art class on Burgundy Street at the Cabrini Doll Museum and NORD center. I attended University of New Orleans and have a BA in Fine Art. My mother worked at Tulane University, six blocks from our house and when we were kids my brother and I parked cars in our driveway for the Saints games at Tulane Stadium. We could get six cars down the drive, two on the front lawn, and two on the street and we only charged $2 a car. We made enough to buy a coupla roast beef po’boys at Comeaux’s on Hickory St. and a snowball over at Williams Snow Ball Stand. We lived 1/2 a block from a cemetery, but doesn’t everyone in N’awlins? We used to watch jazz funerals from our front porch.

Now, my family lives in Katy, Texas. I have a “real” job, a truly supportive and understanding husband, two incredible kids, and a slightly neurotic dog. We used to have a guinea pig, but the dog killed it. Did I say slightly?

My son is 15 and has Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning Autism) and Crohn’s Disease, and is a constant lesson in patience, acceptance and managing expectations. He’s super smart, loves video games, fencing, movies, building with legos, and hanging around the house. Like me, he believes that it’s all about him. Sometimes, I wonder if I don’t have Asperger’s, too. Oh, and he’s very handsome.

My daughter, 13, is so creative it’s scary- she loves to paint, draw manga and anima, build dioramas with any box she can get her hands on, create worlds with legos and then make movies with them, sculpt people, animals and objects with those little twist ties from the grocery store, does pottery, and wants to be a lifeguard. And she’s smart, too. And beautiful, inside and out.

I write for a few hours in the evenings and on weekends as much as I can, without neglecting my family. (That laughter you hear is my husband) I attend a critique group, and do whatever the kids are into at the time."

Further Readings:

It Takes A Hero by Lynn Lorenz
Publisher: Lynn Lorenz; 2015 edition (February 16, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: It Takes A Hero

When life knocks you down, sometimes you need a hero. Tony always planned a career in the Marines, even though he's gay. But a traumatic injury washes him out and now he's lost his sense of self. His gorgeous PT can help him regain his life, but does he wants his heart?

&

2015 GRL Featured Blog Tour: Hans M. Hirschi

Starting from June 1, 2015, I will daily feature authors attending the three conventions I will join, Euro Pride in Munich (July), UK Meet in Bristol (September) and GRL in San Diego (October). Moreover I'm taking part at the 2015 GRL Featured Blog Tour as Featured Blogger.

For the 2015 Featured Blog Tour, today author is Hans M. Hirschi: "First of all a big “grazie” to Elisa for giving me the space and this opportunity. I am very grateful for all the work she does for the LGBT community with the Rainbow Awards and all the money you collect for various charities.
When I learned about GRL last year, it was way too late to sign up as an author, and I owe Wade Kelly a debt of gratitude for guiding me into the world of conventions. There is so much to learn. When I published my first novel in July 2013, I had no idea how to market it, and the second book, which came two days later. I blogged, I tweeted, used my Facebook and was provided a few guest posts on blogs from fellow authors. Cons to me were things that StarTrek people would go to…
When Wade told me about GRL, I was hooked, and I found a way to get to Chicago by sponsoring the event, and boy, what an experience. It’s difficult to describe the emotion. The first day, upon arriving in Chicago, I met author Erika Pike and her cousin Thora, two lovelies from Iceland at the book stamping table. I had exchanged a few tweets with Erika and had already found two friends, barely five minutes after getting there. GRL is like being wrapped in your favorite blanket for four days, comfortable, safe, cosy. If you’re a newbie, afraid of meeting all these new people, rest assured, there’s no need to. Everyone is very kind and I didn’t meet a single person I didn’t click with.
There’s always a lot of talk about introverts vs extroverts. I seem to be the only open, out of the closet, extrovert, even though I know that most of us are shy in new social settings, but with everyone so pleasant, even the most introvert people come out of their shells. If you’re part of the Facebook group and you see all the people proclaiming how shy they are, and how they’ll be hiding behind the curtains, take it with a pinch of salt… It’s decorum to claim to be an introvert, but I’ve yet to meet someone who really is. Convention convention I guess.
This year, I was fast, I was sitting at my laptop when the ticket sale started, and I managed to secure a spot as featured author. But just like last year, I also sponsor the event (they deserve he support), with my new publisher, Beaten Track Publishing. The good thing is that I won’t have to sit behind a table alone all week, but will be joined by some of the other authors attending from our stable, selling books, chatting and making friends. I’ll bring two new books to GRL this year. Willem of the Tafel, which was just recently released, and Spanish Bay, which will be released in time for GRL this fall. The former is a great Sci-Fi novel dealing with racism and the environment, the latter a sweet love story you’ll absolutely love. As always, the Queen of Unconventional Happy Endings delivers!
There are many things to look forward to at GRL, from the evening events including the Saturday costume party to the author readings and panels. Hopefully I’ll be able to attend more daytime events as I won’t be stuck in the sales room all day. What I really appreciated last year was Jay’s introduction seminar for all the newbies. If this is going to be your first GRL, make sure you attend that seminar. It’s a great and quick way to get to know others in your situation and make some instant friends.
One of the biggest challenges I recall from last year were books. I know that books are the reason why we all go to GRL, yet with all the restrictions imposed by airlines, carrying books can be challenging. It’s difficult for authors and publishers to know how many books to bring to San Diego (nobody wants to carry them back), and it’s difficult for readers to know how much they can carry home. My suggestion would be to make the best use of the preorders that most publishers will provide. It helps the publishers plan how many books to bring to San Diego, and you’ll also be able to get some great discounts. The other possibility is to go “e” and buy e-books. I know it’s not for everyone, but most are very comfortable with their iPads, Nooks and Kindles, and it’s a lot cheaper, too. And you can still get your books signed by the authors. Beaten Track and I offer you you a great deal, our GRL discount coupon is grl2015 and gives you a 50% discount on our e-books.
I for one will bring post cards to provide fans with something to sign, and then there’s also the two GRL anthologies for featured and supporting authors with all the excerpts from their books. During the author signings, most readers will use those to collect autographs. A great memento to take home, two books and over a hundred autographs, and who knows, some of the author signatures might just turn out to become valuable… You never know! :)
The convention season has just started and I’m planning my attendance at four different ones this year. It all starts in Munich, then Tampa the week after. In September I’ll be in Bristol before topping it off with GRL in San Diego. Some of us authors will be at some or all of them, and I know that there are readers who travel to more than one convention, too.
To buy my books, you can get them from all the usual places, but the best way is to get them right from my website or Beaten Track’s. Save an author, buy from their website. Better margins for us, and obviously less expensive for you…
I can’t wait, and the three months will pass quickly. I look forward to meeting you there."

Willem of the Tafel by Hans M. Hirschi
Paperback: 194 pages
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing (May 28, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 191063543X
ISBN-13: 978-1910635438
Amazon: Willem of the Tafel
Amazon Kindle: Willem of the Tafel

The world we know is gone, destroyed by greed and ignorance. On a post-apocalyptic Earth, centuries into the future, few have survived the Great War. Some have taken refuge deep inside a mountain. One of them, Willem, is exiled to the surface... Alone and struggling to survive, Willem embarks on an epic journey, making a discovery that could once again alter the future of humanity. Willem of the Tafel is an epic tale of survival, second chances, hope and undying love.

About the Author: Hans M. Hirschi has been writing stories since childhood. As an adult, the demands of corporate life put an end to fictional writing for more than twenty years. A global executive in training, he has traveled the world and published several nonfiction titles.
The birth of his son provided him with the opportunity to rekindle his love of creative writing, where he expresses his deep passion for a better world through love and tolerance in five well-received novels. His sixth novel, Spanish Bay, is due this fall. Hans lives with his husband and son on a small island off the west coast of Sweden.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorHansMHirschi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hans_Hirschi
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+HansHirschi/posts
Website: www.hirschi.se

( GRL Blog Tour Appearance Schedule )