David-Matthew Barnes (born September 3)

David-Matthew Barnes is the bestselling author of twelve novels and several collections of stage plays, poetry, short stories, and monologues. Two of his young adult novels have been recognized by the American Library Association for their diversity.

He is the President of the Pindelion Entertainment Group, the creator and producer of the teen web series Bloom, the Artistic Director of The Dorothy Nickle Performing Arts Company, and the host of the weekly radio show People You Should Know.

His first feature film, the coming-of-age drama Frozen Stars, received worldwide distribution. He has written over forty stage plays that have been performed in three languages in eight countries. His literary work has been featured in over one hundred publications including The Best Stage Scenes, The Best Men's Stage Monologues, The Best Women's Stage Monologues, The Comstock Review, and The Southeast Review.

He was selected by Kent State University as the national winner of the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina and is currently working on a Master of Arts in Theatre Education at the University of Northern Colorado.

He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, the Horror Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. He has been a teacher for nearly a decade, instructing college courses in writing, literature, and the arts.

Mesmerized won a 2011 Rainbow Award as Best LGBT Young Adult/Coming of Age. Souvenir Boys won a 2014 Rainbow Award as LGBT Poetry.

Further Readings:

Mesmerized by David-Matthew Barnes
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (November 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602821917
ISBN-13: 978-1602821910
Amazon: Mesmerized
Amazon Kindle: Mesmerized

While being punished for writing a controversial article in her high school paper, Serena Albright is befriended by the enigmatic loner Brodie Wiles. Serena witnesses the first time that Brodie meets Lance Royal, who is secretly rehearsing to compete in The Showdown, the biggest dance contest of the year. Immediately, Serena is drawn into their world, inspired by the love she recognizes between them.

Through her close friendship with Brodie and Lance, Serena finds comfort for the grief and guilt she feels over the brutal death of her older gay brother, the victim of a hate crime. Frustrated that her deep-in-denial parents spend endless hours in front of the television and refuse to acknowledge the death of their son, Serena accepts the challenge to have a face-to-face meeting with the boy who killed her brother.

Souvenir Boys by David-Matthew Barnes
Publisher: Pindelion Publishing; First edition (December 2, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Freeing His Mercenary (Mercenary In Love Book 3)

This collection of previously published and award-winning poems explores the themes of seduction, obsession, lust, desire, and unrequited love.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, Rainbow Awards/2011 & 2014

Annie Adams Fields & Sarah Orne Jewett

Sarah Orne Jewett (September 3, 1849 – June 24, 1909) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her local color works set in or near South Berwick, Maine, on the border of New Hampshire.

Jewett's family had been residents of New England for many generations. Her father was a doctor, and Jewett often accompanied him on his rounds, becoming acquainted with the sights and sounds of her native land and its people. As treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that developed in early childhood, Jewett was sent on frequent walks and through them also developed a love of nature. In later life, Jewett often visited Boston, where she was acquainted with many of the most influential literary figures of her day; but she always returned to South Berwick, small seaports near which were the inspiration for the towns of "Deephaven" and "Dunnet Landing" in her stories.

Jewett was educated at Miss Olive Rayne's school and then at Berwick Academy, graduating in 1865. She supplemented her education through an extensive family library. Jewett was "never overtly religious," but after she joined the Episcopalian church in 1871, she explored less conventional religious ideas. For example, her friendship with Harvard law professor Theophilus Parsons stimulated an interest in the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth-century Swedish scientist and theologian, who believed that the Divine "was present in innumerable, joined forms — a concept underlying Jewett's belief in individual responsibility."


The Drawing-Room at 148 Charles Street with Miss Jewett and Mrs. Fields. From a photograph lent by Mr. M. A. DeW. Howe
Sarah Orne Jewett & Annie Fields: Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist. She never married but established a close friendship with writer Annie Adams Fields and her husband, publisher James Thomas Fields. After the sudden death of Fields in 1881, Jewett and Annie Fields lived together for the rest of Jewett's life in what was then termed a "Boston marriage." "The two women found friendship, humor, and literary encouragement" in one another's company, traveling to Europe together and hosting "American and European literati" Together from 1881 to 1909: 28 years.

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

Annie Adams Fields (June 6, 1834 – January 5, 1915) was a United States writer.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was the second wife of the publisher and author James Thomas Fields, whom she married in 1854, and with whom she encouraged up and coming writers such as Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary Freeman, and Emma Lazarus.

She was equally at home with great and established figures including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose biography she fearlessly compiled. She was a philanthropist and social reformer; in particular, she founded the Holly Tree Inns, coffeehouses serving inexpensive and nutritious meals, and the Lincoln Street Home, a safe and inexpensive residence for unmarried working women.

After Fields' husband died in 1881, she continued to occupy the center of Boston literary life. The hallmark of Fields' work is a sympathetic understanding of her friends, who happened to be the leading literary figures of her time.

Her closest friend was Sarah Orne Jewett, a novelist and story writer whom her husband had published in The Atlantic. Fields and Jewett lived together for the rest of Jewett's life (Jewett died in 1909).

( Read more... )

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

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

Paul Monette, Roger Horowitz & Winston Wilde

Paul Landry Monette (October 16, 1945 – February 10, 1995) was an American author, poet, and activist best remembered for his essays about gay relationships.

Monette was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and graduated from Phillips Academy in 1963 and Yale University in 1967. Conflicted about his sexual identity, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he taught writing and literature at Milton Academy for a number of years. On September 3, 1974, Monette was introduced to lawyer Roger Horwitz at a party given by Richard Howard in Boston. In Horwitz, Monette had met the "laughing man," and together they brought it off: "And from that moment on the brink of summer's end, no one would ever tell me again that men like me couldn't love." They moved to West Hollywood, a neighbourhood in Los Angeles which has a large population of gay men, in 1978. Monette's most acclaimed book, Borrowed Time, chronicles Horwitz's fight against and eventual death from AIDS in 1986. His 1992 memoir, Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story, tells of his life in the closet before coming out, culminating with his meeting Horwitz in 1974.Becoming a Man won the 1992 National Book Award in the nonfiction category. Monette also wrote the novelizations of the 1988 film Midnight Run, the 1979 film Nosferatu the Vampyre, the 1987 film Predator and 1983 film Scarface.

Monette's last years, before his own AIDS-related death, are chronicled in the film named after him, Paul Monette: On the Brink of Summer's End by Monte Bramer and Lesli Klainberg. By the end of his life, Monette had healed most of his psychic wounds, but his rage persisted. Monette died in Los Angeles, California, where he lived with his partner of five years, Winston Wilde. Monette was survived by his lover, Winston Wilde; his father, Paul Monette Sr., and his brother, Robert Monette who remains the appointed Trustee of the Monette Horwitz Trust.


Paul Monette was an American author, poet, and activist best remembered for his essays about gay relationships. On September 3, 1974, Monette was introduced to lawyer Roger Horwitz at a party given by Richard Howard in Boston. "And from that moment on the brink of summer's end, no one would ever tell me again that men like me couldn't love." Monette's most acclaimed book, Borrowed Time, chronicles Horwitz's fight against and eventual death from AIDS in 1986.



Paul Monette & Roger Horwitz are both buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California. Horwitz’s headstone reads: “My little friend, we sail together, if we sail at all.”

( Read more... )

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

Paul Monette succumbed to AIDS in 1995; thus was silenced one of our most articulate and brave voices. However, Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir will serve future GLBT generations as a vivid time capsule for that tragic and toxic era when lots of nice, educated people actually believed that homosexuals were perverts, and AIDS was ‘God’s Punishment.’ This book served as the greatest single inspiration for me to become a writer, while giving reassurance to thousands of gay men suffering (or providing comfort to someone) with AIDS that they were not alone. If I were teaching ‘Gay History 101,’ this would be required reading. --Nick Nolan

Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir, an harrowing tale of the last 19 AIDS-wracked months of Monette’s lover, is not for the faint of heart. I remember being overcome with despair as Monette’s powerful love and practical intervention are not enough to save the man who means more to him than life itself. Heartbreaking. An important historical document of the calamitous 1980’s. --Lee Bantle

Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story is an autobiography, a writer’s autobiography, which fascinated me because not only was the writer (Paul Monette) a gay man, but one I already admired from his amazing memoir of AIDS, Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir. I remember looking for some hint in these pages of how I should live my own life, what experiences I should have as a gay man in Los Angeles, how I should think about them, how I should write about them. As much as a kind of blueprint for an existence as a window into someone else’s remarkable life, as gay men have had so few role models. It’s hard not to fall in love with the spirit of this beautiful but very human and flawed man, which infuses each and every page --Jim Arnold.

( Paul Monette, Los Angeles, CA, 1988, 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

UK Meet: Xanthe Walter

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 Xanthe Walter: Xanthe Walter started writing fanfiction in 1998. She has won major awards in all her fandoms, and is well known for her angsty romantic slash and BDSM slash stories. She is famous for creating the BDSM universe series, where everyone is bisexual and identifies as dominant or submissive. She created four fanfiction stories in this universe before deciding to write an original character BDSM-verse novel for publication. She self-published her first original character novel, Ricochet, in 2012.

Xanthe has a million different ideas and now she’s got a taste for writing original character fiction, she intends to do a lot more of it! She has plans for many other novels, so please check back to find out what’s new.

Xanthe does have a day job, which keeps her pretty busy, but she’s hoping that maybe one day her novels will be successful enough that she can devote all her time to writing.

Further Readings:

Ricochet by Xanthe Walter
Paperback: 390 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 13, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1480217328
ISBN-13: 978-1480217324
Amazon: Ricochet
Amazon Kindle: Ricochet

When the right dom is all wrong! Even in a BDSM universe, where everyone is bisexual and identifies as dom or sub, finding the right partner isn’t always easy. Matt is a big star on the hit TV show, Collar Crime, and he’s looking for a dom who ticks all the right boxes, including being as tidy and organised as himself. That definitely isn’t his chaotic co-star, Rick, with his spanking fetish and habit of tying a different sub to his bed every night. When Matt meets the perfect dom he’s swept off his feet, but he soon discovers that being pursued by a handsome, controlling billionaire isn’t the erotic fantasy he’d imagined. Maybe the right dom for him is the one he thought was all wrong…

GRL: Carol Lynne

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 GRL in San Diego, October 15-18, 2015, today author is Carol Lynne: An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find Carol either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favourite chair writing steamy love scenes.

Further Readings:

It's a Good Life (Good-Time Boys Book 5) by Carol Lynne
Publisher: Pride Publishing (July 27, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: It's a Good Life (Good-Time Boys Book 5)

Twin Temptations by Carol Lynne

Book five in the Good-Time Boys series

Although Sonny Good still suffers repercussions from a gunshot wound to his head, he refuses to let them interfere with his life. He does his best to hide what he can from his partner, Garron, in an attempt to gain more independence. When a car accident forces Sonny's newest health concern to the foreground, he begins to slide back into the pit of despair he's worked so hard to crawl out of. What use will he be to his family and friends if he can't lead a normal life?

When a seizure leaves Sonny in need of emergency care, a CT Scan reveals the cause of his continued blackouts. Faced with a risky surgery, Sonny begins to wonder if his loved ones would've been better off if he'd died the day of the shooting.

Faced with the prospect of losing the man he loves, Garron is determined to show Sonny what he has to live for.


The Good-Time Boys series

The Good boys—Sonny, Rawley, Ranger and Ryker—were hell-raisers growing up, but they eventually settled into adulthood…sort of.

When tragedy strikes, the brothers come together to take care of one of their own. In the process of rediscovering the bonds of brotherhood, the Good boys learn to accept what makes each of them unique.

2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: The Right Words by Lane Hayes

The Right Words (Right and Wrong Book 1) by Lane Hayes
Gay Erotic Romance
Paperback: 204 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 12, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632164280
ISBN-13: 978-1632164285
Amazon: The Right Words (Right and Wrong Book 1)
Amazon Kindle: The Right Words (Right and Wrong Book 1)

A Right and Wrong Story

Escaping an abusive relationship left Luke Preston anxious and spouting panic-induced poetry. Desperate for a fresh start, Luke accepts a job remodeling a tired old beach house for a professional soccer player and his model girlfriend. While his passion is literature, not sports, focusing on the renovations eases his anxiety. Until the job he signed up for turns out to be more complicated than advertised.

Sidelined with a serious injury, soccer star Michael Martinez decides his beach house is the perfect place to recuperate. Remodeling might be the diversion he needs to keep his mind off his busted knee. Falling for the pretty designer with some quirky habits wasn’t on the drawing board. Unfortunately, Luke didn’t build a big enough closet for Michael to hide in. Having a star-powered sports career used to be all Michael lived for, but he’ll have to reevaluate his plans and find the right words if he wants to build more than a beach house with Luke.

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