2014 Rainbow Awards Submissions

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Lesbian Sci-fi / Futuristic
Invisible Soft Return :\ by Roberta Degnore
Paperback: 420 pages
Publisher: Digital Fabulists (October 6, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615900550
ISBN-13: 978-0615900551
Amazon: Invisible Soft Return :\
Amazon Kindle: Invisible Soft Return :\

**LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST**
What if you are forced to be more than you ever dreamed? And there's a cosmic gun pointed at your head to make sure you'll do it. Murderer or creator? That's Evet's choice in the 23rd Century...
Evet is a boundary-testing writer in the future who is attacked from the past. Accused of murder, she races to escape an alluring police torturer and her own crisscrossing identities that everyone seems to know better than she does. In a lonely cosmos with the latest drugs, she rebels in the oldest way: she fights against getting caught.
But when she's forced to know other lives, the wind of eternity stops her. She learns the terror that an ultimate power may be hers: control over life and death.
--
We don't live only once. Like tuning an old radio, if we listen we can catch bizarre whispers of lives that shouldn't be real.
I know this place; but I've never been here.
Yes you have, time and again.
We step into the same streams. Maybe sometimes with hooves, or with a scaly body. Or sometimes we're the supplicant greenness of a drowning leaf... Murderers, creators?

Gay Contemporary General Fiction
My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press, LLC (June 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1925180247
ISBN-13: 978-1925180244
Amazon: My Favorite Uncle
Amazon Kindle: My Favorite Uncle

Martin Dixon's carefully-constructed, peaceful life is turned upside down when his super Christian eighteen-year-old nephew Carter shows up unexpectedly on his doorstep and announces he's gay. Martin's first impulse is to send him back to his parents. But when he discovers that Carter has been in a mental hospital to cure his gay-ness he realizes he's stuck with the boy. Unfortunately, the two get on each other's nerves, each driving the other to distraction. Independently, however, they each arrive at the same conclusion. The other would be much less annoying if he only had... a boyfriend.

Gay Contemporary Romance
Hat Trick 2, Playing The Rebound by Jeff Adams
Publisher: JMS Books LLC (July 26, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: Hat Trick 2, Playing The Rebound

The events from two years ago are still fresh in Simon Robert’s mind as he and Alex Miller begin their sophomore year at the University of Michigan. Nightmares are a routine occurrence as Simon relives the crimes his father and brother committed. Now, with his father ill and asking to see him, Simon must decide if he should see the man who tried to send him away to be fixed. And then there's Zach. Simon's conflicted about making peace with his older brother who tormented him as they grew up and caused him to be outed to his parents, friends and teammates.

Alex wants Simon to find closure, but Alex is furious at the thought of forgiving Zack. With no clear direction, Simon finds guidance from an unexpected, but very welcome, source.

At the same time, the University’s student body is faced with an anti-gay attacker among them. When he witnesses an attack first hand, memories threaten to overwhelm Simon. At the same time, he’s also emboldened to take action, which might turn him into a target.

Despite the distractions, Simon works towards his future as he begins working with teens at the local LGBT community center. He has the opportunity to use his story as a teaching tool to help others come out. While he’s never enjoyed telling his story, he looks for the courage to speak his truth to an audience.

Luckily, not everything is chaos. Simon and Alex mark their anniversary in epic fashion, continue to play hockey and hang out with good friends. But with many demands on them, can Simon and Alex set up the rebound necessary to create the scoring opportunity for their future?

Gay Erotic Romance
Better Than Chance (Better Than Stories Book 2) by Lane Hayes
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (January 22, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1627984097
ISBN-13: 978-1627984096
Amazon: Better Than Chance (Better Than Stories Book 2)
Amazon Kindle: Better Than Chance (Better Than Stories Book 2)

A Better Than Story

Jay Reynolds has a crush on his project leader at work, but an office romance with Peter Morgan isn't likely to happen since Peter is straight. Worse, Jay soon fears Peter is homophobic, and his initial infatuation turns to loathing. But one fateful night, Jay is forced to acknowledge things aren't quite as they seem with Peter. Suddenly, his crush is back and unbelievably, Peter is interested too.

They begin a friends with benefits arrangement, which becomes difficult for Jay when he starts falling for his sexy boss. Peter’s past issues keep him from committing, and Jay has to decide if he can be satisfied with friendship if Peter isn’t ready to take a chance on anything more.

Gay Historical Romance
The Black Orchid by Sawyer Caine
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (July 13, 2014)
Amazon Kindle: The Black Orchid

Duty bound to fulfill his dying father’s last wish, Lord Alfred Heathwood embarks on an adventure into the Amazon to return an artifact taken by his grandfather years before. Accompanying him on this journey is his dashing American lover, Frederick. Lord Heathwood, unprepared for the overwhelming desire he begins to feel for their exotic young native guide, Nekai, struggles to keep his love for Frederick intact while battling his own demons.

Charities Donation program progress:
328$ Albert Kennedy Trust: http://www.akt.org.uk/
1165$ Ali Forney Center: www.aliforneycenter.org/
10$ Australian Marriage Equality: www.australianmarriageequality.org/
50$ Audre Lorde Project: http://alp.org/
25$ BiNet US: http://www.binetusa.org/
125$ CARE: careprogram.org/
125$ The Center Colorado: http://www.glbtcolorado.org/
25$ LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland: http://www.lgbtcleveland.org/
506$ COLORS: www.colorsyouth.org/
130$ Covenant: www.covenanthouseno.org/
75$ Diversity Role Models: http://www.diversityrolemodels.org/
25$ The Diversity Center: http://diversitycenter.org/
10$ Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia: www.galfa.org.au/
367$ Galop: www.galop.org.uk/
150$ GLYS: http://www.glyswny.org/
135$ Human Rights Campaign: http://www.hrc.org/
50$ Huntsville GLBT Advocacy & Youth Services: http://www.glbtays.org/
125$ It Gets Better: http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
100$ Inland Northwest LGBT Center: www.thelgbtcenter.org/
28$ In Other Words: inotherwords.org/
40$ Los Angeles LGBT Center: www.lalgbtcenter.org/
415$ Lambda Legal: www.lambdalegal.org/
50$ Lambert House: www.lamberthouse.org/
50$ Lancaster LGBT Center: http://www.centralpalgbtcenter.org/
50$ LEAP: http://www.glbtleap.org/
515$ Lost-n-Found Youth: www.lost-n-found.org/
50$ MKE LGBT Center: www.mkelgbt.org/
130$ Moveable Feast: http://www.mfeast.org/
25$ Odyssey Youth Center: www.odysseyyouth.org/
25$ Out Youth: outyouth.org/
50$ Pathfinders: pathfindersmke.org/
205$ PFLAG: community.pflag.org/
175$ Point Foundation: www.pointfoundation.org/
130$ Ruth Ellis Center: http://www.ruthelliscenter.org/
854$ SAGE: giveto.sageusa.org/
25$ Seta: seta.fi/seta-in-english/
25$ Terrence Higgins Trust: www.tht.org.uk/
530$ The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org/
160$ UCAN: www.ucanchicago.org/
25$ WayGay: http://www.waygay.org/
225$ You Can Play: http://youcanplayproject.org/
75$ YouthCare: www.youthcare.org/
25$ You Will Rise Project: youwillriseproject.blogspot.com/p/our-mission.html
1077$ Other Funds
TOTAL: 8485$*

* more than 150$ is a direct donation from a supporter of the Rainbow Awards who isn't submitting; while some authors were more than generous, arriving to donate 5 times the suggested amount, being the submission fee a non mandatory and voluntary direct donation, we were struggling to raise the same amount as last year and there is who decided to cover part of it. I thank you for all you are doing, and if you wish to donate to the above links, please drop me a note with your donation and I will update the total.

2014 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4162490.html