Friskbiskit

RT Here I Come!

As you're reading this, I'm on my way to New Orleans for the RT Booklovers Convention. Sponsored by the Romantic Times, RT brings romance readers, writers, editors and publishers together for a wild week of panels and parties. I'll be signing at the Giant Book Fair on Saturday May 17 in the Traditional section (if only they knew) and I'm participating in the Fantastic Day Party, also on Saturday, from 7:15-7:45 pm. I'll also be at the RT Virgin Orientation on Wednesday morning, many, many of the LGBTQ panels, and of course, the bar. If you're at RT, please come find me. I've got goodies!

How I Became an Author of Gay Romance (Extended Dance Mix)

For the intro to my reading at GRL last week I told the story of how I became an author of gay romance. A lot of people who heard it urged me to share my story. I actually have posted about this before, but it was buried at the end of a promo post for All the Colors of Love, so I don't think a lot of people caught it. I'm also taking this opportunity to share the full story, including a few steps along the way that I did not have time to go into for the reading.

All the Colors of Love is the first gay romance I ever wrote, and it changed the course of my career. When I wrote the first draft, all the way back around 2000, 2001, I'd already been writing for about fifteen years and I had three science fiction novels out with Tor. Every single one of them had been a bitter struggle to get words on the page. But this gay young adult romance poured out of me. It was like weights had been lifted from my fingers, and I was free. I knew right then there'd be no going back. 

So I pitched the book to my editor. I told him it was about Antonin, who has a really strange family, and Harry, whose father owns about half the planet. These two boys -- both dealing with a history of abuse, both comic book fans -- become friends, and eventually fall in love with each other, which is when things get really complicated. 

Well, the first thing my editor (James Frenkel of recent harrassment scandal fame) said was, "Do they have to be gay?" I said yes, and then we both decided that he would not be the right editor for this book.

I went in search of markets for gay YA romance. I didn't find any. In fact at that time (circa 2003 or so) there really weren't any paying markets for gay romance written by a woman period, YA or otherwise. However, Yaoi was showing up on the bookshelves in the comics section of the bookstores and there were a handful of original English language boys love publishers, so I started writing manga scripts.

But I still hadn't given up on All the Colors of Love, which I had been revising during this time. When it finally became clear that my agent was not going to represent Colors no matter what I did, I fired him. I walked away from my mainstream publishing career, and was out in the world with no contract, and no agent.

Finally, I caught a break (or so I thought). I sold a script for an historical yaoi manga to Iris Print, an OEL publisher that I had vetted as thoroughly as possible, and it was slated to launch at YaoiCon in 2007. (Yeah, at this point, I'd been in mangaland for quite awhile, and had completely missed the advent of gay erotic romance epublishing 'round about 2004. Oh, the irony.)

I arrived at YaoiCon bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for the release of my story, The Nimbletons. I fairly floated into the dealer's hall to find  the Iris Print table.

And came up empty. 

Talking to the dealer's hall manager, I found out that the publisher had cancelled her table two weeks before. She was going out of business and had not bothered to notify me or the cover artist, who was also there, wondering what in the hell had happened. 

I remember very clearly standing in the hallway outside that dealer's hall with my dreams in pieces all around me. I was at the nadir of my journey. 

I knew I had to do something right away to make myself feel better because it was all just too awful. Since I'm one of those peculiar people that gets a charge out of doing business, I told myself, "Go back in there and introduce yourself to the first publisher you meet. Give them your card, shake their hand, shmooze. It'll help."

The first table I came to was Torquere.

They invited me to submit a story, and while waiting for the taxi to the airport after the convention, I scribbled the outline for Hero, my very first erotic gay romance, which was published by them the following February. After that I wrote another, and another, up until about a year or so ago, when I looked around and realized the publishing landscape had changed again.

Publishers have finally awoken to the need for positive depictions of LGBT teens in YA literature, and several ebook publishers who specialize in queer romance have opened YA lines. So, finally, I submitted Colors to Harmony Ink, and it was released last month.

All the Colors of Love is my first gay romance, and the book that changed my life. What an amazing gift to share this story at the third annual Gay Rom Lit retreat -- something else that did not exist a few years ago. I want to thank everyone who showed up, and listened, and offered support. Like any other author, I've been on a journey. Your response made me realize I'm finally home.

GRL 2013: Best Con Ever

Last year when I went to the GayRomLit retreat in Albequerque, I was blown away at how welcoming everyone was and what a great time I had. If anything, this year's GRL was even better. Things are winding down now and I'm finally able to take a moment to post a bit about it. 

I roomed with Anna Zabo, my good friend from Seton Hill and an awesome author. Having a roommate you know and can rely on is such a help with all kinds of little logistical things and Anna and I enjoy each other's company and work well together, so that worked out really well.

The convention hotel was really the only thing that wasn't stellar this time around. You'll probably hear enough about all the issues so I won't belabor them here except to say that our toilet made a sound like the TARDIS every time we flushed it. Dr. Who still hasn't shown up, so that's been a big disappointment.

I attended the writer's workshop the day before the convention and wound up pitching to an editor I've always wanted to send something to. I wasn't planning on this, because the book in question isn't finished yet, but everyone told me that was okay. Thanks to those who prodded me, I now have a request for the full when it's complete, which will get me out of the slush pile. Hooray! Overall, this was a great con for business. Emboldened by my first successful pitch I also talked to another editor about a project I want to submit to her house and got another request. Awesome!

Readers were just fantastic this year. So many people came up to tell me they enjoyed my books. It's been amazing. I gave a reading from All the Colors of Love where I talked about how it's the book that changed my life and the sizeable crowd in attendance really seemed to like it. Print copies of All the Colors of Love completely sold out, both at the Dreamspinner table and my own table at the book signing. In fact, I sold all but one of the books I brought. Thank you, guys!

And of course, hanging out with so many friends, both authors and readers, was so much fun. We are the kindest, funniest, smartest bunch, I swear. I'm going to miss everyone but I'm looking forward to doing it all over again next year, in Chicago!

Join Me at Toledo Pride

I and a number of other authors from the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter of RWA will be hosting a booth tomorrow at Toledo Pride. I'll have a bunch of paperbacks for sale, plus all kinds of fun freebies. Deanna Wadsworth raves about this pride, so if you're in the Great Lakes area, join us!

Still Life with Swag

I was too busy yakking at GRL to take any pictures, so I thought I'd post a shot of some of the cool swag I picked up.

 

 

The "Certificate of Bravery" is from the Rattlesnake Museum, but they give it to you before you even see any snakes so I don't think it really carrie's much weight, even in snake museum circles. Nevertheless, a "Certificate of Bravery" is a "Certificate of Bravery" and I'm not about to turn one down when it's offered.

GayRomLit Report

In a word, AMAZING.

But, allow me to gush a bit anyway.

I had quite a bit of anxiety leading up to this convention, actually.

I've been a part of the m/m community since 2008, and I've made a lot of friends online, but I still didn't know what I was going to find when I met my comminity in real life for the first time. I mean, what if it turned out to be something other than what thought it was? What if it was cliquey and I got left on the outside? What if I met someone I really liked and they turned out to be an asshole?

None of that happened.

What I found was the most welcoming, fun group of people I've ever met in my life. People were even more interesting and kind than they'd seemed online. And it didn't matter where I was or who I was with, because I was always with friends. As Damon said, "This is real." 

Something else, too. I've never been around that many people all of whom like what I like. There was no need to explain. And I found myself being more outgoing than I usually am at cons, because there was nothing I had to filter out or set aside.

I made so many wonderful new friends, got to know existing friends better, and learned so many valuable things from authors and readers alike. I can't wait until next year, (and I'm wishing we had more than one gathering a year.)

A few highlights that, for all their glory, still do not do justice to the weekend:

• The cute stripper grinding on me at the Gentleman's Juke Joint. Hellooo Cowboy! 

• Talking craft and marketing with the ineffable Tara Lain.

• Hanging with Belinda McBride and Lynn Lorenz in their palatial digs.

• Singing Tom Jones at kareoke.

• Dancing with Brenda.

• Watching the Native American dance performance with Michelle.

• The hilarious mayhem that was the Loose Id Piñata. (We need a bigger stick next time.)

• Katie's theories of the booksigning setup.

• Sharing pet pictures in the limo to Old Town.

• Having bad coffee drinks with Treva Harte and Chrsty Lockhart.

• Readers, readers, readers!

 

 

 

 

GayRomLit 2012

I'm having the time of my life at the Gay Romantic Literature con. More to come...

World Fantasy Convention, Columbus, OH, Oct. 28-31

WFC is right around the corner, and I can't wait. Looks like Steve and I will be getting in late Thursday evening, after the con has already started, which can't be helped, because he has class. On Friday, I have a reading at 4:30 pm. I'm excited. I imagine I'll be reading from one or both of the other projects.

This WFC marks a major milestone for me. One of my books will be in the freebie bags! So will a postcard for its sequel, which comes out just a few days after the con. Woo hoo! I can remember going to WFC and eating my heart out with envy for the authors who had books in the freebie bags. Now, I will be the source of someone else's soul-devouring jealousy. Ah, life's little rewards. :)

Actually, the whole promo thing still feels awkward to me, despite the fact that I've been doing it since the Nature of Smoke came out in 1996. I was just out the other day talking to some book store owners and I always get nervous, even though I generally wind up having a good time.

The best part about WFC is seeing all my friends. There are going to be a ton of fun people at this con. SHU peeps will be out in full force and Whiskerbisketry is already afoot, not to mention the fact that Tim Powers, Kathe Koja, Kay Kenyon, and a whole raft of other great authors will be there as well. On top of everything else, my nephew and his wife live in Columbus and she's expecting their second baby right around that time. So I get to see them too and potentially my new grandniece/nephew. How much fun can one woman stand, I ask you?

 

Just Back from Wiscon

It's been a long day in the car. Rained most of the way. But I'm home safe and I just got the publication files for Amaranth & Ash. It'll be released sometime around midnight tonight. Just a little over an hour away. So exciting! I'm tempted to stay up to see it go live, but I'm bushed.

I had an awesome time at Wiscon, by the way. You know, I've begun to reevaluate science fiction conventions as business tools. I wasn't sure they were really all that relevant to the bulk of what I'm writing these days. But this Wiscon was the must businessy convention I've had in a long time. I gave away all of my Amaranth & Ash postcards (time to order more!), and so many business cards I wound up having to hand out the various cards for my various pseuds willy nilly. I've got just one card left.

There was a lot of interest in ebooks at Wiscon this year. I had a panel called The Uses and Abuses of the Ebook at 8:30 am on Sat., in a room tucked a the far end of a hallway. I was certain no one would come. We had a full room, and the audience, even at that hour, was alert and engaged. It was a great panel. So was the fanfic panel I was on at 10:30 pm on Sunday, also off the beaten path and also full. The topic was fanfiction and its relationship with the authors of the original works. Great discussion, and I made some nifty new friends in fandom.

Also exciting were the number of web comic creators I met. After the idea being dead in the water for a couple of years, I have a glimmer of hope for writing graphic novel scripts again.

It wasn't all business, though. I reconnected with a lot of old friends, and made some great new ones too. I took a field trip to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, and as usual, had some excellent meals. All in all, this was probably the best Wiscon I've ever had, and that's saying a lot.

Project Status

It's a busy time right now, with work ongoing on the other project, and edits pouring in from Loose Id in a steady stream. I guess this is what happens when you write a bunch of stuff and it all gets accepted. Cool.

So, Monday I turned in the proofs for Amaranth & Ash. I'm pretty sure that means I'm done with it now, for good. What it is now is what the reader will get. I'm still very happy with this project. I think it may be my favorite book I've published so far.

Now I have first edits on Hero, which is really Hero, Stay, and Scars, the first three David & Seth stories. Loose Id is reprinting them as a single volume, a prequel to Rust Belt, if you will. I haven't opened the file yet (can you tell I'm stalling?) but I have no doubt that V has done her usual excruciating thorough job and I will have my hands full getting the edits done within the week, which I need to do, so she can torture me a second time before I hit the road at the end of May for my annual sojourn to Madison for Wiscon.

Win BishieCon Swag!

The fabulous Boylove_addict and Librarian of The Phade forum, my roommates at BishieCon, are holding a contest for a bag of goodies they picked up at the convention.

Swag includes hot bookmarks from Jet Mykles, a 20% discount code for Dreamspinner Press, and a free copy of Katrina Strauss' BLUE RUIN 4: NEED YOU TONIGHT. That's a nice package, don't you think?

Here's Boylove_addicts lj post on the contest, and here's the direct link to the contest itself. Contest runs through Monday, Nov. 30 at 10 pm EST.  That's tomorrow night, so don't delay!

My BishieCon Buds

Here's Katie (aka Librarian) and Brenda (aka Boyloveaddict) of the Phade, and BishieCon's Author Guest of Honor Katrina Strauss, being very good sports.  You guys really made the con for me.  Big Hugs!

BishieCon: More Cosplayers!

BishieCon Dealer's Hall

This is Ariel Tachne of Dreamspinner Press. Rhianne Aile, Connie Bailey, and  Nicki Bennet were also in attendance:

And this is Kelly Lewis who does chair massage at convnetions and has a studio in Kansas City called Allure Sense Datum:

More BishieCon: Cosplayers