Ally Blue ~ Untamed Heart
From: Samhain

I had a hard time deciding which one was my favorite. I love all my guys, and all my stories, in different ways and for different reasons. But in the end, I think this is the one I’m the most proud of. Probably because Leon and Grim are by far the most difficult, fucked up characters who have ever emerged from the murky depths of my psyche to say howdy. Figuring those two out was hard. Particularly Grim. Getting his actions and reactions just right in the light of his past was absolutely necessary, and it took a lot of work to make sure he was believable and sympathetic. I think I did pretty darn good, and yeah, I’m proud of how this book turned out :)

1. Astrid Lindgren ~ Pippi In The South Seas I’ve been a voracious reader ever since I learned to read way back in pre-school, but this? This is the book I read to absolute tatters as a child, and the one I credit with instilling in me an early love of adventure, fun and a touch of magic. Not that you’d know it from reading the angst-fests that are most of my published novels, LOL. But, yeah. I used to climb the magnolia tree in our backyard as high as I could go, sit on a branch and read this book from cover to cover. I’d pretend I was Pippi, sailing the south seas or defeating pirates or just screwing with people’s minds at home in her little Swedish town. I guess all authors have a book somewhere in their past that flipped that “I wanna write one day” switch in their heads. This was mine. Goofy, I know, but there you have it :) ***Teddypig ~ Not In eBook***

2. Robert A. Heinlein ~ Stranger In A Strange Land Anyone who’s read this knows it’s not a romance, never mind a gay one. ***Teddypig ~ Hell No!*** But this is one of my favorite books ever. It was my first exposure, as an innocent teen, to a world of sexuality beyond “get married and have babies.” Beyond even monogamy, which was what I was brought up with to the exclusion of all else. To virginal little teenage Ally, this book was all about Free Love. Not just sex, though there was certainly that. It was about love. Free love. Really, truly love, for anyone and everyone. It might sound weird, but when I read this book, it was the first time I’d ever thought of sex and love as being truly intertwined, and thought of both as something to share rather than hoard. It blew my world view wide open. Nothing was the same afterward. Looking back, I think in a way it helped shape me into who I am today, not just as a writer but as a human being.

I haven’t re-read it in a long time. I’m almost afraid to. Would I see it the same way now as I did then? Who knows…***Teddypig ~ Available In eBook***

3. Clive Barker ~ Books Of Blood Volume One “In The Hills, The Cities” from Books of Blood (I forget which volume) ***Teddypig ~ Volume One*** This is a short story. Like most of Clive Barker’s best work, this little gem is horror, but not your typical horror. No, this is horror on mind-altering drugs, with a healthy dose of sensuality thrown in. Barker writes gay and straight alike equally well, but in this one his couple happens to be gay. The guys in this story were the first gay characters I can remember reading having sex “on screen” in a horror story in a matter-of-fact way. Not to titillate or shock like in some horror stories I could name, but just as part of who they are. The relationship between the two men is imperfect, too; they snipe at each other and give each other the silent treatment, just like any couple you might meet who are getting to know one another just well enough to rub the shine off their relationship. That adds to the normalcy of it. I never paid much attention to how that affected me at the time; I didn’t say to myself, “wow, look at this gay couple in this story being all average just before stumbling right into the freakin’ Twilight Zone because this is a Clive Barker story after all”. But that’s the message that sunk in anyway. I love that, especially after all the horror stories I’d read in the past that used gay sex and gay relationships for some kind of shock value. (WTF’s up with that, anyway??)

BTW, for anyone who thinks they’re gonna go out and get this for the sex, nuh-uh. There is ONE “sex scene” and it’s not explicit. More of a “we made beautiful, life-affirming love in a meadow” kind of thing. But it’s lovely in its very own, Clive Barker-ish way. The man does have a knack for stringing words together. [/fangirly squee] ***Teddypig ~ No eBook for Books Of Blood but my favorite The Hellbound Heart is available in eBook***

4. Annie Proulx ~ Close Range: Wyoming Stories “Brokeback Mountain” Not to be a big old copycat or anything (this story keeps on popping up on everyone’s “faves” lists lately!) but this is the story that turned the tide for me. I was already writing by the time I read this for the first time, but it lit a fire in me. Made me want to create something even a tenth as powerful. I’ve never. Ever. Read anything quite like it. This story hits you like a kick in the gut. I’ve read it I don’t know how many times, and I still can’t get through the last couple of paragraphs without crying like a little weenie baby.

“There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can’t fix it you’ve got to stand it.”

That one sentence is perfection. Just. Pure. Perfection.
My mascara’s running now.
**sob** ***Teddypig ~ Available In eBook***

5. Josh Lanyon ~ The Dickens With Love Yes, Josh’s brand spanking new Christmas story, just released from Samhain this very month. I have a whole mile-long list of favorite gay romances. Every one of them has given me something of worth, and some of them are particular favorites of mine. So why did I include this brand new book on my list of influences? Not because it’s a particular favorite, even though I suspect it will become just that. I fell in love with the story right from the start. It’s sweet, simple and completely charming. And what kind of bibliophile can resist the idea of a long-long Dickens book? Exactly. But that’s not the reason. The reason, friends, is because this captivating little tale gave me a jolt of Christmas-flavored magic at a time when I desperately needed it. Josh, thanks for that :) ***Teddypig ~ Looks up the stock price for Josh Lanyon***