Scotty Bowers ~ Full Service
From: Grove

From: Queerty ~ Gore Vidal Confirms That Katharine Hepburn Was A Very Slutty Lesbian

He vouched for Bowers, whose memoir reveals Hollywood’s sexual secrets from his work as a gigolo to tales about iconic actors. The revelations include Bowers’ claims to have set Katharine Hepburn up with “over 150 different women,” along with stories about Spencer Tracy, Cole Porter — even orgies involving the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Vidal told guests he’s never caught Bowers in a lie in the 60-plus years he’s known him in a town “where you can meet 1,000 liars a day.”

Heidi Cullinan ~ Nowhere Ranch
From: Loose Id

RWA Shouldn’t Be in the Business of Discrimination

Another source tells me that the company’s trade-paperback line is in trouble and that “it is doubtful it will continue.” Other sources close to the situation tell me it is their opinion that the owners “are looking to liquidate as much as they can, getting as much cash as they can” before filing bankruptcy, including, presumably, rights to books which they do not legally own and have still not reverted back to the individual authors and rightful copyright holders. Indeed, a quick check of Amazon tonight shows Dorchester is still selling Kindle editions of books they no longer own the rights to, due to contract violations and non-payment. In most cases, these rights have clearly been disputed by the lawful copyright holders, but no reversion letters or suppression orders have been forthcoming.

Damn! EREC beat me to it

So guess what now… http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/goodreads/

A lot of people don’t know that any Goodreads librarian can add an ebook file to a book listing. I found this out after being notified that people had illegally been downloading some of my books from the site for over a year!

All I can say is send them a DCMA notice. You can’t try to admin their website for them by some petition. You have no clue what is going on behind the scenes or who has permissions to do what or give those permissions to others.

You can only respond to what infringes on your rights.

Mrs. Giggles has an interesting topic about “Diversity” in Romance and how readers want it but writers all say it does not sell…

Now about the first part of the post.

As a Gay man I used to like having my very own easily identifiable section in the bookstore where I could find the latest Gay Fiction and Gay Non-Fiction books. The problem was when bookstores kept stocking less and less books on those shelves. Or… ordering the few titles they got a deal on selling and filling the whole shelf up with multiple copies of the same book. I’ve seen crappy selections just like that so many times I stopped going to “regular” bookstores and started going to Gay Bookstores who specialized and so kept a greater selection to choose from till I moved out here to nowhere Bible thumpin (Jesse Helms spent five-terms in office destroying this country because of these sheep fucking country bumpkins) NC where now everything Gay had better be in eBook format.

I don’t care how many new investors get taken to the cleaners by Books-A-Million. I would rather shoot myself than ever step one foot into any of those nasty ass Fox News Watching Nascar Loving Mental Midgets On Display Discount Chain stores. Our local store had such appropriate decorations for Halloween this year. I agree that Books-A-Million is a graveyard for books. They kill them, skin them, and discard any controversial “unchristian like” topics in the dumpster out back and sell what’s left at half price never mind the drool stains.

Anyway, NO… my first thought in seeing a Gay Section in a bookstore is not “oh how terrible” it is more like “well the bookstore had better have a good selection of Gay books if they are going to highlight it like that”. In most cases they dont so why did they bother going to all the trouble of making their lack of interest so obvious?

Now about “Diversity” in Romance stories.

I want it too! Maybe a “lesbian/gay romance” where the gay guy falls for the butch lesbian chick in Carhartts and they have wild passionate sex and and and well um that sounds like the plot of Top Gun now that I think about it.

You want to know why I think many of these “Diversity” Romance books do not sell? Because they pull an “after school special” on the reader is why. When the whole point of your Romance is “the message” and not “the story” the reader can tell very quickly and run the hell away. Think of us as loud mouth deer and your agenda is an on coming car with it’s lights on full.

You want to insult a reader and ruin your Romance you worked so hard on? Spend a ton of time writing this really great Gay Romance then go wreck your shit by slapping some fake hokey feel good political message to screw everything up with in the last three chapters.

Just like Heidi Cullinan did in Nowhere Ranch. Great story, but only if you ignore the typical “Torquere Press” all tell no show info dump character introduction complete with a flying leap into the first sex scene found in chapter one AND then the old “OK Homo” pregnancy used to provide permanence to the HEA found in the last three chapters.

Just do what I do… stop reading right after he gets the tattoo. Rip those last few chapters right out of your memory.

I am only pointing out that simply because the readers are stating clearly they want to see more “Diversity” in their Romance that does not mean they want to be preached at by the writer and treated like a jack ass or forced to read some “On this very special episode of Growing Pains” pandering bullshit either. If you can’t write a story where “the message” is a subtle and natural extension of “the plot” then maybe you need to find something else to write about in a less heavy handed manner.

I think ignoring the overly generalized topic at hand and focusing on the particular products makes more sense anyway. A healthy minded adult individual will read just about anything if it is well written and entertaining. Hell, these days it does not even need to be that well written as long as it is entertaining which provides clues for such mysteries as The Da Vinci Code and the Twilight Series. So no sales to me means more likely unentertaining message driven books were being written and (the ever blameless) publishers were buying these stories based on marketing value and looking to cash in on some “diversity trend” not on the quality of the story.

That is just a given in my opinion.

From: 2 Know U

Climbing skills not required or necessary.

It is just this type of unmoderated and inappropriate garbage that gets posted on Goodreads every day by the most idiotic posters around that made me run for the fucking hills.

What does the poster mean by underage being under the age of 20? You can join the military in the US at 18! You can drink in some states. I do not think they “really give a shit” unless there are severe legal issues in most places the minute you hit the barely legal age of 16… have at it ya hormone driven jackals! Most folks just shrug and think live and learn ya stupid kid not OMG the poor baby!

WTF missy good little Sunday School goin “momma done taught me right from wrong” are you trying to say here? You mean to tell me you actually wander around “the real world” thinking under the age of 20 is “sexually underage”? I bet you think waiting for marriage is the only right choice on the test.

Jesus, if you knew when I became sexually active you would have a shit fit.

First off the beginning of the list The Catch Trap ~ Marion Zimmer Bradley was written in two sections one in the 40s and the other in the late 50s early 60s. Does the reader even begin to comprehend that they are showing they have no clue what the age of consent was at the time in the US in most of the states they are mentioned visiting with the circus?

Let me just say the age of consent was pretty fucking damn low back then. I believe some states it was 13. This is even mentioned in the book in regards to a female friend of the hero’s if you knew how to read that is.

Not to mention then this bozo goes on and lists Junction X ~ Erastes which I believe is set in England and the age was 17 or something like that… OMG… Do you know what Google is? Can you check for me?

I don’t even know where to begin with you but if you want to read “pedo M/M romance” missy all I got to say you are doing it very very wrong. Then I have to remind myself you post on Goodreads so chances are you move your lips when you read.

This, THIS, THIS Mother fuckers! Is god damn why I do not even checkout anything posted on Goodreads anymore. It’s either fanboys drooling on the keyboard slapping five stars on the author’s shopping list that they probably did not even bother to read or some cheapskate author who cannot afford their own website wandering around trying to hard sell their next horribly unedited piece of self pubbed crap.

Or… in this case some mentally challenged five year old who just discovered they made books besides Dick & Jane.

So HTC maker of some of the best Android phones out there tried to sue Apple on 4 patents they bought from Motorola but instead got banned from US sales for getting busted on some other patent Apple held. It’s like a twisted poker game with aces being held in reserve by all sides so you will never win.

NO ONE is winning this game because it was rigged by idiots allowing folks to patent overly generalized “ideas” and simplistic software functions that really were never implemented or developed by the original patent holders anyway and are usually now owned by law firms and secondary companies who have no intention of making anything but money from legal blackmail.

I think IP law in the US is about to get an enema because if there is one thing companies hate more than paying for decent employee health plans it is losing money to lawyers. So what will happen?

The US Government is going to gut the Patent laws because they are already bought and paid for by these same corporations getting busted. Sorta like how BP got to change the rules and is still in the Deep Water Drilling game despite pretty much destroying huge chucks of US coastline through subcontracting and mismanagement and no regulatory oversight. You heard the Republicans say the EPA is satan and needs to be shut down right? Guess why? They do not even like making the corporations pay for the cleanup of well documented disasters.

If you think SOPA is screwy just wait till these same Corporate Republican lackeys get through reworking any and all IP law. I bet in the end the actual people holding any creative based licenses will get screwed somehow by the major corporations with all the lawyers and politicians and money. I am sure they will figure out a way to bill you when they copy and sell your hard work without your permission.

The 1% generally tend to get what they want and this type of change will be coming soon with all this out right banning of major manufacturers who have lots of cash to bribe whomever they need Republican or Democrat. Look at China and see our future. What you thought foreign companies would never buy our patriotic politicians? HAH!

Did you not hear big corporations are people too with rights to their private corrupt business practices? FOX news (Owned by an Australian remember?) told you multinational corporation type people’s rights should come before “we the people”. Which they already do since major corporations enjoying their full rights of personhood will never face things like jail time for stealing tax payer money or paying off their bank debts or even paying taxes. That’s for you the little “we the people” to do for them.

Corporations are above your laws and you are fooling yourself believing you have any rights that you didn’t already sell out to Republicans for those stocks you bought in the 80s that tanked and your McMansion that got foreclosed on and that middle management job of yours that got outsourced to India. You still vote Republican though because Gawd wants you to justify your stupid since that’s all you got left that’s still yours.

Mark my words writers… What you had was archaic and poorly implemented with no real government help and you footing all the legal bills… What you will end up with will be worse than this without real legal recourse or rights to your work at all. It will be yet another joke on you sponsored by Disney who will sue you into nothingness if you even think about stealing their Mickey Mouse copyrighted or not.

Western Gay Romance

Victor J. Banis ~ Longhorns
From: Running Press

Full Review: Victor J. Banis: Longhorns
Victor has been writing about Gay Men since the earth cooled and his choice to give this western a highly masculine Zane Grey tone made for some really great reading and re-reading. I love his Western style so much I hope Victor will write more of them he gots the lingo and the tude down brohas.

Best Classic Gay Romance You Never Read

Marion Zimmer Bradley ~ The Catch Trap
From: Ballantine Books

Full Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Catch Trap
The Catch Trap (My big fat Gay Historical Circus Romance) is finally available on Fictionwise in non-DRM eBook formats. Go grab a copy if you were waiting for that to happen. I can’t say enough about how really good and really important this book was to me growing up.

Sci-Fi Gay Romance

J.L. Langley ~ My Fair Captain
From: Samhain Publishing

I read the first chapter of this story while J.L. Langley was just starting it so um… well, I ended up helping her with it. The writing just drew me even while in early rough draft form and watching her do her magic in creating and evolving each character was kinda special. Still one of my fave Sci-Fi stories. From one of the best “character writers” in Gay Romance today.

Mystery Gay Romance

Josh Lanyon ~ Adrien English Mysteries
From: Loose Id

Full Review: Josh Lanyon: Death Of A Pirate King
Josh Lanyon can keep writing as many books as he wants to but the poor guy is now cursed and is always going to be known for Jake and Adrien and I swear any review of those hundreds of other books of his is bound to mention something about Jake and Adrien. If you have not grabbed the first book and chowed down yet get cracking because this is just that special. Do what I do if it says Josh Lanyon on the cover just buy the damn thing.

Josh… Jake and Adrien Foreverz! Heh

Paranormal Gay Romance

Jamie Craig ~ Master Of Obsidian (The Master Chronicles 1)
From: Amber Quill Press

Full Review: Jamie Craig ~ Master Of Obsidian
Jamie Craig writes some naughty damn vampires. This is the first eBook in a series I have to admit I did not end up enjoying as much. But this first eBook… oh man it rocked in a quick after dark down & dirty kinda way.

Trashy College Boy Contemporary Gay Romance

Evangeline Anderson ~ Str8te Boys
From: Samhain Publishing

Full Review: Evangeline Anderson ~ Str8te Boys
You would think this would so not work for me. BUT! Evangeline Anderson chose one of three believable contemporary situations where “straight” guys are classically known to explore a little man-on-man action and angst can occur naturally. Those three well known settings are college, prison, and the military. So Evangeline Anderson it turns out is smarter than the average Gay Romance writer. Even the self proclaimed expert Gay Men writing bad Gay Romance. I keep saying it’s honestly more about talent and a little luck and NOT authenticity or how much political one upping you do and EA proves that here.

Miltary Contemporary Gay Romance

Marquesate ~ Her Majesty’s Men
From: Camouflage Press

Full Review: Marquesate ~ Her Majesty’s Men
I was back and forth on this eBook. I was going to include it, and then I was not, so it goes at the end here because it absolutely stood out from any other Contemporary I read all year. I have to warn you though it’s a tad violent and pretty in your face in tone and it might turn some folks off with how raw it is but here you go. If you want to read the freshest voice in Gay Military Contemporary Romance I read this year this is it but watch out I am only recommending this one eBook not others by this author because some of them were simply way too bloody and not romantic to me at all. There is not that many eBooks I can say I cringed while reading but I liked how totally over the top butch the romance was.

Facebook App

Well look at this from the Facebook Terms Of Service…

Promotions Guidelines
Date of Last Revision: May 11, 2011

3. You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

4. You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

Oopsie!