It’s
Day 6 of the March Madness Week Long Giveaway! Wow! We have had so many awesome
authors on this giveaway and the prizes? WHOA! They’ve all been so generous!
Today’s cluster of fabulous are no different. They answered the same question:
What does the genre mean to me? And they have their own giveaway. Who are the
authors today? Matt Converse, Annabeth Albert, Zoe Perdita, Tracey Michael,
Kris. T Bethke, Jay Northcote, LJ Harris, SJ Himes AKA Revella Hawthorne,
Victoria Sue, and Liv Rancourt and Irene Preston!
If
you missed the last 5 days click these links to read the posts and enter the
giveaways:
So,
enjoy yourselves and make sure to tune in tomorrow for the final day of the
week long giveaway!
What
does this genre mean to me?
I fell into this genre
by virtue of subject matter of my first book. One of my goals has always been
to bring diversity to the publishing world. I was thrilled to become the first
author with a gay titled book at Comet Press in 2015 with Behind the Velvet
Curtain. My new release Strip Shot is published by Encompass Ink, whose motto
is to believe in romance and love for all. No boundaries. No
hiding.
Another goal of mine
is simply to entertain. I want reading my books to be an escape for readers, a
place to go for pure enjoyment, which our community needs right now.
Contact
Giveaway:
ebook of my new release Strip Shot
What
does this genre mean to me?
It's hard for me to put into words what this community means to me
and what this genre has come to mean in my life. For a very long time, I felt
like something was broken inside me, like there was some essential part of me
that didn't make any sense. Through reading and writing in this genre, I've
come to accept myself more and to understand and learn more about that part of myself
more every day. That this community welcomes me and reads my words is truly the
best gift I could ever ask for—this is a place where I’ve truly come into my
own as a person and author and I can’t thank the community enough for
that.
Contact:
Giveaway:
reader’s choice ebook from my #Gaymers series or Out Of Uniform series
What does
this genre means to me?
I
love m/m because it normalizes queerness in the best way. Love is love is love.
The people in the community are so passionate and accepting is warms my heart
(which is usually cold and black from all the sarcasm).
Contact:
Giveaway:
ebook Titan on Chains (Darkvale book 1) via instafreebie
What
this genre means to me?
I
love the way this community steps up for people in need. Whether it be for
other authors, readers, friends or strangers, I've seen people come together
for a cause. It's heartwarming to be a part of the humanity that is the LGBTQ
family.
Contact:
Giveaway:
ebook Beyond the Grill
What
does this genre mean to me?
This
community gave me courage to actually step out of my shell, get involved, and
ultimately, to publish my first story. I found my voice in the genre. Within
this group, I found an acceptance that had been lacking in my life. And
thousands of amazing stories. And tons of wonderful people. Forever friends I
would not have met otherwise, friends who think and feel just as I do. I’ll
always be grateful I stumbled across this diverse, wonderful, heartfelt
community.
Contact:
Giveaway:
Flash fic written to winner’s prompt of choice. Can be a situation or pic
prompt, or both! Winner will get fic in format of choice. Length will be up to
3k words.
What
does this genre mean to me?
This
community is where I found my true self. It’s a place where I was able to come
out as transgender and receive nothing but support and love. It’s hard to
express how much it means to me and how grateful I am to be a part of it.
Contacts:
Giveaway:
Backlist ebook, reader’s choice
What
does this genre mean to me?
They
say it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said for all the
blood, sweat and tears that go into producing a book. Looking back now, I never
imagined I'd be capable of taking the leap and going through that process.
After all, I was pushing the half-century mark, am an introvert (never a good
thing when it comes to signings or launch parties lol), and though I had
written a few online stories (both MF and MM), I didn't think anyone would be
interested in my stories enough to want to publish them.
Then
I met a few friends who changed my mind. If not for their support and
encouragement, I would never have penned a short story about a man down on his
luck who meets his perfect match and submitted it to a publisher for inclusion
in an MM anthology. Yes the lows have been there along with the highs ever
since, but through it all, never have I been made to feel more welcome. More
loved. More supported. The friendships I have formed are something I know will
last a lifetime.
To
everyone - readers, bloggers, reviewers, cover artists, editors, beta readers,
publishers large and small as well as fellow authors and supportive friends
from all walks of life. Each and every one of you are what makes this community.
Contacts:
Giveaway:
$10.00 Amazon Gift Card and ebook of The Haunting of Angus Macgregor
What
this genre means to me?
This
community is a safe place for me to indulge my dreams, bring my fantasies to
life, and to enjoy acceptance and freedom. I don’t have to hide what I enjoy. I
can tell my stories to like-minded people, explore new connections and reaffirm
the truth that I am not an aberration—I am exactly as I am meant to be. My
career as an author helps me reach out to the world, and instead of censure or
pain, I get love back. I find people who like me for who I am, who welcome the
characters I birth from my imagination with open minds and hearts. My
characters are in some small way part of me, and reflect my need to live to the
fullest I can. Here in the m/m community, in books and chats, forums and
threads, we are all equal, and we all embrace love.
Contact:
Giveaway:
Two ebooks reader’s choice (SJ Himes or Revella Hawthorne)
What
does this genre mean to me?
I
came to Florida from England six years ago for a chance to do something
different. To belong to something. To mesh my family with your family. Nah -
I'm totally lying I really wanted to visit Disneyland whenever I wanted to! Back
to being serious? It’s all about the love and I picked the genre that I think
embodies it the most.
Contacts:
Giveaway:
ebook of Five Minutes Longer and Alpha King
What
does this genre mean to me?
Our
thoughts on the genre and community...
Acceptance. One of the definitions
is “favorable reception; approval; favor”. Irene and I have found those
qualities in the lgbt romance community.
Yeah, there are issues, conflicts based on harsh judgement or situations where trust is broken, but one of the most
valuable things we’ve found is the genre's ability to rebound.
When
Irene and I first published Vespers, we found bloggers, authors, and readers
who were willing to help promote it. We were new(ish) to the genre, and people
reached out to help us. We’ve both learned from those who were bold and honest
enough to share their lives on-line. The people we’ve met have challenged us to
reach higher in our writing, to do justice to our friends who’ve been so open
with us.
And
in the end, we both really like reading stories told from a queer perspective.
Thank you for putting them out there.
Contact:
Where
to find Irene
Facebook
| Twitter | Pinterest | Mailing List | Goodreads
Where
to find Liv
Facebook | Twitter | Mailing List | Goodreads
Giveaway
: $10.00 Amazon gift card and ebook copy of Vespers
Giveaway
Day 6's giveaway will end on March 26th!
Be sure to enter each day's giveaway as well as this one!
Thanks!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My first LGBTQ-related read was romance books Heaven Sent by Jet Mykles and Fair Game by Josh Lanyon.
ReplyDeletei love annabth albert's books so much!
ReplyDeleteI don't know exactly. It has been some time. It might have been one by Jay Northcote
ReplyDeleteChange of Heart by Mary Calmes. Loved it and haven't looked back. :)
ReplyDeleteIt has been years and I have read so many I do not remember which one was my first.
ReplyDeleteMy first book was "Forty Two days" by Willa Okati in 2006.
ReplyDeleteCut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
ReplyDeleteThe Last Herald-Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
ReplyDeletemy first book was always by kindle alexander
ReplyDeleteJosh Lanyon's first Adrien English book.
ReplyDeleteI don't even remember anymore. I do remember that I started reading fanfic before I discovered published works.
ReplyDeleteTry by Ella Frank
ReplyDeleteFrom the Inside Out by Talya Andor
ReplyDeleteHear of the Warrior by Donya Lynne, part of the AKM series :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post and week. I don't remember, but probably a pulp like one by Phil Andros. But one of the earliest I do remember is Apprenticed to Pleasure (Pledged to Magic #1) by Brandon Fox. Thoroughy enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
Okay, that's tough. I read gay fiction before I jump into MM romance. I think one of my first gay fiction will be "Dream Boy" by James Grimsley. But first MM is "The Tin Star" by J.L. Langley, almost 9 years ago!
ReplyDeleteMy first was Heaven Sent by Jet Mykles in 2007. Over time I've almost completely stopped reading MF entirely.
ReplyDeleteThe Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
ReplyDeleteI don't remember which book it was, but I was hooked after reading it. colby69@verizon.net
ReplyDeleteWhere You Are by J.H. Trumble and I've been hooked on the genre ever since
ReplyDeleteThe Last Herald Mage books by Mercedes Lackey. I see I'm not alone with that!
ReplyDelete'Always' by Kindle Alexander
ReplyDelete"Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez.
ReplyDeleteMy first was Maurice by EM Forster.
ReplyDeleteThe first book was a short story by Stormy Glenn.
ReplyDeleteStormy Glenn was my first too!
Delete"The Catch Trap" by Marion Zimmer Bradley
ReplyDeleteIn college, I read MY WORST DATE by David Leddick and one told from the POV of a gay sex worker called TRICKS (can't remember the author). My first official m/m romance (after a lot of music and hockey slashfic) was BETWEEN SINNERS AND SAINTS by Marie Sexton.
ReplyDelete--Trix
I honestly can't remember the first book. I started with MMF stories by Samantha Kane and progressed to MM stories. I love all types of romance stories.
ReplyDelete