GayRomLit— or as some refer to it as GRL— truly is the must-attend event for
people who create and celebrate LGBT romance. For those who are unfamiliar with
what GRL is I can try and summarize it. Every year in October (this year it’s
the 17th to the 20th with pre-events on the 16th)
the LGBT community consisting of authors, narrators, readers, and professionals
gather to share in their love of LGBT romance. There are signings, author
lounges, many events, spotlights, it really is hours of fun.
The location
changes every year and on the opening night of each year the spot for the next
year is announced. During this time at
GRL there are two signings. One for Registered Authors and one for Featured
Authors.
At these
signings you can go to the authors’ tables, talk, have them sign swag they
have, books you’ve brought, pick up pre-orders, and they will even sign
something you brought from home.
Lounges are
set up as well these are outside the signing times. Registered authors have one
and featured have two lounges.
There will
also be spotlights with readings, Q&A’s and so much more.
Now until
October 14th Diverse Reader is spotlighting authors that will be at
this years GRL. And if you want to know more about it simply head over to the
site by clicking here:
Now for our
Spotlight Author of the day!
Event Info For Kaje Harper
Lounge dates and times :
Friday Oct 18th - 10:00 AM
Friday Oct 18th -
3:00 PM
Spotlight :
Thursday Oct 17th - 4:30 PM - Q & A session
Featured Author Book Signing:
Saturday Oct 19th - 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Preorder form- Link:
Preorders close Sept 30th
The first GayRomLit event took place in New Orleans in 2011,
the same year my first M/M romance came out. That GRL was small, intimate, and
sounds like it was a ton of fun. Reading the posts afterward, I was sorry that
I'd been too new to the community, and too shy, to try to go there. So I got up
the nerve to go to the 2012 GRL in Albuquerque… as a
reader, because let's face it, even with seventeen stories out by then, I
wasn't about to pretend to be an author in front of a big group. With a bit of
nudging (thank you Edmond Manning) I had so much fun, I was ready to take the
plunge the next year as an author.
GRL is a bit different every time, but always engaging and
warm. It's the only place I've felt comfortable with random hugs from strangers
(although you can get a no-hugs sticker if those really aren't your
thing.) We bond over shared love of the stories, and shared belief in the
message that love is love. I get a huge kick out of watching the lobby of the
hotel fill with people wearing purple shirts on the Thursday (which always
coincides with LGBTQ Spirit Day. Bring a purple thing to wear for the
17th.) A couple of times, I got to
explain why the purple to a confused hotel patron - always a win.
I encourage anyone coming this year to go to the Featured
Narrator Panel at 8:30 PM on Wednesday night. Although the official start is
Thursday, the narrators have been one of the most fun additions to recent GRLs.
These folk are brilliant at what they do, entertaining to listen to, and always
give us a little taste of what M/M in audio can be at its best. Some of the
genre's top voices will be there.
I'll have a Question & Answer spotlight session this
year - past questions have ranged from the lighthearted ("How old will
Mac's daughter have to be before he lets her start dating?") to the
serious ("How do we get more LGBTQ books into the hands of teens?" -
referencing my YA work) and from the personal ("Does your husband ever
read your books?") to the sociological ("Do you think romance has a
responsibility to be realistic about things like prep or condoms?"). All
questions are welcome, and you don't have to have read an author's books to
participate or ask something. ("Which of your books should I start
with?" is a great question for an author you haven't tried.) I don't know
who my session-mates will be yet— there are 3 authors at each—
but it's always good to get together.
I'll be bringing a couple of older books newly in print - I
decided to put my WWII story, Into Deep Waters, into a paper copy
finally, after many requests. I also had a couple of requests for the novella Building
Forever, which caps off my Rebuilding Year series. It does seem
unfair for those who prefer paper to miss that closing chapter for John and
Ryan, so I'll have that novella volume too. I hope to see people at the lounges
and signing. But I am always happy when someone stops me in the hall for a chat
- some of the best moments of past GRLs were spent with a cup of tea or a
cookie, and a conversation in some quiet corner about the genre I love. I'm
really looking forward to October.
- Kaje Harper
September 2019
Into Deep Waters - a free novel in ebook, also
available in audio with talented narration by Kaleo Griffith, and now coming in
print as well. I'll have limited extra copies with me, in addition to
preorders.
For Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a Navy
ship in WWII, the risks were high. Not just the risks of injury and death from
Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery, of discharge,
imprisonment or worse. Only a special kind of love was worth taking that
chance. But from the moment Daniel met Jacob's eyes across a battle-scarred
deck, he knew he had to try.
Being together required figuring out what it meant to be gay and in love with another man, in an era when they could be jailed or committed for admitting the desires of their hearts. On a ship at war, their relationship was measured in stolen moments and rare days of precious leave, with no guarantees there would be a tomorrow. And if they survived the war, they would need even more luck to keep their love alive through all the years to come.
Being together required figuring out what it meant to be gay and in love with another man, in an era when they could be jailed or committed for admitting the desires of their hearts. On a ship at war, their relationship was measured in stolen moments and rare days of precious leave, with no guarantees there would be a tomorrow. And if they survived the war, they would need even more luck to keep their love alive through all the years to come.
Download Links: Amazon -
LINK HERE
Kobo - LINK HERE
iBooks -
LINK HERE
Smashwords - LINK HERE
audiobook - LINK HERE
The Rebuilding Year (3 book series) - one of
my first contemporary stories, all three are now available in audio with the
warm and wonderful narration of Gomez Pugh, and the novella will be in print
before GRL.
It took losing nearly everything, to discover what they
can’t live without.
A few excruciating minutes pinned under a burning beam cost Ryan Ward his job as a firefighter, the easy camaraderie of his coworkers, his current girlfriend, and damn near cost him his left leg. Giving up, though, wasn’t an option. He fought and won the battle back to health, over a painful year. Now, choosing a new profession, going back to school, and renting a room from the college groundskeeper should be simple.
Until he realizes he’s falling in love with his housemate, and things take a turn for the complicated.
John Barrett knows about loss. After moving twice to stay in touch with his kids, he could only watch as his ex-wife whisked them away to California. Offering Ryan a room seems better than rattling around his empty house alone. But as casual friendship moves to something more, and emotions heat up, the big old house feels like tight quarters.
It’s nothing they can't learn to navigate, until life adds in unhappy teen kids, difficult family members, and mysterious deaths on campus. Rebuilding will be far from easy, even for two guys willing to open their minds, and hearts.
A few excruciating minutes pinned under a burning beam cost Ryan Ward his job as a firefighter, the easy camaraderie of his coworkers, his current girlfriend, and damn near cost him his left leg. Giving up, though, wasn’t an option. He fought and won the battle back to health, over a painful year. Now, choosing a new profession, going back to school, and renting a room from the college groundskeeper should be simple.
Until he realizes he’s falling in love with his housemate, and things take a turn for the complicated.
John Barrett knows about loss. After moving twice to stay in touch with his kids, he could only watch as his ex-wife whisked them away to California. Offering Ryan a room seems better than rattling around his empty house alone. But as casual friendship moves to something more, and emotions heat up, the big old house feels like tight quarters.
It’s nothing they can't learn to navigate, until life adds in unhappy teen kids, difficult family members, and mysterious deaths on campus. Rebuilding will be far from easy, even for two guys willing to open their minds, and hearts.
Buy Links: Amazon -
LINK HERE
Amazon UK - LINK HERE
Smashwords - LINK HERE
Barnes&Noble -
LINK HERE
Kobo - LINK HERE
Audiobook -
LINK HERE
Love and Lint Rollers - a book for cat lovers,
and for a fan who once complained that he'd never see a character with Crohn's
disease in a romance.
Even with six beloved cats at home, Thom Fletcher can't
help opening his heart to a little injured stray he finds at Pride. Luckily,
the generosity of the veterinarian who helps him means he doesn't have to open
his wallet. Thom's budget is stretched pretty thin, between his struggling
start-up and medical expenses for his Crohn's disease, so the free cat care
helps a lot. Thom may have fallen for the little feline, but he's also
intrigued by the attractive vet in the bi-pride bracelet.
Dean Edwards went to Pride with his colors on his wrist, hoping to find community after his divorce. Instead, he's pulled into a cat rescue by an appealing man. Dean likes Thom's kindness to strays, his blue-gray eyes, his intelligence, and his perspective from decades as an out gay man. Maybe with Thom, Dean will finally feel able to explore his long-neglected attraction to men.
They're not a perfect match. From Dean's cat-hating dog to Thom's chronic health issues and preferences in bed, going from a casual date to something more will be a challenge for both of them.
Dean Edwards went to Pride with his colors on his wrist, hoping to find community after his divorce. Instead, he's pulled into a cat rescue by an appealing man. Dean likes Thom's kindness to strays, his blue-gray eyes, his intelligence, and his perspective from decades as an out gay man. Maybe with Thom, Dean will finally feel able to explore his long-neglected attraction to men.
They're not a perfect match. From Dean's cat-hating dog to Thom's chronic health issues and preferences in bed, going from a casual date to something more will be a challenge for both of them.
Buy Links: Amazon -
LINK HERE
Amazon UK -
LINK HERE
Smashwords - LINK HERE
Barnes&Noble -
LINK HERE
Kobo -
LINK HERE
Bio and Links
I get asked about
my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just
like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I’ve been
writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty years*), although
mostly for my own entertainment. I write M/M romance, often with added mystery,
fantasy, historical, SciFi, paranormal… I also have Young Adult short stories
(some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
It was my husband
who finally convinced me that after all the years of writing just for fun, I
really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published
book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I now have a
good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally
published, including Amazon bestseller The Rebuilding Year and Rainbow
Award Best Mystery-Thriller Tracefinder: Contact. A complete list with
links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/books/.
I'm always pleased to have readers find me online at:
Website: https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
Goodreads Author
page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4769304.Kaje_Harper
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