The Equal Rights Blog Hop

The Equal Rights Blog Hop is brought to you by Queer Town Abbey. Click the banner to see the other participants. :) There are TWO giveaways: One from my blog and one from Queer Town Abbey. See below for details.

I write gay romance, but that’s not the reason I see myself as part of the GLBT community. I have many friends who are bi, lesbian, or gay. My best friend is gay, and when he came out to me during a movie date it didn’t register on a richter scale. It wasn’t that I had guessed or I already knew, but it just didn’t matter. He was himself regardless of his orientation. He was my friend I loved him then as much as I do now.

But even having friends doesn’t make me a part of the community. I’m a part of the GLBT community because I want my friends and the millions of strangers out there to have the same freedoms and rights I receive. I read the news and my heart hurts for the abandoned youth and couples denied basic human rights.

My novels are not strictly for naughty entertainment. I don’t think any political statement made in them could change the world, but there’s no telling what might open an eye somewhere.

In my latest release Paid Leave I built the story around two statements I wanted to make without making it obvious. The lead struggles against hate for his badge and for his sexual orientation. Benji is lucky enough to be in a novel where happy endings are expected, but not everyone lives where they can believe it will get better.

And that’s another reason I’m a part of GLBT community. Until the world is equal, I’ll be around doing what I can to stop prejudice and hate.  
That said, if you ever want to donate to some awesome sources, don't forget HRC and It Gets Better. They do the hard work.

Hayley’s giveaway:

Leave me a comment. One winner will be selected to receive a Paid Leave coffee mug and coffee from the shop that inspired Beans. (Neal's shop in Paid Leave)

Queer Town Abbey grand prize giveaway:

To enter, answer this question: Where did my best friend come out to me?
(for more info on the grand prize, and to read the other blogs in the hop, visit Queer Town Abbey.

Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013 #HAHAT

May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
and the Hop Against Homophobia 2013 starts today!

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Even though the world is clearly changing, there's a long way to go before homophobia is seen by the  entire population as just as terrible of a thing as racism. I do believe there will be a day when the population as a whole will look into history books and cringe at their past ignorance.

There's a handy, interactive graph on the Guardian's website that I highly suggest you poke around on. It was posted May of 2012 and as I write this, it doesn't include Minnesota's newest law change. But it's still a great tool to really see the difference of rights between the communities. It's tangible and clear cut that there's a major difference and that's a major problem.

All these changes are coming from the changing mindset of the population. Change will happen. One day grand kids will be ashamed of their anti-gay grandparents just how today grand kids are embarrassed by granny's racist slurs leftover from the 1950s.

The internet and social sites have really pushed progress forward. It helps get the word out that "Hey! This shit is fucked up. Don't do it. People are people and love is love." Tumblr is a perfect example. The community on tumblr will not hesitate to call you out on anything. (It's a great place for feminism as a whole too)

People are constantly learning and evolving. Someone who was taught homophobia might be on tumblr one day and be called out on using "gay" as an insult, and after hearing the explanation of why it's wrong, that person might just start to change years of narrow thinking. Education and patience (sadly, still patience) is needed just as much as raising hell to get law makers to vote for and sign the right laws.

Overall I have high hopes for humanity even if sometimes it seems bleak.

EDIT: the contest is closed now. I'll be picking a winner and posting it tomorrow. Thank you for the comments!
EDIT 2: The winner has been selected and contacted via email.

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If you leave a comment on this post, you'll be entered to win an ebook of my latest novel, Paid Leave. (the winner will be a randomly chosen comment and will be selected sometime after May 22. I'm actually out of the country right now.)

Blurb: Albuquerque police officer Benji Miller made the choice to hide his sexuality and devote his life to his career. He guards his secret carefully, believing he is protecting his job and happiness. Then, during a routine traffic stop gone awry, he shoots a suspect to protect a young girl, and his life spins out of control. A department-mandated paid leave rips away the only distraction he had, and he has to deal with the unsympathetic media who criticize the police department’s every move.

One day, needing to get out of the house, Benji walks into a café, where he meets Neal McCoy—a gay man living without shame, unafraid to speak his mind or stand up against prejudice. Benji quickly falls for Neal but struggles to combine his new love interest and his career. With the media threatening the careful illusion he’s built around himself, Benji can’t stand the pressure.

Benji has to decide: sacrifice his happiness in the name of his career and an easy life, or find the courage to give up the lonely existence he knows and take a step into the unknown.

Available from Dreamspinner Press.

Excerpt:

“So is my charm winning you over yet?”

“What charm?” Benji meant it as a joke, but Neal didn’t laugh.

“I’m usually very good at reading men, but you’re sending me mixed signals. I understand if you can’t tell when a man flirts, but at least tell me I’m not making a fool of myself and giving you a funny story to tell your girlfriend.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Are we on the same team, Benji?” Neal changed his question into a more direct one Benji wasn’t comfortable answering.

“I have a convincing life of a straight bachelor I would like to maintain.” Benji couldn’t stop himself despite knowing he was ending chances before he even had a chance. “But that’s as far as it goes—a lie.”

“I see.” Neal nodded and watched Lucky chew a few dried twigs.

“I’m proud of what I am, Benji. If I could shit rainbows, I would.” Neal tugged on Lucky’s leash to get his attention and started toward the parking lot. “I like you, but it isn’t my place to convince you to change what you are.”

Benji was lost in a sea of his own insecurities that had flooded in following the shooting. Things he’d never challenged before became the only questions he had. “What if I want to be normal?”

His words froze Neal in his retreat. He looked over his shoulder, and his brown eyes carried sadness Benji wouldn’t have believed he was capable of experiencing. “You are normal, Benji.”

“What if I want more than what I’m allowed to have?”

“You struggle through hell to have what you deserve.”

Benji shook his head. “What if I lose my career?”

“I can’t answer that one. I don’t even know what you do.” Neal returned to Benji’s side and touched his arm. “It sounds like you need a friend more than a date.”

“I have friends.”

“Yeah. But I have a hunch that you don’t have friends that understand what it’s like to be gay.” Neal slipped his arm into Benji’s and started forward on the trail. “Let’s get back to the date. I know you’re not a coffee connoisseur, so what’s your favorite drink?”

Benji forced himself to relax. The trail was empty, and the birds hardly cared if two men touched. “Coke, I guess. After water. Most guys drink beer. I pick a cola.”

“We can break that bad habit,” Neal said. His chuckle warned Benji he was teasing.

“Do you only drink coffee?”

“Of course not. I also like water. We have so much in common, Benji.”

Elemental Attraction: History & Politics

This is post #2 for the World Building blogfest hosted by Sharon Bayliss.

Today I'll be discussing history of the three major countries in the world of Elemental Attraction, and the political structure of each country.

I colored the map from yesterday to better illustrate the borders in the past mentioned in the stories and the current borders.

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As I mentioned yesterday, there are three major countries in Water Waltz and Fire Tango, but there a time when Bretagne did not have as much land as it does now.

Loire was once under Spezia rule and devils lived there. Now it's a city under Bretagne, but both devils and demons call it home. It's only the only region known to have demons with a bond with the earth element.
Bretagne also pushed back the border between them and the devils when taking Loire.

The current map (bottom) display just how far Bretagne has expanded its borders. It's not hard to understand why Spezia and Hendola would hold a grudge and both races have a strong dislike for both demons and angels.

Without firearms, demons from Bretagne hold all the power. The demons with elemental bonds fought the prior wars and decimated the devils and human armies. In Water Waltz that power is tested and proven futile for what the future of human technology has in store.

Before the Wars

Current borders

The political structure are different for each country. 

I'll do a quick over view of the basics to keep it simple.

The royal family in Spezia passes leadership to the first-born son if married at the time of the king's death. If the eldest is single, the crown passes onto the son who is married. Fire Tango visits this tradition when the leads travel to the devil country. With devils, they see and sleep with many others (often at once) until finding one they love and beginning a lifelong marriage. This tradition ensures the son has settled down from courtship so he may run the country without distraction.

There's also a king in Hendola. The crown passes to the eldest son without another tradition added to the mix. This comes into play in Water Waltz when a murderous plot threatens the quiet life of Varun and Triste.

Bretagne is a bit more complicated with layers of leadership voted in by the citizens. At the top of power is the Head of State. Directly below him is the Chancellor, followed by the Vice-Chancellor. The Chancellor is a character in Water Waltz who goes to Varun for help sniffing out a murderer. Their power is vast but for a limited amount of years.

Snowden is there in the corner being secretive. Faeries are ruled by a single family, but their country has not  made an appearance in Elemental Attraction yet.

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If you're curious about the world of Elemental Attraction, I've written a few posts about the location names (and why I picked them) and character names. 

FireTango and Water Waltz are both available now.

Elemental Attraction: World Map

This week I'm joining many other authors in the World Building Blogfest hosted by Sharon Bayliss.

Today I'm sharing a map* of the world in Elemental Attraction series and explaining a bit about each country.

Click to enlarge!

On the right side, we have  the country of humans, Hendola.
To the west of humans is Bretagne, the country of demons and angels.
Bretagne's neighbors are the devils from the country of Spezia.
At the bottom and secluded is Snowden, the county of faeries. (they haven't played a major role as of yet.)

Also shown is North Bretagne and Francilly. Neither has been spoken about in length in a book yet. North Bretagne is, of course, a part of Bretagne. And Francilly is a country of only pale-type angels. (It's the reason Amer and Sucre speak French.) The northern countries have snow icons because it's cold up there.

In Water Waltz, Varun and Triste live in Fenian and visit Senac. In Fire Tango, Leandre and Fremont live in Fenian and travel to Foxwood. As a devil, Fremont is originally from Spezia but calls Bretagne home despite the prejudice he receives. Loire is mentioned in Fire Tango but not visited. (Riston and Pekelo are originally from Loire.) I'm working on a third book which takes place in Loire, so I'm getting to really build the world more as I expand into the southern area.

Almanor, Fenian, and Senac have similar climates with four seasons. Snow is common in the winter. The summers are humid and warm, but cooler than the southern cities of Loire or Dreedle. Snow is rare for Loire  and Snowden in winter.

Come back tomorrow when I discuss the history and politics of the Elemental Attraction world. I'll have another map to illustrate the borders before Bretagne took land from Spezia and Hendola through war.

(*I used Celianna's world map maker found here to create my map.)

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I was tagged to participate in this blog hop by Kim Fielding. Be sure to check out her answers about her WIP on her blog!

What is the working title of your book?
Seeking Solace

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Back in 2006, my best friend died in a car accident. To cope with the grief, I started writing. This WIP is a rewrite of that original story.

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary romance and suspense.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?
oh gosh. I wish I knew more actors. Andrew Garfield and Matt Bomer are my usual default answers. I just love them both. Andrew Garfield fits Efren, the main character.

What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?
When Efren is drowning in guilt and sorrow, he meets Devlin and learns the solace to his pain is love. (Well, that was super cheesy)

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
I plan to submit it to Dreamspinner Press.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I honestly don't remember. Maybe a year. Maybe 6 months. It's been a long time since I finished the first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre.
I'm terrible at comparisons, so I honestly don't know.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I had an online friend who suggested and encouraged me to write it as a way to vent. I guess she inspired me.

What else about your book might interest the reader?
Aside from the main character, it has a sexy private eye and a gorgeous Irishman.

To read info on more Works In Progress, visit the authors I tagged:
Shira Anthony
Charlie Cochet
J.R. Loveless

Author Spotlight at MANtastic!

I'm in the author spotlight today at MANtastic Fiction. Head on over to read my post about why I like to read books in a series. I have two types of series I read and discuss why I like them.

Albuquerque, NM

MANtastic Fiction has a reading challenge for the retreat (with prizes) and I've donated a paperback copy of World on Fire toward the GRL attendee prizes.  Gay Romance Literature Retreat is October 18 - 21 in Albuquerque, NM. I'll be attending with a trusty beta reader. My excitement for GRL only increases as the dates approach. I'm new to this retreat and have only attended anime conventions in the past, so I'm sure I'll find the lack of cosplay unnerving. (Is there cosplay for GRL??)

GLBT Madness Hop 2012!

Welcome to the GLBT Madness Hop! I’m going to be talking about my series Water Waltz and why I love writing it. Book one, Water Waltz, is available now. The second, Fire Tango, will be released in November.

The type of fantasy novels I love to rear are ones set in alternative universe of the world we all know. (I think that’s the allure of steampunk.) In Water Waltz I created a world using all the bits of history I find appealing. It might be the dress, culture, etiquette, or the lack of certain technology, but it all lumps together to create a new, alternative world to what we already know.

In fantasy I also have the ability to erase the parts in our world I don’t like. In the Water Waltz universe, there’s no prejudice against sexual orientation. In fact, there are no titles for sexual orientation among the creatures. They love any gender freely. Taking out the “am I gay?” aspect to the romance allows the lovers to find each other and fall in love free of the social constraints.

Varun and Triste is the main couple in Water Waltz. Varun is a demon with control over water, and Triste is an angel. Triste’s caring heart weighed down by life was fun to write. He has prejudices against humans created from his culture, and struggles at first to see the lost human, Elden, as more than the lower species the stronger ones must protect. Triste’s inner conflicts drive his decisions and his actions push the plot along its course. Characters developed enough to be the cause of plot movement is what pulls readers into a story. I love writing a story controlled by strong characters because I fall in love with them and let them guide the writing.

There are many side characters as well and each adds their own spice into the mix. Zephyr is Varun’s rival with control over wind. Fremont is a devil living in the country of demons and angels. I fell in love with Fremont and gave him his own love story tucked away at the end which transfers into the second book, Fire Tango.

I had played with the idea of a series but hadn’t convinced myself it was going to happen until the characters drove the idea of a sequel and I got behind it. Water Waltz was set up to continue into another story so Fire Tango was able to pick up where the first book ended. The second novel expands the universe into the devil country and includes a large cast of new characters.

Leave a comment below and tell me why you prefer to read or avoid fantasy novels. Include your email address with your comment, because I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of Water Waltz to one lucky commenter! The contest ends Sunday evening. Good luck!

(Don’t forget to visit the hop’s main page and read other posts about great GLBT romance titles!)

Thank you for your comments. The winner has been picked from random.org number picker. Congratulations, Tracey D!

Breaking Down the Submission Process

This is a blog entry for RJ Scott's anniversary blog hop! 

Congrats to RJ Scott for being in the business (and surviving and thriving!) for two years. 

I bet there will be many more years to come. 

Even with three books available, one more on the way, and another at the publisher waiting for an answer, I don’t feel like I should be giving advice to inspiring authors because I still feel like the newbiest of newbs. If there’s a magical number I must achieve before I feel like a professional author, I sure haven’t reached it yet. But I'm still going to try to help a brand new author along.

My start in writing isn’t all too inspiring. I have no long history of writing or literary pursuits outside of casual reading enjoyment. I had an online friend who talked me into role-playing back in or around 2005. When I turned one into a story, she encouraged me to post it on a yaoi forum. (aarinfantasy) There I fed off of the comments left for me to correct my grammar and plot errors. I wrote more stories and got better as I went. Eventually I had readers and friends suggesting I try to get published. So I did. And you can too!

“But Hayley, I don’t even know where commas go.”

It helps to be a grammar, punctuation, and spelling nerd but it isn’t a requirement. I’d be screwed if it was. If you’re going the self-published route, hire a professional editor to correct your work to avoid giving aneurisms to your readers. If you’re going to a publisher, trust in their editor, but spot check your work to the best of your ability before submitting to avoid giving your editor an aneurism. You do not have to be perfect. (But please try real hard at perfection if you self-publish.)

The submission process can be daunting. You visit the publisher’s website and it looks so sleek and professional and suddenly you feel in adequate and close the window without doing what you went there to do. Buck up, little writer. The worst thing you’ll get is a rejection reply which isn’t as bad as it sounds. Rejection will sting, but the problem might not be your writing. Timing is important too. If you submit a vampire story to a publisher who isn’t interested in accepting one more damn vampire story, it will be rejected without being opened. Usually the publisher’s submission page will include a note of wanted genres. Pay attention. But on that note, if one publisher isn’t interested in your story, it doesn’t mean the others will turn it down.

Most publishers will include some sort of explanation with a rejection. If they point out a concern in your story/plot/prose, take that as advice and fix the manuscript before trying again. And do try again. Roll with the blows. Learn from mistakes. But most of all, don’t forget your love for writing—that’s why you’re there emailing publishers at one in the morning anyway.

Finally, write for the love and fun of turning your ideas into a story for others to enjoy too and not for the belief that you’ll make millions of dollars. You probably won’t make enough money to replace a day job and you might not come onto the romance scene with an explosion. You’ll be disappointed if you think you’ll reach stardom or a thick bank account just with one book. (It happens but you might need the Twilight fandom to back you to reach it.)

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll describe how to submit a manuscript. This is an example based off of only ONE publisher’s website requirements at the time of this blog entry. Be sure to read and reread the requirements on your publisher of choice--including the publisher I'm using for my example because things can change.

Step one: Visit the publisher’s site and find the “submissions” area.

Step two: Read. Read it all. Read what genres the publisher has a call for. Read whether or not the publisher wants full or partial manuscripts submitted. Read what auto-rejection the publisher has—if any. (example: incest or rape)

Step three: Find the list of requirements for submission and double check you’re prepared to submit your manuscript.

Example of requirements:

·         Your legal name, pseudonym if applicable, and contact e-mail address.

·         Working title, series name if applicable.

·         Genre and manuscript length.

·         General story description in two paragraphs.

·         Writing credentials.

Step four: Find the submission email address and open your email client.

Step five: Fill out those requirements from step three. Be courteous and professional. Unsure about a pen name? That’s okay. I changed mine after my first manuscript was accepted. I’m sure it’s better to have one picked out so do try to have one ready. Scared about that last question because you lack experience? That’s okay too. Everyone starts at the bottom. Those writing credentials can be left blank, filled out with self-published novels, or previous published works.
This is an example of my latest accepted submission: (only use as an example--I am not an expert here. This is just what I put. I'm using Dreamspinner Press for this example.)

Legal name: Hayley AwesomeLastNameOfAwesome
Pen name: Hayley B. James
Contact email: hayley.b.james
Working title: Water Waltz
Series: Water WaltzGenre: Fantasy (demons & angels)
Length: (do a word count using your program of choice) 79,225 words
General story: Triste is an angel working as a butler for Varun, his ex-lover. Humans are used in the angel and demon countries as sex dolls. Varun is employed by a secret organization to save any smuggled human and punish the one inflicting harm. He's warned a human is set to be killed by his organization so he hides him in his own home. they discover through this human—with ties deep inside the royal family—a conflict is stirring between the two countries, Varun and Triste set out to calm the waters of war.

Triste and Varun are still in love but an unknown event keeps them apart. When the threat of conflict twists into something far worse and Triste's life is threatened, Varun risks everything to protect him and uncovers the reason why Triste had left him heartbroken two years prior. 

Writing credentials: I have 2 published works through Dreamspinner Press.

(Don't forget to attach the full manuscript)

Step six: Send your email and wait. The most stressful part of the submission process is the waiting, so distract yourself by writing your next story!

Good luck submitting your manuscript. I look forward to reading you. Leave a comment with any questions you might have about publishing, or any advice you might have.

Visit the other authors in the blog hop (below) to read more helpful articles! Also!!! Visit the author resources Facebook page for MORE FUN and AWESOME!!! Seriously. Visit it right here~

Interview with Starfighter Creator Hamletmachine

There are a lot of webcomics portraying relationships between men. Majority are free to read online and have chapters with bonus content available to purchase.
Support what you love--purchase art you want to encourage.

A few ones I read/love/admire (in alphabetical order):
Demon of the Underground (Wonderful art and intriguing world building)
Less Then Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal (funny, heartwarming, all around enjoyable)
Mahou Shounen Fight (So many colors!)
Sfeer Theory (gorgeous art and a complex, interesting world)
Spacejinx (robot sex bot, wut? Humorous and entertaining)
Spectre (Just got started but the plot building blocks are already interesting)
That Which Wills (a short story from the creators of Sfeet Theory)
Teahouse (as their site says, it's fancy whores)

And lastly, Starfighter. I was able to ask the brains behind Starfighter comic, Hamlet Machine, a few questions for the Manga and Romance blog hop.

Thank you for joining us for the Manga and Romance blog hop. Your comic, Starfighter, falls under the definition I’m using for yaoi. What inspired you to write/draw yaoi and when did you first get into the yaoi genre?
Thank you for having me, it's an honor! I first discovered anime and manga as a young teenager; I loved the style and adult concepts it had to offer and was very much a gawky, embarrassing nerd about Escaflowne and such. One day, using the family computer in search of Gundam Wing images on awesomely 90s anime webrings, I stumbled across an erotic yaoi doujinshi of Heero and Duo- that's when I created Starfighter- I'm kidding! But that was my first introduction to yaoi! Even as a teenager, I was very interested in romance and erotic art. I found that hentai didn't really fulfill the emotional context that I wished for and that the romantic shojo I read never strayed too far into 18+ territory- yaoi had both, so it was like a genre jackpot.

As for what inspired me to write and draw yaoi- I noticed that I had accumulated a fairly large collection of yaoi manga but had never tried my hand at it! Starfighter is my first comic and it started out as an experiment (I recall telling friends it was only going to be "a few pages") I wanted to create a hybrid: a story that pays homage to the genre I enjoyed so much, but also a story that changes some of the conventions that I found reoccurring in yaoi which were not my personal preference.

Starfighter is rated 18+ with some delicious scenes. How long have you been drawing the male anatomy?
Oh, thank you! I have been drawing since I was little, but I would say my study of the human body, in earnest, really started in college when I was taking life drawing. That experience was invaluable.

I’ve been reading Starfighter since the third page was posted. Did you ever imagine the popularity would reach these levels? 
Oh wow! That is so awesome to hear! Haha, thank you so much for sticking with it! And gosh, no- I did not expect any of the attention it garnered. It will forever amazing and humbling to me that so many people enjoy Starfighter. To you and other readers, thank you so much!

What went into creating the website and launching Starfighter comic? 
Before the Starfighter site, I had been posting all of the pages on DeviantArt (perhaps you remember these days!)- this worked until about page 18 or so when things started to get dirty! I knew I wanted the comic to have a lengthy sex scene and uploading pages of all censored panels was not going to fly-- so my partner, Thisbe, created a home for Starfighter! Thisbe is the mastermind for the site and he's done a really wonderful job, if I may say so!

Thank you for joining us. You're such a sweetheart. Could you share links with the readers? 
Thank you so much, it's been great! :)
Starfighter: starfightercomic.com/
Tumblr: hamletmachine.tumblr.com
DeviantArt: hamletmachine.deviantart.com
Twitter: twitter.com/Hamlet_Machine

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Check out the rest of the Manga and Romance blog hop! It ends June 24th. 

Don't forget to comment and be entered toward a grand prize!

Have I Been Influenced by Yaoi?

Has yaoi influenced me and my writing voice? Of course it has. Everything I read, watch, or do adds to my voice and influences my ideas, and I’ve read a lot of yaoi novels and manga in my day.

Yaoi for the most part has pretty distinct rules about the boys involved. One is usually more feminine than the other. The gap is wider in some stories. In real life we know this isn’t the case. It’s a bit discriminating and it reinforces gender biases if you think about it, but Japanese yaoi isn’t published to make social comments. As a fan I happily ignore the bits I don’t like and focus on the bubbles, sparkles, and flowers that appear out of nowhere when the two heroes stare at each other and wish real men had disappearing smn too.

I read a yaoi novel series with a cop and yakuza (Japanese mafia) leader. While the cop had his manly moments, he was vastly inferior to his seme (top) in the story. This might be a female writer or female audience preference, but I know I sometimes do this to my characters. While the two are definitely men, one is more aggressive than the other. While this isn’t strictly yaoi, I believe my character dynamics have been influenced by yaoi in this way.

In Water Waltz, Triste is a strong character on his own but he is brought down by his struggle with his love for Varun while Varun seems almost too cold. Varun has the same struggle as Triste but he isn’t weakened by it in the same way. This could be typical reactions for entirely different characters, but looking into my skill set, I’m inclined to believe there’s a bit of yaoi in Water Waltz. And that’s okay.

Every once in a while in the gay romance community a debate over female authors being unable to write gay characters will surface. I find this particularly interesting given my yaoi reading background. In yaoi, male authors are rare. (I can’t even think of one for this post. Leave me a comment with a name, please. So many more males than I thought. Still tipped into females, but thank you for the list, guys!! ^.^) Females dominate the yaoi industry and the novels are written for female readers. Since I’m female, I guess I write for a female audience, but I hope all genders can enjoy my novels regardless of my gender or sexuality. I know men read and enjoy yaoi just as much as I do.

If you want to check out my novels, they’re available on Nook, Kindle, or straight from the publisher. (Also on third party sites) Check out the Available Now section for links. Thank you for joining me on this hop, and remember to leave a comment for a chance to win the grand prize.

Read more from the Manga and Romance blog hop:

Manga and Romance bloghop is next week!

Many bloggers participating in the hop are offering prizes on their own posts, but there's one grandprize for one commenter. The more you hop and comment on available blogs, the higher chance you have to win!
I have a partial list for the grand prize that might grow before June 22.

Yaoi and Gay Romance

If you want to learn more about yaoi and gay romance, come back on June 22 for Manga and Romance Blog Hop! If you have a yaoi or gay romance blog or website and want to sign up to participate, please visit the main page here. We’re colliding two cultures, yaoi and romance, and partying all weekend! There’ll be a grand prize and a few authors are offering prizes as well.

~Manga and Romance~

The Manga and Romance Blog Hop has ended, but you can still hop over to my post about yaoi and romance books and check out the links below.

Welcome to the Manga and Romance Blog Hop! From today to Sunday, hop around the links below to discover yaoi, webcomics, and written word centered on m/m relationships of all sizes.
Many bloggers have giveaways available for a lucky commenter. If you’re interested in the grand prize, please read the rules just below the links or hop over to the grand prize post.
NOTE: If you come across a site that doesn’t have a comment section, don’t fret. Explore what the site has to offer and use your new knowledge to enter toward the grand prize—read more about that on the grand prize post.

A Person is a Person No Matter How Gay

True story

Within the context of psychology, a phobia is a type of anxiety disorder where a person fears—often this fear is characterized as irrational—an object or situation. Many people have phobias but it’s a working fear. I fear spiders but I can surely squish one if I need to. I also fear small spaces but can buck up and ignore my phobia.

It’s believed phobias arise from an event in a person’s life. I used to hide in a closet during frightening times in my life, and then I developed a fear of small spaces. Makes sense, right? Spiders...well who doesn’t fear those creepy things? I’ve been bitten by spiders and make it a point to fear anything with fangs and poison. I allow the harmless ones to live...unless I see those fangs. Fangs hurt!

So what about an irrational fear of a gay person? Say what? That just doesn’t make a lick of sense to me. This phobia is one taught to a person—by a parent or the media, or maybe just too many negative influences around. Violence as a way to act out homophobic urges is also taught.

I was raised a fairly sheltered life. I can honestly say I didn’t know what lesbian or gay truly meant until after high school. (In my defense sex was new in my little world too. Boy, have I come a long way.) I knew gay guys in high school and knew they loved (or liked for a weekend...whatev) other guys, but I had no idea it was such a “problem” in our society, because I saw no problem if two men loved each other. I hadn’t been taught to believe their way of loving “is wrong.”

Now my parents are amazing people, but they didn’t raise me by telling me LGBT was okay either. It was pretty much ignored, but that gave me the option of forming my own unbiased opinion about gays. And that opinion based on my teenage knowledge of the world was gays are no different from me. My opinion hasn’t changed. They’re people. People like me. What is the big deal?

It hurts my head to attempt to understand homophobia. One of my best friends—one I couldn’t live without—is gay and I can’t imagine anyone hating him. To know someone out there hates him based on a silly fact that he’s attracted to the same gender is just astonishing. This type of hate is right up there with skin color or gender discrimination—it isn’t okay, it lacks any sense, and it is taught. Society as a whole needs to press harder to get their communities to see LGBT individuals or families as no different from the Christian, Jewish, Mormon, black, white, Asian, purple, or turquoise family down the street. We’re all human.

Life is hard on our LGBT community, and it’s harder for the kids.  Growing up is already difficult. It’s almost impossible to understand homophobia when you’re trying to understand yourself too. Below are some resources to help the youth through the hardest time of their lives made all the more difficult by being a minority that is attacked daily. It has gotten better over the years, and I hope in my life time I will see day where “gay” isn’t separating factor or something that people think they need to hide.

Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive and positive environment for everyone.

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Support line: 866-488-7386

It Gets Better Project

The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

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I’m giving away Water Waltz in ebook format. I built a world free of homophobe in Water Waltz—in fact, every fantasy creature is both gay and straight and no one gives a fuck. Just leave a comment about homophobia—your opinion or maybe an experience—and be entered in the random drawing. Leave your email so I can contact you if you’re the winner when the hop ends.

Also visit the participating blog master list (http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com/) and join in on the other conversations about homophobia and maybe find more contests.

And maybe while you’re clicking links, click this one here http://shop.hrc.org/ and buy something to make a donation toward the fight of LGBT equal rights! One day, love will conquer hate.

Men of May blog hop--Neil Patrick Harris

The blog hop is about your favorite man. My blog is about Neil Patrick Harris. Admit it, he’s pretty awesome.

Also born in Albuquerque NM, I’m a bit biased. I’ve also been watching How I Met Your Mother from season one to season five so I have a bit of a Barney crush going on right now. I just love a man in a suit...Hmm.

Anyway. If you happen to live under a rock, Neil Patrick Harris is an actor, singer, director, and all around awesome. He’s openly gay with a fiancé--David Burtka. They have twin children and announced their engagement on Twitter following New York’s passing the Marriage Equality Act. The internet rejoiced.




His career took off with Doogie Howser, MD. It aired from 1989 to 1993 and was my mother’s favorite show. I remember she had a poster of Doogie Howser. I can’t remember if she ever had it on a wall though.

While it’s impossible to know if a celebrity is truly as awesome as they seem, I’m willing to bet Neil Patrick Harris is. From his roles he chooses and what he puts out there for the public to see of his personal life, he sure seems to be one fantastic guy.

 Now to name two celebrity men I swoon over: 

Johnny Depp 

and Robert Downey Jr.

I just had to. Hothothot.

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I'm giving away an ebook copy of Water Waltz so be sure you comment and check out the other authors in the bloghop too!