Friday, February 17, 2012

Wolves, reading and Berengaria

Please welcome my guest, Berengaria Brown! 

 


My name is Berengaria and I’m addicted to reading.

My father taught me to read when I was very young, and would never permit anyone to place boundaries on what I read. He always said if I understood what I was reading, there was no sense in preventing me from reading it, and if I didn’t understand it, there was no need to stop me reading it, since I wouldn’t understand it! 

Consequently, I read a lot of books children my age had no idea even existed. 

He even let me use his library card so I could take books out from the adult shelves at the library. Actually, by then I’d read all the children’s books anyway. 

And now, since I read MM, FF, ménage and everything from sweet to extremely kinky, it’s not surprising that I write across all the genres too. But I do have a special love of MM. Who could resist a couple yummy werewolves?

Were the Hell? (available at Torquere Press)

Blurb Septimus, is sent to a pack across the country to see if they have a solution to why almost no females have been born into his pack in over 30 years. 

As soon as he walks into the meeting room he smells his mate. The lust between them is instant and fierce. By day they try to solve the problem of the gender imbalance, by night they fuck each other's brains out.
Septimus finally gets a lead as to why there may be no females born in his pack. An old man, Arthur, remembers a wizard threatening to curse his pack. Septimus and Arthur speak to a very old woman, Richenda who gives them some trails to follow. 

Septimus’ duty is to help his pack. But he’d much rather be in bed with Dai. And is the situation even solvable anyway?

Excerpt PG 13
Septimus had sometimes wondered if he'd only ever been sexually attracted to other males because there were so few younger females in his pack, and the few there were didn't light his fire. But the minute he walked into the meeting room with the weres from the Forest Hill pack, he knew he was genuinely, one hundred percent gay. He could smell his mate. 

His cock stood up and fought to get out of his jeans, stretching the fabric so tight that he was going to have blue balls for a week. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck were also standing straight up. His skin tingled, electrified with sexual arousal. And the scent of his mate was overpowering him, dragging him into the room with almost physical force. 

His nose led him unerringly to his mate: a tall, lean man of about thirty, with tanned brown skin, dark brown hair, and liquid chocolate eyes. Those eyes were staring at him, the man's strong nose was flared smelling his scent and from the huge bulge in his pale cargo pants, the man was every bit as aware of him as he was of Mr. Tall, Tan, and Delectable. 

As Septimus walked across the room, his cock leading the way, the man moved to meet him. Their gazes were locked, and Septimus was totally oblivious to everyone else in the room and the task he'd been sent to do. He was about to put out his hand when the other man reached him and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him in for a hard, body-blending hug. 

"I'm Dai. We're mates." The words were harsh, bitten off, said almost as a challenge. 

"Septimus. I know." 

The Alpha of the Forest Hill pack stood just a few feet away. He coughed, cleared his throat, then said, "Gentlemen, let's get this meeting underway. Dai, you should sit next to Septimus, not in your usual place."
So even the Alpha smelled their attraction. That certainly proved he was not being misled by his cock. Damn! His dick had never been this big before. If only he could undo his jeans and give it some room before it broke his zipper. 

Buy it here 

Berengaria Brown
http://berengariabrown.webs.com/



Saturday, February 11, 2012

Hearts - real and imaginary

Winter's chill has set in up here, and it seems like a good time to recommit ourselves to romance. Heck, since it's February, National Heart Month, it's a good time to perform a couple of checks on the old ticker, right?

Not only is this the real heart month, where we should all do a systems check, make sure we're taking care of ourselves, getting out of the chair now and then to exercise, and eat good food, it's also the time of Saint Valentine, or the Valentine's Day Massacre, whichever you believe V-Day celebrates - or commemorates. *grin* So, hearts are all around us. We've just come away from a disagreement with folks who maybe thought that same-sex romance isn't romance. We're here to say that YES it is. Not only is it romance, it's real, and it's in our hearts.

We ponder what love is, and what it isn't. Let's just accept that it exists all around us, if we open our (dare I say it) hearts to it. Love is in the smile of a child, the warm hug from a long-absent friend, the forgiving look from a mate. We're concentrating on the good, the positive, the noblest of emotions, and this month is as good a time as any to celebrate what makes us all too human.

If you enjoy the allure of romance -- its fumbling beginnings, the dance of desire, the excitement of the chase, and the sweetness of surrender, join us under the rainbow. You'll find so much to enjoy.

http://www.heart.org
http://www.rainbowromancewriters.com

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The beat goes on for LGBT writers/readers/publishers

Two days into our uprising about the specific "Same-Sex Pairs Do Not Enter" sign posted at the RWI chapter in Tulsa, Oklahoma - and the more insidious "All Things LGBT Keep Out" attitude of some in the writing industry - we're gearing up for a longer haul. Now what to do? Heidi Cullinan, president of RRW, has posted some ideas on her blog today.

The board of Rainbow Romance Writers is treading a fine line, especially in the public postings whether via email or blog, FB, Twitter, etc. I think the current leadership at RWA national has been blindsided by the backlash to what a tiny chapter in OK has caused. I admit to being responsible for starting some of it, along with key blog posts from several other RRW members. So the RWA board president has responded and said she'll take up the point at the meeting next month. I don't know that it would be realistic to expect them to drop everything and hold an emergency meeting. That doesn't seem to be their way. Now, on the for-profit side, companies in a PR crisis, whose survival is on the line, are generally motivated to do that. Seeing the resentment and backlash against RWA that's been clearly shown, I would think they'd act sooner. This could turn into a PR nightmare for them.

I think Heidi is right to talk about what else we can do to effect change. The point is that we've taken the first step, now we need to move beyond that and make a difference with our wallets and our persons. We can't stop now, we've just begun. The petition drive that's been started by Sara York can be found here.

JenMcJ, Goodreads Librarian, has some great ideas: "Encourage members that have already submitted [to the contest] to withdraw in protest and ask for a submission charge refund. Ask the judges that are being blamed for this (which it looks like are just a scapegoat excuse) to recuse themselves from contests that aren't inclusive. If the majority won't play the game, the game rules have to change."

Read Jen's comments on this link.

I think Heidi is cautioning some who are really caught up in the fervor of bashing RWA to stay focused on what we need to accomplish. I can't speak for her, of course, but that's what I read from her post today. I don't think she's denying the stupid bigotry that started this whole thing. And to my mind it was ignorant, stupid bigotry - fear of the unknown, fear of those who are different - that started the whirlwind.

We need to fight on. We need to show RWA that we are a viable, mainstream part of the publishing industry, growing by leaps and bounds every day. Our readers are from all walks of life, as are our authors. We deserve and demand representation in RWA, in all chapters.

If you agree, keep liking, posting, commenting, tweeting. Keep going.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Same-sex pairing is not romance? Since when?

RULES:
1. All entries must be book-length romance fiction.
Includes novellas of at least 15,000 words.
-- Note: MTM will no longer accept same-sex entries in any category.
source: http://rwimagiccontests.wordpress.com/rw...

Well, now, it seems we in the M/M world - and indeed the LGBT world - are being slapped in the face with a new reality: LGBT romance is not romance.

What?

The Romance Writers Ink (RWI) Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA) has heretofore allowed same-sex romance books to be entered into their contests. This year, their rules for the 2012 contest show what you see above.

About the Romance Genre

Romance fiction is smart, fresh and diverse. Whether you enjoy contemporary dialogue, historical settings, mystery, thrillers or any number of other themes, there's a romance novel waiting for you!

Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending. A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel. An Emotionally-Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.

Romance novels may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensuality—ranging from sweet to extremely hot. These settings and distinctions of plot create specific subgenres within romance fiction. Click here to better understand the subgenres within romance.


source: http://www.rwa.org/cs/romance_literature...

In the last two days, emails, blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts, and more have been generated about this inflammatory subject. It's clear that RWA has decided it is acceptable for one of their chapters to discriminate against GLBT people through our GLBT stories. According to the powers that be at RWA, each chapter can make its own decisions about contests and programming, in accordance with the special interests and sensibilities of its members.

So, here's what I wrote to RWA.

I'm forced to conclude that if our chapter - or any other for that matter - refused to accept any books that contained interracial romance in our chapter contests, that would be acceptable to RWA? RWA would not step in and stop the discriminatory behavior of a chapter licensed by RWA? So, the sensibilities of someone who didn't like Latinos and therefore refused to accept any book to judge that had Latino characters, that would be okay? RWA is stating that it's fine to discriminate against a section of the population based on the sensibilities of the chapter members. And by that, I mean that RWA is accepting this discrimination, as the chapter in question is licensed by RWA.

Romantic fiction comes in all shapes and sizes, I think we can agree on that. According to RWA's definition, a romance novel needs two things to meet the criteria of romantic fiction: a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending. Since the gender of the protagonists is not mentioned in your criteria, AND since a few years ago, RWA experienced an epic backlash when it tried to define romance as between a male and a female, it's clear to me that RWA's focus and ours are the same. Romance, and that is all.

It is incumbent upon RWA to put a stop to this discrimination, and make it clear to all chapters that discrimination in any form is unacceptable when committed by licensed chapters of RWA.


If you agree with me, kindly share this post - and email RWA at info@rwa.org.