There are so many authors on the LGBT side that are writing Fantasy with LGBT characters now – I’d love to see some of them cross over into the mainstream market.
So who out there is writing great gay Fantasy these days? Please sound off if it’s your niche, or if you have some great titles to recommend.
I’ve been doing some promo work for the anthology The Bear at the Bar (shameless plug there) about bear romance, and it’s gotten me thinking about all the shades of the LGBT rainbow – gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, questioning, intersex, bears, otters, drag queens, leather daddies, gym bunnies, and so many more. I’m wondering if, of the three genres of sci fi, fantasy, and paranormal, is any one more suited than the the others for exploring the issues around the LGBT community? I’m not talking about having or exploring LGBT characters in these genres. I’m trying to get at … Read more
I don’t know if any of this group is familiar with S.A. McAuley’s Borders War series. It has become one of my favorites with wonderful world building, a dystopian society made worse by the manner in which their guns function. Plus two main characters whose loyalties will keep you guessing.Here is my review of the latest in the series. Melanie Rating: 5 stars out of 5 He was built to be invincible. Merq Grayson and Armise Darcan return to the States, their mission to assassinate the remaining Committee members unfinished. Why? The President of the Revolution is in need of … Read more
I’m getting ready to start another story, my first with a transgender character. The character’s gender identity as a man will be central to the storyline. I am excited to write it, and also a bit nervous – any time you write something you don’t know intimately yourself, you run the risk of either doing it poorly, or of offending the group you are writing about. Still, I think it’s worth the risk. We should always challenge ourselves in our writing, And sure, I may not (probably won’t) write this character as well as someone who is actually transgender, I … Read more
Let’s face it. The first scene of your story is like the front door of your house. If it’s dingy, dusty, falling off the hinges, and covered with bric-a-brac and dead ivy, no one’s gonna want to come inside. But it it’s well lit, clean, and organized, folks are more likely to take a step inside. I’ve written a number of stories, and have gotten a lot of advice on how to start a new story in the most appealing way. And quite often, the way I choose to start it initially and the final beginning are very different. Some … Read more
So I was thrilled to have a couple more sales this week (details to be announced at a later date) for two of my short stories. But it made me wonder, once again, about writing short stories vs. writing novels. Short stories take less time, and can get you out there in many places. But the pay for shorts is not huge, and ultimately they offer only a taste of your potential to the reader. I still think the long game is in writing long – in getting novels put together and out there for folks to enjoy and talk … Read more
Every now and then, the stars align. I’ve got a concept, a chunk of time and my writing brain is charged and ready to go, and I enter the zone – that place where the writing flows from my fingers like milk in the land of milk and honey. If you’re a writer, you’ve been there – that place in your head where you feel like you could just write and write and write – as if you had tapped into another world, and your characters were just writing themselves. As if you were just the scribe, recounting events that … Read more
Every day, I try to write for at least an hour. I’ve set aside for myself (which my hubby Mark’s wonderful understanding) the hour from 5-6 PM to sit down and actually write (or rewrite). Not to network, not to blog, not to research, but to actually work on the writing. Of course, life sometimes interferes, like when we are going out to meet friends for dinner – those times I try to reschedule my time for earlier (or later) in the day. But sometimes I sit down to write, and I just can’t get into it. I’m not sure … Read more