Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

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Author Interview with Allen Renfro

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Allen Renfro, AuthorI’m talking with Allen Renfro today, author of The Raised and Snap. Allen, like me, looks at the darker side of things, so I’m sure my own readers will enjoy his work. I certainly did.

B: I know you’re a button pusher, I could tell that just by reading Snap, and the book is certainly a no-holds-barred look at how homophobia affects a person in the most extreme sense. One line stuck with me because I’ve seen its privileged condemnation repeated over and over again (especially recently) in the commentaries and actions of LGBT media about bullying, coming out, and homophobia. What are your thoughts and where did this come from? I see the character that made the statement was actually a homeless gay kid trying to survive on the street. Do think that’s reflective of how homeless LGBTQ kids are perceived or think they’re perceived?

It’s always so easy for someone who’s got it made to think that the scum always chooses the darkness. [Read more…] about Author Interview with Allen Renfro

Do you like hot Southern gay men?

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I love Southern gay men. I love the way they drawl, say Yes Ma’am, No Sir; that redneck tan line and those tight country jeans. Mmm, makes me melt every time.

Have you ever met a gay blind man? One from the South? Ever?

gay romanceDon’t worry, most people in the LGBT community haven’t either. So I want to introduce you to Hunter Stephens. He’s gay, tall, dark haired, and he’s hot. Very hot. But he doesn’t rely on the visual cues when appraising a man because he’s also blind. He listens to the timbre of their voice, trembles at the touch of their skin, and luxuriates in the deep richness of the aroma of man. He’s hard of the hand because he’s a black belt and takes no shit, but soft of the heart because he’s lonely and has been for a while.

Until he meets Dillon.

Dillon Chambers is pure man candy. He’s a high-priced male escort who works with an exclusive agency handling only the wealthiest of clients. But it wasn’t always like that for him. At sixteen he was thrown out of the house for being gay and struggled to survive, turning tricks on the street and finding food and a place to sleep wherever he could. He met two people who changed his life, but he has never met anyone who could change his heart.

Until he bumped into Hunter.

And now they are both Afflicted.

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Gay IS a choice because I experimented- Your thoughts?

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I came across this little gem (below)  in the comments section on a site about youth suicide. I won’t provide a link here simply because it didn’t offer any links for suicide prevention or counseling, and for me, it seemed to have a  feeling of promoting suicide more than preventing it. That said, the ‘logic’ of the post below caught me off guard and the assumption it made even more so. See what you  think:

 

“I have to admit, I do think the gay culture is NOT normal. I think it is a sin. But I also have dipped my toe into that pool. That is why I believe it IS a choice. We may have tendencies to go that way. But it IS a choice. But, I did not mean to get all preachy. So with that being said…” (and it continues with an offer of support and friendship. Emphasis mine.)

 

So the erroneous (and obnoxious) assumption here is that because a straight man once tested the waters of his potentially gay inner self, that must mean being gay is a choice for all men and women. Thus sexual experimentation becomes defacto the definition for the inner turmoil and mind set of what it means to be gay for every other human on the planet.  The arrogance of that kind of thought process bothers me more than it probably should.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I didn’t suddenly wake up one day and decide I needed someone’s penis to make me happy. It was never about what they had between their legs. It was an attraction to the whole person, to the male physique, to the musculature and beauty of men. It wasn’t that I didn’t find women beautiful, it was that I wasn’t attracted to women on a level that went deeply beneath the skin and the sex.

Logic has never been a part of homophobia, so let me give some advice to all you straight boys who fear your secret might come out. Don’t worry, sexual  experimentation doesn’t make you gay, it’s just a part of life. But your fear of ridicule and exposure over a natural part of growing up  doesn’t make gay a ‘choice’  either.

Maybe one day we will evolve as a society enough to simply say, Yeah, tried that, wasn’t for me and move on. 

 

Afflicted – M/M Romance

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Afflicted - best mm romanceA high priced male escort and a blind gay man meet by chance. What ensues is a hot, steamy romance by two men looking for something more than a one night stand. But can they reach beyond their own insecurities to grasp what they really desire?

So I’ve been working on this for a while now. The basis of the story was from a short I had written almost ten years ago. Over this past weekend we finally decided on a title and put the cover together.

This is a substantial departure from my other novels and filled with hot steamy sex. It also looks to be something that could grow beyond a single book. Additionally, this is a HEA book because so many of you have asked me for one that doesn’t leave you in tears.

I’ll be posting excerpts on the blog (and likely on Goodreads). 

Questions and comments are always welcome. 

Coming September 2012

Ordinary Heroes – Gay Couples

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I originally posted this on Chick n Dicks (they’re generous enough to invite me around once in a while) when they were doing an Ordinary Hero’s segment for the month of February. In light of the president’s endorsement yesterday and the fact that I personally believe that gay couples CAN change people’s misconceptions just by being who they are, I have re-posted it again here, with a few edits for SFW reading. 

gay, lgbt, Let’s face it, we like our escapist reading. We love the hot swarthy men who jump into the fray, take down the bad guys with claws, fangs and superpowers; and it’s even better when they’re having really hot m/m sex right after. (Got to burn off all that adrenaline somehow!)

I read a lot of different genres and it always struck me that some of the most ordinary characters in the books were, in fact, the ones that had the most profound impact; the unsung heroes that allowed the main character his glory.

But that reflects in real life too, because it’s usually not the one in front of the podium that’s made the change in someone’s life. It’s the person you never hear of, the one that doesn’t do it for the glory, or the attention, or (let’s face it) the really hot sex. They do it because it’s right, because their heart says that there is more to being human than just taking.

It might be someone like that accountant you noticed but never really saw. You know the one pushing his pencil around all day, tapping at keys and making sure all the numbers are right. Then he goes home to his quiet life and…

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Here’s Your Wake Up Call about LGBT Youth Programs

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Here is a reprint of the email one of the organizations I work with just received. Sometimes I really wonder if my reader’s understand what we’re actually battling against in LGBT Youth organizations. Sometimes I wonder if they really believe that the atrocities in my books are just a warped imagination and not a reflection of the devastation still being wrought on our community. And many times I wonder if we will ever wake up, put down our latte’s and actually do something beside give lip service to these tragedies. [Read more…] about Here’s Your Wake Up Call about LGBT Youth Programs