Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

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Listening To Dust – Now Available

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It’s here!

Very pleased to announce that my new book Listening to Dust is now available for immediate download via Amazon kindle.

gay, fiction, romance, mm fiction

In the coming weeks we’ll have it available in other ebook formats as well as in paperback.

Thank you all for your encouragement.

Synopsis:

Murder touched Stephen Dobbins when he was a young boy and left him living in a void of aching loneliness.  A chance meeting with a young American chased away the fear that he would always be alone and brought him the prospect of a new existence.

Dustin Earl joined the military and escaped his small town Southern upbringing with the hope that he could give his mentally challenged brother a better life. But Dustin had never known real love, an honest hug, or a simple kiss. He considered his sexuality a weakness; a threat that had been used against those he cared about.

For eight months their relationship blossomed until Dustin suddenly returned home. He cherished Stephen, but felt his responsibilities to his brother outweighed his own chance at happiness.

Shattered, unable to function and unwilling to accept Dustin’s departure, Stephen flew three thousand miles to get Dustin back and rekindle what they had. But what he would learn when he got there… he could never have imagined.

Thinking – a poem

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poetry, writing, brokenI am thinking…

I am thinking how words turn in your gut
how they twist and rust

I am thinking how angry feels
gnawing through the skin of hope
hooking into blue desires
trying to keep hidden
so that it can wretch
when least expected

I am thinking how compassion walks
strutting in when anguish calls,
how someone called ‘nancy’
and the boundaries of my heart
found their end
and gave me voice

I am thinking thoughts
are
just thoughts,
the yellow crypt
we hide in
when action seems too far.

Helping LGBT Youth – February 2012

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This kind of post is important to me because it lets my readers know 1) What’s going on with the money you spend when you buy The Value Of Rain (half the proceeds are donated to the two LGBT Youth nonprofits below); and 2) It also shows you how  just a little time and money can have a massive impact.  People tend to have this ingrained idea that their small contributions, or that the one hour they can volunteer a week, doesn’t really matter in the big schemes of things. It DOES matter! It matters to the kids that have no one else to turn to. Never forget that.  Here’s just a few examples:

lgbt youth nonprofitSaint Lost and Found

Since the conception of Lost N Found, they have helped over THREE DOZEN kids in the past three months. Here’s an report from Rick Westbrook a.k.a. Sister Rapture Divine Cox in their latest Facebook post:

The kids have come to us in all shapes, sizes, and colors. These youths are each special and incredible in their own way. They come to us not broken, but certainly with some damage such as walls built up, trust issues, and still in survival mode. Some have been abused, starved, neglected, or otherwise just thrown to the curb. [Read more…] about Helping LGBT Youth – February 2012

Selfish Giving by author Anne Tenino

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nonprofit, giving, lgbt Guest Post by Anne Tenino

By nature, I’m a very giving person. Just this morning, someone cut me off in traffic and I gave him the finger. I don’t really think that’s the kind of giving Brandon wanted me to opine about, though. Let me start over. I’m a very giving person, although clearly I’m equal-opportunity about it; I’ll give you a hand if you need it, or the finger if you deserve it.

I’m a disorganized giver. I used to be an organized giver, but getting a long-term illness changed all of that. I’ll explain the difference in a bit, but first let me tell you something about my philosophy of giving.

I believe the giver always gets something out of a charitable act. In nearly every case, the giver gets the satisfaction of knowing they gave; of feeling like a “good person” for a while, or just knowing they are responsible for making someone’s life a bit better. In other cases, people and corporations get tax write-offs, or are assured that the cause they care about on a deep and personal level won’t die, or they get to have an experience they couldn’t have any other way. There are many more benefits of giving, I’m not going to go into them all here. These benefits are true (except the tax write-off) in both organized and disorganized giving. [Read more…] about Selfish Giving by author Anne Tenino

Facebook a danger to LGBT Youth?

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lgbt flagBack in September when Facebook started announcing and putting all their new changes into place, specifically the timeline, I had a talk with my online advisor. At that time we were discussing the fact that most LGBT Youth organizations do NOT communicate with teens through the medium they use most: their cell phone. In fact, most LGBT Youth organizations’ online info isn’t even accessible to at-risk teens if they aren’t sitting at a PC. Simply, website and contact info is nearly invisible if the organization’s website is not mobile friendly. (Or if they don’t have a mobile app.)

This came to light (to me) when I was trying to send some emergency contact info to an LGBT kid that needed immediate resources and help. I sent several of the most prominent national LGBT youth website URLs (and multiple local ones)  only to have him tell me that he couldn’t read or access any of it on his cell phone. (The only thing available to him.) That’s a pretty big fail for LGBT Youth organizations, especially those trying to help homeless youth.  If we can’t connect with the kids, how are we going to help? [Read more…] about Facebook a danger to LGBT Youth?

Helping LGBT Youth – January 2012

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As many of you already know, I am a LGBT Youth advocate and donate half the proceeds from The Value of Rain to help two local nonprofit organizations whose dedication and goals match my own. Occasionally I post updates here about what they are doing and how they are affecting the LGBT Youth community.  Considering the age of both of these organizations, what they have done in such a short time is nothing less than phenomenal, and it is exactly why they will continue to get my support. [Read more…] about Helping LGBT Youth – January 2012

The Value of Rain – A Top Read of 2011

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gay fiction - the value of rainI am extremely pleased to announce that The Value of Rain was chosen by The Reading Life as a Top Read of 2011. The company and the writing on that list is breathtaking and includes some of the best authors I have ever read. So, the mere idea that Rain was included among them has left me quite speechless. (You can read her original review here. )

I must admit that I am greatly humbled by the reaction I have received from both readers and reviewers. Both groups have sent me emails detailing personal and intimate past experiences and have advised me how Rain has helped them to grow and overcome. Quite honestly, I don’t think that any writer could ask for a better testimonial than that.

It took me ten years to write Rain and I am the very first to tell you that it is not an easy read, but nor was it ever meant to be. Rain is a journey through tragedy and loss and life; and from my perspective, I believe that this is why it speaks to people so intimately.  You will either love it, or hate it, but you won’t walk away untouched, and that may be the ultimate lesson in all of Charles’ words.

Thank you all for your encouragement, kind words and appreciation.

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Listening to Dust – Excerpt

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gay fiction, listening to dust, gay romanceSynopsis -Listening to Dust

Stephen lives in London, is the orphan of parents murdered by terrorists and has a cavity of loneliness growing in his chest.

Dustin has escaped his Southern upbringing but holds dark fears about his sexuality. He has never known a simple kiss or a hug that wasn’t attached to brutality.

Finally finding the love that they have both searched a lifetime for, Dustin has one last request before he returns to his previous existence: Please forget me.

NOW AVAILABLE from Kindle

Listening to Dust – Excerpt

A storm had blown through London that night and driven them back to the flat, sopping with laughter and a wet chill. When Dustin pulled his shirt off suddenly Stephen froze and gaped at him because it was the first time Dustin had ever exposed his torso in the three months they’d been seeing each other.

“What happened there?” Stephen asked. He cringed and squeezed his eyes shut as soon as the words left his mouth; realizing, too late, that Dustin’s scar was the very reason he and Dustin had never shared a shower together; why he’d never been allowed to caress the smoothness of Dustin’s chest; why Dustin had always acted so adamantly withdrawn about his upper body. He turned into the pantry before Dustin could respond and busied himself with a fresh pot of tea; hoping that the casualness of his actions would make his question seem much less intrusive than it sounded. [Read more…] about Listening to Dust – Excerpt