Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

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Author Interviews

Proud to Be Different: The Road to London

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You may have heard about it, but if you haven’t, you will.  Adriano Bulla is here to talk to us about his highly lauded novel The Road to London. Readers were quick to point me to this as an LGBT Book Gem.  ~B.

The Road to LondonWhen I started writing The Road to London, in the very same gay club mentioned in the novel, I was blessed with having no idea about what I was writing: while dancing away, words just started coming to me… I say blessed, because that may have felt like a rather daunting and, at times, ‘spooky’ experience, not knowing where you are going with a story, having no clue about what will happen to the characters and not having a ‘plan’ for her did not give me any control over her birth, on the other hand it gave me the freedom to follow the novel and not force her to fit in with my intentions. The Road to London wanted her freedom from the start. [Read more…] about Proud to Be Different: The Road to London

When Gay Meets God: Faith in M/M Fiction

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Religion is a problem for me. It always has been. I won’t lie about that. I’ve personally witnessed the very worst it has to offer the lgbt community and no matter how devout, compassionate and understanding a person of faith is, I always take a step back from them. They can be straight or gay. It doesn’t matter. It’s not something I admire about myself, but it is a part of me. I don’t dislike people who hold to their faith, not at all. But my gut reaction is something I struggle with relentlessly. (And as a side note: I do consider faith and religion to be two very separate things.)  So, having come clean on that, I asked author Tim Bairstow to stop by. He is a gay man of faith who writes in the mm genre about these same struggles. I’m sure you’ll find (t)his post and his books intriguing. ~B

image-of-the-shadow-of-your-wings-tim-bairstowThe interaction between faith and sexuality in the context of the Christian Church is a subject of enduring fascination for me. Indeed, I think it’s a pretty important ‘front line’ in the on-going battle for equality. Hence, I was delighted when Brandon asked me to explain how faith interacts with sexuality in my fiction – apparently, it’s an unusual take on things.

In the two of my novels dealing with this theme, The Shadow of Your Wings and Cloven Tongues, I thought it was important to take the faith part seriously. It would be too facile just to say that someone’s faith is deluded and set out to expose it as such. Better to accept the fact that faith in God is a deep, genuine and compelling part of someone’s life. That way, it’s possible to explore the internal and external conflicts that happen when this compelling instinct collides with the deepest need of any human: to love and be loved as they are. [Read more…] about When Gay Meets God: Faith in M/M Fiction

Oops, I Didn’t Know I Couldn’t Write About Sex

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Welcome friend and author Brian Centrone with a few words concerning his new short story collection, Erotica which features seven stories, one for every sin.

erotica-brian-centrone-cover-ebook-WEBD.H. Lawrence got in trouble over it. Anne Rice used a pen name to write it. E.L. James made a fortune off it. No one can deny that sex sells, yet it remains controversial. The mere mention of erotica sends literary noses pointed toward the heavens in a triumphant stance of superiority. For the majority of the literary world, erotica is not literature at all.

The truth is that some believe erotica is cheap. They dismiss it with other genre writing like Sci Fi or Romance. Many see these types of stories as inferior to scholarly or academic works. I disagree. I won’t argue that some erotica is pure smut, merely words to get off by, but not all, and certainly not mine. I believe that there is such a thing as “literary erotica,” and I consider my work to fall into that category. Why? Because I write erotic stories the way I write any fiction. I use the building blocks of literature to craft and develop tales which seek for more than just to lube a reader up. My stories aren’t about sex. They feature sex, yes, and prominently—that’s the nature of erotica—but they are always about something more: love, relationships, self-discovery. [Read more…] about Oops, I Didn’t Know I Couldn’t Write About Sex

Make Do and Mend

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Welcome Adam Fitzroy to the blog, his book, Make Do and Mend was chosen by readers as an LGBT Book Gem.  ‘Book Gems’ are those books which readers thought so fantastic, they wanted other readers to know about them. 

MAKE DO AND MENDSome authors prepare meticulously when they begin to write a new book, knowing in detail from the outset precisely what will happen to whom and in what order.  Personally, I find this approach dampens creativity, and I prefer to take the journey alongside the characters; I will usually know something about the people and their story arc before I start a book, but the way it develops can often surprise me.  It’s also usually the case that I have to wait until I’ve finished a book before I can look back on it objectively and say with any hope of certainty exactly what the story is about! [Read more…] about Make Do and Mend

Why I’m Writing a Saga About Human Trafficking

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I asked author Caddy Rowland to stop by and talk to us about the difficult topic of human trafficking and why she decided to tackle it in her new saga, There Was a House. The several book saga focuses on the topic with both straight and gay MCs. ~ B.

Caddy Rowland, authorA little over a year ago I had no idea I’d be writing fiction about human trafficking. Then Dave and I decided to take a drive.

As we drove, Dave asked me why I hadn’t read 50 Shades of Grey. I said it was because I’d read The Story of O years ago, and just didn’t feel the need to read another book about domination. I’m no prude, and I enjoyed O, but it was kind of “been there, done that” in my mind. [Read more…] about Why I’m Writing a Saga About Human Trafficking