Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

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Brandon's Musings

The Housework Muse

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museAnyone have one of those – a muse that does housework? No? Me either. In fact, when I get done from the real job I come home and look around and shake my head, (especially if I’ve been travelling). I wonder why my muse can’t at least do the laundry, or…some damned thing.

Instead, when I come in the door she’s all about “Oh no, we have to talk about this, that, and the other thing…And while you were out worrying about money (apparently a dirty word) I’ve come up with this great idea for…” [Read more…] about The Housework Muse

What’s Coming in 2013?

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Next year seems like a million miles away in writing terms. Talk to a publisher, book marketer, or an editor and they turn and look at the production board and shake their head. All the work before the holidays – release dates, deadlines, where’s the effing MS you promised…

I am all of the above: the writer, the marketer, the chastiser, the deadline harbinger of doom. Don’t get me wrong. I have help on this end. I have an outside editor and I have the people who pressed me to publish. They have also been dragged along on this journey and as we put out book four (in 18 months) they are digging through other manuscripts while my muse stands behind me with a rather large whip wondering why I can’t type fast enough. Then there are the fans, who I greatly appreciate, but the “more, more” is making things feel a bit rushed, and from my perspective, it has left my writing not to the standard I usually set. [Read more…] about What’s Coming in 2013?

Music Monday – ZZ Ward

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To my knowledge ZZ Ward is not LGBT, but her music is so good that I thought I’d do a little sample here.

Til the Casket Drops is the first song she wrote for her new CD. The song is a story about going to war for the one you love, and as the muse starts hitting me with thoughts for a new book, it seems this captures its vibe perfectly.  And if this seems familiar, you may have heard her on Pretty Little Liars, The Voice, or several other TV shows, and I’m sure you’ll likely be hearing her a lot more in the future.

The other side of Homophobia on Twitter

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I’ve been on Twitter for almost two years now, tweeting away about LGBT Youth, books, music, and all manner of things generally LGBTQ related.  When the news about the new site that tracks the use of homophobic slurs hit the Twittersphere this week I had already seen it (and tweeted about it) before it became a huge news item on the LGBT circuit. I watched as many of the major LGBT blogs/feeds spoke about how depressed, saddened, and disturbed they were. I also noted how more than a few people repeated that sentiment on their own feeds, some of them had just a few friends and followers, and some had thousands.

What did the big news sites fail to report?

There is, and has been, just as much lgbtq-positive and anti-homophobic sentiment on twitter as there is homophobia. (See feed below.) [Read more…] about The other side of Homophobia on Twitter

The absence of hope – Homeless LGBT Youth

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As many of you know I help raise awareness and funds for two LGBT charities. 10% of the proceeds from the sales of my books go to them.  Lost n Found, one of the charities, posted a video about what they find during outreach to homeless LGBT Youth.

This is how 500,000 homeless gay kids live on the street every single day. You can help by donating to either of the groups below, or by finding a local lgbt charity in your area that does the same type of outreach.

 

lgbt youth nonprofit

Lost n Found

 

 

 

 

 

 

lgbt nonprofitGLBTAYS

The Generosity of Fans

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There are quite a few days when I wake up and wonder what the hell I’m doing putting my books out. I have no inspiration to be an “author,”  for me it’s just scribbling words on paper and crafting a story that reflects on some of the harshness, and the beauty, of life.

And then there are days when you wake up, open your email, and find that your expectations of humanity are, once again, reaffirmed because of the generosity of strangers. This morning was one of those mornings and here’s why:

Fans started a Goodreads Fan Group about my books.

Afflicted jumped up to #18 on the Amazon Gay & Lesbian Romance Bestsellers list

Someone from my new Fan Group made a donation on my behalf to one of the charities I work with. 

I want to thank all those anonymous people out there who are reading the books, and I especially want to thank the person(s) that took the time, and the money from their pocket, to make a difference. Your actions have moved me greatly.