award winning gay fiction

Nominated for Best Novella

May 18, 2014 By Brandon 2 Comments

It is my pleasure to inform you that Listening to Dust has been nominated for a 2014 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards – Best Novella.

As many of my readers know, Dust also won a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Contemporary Fiction in 2012, and it continues to be the book I receive the most email about.

It is not an easy story. It was never meant it be. It is about love and loss. As one reviewer wrote: This ain’t Brokeback Mountain. It will rip your fu*&ing heart out without apology. I think that sums it up pretty well.

I have also made Martin Davies ‘short list’ of writers who make “gay literature and literature with homoerotic themes great.” What a honor to be listed among these writers. I urge you to check out the post and the books listed there. I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

21 Gay Writers talk about The Other Man

May 9, 2014 By Brandon 20 Comments

Welcome writer and editor Paul Fahey, who I invited to the blog after readers nominated the award-winning, The Other Man: 21 Writers Speak Candidly About Sex, Love, Infidelity, & Moving On for a 2014 LGBT Book Gem.

From the beginning, this project has been a labor of love, especially since the charity involved, the It Gets Better Project, is one near and dear to all our hearts. (A portion of the proceeds from sales of the anthology goes to It Gets Better.)

Here’s how the book happened:

In 2010, I met writer, Victoria Zackheim, editor of The Other Woman, at a local writer’s conference. I was immediately fascinated by her book of essays and asked if anyone had considered editing an anthology on the subject from the male viewpoint. To Victoria’s knowledge, no one had written a follow up and she immediately gave me her blessings to edit the gay companion to her wonderful book.

I immediately sent out invitations to some of my favorite male writers and asked them to contribute to the anthology. In the process, I discovered that writers either had an other man story to tell or they didn’t. It was that simple. Eventually I had a strong list of contributors and we were off and running. By early 2011, I had written a detailed book proposal, acquired an agent, the wonderful Jill Marsal of the Marsal/Lyon Literary Agency, and had a complete list of contributors attached to the book. [Read more…] about 21 Gay Writers talk about The Other Man

Talking Muses with Julie Bozza

April 23, 2014 By Brandon 4 Comments

In between going to the Rainbow Con, traveling and business, I had a chance to sit down with Julie Bozza and talk about the writing process, reader reactions, and tropes. You might be a little surprised with my answers. Join in our conversation and let us know what you think.

Sighs Too Deep for Words

April 18, 2014 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Welcome William Jack Sibley to the blog with a quick spotlight on his book, Sighs Too Deep for Words, nominated by readers as a 2014 LGBT Boom Gem.

I won’t bore you, dear reader, with the details of how I went from New York publisher Kensington producing my first novel “ANY KIND OF LUCK” to then doing the second one entirely by myself except to say that Kensington wanted a repeat “serial” of the first book and I, after ultra brief consideration, graciously declined. I’d already said what I’d wanted to say on the subject. I waited nine months for Dutton to then determine if I was worthy enough for their illustrious imprint (I wasn’t!). And then it was off to the salt mine hell of small, Indie publishing houses. I had to pull the book from one persistently mendacious publisher, got dropped by another for daring to question their imperial supremacy (and such unmitigated joy all for virtually zero money.) I finally ended up sticking the galleys in my desk drawer and sternly ignored the muffled whimpering emanating forthwith for several years before having a head-slapping, V8 moment. Self-publish and be damned! [Read more…]

The Cool Part of His Pillow

March 28, 2014 By Brandon 3 Comments

Welcome Rodney T Ross to the blog. His novel, The Cool Part of His Pillow was nominated by readers as a 2014 LGBT Book Gem. I asked him to stop by and tell us a little about himself and the book. ~ B.

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

The adage is absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I might add to that: A little distance, too.

It’s been well over a year since publication of The Cool Part of His Pillow (TCPohP).

Only now, impregnation and labor behind me, can I address its birth without excessive tears and gastrointestinal distress.

I circulated the manuscript to what mainstream publishers still accept unsolicited work –- approximately zero -– and literary agents. Many indicated they had enough LGBTQ-inclined authors. Like an aspiring career politician, I would apparently have to wait for someone to die to be installed. My favorite rejection was to what I thought was a succinct plot summary and my best three chapters. [Read more…] about The Cool Part of His Pillow

Naked in the Rain

March 21, 2014 By Brandon 2 Comments

Welcome Eowyn Wood to the blog. Her award-winning novel, Naked in the Rain was nominated by readers as a 2014 LGBT Book Gem.

My novel Naked in the Rain and its sequel Afterglow tackle the controversial topic of underage prostitution, along with drug addiction, homelessness and… music. It is not all dark and dreary. I hope readers find beauty and humor generously sprinkled throughout both novels.

People ask me, why write about two boys who run away and become prostitutes? The answer is, I don’t really know! Some people attribute it to my “day job” working at Cascade AIDS Project, a non-profit AIDS service organization. While it’s true CAP has exposed me to people with a lot of different life experiences, the story was in my head long before I began working there. [Read more…] about Naked in the Rain