gay literature

Fandom in LGBT Literature

July 19, 2013 By Brandon 2 Comments

I’ve never been able to understand fandom. To me it seems like a lot of valuing another person over yourself – almost idolizing them to the point of your own detriment. So I asked J.C. Lillis to come by and talk to us about her book How To Repair A Mechanical Heart since the plot revolves around fandom.

Brandon: Thanks for coming by J.C. Can you explain your perspective on fandom? After reading several of your other interviews I think it differs considerably from mine.

J.C.: Absolutely. I’ve been involved in fandoms since I was a teenager—sometimes as a lurker, sometimes as an active participant—and for me it’s never been about hero worship or an impulse to erase myself and become someone else. I mean, I tend to love antiheroes and villains, characters whose flaws are impossible to ignore and dangerous to emulate. I don’t think I could ever love a character or a fictional relationship that I put up on a pedestal. [Read more…] about Fandom in LGBT Literature

UK Writers and Publishers Coming Together for LGBT Youth

July 5, 2013 By Brandon 2 Comments

My friend and fellow author Elin Gregory and I share passions, LGBT youth and history. And while I don’t write historical fiction, she does it wonderfully. ~B.

Many thanks, Brandon, for agreeing to host me on your blog.

One of the big problems for an historical novelist is how much information to dump into your text. Whatever makes it into the final version has no business being there if it doesn’t move the story along, so sometimes hard decisions have to be made. One of the hardest decisions for me, while writing On a Lee Shore, was to cut out a lot of the text involving a very minor character – Will, the link boy. [Read more…] about UK Writers and Publishers Coming Together for LGBT Youth

Holding On – Gay Fiction by Michael Joseph

June 21, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Special Guest Post by gay author Michael Joseph.
It was right around two years ago this month that I first opened a file for what would become Holding On. At the time, I thought I was just jotting down a scene that had been going around in my head for a week or so. I hoped that if I wrote it down I could get it out of my head so I could get back to work on Journey To Rai-Lay, the sequel to Journey To Angkor which I had released the year before. I figured it might be part of a short story or something I could come back to later.

Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

February 5, 2013 By Brandon 9 Comments

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Albert Kennedy Trust, although my association with them started off for the daftest of reasons. I mean, as a huge fan of Archie Kennedy (from the Hornblower TV series) that name was always going to catch my eye. When I read about Albert, a runaway from a children’s home who fell to his death from the top of a car park in Manchester, having suffered rejection and abuse from society, I decided I had to support the cause of getting GLBT youngsters off the streets and into supportive families.

You can imagine my delight when I was putting together my Christmas present wish list (which is always book heavy) and found Canal Street Gothic, by David Thame, in support of AKT. It was described as a collection of ten stories set in and around Manchester’s gay village revealing the gothic truths beneath the shiny surfaces of the twenty-first century city. I had high hopes, but I’ve had them dashed before, on the harsh reality of blurbs overselling their books. So I was delighted to find this book lived up to expectations. [Read more…] about Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

My Favorite Book – LGBT Author Anne Barwell

February 1, 2013 By Brandon 2 Comments

Every author has one book of their own work which is their favorite. This week I’ve offered the blog to Anne Barwell to talk a little about her favorite book. ~B

Berlin, 1943. An encounter with an old friend leaves German physicist Dr. Kristopher Lehrer with doubts about his work. But when he confronts his superior, everything goes horribly wrong. Suddenly Kristopher and Michel, a member of the Resistance, are on the run, hunted for treason and a murder they did not commit. If they’re caught, Kristopher’s knowledge could be used to build a terrible weapon that could win the war. [Read more…] about My Favorite Book – LGBT Author Anne Barwell

Best Gay Contemporary Fiction – LGBT Rainbow Awards

December 1, 2012 By Brandon 2 Comments

In case you haven’t heard, the Rainbow Book Awards were announced and I am very proud to say that Listening to Dust tied for third place in the Best Gay Contemporary Fiction category.

The Value of Rain came in with an Honorable Mention in the same category at #7 and received and Honorable Mention at #5 for Best Gay Debut Novel.

Congratulations also go to:

Wayne Hoffman – Sweet Like Sugar

Ken O’Neill – The Marrying Kind

Lewis DeSimone – The Heart’s History

gay literature

Congratulations also go to:

You can see the extensive listing of all Rainbow Awards and Category winners here: 2012 LGBT Rainbow Awards