Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

You are here: Home / Archives for LGBT

LGBT

Saugatuck Summer

By 5 Comments

SaugatuckSummer_TourBanner(2)Hi, and welcome to the Saugatuck Summer blog tour! First of all, I want to thank Brandon for hosting me again. One of my best memories of RainbowCon last month was the few minutes we got to talk when he extended the invitation. It’s been a while since I’ve appeared on his blog and I’m so happy to be back!

For those of you who have seen me talking about it on social media for the last nearly year and a half, you know that Saugatuck Summer was a labor of love far beyond what I would normally claim for one of my books. Of course I love them all, but Saugatuck Summer came from my very soul. Actually, I’m not certain it came from me at all.

SaugatuckSummerBasically, here’s what happened: One day I was driving along, running errands, and Topher Carlisle whispered one line of dialogue in my ear. Just one. When I asked him what I was supposed to do with that, he promptly took over my brain for fifteen absolutely insane days and at the end I had the first draft of Saugatuck Summer.

Topher’s story of recovery, hope, making mistakes, and growing up just told itself, and the experience of being the conduit for that was at times grueling and heartbreaking, but also euphoric and wonderful. It was one of those experiences that, as a creator of some form of art, be it musical, visual, or literary, you have once or twice in a lifetime if you’re extraordinarily lucky, when you know you’re creating something magical. I’m not sure it will ever happen to me again, but I feel absolutely blessed that this book has come of it. [Read more…] about Saugatuck Summer

GiveOUT Day with Brandon Shire

By Leave a Comment

Cropped Give Out Day Final Logo Rectangle with Tagline ColorToday I have the pleasure of hosting the annual GiveOUT Day over at Smoocher’s Voice. We’re raising $2000 for homeless lgbt children (and we’re halfway there!). You can win prizes, meet new people and help us reach our goal by giving to the part of our LGBT community that need it most. Stop by, have some fun, win some prizes. And even if you can’t give, please help us share the event.

mm romance for lgbt youth fundraising

Making Gay Books Cool Again (in the Club)

By 3 Comments

books r coolDon’t even go home with them.

One of my first questions in the club (way back when) was…What have you read lately?

I recently had someone ask me what it told me about a person besides the genre. So here goes:

That the man opposite me liked to think/explore new things/ideas.
That he was out of college and the associated drama. (The reading list hasn’t changed in eons.)
That he wasn’t afraid to spend time alone. (Always important.)
That ‘the scene’ didn’t encompass all his waking hours and thoughts.
And, if it was a quirky title, something that I hadn’t heard of before – that he didn’t conform to faddish BS. Oprah anyone? (Always high on my list.)

So yes, I like a little more think than twink, a little more bear than beer. Personally I’ve always loved the sexy nerds. They never really had to be sexy, just a nerd, or at least someone who thought beyond next Friday.

Do you ask the men you meet in the club what they’ve read?

What do you get from their answer (if they have one)?

Have you ever asked the question before?  Or is it all about the hookup?

Maybe the gay love story you’re seeking needs more questions before the action starts…

 

H/T to Affinis Apparel for the cool photo.

When Gay Meets God: Faith in M/M Fiction

By 4 Comments

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

Were LGBTQs Ever Fully Equal to Other Humans?

By 2 Comments

Ron Fritsch stopped by with a question. His book, Promised Valley Rebellion was selected by readers as A 2014 LGBT Book Gem. ~ B.

Historians seem to have found LGBTQs almost everywhere they’ve looked. When public figures such as the former president of Iran claim LGBTQs don’t appear in their part of the world, the overwhelming response is ridicule.

Promised Valley RebellionBut can we find a time when and a place where LGBTQs were fully equal to the other humans they lived with? In the Western world we often look to ancient Greece and Rome for acceptance of LGBTQs. But when we confront the details, we find something other than acceptance and equality.

The Greeks favored men having sex with adolescent boys. When the boy grew up, the relationship was supposed to end (although it might’ve continued behind closed doors). The Romans approved free male citizens having sex with slaves, prostitutes, or other males having no social standing. Clearly, neither the Greece nor the Rome of antiquity is the LGBTQ utopia we’re looking for. [Read more…] about Were LGBTQs Ever Fully Equal to Other Humans?