Welcome Blog Hoppers
This is actually a tougher question than it seems. When I first signed on for this blog-hop I said, Oh that’s easy! I know why I do it. But the question wasn’t Why? It was what does writing LGBTQ lit mean to you? I spent many, many days tossing this around because writing has been such an intricate part of my life for so long that it has never really had a singular meaning.
There are many reasons I write but none of them ever revolved around wanting to be published, making a name, or any of the other dreams aspiring writers chase after. When I first started it was a vent for me; a place to put down frustrations and hurts, a place to pen the pains of others that I could no longer carry within me. Writing became a dire need and the salve that I used to work into the wounds of my heart. But that was not meaning, that was impetus.
You see, the two books I have published thus far are harsh, judgmental and unforgiving, much like life. When I was first asked about what I wrote I answered something about exposing what happens in the shadows, under the LGBTQ rainbow. But that was not meaning either, it was an arrow into the heart, a mark I put down to state that being LGBTQ is not always fabulous. In fact most of the time it is damned hard.
In the end, I decided that among the many intentions of my writing one stands out: giving a few moments and a voice to the voiceless. For me writing LGBTQ means opening minds to what homophobia does when it is left unchecked, to opening eyes to what has happened in our past, and to opening hearts to what still needs to be done to ensure that this dark history is not repeated.
And while we’re doing all that we still need to have a bit of fun, which is where the new book Afflicted comes in. Because without some fun you will all turn into morbid old wretches like me.
Leave a comment below for a chance to win a FREE copy (ebook) of my new M/M Romance Afflicted!
Tell me why you read LGBT lit in the comments below.
Have you ever met a gay blind man? One from the South? Ever?
Don’t worry, most people in the LGBT community haven’t either. So I want to introduce you to Hunter Stephens. He’s gay, tall, dark haired, and he’s hot. Very hot. But he doesn’t rely on the visual cues when appraising a man because he’s also blind. He listens to the timbre of their voice, trembles at the touch of their skin, and luxuriates in the deep richness of the aroma of man. He’s hard of the hand because he’s a black belt and takes no shit, but soft of the heart because he’s lonely and has been for a while.
Until he meets Dillon.
Dillon Chambers is straight man candy. He’s a high priced male escort that works with an exclusive agency who handles only the wealthiest of clients. But it wasn’t always like that for him. At sixteen he was thrown out of the house for being gay and struggled to survive, turning tricks on the street and finding food and a place to sleep wherever he could. He met two people that changed his life, but he has never met anyone who could change his heart.
Until he bumped into Hunter.
And now they are both Afflicted.
Coming in September!
*Winner chosen at random. You must be over 18 to participate.