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Point of View: Plantsing

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plant growing out of a book - deposit photos

It’s an age-old debate. Plotter or pantser? Is one better than the other? Which one are you? A plotter is someone who plans out their entire story in advance. Plotters are known for making extensive outlines, doing deep dives into internet searches to pull together all the materials they will need, and making sure all their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed before writing a word of the actual story. They are perfectionists, lovers of story arcs marked with specific “beats” that they plan to hit at exact points of the narrative to ensure their characters and plots reach … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Eric Alan Westfall

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Eric Alan Westfall

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: Eric is an American Midwesterner, and as Lady Glenhaven might say, “He’s old enough to have sailed with Noah.” In the real world he writes for a living, with those who would claim what he writes is fiction. His partner of thirty years—who died unexpectedly in 1995—enthusiastically encouraged him to try to get his writing published (mostly poetry back then, plus some short stories), but he didn’t have the guts to do … Read more

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New Release / Giveaway: A Riff of Retribution – Amir Lane

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A Riff of Retribution - Amir Lane

Amir Lane has a new gay paranormal vampire book out, Heavy Metal Hunters book 1: A Riff of Retribution. And there’s a giveaway. Dead men are filled with life. Eleven years ago, world-renowned guitarists Hale and Aleksandr learned that monsters were real. Hale lost the love of his life, and Aleksandr lost his brother. When the carnage was over, they vowed to make sure no one else had to go through what they did. But since then, another band’s bassist has been killed at a festival, and she wasn’t the only one. Hale suspects a vampire was responsible, and that … Read more

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Point of View: Sense & Sensitivity

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man reading book, surprised - deposit photos

As a writer, it’s important to stretch yourself—to write about things (and people) who are unfamiliar to you. It’s one thing to create a race of aliens that has nothing to do with the human race—then you can pretty much go hog wild with however you want to portray them (unless you unwittingly tap into some negative human stereotypes Jar Jar Binks, I’m looking at you). But what about when you’re writing about an existing human culture? I’m a gay man. I can write gay characters pretty much with impunity, because they’re not just what I know, but what I … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Hank Edwards

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Hank Edwards

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: Hank Edwards (he/him) has been writing gay fiction for more than twenty years. He has published over forty novels and novellas, and dozens of short stories. His writing crosses many sub-genres, including contemporary romance, rom-com, paranormal, suspense, mystery, wacky comedy, and erotica. He has written a number of series such as the funny and spooky Critter Catchers, Old West historical horror of Venom Valley, suspenseful FBI and civilian Up to Trouble, and … Read more

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Point of View: Boys Who Like Boys

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Boys Holding Hands - Deposit Photos

Somewhere along the way, I lost the thread. I let the other side frame the debate, making my identity all about sex. I forgot that my identity as a gay man didn’t rest on sex, or sexuality, and it took a beautiful song to remind me. I was scanning through my Mastodon feed and ran across a video from 2021, made during the heart of the pandemic – a song called Boys Who Like Boys by an openly gay singer named Eli Lieb. Intrigued, I clicked on the link. I’d never heard of Eli Lieb before this. As I watched … Read more

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Author Spotlight: April Kelley

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April Kelley Avatar

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: April Kelley writes LGBTQ+ Romance. Her works include The Journey of Jimini Renn, a Rainbow Awards finalist, Whispers of Home, the Saint Lakes series, and over thirty more. Since writing her first story at ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories. If April isn’t reading or writing, you can find her taking a long walk in the woods or going on her next adventure. Thanks so much, … Read more

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New Release / Giveaway: Jade: First and Last – M.D. Grimm

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Jade: First and Last - M.D. Grimm

M.D. Grimm has a new MM fantasy book out, Stones of Power book 9 – Jade: First and Last. Morgorth and Aishe must contend with a deadly threat that could spell disaster for their world. Payshthas were the first of the Mother’s intelligent children. It is rare for true friendship to form between them and another species—which makes Morgorth’s bond with Enfernlo unique. And it is due to their friendship that Morgorth doesn’t hesitate to answer Enfernlo’s plea for help. A thief has stolen something vital from Enfernlo’s colony—a stone of power. Their hunt for the stone leads them to a … Read more

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New Release / Giveaway: Lord Manetu – Mary Rundle

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Lord Manetu - Mary Rundle

Mary Rundle has a new MM paranormal romance out, Blackwood Pack book 12: Lord Manetu. And there’s a giveaway/ This is part of a continuing series by Amazon Bestselling Author, Mary Rundle – reading the previous titles is advised. Readers will enjoy catching up with members of the Blackwood Pack and reading about what is happening to them as the pack does what it does best ̶ caring for one another and helping shifters everywhere. Barely surviving Arald’s prison, Theo’s luck has finally changed. Discovering an unknown passion for cooking, he’s settled into his new life with his fiancĂ© at … Read more

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Point of View: (Re)writing the Story

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Reset - Red Button - deposit photos

Thirty years ago, I wrote a book called “On a Shoreless Sea.” It was a fantastic novel, or so I thought at the time – a clever blending of sci-fi and fantasy set on a generation ship. This was the one that would launch me to sci-fi writer fame and fortune. I printed out ten copies (yes, those were the days of the paper submission – so sorry for the grove of “copier paper” trees I slaughtered) and UPS’d them to the largest publishers in the biz. Then I waited. One by one, they came back, the last one arriving … Read more