Hurray for Spring and great weather which makes me want to drink alcohol (I don’t really need an excuse)

To our authors: Last week I wrote an article about author royalties  Writing is a Great Career but how much does it pay? There were over 125 comments on the post and more than 1300 hits, I assume mostly from authors. However, while it’s nice to know that you found the post and the comments interesting, and a lot of you said it gave you a different perspective of how much to expect in future royalty payments, only about 110 authors completed the survey. Since the number of M/M authors is at least 1000 and probably a lot more, this response is disappointing. I was hoping that a lot more of you would have completed the survey because you’re doing so for your fellow authors and yourself. As with any survey, without really good empirical data the information is inconclusive and not very credible: the larger the survey group and number of respondents, the more reliable the results. Thanks to those of you who completed the survey to date, but the results would be a whole lot more meaningful if the majority of M/M authors did so as well. I’m sure your colleagues would appreciate your willingness to contribute to this survey. Thank you.

Rick R.Reed wrote an insightful essay last Thursday about a very popular M/M trope: Gay for You in which he tells us why it’s not for him. If you haven’t read it, the post is linked. The comments are very interesting!

Reviews posted on the weekend: A Little Bit of Country by Christiane France reviewed by Cryselle; Lenny For Your Thoughts by Anita Sunday reviewed by Sirius; Paid Leave by Hayley B. James reviewed by Aunt Lynn; A Beautiful Disaster by Willa Okati reviewed by Sammy; and Grime and Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield reviewed by Raine;

Free Books This Week:

Every Move He Makes by Barbara Elsborg – Samhain Publishing
Red Dragon:The Company Man by Becky Black – Loose id
Son of a Gun by A.M.Riley – Loose id
Stone Heart by Sui Lynn – eXtasy Books
Words of Divinity by Kayla Bain-Vrba – Less Than Three Press
Dracones anthology – Storm Moon Press
Moral Authority by Jacob Z. Flores – Wilde City Press

Reviews This Week

Andrea: Finding Shelter by M. J. O’Shea
Raine: Who Moved by Holepunch by Anne Brooke
Larissa: The Fight for Identity by Andrew Grey
K.C: Hunt and Pray by Cindy Sutherland
Gene: Small Miracles by Ellen Holliday
Sammy: Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox
Zac: Roughed Up by Hank Edwards
Sirius: Nowhere to Run by Erin Lark; White Buffalo Calf Warriors by Rose Christo
Cryselle: Play Me, I’m Yours by Madison Parker
Aunt Lynn: Confessions of a Gay Rugby Player by Patrick Darcy
Zen: Threadbare Gypsy Souls by T.A.Chase

I just saw the movie Star Trek Into Darkness which I highly recommend. It’s action packed, lots of fun and true to the original series, plus Zachary Quinto is h-o-t. Don’t miss it!

Have you tried the new Skinny Vodka? I thought it was a diet aid but I’ve had quite a few drinks and haven’t lost a pound. What am I doing wrong?

Till next week that’s a wrap.

On Friday I posted an article about author salaries. The name of the post is Writing is a Great Career, but how much does it pay? This post is very important because for the first time M/M authors get a sense of what to expect in terms of royalties, and how they compare to others in this genre. However,  although there have been over 1,000 hits so far on the post, less than 100 of you have filled in your information, which is not even 10% of those who viewed the post, if I assume that about 50% of the people who checked out the statistics are authors. If you haven’t seen the article or haven’t filled in your information here’s the link. I would appreciate it if as many authors as possible, novice and experienced, completed the survey so that there is a large enough sample group. Thanks guys. The post will be up for a while to ensure that we capture as much information as possible. Your comments are also welcome.

In a couple of weeks I will be posting an article on self publishing, another hot button topic. Many of you have tried self publishing as another way to get your books to readers, and I would appreciate it if those of you who have done so would send me information or links to resources you have used which you would recommend, as well as price ranges for editing, formatting, cover art etc., and any other pertinent information that you think would be helpful to your newbie colleagues so that they don’t flounder. I’m sure you can attest to the difficulty of the first time you tried self publishing, as I have been told that the learning curve is quite steep, so the more credible information that other writers have the better their chance of being successful. You can write me at jessewave [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject heading Self Publishing Resources.

Reviews published over the weekend: Losers by Jeff Erno reviewed by Sammy; The Apothecary’s Garden reviewed by Sirius; Community Service reviewed by Raine; The Poodle Apocalypse by John inman reviewed by Larissa. Also posted on the weekend by Aunt Lynn: Recommended Reads for April.

Free Books This Week

The Boys of Summer by Sarah Madison
Never a Hero by Marie Sexton – Riptide
Community Service by Vaughn R. Demont – Samhain Publishing
Nowhere to Run by Erin Lark – Loose id
Falling in Love with Crazy by Dane Walters – Loose id
English Chaps by Lori Toland – Loose id
Fennel and Forgiveness by Ari McKay – Torquere

Reviews This Week

Andrea: The Laird’s Forbidden Lover by Amelia C. Gormley
Leslie S: Open Cover Before Striking by Willa Okati
Raine: Grime & Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield
Feliz: Curse of Two Spirit by K.B. Forrest
Sirius: Lenny for Your Thoughts by Anyta Sunday
Aunt Lynn: Paid Leave by Hayley B. James
Larissa: The Jouster’s Lance by A.J. Marcus
Lady M: Horn Gate by Damon Suede
Cryselle: A Little Bit of Country by Christiane France
Sammy: Into This River I Drown by T.J. Klune; Beautiful Disaster by Willa Okati
Lenalena: Brainy and the Beast by JM Cartwright.
Wave: Never a Hero by Marie Sexton; The Red Heart by Isabelle Rowan (I was sidetracked by RL last week)

Until next week, that’s a wrap.

What’s on the agenda for this week? Lots of reviews and new books donated by publishers and authors that you can bid on and hope to win.

Also, I’m writing a post (that includes a survey) which will be live on Friday, May 10, about whether there’s any money to be made as a romance writer, and how much. This is an anonymous survey so I hope that our authors will respond in large numbers and provide some tangible information. M/M romance has been around for over 10 years and, other than epublishers, no one seems to have any authentic data about how much writers make. Many readers aspire to be authors because it seems like such a glamorous career, but is it really? Can you make enough money to support yourself if you decide to become an author full time in today’s economy? I hope that this survey will be helpful to current authors in this genre as well as help those aspiring authors who need the facts before they jump into the fray and quit their day jobs. .

Reviews posted over the weekend:  Catching Fireflies by K.C. Kendricks reviewed by Sammy; A Sticky Wicket in Bollywood by T.A. Chase and Devon Rhodes reviewed by Cryselle; Bullheaded by Catt Ford reviewed by Sirius; The Hellfire Legacy by Missouri Dalton reviewed by Raine; and Krewe Daddy by Margie Church reviewed by Barb Manning. If you haven’t seen these reviews, this is an opportunity to do so.

Free Books This Week:

Come Unto These Yellow Sands (audio book) by Josh Lanyon
Horn Gate by Damon Suede
Butt Pirates in Space anthology by T.C. Blue, Kiernan Kelly, Shae Connor, Kage Alan & Angelia Sparrow – donated by Angelia Sparrow
Ghosts of Alcatraz by Carol Lynne – Wilde City Press
Grime and Punishment by Z.A. Maxfield – Loose id
Roughed Up by Hank Edwards – Loose id
The Laird’s Forbidden Lover by Amelia C. Gormley – Riptide Publishing

Reviews This Week

Andrea: A Simple Romance by J.H. Knight
Sammy: It Takes Practice by Willa Okati; Losers by Jeff Erno; Catching Fireflies by K.C. Kendricks
Larissa: The Poodle Apocalypse by John Inman
Raine: Community Service by Vaughn R. Demont
Sirius: The Apothecary’s Garden by Julie Bozza
Lasha: Grand Slam by J.T. Cheyanne
Aunt Lynn: A Little Bit of Magic by M.J. O’Shea
Wave: Blind Faith  by N.R. Walker (yes, at last ) The Red Heart by Isabelle Rowan; Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Spring has definitely sprung here in Northern California — as well as the foliage. While I don’t suffer from allergies like so many other people do, I did contract a nasty cold, and I am a sniffling, snotty mess. No one — including myself — wants to or should be around me right now.  But the flowers are also beginning to bloom, and it reminded me of a pic I saw recently of Naked Man orchids (left).  Aren’t they great?

Anyway…what happened here over the weekend?  It was fairly quiet.  A few reviews:

Sammy loved The Vampire Contract by RJ Scott; Lasha took on A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion; Sirius liked the first book in Ally Blue’s Hellscape series, Hell’s End; and Crys reviewed Stealing the Dragon by Mell Eight.

Free books this week:

Honestly, not sure what free books there will be this week. Working out some details and, well, you’ll just see as the days come up!

Reviews this week:

Jeayci: Return to the Mountain by P.D. Singer
Andrea: A Cut Above the Rest by Talya Andor
Sirius: Promoted by the Billionaire anthology; Bullheaded by Catt Ford
Jelena: Josh of the Damned Triple Feature 2 by Andrea Speed
Sammy: Astronomical by Silvia Violet; Catching Fireflys by KC Hendricks
Raine: Hellfire Legacy by Missouri Dalton
Barb: Krewe Daddy by Margie Church
Cryselle: Sticky Wicket in Bollywood by TA Chase and Devon Rhodes
LenaLena: How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C. Lillis

Last week there were two posts on the site: the first one was by Josh Lanyon called Please Don’t Feed the Monsters, and Windy City Inspiration by Rick R. Reed. If you haven’t seen these articles they’re both linked.

This week Josephine Myles has written a post called In Defence of Dirty Books which will be live on Thursday April 25. I’m sure you can’t wait to read it.:)

The following reviews were posted on the weekend: Lighting the Way Home by E.M. Lynley and Shira Anthony reviewed by Cryselle; Cambion, Dark Around the Edges: Episode 3 – We Are Family by Cari Z reviewed by Sirius; and Kestrel’s Chance by Harper Fox reviewed by Feliz.

Free Books This week:

Dirty Laundry: A Cole McGinnis Mystery by Rhys Ford
Josh of the Damned, Triple Feature #2: The Final Checkout by Andrea Speed – Riptide Publishing
The King’s Diamond 2: Shooting Star by Jenna Jones – Torquere Books
Dangerous Submission by Lori Toland – Loose id
Forbid My Heart (A Luc and Rah story) by Kayelle Allen & What You Do To Me by Sloane Parker – a double bill by Loose-id
The Gravemen by Melissa North – Less Than Three Press
Noble Magic by Rayvon Silvius – eXtasy Books
Collared Souls by Elizabeth Noble

Reviews This Week

Leslie: Fool’s Rush by Chris Quinton
Andrea: Exposed by Skylar M. Cates
Raine: Masked Riders by Lucius Parhelion
Cryselle: Stealing The Dragon by Mell Eight
Sirius Hell’s End by Ally Blue
Lenalena: Finding King by Casey Cox
Lasha: A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Wave: Bad Attitude by K.A. Mitchell (will be posted this evening); Blind Faith by N.R. Walker

I’m sorry to tell you that Val Kovalin will no longer be reviewing due to a family situation. I will miss her and I know many of her fans on the site will too. Val I hope that everything works out for the best.

I won’t be here next Sunday as I’ll be sampling the pleasures of the Big Apple. I’m  leaving you in the capable hands of Aunt Lynn and Muggs, her feisty and faithful companion.

And that’s a wrap.

This week there will be two posts – one by Josh Lanyon called Please Don’t Feed the Monster and the other is a provocative post by Rick R. Reed which shall be nameless. I’m sure you can’t wait to read them.

On the news front, the National Hockey League (NHL) and its Players’ Association (NHLPA) joined forces and announced on Thursday that they were partnering with the You Can Play Project, an organization aimed at eliminating homophobia in athletics. The NHL became the first major league sports organization to do so and maybe this will lead the way for other major league franchises. The You Can Play Project was started by Patrick Burke, a scout with the Philadelphia Flyers and the son of former NHL general manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Burke, in March of 2012, in memory of his younger brother Brendan a former minor league hockey player from Toronto who was killed in an accident in 2010 three years after coming out to his family.

Here’s the full article if you wish to read it.

Reviews posted on the weekend: Gay as Mardi Gras by Lily Velden reviewed by Cryselle; Tarnished Gold by Brita Addams reviewed by Sirius; Secret Chemistry by Chris T. Kat reviewed by Barb;  Master of Ghouls by Jordan L. Hawk reviewed by Raine; and I reviewed Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt.. If you haven’t read these reviews what are you waiting for?

Free Books This Week:

Loving Hector by John Inman
Fire Horse by Mickie B. Ashling
The General and the Horse Lord by Sarah Black
Night of Ceremony by M. Raiya – Torquere Books
Rak and Jisten by A.C.Elias – eXtasy Books
Inescapable by Mina Kelly – Loose id
Bad Attitude by K.A. Mitchell – Samhain Publishing

Reviews This Week:

Lady M: The General and the Horse Lord by Sarah Black
Lelalena: Fire Dragon by K. Kei
Cryselle: Lighting His Way Home by Shira Anthony and E.M. Lynley
Andrea: Double Black by Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid
Val Kovalin: The Greenwood – Lord of the Forest by Kay Berrisford
Raine: Masked Riders by Lucius Parhelion
Sirius: The Gifted One by Jacob D. Flores; Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz
Feliz: Kestrel’s Chance by Harper Fox
Wave: Bad Attitude by K.A. Mitchell; Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt: Blind Faith by N.R. Walker

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Last Sunday Aunt Lynn did an admirable job while I was away and Muggs looked delightful.

This week I’m profiling author Marquesate who lives in Scotland and writes military romances. You may remember her Special Forces epic co-written with Vashtan a few years ago – I think it ended up as 1 million words !!! I hope you will log on on Wednesday, April 3 to read her profile and ask her any questions. Remember, with author profiles I don’t ask the questions, you do.

For those of you who haven’t yet decided to spend the $18 for Lover at Last by J.R. Ward, our own Larissa is going to dive in and give you her take on the story, hopefully next week. If you’re really impatient, there are at least 320 reviews posted already on Amazon, and apparently J.R. Ward did as expected. Read into that statement what you will. One tip, no lube was used before fading to black (although vampires are not supposed to need any). Still, ouch!! Watch for Larissa’s review soon.

Reviews posted on the weekend: The Long Road Home by Sarah Granger reviewed by Val Kovalin; Cambion: Episode 2 – Black Magic Woman by Cari Z reviewed by Sirius; The Art of Touch by Dominique Frost reviewed by Cryselle. If you haven’t seem these reviews this is your opportunity to do so.

Free Books This Week

My Dear Watson by L.A. Fields – Lethe Press
Masked Riders by Lucius Parhelion – Torquere Press
His Heart to Reap by Erin Lark – Loose id
Want Me by Rowan McBride – Loose id
Hidden or Exposed; A Collection of Lusty Gay Male Tales by Jason Maxwell
A Cut Above the Rest by Talya Andor – Less Than Three Press
Touch & Geaux by Abigail Roux – Riptide Publishing

Reviews This Week

Raine: The Good Boy by J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry (holdover from last week)
Andrea: Whitewater by Meredith Shayne
Sirius: Deprivation by Alex Jeffers
Lenalena: The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen
Val Kovalin: Chase the Ace by Clare London; Wild Rose, Silent Snow by Angel Martinez; The Long Road Home by Sarah Granger
Sammy: Fettered by Lyn Gala; Spirit Sanguine by Lou Harper
Lasha: Prince Claimed by Amber Kell
Lady M: The Culling by Steven dos Santos
Wave: Touch & Geaux by Abigail Roux

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Instead of some smexxy (human) guys this week, I thought I’d use my own smexxy guy, Muggs, as the cover boy.  Isn’t he handsome?    Poor Muggs, he got his nads snipped last week and the empty sac swelled to the size of oranges!

On Friday, authors Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock teamed up to write a great post entitled The Stages of a (Writing) Relationship.

The weekend saw several reviews:

LenaLena reviewed Daron’s Guitar Chronicles by Cecilia Tan
Raine reviewed Hunter of Demons by Jordan L. Hawk
Sirius reviewed Fragile Bond by Rhi Etzweiler
Lloyd Meeker reviewed Victor J. Banis’ autobiography, Spine Intact, Some Creases
Shy reviewed Tapestry by Hallie Burton
Crys reviewed Prelude to the Night by Angela Plowman
Val Kovalin reviewed Doors of Time by KC Kendricks

On Tuesday, look for a post by Nicole Kimberling called How to Defeat the Plot Zombie Menace. Should be interesting…

Free books this week:

A Shadow of Wings by Linda Gayle
A Dangerous Thing AUDIO by Josh Lanyon
Lyrics of Love by Angelina Aniyha (Less Than Three Press)
Flesh and Blood by Tory Temple (Torquere Books)
Black Gold 2: Double Black by Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid (Loose id)
A Beautiful Disaster by Willa Okati (Loose id)
The Good Boy by J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry (Loose id)

Reviews this week. It must be the month to move because several reviewers are taking a little time off to do so, as well as a few holidays. What that leaves us for the week is this:

Raine: The Good Boy by JA Rock & Lisa Henry
Val: Doors of Time by K.C. Kendricks; Crow and Firefly by Sam C. Leonhard; Captive by Remy Jensen
Sammy: More Than This by Lissa Matthews
Sirius: Cambion, Season 1, Episode 2: Black Magic Woman by Cari Z; Honour by A.F. Henley
Cryselle: The Art of Touch by Dominique Frost
Lasha: Prince Claimed by Amber Kell

On Friday authors Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock are writing about their first er… date. I hope you enjoy it.

Today, in celebration of St. Paddy’s Day, Dreamspinner Press has a 25% off sale on all ebooks and in-stock print books, so get out those credit cards.

Reviews on the weekend: See The Light by Cassandra Carr reviewed by Jeayci; Bite Your Tongue by E.A. Clarke reviewed by Val Kovalin; The Whore of New Slum by T.A. Chase reviewed by Shy; Vanity Fierce by Graeme Aitken reviewed by Cryselle; Toughskins by William Masswa reviewed by Sirius; Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon which I reviewed; Mannies Inc. by Sean Michael reviewed by Sammy; and Iron Eyes by Vivien Dean reviewed by Raine. If you haven’t seen these reviews this is your opportunity to check them out.

Last Friday Sammy wrote a delightful and very funny post about Her First Gay Party. If you haven’t seen this post I’ve linked it.

Free Books This Week

Honour by A.F. Henley – Less Than Three Press
Erasing Shame by Yeyu
Leather and Lace by A.B. Gayle
Astronomical by Silvia Violet – Loose id
Monster Town by Dakota Chase – Prizm Books
Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt – Riptide Publishing
Circling The Drain by Stephani Hecht – eXtasy Books

Reviews This week

Sammy: Fifty Shades of Gay by Jeffrey Self; More Than This by Lissa Matthews
Val: Bite Your Tongue by E.A. Clarke; Barbarossa’s Bitch by Angelia Sparrow; The Secret to a Perfect Latke by Foxglove Lee
Cryselle: Prelude to the Night by Angela Ploughman
Larissa: An Unexpected Magick by M.L. Rhodes
Lady M: Half a Million Dead Cannibals by Kari Gregg
Lasha: The Vampire’s Special Lover by Charlie Richards
Sirius: Honour by A.F. Henley
Shy: Tapestry by Hallie Burton
Jeayci: See The Light by Cassandra Carr
Raine: Hunter of Demons by Jordan L. Hawk.
Lenalena: Daron’s Guitar Chronicles by Cecilia Tan
Wave: The Red Heart by Isabelle Rowan OR Blind Faith by N.R. Walker
Andrea is on vacation and Feliz will be reviewing occasionally for the time being due to workload.

I won’t be here next Sunday so Aunt Lynn will be writing the weekly update. Be nice to her.

I’m still working on the Young Adult books post and hope to finish it before I take off for a few days. If not, I’ll post it on my return.

Till next week, that’s a wrap.

First off I should tell you that Sammy is writing a post you will love. It’s about her First Gay Party or How she hooked up her Bestie and then stood guard at the door. We need a good blowout fun post and I know that Sammy will deliver. Check out her post on Friday, March 15.

On Friday, March 22nd two authors, Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock will rock your socks (couldn’t resist) about their first date. Much fun ensued! You’ll have to wait for the post to find out what happened after but I assure you it’s one of the best hook-ups. Yes, there was sex, but no touching (at least I don’t think it occurred below the belt) Tune in and log on Friday, March 22nd.

Just over a week ago (on March 1st), I wrote a post about the state of M/M romance from my perspective and that of some of the reviewers on this site. In this post I mentioned a few books and series that I loved however, I don’t want to leave the impression that the books or authors I didn’t mention were on my personal DO NOT BUY list. The danger of naming anyone or book under these circumstances is that people automatically assume that I deliberately meant to exclude the authors I didn’t mention and nothing could be further from the truth. Authors such as Victor J. Banis, Rick R. Reed, Josh Lanyon, Nicole Kimberling, Alex Beecroft, L.A.Witt, Clare London, J.L. Langley, M.L. Rhodes, Sean Kennedy, [Bobby Michaels, Patric Michael and William Neale who left us way too soon], the writing partnership of Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, Jordan C. Price, Ethan Day, J.L. Merrow, Marie Sexton and many others are on my auto buy list. If I didn’t single you out it doesn’t mean that I don’t value your writing or think highly of your books. Obviously my list is not as long today as it was say, 2 years or even 1 year ago, although there are many authors whose work I still value, but space and time won’t permit me to mention their names. However, I  hope they continue writing the kind of books that will make this genre proud as we need all the quality authors we can retain. My thanks to everyone who commented on the post and still continue to do so today. I understand that many authors were upset, even offended, at the post, and felt that it was too negative. I can only say that I have to speak the truth as I see it. This is not about me – if you check out the comments from some of your fellow authors as well as the majority of the readers who responded, you will see that they agree with most of the opinions in the post.

Your comments are important and I will be responding to as many of them as I possibly can. On this site I value the opinions of everyone, whether or not you agree with the sentiments expressed in any of the posts.

On another topic, today Aunt Lynn is giving you naughty winners a poke in the eye because you haven’t claimed your prizes. You need to contact her as soon as possible or she will be on the war path. . The January and February list of MIA winners is now on the site. Check it out for your name in case you won a book or even Randy, that rascal.

This week I hope to post a list of Young Adult books for all of you who love these stories. Remember, there’s little or no explicit sex in YA, but lots of blood and gore.   You have been warned. Oh, I forgot, I wrote about that a few weeks ago.

Reviews posted on the weekend: Blame it on the Cats by E.T. Malinowski reviewed by Val Kovalin; Snow on the Roof anthology reviewed by Lasha; Choices by Grace R. Duncan reviewed by Shy; Velocity (Impulse #3) by Amelia C. Gormley reviewed by Cryselle; The Buchanan Letters by Neil C. Plakcy reviewed by Lloyd Meeker; The Sin Warriors by Julian Farris reviewed by Sirius; Hainted by Jordan L. Hawk; and Slippery When Wet by Laura Baumbach reviewed by Sammy. Please check them out if you haven’t already done so.

Free Books this week

Handle With Care (print) Josephine Myles
Perfect For Me by D.H. Starr
Duty to the Crown by Rebecca Cohen
The Art of Touch by Dominique Frost – Loose id
Chicken Ranch: Recession by Amanda Young – Loose id
Trace Evidence by Alexa Snow – Torquere Books
Breaking the Playboy’s Curse by Charlie Richards – eXtasy Books

Reviews This Week

Andrea: Slam by J.L. Merrow
Leslie: Poacher’s Fall by J.L. Merrow
Larissa: Miles Cross by Rachelle Cochrane
Sammy: Making Ends Meet by K. Piet and S.L. Armstrong; Mannies Inc. by Sean Michael
Cryselle: Vanity Fierce by Graeme Atken; Perfect For You by D.H. Starr
Raine: Iron Eyes by Vivien Dean
Val: Blame it on the Cats by E.T. Malinowski; The Chase by Erin O’Quinn; Locke and Blade by Lynn Lorenz
Sirius: Toughskins by William Masswa;  How To Greet Strangers - A Mystery- by Joyce Thompson
Shy: The Whore of New Slum by T.A. Chase
Lasha:  A Shadow of Wings by Linda Gayle
Wave: Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon

Till next week that’s a wrap.

I now know the name of Jordan C. Price’s latest  in her Notion Potion series. The name of this month’s contribution is Sleep on it. Looking forward to reading it.

Christian is backing up the site and by the time you’re up tomorrow the new one will be live. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all goes as planned.

The Friday Guys made an unplanned appearance last week because I was blue and needed cheering up. Who knows, they may be back on an irregular basis in the months ahead.

As some of you know I did a post on Friday about my thoughts on the future direction of the genre, and Aunt Lynn as well as some of the reviewers on the site contributed their perspective. If you missed it here’s a link.

Today I wrote a post about an uplifting article regarding an unusual adoption in New York City. Here’s the link if you haven’t seen it. If you read similar uplifting stories in the press or online please email me with the relevant links so that I can post them. We all need a lift.

The following reviews were posted on the weekend: All Alone in a Sea of Romance by B.G. Thomas reviewed by Jeayci; The Heir Apparent by Tere Michaels reviewed by Val Kovalin; Collusion by Eden Winters reviewed by Cryselle; Cambion: Season 1: Dark Around the Edges by Cari Z reviewed by Sirius; and Once A Brat by Kim Dare reviewed by Raine. If you haven’t seen these reviews this is your opportunity to check them out now.

Free Books This Week

Deprivation by Alex Jeffers – Lethe Press
Velocity by Amelia Gormley
An Ordinary Boy by Brian Centrone – Seventh Window Publications
Emergency Servicing Anthology – H.L. Holston
A Slave in Skoria by John Tristan – Loose id
Half a Million Dead Cannibals  by Kari Gregg – Loose id
Family Man by Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullinan – Samhain Publishing

Reviews this Week

Raine: Hainted by Jordan L. Hawk
Andrea: Book Fair by Michael Murphy
Lasha: Snow on the Roof anthology
Feliz: Just in Time by E.E. Montgomery
Val: The Heir Apparent by Tere Michaels; The Low Between by Vivien Dean; Just Between Us by Aislinn Kerry
Sammy: Still Life by Jaime Samms; Slippery When Wet by Laura Baumbach
Sirius: The Last Grandmaster by Andrew Q. Gordon; The Sin Warriors by Julian E. Farris
Lenalena: Tell Me It’s Real by T.J. Klune
Lady M: The Tinkered Pinkerton by Helen Louise Caroll
Larissa: Stealing the Dragon by Mell Eight
Shy: Choices by Grace R. Duncan
Barb: Secret Chemistry by Chris T. Kat
Cryselle: Coming Home by Missouri Dalton; Velocity (Impulse #3) by Amelia C Gormley

Until next week that’s a wrap.

So what else is on the menu? GRL 2013 is not too far away. Looks like a fun time in October.    Next year I would like to go to a Sci Fi con. Have you ever been to one? If so, do the attendees dress up like their favourite characters (Spock anyone?) LOL

The following books were reviewed on the weekend: Walking The Prince by Shawn Lane was reviewed by Shy; also by Shy From the Ashes by Kayla Jameth; Val reviewed The Witching Hour by Sophie Beaumont; Dragon Touched by JB McDonald was reviewed by Cryselle; Social Skills by Sara Alva reviewed by Sirius; Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala reviewed by Raine; and The Bell Tower of St. Barnabas reviewed by Larissa. If you haven’t seen these reviews this is your chance to do so.

Free Books this Week

Collusion by Eden Winters
Taming the Bander by Summer Devon – Samhain Publishing
The Heir Apparent by Tere Michaels – Loose id
See the Light by Cassandra Carr – Loose id
Pink Fizz (French Wine 3) by Thom Lane – Loose id
Golden by Sean Michael – Torquere Books
Surviving Elite High by John H. Ames – Budding Moon Press
Perfect For Me by D.H. Starr – MLR Books

Reviews this Week

Andrea: Metal Heart by Meredith Shayne
Leslie S: Weight of a Gun II anthology
Cryselle: Collusion by Eden Winters
Val: The Witching Hour by Sophie Beaumont; The Mayfield Speakeasy by L.A. Witt; Say A Little Prayer by Clare London
Shy: Waking The Prince by Shawn Lane; From the Ashes by Kayla Jameth
Feliz: Taming the Bander by Summer Devon
Raine: Once a Brat by Kim Dare
Sirius: Cambion Episode I: Dark Around the Edges: Heaven’s on Fire by Cari Z
Larissa: Vampirism and You by Missouri Dalton
Sammy: By A Thread by L.A. Witt
Wave: Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon; Blind Faith by N.R. Walker (Sorry, I was supposed to review these books last week)

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Don’t you miss the Friday Guys? I do. Maybe I’ll bring them back soon.

To cheer you up here’s an inspiring vimeo Tj sent me called So God Made a Gay Man. Enjoy!

So God Made A Gay Man (from CrewMagazine.com) from Crew Magazine on Vimeo.

There aren’t any posts this week but have you noticed the number of 2 star reviews on the site? We (reviewers) are getting frustrated because this is across the board in terms of publishers. I’m going to write a post within the next couple of weeks on this topic but I was wondering if you have noticed this trend too and if so, what do you think is the no. 1 reason for poorly written books? The reviews in the next few weeks will demonstrate even better than I can the extent of this problem – I don’t think that we’re becoming more discerning or critical, it’s that the quality of the books we have been reviewing seems to be trending downward.

The following reviews were posted on the weekend:  Raine reviewed Silver/Steele by Belinda McBride; Feliz and I reviewed Laying Ghosts (A Deputy Joe Novel) by James Buchanan; [yes we both reviewed the same book as duelling reviews.] Cryselle reviewed Cover Up by K.C. Burn; and Feliz reviewed Between Now and Then by Adam Fitzroy;

Free Books This Week

Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon
Bound For Keeps (Men of Honor Book 5) by S.E. Jakes (Samhain Publishing)
Barbarossa’s Bitch by Angelia Sparrow
Fragile Bond by Rhi Etzweiler – Riptide Publishing
Strictly Business by Cat Grant
Duet by Eden Winters
Killer Thoughts – A Power Up Story by Marie Harte – Loose id

Reviews This Week

Leslie S: Lust and Skin by Jaime Lowe
Andrea: After the Fall by Alex Kidwell
Sirius: Venetian Masks by Kim Fielding; Social Skills by Sara Alva
Val Kovalin: Succulents by Chris Owen; They Walk Among Us by T.A. Chase; Greenwode by J. Tullos Hennig
Lasha: Snow on the Roof anthology; What Chris Wants by Lori Foster
Raine: Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts by Lynn Gala
Sammy: Trick of Time by J.L. Merrow
Larissa; The Bell Tower of St. Barnabas by Alice Keats
Lady M: In the Dead of Night by Jamieson Wolf
Shy: From the Ashes by Kayla Jameth; Walking the Prince by Shawn Lane
Lenalena: Captive Prince Volume 1 by S.U. Pacat
Cryselle: Dragon Touched by JB McDonald
Wave: Blind Faith by N.R. Walker; Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon

Till next week, that’s a wrap.

This week we have two wonderful posts that I know you’re looking forward to reading.

First, Josh Lanyon is back and he’s written an essay called The Mainstreaming of M/M. Watch for it tomorrow, February 11.

Rick R. Reed’s essay is about Why Do We Love Whom or What We Love?  Although this post will be live on Valentine’s day it’s not exactly what you’re thinking.

On another front, Lori James, Chief Operating Officer of All Romance Ebooks wrote a very interesting post about what’s hot in romance on Dear Author. Some of the information about books rated 5 flames may surprise you. Here’s the link

http://dearauthor.com/ebooks/guest-post-whats-hot-in-romance-from-all-romance-ebooks/

I’m pleased that you like the new feature about positive stories. Of course I can’t promise that I’ll be able to find noteworthy stories every week but I’ll do my best. One reader, Trix, sent me a link to a story about Cory Oskam, a 16 year old transgender hockey goalie in the Minor Leagues who recently shared the ice with his idol Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks. Cory is a role model in the community and is an advocate on issues of homophobia, transphobia, bullying, violence, and discrimination in schools. He was preparing to give a talk at the Dare to Stand Out Vancouver conference on January 21st when his mom told him about skating with Schneider and the Canucks on January 23rd. What an uplifting story!! Here’s the link

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=653098

Trix also reminded me about the You can Play Project that was set up in memory of Brian Burke a college hockey player who died as a result of an accident almost 2 years ago and although he was not in the NHL he was probably the first “out” semi pro player in hockey. You may remember I featured Brian in my Coming Out and Bullying post, Part II 18 months ago. Here’s a link to the You Can Play Project

www.youcanplayproject.org

and my post:

http://tinyurl.com/3mdgu3w

If you have any uplifting stories you would like to share with other readers, please email me with links, subject heading uplifting stories. Thanks.

Reviews this weekend:

Losing Better by Katey Hawthorne reviewed by Jeayci; The Strength of the Pack by Kendall McKenna reviewed by Lasha; I Am Here by Evelyn Shepherd reviewed by Shy; The City of Lovely Brothers by Anel Viz reviewed by Lloyd A. Meeker; Tumbling Blindly by Sue Brown reviewed by Cryselle; Aiden’s Luck by Con Riley reviewed by Sirius; and How to Save a Life by Sloan Parker reviewed by Raine.

Free Books This Week

Japanese translation of Fair Game by Josh Lanyon (3 print copies) – Shinshokan Publishing
Japanese translation of Catch Me If You Can – Romano and Albright  by L.B. Gregg (3 print copies) – Shinshokan Publishing
Open Cover Before Striking by Willa Okati – Loose id
Snowfall by Cameron Dane – Loose id
Once A Brat by Kim Dare – Riptide Publishing
Line and Orbit by Sunny Moraine & Lisa Soem – Samhain Publishing
The Curtis Reincarnation by Zathyn Priest – MLR Books
First Footer by Jules Jones

Reviews This Week

Andrea: Under the Australian Sky by A.J. Kelton
Leslie S: Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
Sammy (who is in New Zealand on vacation): Happily Ever After by C.B. Conwy
Val Kovalin: Plan B by S.J.D. Peterson
Raine: Arcada 2 Silver/Steele by Belinda McBride
Jeayci: Losing Better by Katey Hawthorne
Lasha: What Chris Wants by Lori Foster
Cryselle: Sharing Tomorrow by Michael Barnette; Cover Up by KC Burn
Sirius: Between Now and Then by Adam Fitzroy
Feliz: Sweet as Chili Pepper by Veronica Stone; Laying Ghosts by James Buchanan (duelling review)
Wave: Laying Ghosts by James Buchanan (duelling review); Blind Faith by N.R. Walker.

Some sad news. Jenre who has been with this site the longest as a guest reviewer (about four years) said goodbye at the end of January for personal reasons. I kept hoping that she would stay but I understand why she left. I will miss her as I’m sure will those of you who were fans of her reviews and looked forward to them every Wednesday.

If you speak or read Japanese, Shinshokan Publishing is donating three copies each of Josh Lanyon’s Fair Game and L.B. Gregg’s Catch me if You Can – Romano and Albright. Pass the word on to your friends who read Japanese.

Till next week, that’s a wrap.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/8902198/espnw-brendon-ayanbadejo-speaks-chris-culliver-remarks

When I was going through my files I found this video from 2011. You may have seen it before but it bears repeating. Zach Wahls, an Iowa teen, gave an incredibly passionate speech before the Iowa House of Representatives about the state’s proposal to vote on whether to end civil unions. The quality of the picture and the sound are not optimum but I was so proud of this kid I thought I would run this video again.

Despite Josh’s plea the Republican controlled House of Representatives voted voted 62-37 in favour an amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage which was legal in the state at that time. However shortly after Josh’s speech the Iowa Supreme Court approved marriage equality.

Here’s another story that’s more positive about a very small town Vicco (pop. 335), Kentucky that passed a ban last month on gender or gay bias. Go Vicco.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/us/vicco-kentucky-passes-ban-on-gay-bias.html?hp&_r=0

Coming up this week is an essay by James Buchanan called Who’s in Charge of this Ride Anyway? Log on to find out what he’s talking about.

On Thursday, Jordan Castillo Price is posting another wonderful episode of her Notion Potion series called Need a Trim? You don’t want to miss this.

Next week Josh Lanyon is back with his first essay of 2013 called The Mainstreaming of M/M.

Also, on Valentine’s Day Rick R. Reed is posting an essay he calls Why Do We Love Whom or What We Love?

On Friday, February 15 Feliz and I are writing duelling reviews for James Buchanan’s Laying Ghosts. We haven’t done this on the site in at least a year, maybe more, so it should be fun.

On the weekend the following books were reviewed: Beggars and Choosers by Mia Kerick reviewed by Jeayci; I reviewed Pole Star by Josephine Myles; The Cost of Secrets by Cassandra Gold reviewed by Cryselle; The Last Day of Summer by J.F. Smith reviewed by Sirius; and I reviewed Show and Tell by Kate McMurray.

Free Books This Week

Laying Ghosts by James Buchanan – MLR Books
Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan – Riptide Publishing
Fools Rush by Chris Quinton – Manifold Press
His Best Man by Treva Harte – Loose id
Zephyr Ranch 2 – Naked Truth by Nessa Vincent – Loose id
Superpowered Love: Losing Better by Katey Hawthorne – Loose Id
Metal Heart by Meredith Shayne

Reviews This Week

Val: The Royal Road by Robin Saxon
Lady M: Bush Bashin’ by N.J. Nielson
Andrea: White Knuckled Moments by Madeleine Ribbon
Cryselle: After the BBQ by Matthew Lang; Tumbling Blindly by Sue Brown
Lasha: Strength of the Pack by Kendall McKenna
Feliz: Reactivated by Caitlin West; Line and Orbit by Sunny Moraine and Lisa Soem
Sirius: Aden’s Luck by Con Riley; Love Lessons by Kelly Rand
Lloyd Meeker: The City of Lovely Brothers by Anel Viz
Jeayci: Beggars and Choosers by Mia Kerick
Sammy: Not Like the Movies (Sexy Collge Studs Book 2) by Brien Michaels
Larissa: When Past Comes to Present by R.T. Green
Raine: How to Save a Life by Sloan Parker
Lenalena: Beyond Duty by James Buchanan
Wave: Pole Star by Josephine Myles; Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan

Until next week, that’s a wrap.

Today the challenge of finding the Favourite M/M Author of 2012 is underway. If you haven’t seen the post here’s a link: The voting is fast and furious and if you haven’t voted already you should get yours in for your favourite.

In her most recent post Nicole Kimberling provided some humorous context on a very testy topic – TSTL characters. The essay is called Oh Binky It’s Not Your Fault. If you haven’t read it, it’s well worth your time.

Thank you for all your suggestions about tweaking the content on the site. You can read them here. I’m hoping that more of you will offer suggestions as well as perhaps make a commitment to spearhead some of them. I always welcome help.

Last week Sean Kennedy wrote a very interesting article called Voices Carry about the role of allies in the GBLTQ fight to achieve equality across the board. If you haven’t seen it here’s a link

This week I’ll be interviewing Nathie an incredible artist whose pictures have to be seen to be believed. She only speaks German so Christian translated my questions and her answers. Nathie is not available to answer questions immediately as she’s revamping her server and systems this week so she will be offline the entire week. If you have an important question you would like to ask her, in German or English, I will pass it on and I hope she will be able to get back to you in a few weeks.

Josh Lanyon is returning after a year’s sabbatical. Watch for his first article on Tuesday February 11th, Lincoln’s birthday. I wonder if there’s some significance in the date? I’ll tell you the name of his post next week.

Jordan Castillo Price is continuing her monthly series in February so please check out her newest article next month.

As most of you know, Canada is very progressive about GBLTQ rights and last night Ontario, the Province where I live, elected its first female Premier who is a lesbian. We now have 5 other female Premiers in this country.

Brendon Ayanbadejo is the NFL Baltimore Ravens linebacker who was the first Major League player to speak out about marriage equality. Incredibly he did so in 2008, which brings me to the interview I posted last week of Chris Kluwe, a punter for the Minnesota Vikings on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Chris defended Brendon and has also taken up the fight for marriage equality after a Baltimore politician, Emmett C. Burns Jr., was so incensed last year at Brendon’s very vocal support of same sex marriage that he requested Brendon’s employer to make him cease and desist. After I posted the Chris Kluwe interview, a few bloggers commented that Brendon seemed to have been overlooked by the various media, so I thought I would post one of Brendon’s many appeals to the citizens of Baltimore, Maryland to approve same sex marriage.

Now Brendon plans to use his appearance in the Super Bowl, the biggest sports event in North America with an audience of over 1 billion, as a platform for same sex marriage and anti bullying. Burns must be having apoplexy right about now.

On Friday I said au revoir to the Friday Guys. I refuse to look on it as goodbye but I’m still sad as they have been on the site for almost 5 years. I’m hoping I can bring them back soon, so if you see them hanging around give them a hug for me.

On the weekend the following reviews were posted: Aria by Shira Anthony reviewed by Cryselle; Need by Todd Gregory reviewed by Raine;  and Screwing the System by Josephine Myles reviewed by Sirius.

Free Books this Week

Somebody Killed His Editor audio book by Josh Lanyon
Between Now and Then by Adam Fitzroy – Manifold Press
Keepers Pledge by J.L. Merrow
Poachers Fall by J.L. Merrow
Under the Australian Sky by A.J. Kelton – MLR Books
Travelers 5 Chrysalis Cage by Becky Black – Loose id
Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts by Lynn Gala – Loose id
Table 26 by Kanata Pierre  – Torquere

Reviews This Week

Andrea: Love Means No Limits by Andrew Grey
Val: Mark of the Gladiator by Heidi Belleau & Violetta Vane
Raine: How to Save a Life by Sloan Parker
Sirius: Stage Fright by Pender Mackie; The Last Day of Summer by J.F. Smith
Leslie: After the First Taste of Love by Salome Wilde and Talon Rihai
Feliz: A Highlander in LA by J.P. Bowie
Cryselle: The Cost of Secrets by Cassandra Gold
Sammy: Beaten by Sean Michael
Jeayci: Beggars and Choosers by Mia Kerrick
Wave: Show and Tell by Kate McMurray

Till next week that’s a wrap.

This week I’m interviewing Kris Piet and S.L. Armstrong about their company, Storm Moon Press. The interview will be live on Wednesday.

Nicole Kimberling has written her usual bi monthly column and this time it’s about Too Stupid To Live characters. Check out her post on Thursday – it’s really funny. .

Next week I’ll be interviewing Nathie, an artist who is an incredible talent. This will be a first for the site because Nathie speaks very little English so the interview will be in both English and German. If your native language is German I hope you will drop by to ask Nathie questions and maybe a few volunteers will translate them into English. Should be fun.

If you didn’t see it, here’s a link to Rick R. Reed’s first post as a regular Author Contributor on the site: Coming Out as a Romance Author

This weekend the following books were reviewed:  MNevermind 1: The Persistence of Memory by Jordan Castillo Price reviewed by Jeayci; Raine reviewed Lightning Rod (Broken Mirrors series no. 2) by Vaughn R. Demont; Buda reviewed Out-Foxed (Skyler Foxe Mysteries #3) by Haley Walsh; I reviewed The Other Guy by Cary Attwell; Sirius reviewed Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz; and Cryselle reviewed Angel in the Window by Charlie Cochrane.

My favourite NFL punter, Chris Kluwe, was on Ellen last Friday talking about why gay Major League players don’t come out.

In preparation for the Super Bowl in two weeks watch Chris Kluwe’s incredible kick on Ellen

Free Books This Week

Trick of Time by J.L. Merrow
Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft – Riptide Publishing
The Strength of the Pack by Kendall McKenna – MLR Books
Stage Fright by Pender Mackie – Loose id
Prelude to the Night by Angela Plowman – Loose id
Reactivated (Killer Contingency) by Caitlin West – eXtasy Books

Reviews This Week

Lasha: Something New Under the Sun by L.A. Witt
Feliz: Luck of the Irish by Cindy Sutherland
Andrea: Let it Go by Mercy Celeste
Larissa: Love You Like a Romance Novel by Megan Derr
Sammy: Learning to Love (Michael and Sean) by K.C. Wells
Sirius: Screwing the System by Josephine Myles; Aiden’s Luck by Con Riley (tentative)
Jeayci: MNevermind 1: the Persistence of Memory by Jordan Castillo Price
Raine: Need by Todd Gregory
Cryselle: Aria by Shira Anthony and Las Posadas by Kate Roman
Wave: The Other Guy by Cary Attwell; Changing the Guard by Peter Hansen; and one other book which I promised to review last week

A sad note: This may be the last week for the Friday Guys because a number of artists and photographers are not happy that their photos are posted on various websites without royalties being paid. Since I can’t afford to be sued (this site does not charge for any of its services so there’s no money in the kitty), I think I should be prudent and withdraw from the fray. After more than four years of weekly posts the Friday Guys will take their last bow this week. I may post pictures of the guys occasionally but the weekly column is toast I’m afraid.

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Last week I promised you another feel good story and today I found one about 15 year old Noah St. John in The Advocate that will make you stand up and cheer: No hints this time. http://www.advocate.com/node/220449

Last Reminder:  Keep sending in those nominations for your favourite authors to: Favourite M/M Author in 2012 contest. Nominations  close at midnight this Tuesday, January 14. After that will be the voting for the 5 top nominees to choose a winner. Aunt Lynn will be in charge from here on in. Your favourite author deserves your nomination in order to enter the voting stage of the competition so nominate him or her..

Dreamspinner and Amber Allure Authors: As you know by now, these publishers have ceased their corporate donations and we can no longer offer your books as freebies on the site under their names. Remember, though, you can still continue enjoying the free publicity if you donate your titles under your own name. Write to Aunt Lynn at freebooks [at] reviewsbyjessewave [dot] com if you would like to donate a book. Authors with other publishers already donate their books so they don’t need reminders. Thanks on behalf of the readers to those DSP/AA authors who are now donating their books.

On Friday I wrote a post about Young Adult Romances. if you’re interested in reading it, here’s the link.

Today I announced that award winning author Rick R. Reed will be joining the site as an Author Contributor. If you would like to chat with Rick here’s the link to the post. Rick’s first article will be live on Thursday, January 17 so be sure to log on. I won’t tell you what it’s about, only that he’s a man who can be in two places at once.

On the weekend the following reviews were posted: Black Hawk Tattoo by Aundrea Singer reviewed by Feliz; Brothers in Arms by Kendall McKenna reviewed by Cryselle; Hidden Away by J.W. Kilhey reviewed by Sirius; Black Magic by Megan Derr reviewed by Raine;

Free Books This Week

Second Chance Sam by Bren Christopher – Loose id
Haven 1: How to Save a Life by Sloan Parker – Loose id
Chase the Ace by Clare London
Maloney’s Law by Anne Brooke (2 ecopies)
Shy by John Inman (2 ecopies)
Silver Tipped Justice by Charlie Richards – eXtasy Books
Something New Under the Sun by L.A. Witt – Riptide Publishing

Reviews This Week

Leslie S: The Rule of Sebastian by Shelter Somerset
Feliz: Black Hawk Tattoo by Aundrea Singer; The Bigger they Are, The Harder They Fall by Tam Ames (flash review)
Andrea: Something To Believe In by Sloan Parker
Sammy: Ghost in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe
Raine: Lightning Rod by Vaughn R. Demont
Larissa: Crucible by Mary Calmes
Cryselle: Angel in the Window by Charlie Cochrane
Sirius: Screwing the System by Josephine Myles
Buda: Outfoxed (Skyler Foxe Mysteries #3) by Haley Walsh. I know, I know, this is the third week it’s on the list but Buda promised – definitely this week.
Victor J. Banis: The Butcher’s Son (A Dick Hardesty Mystery) by Dorien Grey
Wave: Show and Tell by Kate McMurray; plus the other two books I promised to review last week. Sorry, I had a huge post and lots of comments.

The boyz are preparing to welcome Rick R. Reed by showing their love. How unselfish of them.

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Here’s a link to an article that will make you feel a bit better. Maybe the world is not such a bad place after all. This is the true story of a gay couple who were harassed while waiting for a pizza in Columbus, Ohio, USA and the reaction of the str8 crowd and the employees of the pizza restaurant:

http://huff.to/YTxEnR

This comment, tweeted by author David Hallman, reminds me why books are so precious “To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music the words make.” ~Truman Capote, McCall’s, November 1967

Reminder:  Keep sending in those nominations for your favourite authors last year to: Favourite M/M Author in 2012 contest. Nominations  close at midnight on January 14 when we’ll move on to the voting where Aunt Lynn will be in charge.

Reminder: If you’re a Dreamspinner author and want to donate your recent releases as a free book on the site, email Aunt Lynn at: freebooks [at] reviewsbyjessewave [dot] com with a copy to me: jessewave [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks to those authors who have already written us.

We’ll be experimenting once more with abbreviated or “flash” reviews (about 200 words) for shorter books between 5 – 7K. Sometimes our reviews are almost as long as the books so we’re going back to something we tried before, but limiting it to very short books. Hopefully this way we’ll be able to get these reviews to you faster so that your credit cards won’t get a break. The first such flash review will be posted this week by Stuart, (I love it when we use Stu in quality control tests so that if they don’t work you can throw spitballs at him and not me)  . Let us know what you think.

Aunt Lynn will be publishing her list of December MIAs today (the books you won but didn’t come back to claim, you dirty scoundrels). I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes because she can be quite stern.

Yesterday we welcomed a new guest reviewer, Lloyd A. Meeker. I’m sure that Lloyd will soon have his own followers on the site.

The following reviews were posted on the weekend: Tristan by K.M. Mahoney reviewed by Cryselle; Dead in LA by Lou Harper reviewed by Lloyd A. Meeker; In the Mirror, a Monster by Marten Weber reviewed by Sirius; Brute by Kim Fielding reviewed by Raine; Beau and the Beast by Rick R. Reed reviewed by Sammy; and I reviewed Frat House Troopers by Xavier Mayne.

Free Books This Week

Show and Tell by Kate McMurray
Something To Believe In by Sloan Parker – MLR Books
When One Door Opens by J.D. Ruskin
Man’s Best Friends by P.A. Brown – Bristlecone Pine Press
Heart of Oak by M. Kei (Pirates of the Narrow Seas series book 4) – Bristlecone Pine Press
Braxton’s Salvation by Stephani Hecht – eXtasy Books
Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino – Riptide Publishing

Reviews this Week

Andrea: Daddy’s Money by Alan Chin
Feliz: Light and Shadow by G.L. Roberts
Stuart: Third Night by Neil Plakcy
Buda: Outfoxed (Skyler Foxe Mysteries #3) by Haley Walsh)
Jeayci: Re-enacting by W.M. Kirkland
Sirius: Measure of a Man by Maggie Lee; Hidden Away by J.W. Kilhey
Cryselle: Brothers in Arms by Kendall McKenna
Larissa: An Angel Gets His Wings by Missy Welsh
Sammy: To Have a Human by Amber Kell
Raine: Black Magic by Megan Derr
Wave: Familiar by M.L. Rhodes; A Boy and His Dragon by R. Cooper; Breaking News by Michael Murphy

The boyz are back in town from their New Year’s gig so you’ll be seeing them this weekend.

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Happy New Year!

Aunt Lynn posted the Guest Reviewers’ Top Ten lists for 2012 and what a haul. If you haven’t seen it you should check out some of the recommendations. Looks like I’ll be buying a few books.

My Top Ten List will be posted tomorrow. As of now I have no idea which one will be my no. 1 so you have to come by on December 31 to see what I think of this year’s crop.

Sometime this week I’ll also post my Top 25 Covers that were on the site this year. Do you have a favourite cover? I would love to hear from you.

Today my last new author flash portrait is online. I hope you will drop by to say hello to Eva Clancy who is just starting out as a published writer. Feel free to ask her any questions.

Last Thursday author Jeff Erno did a post about the launch of a new website dedicated to young adults called True Colorz. Here’s a link to the post if you haven’t seen it.

This week we have an announcement about a new guest reviewer and I hope you will welcome him to the fold.

Also, author Lisa Henry has written a post about Authors Behaving Badly. Be sure to stop by on Thursday January 3rd to read what she has to say.

As I mentioned last week, effective January 1 Dreamspinner will cease its corporate donations on the site. This publisher has been very generous to readers and I would like to express my sincere thanks for its contributions. This is where you come in authors: If you are a Dreamspinner author, previously you didn’t have to do anything and your books would magically appear on the site as a free book. You would reap the benefits of all that free publicity which would translate into book sales, because invariably many of the bidders on your books would buy them if they didn’t win.

Now there’s a change in the game: YOU will have to take the initiative to contact Aunt Lynn at: freebooks [at] reviewsbyjessewave dot com and me jessewave@gmail.com and indicate that you would like to donate your book(s). That’s all you have to do and voila, like magic, your book(s) will be posted on the site as a free book. Please note that any author may donate his/her M/M books by writing Aunt Lynn and me at the above email addresses. Many of you already do.

Reviews posted on the weekend: Dragon’s Lair by JB McDonald reviewed by Cryselle; The Triathlete by Ascher Halden reviewed by Sirius; Bayou Loup (Rougaroux Social Club #3) by Lynn Lorenz reviewed by Lasha; Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane reviewed by Raine; How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Any Lane reviewed by Sammy.

Free Books This Week:

Analyzing Emory by Lily Grace
Sock It To Me Santa by Madison Parker
My Roommates a Jock? Well Crap by Wade Kelly – Dreamspinner Press
The Measure of a Man by Maggie Lee – Dreamspinner Press
Weight of a Gun anthology – Storm Moon Press
Beyond Duty by James Buchanan – MLR Press
A Stranger in Skoria by John Tristan – Loose id
Moonstruck: Lucky Moon 3 by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea – Loose id

Reviews This Week

Buda: Outfoxed: Skyler Foxe Mysteries #3 by Haley Walsh
Andrea: Shy by John Inman
Sammy: One True Thing by M.J. O’Shea and Piper Vaughn; Beau and the Beast by Rick R. Reed
Lady M: Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford
Feliz: Cancel Christmas by Cameron Lawton
Sirius: Naked Tails by Eden Winters: In the Mirror, A Monster by Marten Weber
Crys: Tristan by K.M. Mahoney
Raine: Brute by Kim Fielding
Leslie S: Come Back to Eden by Julia Balfour
Stuart: Xylophone by K.Z. Snow
Wave: Familiar by M.L. Rhodes; Breaking News by Michael Murphy; Frat House Troopers by Xavier Mayne

The guys will be here on Friday, giving away bubbly.

Till next week, that’s a wrap.

The big party is over i.e. the Author Santa Giveaway that happens every year. This makes the 5th year in a row, and for something that started out from such humble beginnings it been a real rush to see how it has grown. We had a quite few server crashes yesterday and with over 10,000 page loads in one day I suppose that’s understandable. This morning the craziness continued after I went to bed at midnight EST (9.00 P.M. on the West Coast) and I’m not kidding when I say I’m sleep deprived because I was awake at 3.00 A.M. yesterday working on the site while the rest of you were asleep. Poor Christian was the recipient of many emails from me at that hour of the morning and I’m sure he wished that I would just go away. Sorry baby, you know I love you to bits.

I left this message on the last post for the Author Santa Giveaway, but it bears repeating here:

I would like to thank all the authors who gave so generously as they have in the past. You guys rock. You always dig deep and I know that all the readers appreciate your gifts.

To Aunt Lynn and her team of elves – Andrea, Feliz, Sirius and Sammy – my heartfelt thanks for all your hard work. You deserve a raise and I think you should see Christian about that. 

To Christian and Lynn    who helped keep the site going throughout the day and avoided a major disaster – I tip my hat to you guys.   Hopefully if we do this again next year the site will be very different and behave with decorum and grace.Thanks again to everyone and goodbye until next year.  

We will be contacting the authors as soon as we can but given the holidays it might take a week or a bit more before you actually receive your books, so be patient. If you have any questions you can email Aunt Lynn –  she’s working on it.

Now on to regular site business. On Christmas day there will be two essays – I was going to go with just one but the other one was so different I thought you deserved to see them both. In the first essay author Lisa Henry paints a picture of what Christmas is like Down Under – here’s a clue, there’s not a hint of snow anywhere or even a cooling breeze.   Blogger Karin gives us a completely different picture of Christmas in the old Dutch tradition, with jolly old Sinterklaas. I hope you enjoy these two stories on Christmas day. I’m not religious but I do celebrate Christmas with my family so I will be away most of the day thinking of you, NOT!!

Very early next year we will be working on a new design for the site where form follows function, meaning that we will have a site that can cope with the current and anticipated load. At the end of the last quarter we had 276 million hits, 4.4 million actual visitors and 50 million page loads over the three years that this site has been in existence. Over the years Christian made some temporary fixes and currently there are 27 plug-ins trying to hold the site together .. . scary! From a technology perspective this can’t continue without some serious impairment in service, so we’re looking into a complete site re-design from the ground up. The new server has helped some but it can’t cope with our current numbers, so we have to undertake some major work (Christian and Lynn since I’m hopeless about technology). I’m telling you this so that you understand we’re taking the current unstable situation seriously and will be delivering a site that’s more in keeping with the high calibre of service you should expect. But more on this later ……

This week will probably be light in terms of the number of posts and reviews because everyone wants to spend time with family and friends including me, but we will still have a lot going on. Tomorrow there’s a major announcement .. no, Christian is not getting married that I’m aware of … and next week we will make another one – we try to keep you guys on your toes. We might even have a surprise review if you were good and didn’t get a lump of coal in your stocking.

Last week we had many essays including a Letter to Santa from the man himself, Ethan Day. If you didn’t see it it’s linked. I also interviewed Josh Lanyon last week and I have linked this interview. Stephani Hecht wrote about the recent cruise she and her son Cody were on – RuPaul Drag Race cruise and here’s a link to the article if you haven’t seen it and last, Damon Suede gave you some Hard Shopping Tips for the holidays. It was a really busy week.

Here is a list of the reviews that were posted on the weekend:  Homo Action Love Story: A Tall Tale by Ben Monopoli reviewed by Sirius; Acceleration (Impulse Book 2) by Amelia C. Gormley reviewed by Cryselle; and I Dont … A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg reviewed by Sammy. All of these reviews are linked.

Free Books This Week

Light and Shadow by G.L. Roberts – Seventh Window Publications
Rougaroux Social Club – Bayou Loup by Lynn Lorenz – Loose id
Not Like in the Movies: Sexy College Studs 2 by Brien Michaels – Loose id
Aiden’s Luck by Con Riley – Dreamspinner Press
Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford – Dreamspinner Press
Breaking News by Michael Murphy – Dreamspinner Press
The Prodigal Brother by Stephani Hecht – eXtasy Books

Reviews This Week

Andrea:  Feeling The Rhythm by S.J. Frost
Sammy: Half Moon Chambers by Harper Fox; How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Amy Lane
Jenre: Blood on the Mountain by P.D. Singer
Sirius: Ethan Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless: The Triathlete by Ascher Halden
Cryselle: Dragon’s Lair by JB McDonald
Raine: Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
Feliz: Free Falling by S.E. Jakes
Jeayci: Happy Hanukkah by Z. Allora
Tj: I Spy Something Christmas by Josh Lanyon

The boyz will be here on Friday as usual, somewhat the worse for wear.

Till next week have a great holiday and if you celebrate Christmas have a wonderful celebration.

Today is the 8th day of Hanukkah and Stuart has written a beautiful essay in which he shares his memories of what the holidays mean to him.

Also today, author Edmond Manning is the third author to be profiled on the site in our short new author flash portrait series. Please check out Edmond’s portrait and feel free to ask him any questions you would like answered.

Coming up on Friday is the long awaited post from Ethan Day. I believe he is preparing his list to Santa even though I told him that some of the items he wants under the tree aren’t really the sort of thing that the Big Man carries around in his sack. We’ll see if he listened to me.

As all of you know, the holiday giveaway which I started 4 years ago as a very modest way for authors to thank their readers, has become one of the biggest, if not the largest online book giveaways. This Saturday, December 22nd, will be the 5th annual giveaway and Aunt Lynn is going crazy with all the last minute details. She will be reminding authors on Tuesday, December 18 about their deadline to submit books, and there will be a post on Thursday December 20 with the instructions and important changes about the splitting of the posts on Saturday, and what to expect. Remember authors, this is your opportunity to show your readers, once again, how much you appreciate them.

I have been doing some research on this guy named Santa Claus and I might write a post about The Santa Myth. Nothing disrespectful, just some observations. 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to author B.G. Thomas who had a knee replaced recently and is now out of the hospital. No dancing for you soon Ben and take care of yourself.

Last week we celebrated with author Rick R. Reed and his new husband Bruce Moynagh the occasion of their marriage.. If you haven’t seen Rick’s post here’s a link

I now have a winner for the Christmas essay and you will love the post -  it’s quite different from what you might expect.

On Wednesday Stephani and Cody Hecht will be talking about RuPaul’s Drag Race and the wonderful time they had on the cruise.

On the weekend the following reviews were posted: Dapper Gentlemen by J. Rocci reviewed by Jeayci; I reviewed From this Day by J.R. Patrick and Jambrea Jo Jones; Brand New Flavor by EM Lynley was reviewed by Cryselle; and Sirius reviewed Rose and Spindle by Hayden Thorne. If you haven’t seen these reviews they are all linked.

Free Books This Week:

Naked Tails by Eden Winters
Room at the Edge by Alexa Snow and Jane Davitt – Loose Id
Dead in L.A. by Lou Harper
Until Thanksgiving by Michael Ruptured – Dreamspinner Press
Blood on the Mountain by P.D. Singer – Dreamspinner Press
Xylophone by K.Z. Snow – Dreamspinner Press
Brothers in Arms by Kendall McKenna – MLR Books

Reviews This Week

Jenre: Room at the Edge by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow
Sirius: Homo Action Love Story by Ben Monopoli; Fall Into You by Posy Roberts
Sammy: Rent Boy by Fyn Alexander: I Dont … A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
Andrea: Mayon by Mickie B. Ashling
Cryselle: Acceleration by Amelia Gormley
Feliz: Wish List by J.J. Cassidy
Leslie: What About Him by E.E. Montgomery
Raine: A Charming Idea by Alex Mar; Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
Jeayci: Dapper Gentlemen by J. Rocci
Stuart is probably still in bed
Lady M: Love Brokers: Mister Romance by L.C. Chase
Wave: Frat House Troopers by Xavier Mayne

The boys are prepping for the holidays and will be undressed, except for their dancing shoes.
Till next week that’s a wrap.

In two weeks Christmas will be here and there will be many more gifts exchanged, after which we’ll all be broke until next year as those credit cards cry “help.”

Today our very good friend, author Rick Reed is getting married to his long time love of nine years, Bruce. Rick and Bruce were the 279th couple to be granted a marriage licence in Seattle, Washington and I expect that the celebrations will be going on late into the night. Rick and Bruce I salute you and wish you many more happy years together.

Tomorrow, December 10, is Christian’s birthday.  I hope you have a wonderful day C. and I promise I won’t be emailing you at all on the big day. You know how much I love you and I wish you were here so that I could give you a big smooch.

Today I’m posting my second new author flash portrait, and this time it’s Jackie Nacht. Please drop by and comment as I know that she would love to meet you and answer your questions.

Aunt Lynn is posting her annual appeal to M/M authors to donate books for our holiday giveaway. Authors, please give generously to the readers who have supported you all year.

On Wednesday, December 12, I’m profiling author Rhys Ford whose books are getting a lot of buzz. I’m sure you know the drill by now - I don’t ask the questions for author profiles, you do, so please feel free to ask Rhys as many questions as you like as she loves to talk, especially to readers.

On Friday December 14 I’m interviewing author Josh Lanyon. Josh is back from his l-o-n-g sabbatical and he will be talking about his plans for next year, all the new books he’s writing that you’ll be dying to read, and what he did on his summer vacation (which is what I call his sabbatical). This will be Josh’s 7th interview on this site and I’m amazed that we still have so much to talk about.

I’m expecting a blog post from an author later in the week but I don’t want to put any pressure on him. If he can make it, it will be a wonderful surprise. Ethan Day is on the schedule for next week and he still can’t decide on the title of his post so it will be either Ethan Day’s Christmas List or Ethan Day’s Letter to Santa- I’m sure there’s a man on that wish list somewhere. I haven’t heard from Damon Suede but I’m still expecting a post from him between Christmas and New Year’s.

Our Kindle Fire giveaway is underway and will be kept open until Tuesday morning when Randy will draw the number of the lucky winner. Poor Randy is sweating bricks for this one. Thank you to all the loyal supporters of this site who use the Amazon links all over the world and were instrumental in our being able to purchase this gift. Please keep using those Amazon links as they help us a lot. We don’t receive money from Amazon but we do get gift certificates which are applied toward the cost of purchasing some of the books reviewed on the site that are not supplied by publishers, as well as other items such as the Amazon Fire.

On another not so pleasant topic, I saw this post on Rick Reed’s blog and I was so appalled at the insensitivity of the people who posted the original article that I had to re-post it. Rick’s son Nicholas responded to this article on Facebook from a group called Heterosexual Awareness that makes me ashamed to be straight. Less than an hour later Nicholas was banned from the site and his response taken down. Here’s the link to Rick’s blog with Nicholas’s comment:

http://tinyurl.com/d7hhrzq

Apparently Facebook didn’t feel that this group’s article crossed the line into hate speech and refused to take it down. I would urge you, if you’re a member of FB and believe in equality and fairness, and would like to protest this group’s message and especially using a child to promote their agenda this is their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/HeteroAwarenessMonth. I commented on the HA page and it took less than 45 minutes for my comment to be removed.  

Over the weekend the following posts and reviews were live: Recommended Reads for November posted by Aunt Lynn; He is Worthy by Lisa Henry reviewed by Cryselle; Close Quarter by Anna Zabo reviewed by Sirius; I wrote a post called Shopping for that Special Man for the holidays with a few unique  gift ideas; The Boys and the Bees by Mari Donne reviewed by Raine. If you haven’t seen these posts this is your opportunity to check them out because they are all linked. Earlier in the week Nicole Kimberling write a post about 2012 YAOI Finds and Jordan Castillo Price posted her 8th essay in her Notion Potion series – Probing the Problem. These posts are also linked for those of you who haven’t seen them. I urge you to check them out.

Free Books This Week

Love Brokers: Mr. Romance by L.C. Chase – Loose id
Sacred Hearts: Tarnished Souls 3 by Dev Bentham – Loose id
More Than This by Lissa Mathews – Loose id
Dark Angels/Happy Hanukkah by Z. Allora – MLR Books
Fatal Shadows audiobook by Josh Lanyon
Demon Dog by Ally Blue – Samhain Publishing
Free Falling by S.E. Jakes
By Chance by Cat Grant
Adam’s Unicorn by Astrid Cooper – eXtasy books
Daddy’s Money by Alan Chin – Dreamspinner Press
Burning It Down by Christopher Koehler – Dreamspinner Press

Reviews This Week

Sammy: Dark Space by Lisa Henry; Demon Dog by Ally Blue
Shlomo: Eight Days by Cardeno C.
Andrea: His Salvation by J.R. Loveless
Sirius: A Shiny Tin Star by Jon Wilson; Rose & Spindle by Hayden Thorne
Aunt Lynn: Dumb Jock 3: Appearances Matter by Jeff Erno
Raine: Need by Todd Gregory
Jeayci: Fighting Addiction by B.A. Tortuga
Cryselle: Brand New Flavor by EM Lynley
Feliz: Fearless by Cat Grant
Jenre: All Wrapped Up anthology edited by Elizabeth Hyder.
Wave: I was very busy looking for love online so I haven’t decided which of the many books I’m behind on I will be reviewing this week. There will be at least one review – just not sure which one. It’s like potluck.

I have a special encore performance of the Friday Guys this week. Hope you enjoy it.

Till next week that’s a wrap.

Speaking of presents, Aunt Lynn and I have a huge surprise for you guys, but you will have to bribe Randy big time with chocolates and wine if you want to win it. Check out Aunt Lynn’s post this week.

We have other great gifts for you this month. Loose id is giving away one copy of each M/M book released in December as a holiday present to readers. Isn’t that wonderful?

An anonymous source sent me this link which broke me up. Lance Briggs who is a linebacker for the Chicago Bears apparently was the inspiration for an article on the CBS local station entitled: Briggs on Viagra In NFL: ‘There’s Gonna Be A Lot Of Dangerous Boners On The Field’. It seems that there’s a new performance enhancing drug in the NFL these days and it’s Viagra. A lot of players are going to get poked in no man’s land.  Everyone’s trying to get an edge … but using Viagra? Can you picture pro football players getting an erection on the field and having an orgasm during a game?

http://tinyurl.com/blzcw7o

Raine sent me this vimeo of England’s Naked Rowers (bad Raine). I thought you would enjoy it as much as I did and it’s all for charity. Heh! Here it is – the 2013 calendar from the hot rowers at the University of Warwick Boat Club.

Warwick Rowing 2013: Brokeback Boathouse from Progressive Media on Vimeo.

Nicole Kimberling is doing a YAOI round-up on Tuesday, December 4. Be sure to check out her post if you’re a YAOI fan.

I haven’t done a fun post in a while so this week I’m writing about holiday gift giving. If you have any ideas about inappropriate gifts for men be sure to email me at: jessewave at gmail dot com with pictures of the items in question and links to your cheeky suggestions. The raunchier the better. Check out the post on Friday because the time to buy gifts for your favourite man is getting pretty short.

Later this month Ethan Day promised a holiday post for you. I have no idea what it’s about (and I’m sure neither does he) but I suspect it might be something along the lines of Ethan’s grown-up Christmas wishlist or his letter to Santa.

Also, not to be outdone, Damon Suede is putting together his holiday post.

Today the first new M/M author portrait will be posted. Be sure to check it out. I’m sure that Brad Boney will be looking forward to your questions and comments.

This past week author P.D. Singer was interviewed on the site. If you haven’t seen this interview here’s the link.

Also, Aunt Lynn posted a list of missing book winners since August, so head over there to check out if maybe you won something and didn’t see. Books winners need to contact her within the next ten days or no goodies!!

On the weekend the following reviews were posted: Cupid Knows Best by S.A. Garcia reviewed by Cryselle; Forever (Spy vs Spook) by Tinnean reviewed by Sirius; What Happens Next (movie) reviewed by Lasha; Half Blind by Christine Price reviewed by Raine; and Day of the Dead by Erik Orrantia reviewed by Stuart. If you haven’t seen these reviews this is your opportunity because I linked them.

Free Books This Week

Homo Action Love Story by Ben Monopoli
Out-Foxed by Haley Walsh – MLR Press
I Don’t ….. A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
From Out in the Cold by L.A. Witt – Loose id
Dark Space by Lisa Henry – Loose id
Silver/Steel by Belinda McBride – Loose id
To Have a Human by Amber Kell – eXtasy Books
He is Worthy by Lisa Henry – Riptide Publishing
Eight Days by Cardeno C – Dreamspinner Press
The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen – Dreamspinner Press

Reviews This Week

Leslie S: Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford
Stuart: The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney
Andrea: Florida Heat by D.J. Manly
Lady M: Be My Bad Boy by Faolin Kurayami
Jenre: Bittersweet by Dallas Coleman
Sammy: The Road to Byron by Isabelle Rowan
Sirius: Close Quarters by Anna Zabo
Raine: The Boys & the Bees by Mari Donne
Cryselle: He is Worthy by Lisa Henry; Fanged Halloween by Winnie Jerome
Jeayci: Dex in Blue by Amy Lane
Feliz: An Immovable Solitude by S.A. McAuley
Wave: From Out in the Cold by L.A. Witt (this is in addition to the reviews I didn’t finish last week)

I have some sad news to pass on. Our pal Tj lost both his parents within 24 hours of each other last week. I know he is devastated right now but he will be comforted to know you’re thinking of him. As you may remember, only weeks ago Tj survived Hurricane Sandy and was without power and other basic services for weeks. Now to suffer this double tragedy is heartbreaking.

Till next week, that’s a wrap.

I hope you’re having a good Sunday. Now that all the Black Friday craziness is over in North America, gird your loins for Cyber Monday. We’ll all be broke WAY before the holidays.

Now we’re finding out about some of the nefarious plots to stop marriage equality from passing in the 4 states where it was on the ballot in the recent US elections. In one such case, according to Buzzfeed and HuffPost, NBC News for which Chelsea Clinton works on a part-time basis, wielded its big stick and “stopped backers of a key marriage equality measure in Washington State from using a video featuring Chelsea urging voters to support a state-wide referendum on gay marriage.” Here’s a link to the article:  (If you’re not interested just jump to the next article about chickens which is all fun)

http://tinyurl.com/ane8lkt

However, all was not lost and Washington along with 3 other states approved marriage equality. In Maine, Maryland and Washington, voters approved or ratified same-sex union initiatives on the ballot. In Minnesota, voters rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have banned it.

Morgan Freeman recently joined the Human Rights Campaign to post his own ad for marriage equality.

On the flip side here is a link to an amusing cookbook called Fifty Shades of Chicken” which is a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey. I downloaded the sample from Amazon and it cracked me up so much that I bought the book, in print. Whether you’re a cook or can’t boil water you will want your own copy of this book. Too bad I can’t review it here – I think the chicken in question is female. Here’s the trailer:

On to our regular news. This week I’ll be interviewing author P.D. Singer. This interview is scheduled to run on Wednesday, November 28.

Soon Aunt Lynn will be putting out a call to M/M authors to donate books for the Big Ass Holiday Author Giveaway. I know that both authors and readers can’t wait for this annual event which is now so popular it has its own zip code.

This weekend the following reviews were posted: Sirius reviewed Fifteen Shades of Gay (for Pay) by T. Baggins; Cryselle reviewed Bone Slip of the Tongue by ID Locke; I reviewed The Last Stop: USA by Johnny Miles; and Raine reviewed Scars by Lynley Wayne. If you haven’t seen these reviews this is your opportunity to do so.

Free Books This Week

Falling Into Place by Tia Fielding (signed paperback)
Mark of the Gladiator by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane – Riptide Publishing
Feeling The Rhythm by S.J. Frost – MLR Press
The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney – Dreamspinner Press
Learning to Love: Michael & Sean by K.C. Wells – Dreamspinner Press
His Salvation by J.R. Loveless – Dreamspinner Press
To Bi Or Not To Bi by Marc Jarrod – eXtasy Books

Reviews This Week

Raine: Half Blind by Christine Price
Stuart: Day of the Dead by Eric Orrantia
Jenre: Beauty in the Breakdown by E.L. Esch
Sirius: Forever by Tinnean
Andrea: My Fair Dork by Daisy Harris
Lasha: What Happens Next (movie) – tentative
Sammy: Burnished By Fire by Andrew Grey
Cryselle: The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek by Piper Vaughn and Xara X Xanakas; Cupid Knows Best by SA Garcia;
Wave: Darwin’s Natural Selection by Katie Allen; From This Day by Jambrea Jo Jones and J.R. Patrick; Heartwood by Emily Carrington (if time permits)

The boyz will be here on Friday.

Till next week that’s a wrap.