The Gay Man Inside...

Ooops, oh there I am! 


If you haven't figured out by now, Michael Mandrake is not really a guy. He's the character I made up to represent the gay man inside me that wishes to write stories of overcoming the trials and tribulations to gain a loving homosexual relationship.


A lot of people had not found this out until I started posting as Michael on my Facebook late last year. Some have still not figured it out. ;) 


There's also those who still dunno what to call me. Rawiya, BLMorticia, Michael, or Sharita. The answer? Call me anyone of them and you'll get a response. *laughs*

So, you ask, why is it a hetero woman would take on the identity of a man to get her story across?


Well, at first, I thought like a a lot of other female writers do. That I'd be shunned by the gay male public if they found out I was a woman. Of course, because of not knowing any better, I outed myself pretty early. *laughs* My bio in the STARbooks release, The Wretched, says happily married housewife. Did anyone notice?


I also did it a tad later in a blogpost at Bianca Sommerland's place. Why? Because very early on, I found a lot of other females who write gay male fiction under a fem name or their own name.  Also, I found out true fans of gay male fiction don't care what your gender is. I've been embraced by the gay male community with a couple of emails from gay men ho have loved my work.


If I had it to do all over again, would I write under Sharita Lira? Nope. Why you say? Because being Michael Mandrake has made me sort of a celeb. He's my most active pseudonym, he's also the most successful, and usually when I come up with an idea, it's something he would write. Yep, my muse is his own person. Real, just as your child talks about having imaginary friends, he is mine. This one is my favorite. 


So, in closing Michael thanks everyone for being a big fan. The love you guys show on this blog by visiting, looking at pics, commenting etc is a big reason why I've had success. Michael is a known person in authors circles and because of it, I'll continue to write as Michael as long as the world will have me. *grin*


I hope Rawiya and BL will achieve that same love. I know they will and look forward to bringing more lively stories from all three in the not so distant future.

Why did I write this post? As a fitting intro to a great month to come. So many authors decided to come on board and talk about gay fiction and or writing and what it means to them. They're also giving away books all month long as will I and a couple of prizes as well. It's my way of saying thank you to all the wonderful people who visit my blog, who follow etc. A great way to celebrate my fave month of the year, too. PRIDE! Where in many parts of the US, people celebrity the LGBT culture.


I look forward to all the great content that is to come and thank all in the author community for their great support as always.


Michael is very appreciative...