Friday, October 11, 2013

Welcome to the Slippery When Wet Blog Hop - CONTEST

Greetings to all. Welcome to the Slippery When Wet Blog hop hosted by author Hennessee Andrews. This hop is to promote manlove and how great it really is. Here's a blogpost from Shar about why she... or WE love writing it!


My post is a bit of an update from the first few posts I made about the same subject. Since I’ve been around the past two years I’ve learned a lot and I wanted to restate the reasons why I love it.

In the beginning, it was about it being taboo, it made me hot, etc but now, it’s more about my enjoyment for writing romance. I discover with every story I write, I’m putting a little bit of myself in every character, whether it’s my snarky side, my long winded, my love for the overdramatic. Notice I said, overdramatic, doesn’t make me a drama queen! *snicker* I do love the tension but occasionally, I love a story without all the heartache. I like the fluff as my favorite fellow writer put it.
Ever since I was a teen, I loved reading stories about romance and two people falling for one another. It started with the cutesy Harlequins or my grandma’s Barbara Cortland novels and then I wanted to know more about the steamy with Fern Michaels and Jackie Collins. In many people’s eyes, those writers put together smut but hey, it had a romantic element, or tried to. *grins* The bottom line is, it opened the door for what we know now as erotic romance.

Then I started getting into Anne Rice and much later, Zane, who writes erotica as well. The common thread? In those stories there was something about two people connecting, finding a common ground, and maybe love somewhere along the way. Perhaps it wasn’t clearly stated, but reading between the lines, you saw something in those characters that made you enjoy that book.

And so, that spurred me into wanting to write my own but it wasn’t until I gained the confidence through encouragement from friends and the fanfic community did I get the courage to publish. It took me a while but here I am. Now, just like the writers before me, I enjoy writing about two people connecting. Most of the time, I just like them to be two men. Other than the genitalia, what’s the big difference? Men have feelings, desires; they have their ultimate partner just like women do. They have hang-ups, fears, some express their feelings openly, some do not. Why should writing m/m be singled out?

Sure, a lot of men might fit what society calls a “real man” but in Shar’s world, the characters may not always fit that mold. They’re unique, most of the time imperfect, not always what America considers as everyday males. They debunk stereotypes, cross over boundaries, they’re human to me and they connect. I love that the most and as much as I am a feminist, I love writing about the opposite sex.

So my ideas are better defined. Yeah it still makes me hot, I love the taboo, but most important, I just love writing romance and the fact that it’s between two men, shouldn’t be a big deal. It is after all about human interaction. I enjoy it, and God willing, I’ll continue to do to for years to come.

Thanks for listening.
Overall Series Blurb
The N’awlins Exotica/Paranormal series
The city of New Orleans is rich in tradition, diverse, and known for the inspiration it provides. In the “Big Easy” there lies the hunger for the erotic as well as the unknown. The residents here feel that sexual energy and it reveals itself through their various creative activities.
Join the characters as they take a wild ride on the edge, enjoying their town for all it has to offer. There’s a certain magic in the air, an erotic magic that cannot be ignored.



I Like Em Pretty Book Blurb
New Orleans is supposed to be the big easy. One night changes everything for Frankie Choteau. 

New Orleans. A city rich in tradition, diversity, and on the comeback trail from hurricane Katrina. Francois “Frankie” Choteau, a resident of this town, a cop with a hot temper and low tolerance for bs. Kajika Fortier, a transplant from Oklahoma came here looking for a dream and unfortunately it’s turned into a nightmare. On a hot summer night, they meet and cross paths during a very difficult situation. Despite this, the attraction between them is evident and loneliness for both men is a fate worse than death. They’d both like a chance at happiness but will the circumstances and Frankie’s uneasiness prevent their happy ever after?

Read chapter one here

Michael Mandrake pens complex characters already comfortable with their sexuality. Thorough these, he builds worlds not centered on erotica but rather the mainstream plots we might encounter in everyday life through personal experiences or the media. To find out more please visit http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com.

Author Sharita Lira: In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

This happily married mother of two beautiful children loves music, computers, reading, and still enjoys reading and writing fanfiction. She’s a proud member of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, as well as an advocate for rights of LGBT citizens.  She’s also a contributor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net.


For more information, please visit http://www.thelitriad.com as well as her Facebook fanpage, The Literary Triad.

* * * *

Alright then. So know you know why we love m/m romance, here is a contest. For us, we'll do a 5 GC, a book from Shar's backlist, and a special prize from the I Like Em Pretty group. 

The hostess, Hennessee Andrews is giving away a 50GC from Amazon so make sure you visit all the blogs to comment. Here are the others doing this hop!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with you. I love me a bit of fluff sometimes. There's something about reading a story with fluff that makes me smile and has me thinking that the world is indeed an amazing place to be in :D.

siteno.ebulu@gmail.com

ceagles said...

Hi. Your story sounds familiar except I haven't gotten to the righting part yet. ;) I've enjoy your work.

Chris
ceagles48218@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Imperfect characters are the best! :)

Urb said...

Lol, I'm not the only one who started with Harlequins?? Good to know!
Urb
brendurbanist@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I always thought the stereotypical "real men" protested too much--being secure in yourself is much hotter than machismo!

vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

nancy said...

Got I Like Em Pretty and I liked em. Count me in please.

Unknown said...

Sounds like a good read. Please count me in.

Unknown said...

I love a bit of fluff too. Thanks for sharing.
Lisahelo(at)outlook(dot)com

Evil Tammy said...

Am so glad I'm following this blog hop! I've been finding so many "new to me authors" that my wish list is going to be enormous by Christmas! Thanks for sharing and being a part so that I could find you! :)

Debby said...

I have read several of your books but not this one. I must add it to my list.
debby236 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Other than the genitalia, what’s the big difference? Men have feelings, desires; they have their ultimate partner just like women do. They have hang-ups, fears, some express their feelings openly, some do not. Why should writing m/m be singled out?

So true!
I think it's singled out because it's special. Special people with special tastes are rarely understood. M/M writers shouldn't feel bad others aren't as special as them :P

shayla.mist@gmail.com

gigi said...

Love your stories!


gisu29 at gmail dot com

Bobbie B said...

I love romance period. The hotter the better and I don't care how many letters of the alphabet are in the mix. I started with Harlequins too!!

Bobbie B

mamaboo7907 at gmail dot com

magic5905 said...

Haven't read any of your books yet.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

bn100 said...

Sounds interesting

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Nicki said...

I love your reasons for writing and liking mm romance, my reasons for reading it are similar to yours. Hope I get a chance to read one f Shar's books!

Nidabland@msn.com

Sherry said...

I love your stories and would love to read this one too. Thanks for the giveaway.
sstrode at scrtc dot com

Anonymous said...

Those are wonderful reasons for writing, and I couldn't agree more. Romance in all its forms should be shared and celebrated. Thanks for being part of the hop and sharing with all of us!

Carolyn
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com

laurie said...

Imperfect characters are the best! :)

Dovile said...

I'm just a reader, not a writer, so your reasons for writing m/m was quite interesting to me. Thanks for sharing!

spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

Ashley E said...

The reasons for reading and writing m/m can be all over the board, but alot of it seems to come down to one thing: the romance. It doesn't matter the gender, love is love.

ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

Yvette said...

Fluff can be good! Love your work.
Yvette
yratpatrol@aol.com

Unknown said...

I love your work! Thank you for the chance to enter. Wendynjason04@gmail.com

Shadow said...

Hi! Great post! I do love some fluff! Makes the stories a bit more interesting! :) Thanks for sharing! Very fun!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com