Winners for the HAHAT and I Like Em Pretty Blogtour!

Greetings readers,

I'd like to thank everyone who visited my blog for the HAHAT the past few days

So sorry I'm late announcing but I have a bunch of prizes to send out and wanted to announce them all at once so I could send them all at once.

Here are our winners from the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Day #1 Kimberly FDR Jewelry from ILEP

Day #2 Penumbra 5GC from Starbucks or Amazon

Day #3 Carolyn A GC with Swag

Day #4 Debby ILEP Jewelry

Day #5 Laurie Peterson Swag and book from backlist

Also the winner of the grand prize from the ILEP tour this month 

Meghan! Woot

She wins a box full of prizes including:

A New Orleans Tee from Kenina

A coffee cup from Frankie

A necklace from Vance

Copy of Magic Mike From Kajika & Naomi

15 Starbucks GC from Orrin

Beads from Shar and Michael

Also, the winning blog for a jewelry item is

Melissa Kendall

http://mkendallauthor.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/spotlight-i-like-em-pretty-by-michael.html

Thanks so much to all who commented! 

I'll be doing another big giveaway for ILEP at the end of June with a similar prize to the blogtour. 

Stay tuned!

Hop Against Homophobia Article #6 - Sharita Lira

And now to close out the Hop is the head. She's got a very important message!

* * * *

Greetings readers! Today I wanted to chat about marriage equality and this hits closer to home especially for me. How far away is your state from making marriage equality into a law?

First, marriage equality, to me, is a term used to describe the act of two people getting married regardless of what gender and obtaining the same legal rights. Why shouldn’t two people who love each other be able to get married? What’s all the big fuss about?

For some odd reason, some individuals think it’s not right for same sex couples to marry. They attempt to push their own morals on someone else even when it has nothing to do with them. In my opinion, this is wrong in so many ways. I liken it back to the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s when several states passed laws against people of different races getting married. They called it anti-miscegenation. (From Wikipedia Miscegenation (/mɪˌsɛdʒɨˈneɪʃən/; from the Latin miscere "to mix" + genus "kind") is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage,cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation) In reality, why should the government be able to dictate someone’s personal life? Shouldn’t a big step like this be up to the two people involved and not anyone else? I’d say so.

For years now, we’ve heard the terms, the statistics, and all the facts showing the positive effects of marriage equality and now, they’re even hitting my home state. As compared to other big cities like New York and California, Illinois has always been the more conservative of all the three. However, this state continues to grow in leaps and bounds, becoming more of a melting pot and in my opinion it’s about time the government recognized people’s right to get married. Why should it matter whether it’s a man and woman, 2 women or men, or two bi or transsexual individuals? Its two people who’d like to show their love for one another legally.

I’m excited about the news to come in the months ahead and looking forward to seeing all the lovely pictures of people getting their licenses from the state of Illinois. Wouldn’t be great to see it happen before gay pride this year? I think so. Regardless, it’s time for all states to get on the ball and make it happen. No one should be denied the choice to love who they want to love!

Thanks for listening to me today.

* * * *

Thanks Shar and that will conclude the HOP! Woot! So, what did you learn? Hopefully a lot. The GLBT community needs support from its allies. And you can do that in several ways. Support the organizations that help GLBT youths, marriage equality, and human rights! Do what you can to make yourself heard!

Make sure you comment on the blogs for your chances to win swag and GC's. Winners will be announced in a couple of days!

Make sure you check out the other hoppers!

Hop Against Homophobia Article #5 - BLMorticia

And day number 5. Almost done with the hop! It's been tons of fun too. Here is a post by wicked sis, BLMorticia. She always shocks you with her humor!

;)

* * * *

Greetings fans. Okay so, guys, you’re sitting there with your hot wife, girlfriend, or both… *snicker* and you’re watching this great movie. No, it’s not a porn but it might have a scene you didn’t expect to see, something you weren’t looking for when you scanned the backside cover reading about the flick. What is it?

Ahh! No it couldn’t be! Its, its’ A HOMOEROTIC SCENE! Wha? What’s that?

Ooh you know, it’s a gay scene, you know two men kissing, groping, maybe one drops to his knees like he’s about to give the other a blow job? *laughs* “Fuck no! I can’t watch this!” Quickly you get up, so fast you almost trip and fall on your face. You storm out the room and into the kitchen to have a drink!

*Giggles*

This hilarious scene is what Shar experienced when she watched the movie Dorian Grey with her husband. 

Oh boy! What did you think was going to happen? Did you think this little scene would do something to your brain and make you suddenly want to be with a man instead of your hot girl(s)? Good grief!

The article where Shar mentions this as well as a HILARIOUS tweet from one of my fave writers Daisy Harris, made me want to write this blogpost. She tweeted about her book, Built For It, which is on my buylist. Her message, which was tongue in cheek, “My book is so hot, it turned my husband gay!” #falseadvertising. A little memo for those who don’t Tweet. #hashtag might get people to notice the message more because it’ll trend. It certainly caught my eye and I let her know how funny that was. Then I got to thinking, is that the fear straight men experience when they don’t want to watch a gay scene or read a book that has homoerotica?

Sounds silly doesn’t it? Like it’s some kind of plague or something and as Shar points out in her article, these are the same men who say they aren’t homophobic. Oh but you are, man! Dammit what’s a phobe?

Anyway, no offense to Shar’s man and many across the globe, or fuck maybe you need to be offended.  If you think seeing these kind of scenes are an issue, you may need to get a clue. There’s nothing wrong with seeing two men or women kiss on screen or reading it in a book. It’s quite hot actually!

Doesn’t turn you on? Okay, that’s your prerogative if it doesn’t but really? Must you run away from it? C’mon! No big deal. “I just don’t want to see that.” Yeah Shar feels that way when a slasher scene comes up in a horror movie. It’s a fear of what she see’s, that my dears is phobic. Same thing applies to you men who runaway from a movie PHOBIC, say it with me, P-H-O-B-I-C! Homophobic.

Are you offended? Oh well. It’s just my opinion. I can understand if you don’t want to watch a porn with nonstop male male action, it might be a bit much but a kissing scene? C’mon. It makes your girl hot! Most women love the homoerotic! She quivers and curls her toes when reading a BL love scene, gents. Get with it. This is good for you in the long run, isn’t it? You get more sex if she’s aroused. DUH!

We’ll talk more about that later. Right now, leave me your rants. Why are you so afraid? Do you feel it will turn you gay? And oh shudder, if it did, is it a problem that it turned you on? Hell, not for me. It’ll make me love you more!

* * * *

Ah BL you really don't care about pissing people off do you?

Well anyway, if you're not too offended, comment to win for this contest!

CONTEST #5 Swag! Oh some postcards and if there's a lot of comments, another gift from ILEP!

Next promo from BL her book from NNP Candyman! Follow this link to read more.

Make sure you check out the other hoppers.

Hop Against Homophobia Article #4 - Sharita Lira

Greetings folks! And yet another article for the Hop Against Homophobia event! WOOT! This one is by the head, our slave, Sharita Lira!

*  * * *

What? Ahem... *clears throat* 

Today, I’m blogging about being in the closet or on the down low about reading gay fiction. I’d like to thank, fellow gay fiction author, Christopher Koehler for this idea since it came up in the interview I did with him a while back.

Are you, as readers, ashamed to admit you enjoy gay fiction or erotica? Does it bother you that you have it in your library? I’m wondering because there are a lot of people out there with opinions or valid reasons and since I’m one of the authors contributing to the Its Raining Men blog, I decided to bring it up.

A while back on one of our blog posts, we had a commenter say she wouldn’t be able to join the Facebook IRM page because her friends or friends of friends not liking the fact she reads gay fiction. In other words, she was concerned she’d receive even more flack if the page profile showed up on her personal page.

Now, let me preface this by saying I will not get into anyone’s personal business by getting involved in discussions between friends or relatives. However, I’m miffed as to why what you read would bother someone that claims to care about you.

Here’s another example. Does it bother those same people that you read Steven King, who often writes stories about murders, horror, and such or are they concerned about the vampire stories by Anne Rice that have homosexual overtones?

Again, it’s only an opinion but I'd love to understand why someone would be offended by what you read. DO they think you’ll become gay by reading it? *laughs* OH SHUDDER. Will you become a psychopath by reading Carrie? Hope not!

Why is it when we talk of something unacceptable by friends or family, it involves the gay community? The bottom line is, the hetero women, married ones especially, love gay fiction! In the two years that we’ve ran the IRM blog, the majority of visitors to our Facebook are women. UNREAL right? It shows up on our insights. Yep, Facebook is following you! Gay writings are very “hip” these days. And the number of female gay fiction romance authors and readers increases by leaps and bounds everyday which means lots of ladies love it. Why be ashamed? Why let your friends dictate what you are and what you enjoy? In my opinion, they aren’t people who care about you but again, that’s only my opinion.

Even if this were true in my case, I wouldn’t allow my friends or family tell me what to read or write. My mom is a Jehovah’s Witness and is very aware that I read and write gay fiction. So is my husband, my 14 year old son, and my little brother. My friends are my fans, even those who don’t read gay romance. Do they understand that I read and write it? Probably not. Do I care? NO!

I’m sure this blog will piss a lot of people off but the bottom line is, everyone has their own thoughts and these are mine. I’m sure a lot of people who write and read some blogs aren’t into gay fiction or m/m but as a writer, the internet, specifically blogs, is a perfect place to express our thoughts. In no way is my intention to change anyone’s mind, only to invoke conversation.

So, in closing, how do you feel about it? Are you hiding your enjoyment of gay fiction? Are you concerned about what your family and friends think about our choice? If so, why? Your enjoyment is your pleasure. It shouldn’t have to be hidden. You are your own person and should be able to like what you like.

Now go out there and support your gay fiction authors. *laughs* I’m joking. Do what you feel you need to but, in my opinion, you should “come out” from under the cover’s ladies and gentlemen because no one should be able to steer you away from the simple pleasures you enjoy.

Live your life for you!

* * * *

That's right, Shar and buy more gay fiction and m/m romance! Especially ours! Ahem...

Now for the next giveaway!

CONTEST 5: Some swag. Another giveaway from ILEP

Next promo Under the Gun 2 is coming out next month. Read more about the Hardy and Day series in this link

Check out the other bloggers!

Hop Against Homophobia Article #3 - Rawiya

Alright then! Hope you've enjoyed the posts so far. Please welcome in other sister muse, Rawiya with an article about Interracial m/m!

Today, I wanted to speak about a topic I love which is interracial romance. I write them all, M/F, M/M, and ménage but I’ll focus on m/m mostly.

A while back, I did two articles about interracial m/m romances. One appeared on IRM and another one on Sizzling Hot Books. The response on the IRM was greater with many writers chiming in talking about being intimidated to write a multi cultural romance because they’d get the characters wrong.

*blinks*

In the case of m/m and m/f and really any writing for that matter, I don’t believe you can necessarily get it wrong unless you’re doing a non-fiction or historical book where your facts should be correct.

Now by no means am I saying you should just jump into it blindly. You can do a little research about the characters if you as the writer are of a different race than them but really, can you get it “wrong?”

When I think of people mentioning getting something wrong in this instance, I immediately think of the racial stereotypes. You know them because of the way the media portrays characters on sitcoms or even dramas. This media could also include books that might make their characters a certain way. However, in my estimation, this shouldn’t be the focus of any story, romance or not. It should be the characters and how their story develops throughout.

Since I wrote the blog posts I have found many more m/m IR romances and enjoyed quite a few. I fully intend to read more m/f in the future but for now, I’ll let you know what I’ve figured out while reading a few m/m stories.

In truth, most writers I’ve read didn’t bring any stereotypes into their tales at all unless it was part of the plot. What a welcome surprise too since the couple of books I’d read at first did exactly the opposite. I gathered they did their stories and made the characters relatable to anyone who read them instead of focusing on the racial differences. This allowed me to enjoy the stories even further and not wince when I came across the style of dress or the way the character talked. All the characters in the books were presented as intelligent and weren’t drawn up from what the writer might have seen on TV or even on the street. Thank goodness! Nothing would be worse for me to read a story that made me cringe.

So in regards to m/m, m/f, or ménage interracial romance the focus should be on the love between them and not the differences in their nationalities. As far as the Triad is concerned, we do exactly that. BL of course has My Lieutenant where the black character is a retired officer in the Navy and talks less slang than his white counterpart. Michael’s first m/m IR romance is through No Boundaries Press called Under the Gun. His character, Malik Day has been discharged under DADT but there’s no mention of the differences between him or his potential lover, Camdyn Hardy.

Me? Well in my first novella of the Something New on the Menu series, Time to Make the Donuts, my supporting character Andre is a smooth talker but doesn’t fit into the stereotypical black man. It’s true it might be easier for me to write from the “black” perspective since I am black but what of other ethnicities? I have a story on the docket with an Asian man as my main character. In this instance, I do intend to find stories about Asian or rather, Korean men just to learn something about the culture not any stereotypes. This won’t be easy but necessary so I can write the tale effectively and true we should do the same just so we give our readers reality but you can’t really get it wrong.

You’re writing about two living, breathing human beings and that, all of us can relate to.

CONTEST #3 Comment and enter into a chance to receive a GC with swag from Rawiya!

Rawiya's IR Romances bring color to the TRIAD. Her latest is m/m is Sugar Daddy, through NNP

Click the book to find out more

Check out the other bloggers!

Hop Against Homphobia Article #2 BL and Michael Mandrake

Okay then, welcome to our next blogpost for the hop! I'm happy to welcome in my wicked sister muse, BLMorticia as we have a conversation about homoerotic images!

MM: Greetings friends! We’re happy to be here for the hop, combating homophobia and transphobia with valuable information. I’m Michael Mandrake and with me is my fellow muse, BLMorticia.

BL: *smiles* Hey all. I'm happy to be here today joining in. 

MM: So, what BL and I want to talk about is the love of homoerotic pictures. The one we’re showing on the left is a photo-shopped job of Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Now, as some of you know, they’re brothers in the show.

BL: Very hot brothers. *licks lips*

MM: Yes, and many fans have wrote stories called slash about these two despite the fact they aren’t in love. Some get rather upset about it too!

BL: Yeah, people need to get a grip! Slash has been around a long time, going all the way back to Star Trek with Spock and Kirk. This is nothing new. If you surf the web, you’ll find drawings of slash or same sex pairing pics with those two as well as plenty other so called characters on shows together in sexy poses. It’s all make believe, no harm is it?

MM: No, it’s a hobby and perfectly normal. The homoerotic pictures and or stories is how Sharita got her start in writing m/m. If she hadn’t done that, she’d probably still be doing het stories and I or Rawiya wouldn’t have been created.

BL: Yes, that’s true but I was around so we would’ve caught on. The fact that Sharita is curious about sex and loves to write about it would’ve eventually made her look into it. You know Michael, some people think there’s a problem with these pics and or stories. Sharita actually wrote some slash in the pop music fandoms, RPF, Real Person Fanfic. A lot of the m/m writers start in some part of fanfiction and because of the comments they receive on their writing it gives them confidence to move on and write for a living if the passion is there. Pictures like the one below…

BL: Of Simon Lebon and John Taylor from Duran Duran spur on writers to make their imaginations go. We gain a lot of inspiration from what we see and hear. Sharita got her start looking at pics of her faves and putting them in a romantic situation. No harm in this, it isn’t sold for profit. Only for fun. Why do you think people have an issue with this?

MM: Not sure, BL. Creativity breeds imagination. You need things to feed that. No one has made the assumptions that the two men are gay. Blasphemy *laughs* It’s all in the author’s mind, totally harmless. Certainly, the picture can spark an idea by just looking at it. It didn’t have to be them either, it could’ve been any photo of any two men.

BL: Yeah and people are up in arms about it, not sure why. We need something to fuel that fire. What about a single picture of a man in a sexy pose?

MM: Ooh and we still have no clue who this man is. Yes, it is lovely. Can we do a search on him, maybe put an APB out for his arrest for being too hot? *laughs*

BL: *laughs* Mike, I didn’t know you had it in you.

MM: Oh yeah, I do. The sight of a beautiful man makes this old man go wonky. Anyway, it invokes an emotion a feeling and I love looking his body, only being partially covered. However, if it were just out there and has been on our Google page, people have an issue with it, why?

BL: because he’s half naked and we all know that half nude men cause a problem. *laughs* I honestly don’t get it. It’s the human body. His cock isn’t showing, only a small amount of pubic hair, oh and guess what folks, this is an ad for the necklace he’s wearing. *grins* Even in advertising, people know that a little “homoerotic” *raises fingers in quotes* may catch people’s attention. OMG, isn’t that awful? Let’s lock up our children! I don’t have any thank God!

MM: Many do though and they find this offensive. Even the Sam and Dean one may be considered to be an issue because of their relationship in the show.

BL: Hey compared to some I’ve seen that’s tame.

MM: Oh yeah, I’m in agreement. We’ll close this discussion by saying we love the pictures because they get the juices flowing.

BL: *BL smacks MM* Hey that’s my line!

MM: Ow, but really. *rubs shoulder* It does, in a creators mind, it gets the imagination going and that single pic might turn into a masterpiece on paper regardless if its FF or a real story. No one is harmed, burned, no offense really.

BL: If you don’t like it move on!

MM: Exactly. The internet and media in general are powerful tools. Pictures of homoerotic nature have been around forever and will be as long as the world stands. Get over your dislike for it because it’s here to stay.

BL: And we’re so glad they are. Lord knows I don’t wanna write about het relationships all the time. *laughs*

MM: I know I don’t. Thanks to the creators of the hop for allowing us to ramble. 

BL: Yeah thanks readers and keep buying our books!

CONTEST #2 Win a gift card for $5 from Amazon or Starbucks Winners Choice

Since BL was my guest today, lets have a look at her release, My Lieutenant 2: In His Arms

Click on the book to find out more

Check out the other bloggers!

Welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia Article #1 Sharita Lira

Welcome to the Hop against Homophobia! I'm really excited to take part in this HUGE event! To celebrate, I'm giving away some prizes. A couple of gift cards and some swag like jewelry from ILEP as well as some postcards. 

Along with the prizes, there are plenty of articles and since I'm the host for the TRIAD muses on this tour, they'll all stop in with their own articles. 

Let's begin with an article by the head about the fear of homoerotica!

And just a reminder folks, the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia is today! Click here to find out more

When you think of how people feel about things related to the GLBT community it often comes from fear. People are scared of what’s not “normal” around them even if it has nothing to do with them directly.

Think about the word homophobe. A phobia means you’re afraid of something. For example, arachnophobia means scared of spiders, the creepies that have legs. Bleech. *laughs* What’s a homophobe?  According to the dictionary, a person who fears or hates homosexuality. Interesting that fear and hate are used synonymously. The person hates and or fears homosexuals.

Why on earth would someone be AFRAID of a homosexual or anyone part of the GLBT community for that matter? They aren’t like spiders, not monsters with three heads so why on earth would you hate another human just because you’re afraid? In fact, I’ll take it a step further, why should you care when someone else’s lifestyle has nothing to do with you? If you’re straight and don’t really agree with anything as far as the GLBT community then why not live your life and leave them alone?

*breathes*

It’s totally silly to me and that slightly took me off my topic. It wasn’t meant to be a soapbox box which actually my pseudo Michael Mandrake usually does. It was meant to tell you a funny story.

Ready? So, not that long ago I spent time with my husband watching a movie. In truth, we have such different tastes in film we rarely do this but we decided to take advantage of being alone together. Anyways, we loaded the Netflix and he spoke about a movie I’d never seen or heard of called Dorian Grey.

Dorian Gray in short is a movie about a man who becomes so enamored by himself when an artist paints his picture he sells his soul to stay young and gorgeous.

Hubby saved it in the queue for us to watch together so we did. Without giving everything away about the picture, there’s a part in the movie where the main character has a homoerotic scene. There is a kiss that lasts about 15 seconds and then the main character pushes the other man down on the floor implying oral sex and then it shows him unzipping. Then the scene shifts.

My husband’s reaction? As soon as the kiss was up, he covered his eyes and when it deepened a little which was by the way very hot, he left out the room. *laughs* Now, eventually he came back after the scene was over but when the movie finished, we talked about it a moment. I asked him, what was he so afraid of when he saw two men kissing on screen. He said, I was afraid of it going further and didn’t want to stick around to see what happened next. I rolled my eyes and said, really? I mean, it’s true, some movies especially some foreign films do go much farther than American films especially when it comes to a male/male scene but I told him, even if it did, it’s only a movie!

GOD! It’s a movie! You yourself aren’t on screen kissing the other man. Why should you care or be concerned? His response? “Oh c’mon, Sharita, I just don’t want to see that. I’m not a homophobe.” Oh but my dear hubby, according to the dictionary yes you are.

Tolerant means you’re able to tolerate the beliefs and actions of others. When you look that up, it doesn’t have an asterisk about sexuality. So, if you can’t even sit through a film that shows two men kissing, you are indeed a homophobe. You’re afraid of what you see just because you yourself don’t do it, don’t like it, and or don’t think it as normal.

So if I could change my husband’s thinking, I would say to not be considered a homophobe you can’t be disgusted even by something on the screen. Sure you have the right to leave the room but don’t say I’m not a phobe. Right? You might not be out there actively protesting but in a small way you’re contributing to the cause.  

Everyone is born different, not cut from the same cloth. Even though we’re all human, no two people are exactly the same, not even in the case of twins. We’re all unique and it’s time for all of us to respect each other’s differences even in regards to sexual orientation. Tolerance is the key. Maybe you might not agree with how people are or choose to live their lives but the key is to accept it and move on with your own life.

Accept everyone, “normal” or not in your eyes. Respect and tolerate! In real life and otherwise.

CONTEST #1 Comment below and you'll be entered in the contest to receive a jewelry item from ILEP

What is ILEP? I Like Em Pretty, my first book from the N'awlins Exotica Series.

Read More about it by clicking on the cover!

Check out the other bloggers!

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia HOP STARTS TOMORROW!

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia hop starts tomorrow

Shar, Rawiya, BL, and I will be here to play along with 178 other authos, pubs, and book bloggers.

Please join us for this exclusive event.

Here is the impressive list of contributors

Winners of the Hop Against Homophobia

Thanks to all for the lovely comments!

Here are the winners of ebooks.

Peggy, Sherry, and Nancy.

All have been notified and will win their pick from my backlist from Rawiya, BL, and Michael

Again, thanks so much! The numbers were off the charts. Glad you enjoyed my rant and yes people do need to mind their own business. Love is love people!

:D

Hop Against Homophobia Blog Event!

Good morning! Welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia! I thank Erika Pike for putting this together. I'm very glad to be part of it. 


WARNING SOAPBOX RANT!


During most of my adult life, especially now that I write m/m romance, I've wondered why do so called heterosexual activists care about what gays or lesbians do behind closed doors. Has anyone from the GLBT community told you what to do in your own life?


2nd thing, why is it so important to people to force their so called moralities on others? Yeah, you may say, "well the bible says being gay or lesbian is wrong." Yeah well so is murdering, adultery, and war so as far as I'm concerned we're all sinners if we were to follow the so called bible code. Whatever the deal is, all people are from different religious backgrounds and some have no faith as all. Why is it important to force your beliefs on everyone?

Everyday the news is filled with stupidity about so called "Christians" in government offices talking about marriage being between one man and one woman while on the other hand, these are the same idiots who have cheated on their wives, who've had more than one in some places and erm, in some states, its okay to be with a relative. Oh just don't let it be your gay relative. *laughs* The hypocrisy is maddening! Are these really the people who want to take prominent roles in shaping the country? Good Lord help us! 


That's why things like this blog hop happen! We're here to hop against homophobia, letting people know that love is love regardless of gender. I'd like to add color in there as well since this civil rights fight is reminiscent of the sixties when my own marriage might have been illegal. (I'm married to a Hispanic man) Why is history repeating itself? The racial issues still exist but now there are people who want to discriminate against you because of your orientation. WTF?

End the hate! Mind your own business! Let the GLBT community thrive and go back to the caves in which you came from. It has nothing to do with you. 


Instead of spending time telling people who to love why not lead the parade on how we can end some of the issues and suffering worldwide? There are so many more pressing things to be concerned with than the two gay men who want to get married. 


END RANT


* Okay so I've said my peace. Now, lets do a giveaway. You have 4 days to leave a comment that includes your email and win a book from my backlist. I'll giveaway 1 from each pseudonym. BLMorticia, Michael Mandrake, and Rawiya. 


Hope you enjoyed my ramble. Please visit the other hoppers in this event and good luck!


Hop against Homophobia