Friday, November 25, 2011

Dec. 3 Holiday Author Event!

Happy Black Friday, everyone!



Today, in addition to being the day after Thanksgiving,

the day of very scary shopping stories,

and just plain old Friday,



it is my beloved's birthday! :)



Happy birthday to the most wonderful woman in the world! :)













As much as I would love to ramble endlessly about the love of my life, today's blog does have a literary purpose.



You see, in just 8 days, I will be at the Fairport Public Library in Fairport, NY for the local authors holiday book festival! It's an event to celebrate local authors who have had releases in 2011, and of course it's a good holiday shopping event for the book-lover on your list.





So, if you're in the greater Rochester area, please stop on by! I'd love to meet you and autography copies of any and all of my books for ya! ;)







Come join us December 3rd, 2012 Fairport Public Library Fairport, NY from 2 - 4 pm. See you there and happy reading!!! :)

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Thanksgiving


November – the fall, really – is a time for reflection and gratitude. The colors of the leaves remind us of the changes in life. As we begin to settle down for winter, we reflect on what the year has brought us; we give thanks for all of the blessings we enjoy. There is a reason why both the Canadian and American Thanksgivings are in the autumn season.






So, with the American Thanksgiving fast approaching, I gladly reflect on my own life. In the last year, I have moved three times. I have been to weddings and to cemeteries. I have been left and found true love. Yes, this year has brought me many things. Good, bad and indifferent, I am grateful for it all nonetheless.



As a writer, I am thankful for my newest release, Impeccable coming out in e-book and print formats.
Its predecessor, Imperfect, was released last fall.
I am grateful for having been inspired to write these books and to have seen them be published. So very fitting that these two books which are so much about change, love, family and gratitude have been released two Novembers in a row. It is an honor to have these books out, and the symbolism of their release dates is simply spectacular. I have an incredible publisher in Vanilla Heart Publishing. Having the two books which are my pride and joy is something for which I will be eternally grateful. Honestly, I am just grateful that I even have the opportunity to pursue my childhood dream of writing. How many people can say they have had that chance? I have been given some amazing opportunities and experiences. I am a very grateful writer.






On a personal level, I am grateful for having met my fiancé. She has changed my life for the better. She has blessed me so much, I could not imagine my life without her. I am grateful for my family. Without them, I would be nothing. They helped to form me into the woman I am today. Without their support, I would not be or have all that I do. I am grateful for the roof over my head, the cars in my driveway, the little furballs that brighten my days (we have multiple pets and they are all incredible), and all of the other blessings I am so fortunate to enjoy day in and day out.





Life is good and this Thanksgiving, I will be sure to remember that and to pass it along. Gratitude, you see, is not something you should keep to yourself.





I try to ensure in my writing that I focus on family and gratitude as they are very important to me in my daily life. Imperfect and Impeccable teach us that family is not always defined by blood or color. That there are numerous people who enrich our lives, and thus are family too. These books also teach us to focus on the positive, to remember to be grateful for all that we have. So often in our lives, we get wrapped up in the busy-ness of the day that we forget to appreciate all that we have. Mind you, these are not self-help books. They are novels. A fictional pair of books that tell the life story of a regular woman – someone just like you or me. Regular people need to be in books too. To remind us of who we are, where we came from and where we’re going as a society. And for us to be able to relate to them and the story. To be affected and grateful for the power that the written word contains. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it can’t impact us. And these two books impacted me just writing them, I hope and imagine how much they would impact you reading them! I hope that Carol’s story brings you as much gratitude, peace and hope as it gave me writing it. I am grateful for these books and what they have given me. I hope the same can be true for you.



This Thanksgiving, I will take quite a while listing all of the wonderful things for which I am grateful. From people to places, trinkets to things, I am thankful for so very much. Not the least of which will my newest books, Imperfect and Impeccable.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Riding the Wave

Happy Thursday, everyone!



Today, yours truly is in a particularly good mood. Why? Well, because things on the writing front have been going incredibly well. :)




Most importantly, Impeccable has just come out in print! Excited?! Me?! Never! LOL. I don't know whether to dance or simply wet my pants! It is phenomenal! I am so very excited! Please purchase your copy today!




Also, I will be at the Fairport Holiday Author Book Signing in Fairport, NY on Dec. 3. This is an event to celebrate new releases for 2011. You can come meet me, buy my books and get them signed for yourself, or as a holiday gift! The event will be from 2-4 pm. I'd love to see you there!




I've been getting a lot of recognition from the LGBT community as of late, as well.


It is exciting and flattering to have the LGBT community recognize my work. What's especially exciting is that a lot of this recognition comes from overseas. European book stores, organizations and individuals are suddenly paying attention to little old me.






You have to understand that as much as I like to boast about my work, the truth is: I realize that I am not Pulitzer Prize material. I am not even close to being a NY Times best seller (though I desperately wish I was!) For these people to find me, let alone say & do what they are, blows my mind! It's thrilling. It's an honor, really.


Perhaps with Imperfect and now Impeccable, I am becoming the author I have always dreamed of becoming. Yes, I would love to see my books become best sellers, but to see my work impacting and helping the LGBT community is amazing.


That impact is the reason I write. To see it come to fruition is simply phenomenal. For now, I am simply going to ride this wave! ;)





Happy reading!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Blood on the Roses

Happy Thursday, y'all!
As an LGBT writer, I have often wondered how straight authors view the LGBT community and our causes. Even more so, I have wondered how a straight author would handle an LGBT story.

Author Robert Hays has answered my question with his novel, Blood on the Roses.

What I have discovered is that a straight author can tackle LGBT issues with poise and beauty. Mr. Hays tackled not only homosexuality, but homosexuality in the American south in the 1950s. This was an era and an area that is not necessarily LGBT-friendly. The entire LGBT community was still recovering from persecution from Hitler, and although J. Edgar Hoover was considered a good director for the FBI, his personal life was deeply questioned and unaccepted. To be gay in America in the 1950s was difficult, to be gay in the American south in the 1950s was even more difficult.

So Robert Hays set a very difficult task before himself in tackling a gay character in that era and environment.

What resulted is not only an incredible, gripping thriller of a mystery, but a beautiful and caring story. The characters involved in this story are likable, believable and genuine. Their beliefs (both good and bad) are true to the time and place. These characters are real.

The story itself is one of great depth with incredible back-story and intrigue. The descriptions paint an incredibly vivid painting for the reader. The storyline grabs you and never releases you. This is an excellently executed book.

So, what does it mean for the LGBT community when a straight writer writes a novel such as Blood on the Roses? It means that our cause and our struggles have not gone unnoticed. It means that we as a people, and our history, are just as important to straight people as we are to our own community. This book is a beautiful demonstration not only of good, solid, story-telling, but of tolerance and understanding.

For more information, please visit:

http://home.comcast.net/~roberthayswriter/site/

and

www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com