Coming Out to My Readers

Hey y'all!

So I know it's Thursday, but for anyone who knows me, they know that my weekend extended into Tuesday with an awful "must-retrieve-my-truck-that-stranded-hours-from-home" adventure. Not how I prefer to spend my time. We did finally get home Tuesday night (and we voted!) and then my day yesterday was spent working, as usual.



Before my baby decided to die on Saturday, I came out to a fellow vendor at my partner's show.







This gal knows me, and is super awesome. Really like her. She's a lot of fun and she makes GORGEOUS glass items: from bowls to rings to necklaces. They're just plain great.



Anyhoo, this gal has a Kindle.

And she likes to read.


Score for the non-crafty person at the show!!!! :)




So, like any good sales-whore, I gave her my card with my book info.












Then she asked the dreaded question.








What genre do you write?





I hemmed and hawed. I HATE this question. I always call my work contemporary fiction, and that seems to appease most people. But, here I am face to face with a SERIOUS sale. I had to tell her the truth.




So, I told her. I jested and said that I am what I am. To which she replied, "I'm not anti."



I swear, I heard the angels singing!




A straight person who wouldn't mind reading LGBT books! Thank God!



So, then I went on with my spiel, and life was good.





This experience put some things in perspective for me.

Yes, I'm out.

Have been since '03.

Not going back.

I am who I am.

I don't bleed green acid.

I don't have 3 heads and 17 eyes.

I'm a human.

A rainbow human, if you will.






I need to be honest about my work.


Yes, most of my fiction is LGBT fiction, world.

There. I said it.





HOWEVER, this does not mean that my books do not pertain to straight folks as well.




In Loving Her, you have a cast of characters from a ballerina to a mechanic. I'm sure even straight people can find ONE character they can relate to in that group!





In Imperfect, we have black, white, Asian, gay, straight, Christian, atheist, Buddhist, teachers and computer people. HUMANS. Yes, it's LGBT fiction. Yes, it's HIV/AIDS LGBT fiction. But, it still translates to all readers. Even if you're straight, you will love Carol. You will relate to her. You will find comradery. It will reach you as much as it would an LGBT reader.



We're ALL people here, folks. It doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from. My books are for ALL readers. They're for YOU.