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I admit, I let things get me down that a normal person would just shrug off. But I've found that my fellow authors at Dreamspinner Press have a knack at saying the right things to help me over my blues. I appreciate them very much!

As the Christmas holiday winds down, and people begin gearing up for New Years I sought the comfort of losing myself in writing. I am contemplating a small story for the DSP anthology "A Brush of Wings", and soon I'll be back hard at work on my contemporary novel called "Promises and Lies"....but to feed a small need of creativity I've posted a short (a little over 1300 words) story at All Gay Romance Stories.

It's not a happy story, or quite possibly it is depending on your point of view.

...Depth Perception...

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

Hope you've all had a fabulous Christmas - or as near to fabulous as possible! Lord H and I had a very relaxing day on the day itself - we paid our respects at church, ate guinea fowl and mince pies, quaffed a suitable amount of champagne, listened to the Queen (not as good as last year, I fear) and were puzzled by Doctor Who - a horrendously clunky and laughable start, but thankfully it got a bit better. Too much David T (thank goodness he's going!) and John Sims and not enough Catherine Tate is my opinion. Ah well.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be able to present you with the cover for The Hit List which will be published in eBook version on 28 February 2010 with the paperback following about two or three weeks later by Amber Allure Press. Such a gripping cover - I really love it. The more I look at it, the more it grows on me, which can only be a good thing. You can see it here, as LJ no longer allows me to post pics for some reason, sigh ...

For the rest of the weekend, Lord H and I have been doing a mammoth birdwatching session. Yesterday we spent the day in the London Wetland Centre and upped our bird total by ... er ... one - the common gull, if you're interested. And, yes, we were hugely excited by that. Sad people that we are. Today we have been out to Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Brighton Marina. Some wildly dramatic seas indeed - we walked along the Eastern wall between the marina and the sea and had to keep dodging the waves that crashed over our heads. Wonderful - such drama. But not enough to sweep us away entirely, which explains this blog. No definite birds, alas - though it's possible we spotted a Mediterranean gull and a shag (as it were). But, weather conditions being what they were, it was jolly hard to say.

This week's haiku:

A swan umbrella
is perfect rain equipment.
White feathers and style.

Anne's website - a veritable Christmas hit

It's that time of the year again, when I update the Top 100 Gay Novels List. Some books went up, some went down, and there are also some new entries. For the first time it is with a sad heart that I have to record that one of the authors in the list is not more with us, E. Lynn Harris, he is a great loss of this past year. 

As usual some boring basic rules: the list considers only books released in print for the first time after January 1, 2000, so you can consider it a Top 100 List of the XXI century. If a book was released in electronic format before that date, and then in print after that date, I listed it. To enter the list I browsed all the LGBT publishers I found, considered all the specific awards and all the recommendation from friends. So friends, obviously I haven't read ALL the books, I, like you, am trying to read as much as possible, but the list is impartial, means that if I didn't like a book, or haven't read it yet, I nevertheless included it in the list.

To decide the ranking, again, I tried to be impartial: I chose to consider the owned copies in LibraryThing, a cataloguing website that seems to be "serious" and of common use; then I applied some adjustment factors to award both the longevity of a book than its novelty. If you want to be bored, ask and I will explain them, and obviously I'm also open to suggestion. For every author I considered only a book, the one with more owned copies, so the list is more a Top 100 Authors than a Top 100 Novels.

The actual list will remain frozen for 6 months, and in June 2010 I will reopened it and track the changes. In the meantime, I will continue to feature an author from that list every week, in my In the Spotlight appointment.

And now, come with me to see the names:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/tag/top+100+gay+novels+list (link to the tag for the single posts)

Link to the single posts:

1-10: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/904299.html

11-20: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/903969.html

21-30: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/903847.html

31-40: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/903426.html

41-50: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/903372.html

51-60: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/902964.html

61-70: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/902708.html

71-80: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/902460.html

81-90: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/902355.html

91-100: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/901955.html

101-110: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/901867.html

External Link to the Top 100 Gay Novels List (simple - without photos)

External Link to the Top 100 Gay Novels List (wanted - with photos)

Well, we had a very nice Christmas this year.  Dad came down from up North (near Manchester) and stayed from the 23rd.  He’s on his way home now.  Then on the 25th my sister and brother in law visited for Christmas day, so we ended up cooking for 7 – five adults and two children.  Of course it wasn’t that simple, as one of the adults (me) is a vegetarian, and one of the children won’t eat anything sensible at all.  Also one of the adults (Andrew) and both children won’t eat dried fruit.  So this meant roast goose and trimmings for 5 people, turkey dinosaurs for one child and curried potato cakes for me, plus Christmas pudding for 4 people and ice cream with chocolate sauce for 3.

Director: Jason Bushman

Writer: Jason Bushman (written by)

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Plot: “Delightfully funny, hugely entertaining and unlike anything you’ve ever seen!” --Frameline, San Francisco Film Fest

After a breakup, gay Parisian Jerome impulsively books a solo Christmas vacation to Los Angeles. Like many before him, he plans to pursue his secret dream to become a movie star – and, of course, to find love along with fame and fortune!

Completely naïve about what he is getting into, Jerome hooks up with some colorful locals, and stumbles headlong into an acting role. Nothing about Hollywood quite matches Jerome’s fantasies, however, and his misadventures are both hilarious and touching.

Bright, funny, honest and utterly charming, Hollywood, je t'aime is a stunning debut for director Jason Bushman. Eric Debets shines as Jerome; his classic look and an amusing ease with his own awkwardness are evocative of Buster Keaton and Marcel Marceau. Cast includes Eric Debets, Jonathan Blanc, Diarra Kilpatrick, Michael Airington and the fabulous Chad Allen (Save Me, Third Man Out, Shock to the System).

Polished crowd-pleaser likely to rank among the year's more popular gay pics. --Variety

Enough pleasing vignettes to win us over. . .the same tasty spirit as Woody Allen's many homages to Manhattan. . .Lead actor Debets has an appealing deadpan presence. --The Hollywood Reporter

Will make you fall in love with LA all over again. OUTFEST, LA Film Festival --Wolfe

@IMDb
@Amazon: Hollywood Je T'aime
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video

 

( more pics )

Cast (in credits order)
Eric Debets ... Jérôme Beaunez
Chad Allen ... Ross
Jonathan Blanc ... Gilles
Scott Romstadt ... Kenny the Waiter
Diarra Kilpatrick ... Kaleesha
Michael Airington ... Norma Desire
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oscar Alvarez ... Himself
Whitney Anderson ... Trish
Cesar Arambula ... Trick from Spotlight Bar
Randall Bacon ... Steve Jaspers
( rest of the cast )

 
Jerome & Ross

( more pics )

( Hollywood, je t'aime - Trailer )

( Hollywood, je t'aime - Official Trailer )

( Hollywood, je t'aime's 12 Gays of Christmas )

L.A. Boneyard, #2 in the L.A Series, by P.A. Brown
Release Date: 12/2009
Publisher: MLR Press
ISBN: 978-1-60820-018-4 (ebook)
978-1-60820-017-7 (print)
Buy Link: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=PBLA0002

Amazon: LA Boneyard

Blurb: From a shallow grave in Griffith Park, to the bucolic streets of West Hollywood into the dark heart of the gang-infested streets of East L.A, evil is pursued in this dark story of passion and redemption. Detective David Eric Laine is no stranger to violence and brutality, but even he is taken aback at the sheer viciousness of the murder of two pregnant Ukrainian women. This is just the beginning of a baffling case which leads from their shallow grave to a bungalow community in West Hollywood, tree-lined and tranquil, on to the heart of the gang-infested streets of East Los Angeles, and points in between. And what of Jairo Hernandez, David's new, young partner? The attraction between them was immediate and intense and growing by the day. Would this be a threat to David's settled life?

( Excerpt )

In this novella the author plays a bit with the Desperate Housewives jokes and the stereotypes of big and strong FBI agent.

Chris and Vin are paired together for an undercover mission, one of them will be the “wife” and infiltrate in a tight group of housewives who are growing pot in the suburbs. Why it has to be a man to play the role of a woman when there are so many good female FBI agents, it’s something that is not exactly clear, and it’s probably the only fault of this very nice novella. Actually all the “official” side of the story, the undercover mission and the job to be done, is quite on second stage, like it’s not really important.

From the beginning the story starts on the funny step, when Chris would like to assign the role of the wife to his new partner Vin, at least till the moment he has the chance to see him, big shoulders, adam’s apple, permanent five o’clock beard and unbelievable small hips… no way he can be passed for a woman. No that Chris has any problem to admit that he is attracted to Vin, Chris is gay, but he is not exactly the man who enjoys to be on drag. And having to wear a strap on while sporting a perennial hard on due to Vin’s nearness, it’s not something comfortable to do.

Chris is like a little firecracker, always spurting and chatting, always having something to say to try to irritate Vin, even really sounding like a desperate housewife, but without success: Vin is an unmovable wall and each spitting word by Chris jumps back without any effect. But when Chris decides to try the gentle approach, Vin is more responsive and Chris obtains some results to alleviate the pain in his… stomach… or maybe a little lower.

She’s Got Balls is basically a funny romp, not really a dangerous thriller plot, for once the criminal ring is not so criminal after all, and it doesn’t seem that Chris and Vin take too seriously their mission, at least not as much as they are investing in their possible relationship.

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=158-201-101-440-3

Amazon Kindle: She's Got Balls (Handcuffs and Lace)

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

AMBER ALLURE (http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/)
( Read more... )

BELLA BOOKS (http://www.bellabooks.com/)
( Read more... )

BOLD STROKES BOOKS (http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/)
( Read more... )

BREATHLESS PRESS (http://www.breathlesspress.com/)
( Read more... )

CHANGELING PRESS (http://www.changelingpress.com/)
( Read more... )

CLEIS PRESS (http://www.cleispress.com/)
( Read more... )

COBBLESTONE PRESS (http://www.cobblestone-press.com/)
( Read more... )

DREAMSPINNER PRESS (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/)
( Read more... )

EXCESSICA (http://excessica.com/)
( Read more... )

EXTASY BOOKS (http://www.extasybooks.net/)
( Read more... )

LETHE PRESS (http://www.lethepressbooks.com/)
( Read more... )

LOOSE ID (http://www.loose-id.com/)
( Read more... )

LOVEYOUDIVINE (http://www.loveyoudivine.com/)
( Read more... )

LYRICAL PRESS (http://www.lyricalpress.com/)
( Read more... )

MLR PRESS (http://www.mlrbooks.com/)
( Read more... )

NOBLE ROMANCE PUBLISHING (http://www.nobleromance.com/)
( Read more... )

PHAZE BOOKS (http://www.phaze.com/)
( Read more... )

PINK PETAL BOOKS (http://pinkpetalbooks.com/)
( Read more... )

RAVENOUS ROMANCE (http://www.ravenousromance.com/)
( Read more... )

RED ROSE PUBLISHING (http://redrosepublishing.com/)
( Read more... )

SAMHAIN PUBLISHING (http://www.samhainpublishing.com/)
( Read more... )

SHADOWFIRE PRESS (http://www.shadowfirepress.com/)
( Read more... )

SIREN PUBLISHING (http://www.sirenpublishing.com/)
( Read more... )

STARBOOKS PRESS (http://www.starbookspress.com/)
( Read more... )

TORQUERE BOOKS (http://www.torquerebooks.com/)
( Read more... )

TOTAL-E-BOUND (http://www.total-e-bound.com/)
( Read more... )

For Publishers: If you would like to be add to the weekly releases post, please contact me.

For Authors: If you would like to post an excerpt, please contact me.

Child of Joy by Andrew Grey
Release Date: 12/2009
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=55_106&products_id=1677

Amazon: Child of Joy

Blurb: Graduating from college would be a highlight of any man's life, but Arthur Kraus is different. He’s just reached satyr maturity, and he’s going out of his mind as he's swamped with sexual urges. In a desperate moment, he invites his roommate to a Bacchanal and asks him to be his first. But after hearing the first-time stories at the Bacchanal, Arthur decides to wait for more than physical satiation—not knowing that someone has overheard his decision. That someone, Gaelen, is special in his own way: he's the last remaining Fey, a creature of the light, innocent and pure, the protector of the remaining joy the Fey bring to the world. Though attracted to Arthur, Gaelen is afraid to trust. He knows he's being hunted for his power by a force that wants to overthrow Bacchus himself, and Gaelen will have to allow Arthur into his life if he wants to survive. The third and final chapter in the Children of Bacchus series

( Excerpt )

Tango In The Night by KC Kendricks
Release Date: 12/2009
Publisher: Amber Allure
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-621-5 (Electronic)
Buy Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TangoNight.html

Blurb: Law enforcement agent Jubal Graham is back on the job after a shooter took the life of his long-time partner, and sent Jubal into a coma followed by months of rehab. Determined to have justice, Jubal is focused on finding a killer, not a new romantic entanglement. Agent Ellis Banks, however, with his smoldering blue eyes and denim-clad swagger, is a distraction Jubal can’t afford—or ignore. Ellis came to Philadelphia to bust a drug operation; one that connects to the same case agency legend Jubal Graham is working. Ellis finds himself drawn to Jubal, but Jubal holds him off. Sure that Jubal is interested, even though he wears his slain lover’s ring, Ellis mounts a determined siege. Jubal’s surprise at having a suitor develops into a growing affection for Ellis, one clouded with old fears. Fate ripped one lover from his arms, and now Ellis is in the line of fire. Jubal’s courage can protect Ellis, but is it powerful enough to love him?

( Excerpt )

Wylde by Jan Irving
Release Date: 12/2009
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1665

Amazon: Wylde

Blurb: Noah Matthews brought his son Josh to the pristine woods of Washington State to make a fresh start. The first night in their new home, Noah meets Kell Farraday when the laconic police chief shows up on his doorstep searching for two people lost in the forest. It's the start of a sexy new friendship when Kell decides to pursue the shy but flirtatious Noah. But a new beginning won't be so easy. Noah's former boyfriend shows up to try to reclaim a place in his life, and worse, Josh is drawn to the growing mystery in the forest. People disappear and then one turns up dead. There's something haunting the forest. Something watching. And soft-spoken and confident Kell's reassurances can't ease Noah's fear when Josh goes into the woods alone.

( Excerpt )

Well, how I couldn't like this commericial? It's an Italian trade mark, the two guys are handsome in a very familiar way, and they dance! Two men dancing is always something to like.



Commercial Closet Association

Company: Bertolli
Brand: Bertolli
Ad Title: Bertolli Oven Baked Meals
Business Category: Packaged Foods
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: in-house
Year: 2009
Target: Gays

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( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Having a previous experience with Hal Bodner and his In Flesh and Stone, I knew that I shouldn’t have expected to read a “classical” romance, and already the blurb, the story of a mortician who is in love with the Dead, was a good sign of it. But for the readers who love the classical romance, then probably For Love of the Dead is more “romance” than In Flesh and Stone, at least in the end. This novel is not also out of the standard for the genre (zombies and romance are not often seen together), but also for the preface, I think that it’s not of many authors to open a romance novel with an Author’s Note of 4 pages, and it’s not of many publishers to allow it. It’s said a lot on the author and the publisher.

There is always the experience of loss in a Hal Bodner’s novel, at least in the two I read, but there is also the feeling that Hal Bodner believes in love, even maybe in a love that goes beyond death. In this novel Jake is a young and handsome mortician, and the second part of his description, “mortician”, prevents him to find a man to love even if the first part, “young and handsome”, would allow him to meet a lot of candidates. Even if already with a sad experience in the past, the loss of his lover when they were still young men with a lot of expectation for life and future, Jake didn’t stop to believe in love, in the possibility to find the one, Mr. Right. And so it’s almost tender to read how he approaches the cruising dating pool, discarding possible partners even for a small detail, something unheard if you are only searching for a one night stand. But Jake is like that, he is able to see beyond the first appearance of a man, he is able to read his mind even from a facial feature. In fact he does that also with the young men he sees everyday on his morgue table, he is able to read the lost hopes in those lives taken from the world so soon, and he loves them all since apparently no one else love them.

When yet another young man ends on his table, Mark, beautiful like an angel, Jake again thinks how big a waste is, he again imagines what it could have happened if he met him before, he wonders if maybe Mark is the one. But Mark, as many before, is dead, and so, in a way, Jake is safe; he will not risk loving and loosing, he has already lost him, and so he can now love him without worries. Only that this time Jake is the tool of a bigger scheme, and when Mark arises for the Dead, Jake has to help to bring him back. See, Mark is not exactly the angel he appears, his soul is dark, and there is no “rest in peace” for him, the Dead want for him to rot in hell.

As in the previous book I read from this author, there is a lot of sex, and sometime the sex lingers on the boundaries of comfort, at least for me, but strange is, they never go beyond the limit. And again, as in the previous novel, when the sex is detached by love, it’s graphic and detailed, and when instead there is love, the author doesn’t linger, it allows the reader to fill in with its imagination. I believe it’s not a coincidence, when sex is recreational, or detached, it can be described, but if it’s love and not only sex, then lingering in details is not necessary, the true feelings already fill all the available space.

As in the previous book, for sure Hal Bodner has not written an “usual” romance, and probably it’s not a romance for all, but for sure the quality of erotic romance you have here it’s well above the average.

http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/for-love-of-the-dead.php

Amazon: For the Love of the Dead: Gay Zombie Erotica

Amazon Kindle: For the Love of the Dead: Gay Zombie Erotica

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Roberto Bolle is an Italian treasure and we are very proud of him. It's not the first time I feature him in my journal, but this time it's even more right to do so, since he has a photographic book out by Bruce Weber who is also one of the best photographer out there (all the famous Abercrombie & Fitch catalogues are by him).



( Roberto Bolle by Bruce Weber )

Amazon: Roberto Bolle: An Athlete in Tights

First recognized by Rudolf Nureyev, Roberto Bolle is renowned for his athletic ability, stylistic grace and a sizzling movie star presence. Possessing broad appeal, his performances draw acclaim from the dance world and general public alike. This stunning book is the culmination of a three-year collaboration between Bolle and the photogrpahic superstar Bruce Weber. Weber's masterful images capture the dazzling charisma of a world-class talent.

The book features writing from Bolle, as well as texts by Elsa Morante and illustrations by Paul Cadmus and Jeremiah Goodman.


Roberto Bolle on Fiuggi commercial (Italian mineral water), Ballet: "Excelsior" by Ugo Dell' Ara, Set: Reggia di Caserta, Music: Tchaikosky

On January 6th my very first published story The Razor's Kiss goes on sale.

You can find it over at Dreamspinner Press





When Elliot returns home from a week away, he finds his lover Adam fully prepared to make the fantasy shared during a late-night phone call a reality. Shaving one's lover is a unique experience, one that demands self-restraint, patience, and steady hands.


( Extract Under the cut )

Merry Christmas to everyone on my friends list. It's been a wonderful year for me and I look forward to next year being even better. I appreciate everyone's continuing support as I take steps to be able to write full time starting in June. As a special thank you, I'm passing along a special offer from Dreamspinner Press.



Merry Christmas from Dreamspinner Press! In honor of the holiday, we're offering you this gift: a 25% discount off all purchases made from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 25 only! Celebrate the season and keep warm with a Dreamspinner Press romance.