Evil Katey/Good Katey

For All My Unicorns Out There. Hop Against Homophobia and Trans*phobia post link!

Supplemental thoughts:

This is a difficult one for me, and I think most writers, publishers, and reviewers involved—and certainly the excellent organizers. On the one hand, most of us are doing what we do (LGBTQ fiction) because we’re writing the stuff we wished we’d had to read once upon a time, the stuff that represents us and/or people in general in a way that is equal to the whatever-normative people in the vast majority of fiction. Simply by producing these things, it potentially adds to the collective consciousness and nudges collective thought and understanding.

But there’s also an element of exploitation possible, and I’ve talked a lot about this with some of my friends. Making money off of Serious Issues. Specifically I’ve talked about it with friends in re books that feature HIV-positive and sex worker narratives, and how it can sometimes feel skeevy. These are important works, again adding to the collective consciousness, and that’s why when they feel more like a ploy to sell books with TRAGEDY it feels exploitative. The same might be said of LGBTQ fiction in general—and often is. Even with the best of intentions, fiction that does strive to represent issues and people responsibly often doesn’t make the point the author has in mind. (Says the author whose bisexual romance books occasionally get tagged with “gay-for-you” and ends up facepalming. My fault and no one else’s, it means I was not responsible enough, but yes.)

So when a bunch of people who produce this kind of fiction get together to try and use that readymade platform to acknowledge issues head on instead, there’s a really fine line between “this is the problem that makes me want to write these books, and I want to use this readership platform to point at the reasons” or even “come for the free stuff, stay for the message maybe please!” and “hey you’re concerned about this issue so you should READ MY SHIT”.

It would be nice to think most people could handle that line, but I’m not very nice. I’m sure I don’t handle it to everyone’s satisfaction either. So there’s always this moment of, well, do I just not do it?

But I decided that’d be even more dodgy than doing it. I do write and yes, sell books that deal with very real, very serious issues in many cases. It needs acknowledged—more often than I do acknowledge it, I’m afraid. But it’s really important to be mindful all the time.

So that’s what I’m thinking of today, and that’s the supplemental waffling I didn’t want to include in my post, which will be seen by many people I’ve never spoken to before simply because it’s a linked event. And I tend to do my thinky nonsense here.

Things.

maderr:

M/M Robin Hood is probably all I need to say to make peeps happy. This book is fucking awesome. It’s well established I <3 Kay Berrisford and every book just makes me love her more (she is also just plain fun to chat with). My fav part of this book is that this takes place after Robin Hood’s heyday, when he’s alone and trying (failing) to move on and such. His love interest is a woobie, and they’re ridiculously cute when they’re not being hilariously stupid :3 An excellent addition to the Greenwood books ^__^ Read them all if you have not, but if you only want this one you should be fine (though Herne is more awesome if you’ve read that story already).

Speaking of writers I love to death :3 Katey never disappoints either, and she’s got some of the coolest superpower books on the block. Add that in with angst, deceit, and further shenanigans and I adoooore this book. This one was cool because it’s law enforcement versus vigilantes, and two men with a complicated history. Interesting to see so well laid out where both are wrong, both are right. Cool to see two guys that are far from perfect, do horrible things to each other, but still manage to be together. If you haven’t read this series, definitely do.

And now I am off to write about vampires ;3 Everybody have a good weekend!

*BLUSHING OMG* ♥

Interview time, mainly on the subject of Losing Better~

Jamie and Kellan on St. Pat’s by Astro

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Superpowered Love!

• Enter to win a print copy of Nobody’s Hero
• DJ Kellan’s St. Patrick’s Day Playlist (24 tracks, one for every hour)

Of Nobody’s Hero! Electricity and Paddy Rock. I mean what more can you want for St. Pat’s?

Wow, the Nobody’s Hero paperback is like SUPER on sale right now at B&N.

(In the interest of full disclosure: there will be a contest to win a copy starting tomorrow. Just saying though, this is a pretty sweet deal.)

By the River included, but all kinds of athlete-hero stories are up for grabs in Jay’s Jock Week Giveaway!

Aw yyyyyeah look what’s going into print: Nobody’s Hero! Just in time for St. Pat’s. Check out the re-laid and super badass PL Nunn cover, too.

Kellan is pleased. He might even smile!

loose-id-is-love-unleashed:

10% off for two more days: Katey Hawthorne’s Superpowered Love: Losing Better - http://www.loose-id.com/superpowered-love-losing-better.html - #superhero #lgbt #dontmissit

I’m so happy for you :DDD I need to read your stuff! Which should I read first??

<3 you, K!

I know you’re not a huge romance person, so maybe go with the KV Taylor stuff first, if you’re into dark shit. But I do mean dark, so be forewarned that some stuff could be triggery and very, very unpleasant. Happy to explain what kinds of potential triggers could be involved if you wanna email or message or something, but they’re books about monsters.

Scripped is effectively… Appalachian Fae Stockholm Syndrome.

Liam is about a dysfunctional vampire relationship (it starts with a mindfuck, yes) and being a better monster than a human. It starts a bigger series and introduces all the characters and themes.

Both have bisexual protags and are pretty cross-genre-y.

The Katey Hawthorne stuff is much more, like, functional and focused on relatively healthy romances that bring out the best in the players. Usually pretty short, and chock full o sex. Very explicit sex. >.>

Free things to start with might be good!

Holy god this review is amazing. All the love for Melanie, who totally gets it.

Updates about Fish, romance novels, and some kind of weird horror/romance Frankenstein book dropping tomorrow :D VAMPIRES!

Gabriel is an ass—but makes friends in spite of himself. ♥