Friskbiskit

Man Candy Monday

Image ganked from Erotic Oddities. Brought to you in conjunction with Erotica Cover Watch.

Win BishieCon Swag!

The fabulous Boylove_addict and Librarian of The Phade forum, my roommates at BishieCon, are holding a contest for a bag of goodies they picked up at the convention.

Swag includes hot bookmarks from Jet Mykles, a 20% discount code for Dreamspinner Press, and a free copy of Katrina Strauss' BLUE RUIN 4: NEED YOU TONIGHT. That's a nice package, don't you think?

Here's Boylove_addicts lj post on the contest, and here's the direct link to the contest itself. Contest runs through Monday, Nov. 30 at 10 pm EST.  That's tomorrow night, so don't delay!

Norilana Announces Genderbend Anthology

Norilana Books, ever a friend of queer, m/m, and gender nonconforming fiction, is publishing a new anthology, Scherezade's Facade: Fantastical Tales of Gender Bending, Cross-Dressing and Transformation. Here are all the details.

Link Love: Fiction Circus

I love this post by Miracle Jones of Fiction Circus, spurred by John Irving's statement that if he were a young novelist trying to break in today, he'd consider suicide.  Jones would rather shoot Irving.  Here's my favorite bit:

The crumbling edifice of modern publishing is the greatest opportunity for fiction writers since the dawn of the printing press. Our stories are no longer being collated and refereed by a tight-fisted group of white, monied, upper-class intellectuals. "Brigands, all of them," said Dickens.

Find your audience. Tell them whatever the fuck you want.

Testify, Jones.

Man Candy Monday

From Drew Wojcik. Brought to you in conjunction with Erotica Cover Watch.

My BishieCon Buds

Here's Katie (aka Librarian) and Brenda (aka Boyloveaddict) of the Phade, and BishieCon's Author Guest of Honor Katrina Strauss, being very good sports.  You guys really made the con for me.  Big Hugs!

BishieCon: More Cosplayers!

BishieCon Dealer's Hall

This is Ariel Tachne of Dreamspinner Press. Rhianne Aile, Connie Bailey, and  Nicki Bennet were also in attendance:

And this is Kelly Lewis who does chair massage at convnetions and has a studio in Kansas City called Allure Sense Datum:

More BishieCon: Cosplayers

Live From BishieCon, it's Friday Night

On the Road to BishieCon

Hey, I'm here at BishieCon, comfortably ensconced in my room with my roomies Aurora and Librarian from The Phade, and it's time to upload today's video footage of the convention, and the journey to it.

I've never been to St. Louis before, so I was very excited about seeing the arch:

Goth-awful

Ganked from DemotivateUs.

Link Love: Jeanne Barrack's Guideposts

My pal Jeanne Barrack has a new blog, Guideposts, where she's posting about the research she's done for some of her stories.  Since I'm a big fan of historical m/m but have always been intimidated by the research, I really appreciate the wealth of information available here.  Besides the posts being genuinely interesting (I particularly liked the one about crossdressing in Yiddish Theater), it helps to read how someone else has gone about it and some of the material might serve as a springboard for your own explorations, or, who knows, maybe mine.

BishieCon Here I Come

So it's official!  I am attending BishieCon, the midwest's first yaoi convention, it St. Louis this weened.  I'm so excited about getting to hang out with author guest of honor Katrina Strauss and my pals Aurora Alexander and Librarian from The Phade.  Not to mention artists Studio Kosen and a whole lot of enthusiastic yaoi fans.  It's going to be great.

Thanks to Katrina, I'll be on a panel about writing a steamy sex scene and one on querying publishers. I also have a table where I'll be signing promo and taking applications for contributors to Friskbiskit. And of course I'll be attending the bishie auction, natch. Here's the website for the convention if you want more details on the kinds of hijinks we'll be getting up to. 

Hey, if you're planning on attending, let me know in a comment, and if you live in the St. Louis area, come on by!

Author Spotlight: Bryl R. Tyne

Please welcome m/m author Bryl R. Tyne.  Bryl is the author Coin Operated Boy (don't you love that title?), and the short story "Exposed," which appears in STARbooks press's Nerdvana anthology, launching today and available here.

Nerdvana is an erotic collection of stories where nerds and geeks show that brains are sexy. The guys in Nerdvana are computer geeks, gamers, superhero freaks, and comic book fiends. The nerd’s creative mind turns any activity into foreplay. The torment between jocks and nerds hides the real attraction between them with hot, sweaty sex. Nerdvana features hot, erotic stories from Jay Starre, Rob Rosen, Stephen Osborne, Helen E.H. Madden, Jeff Adams, Jim Clark, Dalton, Landon Dixon, Augusta Li, David C. Muller, Bryl R. Tyne, J.D. Waters, and Wayne Mansfield.

NEWS FLASH! Bryl is running a contest.  Leave a comment here and enter to win a free copy of Nerdvana!  Way cool, Bryl!

Don't miss the excerpt from "Exposed," behind the link at the bottom of the post.

Tell us about your recent publication. 

My story, Exposed, exemplifies the trials in communicating with and understanding the nerd. Two, early-twenties, software developers, Clay and Dave, rivals for the same company position, end up falling for each other, only to have one discover a secret stored on the others hard drive, an adult game featuring the two of them that could put a definite end to their budding relationship. Misunderstanding, miscommunication, a terrible car versus bicycle accident, hot sofa sex with Clay's arm in a cast, and the wiles of computer hacking are just some of the fascinating and nerdy elements in this story, not to mention all the other wonderful writers and their stories in Nerdvana, that will once and for all prove, geeks rule and jocks drool!

What gave you the idea for this story?

Actually, my idea for Exposed came from the call for submissions from Fred Towers. Fred asked for gay erotic stories of geeks and nerds that show how brawn doesn't necessarily have to be the only turn on. Writing prompts are how I get quite a few of my ideas, actually. When my brain's ability to "what-if" picks up on the right prompt, it's off. With Exposed, I took Fred's call, threw in a couple of long-time geeky friends' personalities and circumstances, added a touch of fiction and a lot of heat, and voila!

Who has inspired you, and how?

Underdogs. That's it. I've always had a soft spot for the less fortunate, the bad boys, the misunderstood, the misfits. They seem to flock to me as readily as I flock to them (takes one to know one, I guess). I've always been an observer. Yes, I like to watch. Take that as you will, but I've noticed that "the square pegs" -- as Author & Literary Icon Victor J. Banis so eloquently put in a review of one of my books -- have always fascinated me. I see them living their lives, often shut out or shunned from the mainstream, disregarded as odd or strange or non-conformists; and yet, they yearn, they laugh, and they cry just like anyone else. I feel I understand them and am compelled to get their stories out there for the world to read.

To what/whom do you credit your success?

Oh lord, so many people I have to list here. My editor, Bo Perkins for starters, if not for her guidance, I'm not sure I'd be published today. Jill Noble, senior editor at Noble Romance has gone out of her way to respond to my many questions, and  when asked, Authors Lena Austin and  AJ Llewellyn have offered me very candid advice on my writing, for which I will be forever grateful. My kids have been extremely supportive, even inspirational at times. Last but not least, Sugar Daddy, my S.O., he is my biggest fan and supporter (and in more ways than one, but that's for another time). If I've failed to mention anyone, please forgive me.

What kind of impact do you hope your work will have on readers?

Regardless of genre, I hope my characters resonate, either with those readers who relate to the characters or with readers who may have experienced similar situations or know somebody who has. Overall, I just want readers to realize there's a diverse world out there, and my writing embraces lovers across the gender and sexual spectrum, as well as a variety of misfits and scoundrels. When readers put down one of my books, I would love for them to be not only aroused or moved, but also walk away with a more objective look at those around them, those who may appear different, may not fit "the societal mold".

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Other than the hundreds I spend on eBooks per year? Sipping a Screaming Orgasm while perusing Rear Stable - rearstable.com (please note, link not safe for work.)

Kirk, or Spock?

Spock, of course...the things I could do with those ears.

Click the link below for an excerpt from Bryl's story, "Exposed," appearing in the Nerdvana anthology: