Michael H

Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Gluk's Orpheus and Eurydice. If you've never heard this, Here is a YouTube link: YouTube link

Hi Bob, I'll PM you, but to answer in part, no I have not had a problem with a bi person. No I'm not upset with anyone. Michael

Yes, it sounds like you have a shot at getting this guy into bed. Are you hoping for more, as in luv or even LTR? If your hope is for the latter two you'd better ask this fellow exactly what he means by bisexual. If you do ask, and if he answers, be sure to listen with the head on your shoulders. A lot of people claim to be bi. Being able to get it up with either a guy or gal isn't bisexuality, it's sexual greed, and that, is a heart breaker. Good luck! Michael Visit My Website

Rose, this is a sword that cuts two ways. When I review a work I definitely hold back if I know the author is new at this. Also I don't like to review WIPs unless asked to do so. That said, I prefer to comment privately rather than in a forum. Some "reviewers, not all mind you, seem to grandstand a bit. I also believe that not all readers make good reviewers. Some readers miss the author's message in the work and so come away loudly declaring that the story was ca ca. Some readers can't write worth spit and their reviews show it. I also believe a review should be just that, a review, not a book report. Some authors are just now learning to write well. Their spirits are often smothered under a barrage of criticism. And in fact authors who do not grow into their work suffer most with the critics. I also find that writers say they want feed back what they really want is praise--and who among us does not? Many writers when they get feedback (again not a review) they push back, discouraging any further discourse. I think it appropriate to say too that a review need not be a critique. I can tell you about a book with out critiquing it. Michael

TL, F. Scott Fitzgerald said that what people are ashamed of usually makes a good story. Thus the journal is a handy way to get at the character's inner thoughts. As an author, I use certain devices to move my story. It's one of the tools all use with legitimacy. Michael

I began my first published novel in 1st POV. I abandoned that and rewrote it in 3rd OM. I did this not because it was difficult but rather that it was limiting. IMO Raymond Chandler is the past master of 1st POV. He's one of my favorites and sooo good at telling a story. "The race may not always be to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet." ~ Damon Runyon Michael Visit My Website

James! There's your story. God I wish I wrote that line! Michael Visit My Website

Steph, For me the answer is no. I've read some excellent stories offered free and I've paid hard cash for some that I haven't even bothered to finish. It's been my experience that the poorly written stories suffer most from a lack of style rather than plot. Most of these fall into the category of "he / she did this" and "he /she did that" without much in the way of why, or worse yet, how he / she felt. So much is left out. I know several people who come up with these marvelous plots and themes but haven't any idea how to put the elements together. One was a woman who wanted desperately to be a published novelist. She asked herself, what if Jack, Kouriac, Anais Nin, James Balwin, W.H. Auden and Cyril Connolly were stuck in a tavern in Provincetown, Massachusetts during a hurricane. What would they talk about? Would they be afraid, etc. Well, this a pretty odd mix for sure. My guess Old Bob would be one of the few in this forum who even recognizes Connolly's name. My friend asked me to help her write this tale. I said I'd write the first 500 words and she should write the next 500 and so we would dovetail our chapters until we finished. Folks, I wrote the first and last 500 words. My friend couldn't add a word AND she an author of some pretty awesome poetry. My point is, money doesn't make a writer or even one that writes well. As I see the enthusiasm the readers here in GA have for the writers, I hesitate to even bring this subject up but since I didn't, I feel I can add something without seeming to be peeing in the stew. On the point of cash, way back in 2004 I was at a gay writer's conference in Washington DC. A well respected, and now well paid, writer addressed a standing room only audience. She said something that struck me. She said that she used to be so hungry for approbation that she posted she stories on line at no charge. Then she offered this advice, "Don't throw your talent away." In essence she was telling that packed room of writers that if you're good enough to be read, you're good enough to get paid for it. There have been authors who have posted their stories on line and have gone on to broader avenues. Some here will do that too, others, for a variety of reasons, will not. The thing is, as long as this site and others like it survive, those who post their stories in them will live. "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~ Cyril Connolly Michael Visit My Website

C, I agree. As long as people read there will always be new takes on old themes. These are the stories that will succeed and define a new breed of work. Michael

D, Thanks for the input. This is a continuing series so the Mundus reference is fully explained in the first book and in the sequel's prologue. As for Jan being 18yo virgin. Well we write what we know. Jan in many respects is my story e.g although surrounded with family he feels somehow unwelcome. He's highly educated at an academy geared to students headed for a religious life. He's is fluent in Latin. Later in the story when he is grown and an attorney, he adopts the motto Facere iudicium. Diligere misericordiam Do Justice. Love mercy. He is a Catholic and he's devout. Note, I do not say he's a devout Catholic. He's fatherless at age 12. He's sexually untested and socially naive. He has few friends and thus he's perfect for Tim Morris' plans for a protege. It all flows from that. Michael Visit My Website

Because I like to read adventure and intrigue, I write it, but with a gay MC. I believe my three books have what I would call unusual scenarios. Some people like them other pan them unmercifully but that's the chance we all take when we put out art on display. I have no idea if these back cover blurbs encourage or discourage readers. Certainly those looking for stock romance will avoid them but others who want an adventure story with a flawed hero just might read them. One thing my publishers can't provide is a list of people who bought my books. I'd love to hear what they have to say. Reading these blurbs would anyone here consider them? No I won't take responses personally. Although I can't speak for Mrs Caliba who lives next door. She makes the loveliest Voodoo dolls! LOL Eighteen year old Jan Phillips is on his own and heading into Philadelphia hoping to survive on money he can make from johns who frequent the city's "Tenderloin District". Still a virgin and not even that sure about his own sexuality, he has no idea of how to go about the business of prostitution and what impact it may have on his life. Tim Morris is waiting--waiting for Jan. From his thirteenth floor apartment in the elegant Saint Roi apartment building, Tim watches Jan on the street below. He decides that they will meet. Their meeting takes them on an adventure through the dark realms of international politics and their relationship--a relationship, formed from a devil's bargain and based on desperation and fear. Or this: 4:00am. The phone rings. Waking from an uneasy sleep, Jan Phillips answers the call and in doing so brings two strangers into his life. One is a victim; the other is a deadly enemy. This phone call will propel Jan on a journey to a world where the darkest shadows of Humanity trade lives for money. It will set into motion a series of events leading to murder and intrigue, the first conflict Jan must face as the secret Mundus Society's newest Master and his discovery of the phantoms haunting his soul. Or this: What do three sons, One murdered by Iraqi terrorists, one who lost his mother in a fire, and one involved with underworld crime have to do with Jan Phillips? Two threaten fear and death, forcing Jan to wield the awsome power of his office as North American head of Mundus, a sub rosa organization with roots imbedded in the ancient order of the Templars. The other threatens Jan's life and teh world he shares with Michael Lin, his partner of twelve years. The love of fathers for their sons is the only constant in this story of shattered lives and despoiled devotion.

Comrade! I don't read my text once my editor and I have approved it. In fact I don't think I've ever read my novels in their entirety, and certainly not once they see print. I wonder if other authors do this? I've always felt that the first draft contains that first flush of energy that so often is winnowed out with repeated reworking of phrases. I've often read scenes (especially action scenes) where the characters engage in a ballet rather than a m

TL, Far be it for me to denounce a stunningly successful series. I haven't written one but I can tell you that the majority of emails I've gotten complained bitterly about the bittersweet ending to Bought And Paid For--it's hint of a life to be continued. Of course none who wrote to me could know there was another book to come. Nonetheless, I got a lot of, "... Well, what happened? Did Jan reconcile himself to his sorrow? Did he eventually find the love he longed for?" I had to smooth the waters with not one, but two follow-ups. I write intrigue not romance, but of course life isn't all intrigue and so Jan meets someone to love and be loved by. But do they last? Can they last? Who can say? Michael "When you find yourself at a fork in the road, take it." ~ Yogi Berra

C, I know what you mean. My WIP has one completed chapter yet to be assigned a spot. This scene simply wouldn't let me go until I wrote it! Interestingly, this is but one of a handfull of chapters that I have not needed to revised in any of my books. Aside from typos it remains as written as a first draft. That sure doesn't happen often; and how I wish it did! M Visit My Website

Greg, I may take you up on that offer. Right now I have two WIPs. Each rather fragmented so I'm not sure you'd get much of a flavor of how I write or construct my phrases. Still it would be important to know if I'm resonating or just treading around the edges of a good yarn. Michael

Libby, I always write my first chapter and my last before I do anything. Then all I have to do is fill in the middle. You'd be right if you thought that it's easier said than done. Still, this process sets a goal and I know that I will finish one day and the project (in reality work) will see me typing, THE END. When I began writing Bought And Paid For, I expected it to be a one time thing. I wrote three possible endings. One, my protag (Tim) died. It was beautifully done if I do say myself. Two, he woke only to find his adventure a dream--done to death but hey, this was my first book remember. Third, the young man (Jan) Tim "Bought", leaves him and Tim begins his search for a protege anew. By the time I got two thirds through I realized there was a sequel forming in my head and that in fact Jan had become the main character who would carry the series forward. I now use this before and after technique in all my stories. I paraded my new found (to me) way of approaching a story. I learned others use this device too. I wasn't alone! What a relief. When I hear readers say they don't like a story it's almost always a romance where the MC dies. Romance readers hate that! For me it has to be believable. When I finished Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, I literally laughed. I know the Catholic Church and its Roman Curia very well and cardinals and popes simply don't get murdered for the reason (kept secret until the end) Brown gives the reader. It was too silly. Another thing that I believe is paramount if you write serially. You must keep faith with your character. If he / she is a good person struggling to be better against all odds in the first book, then he / she had better be doing that in the second and third books as well. That doesn't mean that the MC can't or shouldn't grow into the part but the ending must reflect what has happened. Epilogues are handy for this, prologues too. Here is a paragraph from Bought And Paid For. It comes very close to the end. I suppose you would categorize this as bitter sweet--like the Campari. Jan turned their conversation over in his mind. Money; it was poor compensation and it did nothing to lessen his feelings of inadequacy. With Tim at his side, Jan felt that nothing was beyond his reach. Now, everything seemed beyond him. He called the Pinnacle Club for messages then went into the living room and poured himself a small Campari over ice. He leaned back against the leather-covered wall and rolled the cool crystal glass across his forehead. The spicy aroma brought back memories of Italy, the Gulf of Salerno

Folks, I just learned that Author House and iUniverse as well as printer LuLu have agreed to Amazon's demand that they have all their customer's books printed and bound at Book Surge. For those who don't know, Book Surge is owned by Amz. This means that current AH, iU and Lulu customers won't see any change in service. I haven't gotten any information of how the E-book companies are responding. Michael Visit My Website

Greg, Since you referred to your "terrible work ethic" I take it you read Elizabeth George's remarks on getting published. Also there's nothing silly about wanting to get published. I know a man in his late fifties who always wanted to be a writer. His problem was he dropped out of school at grade six, unable to read or write. At age forty his longing to create a story was so great that with a legal sized yellow pad of paper, a pencil and a dictionary, he taught himself how to read and write. One can only imagine the struggle! He now has an agent shopping his edited manuscript and is working on another book. Now as for your "straight" story ideas, GA may not be the place to post however, if it's feedback you want / need I'll be happy to read (out of group) anything you have. In return I would like you to read something I have cooking. Michael Visit My Website

I'll email you later tonight or early tomorrow. about my experiences dealing with POD. I can answer your big question as I see it. Perhaps, someone else will have more to add. Once you have a polished MS you have several choices. First look on the Association of Authors' Representatives website: Association of Authors' Representatives Read the mission statement and the database. Pick out those agents most likely to fit your genre. You probably will have to access their website (if they have one) and look further. Send out a mass mailing of your query letter and wait and wait and wait. You may be asked for a sample of the text--usually the first five pages. Follow the instructions to the letter. If you don't, you will be rejected without a reading. If you get an agent, he/she will leverage contacts and try to sell your MS to a publisher. That's the good part. The bad part is that scoundrels abound in the book world and simply posting a part of a story will bring inquires from "agents" who "love" your book but it needs a "little" work. But if you pay $$$$ they are sure it will sell. You get the picture; nuf said on that. OR you can submit your MS to an online E-book company that will format your book to be read either by MobiRead, or Kindle or that Sony gizmo. Or you can submit your MS to some place like BookSurge, Author House or iUniverse to name only three--there are lots out there. Read their website very carefully and talk to people who have had dealings with these outfits. My first book is through iU, the second with AH, and the third through BS. Of the three AH is by far the most expensive and their royalties are caca! For Royalties BS is the best so far--35% on the retail net. On thing you must realize. You will hear stories of self-published authors getting "picked up" by big houses like Random House or St. Martin's press. That has happened but you'd be more likely to hit the lottery. Caveat: If you do publish either via POD or E-book you use up your first publish rights. Presses are not interested in books that are in the public domain. So that brings you to the question. Do I want to take my time (youngsters especially should consider this) and go the agent route, or publish through a POD or E-book company? Caveat: hard copy POD books will not be carried by brick and mortar stores because they almost always carry a high retail price and they are non-returnable. That means that 99% of POD sales will be through online catalogs like Amz, B&N, Powells et al. If you can't live with the that then refer to option #1 Some Gay bookstore do carry POD books. Mine have been in Obelisk (SF), Giovanni's Room (Philly), Calamus (Boston). But that was due to a large mailing of my press release for each book. There are others but I can't remember them. Oh, I almost forgot. If you do decide to go hard copy POD there is a gay distributor that will distribute your book. What does that mean? Well you will have to buy your own book at say 50% off the cover price. Pay to have it shipped to you, then pay to have it shipped to California. Then send out about 100 press releases and hope the stores you've targeted will order your book at 40% off the retail price. You realize by now you've lost $$$. Kinda makes you want to take up robbing liquor stores for a living! Caveat: POD must be marketed by the authors. Marketing tools that POD companies sell for ridiculous prices and be had free on the net. So My dear that should answer your biggest question. You have no idea the details that trail like ivy from these simple statements. Oh, one more thing. Learn this and learn it well and fast. The publishing business is just that--a business. Publishers don't care about our talent, or how hard you worked on your book. Repeat after me: Publishers are not my friend. Well I wrote more than I intended. I need a drink! Michael Visit My Website

I have a "stock" response that can be easily tailored for a specific question. I'll send you my story, which I caution is not going to represent everyone's experience with POD--only my own. Beyond my POD experience I feel it's important to define the term "Published" as it applies to GA. Is GA suggesting that it become, in part, a publishing house? The Poll seems to suggest this. BTW did you find the article I sent you helpful? Michael Visit My Website

I've been sitting on reply for quite some time now because I wanted to get a sense of what the term "published" meant as it has been used in this thread. By "published" do we mean a work that has been edited, accepted, garnered an advancement of royalties, or, barring that, royalties paid quarterly at say 35% of the net retail price? Or are we talking about works that are "posted" on one of GA's forums? Publishing and posting are vastly different terms and each has its ramifications as regards to future publication rights. Corvus wrote: "For example, how, generally, does one go about getting published? What publishing venues are open? Should I hire an agent? etc." I have three books in print. I opted for self-publishing (POD) due to my age. That's a story for another time. I want to address Corvus' questions as best as I can with what I know and have learned. To get published you need: A work that is good enough to sell to a publisher. It must as be edited--either by you or someone who knows how to edit. Better by someone else who doesn't have a vested interest in the work other that his/ her fee. Beware!!!!! There are a lot of "editors" out there who will take your money (hundreds) in return for nothing more than a spell-checked document. If you want to sell your book to a "Publisher" you will most likely need an agent. Small presses and some large presses do accept works that are not represented by an agent but that means having your work dumped on to the slush pile where it may languish for months, or years. There is an old mantra that seems to be the general rule (with few exceptions). "Publishers won't accept non-represented work and agents won't accept clients that haven't been published". It makes you wonder how all those awful books get published! Now I suppose in this forum we're talking about "gay" stories, essays, poems, etc. That narrows your field dramatically. They don't call it a niche market for nothing. Caveat: Just because a publisher buys your book doesn't mean it will see print. Most do because corporations don't get rich by throwing their money away on projects they done support. However, sometimes a book will get shelved because the market has gone soft on that genre or another hot property has nudged your book to the next publishing cycle (usually a year). First time authors rarely get rich on their writing. Steven King got less than $5000 as an advance for his first book. To some of us that's a lot of money but in the scheme of things it's not. Corvus asked what venues are open? E-books are all the rage among those who like them. That's one venue, self-publishing or signing on with one of the POD companies is another or the tried and oft frustrating "traditional" publishing route. Here is what Elizabeth George says about getting published: “Here’s what I tell my students on the first day when I teach one of my creative writing courses: You will be published if you possess three qualities—talent, passion, and discipline. You will probably be published if you possess two of the three qualities in either combination—either talent and discipline, or passion and discipline. You will likely be published if you possess neither talent nor passion but still have discipline. Just go to the bookstore and pick up a few “notable” titles and you’ll see what I mean. But if all you possess is talent or passion, if all you possess is talent and passion, you will not be published. The likelihood is you will never be published. And if by some miracle you are published, it will probably never happen again. Some of us are blessed with self-discipline, and I admit myself to be one who is. It’s something I inherited from my mother: that ability and willingness to do what needs to be done first and then to play later. A lot of writing is simply showing up. A lot of writing is being willing to show up day after day, same time and same place. A lot of writing is being able to put the work first simply because it is the work. A lot of writing is being able to delay gratification.” ~Elizabeth George, in Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life. I have quite a lot of experience with POD if anyone wants to email me out of this forum. I can post here but I don't want to take up too much of everyone's time. Michael Visit My Website

There is an old saying in carpentry that I believe applies to any serious decision. Before you do anything, you measure twice and cut once. Michael Visit My Website

Peter (my partner) worked 5 years as an AMZ CS rep. He said that all all Ingeram shipments arrived at the distribution centers in Lighting Source boxes. That jogged my memory since I had heard that Lightning Source is owned by Ingram, Add to that Baker & Taylor are the sole distributors for BS. I'm wondering if Ingram drove too hard a bargain with BS and this is payback? Of course that's just speculation. Once upon a time, all three of my books were offered as E-books on the Amz catalog. Now that option has been removed. I tried to get them formatted (at my expense) with Mobiread which Amz once supported but that didn't work out. People who want my books as e-books can download them from the Author House and iUniverse sites. As for selling my books as e-book format, I'm not wedded to doing that. It would be nice but... You said this and I was wondering what you meant: "And even then I'd think twice about how much I really wanted that content." Michael

As I understand it, Amazon/Booksurge is telling POD outfits that unless they use Booksurge to print their books they won't be listed on the Amz online catalog. Book Surge not only offers the services other POD companies do, they print their own product rather than farming the print job out to Lighting Source, et al. Of course POD customers want their books listed on online catalogs. As you know this feature is prominently displayed on POD websites. Author House alone has a huge customer base that would be excluded if AH refused to abandon Lightning Source in favor of Amz/BS. If they refuse these companies would be reduced to selling from their own website stores. They do this already but I'd bet those sales account for a small % of the total intake. When they first began some of these companies printed their own product but stopped that to cut costs. Now they are literally stuck in the ink. Amz is clearly playing hardball. Book Surge is determined to take the loin's share of the POD and E-book market. I saw the first warnings when AMZ decided not to sell e-books unless they were formatted to be read on their new gismo. Now the other shoe has dropped. Gone are the days when Jeff Bezos and his wife traveled to each distribution facility at Christmas time to help the staff get the books packed and shipped. I can't see any leverage here for the competition. BS has them by the short hairs because BS has Amz and AMZ has BS. Michael