W_L

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28448746-will-patrick-fight-their-feelings We’re in the heart of the story, Will and Patrick have consummated their relationship and usually by this point in most romance novels, you fade to black. However, the charm of Leta Blake is that she defies conventional wisdom in the genre that she writes in. It’s one of the things I appreciate in her writing, she’s willing to explore the complete story of relationships from various angles. At 137 pages and

I do agree with you. It's good realistic book from the perspective of the author and the times it was written. I hate the main character's actions and belief, but I can't completely fault him either. Some of the concepts Baldwin raised in the book are still true even in today's society, especially for younger LGBT people trying to fit certain social norms.

That's understandable, I had to fight my own urges to finish the book. I offer these reviews to folks to give them a look into published books in gay fiction from my perspective, maybe when you read it, you will feel differently than I do. I hated the main character and the ending. However, I reminded myself what Baldwin were dealing with and the author's perspective. It's not a book for everyone, but it is from a very well-known, award winning, and creative gay African American male author from the 1950's, so there's layers of complexity and perspective embedded that I wanted to understand. It's not a good reflection, but it does show a lot of regret. I chose to review James Baldwin's novel, because it has redeeming qualities and complex truths about life in the closet.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54785525-alec As a fan of E.M. Forster’s gay fiction classic Maurice, I was intrigued to learn that someone would want to write a follow-up novel. This book is essentially fan-fiction, but it has its own unique voice that both holds the classic, but probably goes deeper with modern sensibilities. Based on the narration and the lurid gay scenes describing young Alec Scudder’s first gay experiences, I knew this was a modern interpretation from another fan,

Thanks for reading my review and being inspired to pick up the classic novel again, I might be geared towards modern gay literature, but I have a pretty good grounding in classic literature. To me, Maurice reads well for a romance set during the Edwardian era of English history. Forster as a well-renowned gay author fascinated me as someone who could see the past and the future with his writing. His other novels like Passage to India was a masterpiece as well.

Thanks for reading my review of Maurice. I still favor Maurice over The Charioteers, probably because Maurice, Alec, and Clive have a fully formed/complex relationship dynamic. That's one thing I like about the book, it explores relationships and various sexuality in same sex lovers. I think E.M Forster truly considered the concept of Clive being sexually fluid, it's a very modern concept for a book written in the early 20th century. It's a type of sexuality that is not quite assured gay or bisexual, nor ever happily heterosexual (he doesn't seem to love his wife either). Forster basically charted out the complexity of same sex love between men, he envisioned that's multi-layered. In the realm of gay romance fiction, I read a lot of stuff that I can draw direct lines back to his novel (or the movie made from his novel). I do agree Civilization has very thin skin, when it comes to people with predilections that do not conform to standards. On other authors, I feel some early gay fiction writers are rated too highly from the pre-Stonewall era like Gore Vidal, when his City and Pillar basically painted gay men so negatively in his novel. Yes, he wrote one of the earliest post-war Gay fiction novels, but he did it with a message that denounced homosexual love, something he himself enjoyed. He explained it away in later decades, but I am not a big fan of that famous novel. There's a reason why I chose not to review it, I'd be tempted to give him 1 rating out of 5 for doing what he did in the novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3103.Maurice I am restarting my review series with probably the most well-known and “beloved” gay fiction story of the 20th century. I think many of us have seen or heard of the 1987 British movie, which was created and released just a year prior to when Margaret Thatcher Administration ushered in sweeping Anti-Gay laws, including the infamous Section/Clause 28, “prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality”, along with local measures at the height of HIV/A

The End of October by Lawrence Wright https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52669505-the-end-of-october I avoided this book last year, like the Plague, ironically. I had to pick it up eventually after a while and it took me a long time to finish. Yes, this is a fiction novel with mostly heterosexual characters, but I do read books in the mainstream speculative fiction world as well. My tastes with mainstream fiction can be simply explained as a "love for details”, I love science ficti

I don't know if people will like me reviewing mainstream fiction books. However, I do feel like trying out my hand at reviewing a popular Medical Global-thriller from 2020 from a Pulitzer Prize winning author. If folks don't like it, I'll just focus on gay fiction only. The End of October is a dark mirror into the current COVID Pandemic, it didn't get everything right, but it is quite scary.

@James MatthewsI think the first gay fiction stories I read was over on Nifty Archives, it was a forbidden pleasure that I just stumbled on and most of the stories were sexually explicit. At some point in 2003, I ventured into the High School section and found Brew Maxwell's Tim, it changed my outlook on being gay as it wasn't explicitly sexual, it was warm and comforting, something masculine that called to me. I continued reading the Foley-Mashburn Saga as the series would be called from that point on, Brew Maxwell taught me a lot of lessons that as a young gay teen I had no one to ask or fictional characters to look up to. It was my escape into a world where there wasn't homophobia, fear, or other things. An old friend of mine online called it "Leave it to Beaver" series of gay fiction, Brew has a formula in his story that you will figure out after a while. I understand its wholesome (despite the nudity and lack of shame about PDA with partners, it had actually very little sex), but being a gay teen in the 2003, it was hard to find that. Interestingly enough, I can't remember if I discovered @Bill WCastaway Hotel around the same time as I was reading Brew Maxwell's series. Brew left a bigger impression on me, but I know I read Bill's stories in 2000's as well on Nifty. It also opened me up to reading stories from Crvboy.org, where the Foley Mashburn saga now sits and other authors outside as well like Jeff Allen or Sara Bell. That led me here to GA, when I was recommended DanKirk's Do-Over Series as I wanted something with gay Science-Fiction.

I'll send you a box of skittles for your trouble

I know I updated my status on this on Friday. I'm soothing my pain with Skittles, at least I can still taste the Rainbow 😛 https://gayauthors.org/profile/6670-w_l/?status=144223&type=status

They're such a cute gay couple: The cheerful teen nurse and the emo teen necromancer, the stories write themselves with their back-and-forth. Plus the funny thing about Will's other ability, I picture it like this I don't write fan fiction stories or share the ones I write often with folks, but I wish someone would write a full Solangelo story on GA. They're already a Canon couple, it's just a matter of expanding their relationship and figuring out details.

When you get to the Percy Jackson series, I hope you enjoy the Trial of Apollo. I finished that last summer during the pandemic.

Current Reading: 1. TJ Klune's Heartsong, Book 3 of Green Creek Series Honestly, Wolfsong was okay as book 1, but it didn't strike me as anything extraordinary. Ravensong as book 2 though was when TJ hit his stride in this series and got me hooked. It's dark/bleak at times, but TJ pulled it through and developed really wonderful/complex gay characters. Shifter genre writers and readers would be missing out if they don't give that book a read. Don't give up if you don't like book 1 as much, Book 2 seriously ups the ante, especially with the Cliffhanger ending. I also have Brothersong bought with an additional 3 credits from audible. 2. Daryl Banner Born Again Sinner, book 2 Spruce Texas Series If you like low angst, low homophobia, and gay southern fantasy comfort, then grab nice cup of whatever beverage you prefer (Coffee, Tea, Bourbon, or Whiskey ) and just enjoy the series. I started reading these books with Football Sundae as book 1 in series set in this fictionalized version of Spruce Texas. It's a gay romance without all the heavy stuff that surrounds being gay; though, Daryl doesn't avoid the subject either. It's sort of like Chicken Soup for the Soul for gay readers, who just want a simple fantasy that doesn't reflect on realities. I know it's not for everyone and the acceptance in the series is comical at times, but some days you just want that kind of comfort, like getting big bucket of KFC chicken, it satisfies a particular craving. Finished Reading/Re-reading this month so far: 1. Maurice by E.M Forster- Classic gay romance, I re-read it again due to the new sequel written by William di Canzio. Writing review for it 2. Alec by William di Canzio- Fan-fiction sequel to Maurice, good story and very beautiful if you are interested in that period of Western History. Writing a review for it. 3. Wolfsong by TJ Klune, Book 1 of Green Creek Series: It started off as a gay version of Twilight, if it was written by a Team Jacob fan , but the story developed further. I thought it was decent, but there were plot point where TJ lost me at times. I know casual readers who judge authors by their first books, may not continue the series, but if you are like me and have read other TJ Klune novels like Lightning Strucked Heart in his fantasy Verania Series, you should consider giving TJ Klune latitude by reading the series further than book 1. Writing a review for it. 4. Ravensong by TJ Klune, Book 2 of Green Creek Series Yes, the is exactly what I wanted to read and TJ Klune in his sequel delivered on the promise of this universe in spades. You need to read Book 1 in the series to understand book 2's character arcs/development in-depth, but suffice to say, TJ outdid himself here. The story line and future plot set up with that Cliffhanger is what authors dream of creating. Gone is the Twilight-vibes, this book is definitely handled with depth. Writing a review for it. 5. Football Sundae by Daryl Banner, Book 1 of Spruce Texas Series Low angst, little homophobia, and a southern US setting, where gay guys are accepted without prejudice. Yes, it is a fantasy romance story, it's not grand as some of the other books I've read, but it's worth a nice comfortable sit-down reading. Writing a review for it 6. Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, Book 1 of Openly Series I like the book's complex protagonist and framed story format, it's very nuance way to look at sexuality. In a way, I can see elements of the main character in my coming out experiences. For young adults, it's an interesting, angsty, complex, and sometimes tragic read of a person trying to be something other than what they are. Considering if I should write a full review 7. Honestly, Ben by Bill Konigsberg, Book 2 of Openly Series This book gets a lot of flack from the Bi-community, which I can understand, because the main character doesn't perceive himself in those terms. It's complicated like Book 1, but far more cerebral. Thematically, it's about being true to oneself and one's beliefs, whether it's your choice of lovers or views on bigger issues like academic integrity or even the "just cause" interpretation of War. Considering if I should write a full review 8. Borrowing Blue by Lucy Lennox, Book 1 of Made Marian Series What I thought would be a fluffy "Fake Boyfriend" story turned into a fun-filled story about love, betrayal, and accepting what you truly want in life. I am a sucker for Hallmark/Lifetime Movies with this kind of plot. Considering if I should write a full review

Thanks, I really hope she continues, too. It's hard to find high-end Science Fiction with complex LGBT characters along with massive universal background that are wholly original.

I also speak Cantonese and am of the Hakka subgroup of the Han Descent, basically Northern Chinese exiles who integrated into Southern China's culture centuries ago.

Well, can we have a badge for those who like Beefy Jerks after we write a story about mean jocks, who fall in love with dorky boys who like to write

Since I've been here for a decade, I guess I must be as straight as a Steel Rod

Quick question: was the "7 days Straight" badges, supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek joke considering our subject matter?

With the 2021 Olympics over, the fine tally is: https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/26/22594865/medal-count-team-lgbtq Gold = 11 Silver = 12 Bronze = 9 In total, LGBTQ athletes if measured like a nation, would rank 7th in overall gold medals and 11th in total counts at Olympics. It's a an accomplishment for "out Athletes".

Well, I put the Mainstream book review series on hiatus after finishing off my reviews with the classic Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Some readers may wonder, why did I stop? Well like I noted, I think I overdid it with my daily reviews. I gave too much content for interested readers to read, it became a daily newsletter email. Book reviews should be fun or neat things that give readers guideposts for certain things, if they are preparing to purchase a new book for reading. I read a lot in my spare time, and not just gay fiction either. However, I can't expect everyone to enjoy reading at the same clip as I do. I'll need to re-tool the Mainstream Gay Fiction review series, reduce it from daily publication to weekly, so readers can more easily consume it. ---------- Other than that, I am working on a new long-term story set in the modern world around a group of disabled college kids, who possess unique mental abilities. I'm creating the story with elements from Science fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. I'm toying around with concepts and themes in my story such as informed consent, privacy, identity, reality versus perception, and free will. I've read some of @MyrPsionic Corp series (a fine group of stories if anyone is interested) , but my story is going to take traditional concepts of the genre in a different direction, not truly individual nor group. My story also has an over-arc that defines all the conflicts, similar to the first 4 seasons of the classic Science Fiction series, Babylon 5. I am not sure how long I will keep writing this story for, but I have some very wild concepts and ideas to throw at people, along with plot twists and revelations. Villains and Heroes are not as simple as they may appear at first. That story will most likely start seeing publication in September 2021 at a weekly pace

Fair point, I was very enthralled by the story and had to write this over the weekend just because I didn't want to wait until Monday to write a review. There are major spoilers in my series of book reviews, either because I felt happy reading it or upset about it. I also loved how Leta treated her Omega characters with dignity and explores reproductive issues from a different angle than one I am used to. It made me think and re-orient my views a lot. Like I said, my position shifted because juxtaposition in her novel between gender, sexuality, and reproduction made changed my perspective and ultimately position on Abortion. I mentioned in later reviews I've read Nora Phoenix's Irresistible Omega series, I didn't find them as interesting, good for the genre though. Leta Blake built a complex world with rules, social structures, and concepts so similar and alien to our own. It's why I love fantasy and science fiction, they represent some of the most original perspective in literature. If folks want to read onward: there is a sequel book: Alpha Heat, which involves Xan's story and his struggles with his sexuality and identity. He reminds me of several effeminate guys I've known and transgender women. I find him really fascinating as the Omegaverse version of an LGBTQ character, he has attributes some of us can relate to and connect with. If I restart my reviews again I'll try really hard not to spoil his story, because it really does deserve to be read. I felt bad for him, but understood his self-loathing and the self-hate he suffered that led him down that path at the start of the sequel.

Not all YA books are the same, and some deserve a reboot with modern sensibilities. Personally, I am waiting for them to redo the Animorphs properly for a modern non-Nickelodeon audience. Those books dealt with heavy issues beyond stereotypical teen or kid show. It had family tragedy, war stress, a tragic hero who make horrible choices for the greater good, and ultimately I remembered it for its sheer audacity to kill off characters, including main characters (The slaughter of a bunch of disabled kids was mind-blowing to me, when I read it). Katherine Applegate might have gotten a lot of flack for stuff especially the killing of kids part, but I still remember her books to this day. This was pre-9/11 era, too. Compared to that, the Nick show that tried to cash in on it, which was just gimmicky animal transformation of the week.

Personally, I prefer reader input, because it helps me know how to adjust the story if need be. The thrill of a story isn't just between the author and his creation, it's also between the reader and the author's creation, too. If you commit time to read a story, get engage by the plot and characters, then you should never feel like your wasting your time on those commitments without getting enjoyment out of it. Never be afraid to interact with others, share your opinions with pride (even if you get shouted down), and just keep expanding your horizons. I personally think some of GA's best authors could give a few published gay fiction authors runs for their money in terms of character and plot development, there are genuine gems on GA. On the other hand, there's some stories I read, but don't respond to as well, mostly due to the feeling of "meh", not because I don't like it, but it's a story concept I've read from other authors (some of whom I paid money indirectly through my Kindle unlimited and Audible memberships). I hope you feel more comfortable to interact and be open to others.