Thursday, August 23, 2012

'What Writing GLBTQ Literature Means to Me'

GBLT stories are important. Although there are ongoing struggles for acceptance, GBLT rights have made huge advances. I like to think books have helped that evolution of thought along. From the early paperbacks with veiled encounters all the way up to the explicit eBooks widely available today, these stories help educate and bring acceptance. A friend told me he’d treasured those early books growing up, had been so relieved to find out there were “others” like himself. Later he availed himself of the growing selection of books through small presses, and then finally the explosion of eBooks over the last decade. I started reading M/M after reading a blurb on a book site. The plot sounded good—wasn’t so sure how I felt about two heroes. Turned out I loved the book, LOVED two heroes—twice as nice, as it were. Read a lot more in the genre, and branched out into other GBLT titles. Eventually decided to try my hand at writing it, and have been fortunate enough to have feedback from a couple of great guys. Many readers have never picked up a romance involving anything but one man and one woman. There’s a whole ‘nother world out there. If I’d never purchased that first book with the interesting plot, I would’ve missed out on so much. I’d say keep an open mind, and try it. Just try it. One poster chosen at random will receive an Amazon gift card. Rainbow Book Reviews

23 comments:

  1. I always love these blogs hops, getting to know new-to-me authors and a deeper understanding of my favorites :)

    kimberlyFDR@yahoo.com

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  2. My voyage into the m/m genre is simular to yours. I found the joy of ebooks and joined the Jasmine Jade book site (way back several years) - which has all venues of romance. Read a blurb, was wise enough to purchase and have been hooked ever since!! I was completly overlooked with the writing gene - but got triple the dose of the reading gene. I absolutely love to read - Keep the stories coming!!
    cinders1964@hotmail.com

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  3. I think m/m has a much more nuanced and interesting range of male characters than het romance does. In fact, I'd never have read a romance if m/m hadn't begun.

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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  4. It's great when people will pick up a book from a genre they don't usually read! I need to do much more of that. Like you said, you never know what you may discover - and discover about yourself, too.

    Ryal
    ryalwoods@gmail.com

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  5. Hi, Whitley.

    You are a new author for but not for long. I look forward in reading your works.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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  6. Loved your post. Thanks for participating in the Hop.

    gisu29(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  7. Great post. I must confess my teenaged heart had fallen for two men together after I saw Mad Max II. When I saw Wez and his Golden Youth on the big bad bike, my thirteen-year-old self said, "Is that his bf??" It thrilled me to no end. Yes, quite young, but I thought it was awsome LOL.

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  8. I found out about m/m fiction by accident through fanfiction and started reading at that time. Then, I found out about eBooks on my PC and it opened up a world of eBooks and m/m authors to me. Thanks for your post and participating in the Hop!

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

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  9. I stumbled into m/m. I bought a book thinking it was m/f/m/m/m/m but it wasn't and I loved it. This May I actually shocked my cousin (who is gay) by telling him I read m/m. He didn't know straight women read them. Now we recommend books to each other. I would have never have found them if not for ebooks. I would still be reading "bodice rippers" lol
    kaylyndavis1986@yahoo.com

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  10. Thanks so much for participating in the hop! It always starts with that first book!
    OceanAkers @ aol.com

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  11. I found my way to m/m books through reading fanfiction. From there I joined Goodreads and found authors and loads of m/m stories to read. I couldn't be happier :)

    penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Our histories are very similar - you keep at your writing. I was picked up by MLRP this year and am now doing a series ... it becomes addictive and I just KNOW what you mean about two guys being better than one. Yay for you!

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  13. Hi,
    I also think that glbt stories are important, they promote better than parades that it's ok to be gay, that there are others and those people are actually not so different from what one knows.

    lyra.lucky7 at gmail dot com

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  14. A wonderful post!

    elaynelost at yahoo dot de

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  15. Wonderful post! Count me in please. I also accidentally came across M/M by reading a blurb in a popular woman's magazine. I am so glad that I took the plunge...my favorite genre now.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  16. Count me in! Thank you for the hop!

    Jibriel.O AT webDOTde

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  17. Hello, Whitley, and thanks for being part of the hop.
    I'd not heard of you before, but I persevered with the hop (feeling a bit dizzy now) and have met a lot of new authors who're all contributing to the enlightenment that books provide.
    Society is getting better, but there's more work to be done, and m/m romance helps by bringing the issues into the awareness of many people who probably wouldn't have considered them before.

    Sue
    corieltauviqueen at yahoo dot co dot uk

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  18. A friend told me he’d treasured those early books growing up, had been so relieved to find out there were “others” like himself.

    I think this is so very important for so many reasons. I could have saved myself a lot of youthful angst if I'd known that there were others like me, that I wasn't some sort of oddball freak.

    Being a teenager or a young adult is a tough period of transition for a lot of people. Sometimes a very little thing helps you hang on when you're in a dark place. A favorite television show, a treasured book, a movie you've watched a thousand times--these things can be lighthouses for someone otherwise adrift in a storm of boiling emotions.

    Thank you for sharing this with us!
    akasarahmadison at gmail dot com

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  19. Your post sounds alot like me! Thanks for joining the blog hop!
    seritzko AT verizon DOT net

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  20. I too think books can change the world :)

    Lilly
    lillywriting@gmail.com

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  21. Very nice post.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  22. Thanks a bunch for participating!

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

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