Monday, July 12, 2010

Monday Mini Reviews - July 6

Sorry for the late post, I had a dentist appointment today. *Shudder*

InfernoInferno by Dante Alighieri - 4.5/5 Doves
This is the story of a man's journey through Hell to eventually reach Heaven. I absolutely loved this book. Dante had a great imagination and gives us very vivid descriptions of the nine circles of Hell. His descriptions allowed readers to picture exactly what he was describing. The only downfall of this story, is that it is heavy on Italian history. Many of the things he mentions would've been recognized by his audience, but modern Americans require footnotes to get even a little bit of understanding. There is also the heavy influence of Christianity which can distract from the piece. Highly recommended!

And Then There Were Two
And Then There Were Two by Jude Mason - 3/5 Doves
And interesting Sci-Fi/Fantasy short. It was a pretty good beginning, but the way it ends leaves me with more questions than answers. This probably would've been good as a full novella or novel, but as it is now, it's an incomplete story. The story has no real beginning, middle and end. Rather, it only has a middle.



Spoils of WarSpoils of War by Aleksandr Voinov and Raev Gray - 4/5 Doves
After Achilleus, the legendary Greek warrior, falls in battle, Ares comes to collect his soul. I really enjoyed this book. Voinov and Gray did a great job with the descriptions. I wish the piece had been longer, since it only took me about twenty minutes to read it. Definitely recommend for those M/M lovers with an interested in Ancient Greece or Rome.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Interview with Rowan Speedwell

Today I would like to welcome author Rowan Speedwell to The Dancing Dove! This interview was actually supposed to go up about two weeks ago but things got a little mixed up. Sorry for the long wait, but here it is!

The Dancing Dove: Where/When was your first book published?
Rowan Speedwell: May 7, 2010 from Dreamspinner Press.

TDD: What was it like when your first book was published?
RS: Well, I read the email and then sat there for a few minutes, hyperventilating and shaking my hands, which had gone numb with shock. Dreamspinner was only the second place I’d submitted it, and it was only three weeks after the submission. I’d been prepared to wait months and then get rejected a dozen times before I found a publisher; all the Creative Writing classes I’d taken all said that your first novel would take at least a year to find a publisher AFTER you finished the book. For me, it was a matter of the book being in print less than a year after I STARTED it. Which was amazing and unbelievable!!

TDD: What was your inspiration for “Finding Zach”?
RS: A Public Service Announcement – actually, a poster of a young, dark-haired man in prison, seen from behind with his hands cuffed behind his back. It was something about not buying guns for felons, but it struck a chord with me—what if it wasn’t anything so mundane as a prison? What if he were being held hostage? How much worse could I make it…? It all sort of snowballed from there. I blended in some elements of a previous (unfinished!) story and came up with the general premise, of a young man trying to find his way back from a horrible experience. Then I tried to ask questions about how the recovery process would work, what would be his feelings, how would the people around him react, what would I do if it were someone I loved who went through that? I’ve had issues that I’ve had to deal with through therapy—the panic attacks were described from personal experience—and so that’s where that came from. In many ways it’s a very personal book, even though the actual events and characters—and even the setting—are outside my ken. (I’ve only ever been through Colorado by train…!)

I started “Zach” as an exercise to see if I could write—and finish!—a book I would enjoy reading. Even though I’ve read it about six hundred times now, I still like it!

TDD: Is there any chance of a sequel to “Finding Zach”?
RS: Mmm… Maybe not a novel, but I’d like to check in on Jerry, David’s ex. I rather liked him. And a couple of people asked me what happens to Brian.

TDD: What made you start writing M/M fiction?
RS: I’ve always found the heroes more interesting than the heroines, whether I’m writing them or reading them. I only started reading m/m a couple of years ago and just loved it—I get to have two heroes and no heroines to distract me! For some reason it makes it easier for me to get deeper into the story. I care more about the characters. There’s more risk, more danger, more angst—and a lot of the time more humor, more honesty, more reality. It may be something about the way humans are hard-wired, but the psychosocial needs of women in regards to relationship seem to depend more on the social courtship rituals. It probably has to do with their need to build social networks for the support of their offspring. Men, not so much. Makes for a different dynamic.

When I started thinking about Zach, I knew right away he was gay; it wasn’t as if I’d just taken a female character and “switched” him the way some writers of m/m do, but an organic part of Zach’s personality. I think what happens to Zach during his captivity is more devastating because he IS gay. Neither David nor Zach is the slightest bit effeminate; they are what they are and they just happen to be gay, too.

TDD: How often do you write?
RS: Five days a week. I try to write at least a thousand words a day, even if I have to throw out most of it the next day. I think about the story constantly, so that when I have the time to actually write, it’s productive time.

TDD: Is writing your full time job or do you have another occupation?
RS: I think if it were my full-time job, I’d probably never write. I’m a procrastinator, so having a very tight schedule actually means I get more done. I’m a law librarian and database manager. I write on my lunch hour.

TDD: Is there a certain place you like to write? The beach, the library, a comfy spot on the couch?
RS: No, those are places I read!! Actually, the library IS where I write, since I’m a librarian, but only on my lunch hour. Sitting in front of a computer all day is my job; when I clock out for lunch, I pull up my story and get to work for an hour. Then I go back to work. Of course, I’m THINKING about the story all the time!!

TDD: What's your least favorite part of the writing process?
RS: Of the actual writing process, the part where I have to throw out huge amounts of text to get the story back on track. That’s sad, but it’s part of the game. I can deal with that. The hardest part of the whole thing is the marketing—I’m SO not a self-promoter. And you really have to sell yourself these days to get your name out there. The whole social media thing is not me.

TDD: Do you have any works-in-progress you'd like to tell the readers about?
RS: I’m working on a Regency / Napoleonic-era historical involving my two favorite hero tropes of that genre: the dashing rake and the heroic cavalry officer. It’s very different from Zach: different setting, different time, different pacing. I’m not sure how it will be received, but I hope to have at least the first draft done by the time this interview is posted.

TDD: Do you have anything else you'd like to tell the readers? (Contact info, upcoming books, exclusive website content, etc.)
RS: I have a Facebook page called “Friends of Rowan Speedwell” and a blog. I’m also on Goodreads and GLBT Bookshelf. I have a LiveJournal account but so far it’s inactive, and I’m too skeered to Tweet.

I hope to have more stuff published soon!!

Thanks for your time, Ralph!!

Thank you for joining me, Rowan! I wish you the best of luck with your work!

You can purchase Finding Zach on Amazon.com

Friday, July 2, 2010

It's July!

Yup, it's finally July! First, I'd like to congratulate kbcutter for winning a copy of A.B. Gayle's Mardi Gras!

Next I'd like to thank all of my loyal viewers. And since I'm such a statistics dork, here are some stats from July!
From June 1 - June 30 we had 622 unique visitors!

Our most popular pages for the month are:
The Homepage  - 343 views
The Martin and the Wolf Giveaway - 154 views
Miles and the Magic Flute Giveaway - 101 views
Interview with Aleksandr Voinov - 88 views
The Mardi Gras Giveaway - 88 views
Interview with Anne Brooke - 53 views

This month I have a few things planned! Look forward to a book review for Finding Zack by Rowan Speedweel and one for Luke by Jan Irving. Also look forward to an interview with Rowan Speedwell and some authors from Untreed Reads and editor A.B. Gayle.


Thanks again for visiting us! Don't for get to check out The Daisy Chain, and M/M romance podcast put together by Blip!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Book Giveaway - A Certain Pressure in the Pipes

A Certain Pressure in the Pipes
Author Clancy Nacht was kind enough to offer up her newest release, A Certain Pressure in the Pipes. Sorry for the delay at posting this one!

Also, don't forget that the giveaway for A.B. Gayle's Mardi Gras ends at Midnight EST tonight!

Story Blurb:
Conrad Lloyd's father, Governor of an old west town, wishes his son wasn't so interested in inventing, or men for that matter. It isn't until Conrad meets Ezhno, a Native American inventor, that Conrad thinks he can find sexual and intellectual fulfillment all in one man. Will they find their way together despite the societal and familial divide that threatens to keep them apart? Or will Conrad have to satisfy himself with his steam-powered Pleasuring Machine?

You can find out more about A Certain Pressure in the Pipes and read an excerpt on Noble Romance's website.

Contest Rules (Borrowed and modified from Stumbling Over Chaos <3<3):
* To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes Midnight EST on July 7.
* If you share this contest (on Facebook, Goodreads, you blog, etc.) I'll give you an extra entry for each medium you use, up to three extra entries.
* You must leave a valid email address with your comment. If you don't include an email address in your post or on your Google Profile, Chris's Blog Gnomes will turn your post into kitty litter for the Chaos Cat.
* Winners will be selected by random number.
* If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
* If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
* This contest is open worldwide!

 If you'd like to know more about Ms. Nacht, you can read her interview with The Dancing Dove or listen to her interview with The Daisy Chain podcast.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Monday Mini Reviews - June 28

Hey guys! I'm sorry for the lack of content lately. Real life has gotten in the way once again. I'm going to try and get everything back on track this week, I promise.

Congrats to Harper Bell who won the giveaway for Anne Brooke's Martin and the Wolf! Also congrats to Tracy who won Heidi Cullinan's Miles and the Magic Flute! Keep your eyes open for another giveaway tomorrow!

And finally, on to our mini reviews!

Neighbors
Neighbors by Victor J. Banis - 3.5/5 Doves
A cute story about a woman who wants to get to know her lesbian neighbor. There wasn't very much plot to the story, but it was a good relaxing read. It felt more like a glimpse into a person's life than an actual story. A well written story and great for those times when you just want a quick, simple read.




Sonny's Blues
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin - 3.5/5 Doves
A literary story about an African American man who tries to understand his younger brother. I enjoyed reading the story of the two brothers and reading about them trying to understand each other. The story really makes you think about things like drug abuse, African American culture and even Jazz music.



Dead Man Rising
Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow - 4/5 Doves
The second book in Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series. I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, but I still enjoyed it. The first half of the story was a little boring and I kept setting the book down and taking a break from it. But the second half more than makes up for it. The second half is full of action and keeps you wanting more.




The Devil's Right HandThe Devil's Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow - 3/5 Doves
This is the third book in the Dante Valentine series. I didn't much like this one compared to the others. It felt like Danny was whining the majority of the time - either about how she was going to turn back into a human, how she was lied to, or how she felt used by the Devil. Not much really happened in this book which really bugged me. The first two had clear plots that were finished by the end of the book, but this one had you going "Okay… where's the rest of the story?"

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Book Question and Giveaway!

Author and editor A.B. Gayle has offered up a copy of her upcoming release, Mardi Gras, to any of my readers who answer two opinion questions! Mardi Gras will be released on June 28 from Noble Romance.

Blurb:
Fifty year old Damien, an American novellist, journalist and blogger has arrived in Sydney to write a story about the 2010 Mardi Gras.

He is travelling incognito because in a recent blog he criticised the relevance of the parade and bemoaned the fact it had drifted so far from its roots as a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots - the first time the fairies fought back.

He is met at the airport by Simon, a young Australian who has been asked to look after him and give him a real "Taste of Australia."

Set against the backdrop of Sydney and its world-famous and colorful Mardi Gras, the two men find they have a lot more in common than either at first realize.


What are the questions you ask?

1) What do you think of stories done in First Person (I, me, we, us, etc.)? If you don't like them, why don't you like them? Is it because you can't identify with a narrator who is of a different sex, age, ethnicity, etc?

2) What do you think of stories done in Present Tense? If you don't like them, why don't you like them?

Contest Rules (Borrowed and modified from Stumbling Over Chaos <3<3):
* To enter, leave a comment with your answers to the two questions. Contest closes Midnight EST on June 30.
* If you share this contest (on Facebook, Goodreads, you blog, etc.) I'll give you an extra entry for each medium you use, up to three extra entries. Please include a link to where you've shared the contest.
* You must leave a valid email address with your comment. If you don't include an email address in your post or on your Google Profile, Chris's Blog Gnomes will turn your post into kitty litter for the Chaos Cat.
* Winners will be selected by random number.
* If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
* If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
* This contest is open worldwide!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Interview with Barbara Sheridan

Author Barbara Sheridan was kind enough to do an interview with The Dancing Dove this week!

The Dancing Dove: Do you have a favorite book? (Of those you’ve written.) If so, why is it your favorite?
Barbara Sheridan: I think it would have to be Silk & Poison which I co-wrote with Anne Cain. The characters Shu & Toshiro are two of my favorite and their fictional universe spawned many other books and characters.

TDD: I noticed you’ve co-written a lot of books. Do you prefer to co-write or write solo?
BS: Co-writing is a lot of fun in the same way that reading is fun because you’re not quite sure what will happen next and where the other writee will take certain scenes or characters.

TDD: What made you start writing M/M fiction?
BS: I think I have to “blame it” on Anne Rice. I so loved Louis and Lestat back when I read Interview With the Vampire when it first came out and I hated that she let them drift apart.

TDD: How often do you write?
BS: I try to daily, but for the past few weeks I haven’t written a word. Just not been feeling the fictional love.

TDD: Is writing your full time job or do you have another occupation?
BS: Writing is it for the present. My last regular paycheck job was in retail. I was downsized.

TDD: Is there a certain place you like to write? The beach, the library, a comfy spot on the couch?
BS: My “office” also known as a corner of the diningroom.

TDD: What's your least favorite part of the writing process?
BS: Knowing that something in a book is “off” but not quite knowing how to fix it.

TDD: Do you have any works-in-progress you'd like to tell the readers about?
BS: Aleksandr Voinov and I have started a third book in our espionage series with Dreamspinner Press. I’m trying to work out a few research things for a book that ties in to the Beautiful C*cksucker books with Noble Romance.

TDD: Do you have anything else you'd like to tell the readers? (Contact info, upcoming books, exclusive website content, etc.)
BS: On the solo front I have an historical western novella coming From Dreamspinner on June 30th It’s called MOST WANTED and Aleks and I have two things upcoming RISKY MANEUVERS from Loose Id on July 6 and we should soon be editing FIRST BLOOD book two in our spy series with Dreamspinner.

Readers can find out more on the above at my website. There's also some exclusive web content tied into the books I co-wrote with Anne Cain at our Dragon’s Disciple site.


Thank you for joining me, Barbara! I wish you the best of luck with your books.

You can purchase Beautiful C*cksucker II - Such a Good Boy, Blood Brothers, and Clean Slate at Amazon.com