By now you must have seen, bought, or at least heard about the M/M Romance series started this year by Running Press, a mainstream publisher that is part of the Perseus Group. Counterpoint was originally supposed to have been one of the first books in the series but a bad decision on my part made that impossible for 2009.

The first two books — False Colors by Alex Beecroft, and Transgressions by Erastes — are doing "g-r-r-r-r-eat," as Tony the Tiger would say. Within days of being released, they were both comfortably ensconced at or near the top in several best-seller lists (and not just LGBT lists, either!) on Amazon, where they remain. I have not had the pleasure of reading either one yet, but as many of you know Alex Beecroft and Erastes are both outstanding storytellers. Since I don’t have a review of my own to offer at this time, I’ll take what’s on Amazon:

Transgressions Erastes ISBN-13: 978-0762435739 Available in Print and E-Book

From Library Journal, "Set during the Royalist/Roundhead conflict of the mid-1600s, this story exudes historical detail and will please historical fans." Publisher’s Description 1642, England David Caverly's strict father has brought home the quiet, puritanical Jonathan Graie to help his dreamer of a son work the family forge. With war brewing in Parliament, the demand for metal work increases as armies are raised. The indolent and deceitful David Caverly is bored by his father's farm and longs to escape, maybe to join the King's Army, mustering at Nottingham. David finds himself drawn to Jonathan, and after a passing cavalry trooper seduces the beautiful David and reveals his true nature, he determines to teach Jonathan what he's learned. When David is forced to leave the farm, and the boys are separated by mistrust and war, they learn the meaning of love and truth as they fight their way across a war-torn country, never thinking they'll ever see each other again.

FALSE COLORS Alex Beecroft ISBN-13: 978-0762436583 Available in Print and E-Book

Review Library Journal, 4/15/2009 "Kidnappings, violence, intrigue, piracy, and an abundance of naval detail drive the action in this intriguing, relatively sweet romance." Product Description 1762, The Georgian Age of Sail: For his first command, John Cavendish is given a ship—the HMS Meteor—and a crew, both in need of repair and discipline. He’s determined to make a success of their first mission, and hopes the well-liked lieutenant Alfred Donwell will stand by his side as he leads his new crew into battle: stopping the slave trade off the coast of Algiers. Alfie knows their mission is futile, and that their superiors back in England will use the demise of this crew as impetus for war with the Ottoman Empire. But the darker secret he keeps is his growing attraction for his commanding officer—a secret punishable by death. With the arrival of his former captain—and lover—on the scene of the disastrous mission, Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise of a future with the straight-laced John.

Against a backdrop of war, intrigue, and personal betrayal, the high seas will carry these men through dangerous waters from England to Africa to the West Indies in search of a safe harbor.

This fall look for the next two books in the series: Lover’s Knot by Donald L. Hardy and Tangled Web (Regency) by Lee Rowan. More details closer to publication.

If the series is the smashing success I expect it to be, and Running Press continues it, Counterpoint may very well join the list in 2010.

Well, OK, it’s not all that new. And it’s only sorta-kinda gay. And it’s not a historical romance. The original title was "Curse!" I’m making it available as a FREE Lulu ebook because I can. And because it just happens to be one of my favorite things, next to "warm woolen kittens and sleigh bells with noodles" (or whatever it was).

OPENING EXCERPT:

Time and Age. They make bottoms sag, legs shake, and arms wobble. Every time the old chair was moved it left a trail of little Hansel-and-Gretel tufts of ancient gray stuffing. In the world of furniture it had once been a duchess. Now it was a bag lady.

H.L. (Horatio Lamar) Snodgrass IV never gave the old chair another thought after he placed it in the storage room of his office to await the junk man. He was too busy sniffing and stroking its replacement, experiencing almost orgasmic pleasure in the smell and feel of the tall-backed chair made from the hides of Pamplona fighting bulls, a chair fit for a king. Or a damn good lawyer. He was the best. When he spoke judges melted. When he spoke Justice took off her blindfold, winked, and hiked her skirt to the thigh.

His clothes were custom made. One car was foreign and expensive. Another was American and expensive. His favorite was old, low, and expensive. His wife, who was visiting her wealthy mother at the time, was petite and expensive. His boyfriend was not petite in any way, but neither was he cheap...

Please. Go. Read. Let me know if you like it. If the response is good maybe I’ll do another one soon.

If you’re familiar with the magnificently creepy fiction of Rick R. Reed, you might be surprised to know he has a sense of humor, too. That’s like expecting Stephen King to show up dressed like Ronald McDonald. Well, Rick had the inspiration to do interviews on his blog. Not just any interviews, either. Not the standard "how long have you been writing" and "who inspired you" questions. (However, we writers love those questions because we take ourselves way too seriously.) Rick’s questions are downright flippant ("Who do you think you are?" and "When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?") and are guaranteed to elicit responses in kind. The interview with me will be posted July 8 for a week, then archived. You’ll enjoy the other interviews and Rick’s blog in general. He’s a smart, talented writer. (He paid me to say that. Actually he’s a bit of a smart ass, but kinda cute.) His blog is: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com.

Win a free autographed and personalized copy of THE PHOENIX in the contest at www.coffeetimeromance.com during the month of July!

Be sure to check out CTR!

(just don’t ask me what a wiki is. I think it’s a little furry animal.)

http://bookworld.editme.com/Home

A new Community of writers, artists, publishers, reviewers and readers. Read reviews, find author pages, meet your favorite GLBT author. The Wiki was founded by author Mel Keegan, a terrific writer who is familiar to a lot of you.

Next up: The Sea Hawk by Brenda Adcock, followed by Sappho Sings by Peggy Ullman Bell. Following that, Island Song by Alan Chin, Bashed, by Rick R. Reed, Nocturne by Mel Keegan. And if I run across some oldies but goodies lurking on my hard drive, I’ll post them too, while I’m reading the new ones. So visit often, and PLEASE leave a comment. http://www.reviewsbyruth.wordpress.com/.

The most recent: Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan. The Angel Singers by Dorien Grey. Angel Land by Victor Banis. Whistling In the Dark by Tamara Allen. "Proud Is the Dancer" by Lee Benoit, which appears in an anthology called Coming Together at Last, Vol. One, published by Phaze. The anthology benefits Amnesty International. An interesting note: one of the reviews on my site that gets the most traffic is that of Gus the Great, a circus story written by Thomas Duncan w-a-a-a-y back when I was young. It was one of my all-time favorites. It has also received the most comments.

Do you want to share your thoughts about a book? Send me your review and if I don’t already have one of that book and I can use it, I’ll give you the byline and link to your site or blog. The books don’t have to be gay themed, they don’t have to be fiction, they don’t even have to be novels since I’ve added a page for short stories/anthologies. The thing is, you see, that there are so many good books out there that I can’t possibly read them all, especially since I’m as slow as a glacier.

If you want to review but are uncertain about your writing skills, send it anyway. If there are spelling or grammar mistakes, I’ll fix them and let you ok them before posting. I wouldn’t dream of changing your view of a book. I want this blog to be a positive one, so please send reviews only of books you enjoyed or can at least find something commendable about. (Having guests is also a way of hiding the fact that I’m butt-lazy.)

I prefer not to put reviews of out-and-out erotica because I don’t have one of those "Leave-if-you’re-not-eighteen" thingies on the blog. So if the book has body parts squirting, spurting, or sending copious rivers of boiling love juices into any available orifice that’s puckered or named after a cat, I probably wouldn’t use it. If the sex is a natural and integral part of the story but not the whole enchilada (with the aforementioned squirting, spurting, and puckering happening every two pages and going on for many, many paragraphs), then I might very well use it. You’ll never know until you try.

In the interest of full disclosure I decided to provide links and into to two "other" reviews. Not everybody loves me (sniff); my mother would be shocked. Still, I appreciate the time the reviewers took to read and comment, and it’s absolutely not true that I stick hatpins in voodoo dolls of reviewers. Well... okay, I don’t do it often. If you’re interested, here are the links and information.

The Ugly.
The one at Dear Author falls into the Limburger Cheese category (i.e., kind of stinky), though it starts out all right. She gave it a C- my first C- since fifth grade when I didn’t do a very good job on my science project. The link to it is: http://tinyurl.com/o5xolm There was a string of interesting comments made about the review; some agreed with her but thankfully, most didn’t. If any of you commented and DIDN’T agree—thanks! If you commented and DID agree—dang!

The Not-So-Good-But-Not-So-Bad
This one is at http://bookutopia.blogspot.com/ She gave a 38 out of 50. She liked the setting but not the characters. It’s not a bad review; just more of a shoulder-shrug. But, like every other author, I’m not above lifting a positive snippet or two from it. To read it you’ll have to search the title or my name, and then scroll down to find the review.

The Good
Here’s an excerpt from a dandy review, by Danielle at Coffee Time Romance & More who gave it four cups (see, Mom, wherever you are, somebody still loves me.) It’s at http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/ThephoenixByRuthSims.html

Danielle had one little picky thing, but all in all it’s a very good review. Some of the things she said, following a well-done plot synopsis: "The Phoenix is the type of story that has you in its grasp from the beginning. Ms. Sims shows us how Jack goes from an abused pickpocket to a wealthy and renowned actor in this magnificent tale of love and loss. … Not only is this a story of surviving in some of the most horrific occasions but it is also a story of self-discovery for Nicholas, who begins to understand who he wants to be only when it might already be too late. … With heartbreaking scenarios, tragedy and triumph, love and hate, and laughter and tears, this beautiful and sensual novel will open your eyes to how life with all its trials and errors must have been for these two lovers during the late nineteenth century."

Is anyone besides me old enough to remember the attempts at subliminal advertising in movies during the ‘50’s. I heard that!! You know perfectly well I meant 1950’s, not 1850’s! (If you’re too young to remember, Wikipedia has an interesting article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_message) Anyway, when I was sixteen or so (and yes, movies talked by then) the local preachers were going ballistic about a hyped movie that was said to contain subliminal messages. As I recall, a public meeting was held at one of the churches to protest showing of the movie (don’t remember the name of it.) After a week of preaching and letters to the editor, the movie arrived. Several of us went to see it, of course. It was a horror or mystery and wasn’t my kind of movie but, hey, I was a teenager and authority figures were telling us not to see it!

I risked my immortal soul for nothing; the movie was a big letdown. In addition to “buy Coke” and “eat popcorn” (I didn’t do either one) flashing from time to time at fractions of a second, a skull-and-cross-bones appeared during key scenes. All visible, by the way, like movie ghosts. Scary? Naw. All it made me think of was iodine. The only scary thing was wondering if the preacher and my mom would find out I went to see it. Well, my sales figures being what they have been, I decided to give it a try. So here’s my attempt to subliminally brainwash you into buying the new version of The Phoenix.

Did it work? Huh? Did it? Phooey. I didn’t think so. I just hope it didn’t make you think of Iodine.

My website:
www.ruthsims.com -- See The Phoenix video, reviews, excerpts, archived newsletters, and more.

Book review blog--http://www.reviewsbyruth.wordpress.com

Short story, TOM: or, An Improbable Tail -- FREE READ ebook at AllRomanceEbooks: http://tinyurl.com/bknlb6

Short story, Mariel -- Blithe House Quarterly http://www.blithe.com/

Short story Mr. Newby's Revenge Fall 2008 archives--MystericalE at http://www.mystericale.com/08

Copyright © Ruth Sims 2009

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