Queer Romance Blog Hop

Welcome to the Queer Romance Blog Hop, where queer writers and readers of queer romance share their thoughts on the genre, as well as a few recommendations for books to read! Everyone participating in this blog hop identifies as queer and also reads and/or writes (or edits, or reviews!) queer romance. For our purposes, queer romance refers to books with:

1. LGBTQ+ main characters
2. In romantic relationships
3. That have a happy ending. (No Brokeback Mountain here, folks!)

I'm Heidi Belleau, and I accidentally arranged this whole thing after a discussion with Laylah Hunter about how we felt that sometimes queer voices got lost in discussions of queer romance . . . even thought it's ostensibly about us! For the rest of November, I've gathered a whole pile of my fellow queer readers/writers/reviewers/editors/publishers to talk about queer romance: what they like, what they dislike, what growth they're hoping to see in the future, and what everyone, queer, questioning, and straight alike, can do to make that growth happen. So without further adieu, onto the interview!

1. Let’s start off with the getting-to-know-you stuff: How do you identify, and what does that mean to you? Whatever level of detail you’re comfortable with, of course!

I'm a cisgender bisexual woman. What that means is the gender of my heart matches the gender I was assigned at birth, and that I like people of the same gender as me, and people of different genders from me. My porn tumblr describes myself as a lady of "broad but exacting tastes".

2. What’s your preferred “flavour” of queer romance (e.g. trans*, f/f, m/m, menage with queer characters, etc.) Why?

For the past while, I've been really into M/M, after moving from reading exclusively heterosexual M/F romance (because I didn't bloody know better!) However, I've been gathering recs and buying copies of other queer romance books. I've loved the trans* romance I've tried and am really looking forward to reading the f/f that's on my ereader. And of course, I have a soft spot for bisexual characters of any gender, because hey, they're just like me!

3. Do you write/read/review? Do you think being queer affects your participation or platform in romancelandia?

I write and of course read. The penname Heidi Belleau is for my M/M (which includes gay and bisexual men, and now a male-assigned genderqueer person). Heloise Belleau is for everything with women, basically. So I've got an M/F with a bisexual hero, and then I'm hoping to next write an M/F with a bisexual heroine and am also plotting an M/F/F!

I'd like to think being queer at least lends a little bit of legitimacy to my writing. On the other hand, because I'm a woman, sometimes I feel like my queerness doesn't "count," especially in M/M. Sometimes I feel like I'm having to say "I'm actually queer" once a day because of the whole "straight women write/read m/m thing", but also because many believe that only gay men can write genuinely queer stories about male relationships. My expressions of queerness don't stop being valid/genuine to my experience just because I'm writing them through a male lens. Sure, queer women can still be fetishistic of gay men, but I'd love people to judge that by the author's text, and not their gender!

4. What drew you to queer romance?

I've always included queer characters in everything I've written, because hey, I wanted to write books about people like me! Imagine my delight when I discovered there actually was a market, and a whole pile of readers hungry for stories not only about queer characters, but about queer characters in fulfilling relationships with happy endings! Yes!

5. What do you love about queer romance in general, and/or your specific subgenre?

Happy endings. Positive portrayals. Feeling, a little bit, like I belong. After being raised on dead queer people and queer villains, I'll never get enough of romance's optimism.

6. What’s your pet peeve?

In M/M, the rampant internalized misogyny (or just plain old misogyny, in the case of gay men). In queer romance in general, the centring of cis gay men, like no other love stories in the genre matter. And I'd say I likely contribute to that by writing (largely) M/M, myself, but I hope that I'm more on the "genuine attempts at being inclusive" end of the spectrum than the "meaningless lip-service or outright disdain for the LBT" end of things.

7. What growth would you like to see in the genre, going forward? Any ideas on how to accomplish that?

What I'd love to see is the rise of an actual Queer Romance subgenre. Not just M/M with 0.001% trans content and then F/F (and anything with vaginas) over ---------------> there. I think there's a reason for having stuff that's not M/M be their own genres so that they're not completely subsumed by M/M, (which they pretty much are already, sigh) but on the other hand, I'd love to see a successful queer anthology with mixed orientations portrayed, or a book about a bisexual character who actually has sex with people of different genders, or a queer press with a genuinely mixed catalogue versus the ones we have now that might strive for inclusivity but still mostly specialize. I want to see all the people saying "love is love" about reading M/M standing by those words and reading love stories about all orientations and all kinds of people.

8. Do you seek out other queer authors when you read?

I read books whose blurbs sound good from publishers I trust to bring me quality content. On the other hand, if I find out an author is queer, I spend a little more time combing through their backlist to see if they've got any books I'm intrigued by, and those books might wind up at the top of my to-read list! I don't write off straight authors, but I definitely want to support my fellow queer authors!

9. How do you feel, in general, about straight peoples’ participation in reading, writing, and reviewing queer romance?

Straight people likely make up a good chunk of my audience, and I've written with straight co-authors, so yeah, I'm totally fine with straight people in the genre. They have a right to explore the stories that call to them, and a good ally is always welcome.

On the other hand, expecting back-pats or being overly self-congratulatory, ignoring the criticisms of queer people, or elbowing into queer space or demanding attention from queer readers and organizations, that's not the behaviour of good allies, which I think straight people in this genre ought to be.

10. Rec us 3 titles in your chosen subgenre and tell us why you love them.

Dark Soul by Aleksandr Voinov. It's dark, it's sexy, it's violent, and it includes a gender-bending assassin and a mafia wife who's so much more than she first appears. And hey, bisexuality! Yes!

Hot Head by Damon Suede. It's sexy, it's over the top, it's a little beyond the realm of belief at times . . . and it's completely heartfelt.

The Island by Lisa Henry. Nevermind the beefcake-y cover. This is a fantastic thriller with compelling leads, a great plot-twist, and a sensitive portrayal of two men coming together after terrible trauma.


Aaaaaand that's it for me!

Thanks for reading and for following the tour! Be sure to use the links below to check out more great posts from our participants! Also, if you leave a comment on any of the hop entries, you'll be entered in a chance to win a prize book of print and ebooks from the participating authors! Yay, books!

GayRomLit 2013!

I'll be there! Tomorrow! At noon-ish (after a cross-continent redeye flight).

This is me:

I have free books, and also spoopy Canadian Halloween chocolate, so come say hello!

PS: Have you voted on what kink Amelia C. Gormley and I will be writing next in The Professor's Rule?

Plan the Next Lesson in The Professor's Rule!

The first two instalments of The Professor's Rule are out now, but for the third, we thought we'd try something a little different . . .

Namely, we thought we'd let you (yes you!) pick the kink James and his Professor explore next. From now until October 2nd, you can stop by The Jeep Diva to make suggestions of kinks you'd like to read, either anonymously or no. After the 2nd, Amelia and I will pick our five favourites, and open it up to a vote! The winning vote gets featured in the next instalment of the series. And even if your kink doesn't get picked, just making a suggestion gets you entered in a draw to win a $10 Riptide giftcard.

What are you waiting for? Click the gif and get your kink on!

News, news, news!

Item One:

GRL is happening in Atlanta in less than a month! I'll be there. I'm packing sensible shoes. If you can't find me at first, just look for the tubby little Canadian complaining about the heat with eyeliner melting down her face. (This is only slightly a joke.) Seriously, I'll be there and giving out a free book so fiiiind me. Just promise not to punch me over the ending of the last season of Flesh Cartel, okay?

Item Two:

Lisa Henry and I have a contract and a release date for our M/M post-apocalyptic King of Dublin, all about a post-pandemic post-economic-crash Ireland that's fallen to anarchy. It's got all of the dark sex and violence and suspense you can expect from Lisa Henry or myself. Oh, and did I mention? It's a big meaty book of 90+k, so if you like me but dislike my penchant for short formats, now's your chance! Look for it next February from Riptide! I'll be posting here when I have coverart/blurb/pre-order info available.

Item Three:

I've paid my registration fees and I'm signed up to speak on an LGBT romance-themed panel with some Big Fucking Names, so I guess I can say it: I'll be at the RT Booklovers Convention 2014 in New Orleans! I am soooooo excited for this convention and meeting all the awesome Romancelandia folks in M/M and beyond. Should be fun, too, because this convention falls AFTER the release of my first (still queer) M/F! So I'll be there representing myself as Heidi Belleau and Heloise Belleau.

Item Four:

Wallflower got a positive review in Publisher's Weekly! Yes, really! :faints: They called it a "thoughtful exploration of complex gender identity." Talk about ego stroking, right?

Item Five:

Speaking of Rear Entrance Video, I'm nearly finished the third in the series, Straight Shooter, which stars none other than Austin! If you haven't seen it yet, here's my (working) blurb:

This macho jock has a crooked little secret. 

SFU hockey winger Austin Puett has a big problem: he’s getting kicked out of his place if he doesn’t straighten out his act when it comes to how he’s been treating his flamboyantly gay roommate. And speaking of straight, Austin swears up and down that he is—and he’s got the list of past puck bunny conquests to prove it—but insults implying he’s gay still get him hotter than an entire store’s worth of straight porno. Which, when you’re skating in the ultra-macho world of competitive men’s hockey, happens way too often. And it’s been getting worse. His old methods of coping with his unique problem have all stopped working, and he thinks his roommates and his job at the newly-queer Rear Entrance Video may be to blame. 

He’s one slur away from losing his home and his job, and one inconvenient boner away from losing the respect of his team. Pure desperation drives him to rent a popular Mischievous Pictures BDSM series about straight men tricked into servicing a male Dominant, all in the hope that giving into his twisted desires will let off some steam and get him back on the straight and narrow again. Instead, it just leaves him craving more, more, more. And he might just get it—because professional dom Puck (real name Liam Williams), who stars in the video, just so happens to be a Rear Entrance Video regular. Meeting the charismatic, assertive Liam in the flesh sends Austin’s addiction to humiliation into overdrive, and Austin himself into Mischievous Pictures Studios looking for an audition. After all, you can be Gay For Pay and still straight . . . can’t you?

Sadly, thanks to my illness the release date of this one is getting pushed back from January to April of next year, but I promise you it'll be worth the wait. It's a sprawling GFY with the unlikely combination of gay BDSM, porn, and college hockey. Austin's a complete asshole, but hopefully this book will help you learn to love him (while still wanting to punch him in the face sometimes). I'm about 4-5 scenes away from finishing up, and hoping to have it in Sarah Frantz's inbox before GRL. Wish me luck! (Or tell me to get the fuck off twitter if you catch me slacking.)

Eight Things I Learned At GRNW

1. If you're going to the gay bar, don't wear heels.

I went to R Place in Seattle with a bunch of fellow M/M readers and authors. I wore gorgeous but impractical heels. I thought I could drink tequila until my feet stopped hurting, but I ended up just drinking until I got sloppy drunk and I had to pour myself into my hotel bed.

2. The gogo boys are not your muse.

Corollary to point 1, after several glasses of wine and several tequila sunrises, a gogo boy named "Danny" introduced himself to me and Anne Tenino. Anne went on with her evening as any spry young woman would. I, however, in my maudlin drunken state, concocted an entire sad backstory for Danny. Good for an angsty m/m contemporary I'm hereby calling "The Lonely Gogo Boy", bad for not being the lady projecting your issues onto a dude who just wants to twerk his way to a paycheque.

3. The Hotel Monaco is amazing.

It's clean, it's well designed, the staff is super friendly and they're welcoming in ways you'd never expect: a free wine hour, free cold drinks in the lobby, a yoga mat and umbrella, BIKES? I felt like royalty the entire time I was there. And the food and drinks at the "happy hour" were faboo.

4. Everyone is beautiful

Seriously, I spent the entire convention in absolute awe of everyone attending. You were gorgeous, you were funny, you were well-dressed, you had great hair and great leggings and great shoes and great jewelry. I fell in love with everybody!

5. Meeting new people is dangerous for a compulsive co-writer

Laylah Hunter (whose breathy voice makes sex scenes EVEN SEXIER) and I are on to write some F/F. Kade Boehme and I are on to do something gay and filthy that takes advantage of our balls to the wall crazy chemistry. Possibly something to do with my delightful Freudian slip: "Christian Gay".

6. Let other people have the mic

Speaking of my Freudian slip, I did my first panel EVER during GRNW and I talked wayyyyyyy too much. Next time I will try and shut my mouth ever so slightly more so other people can speak, too. (Sorry, fellow panelists!) I do think other than the "talking too much" thing, I managed to do decently well, though? It was such a fabulously interesting set of topics to discuss; one I had, uh, a LOT of thoughts on. I can't wait to see how a year's experience and lessons learned will affect all the panels and panelists!

7. Meeting readers is the BEST FEELING EVER.

Seriously. I can't even describe how great it is to have someone come up to you and say "I read your book." Even better when it's someone saying "Thank you for writing this." That's why I'm here. That's why I do this. I want to tell stories that satisfy people, make them happy, give them an afternoon's distraction or a little bit of hope. Putting faces to the people I'm sharing this weirdly intimate relationship and exchange of ideas with... it's pretty epic for me. Makes this whole thing real in a way I am never going to forget.

8. We have a long way to go

I've talked with several people since the convention looking for more LBT* representation coming from authors, publishers, and panelists. Calls for diversity during panels were met with more than one comment along the lines of "we write people" or "the story has to come first", as if both of those things can't be true when authors are also working towards goals for representation. Audience comments that pointed out the focus on gay cis men at the convention and in queer romance (an issue that affects the LGBT community in general, lbr) were met with "f/f doesn't sell".

But hey, we're a new genre and GRNW is a new convention, and the overarching feeling for me, at least, was that things are only gonna go up from here. Hearing that the Seattle Public Library had bought two hundred books for its collection was amazing. The call to action, that we bring LGBT romance to the mainstream rather than us waiting for them to finally notice and accept us, was timely and spot on.

Next year the convention will be on Sept 13th, and I'll try my damnedest to be there again. I wanna meet more people, hear more perspectives, see more gorgeous queer people, read more books, get more swag, and wear more sensible shoes!

See you in 2014! :D

Riptide's Back and My Books are On Sale!

Riptide's new website is finally online! And what better way to return to business then to put a bunch of books up at a nice deep discount?

How about a bundle of rentboys for 60% off? Includes my and Violetta Vane's New Orleans paranormal short story Cruce de Caminos.

No? What about some BDS-"Mmmm"? You can get Giving an Inch for 60% off, along with some Kim Dare, Aleks Voinov, LAWitt, and Rachel Haimowitz.

I'm also this month's Featured Author, a cushy gig that includes a nice interview but also MORE SALES! Giving an Inch is a mere .99 cents, and the entire first season of The Flesh Cartel is a paltry $1.99!

In other news, why not check out my Coming Soon and WIP pages to find out what to expect from me in the future?

Riptide's Makeover

Riptide Publishing is getting a new website! As such, their current site is going to be inaccessible from today until August 4th. Which means you can't access the Apple Polisher blog tour page or buy the book direct from the publisher.

So here's the complete listing of blog tour stops, and don't forget, every comment earns you a chance to win a week long subscription to CockyBoys or a $15 Riptide gift certificate!

July 29th: Cup o' Porn: Meet the Boys of Rear Entrance Video
July 30th: Wonkomance: On Fucking Up and Being a Fuck Up
July 31st: The Jeep Diva: Five (Weird) Facts about Rear Entrance Video
August 1st: Book Reviews and More By Kathy: Exclusive Excerpt!
August 1st: The Blog of Sid Love: Working in a Porn Store- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
August 2nd: Mrs. Condit and Friends Read Books

Want to buy the book and can't wait for Riptide to come back? How about purchasing it on Amazon or ARe?

Happy release week to me!