Sunday blah.

[erastes]

I do hope that I don't turn into a Preachy Person when and if I ever get better known as a writer. I love reading other writer's blogs, but I'd like to see them being more real and screwing up rather than teaching us "wanabees" Lessons. I shall be screwing up all my life, I would imagine, and will always be sharing the disasters I get myself into, as well as the joys. You needn't look here for inspirational advice!

Yesterday I was definitely below par. Don't know what it was, wasn't "ill" so to speak, just bleurgh. Couldn't concentrate, couldn't write, that's for sure. All I had to do is add a sex scene to my latest short story and I couldn't do it. I think I wrote about 54 words.

Trouble was I spent 3 hours trying to find a market for my Gay Boys In Space story that (I have to assume) has been rejected by Greg Herren for Distant Horizons, as I've heard of a lot of people being accepted, and some being rejected and I've heard nothing. So I spent ages trying to find a new market for it, and ended up sending it somewhere I know won't accept it, as they say "no space opera" and really, my story is. It's very Heinlein-esque (in the pace, not at all in the quality!!!) I just don't know the SF markets. If I need to find a gay market, I can just do so! rwday says that a lot of markets are accepting of gay protagonists, so that's reassuring. There's no sex in it, not even any kissage, the fact that they are gay just happens to be a fact, it's not over-emphasised any more than if a husband and wife were running a ship. Mr & Mrs Stone aren't shagging every five minutes in Space Family Stone, after all!!

I've also got a sequel of sorts, although it's a completely different story, with the same two protagonists. Perhaps I should wait till I have 10 stories and attempt to put them in an anthology, although that will probably be completely unsaleable.

However, perhaps I'd better just stick to what I do best. I get too stressed trying to find markets. The Sci-fi stemmed from a direct call, and I liked the characters so much that I did a sequel, but I'd only ever able to write Space Opera, being raised on Heinlein, I'll never be able to write about Barsoomian Worlds. So back to the historical gay romance.

Talking of that, I discovered a historical gay writer yesterday. Michael Jensen, who has written a couple of gay historical books that I might check out, so if anyone's read them I'd be appreciative of a recommendation.

Talking of that, I'm planning to do some reviews on my website too, of purely historical gay fiction, to attempt to raise the profile. Some classics, obviously (although they hardly need my ignorant five pence) but also things like Emily Veinglory's "The Highwayman" which I've just finished, and other contemporaries, if I can find some.

So rec me some, if you know of it?

Comments

[leatherdykeuk.livejournal.com]

So rec me some, if you know of it?

The Bible. So gay.

[spessartine.livejournal.com]

I haven't read it yet, but you might like to try As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Looks good. *eyes "to read" pile longingly and goes back to work*

[julesjones]

It's possible that Greg Herren's still working his way through the Distant Horizons stuff -- my acceptance note said that he'd email me the contract once I'd emailed him the electronic version of the story, which I did and have heard nowt in the week since. His LJ suggests that he had a rather busy weekend last week.

You do know about ralan.com, yes? In that case, I will note that I had sent my sidhe story to a number of sf markets before it was accepted for Distant Horizons, and the tone of some of the replies suggested that the explicit gay content was not a major issue for at least some of the editors out there (they'd have probably not been happy about out-and-out erotica, but there were in-story reasons for the sex scene).

[mroctober.livejournal.com]

I'm biased but you could check out Two Spirits.

of help, perhaps?

[stormheller.livejournal.com]

I got a definite (although highly encouraging) rejection from Greg, but I had to email him a couple of times to get him to a) tell me he'd received it despite the postcard arrangement, b) tell me it was waaayyy to long for the anthology. Now that I've found his blog, I can see how busy he is.

I've been madly adding pro publishing possibilities to mydelicious. Go here, http://del.icio.us/stormheller click on either "publishing" or "prowriting" and a whole bunch of links come up. After you've waded through them, you also can follow the interactive links to thousands of other people's links under "publishing". I'm going to try and find somewhere else to submit my rejected story as well, so maybe we can check in with each other.

Also, thanks for the link to Romantic Times. I voted and posted.
~ Stormy

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*snorts*

So true!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*adds to list*

Thank 'ee!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Who's it by? You? Looked on your site but couldn't see it.

(and WOW - pretty impressive sales record.... *gobsmacked*)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Nod nod, it was ralan I was wading my way through.

And eek. I probably should have waited for scotty's reply before I went and resubmitted. I'm hopeless - HOPELESS - at this waiting game. What I need is another me so I can give the fics over to another computer and let soemone else to do all the submittage, and all I have to do is worry about the writing. Gah.

Thanks - you help!!

Re: of help, perhaps?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's a very handy link. I need to sit down and sort out my bookmarks - far too many and they make my life hell.

And thanks for voting, several "regulars" were a bit miffed that people were "taking over" but what did they expect? Slashers aren't going to go and chat about bootees and favourite het scenes and mushie films and inspriational clap-trap like a lot of those threads were about.

Once we get (and we will, I'm sure of it) accepted, hopefully they will give us our own forum to play in!!!

Re: of help, perhaps?

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I took the liberty of adding you to my network on del.icio.
May I crosspost your link on my lj, and also over on the IBDoF forums?
I'd like to share, as you have a lot of really great resources there, and some folks who'd like to go pro check in on it now and then.
Thanks!

[mroctober.livejournal.com]

By Toby Johnson and Walter Williams (you can check out tobyjohnson.com). It's a gay Western.

And my record? Oh thanks :) ::blush::

[sappybeaver.livejournal.com]

Not sure if you are interested in lesbian historical fiction but I have a recommendation for you. There is a book by Sarah Waters called "Tipping The Velvet" which I absolutely enjoyed.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, read that and loved it!

However it does annoy me that THAT was shown on Prime Time on UK TV (because it's titillating to MEN) and yet they still don't really show gay stuff...

Re: of help, perhaps?

[stormheller.livejournal.com]

Delicious has networks? Obviously, I've missed an important feature.

My link is just an ongoing link of links (and an undesirable meshing of my RL & fannish lives ::g::) however if you think it will be of help to anyone, please be my guest.

~ S.

[julesjones]

You might want to google the rec.arts.sf.composition newsgroup for "Patrica Wrede" and "the Hat lecture", all about how an author needs to have several hats to wear, and one of them is the secretary hat. :-)

Don't panic. Unless it was F&SF, you probably won't hear back from the other market before you hear from Greg. Give it a week and then email him to ask about the story. If he's accepted it, you can just send the other market a polite note explaining that you thought it had been rejected and sent it out again, but there'd been a mix-up and you're withdrawing it.

[sappybeaver.livejournal.com]

Same way it is here in the states. Only on the cable channels and not on primetime! By the way is "The Highwayman" an original fic or no. I can't seem to find it in any of the local bookstores.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's an e-book.

http://cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/highwayman.htm

It's a decent yarn, but there are historical inaccuracies, so if you are a pedant like me, consider yourself warned!

[sappybeaver.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the link. I did not even know e-books like this existed! Geez, am I out of the loop or what? LOL Looks like I may just have an afternoon of readng pleasure ahead! Thanks again.

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Try Diana Gabaldon's Lord John and the Secret Matter - well researched, as far as I can see, and very readable.

Also, to go way way back, you do know Vincent Verga's Gaywick, don't you? Not strictly a historical novel (set in Edwardian times in the New York area), but more a spoof on the gothic novel, as written for gays. From that angle, very funny and very clever. Also, I fancy, well researched.

Does WWII count as 'historical'? Ursula Zielinsky's Middle Ground, told from the POV of an Austrian utterly unJewish Jewish schoolboy who wound up in a prison camp run by his uncle's lover. Or Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Catch Trap - a 'serious' novel in intention, and quite well done.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you I'll try Diana's book.

And yes! It was Gaywyck that encouraged me write Standish, actually. Or rather, I'd started STandish and heard about Gaywyck and realised that someone else had done the genre, even if it was 20 years ago.

I haven't managed to get hold of a copy, as it's out of print.

According to my historical crit group, that does count as historical, and it certainly does in my book (i'm planning a novel based in that time) so I'll check out those too.

Thank you so much!

[jain]

I don't care much for Michael Jensen myself--Frontiers is much too overwrought and melodramatic for my tastes. I do, however, second the recommendations for As Meat Loves Salt, Lord John and the Private Matter, and The Catch Trap. Other recommended gay historical fiction:

The God in Flight -- Laura Argiri
Regeneration -- Pat Barker
In the Absence of Men -- Philippe Besson
The Notorious Dr. August -- Christopher Bram
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay -- Michael Chabon
While England Sleeps -- David Leavitt
Farewell to my Concubine -- Lillian Lee
At Swim, Two Boys -- Jamie O'Neill
The Charioteer -- Mary Renault
The Last of the Wine -- Mary Renault
Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy -- Mary Renault
The Book of Salt -- Monique Truong
Memoirs of Hadrian -- Marguerite Yourcenar

[emilyveinglory.livejournal.com]

I felt nervous the moment I saw it mentioned. If you see my thread at ERWF you'll see me angsting that I wrote that one with little research--I'm normally more in the Victorian period. So, whip me I deserve it :)