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The Patreon Dilemma

There has been some controversy recently about authors signing up for Patreon. For those who don’t know, Patreon is a site where people can sign up to support creators (not just authors, but photographers and artists, musicians, models… you name it) by pledging them a fixed amount of money every month. Most Patreons start at $1 or $3, and can go all the way up to hundreds of dollars per month.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been considering it for a long time, but I hadn’t taken the plunge because getting a Patreon involves two things: 1. Talking about money, and 2. Swallowing my pride. Let me explain. (more…)

With Friends Like These… The #AllRomance Debacle

So the news is now out that All Romance Ebooks, a beloved specialist retailer adored by many an m/m reader and author alike, is closing its doors for good. The new hit yesterday afternoon, to shock and disappointment across our genre. Sentiments that quickly turned to anger when we read the email we received (or, in my case, the email others posted on social media; mine seems to have got lost in the post). (more…)

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#WhyIWriteRomance, or Your Bitterness is Showing

I’m supposed to be working. But instead I’m infuriated because my Twitter feed is full of quotes from some SFF author who says romance is a shitty genre and *bless the little women who put so much effort into writing it* but our products are crap. I haven’t even looked who it is because honestly… another day, another Author-with-a-capital-A being condescending. I really couldn’t care less about them. (more…)

Hannibal Leaves Us Starving: Queerbaiting in Modern TV

So AJ and I started watching Hannibal recently. We literally devoured S1 and S2, but halfway through S3, it started to jump the shark. The reasons we said that were various, and included the mashed up timeline and the whole mess that was the European jaunt, but what most got our goat was the queerbaiting surrounding the relationship between Hannibal and Will. At the time (three days ago) fans of the show told us it wasn’t queerbaiting and to wait until we’d finished it completely to form a conclusion. Yesterday, we finished it. This is our conclusion.

BE WARNED: herein lie spoilers for Hannibal and Black Sails (more…)

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LGBT Bestseller THE SLAVE is Free!

Yes, you read that right. For the first time, the #1 bestseller The Slave is available for free across all domains. First runner up for the Bobby Michaels Award for Best Gay Erotic Romance in 2015’s Rainbow Awards, with almost 350 five-star reviews on Goodreads, the Free Men series is a firm favourite among readers who love dark erotic menages full of heart and angst. (more…)

You Don’t Owe Me A Review

It’s been a fact since before I was published that authors these days love reviews. It’s another fact that readers love to leave reviews — sites like Goodreads have created an entire reviewer industry out of ordinary, everyday readers. No longer do you need a doctorate in literature in order to bestow your lofty opinion from the hallowed pages of the Times Literary Supplement. These days, anyone with an internet connection can review whatever they read, however they like. (more…)

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