Ranting

lgbt man crying

It’s time we talked about violence in m/m romance

CW: discussion of domestic abuse, sexual violence, intimate partner violence.

Almost a third of sexual minority men, and one half of women, report being a victim of domestic abuse. For psychological abuse the figure is even higher: over half of queer men and 75 percent of queer women report being victimised by a romantic partner. A 2013 study by the CDC estimated 4.1 million LGB Americans have experienced domestic abuse in their lifetimes.

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By Kate Aaron, ago
banana

More Sex, Please

Recently on Facebook, I saw three separate conversations, all about the same thing. One was an author asking how much sex was appropriate for a book of X length (basically, did it need more than she’d written). Another was a different author asking if a book needed depictions of full penetration, or if other sex acts were enough given the length of the title in question. And the third was a reader saying she was X percent into a book and the MCs hadn’t had sex yet, but she hoped they would soon.

Spot the lowest common denominator?

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By Kate Aaron, ago
all romance ebooks

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…)

By Kate Aaron, ago
romance book review reader

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…)

By Kate Aaron, ago
in closet gay

In the Closet, Redux

A year ago, I wrote a post about being closeted. Specifically, straight people being “closeted” about reading or writing LGBT fiction. I talked about the importance of being open about that one small thing, not hiding your ally status from the world like it’s something shameful, because we need all the allies we can get.

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By Kate Aaron, ago
pirate skull

Unmasking Piracy

So we all know as long as there have been digital files, there have been people stealing them. Generally I don’t lose sleep over my books surfacing on torrents or forum websites. I know in 90% of cases they’re using my title to hide a virus, and the people downloading them wouldn’t have paid money for my books anyway, etc etc. I know in the grand scheme of things, I’m not losing much in real terms from piracy. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, or condone it, and you can bet your ass when I find it, I report the shit out of it. I can write DMCA notices in my sleep. (more…)

By Kate Aaron, ago