All posts by Vance

22Nov/18

SA Collins and Francesca Donatella (Wendy Stone)

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November 23, 2018


SA “Baz” Collins and Francesca Donatella (aka Wendy Stone) run with Episode 191 – The Guardian Angel Project

SA “Baz” Collins and Wendy Stone (aka Francesca Donatella) unveil their upcoming release, Nephilim – Mercy’s Little Angels (Book One). They share how their novel has sparked a cause to support a member of our queer literary community, Paul Berry,  in his fight against cancer.

There’s more here about Wendy Stone and her work
There’s more here about SA “Baz” Collins and his work

Bios:

Wendy Stone lives in rural Wisconsin with her husband and two cats. She spends most of her time immersed in the worlds that others have written and more recently has been writing new worlds of her own.

Currently working on three projects, two of which are collaborations under the pen name Francesca Donatella.

Her first love is books and has never met one she didn’t like.

SA “Baz” Collins hails from the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his husband and a Somali cat named Zorro. A classically trained singer/actor (under a different name), Baz knows a good yarn when he sees it.

Based on years of his work as an actor, Baz specializes in character study pieces. It is more important for him that the reader comes away with a greater understanding of the characters and the reasons they make the decisions they do, rather than the situations they are in. It is this deep dive into their manners, their experiences and how they process the world around them that make up the body of Mr. Collins’ work.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

09Nov/18

Angel Martinez and Freddy MacKay

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November 9, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Angel Martinez and Freddy MacKay back as the guests on Episode 189 – There’s Murder Involved!!

Angel Martinez and Freddy MacKay introduce the second book in their Lijun Series: Trysts and Burning Embers. We also delve into writing non-binary characters and ways to bend tropes into something new.

Follow Angel and support her work:

Follow Freddy and support their work:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, (same husband for almost twenty-four years) gave birth to one amazing son, (now in college) and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.
Published since 2006, Angel’s cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. You’ll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and don’t expect sad endings. Life is sad enough.
She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes.

Freddy Mackay is a bisexual, biromantic, genderfluid nerd and geek who grew up in the Midwest playing soccer, diving, swimming and doing gymnastics, along with running around outside as much as possible–preferably spending that time in swamps and hiking through forests. The haphazard escapades have not changed, except some of them have been replaced with a healthy geocaching addiction and a love for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Freddy likes worms, dancing and being outside… and toll passes, but you’ll have to ask on that one.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

09Nov/18

Freddy MacKay

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November 9, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Angel Martinez and Freddy MacKay back as the guests on Episode 189 – There’s Murder Involved!!

Angel Martinez and Freddy MacKay introduce the second book in their Lijun Series: Trysts and Burning Embers. We also delve into writing non-binary characters and ways to bend tropes into something new.

Follow Angel and support her work:

Follow Freddy and support their work:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, (same husband for almost twenty-four years) gave birth to one amazing son, (now in college) and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.
Published since 2006, Angel’s cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. You’ll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and don’t expect sad endings. Life is sad enough.
She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes.

Freddy Mackay is a bisexual, biromantic, genderfluid nerd and geek who grew up in the Midwest playing soccer, diving, swimming and doing gymnastics, along with running around outside as much as possible–preferably spending that time in swamps and hiking through forests. The haphazard escapades have not changed, except some of them have been replaced with a healthy geocaching addiction and a love for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Freddy likes worms, dancing and being outside… and toll passes, but you’ll have to ask on that one.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

02Nov/18

Sharita Lira

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November 2, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Sharita Lira back as the guest on Episode 188 – I Love Stories That Go Against the Grain!!

Sharita Lira returns to discuss her TWO releases, Push (from Dreamspinner) and Because You Loved Me (Indie Published). We then chat about queer people of color in the media!!

Follow Sharita and support her work:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Queer in Color resource links:

Bio:

Romance and erotica author Sharita Lira believes that love conquers all. Writing sexy stories of people who might be complete opposites, but somehow make a lasting connection that often leads to a happily ever after.

Happily married and mother of two, Sharita never allows complex plots to deter her from writing the story. Inspired by heavy music, attractive people she’s seen in person and on the internet, Sharita always has a tale on her brain.

In addition to being a computer geek and a metalhead, Sharita loves live music, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She’s also a founding member and contributor to the heavy metal ezine FourteenG.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

March 23, 2018


It gives us great pleasure to welcome Sharita Lira as the guest on Episode 158 – From My Own Crazy Brain!!

This week Sharita Lira, who writes as Michael Mandrake (and a couple others), joins us to discuss her latest books in the Immortals series AND the Protekt series. Additionally, she drops a bomb on Vance when she tells him she’s one of the founders of the Queer in Color resource for authors and readers!!

Follow Sharita and support her work:

Queer in Color resource links:

Bio:

Romance and erotica author Sharita Lira believes that love conquers all. Writing sexy stories of people who might be complete opposites, but somehow make a lasting connection that often leads to a happily ever after.

Happily married and mother of two, Sharita never allows complex plots to deter her from writing the story. Inspired by heavy music, attractive people she’s seen in person and on the internet, Sharita always has a tale on her brain.

In addition to being a computer geek and a metalhead, Sharita loves live music, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She’s also a founding member and contributor to the heavy metal ezine FourteenG.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

19Oct/18

Siegmund Fuchs

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October 19, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Siegmund Fuchs as the guest on Episode 186 – Why Don’t I Try Creating the World!!

Siegmund Fuchs joins us to talk about his play, In The Closet, why writing a play is different, why everyone should try it, and the reality of getting your work from page to stage.

Follow Siegmund and support their work:

Coming to Baltimore!!!

  • Third Wall Productions is producing the show in January 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. Their website: https://thirdwall.org/

Help Bring In The Closet to New York:

Reviews of In The Closet:

Bio:

Siegmund Fuchs is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but now lives in Washington, D.C. His first play, Never Turned Out To Be Four Months, premiered at John Carroll University in 1998. His second play, A Night Out At The Movies, was work-shopped in 2002. He has been practicing law for the last fifteen years and currently works as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice. His latest play, In The Closet, completed in 2015, is his first script in over ten years. In The Closet won the Carol Weinberg Award for Best Play at the 2016 Baltimore Playwright’s Festival and was awarded first place at the 2016 Historic Elitch Theater New Works Festival in Denver, Colorado. It also placed as a finalist or semi-finalist in four other national competitions. It has been workshopped twice and had its world co-premiere at Convergence-Continuum in Cleveland, Ohio in 2017, and the Rainbow Theatre Project in Washington, D.C. in 2018.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

05Oct/18

A. M. Burns

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October 5, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Andy Burns back as the guest on Episode 184 – A Lot of Grand Adventures!!

Andy Burns joins us to discuss The Arena (the second novel in his The Adventures of Horc series). We also discuss writing with multiple co-authors and juggling multiple pen names!

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Books Mentioned in This Episode:

Bio:

A.M. Burns has been writing since high school. He has recently decided to turn his hobby into something more. Crafting brilliant stories with vibrant characters, he brings life to some very interesting and unique worlds. He currently lives in the mountains of central Colorado where he enjoys hiking, horseback riding and hawking. He shares his life with numerous critters and a loving partner.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

August 7, 2015

It gives us great pleasure to announce A. M. Burns as the guest on episode 013: What’s in a Name?!

Join us as we talk with Andy about researching animals, managing pen names, and his upcoming novel The Kachina Job.

You can find Andy’s novels here:

Follow Andy on the web:

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

14Sep/18

Matthew Bright

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September 14, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Matthew Bright back as the guest on Episode 181 – Can’t Do Victorian Without a Bit of Sadism!!

Matthew Bright returns to talk about his new release Gents: Steamy Tales from the Age of Steam, the fact that the Victorian era wasn’t as prim as you think, and using historical settings for your writing.

Follow Matthew and support his work:

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

Bio:

Matthew Bright is a writer, editor and designer who is uncomfortable writing in the third person, but soldiers on regardless. His short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in a number of venues, including Tor.com, Nightmare’s Queers Destroy Fiction, Glittership, Harlot Magazine, Clockwork Iris, Queen Mob’s Teahouse and others. He is the co-author of Between The Lines, an experimental novella, with Christopher Black. He is also the editor of several anthologies, including The Myriad Carnival, Threesome: Him, Him and Me, Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt and forthcoming titles Gents and A Scandal in Gomorrah. With the release of Threesome, Publishers Weekly declared him ‘unambiguously…an editor to watch’, which is a quote he’s inclined to have printed on business cards and hand out to complete strangers on the street. By day, he pays the bills as a book cover designer in Manchester, England.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

July 29, 2016

It gives us great pleasure to announce Matthew Bright as the guest on episode 068: Get Together and Put Things In Certain Places!

Join us as we discuss his artistic journey as a writer, editor, and cover-design monkey (totally his words). We go into his triple-threat career, why erotica is as much an artform as other literature, and how Publisher’s Weekly’s review of Threesome caught him off guard!

You can buy Matthew’s work here:

Connect with Matthew on your favorite social site:

Bio:

Matthew Bright is a writer, editor and designer who is uncomfortable writing in the third person, but soldiers on regardless. His short fiction has appeared in a number of venues, including Nightmare’s Queers Destroy Fiction, and he is the co-author of Between The Lines, an experimental novella, with Christopher Black. He is also the editor of several anthologies, including The Myriad Carnival, Threesome: Him, Him and Me and forthcoming titles Gents and Clockwork Cairo. With the release of Threesome, Publishers Weekly declared him ‘unambigiously…an editor to watch’, which is a quote he’s inclined to have printed on business cards and hand out to complete strangers on the street. By day, he pays the bills as a book cover designer in Manchester, England, where he lives with his partner and a dog who likes to eat valuable hardbacks.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

10Aug/18

Todd Allen Smith

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August 10, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Todd Allen Smith as the guest on Episode 176 – A Deep Wound You Don’t Feel At First!!

Todd Allen Smith joins us to discuss his memoir Murder, Romance, and Two Shootings where he recounts being shot twice and the death of a close friend in a gay bashing. He also shares his expertise on the rising gun violence and the dangers of violence against the LGBTQ community in the US.

Follow Todd and support his work:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Organizations Worth Your Time:

Bio:

Todd’s credentials include 20 years of experience as a writer.

He earned a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Kansas and has worked professionally as a reporter and editor for both newspapers and websites.

Having shared his viewpoints of the Kirkwood Missouri City Council shooting with the New York Times, Newsweek, MSN and local media outlets in St. Louis, he’s still sought out by national media for his viewpoints when it comes to mass shootings and violence (e.g., Ferguson).

In “Murder, Romance, and Three Shootings,” he shares for the first time the complete story of his survival and recovery from the robbery attempt in which he was shot in the leg, the Kirkwood shooting, and the gay bashing death of his close friend.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

03Aug/18

Giovanna Reaves

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August 3, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Giovanna (Gia) Reaves as the guest on Episode 175 – Everybody Has A Little Fear of Something!!

Giovanna Reaves joins us to discuss facing her fear and starting her journey as a writer, her most recent novel Ryland’s Inferno, the worlds she builds in her books, and attending GRL for the second time!

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Bio:

Giovanna (Gia) Reaves is the alter ego for a dreamer. A dreamer who spends her days and nights creating worlds from her imagination. Being an avid reader allowed Gia’s imagination to take hold. With the encouragement of her loved ones, Gia has given into the voices in her head, putting their words and worlds to paper. Gia is also a mother, wife and veteran. Gia is also a serious chocoholic and loves to read MM Romance just as much as she loves writing them. The sweeter the better, especially, on a snowy or rainy day is how she like to fill her days when she is not writing.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here:

27Jul/18

Karelia Stetz-Waters

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July 27, 2018

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Karelia Stetz-Waters as the guest on Episode 174 – Rest Your Heart for a Little While!!

Karelia Stetz-Waters joins us to discuss her novel Worth the Wait (Out in Portland), how her activist past fueled her passion to write, and why the LGBTQ crowd needs slightly different Happily Ever Afters!

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Bio:

Karelia Stetz-Waters is a contemporary lesbian writer. She is passionate about providing happy endings and a vision of redemptive love for readers of all orientations. Her novels include For Good, Something True, The Admirer, The Purveyor, and Lambda Literary Award and Golden Crown Literary Society finalist Forgive Me If I’ve Told You This Before. Karelia teaches English and writing at Linn-Benton Community College, where her students include everyone from drag queens, to farm boys, to Sudanese refugees. They all tell stories of passion and perseverance and inspire her to write characters that are real and diverse.

Karelia has a BA in comparative literature from Smith College and an MA in English literature from the University of Oregon. She also teaches writing for the Gold Crown Literary Society Writing Academy, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote and strengthen lesbian fiction.

She is married to her beloved wife of 19 years and lives with her a friendly cat and a breed of dog never-before-seen: the King Pug Spuglette (a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a pug).

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or right here: