Tag Archives: Vance Bastian

21Jan/22

Robyn Gigl

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January 21, 2022

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Robyn Gigl back as the guest on Season 7, Episode 03 – There’s A Little Bit Of Backstory!

Robyn Gigl returns with her second Erin McCabe novel, Survivor’s Guilt. We talk about trans characters being someone with whom you could have a beer, courtroom action, human trafficking, and vengeance.

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Bio:

Robyn Gigl is an attorney, speaker and activist who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Robyn is a partner at Gluck Walrath, LLP in Freehold, NJ, where she handles complex commercial and employment litigation. She has been selected as a NJ Super Lawyer since 2010 and as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in NJ in 2020 & 2021. Robyn is a member of the Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, NJ’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Organization. She is a graduate of Stonehill College and Villanova University School of Law. A frequent lecturer on diversity issues, she lives in New Jersey where she continues to practice law by day, and work on her next novel by night. Fortunately for us bibliophiles, she has a very boring social life.

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

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June 25, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Robyn Gigl as the guest on Season 6, Episode 25 – A Behind-The-Scenes Peek!

Robyn Gigl, attorney and novelist, serves up a summer crime thriller with her novel By Way of Sorrow. We discuss a transgender main character, followed by the intersection of race, privilege, gender identity, and power on the justice system… and then get a behind-the-scenes peek into Robyn’s life!

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Bio:

Robyn Gigl is an attorney, speaker and activist who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Robyn is a partner at Gluck Walrath, LLP in Freehold, NJ, where she handles complex commercial and employment litigation. She has been selected as a NJ Super Lawyer since 2010 and as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in NJ in 2020 & 2021. Robyn is a member of the Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, NJ’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Organization. She is a graduate of Stonehill College and Villanova University School of Law. A frequent lecturer on diversity issues, she lives in New Jersey where she continues to practice law by day, and work on her next novel by night. Fortunately for us bibliophiles, she has a very boring social life.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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OR Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z-tZiIsG7Ws

24Dec/21

Emory Easton

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December 24, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Emory Easton as the guest on Season 6, Episode 51 – I’m Not That Person Someone Told Me I Was

Emory Easton joins us to share her debut memoir Mother, Can You Hear Me Now? We talk about her early years of abuse, her recovery, and her happy ending as a grandmother alongside her true love of 36 years.

Reach out to Emory:

  • If you are being abused and need someone to talk to, Emory has asked that you email her at emoryeaston86 @ gmail.com (remove spaces) and she will listen, and try to help you find the help you need to rewrite your life’s story.

Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

Emory Easton is a writer and mother based in Illinois where she lives with her partner of thirty-six years. Her debut memoir, Mother, Can You Hear Me Now? tackles the abuse she endured as a child and the love she rediscovered as an adult.

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

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26Nov/21

J Warren

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November 26, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome J. Warren back as the guest on Season 6, Episode 47 – There Will Be A Quiz Later!

J. Warren returns to share his latest novel, Tygers. We look at an alternate timeline where the ultra-conservative element in the world has radicalized queer individuals.

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Bio:

J. Warren is a scholar, an author, a comic book reader, a lover of all things science fiction, a drinker of Belgian beers, and transgressive fiction fanatic.

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August 14, 2020

It gives us great pleasure to welcome J. Warren back as the guest on Episode 281 – A Minor Character Named Sharkey!

J. Warren is a scholar, an author, a comic book reader, a lover of all things science fiction, a drinker of Belgian beers, and transgressive fiction fanatic.

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Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Bio:

J. Warren is a scholar, an author, a comic book reader, a lover of all things science fiction, a drinker of Belgian beers, and transgressive fiction fanatic.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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July 21, 2017


It gives us great pleasure to announce J. Warren as the guest on Episode 121: So That’s a Thing!

This week J. Warren joins us to discuss his latest novel, Remains, the allure of transgressive fiction, and the echoes of Greek myth in his horror.

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*** At one point in the interview, Joe said “The Lost Boys by Burroughs.” It should have been: “The Wild Boys by Burroughs.”
*** At another point, Baz said “Brian Fischer” while referencing Star Trek Discovery on CBS. It should have been: “Bryan Fuller.”
All three of us apologize for missing it before the audio went live! ***

Bio:

J. Warren is a scholar, an author, a comic book reader, a lover of all things science fiction, a drinker of Belgian beers, and transgressive fiction fanatic.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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19Nov/21

Jerry Wheeler

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November 19, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Jerry Wheeler back as the guest on Season 6, Episode 46 – Google Maps & Jehovah’s Witnesses!

Jerry Wheeler returns to share his first full-length novel, Pangs. We discuss a new pantheon of vampire, being lost in darkness, and the ebb and flow of creativity.

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Bio:

Jerry L. Wheeler is the editor of seven anthologies of gay erotica. His own collection of short fiction and essays, “Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits” was awarded a spot on the shortlist for the Lambda Literary Award. He has also been Lammy-shortlisted for “Tented: Gay Erotic Tales From Under the Big Top” (2010) and “The Bears of Winter” (2014). He lives and writes in Denver CO, maintaining his review blog, “Out In Print: Queer Book Reviews” and his own editing business, Write And Shine. He’s recently published his first novel.

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

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May 29, 2020

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Jerry L. Wheeler back as the guest on Episode 270 – I Don’t Have Any Wisdom!

Author and editor Jerry L. Wheeler joins us to discuss his revamping of his back catalog, and how he’s trying to stay creative in this lockdown era.

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Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Bio:

Jerry L. Wheeler is the editor of seven anthologies of gay erotica for Bold Strokes Books, Wilde City Press, and other publishers. His own collection of short fiction and essays, “Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits” was awarded a spot on the shortlist for the Lambda Literary Award and has recently been re-published. He has also been Lammy-shortlisted for “Tented: Gay Erotic Tales From Under the Big Top” (2010) and “The Bears of Winter” (2014). He lives and writes in Denver CO, maintaining his review blog, “Out In Print: Queer Book Reviews” (https://outinprintblog.wordpress.com/) and his own editing business, Write And Shine (https://jerrywheelerblog.wordpress.com/).

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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February 10, 2017


It gives us great pleasure to announce Jerry Wheeler as the guest on episode 097: Going Down Editing Holes!

This week author Jerry Wheeler returns to talk about the re-opening of his review site Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews, the status of Queer literature in general, a bit about the life of the editor, and we have a good bit of fun.

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Bio:

Jerry L. Wheeler is the editor of the Lambda Literary Award finalist Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top (Lethe Press, 2010) as well as Riding the Rails: Locomotive Lust and Carnal Cabooses, The Dirty Diner: Gay Erotica on the Menu, and is the author of Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits (Lethe Press, 2012), also a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He’s working on his first novel, The Dead Book.

He lives, works and writes in Denver CO, where he misspends time in fleeting encounters with men best described as trashy. Some on work release programs. Despite this, he heads a freelance editorial service, Write and Shine. Please feel free to contact him at his website, www.jerrywheeleronline.com.

Furry men with tats and shady backgrounds please step to the front of the line!

This Podcast Episode is
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November 4, 2016

It gives us great pleasure to announce Jerry Wheeler as the guest on episode 082: Work For It!

This week author Jerry Wheeler pulls into the depot to talk about erotica vs romance, his role as an editor, his own writing and being a Lambda finalist, and his audio narration career.

Follow and support Jerry’s work:

Bio:

Jerry L. Wheeler is the editor of the Lambda Literary Award finalist Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top (Lethe Press, 2010) as well as Riding the Rails: Locomotive Lust and Carnal Cabooses, The Dirty Diner: Gay Erotica on the Menu, and is the author of Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits (Lethe Press, 2012), also a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He’s working on his first novel, The Dead Book.

He lives, works and writes in Denver CO, where he misspends time in fleeting encounters with men best described as trashy. Some on work release programs. Despite this, he heads a freelance editorial service, Write and Shine. Please feel free to contact him at his website, www.jerrywheeleronline.com.

Furry men with tats and shady backgrounds please step to the front of the line!

This Podcast Episode is
AVAILABLE NOW!
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Or right here:

29Oct/21

Lee Pulaski

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October 29, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Lee Pulaski as the guest on Season 6, Episode 43 – All Of A Sudden An Idea Was Forming!

Lee Pulaski joins us to share his recent release, White Christmas in the Desert, how the fall colors inspired his first novel, writing stories about non-standard families, tender romances, mysteries, and so much more!

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Living in the real world was never a long-term plan for Lee. He spent many a day imagining bold adventures and playing them out in the quiet countryside of Chino Valley, Arizona. Still, he never could have imagined at the time that the dreams and worlds created in his mind would someday be in print form.

Lee first published in high school, where he wrote about the news and told compelling feature stories about people. His talent for photography helped to bring those stories to life. Lee’s still a working journalist today.

Despite seeing his byline several times a week, Lee still yearned to see his name on the cover of a book. He was inspired to write his first novel in 2006 after spending a vacation camping with family during a particularly breathtaking autumn, where the reds, oranges and yellows were on full display. The experience helped bring about a romantic story called The Colors of Love and Autumn, which he published through Torquere Press in 2008 as an e-book. Now twenty books in, Lee is still writing—and still in the pursuit of new worlds and new dreams.

He joined the Shawano Area Writers in 2011, giving him a chance to test out his WIPs, and providing an opportunity to work with other writers striving to see their work in print.

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

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22Oct/21

The National LGBT Help Center & Hotline

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October 22, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Roger from the National LGBT Help Center as the guest on Season 6, Episode 42 – It’s Okay to Have Questions

Roger from the National LGBT Help Center and Hotline joins us to share the scrappy DIY history of the Help Center, inform us of the services they offer, and point out they are a great first step if you have any questions related to orientation, identity, safer-sex practices, bullying, family concerns, relationships, and so much more!

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Bio:
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) National Help Center, founded in 1996, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of LGBT volunteers, we operate three national hotlines, the LGBT National Hotline, the LGBT National Youth Talkline, and the LGBT National Senior Hotline as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that helps both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

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

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01Oct/21

The Taste Curators

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October 1, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome The Taste Curators – Lish Steiling and Abbey Cook as the guests on Season 6, Episode 39 – Out To Inspire!

Lish Steiling and Abbey Cook share how they merge food, fashion and design to build emotional experiences through their new brand – The Taste Curators!

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Bio:

For over 24 years, Lish Steiling has worked in the culinary arts. For the past seven years she held the position of VP of Culinary Operations and Production for the celebrity chef, Giada De Laurentiis. While working in this role, Lish won an ‘Outstanding Culinary Program’ Emmy for being the culinary producer for Giada Entertains.

Lish’s career started in restaurants before she expanded to food styling and recipe development for places such as Food Network, New York Times, Gourmet magazine and the Today Show.

She competed on the TV show, Chopped, and walked away with the win. Lish has also been featured in the book Chef’s Ink and Elle Sweden magazine for her unique food tattoos and recipes. She was recently a guest judge on Food Network’s Vegas Chef Prizefight. Lish is currently a culinary consultant, food stylist, culinary instructor and contributor to Giadzy. Lish has also been a repeated guest on the Epicurious YouTube series called “Pro Chef vs. Home Cook” and will have a new episode coming out soon.

Abbey Cook has been a trend forecaster for over 15 years and has traveled to 50+ countries in order to seek out and create lifestyle and fashion trends. She sees the big picture and connects emerging ideas in culture that are created into understandable stories for the future.

Abbey has predicted some of the most influential trends and social movements of the past decade including the hipster effect and the rise of skinny jeans. She was also a key player in creating the cult color that defined a generation, Millennial Pink. She has presented her research and forecasts to Fortune 500 companies around the world. As a keynote speaker she has been featured at international trade shows in Paris, Shanghai and Medellin.

Abbey developed her career in Paris designing fabrics for Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier at the textile atelier, Malhia Kent. She has worked at Martha Stewart Living, Kohler, The Color Association of the U.S. and Cotton Incorporated. She is currently a consultant, creating custom fashion and design forecasts for trend, experiential marketing and branding agencies. She has also recently been a repeated guest lecturer on trend forecasting at The School of New York Times.

Together they are working on building our new brand The Taste Curators, where we are merging food, fashion and design.

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24Sep/21

Blake Allwood

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September 24, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Blake Allwood back as the guest on Season 6, Episode 38 – Playing In The Weeds!

Blake Allwood returns to share the final in his Romantic Renovations series, the announcement of his Coming Home series, and invite you to his F.U. Covid virtual party!

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Bio:

Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once the United States legalized gay marriage.

In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.

Typically, Blake can be found writing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs or demanding his attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.

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May 28, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Blake Allwood as the guest on Season 6, Episode 21 – From An Authentic Place

Blake Allwood drops in to share his latest book Love’s Legacy. We dive into M/M Romance written by gay men and discuss selling everything to live the RV life.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Bio:

Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once the United States legalized gay marriage.

In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.

Typically, Blake can be found writing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs or demanding his attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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17Sep/21

Garrett Hutson

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September 17, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Garrett Hutson as the guest on Season 6, Episode 37 – Two Paragraphs Before the Detective!

Garrett Hutson shares his latest release, No Accidental Death. We then discuss queer characters in historical fiction.

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Bio:

Garrett Hutson writes upmarket mysteries and historical spy fiction, driven by characters who are moving and unforgettable. He lives in Indianapolis with his husband, four adorable dogs, two odd-ball cats, and more fish than you can count. You can usually find him reading about history, and day-dreaming about being there. This is where his stories are born, and he hopes they transport you the way his imagination transports him.

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03Sep/21

Alex Woolfson

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September 3, 2021

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Alex Woolfson as the guest on Season 6, Episode 35 – An Unlimited Special Effects Budget!

Alex Woolfson joins us to talk comics for people like us. He introduces us to his Artifice and The Young Protectors projects, and then gives a masterclass on working with artists!

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Bio:

Alex writes and publishes gay male action-romance comics for cool people. As a gay kid growing up, he never got to see what he wanted to see – science-fiction and action stories with heroes, real heroes, who just happened to like other guys. So, after a successful career as a filmmaker, he started making these comics. In particular, he wants to make comics that are just as good as what the straight boys get, but for us. Now, with the support of readers on Patreon, it’s his full-time job! He also loves to talk about sci-fi, productivity apps and other geeky stuff.

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