Damon Suede's Links

LGBT Romance communities & networking

• M/M Romance on Goodreads: A MUST! The "#1 resource on the internet for M/M Romance fans," this group has something for everyone:  book and series discussions, daily updates on new releases and author news, book of the month group reads, reading challenges, author info & writing discussions, erotic photos, games, contests & quizzes.

• Queer Magazine Online: We are a friendly social networking group for LGBTQ people and their friends. Queer Magazine Online is a social networking twitter community with guides, blogs, chat functionality, an eBook Shop, book reviews/suggestions, articles and more.

• GLBT Bookshelf: A large and growing Community of writers, artists, publishers, reviewers and readers ... with a difference. We're a GLBT Community, where the emphasis is on gay books. If you enjoy a great gay read, this is the place for you! The goal of this Community is to support our publishing industry, encourage writers, reach and intrigue readers, foster sales, build careers –– not just in writing and publishing, but specifically in GLBT writing and publishing.

• All Male Romance: Our goal here is to expose good writing to the readers who grab it up, latch on, suck it dry, and then chat about it to all their friends. That is what we want! Chat, gab, gossip, word–of–mouth! There are links listed on each author's page to take you to their "official" Websites (if applicable) and where you can purchase their books. Many authors have been reviewed on various sites and some links are provided.  

• Manic Readers: Manic Readers was founded in 2007 to provide readers with a wide variety of information on the industry’s books, authors, and publishers, while simultaneously giving authors and publishers a place to promote their books for free. Manic Readers also hosts The Review Depot, an insanely helpful service for review companies that automates many of the manual tasks they face on a regular basis. It helps them manage their review requests, reviewers, and completed reviews and saves administrators hours of time that would normally be spent on manual processes.

• AuthorsDen: "Where Authors & Readers come together." AuthorsDen's mission is to bring together the world's Authors and Readers making the discovery and purchase of content useful, direct and personal. Discover thousands of unique authors around the world. Track, interact, review, bookmark and share their stories, articles and blogs.

Gay romance blogs & criticism

• Joyfully Jay: A warm, friendly LGBT romance review site that has an eye for great reads and a real finger on the pulse of the genre. "I read primarily m/m romance so that is the main focus of Joyfully Jay, but we may occasionally throw some other stuff in as well. In addition to book reviews, I frequently host author guest posts, giveaways, and blog tours. I also periodically run theme weeks focusing on different tropes and on occasion write posts on various romance topics. So lots of fun stuff and we keep quite busy here!"

• Boys in Our Books: "We LOVE to read! And we LOVE talking about books! But what started out as a group of reviewers who had M/M romance books in common, has grown and spread and expanded to discussions about ALL books, and movies, and shows, and music, and news… So now we’re a bunch of readers first, but who love to talk about anything that’s interesting. And we hope the variety will bring you back to join the conversation"

• Sinfully Sexy: an upbeat romance blog with a real eye for books that connect with readers. Monique, Macky, Mark and Debra share their Addiction for Gay Romance with reviews, news and more. "This is where we combine our love of All Male Romance."

• Prism Book Alliance: Prism Book Alliance® is a multi–reviewer site focused on GLBTQ+ literature, old or new.  We are committed to promoting and celebrating diversity through literature.  We consider for review any book with a main character on the GLBTQ+ spectrum.  We also are happy to host authors of these titles in daily guest posts.  These posts do not have to be directly book related, but should be GLBTQ+ related.

• The Romance Reviews: a one–stop site for all your romance needs. It is an interactive site for all romance lovers to chat, deliver and receive up–to–date news about books and authors. They have reviews of books in all sub–genres of romance and host daily contests where you can win the book of your choice. Best of all, they continue to develop and roll out new features from time to time.

• Elisa Rolle: Elisa Rolle's reviews and ramblings focussed on MM and gay fiction. Elisa is one of the genre's most passionate advocates and features themed posts on everything from legendary cover artists to the pulp origins of LGBT literature. Homoerotic goodness you cannot afford to miss.

• Chicks & Dicks: Run by a bunch of gay romance badasses, Chicks and dicks features everything from sassy opinion to mindblowing memoir. "Chicks & Dicks is about Gay Romance. Or possibly M/M Erotica. Or maybe the Gay Romance–M/M Erotica spectrum. We are definitely somewhere in Gay Romancelandia, but where exactly at any given time isn't entirely predictable. This is a site built by authors and readers, and while we have a lot of experience, opinions and ideas, we aren't going to pass judgement on our peers' endeavors."

• Bookwenches: "Saving the world...one book at a time." BookWench bʊk–wɛntʃ – noun. An opinionated woman who reads a lot and has a compulsive need to share her thoughts. We are a small independent book review group, and we review books of all genres. Here you will find all of our reviews of GLBT fiction as well as interviews with authors and guest blogs. Enjoy!

• Speak Its Name: Incredibly thoughtful and content–rich site for fans of historical gay romances. Premier site reviewing gay historical fiction taking all three aspects into consideration: the gay history, the history in general AND the writing... because many people will take historical fiction as fact, and that badly presented facts and crappy research will give a skewed version of history.

• MANtastic Fiction: After scouring the internet, skipping from website to website, the folks at MANtastic Fiction have decided to undertake the enormous task of compiling as much information about gay romance fiction in one place as possible.

• Ebookaddicts: Reviews at Ebook Addict was established in September 2008 by a confessed eBook addict who wanted a place to share her opinions of the books she read and help promote her favorite authors

• Fiction With Friction: This blog is a collaboration of some of the best M/M erotic romance authors being published today. We write stories brimming with action, mystery and adventure, featuring characters that run the range from cowboys, to rock stars, to vampires and aliens with everything in between in settings that bring readers to new and different worlds, on both this planet and others. But most of all, these stories give you romance — hot, steamy, tell–it–like–it–is, M/M manlove!

• Jadette Paige: A blog featuring authors as they tell their stories that inspire the writing and build the books. A personal journey through the process of creating fictional manlove.

• Lambda Literary: The leader in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer book reviews, author interviews, writers, opinions and publishing news.

• Wilde Oats:  "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." Wilde Oats celebrates gay and bisexual fiction. It embraces the joys and agonies of life for gay and bisexual men, from hard gritty realism to wild flights of romantic fantasy. Featuring fiction, reviews, op–eds and more, Wilde Oats is published three times a year, in April, August and December.

• Reviews by Jessewave: Damon has been a guest reviewer at this massive (and wildly popular) gay romance blog featuring reviews of homoerotic fiction as well as interviews, articles, contests, essays, guest bloggers and more. A dynamic, content–rich site crammed with treasure for fans of gay romance and frequented by thousands of authors, readers, and the publishers that bring them together.

Organizations

• Romance Writers of America: Romance Writers of America is dedicated to advancing the professional interests of career–focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.

• GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively.

• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

• FireFLAG/EMS: Through education and peer support, FireFLAG/EMS seeks to unite, empower, and protect the interests and well being of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Firefighters, Fire Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, EMS Officers and Paramedics who are active members and retired members of recognized fire/rescue services.

• National EMS & Firefighters Pride Alliance: The mission of the National EMS and Firefighters Pride Alliance (NEFPA) shall be to support, defend, and protect the interests and the general well being of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Emergency Medical Service and Firefighting professionals and volunteers.

• Gotham Knights Rugby: The Gotham Knights Rugby Football Club is New York's entry to the growing worldwide ranks of multiethnic and non–discriminatory rugby teams worldwide. Gotham has an open practice policy, no experience is required but practices are intense and skills oriented. New players are encouraged to attend the Rugby Bootcamp at the start of the Spring season. Home games are played on Randall's Island. In addition to its regularly scheduled practices and matches, the Gotham Knights hold notorious "drink–ups" throughout the season which are open to players and fans. For more information, visit their website.

Homo–romance authors you need to read

• Eric Arvin

• Ally Blue

• James Buchanan

• Mary Calmes

• Heidi Cullinan

• Cameron Dane

• Kim Dare

• Ethan Day

• Bonnie Dee

• L.B. Gregg

• Ginn Hale

• Amy Lane

• J.L. Langley

• D.W. Marchwell

• Z.A. Maxfield

• Tere Michaels

• K.A. Mitchell

• Sloan Parker

• Marie Sexton

This list is hardly comprehensive, but the above people are standouts that warrant time, attention, and support from all fans of gay genre fiction.

Artwork

People DO judge books by their covers, and the following websites prove that it isn't always a bad idea! These are some folks who deserve much more recognition for the graphic contributions to gay fiction.

• Anne Cain: Multimedia artist, comic book illustrator, and award–winning cover designer... Anne Cain produces some of the most lovely romance covers (and was responsible for my first book cover!) As a freelance graphic artist and illustrator, she works for a number of publishers along with private clients around the world.

• Reese Dante: People say, "don’t judge a book by its cover", but we all do it. If the cover grabs your attention, there’s a greater likelihood you’ll give it a shot. Do you have a project or question?  Reese is always open to a new project, collaboration, or an exchange of ideas.

• Sean Platter: Animator, illustrator, and erotic doodler Sean Platter gets up to all kinds of witty naughtiness at Studio Splatter. Sean has worked on everything from He–man & the Masters of the Universe to the erotic comic Demonicsex!

• Christine Griffin: "...without art, reality would be unbearable..." Cris has worked in the fantasy, scifi, horror and romance fields of art for the past 10+ years. Her clients include Fantasy Flight Games, WhiteWolf, Loose Id Publications, Liquid Silver Books, Cobblestone Press, and Ellen Million Graphics. A wildly gifted digital painter!

Gay & erotic romance publishers