Amazon Ranking 8/31/06

I just went to Amazon.com to see what ranking my novel was at to try and sway a publisher with my 'somewhere in the top 50' ranking and found not one, but two of my novels in the top 3 slots for best-selling gay erotic fiction! OUT THERE IN THE NIGHT, a werewolf paranormal is #2 and A BIT OF ROUGH, a contemporary romance is #3!

I was on my way to bed, but I can't sleep now!

Gay ghost novel by Steve Berman

For something a bit different, Steve Berman has a new ghost novel out. You can read the first chapter of it here:

www.steveberman.com/vintage1.html

And you can buy the book at

http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?
sid=5TPEB7TH4HWA9NHVSUJ8KM6XESEJ80SF&sku=5760&AuthType=4

pictures of the characters from "Sparrows"

Just in case you'd like to see who I'd pick to play the parts of my thriller characters in real life!

New MAINSTREAM political thriller release coming up 9/8/06!

My newest release is something out of the ordinary for me. It's the first novel I ever wrote and it's a mainstream thriller with Aspen Mountain Press at:
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/coming-soon/coming-soon/flight-of-the-sparrows/prod_16.html.

Here's short synopsis for it.

Flight of the Sparrows

"Forty-one and single, Lt. Commander Daniel Burke is a man on the brink of change. Head of a US Army covert operations unit for fourteen years, he is beginning to feel the effects of time on his body and mind, as well as the impact on his personal life. Committed to his three teammates as brothers, he is torn between remaining in the service and leaving to seek a more fulfilling life. Surprisingly, both a career change and a change in his lack of family life come from his next mission.

Burke and his men, Jackson Burr, Ethan James and Spencer Weston, are tossed into an elaborate assassination plot rooted in greed, perversion and vigilantism spanning two continents. A pivotal player in the conspiracy turns out to be a British youth, Quill Tarquin. The teenager has an eidetic memory and a mysterious past that connects him to directly to Burke."

It's a bit different than my M/M erotic romances, of course. No sex, and a tiny dash of romance, but a lot of action and emotion. Guns, murder, chaos, mystery--all the things I like to write about if I can't write about M/M sex!

sexual content

I like more than just a tease or taste of an intimate relationship if it is going to be a part of storyline. That's why i writer erotic romance. But I have read several of the Mark Manning series and while I enjoyed the books, I felt like the intimacy between the two main characters was glossed over.

I was disappointed that I couldn't get a better sense of why one man gave up his flourishing career in one state, one that was dependant of a loyal clientele to grow, his custom built, gorgeous home he had designed himself, and and all of his friends and associates to move away and start over with the other man at ground zero again.

I know they were in love, but I never got that sense of passioante depth out of the books. Did I miss something or am I expecting too much from novels that put a love interest in them?

How much sexual content do you expect in any fiction book(adventure, romance, mystery, historial, paranormal) you read where there is a romantic relationship as a part of the storyline with the major characters? How much do you WANT to have in the story?

discussion from the gay forum on amazon.com

I'm exploring the site with the justmanga.com on it now. Interesting! It's a bit disorienting to read right to left at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. The artwork in FAKE isn't as fey as the ones I have seen.

I have to wonder if the yaoi that is popular with people right now is just filling the void because M/M erotic romances with a western POV of men aren't available yet?

My M/M romances ARE different than the Japanese M/M romances. My men are western versions of men. I favor strong, brawny men in my life and in my work.

I kind of feel the need to adopt fey, willowy young men, not find a another one of them to match them with. Sigh. Must be my age. UGH! Forget I said that! I'm 30, tall, blond, thin -- oh, never mind! You've probably already seen my picture! Can you believe it? I paid a fortune for that head shot and it still looks like me! Stupid camera!

I think I'm going to order a volume of Fake, probably the last one with the graphic sex in it because I want to see how they approach it in comparision to my writing and yes, because I'm hoping it's hot. The guys in the artwork have broad shoulders even if they are too beautiful for real men (other than Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom-in my lustfilled opinion)so maybe the "I need to adopt you thing" wouldn't be a problem. It kills the moment big time.

manloveromance.com

I've been discussing why I read and write eoritc M/M romances over on the Amazon.com Connect Gay/Lesbian forum these last few days. I've learned a lot from other authors and readers about the subject, too. I found a few new things to try reading and new authors to explore. But mainly, I've found my own reasons for liking M/M erotic romance to be echoed by many other straight women on the forum or through private emails sent to me as a result of the forum discussion.

Simply put, we love men and reading about sensitive, caring, manly men is irresistable and hot to us. I don't think the mystery of why straight women like gay erotic romance goes any deeper than that. One hot, passionate man in bed--delicious. Two steamy, ravenous men in love together and in bed together--there isn't anything better.

Except doing it with my own man! And who needs to write about that when you are fortunate enough to actually just go and do it!

Adrien with an "e"

I've found a mystery sleuth and his new writer that I adore. The Adrien English mystery series by Josh Lanyon. The stories are fun and intriguing, the characters real and involving and the style straightforward and engaging. I read the first and the third book in the series (the only one's I could get in ebook format instantly) in one day and ordered the second one from a used book store on Amazon. I can't wait for it to arrive.

The main character is Adrien English, he's smart, real, gay and curious in a way that gets his life twisted around the mysteries and events happening to and near his problematic life. From an unconventional mother to a thick-headed, resistant boyfriend having trouble being happy with his sexuality, Adrien's adventures are interesting, engrossing and touching. I'm looking forward to every new book Josh Lanydon writes! His first book is a free download at the moment. Check out his site here:

http://www.joshlanyon.com

Laura

Why do you read M/M romances?

I'm trying to gather data for a proposal for a M/M erotic romance discussion panel. So if you'd like to help me out or just want to express yourself about the topic, feel free to email me at sensualwriter.laura@gmail.com or post your message here and I'll add it to my findings. Every opinion counts! Your reason's are just as valid as the next reader's are so let's hear them!

I write M/M erotic romances because I think the erotic part is HOT! I love men and think two men together is twice as hot. All that raw, sweaty power and muscle twisted around more lithe, sweaty, sinewy flesh, kissing, cuddling, possessing and pounding each other into sated bliss. What's not to love? The romance part is the best, though, where I can write these same hot men as sensitive, caring, romanctic individuals with flaws and strengths and needs and convictions. It's all good.

Now tell me why you READ it.

Deadlines and heat

I'm working feverishly to finish up Roughhousing this month. It's the sequel to A Bit of Rough I've been fleshing out for the last 2 months. I'm shutting down my email(kind of), turning off my phone(to keep work from trying to get me to pick up extra shifts), and shutting the door to my office. I'm not sure what to do with the kids besides gift them with a dozen playstation games and hope they'll stay in their rooms for the next month. If it weren't for the suffocating heat and humidity all around me, I'd almost be happy in my little cone of writing silence. I'm not sure which is hotter, my story or the room I'm working in. An believe me, the story is HOT!