Lee Benoit

Gift ideas for after the end

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:10:33 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. Please leave any comments there.

To celebrate the dark and quirky delights of future dystopian settings, three authors have banded together to come up with a gift box filled with handy stuff to make surviving the end of the world as we know it a little easier.

Postapocalyptic gift ideas

Now we want to give it away!

We took over the Romance for the Rest of Us blog for a day. Commenters over there for the next week will have a chance to win the absolute necessities above (and more!).

I share a bit about my SERVANT OF THE SEASONS.

Syd McGinley tells us about the world of OUT OF THE WOODS and TWICE CAUGHT.

And CB Conwy let us in on the HIMIKO universe.

All commenters to Syd’s, CB’s, or my posts (linked above) from 1/30/12 (including this one) will be entered in next week’s random draw for the gift basket (one entry per commenter per post). Drawing will take place after 2/6/12 and will include everyone who comments by 11:59 p.m. EST on that date.

Snowed out contest winners…

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:32:40 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

Man, oh man! I totally dropped the ball on the Dragonwalker giveaway! Blame the October Freak Nor’Easter we’re still recovering from in my neck of the woods…

Most folks here in Massachusetts have their power back, and most of the snow has melted, but here is what took us by surprise last week:

: This is the kind of weather we expect and prepare for in January and February, but this is what October 30 looked like in my backyard!

: All told, about 15 inches fell.

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In the past few weeks, I’ve offered two contests related to my Dragonwalker series. It’s past time to announce winners.

For the Flashback Friday feature on October 14, the winner by random draw, is Elaine G!

Elaine, please give me an email shout at leebenoit at charter dot net and we can discuss which stories you’d like as your prize.

For the ENDI’S CONSENT release day giveaway here, at my LJ and at Torquere’s Social Yahoo, the winner is Kathleen M. Thomas! Kathleen, please email me at leebenoit at charter dot net and let me know where to send your copy of ENDI’S CONSENT.

Thanks, friends, for your patience.

Cheers,
Lee xo

New Dragonwalker story!

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:10:09 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

Out today, as part of Torquere Press’ Halloween Sip line, is the fourth in the Dragonwalker series!

The story is called ENDI’S CONSENT and here’s a blurb:

Halloween night in Endicott is pretty much like Halloween night in other small towns. Except for the flying dogs, of course. Fire Chief Alex Burgess is on hand to help town Dragon Wrangler, Chief’s own sub Endi, host the fire house’s Halloween party and keep local kids safe.

But something’s not right with Chief. Lately, he’s been feeling even more bearish than he looks, and all that omnivorous attention is directed at Endi. Chief wants to take their Dominance and submission to the next level, but first he has to obtain Endi’s consent. What happens when a boy with the heart of a dragon submits to a Top with the soul of a bear?

Read an excerpt and then, maybe, treat yourself by buying Endi’s Consent!

WANT A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF ENDI’S CONSENT?

Just for fun, Endi and Chief answered one of those silly BDSM compatibility quizzes. Their answers are posted over at the Torquere Social Yahoo Group and at the bottom of this post. Comment there, here at my blog, or over on my LJ, and I’ll enter you into a drawing to win a free PDF of ENDI’S CONSENT! Random drawing will occur in 48 hours; one entry per commenter.

Endi and Chief are taking turns answering an online kink questionnaire.

Question 1: Dom, sub, switch?

Endi (snickering): Switch

Chief (swatting Endi’ s butt): In your dreams

Question 2: List your kinks.

Endi: Leather, spanking, bondage, oh, man! Motorcycles, older guys. Did I mention spanking?

Chief: Endi

Question 3: How did you discover you were kinky?

Endi: I met Chief. I mean, I’ve known Chief all my life, but I went away to school, learned a bunch of things, came back to Endicott, and saw Chief in a whole new light.

Chief: No comment.

Question 4: Any early experiences that, in retrospect, hint at your kinks?

Endi (cackling): Chief became a firefighter!

Chief: I seem to recall a lot of Endi’s Gram’s makeup going missing.

Endi: That’s not kinky!

Question 6: Describe your weirdest/most interesting sexual fantasy.

Chief: No

Endi: Me and Chief, on the back of a flying dragon dog.

Chief (snorting): There’s no dog in the world big enough!

Question 7: What’s your favorite toy?

Chief: Endi

Question 8: How do you dress for kink/BDSM play

Endi: I like all kinds of dressing up. Have you seen my work uniform? I designed it myself. And you should see Chief decked out for a ride!

Chief: As long as Endi gets naked at some point, the clothes don’t really matter.

Endi (snickering): Ask him how much he spends on motorcycle boots.

Question 9: Can you imagine leading a vanilla life?

Chief: Not without Endi.

Endi: Not without Chief.

Chief (swatting Endi’s butt): Tell the truth, brat.

Endi (submitting to a flurry of spanks): Okay, okay. Never! Not ever, okay?

Chief: That was the last question, right?

[fade out]

Flashing back to Dragonwalker

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:08 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

The Romance for the Rest of Us blog runs a Flashback Friday series, and this week I’m the guest author, blogging about my Dragonwalker series which began back in pre-Recession 2008 and which will have a new installment on October 29. Click the pup to check it out.

Commenters over there will be entered into a random drawing for either their choice of any or all of the Dragonwalker series or a $5 Torquere Press gift Certificate.

See you there!

L xo

Guest Blogging about Coming Out

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:01:14 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

Yesterday was National Coming Out Day here in the States, and today is the same observance in the UK. I guest blogged about the process and purpose of coming out a Lisabet Sarai’s Beyond Romance blog. Have a look, eh?

Cheers,
Lee xo

Reach-Around Review: “How Does Your Garden Grow” by KIL Kenny

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:17:17 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

You know what a reach-around is, right? Well, in honor of Saturday’s release of Torquere Press’ fourth annual Charity Sip Blitz, each participating author is reviewing another’s story in a big, friendly circle.

You can start here with my review of KIL Kenny’s terrific “How Does Your Garden Grow?” and then work your way back to Kenny’s review of Kathryn Scannell’s “Salvage Operation” or forward to M. Durango’s very kind review of my “Last Dance.”

MY REVIEW of KIL Kenny’s “How Does Your Garden Grow?”

A rough-edged narrator, sparky humor, and a high-stakes take on the theme of “It Gets Better” combine to make KIL Kenny’s short story “How Does Your Garden Grow” a delightful read.

In this engaging ‘hail fellow ill met’ tale, Kaz and a group of friends from a Midwestern Pride organization rent plots in a community garden on a landmark farm. Excited but ill-prepared, Kaz soon finds himself locking horns with the green-thumbed tenant of the adjacent plot.

Devin has been through the wringer, and Kenny shows empathy and restraint when describing Devin’s recent past, injuries, healing, and heart. His prickliness is a highlight of the story, as is Kaz’s gruffly befuddled response to Devin’s attitude toward him. I especially appreciated that the injured Devin wasn’t a saint and that Kaz didn’t handle him with kid gloves. The very real emotions in this story definitely drew me in.

When the community garden is threatened by that age-old bully of farmers everywhere, the weather, Kaz and the Pride group rally to help Devin and the other gardeners protect their investment. It’s in the course of this external struggle that Kaz and especially Devin are finally convinced that with an open heart and a boon companion, things really can get better.

About the author: K.I.L. Kenny has tried her hand at everything from grocery clerk to corporate vice president — not always in the trajectory one might expect — and along the way has developed a stash of exceedingly various (and exceedingly superficial) knowledge wherewith to torment the hapless authors she edits. She indulges her most sadistic side by teaching English composition, and in mellower moods kicks back with salaryman yaoi. Her hairdresser calls her a people person, which just goes to show that “only her hairdresser knows for sure” is a load of bunkum. She lives in New York, but left half of her heart in Baltimore. Find her online at http://katie-kilkenny.livejournal.com/.

Kenny’s story is part of this year’s Charity Sip Blitz from Torquere Press. “How Does Your Garden Grow” and more than 30 other stories were donated by their authors and all proceeds will benefit the It Gets Better Project.

I’ll update here when I have a buy link from our sponsor, Rainbow eBooks, or you can check the Torquere website on Saturday, September 17, 2011 where there will be a special Charity Sips section.

Celebrating Torquere Press’ 8th Anniversary

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:25:40 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

Back in March 2007, Torquere Press published my first story, a novelette set in Cuba and called THE HUSTLER PRINCE.

I will always be grateful that Torquere was there for me as a reader back when I was just discovering ebooks, and that they have been there for me as I’ve developed my writing career.

Torquere is eight years old this month, and these folks throw a serious party. Read on for details about how to win a Kindle or one of many themed gift baskets. I’m one of the authors on the Kindle Scavenger Hunt list, so look at the end of this post for a hint…

Also, Syd McGinley, CB Conwy, and I got together to create a gift basket inspired by our most recent releases. The theme is “Surviving the Apocalypse” which is a lot more fun in fiction than in real life!

I pass the mic to the magnificent publishers:
The Eight Ball will help celebrate our eighth anniversary here at Torquere Press! Join us for the celebration!

We’re having a reader scavenger hunt with weekly gift basket prizes and a grand prize (this year, a brand-new 3G Kindle along with a CD of stories from each participating author), plus daily prizes of gift certificates to show our appreciation to you — our readers! Check our blog, ROMANCE FOR THE REST OF US, where we’ll have a number of our authors visiting the whole month. We’ll post excerpts, hang out to chat, and talk about our stories.

In addition to the grand prize of the Kindle, we’re giving away gift baskets every week! Some are silly, some are smutty, and all are fun. The themed ones are: m/m, ménage, BDSM, and lesbian plus our authors have chipped in with extra goodies.

Here’s how to play. Visit our contest page, and start scavenging for the Eight Ball answers. Visit the author pages and find the graphic somewhere on their site. An online form is set up, and we’ll randomly choose a winner for the Kindle from all of the correct entries. Plus, every day, readers will have the chance to win a Torquere gift certificate and a gift basket.Help us celebrate our eighth anniversary and ask the Eight Ball your question… Like, will I win a prize from Torquere Press?

Thanks, and have fun playing.

OK, I’m grabbing the mic again: My latest release is SERVANT OF THE SEASONS, and if you search for more info about this dystopian fantasy, you will find a clue in the scavenger hunt! Click the cover…go on…one clicky….

Invitation to World Building

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:12:23 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. Please leave any comments there.

Over on the Torquere Press Romance for the Rest of Us Blog, I’ve posted about what goes into building fictional worlds in a variety of genres, even contemporary.

Find out what squiggly lines have to do with world building!

(This post is a follow-on from another world building essay I shared there a while back.)

Includes contest for $5 Torquere gift certificate, open until 8/22/11!

See you there!

Cheers,
Lee xo

My “To Be Continued” Kink

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:36:32 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

I love serialized novels. Even at their most literary, serials deliver guilty pleasure of the just-five-more-minutes-mom, reading-under-the-covers variety. When I was a kid my mom and stepdad moved us to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, light years from most of the extended family in New England. Those were the oil-crisis years, years of visiting once a year if we were lucky. Long-distance calls were expensive, but even kids like me whose parents didn’t believe in weekly allowances could get their hands on postage stamps. I wrote short, desperate letters to my maternal grandfather: “Write me a story!” And he did: rapturous, silly adventures featuring a protagonist called Fat Ivan and doled out in half-ounce doses via air mail. Born in 1914, as a kid my granddad had spent the nickels he earned delivering ice in movie houses where newsreels, cartoons, and yes, serials, preceded the feature. I didn’t realize until years later that my granddad’s stories had a lot (a really awful lot) in common with C.S. Lewis’ Narnia tales. Back then I didn’t care. I lived for those letters, but I didn’t fall in love with the epistolary form. Nor did I develop an affinity for telenovelas, soaps, or series TV. Nope. I fell in love with serialization.

I delight in the narrative hooks that cannot be denied. I barrel toward each cliffhanger with no plan B, no parachute, nothing but the delirious faith the storyteller will catch me before I hit bottom. I wonder about the reckless abandon with which I embrace serialized fiction, and after a bout of navel-gazing I have an answer of sorts. In the decades since my granddad’s Fat Ivan stories I’ve learned a lot about myself.

I’m queer, and I’m kinky.

I’m a bisexual (who’s discovering pansexual leanings) with strong submissive tendencies, a masochist streak, and more than a dollop of the size queen about me.

These traits influence my reading choices, of course, but why serials? Here’s what I came up with:

Authors of serials control the scene. They’re the literary version of a skilled mind-fuck Dominant. They draw me in with their seductive hooks, ramp me up with a tightly paced arc, and then – divine monsters! – edge me for installment after installment. My newly installed goddess among author Dommes is Cecilia Tan, whose incomparable The Prince’s Boy is now complete and available serialized at the Circlet Press site, in two ebook volumes, or in a collector’s edition. The Prince’s Boy is a fantasy quest romance fueled by sex magic and wonderfully fluid, affecting prose. It’s not to be missed, and I’m still mourning the end of almost two years of faithful weekly updates.

Something about genre fiction lends itself particularly well to the serial format; science fiction, fantasy, horror, sure, but also romance (think Dickens if you want the long view). M/m favorite Jordan Castillo Price offers serials through her monthly newsletter and web sites, and in very 21^st century fashion has invited reader involvement in the development of new plots and characters. Her completed Zero Hour is a masterpiece of dystopian-futurism, a cracking good adventure yarn, and a moving romance all at once. Reading her new installments (now also available as an ebook) and knowing I’ll have to wait a month for the next one is the cognitive equivalent of orgasm denial, and my mental masochist adores the pain.Then there’s the readerly size queen in me. I cut my teeth on queer serials with Trewin Greenaway’s four-fat-volume Cronnex series about a pair of horny and confused demigods. (Sadly The Cronnex is no longer available but you can read my review of it on the GLBT Bookshelf.) I have a subscription to Matthew Haldeman-Time’s fantasy soap opera In This Land which is still going strong at over 250 chapters. Gimme more! (Another in this category is Maculate Giraffe’s hurts-so-good Slave Breakers series which includes three novels and numerous side stories. Long and wide, if you get me.)

So there it is: devotion to serial fiction for the submissive pain-slut size queen. Reading as kink. It’s not an original idea, but the connections tickled me. What about you? Are there queer serials you’re following? What keeps you coming back for more?

Another test…

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:45:50 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. Please leave any comments there.

Please don’t hate me! Now I’m testing a FeedBurner feed since my self-hosted feed URL is incompatible with Amazon’s Author Central.

Perhaps a picture of a guinea keet in a tree will keep you sweet? Or perhaps some free fiction?

One of our guineas in a tree. Looks like the one in the background is growing from the head of the one in the foreground!

Review Reanimated – Chaos Magic by Jay Lygon

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:44:36 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

One of the ways I become a better writer is by reviewing. I used to review a lot more, but I’ve scaled back due to writing and real life demands. One of the sites I used to review for, the terrific RAINBOW REVIEWS, has also closed to new reviews (though you can still view the site for now). I’m also slowly updating a list of all my reviews over on my GLBT Bookshelf pages.

I thought I’d give those older reviews of mine a second airing here, especially because I was fortunate to review some really fantastic books. So here’s the first in an occasional series. (Disclaimer: I’m presenting these as they originally appeared.)

CHAOS MAGIC by Jay Lygon

Publisher’s blurb:

Sam is a broken young man, searching for temporary escape from his demons–inside and out. Running from abusive ex-lover Marcus, the God of Fear, Sam finds himself in the arms of the hottest man to step foot into his life: Hector.

Hector proves to be the Daddy Sam needs and wants, but the road is a very rocky and often terrifying one. As Marcus digs his claws deeper into Sam, it threatens to tear apart everything Sam and Hector have built together.

My Review:

What an enthralling book! A unique premise, absorbing voice, unexpected imagery, and a cracking pace combine to make Jay Lygon’s Chaos Magic a novel worth reading more than once. Genuine darkness and breath-stopping sex add to its edginess, and the complexity of the plot and characters leave readers panting for a sequel.

Sam is a film critic whose career is starting to take off just as his personal life seems to tank thanks to an abusive relationship with a bad Dom. His irrepressible sensuality and reckless enthusiasm for anything-goes kinkiness seem in real danger of winking out as Sam succumbs to the depression and self-doubt of Fear. That’s the God of Fear, his ex, Marcus.

Fortunately for him (and for us readers), Sam is also a witch from a land- and fertility-worshipping clan, so he’s got the chops to keep his head above water, if only barely, by steadfastly worshipping his own personal pantheon. His scruffy apartment is full of altars to gods his family worships, like Fertility and Agriculture, and to gods he’s identified by virtue of his own powerful magic. Here is our first indication that Lygon’s story is several cuts above the run-of-the-mill paranormals out there: These new gods include Deal, the Goddess of Negotiation and Crash, the God of Computers, but most notably Sam worships Angelena, the Goddess of Traffic. She’s a biker dyke with “asphalt black hair,” “concrete gray eyes,” who smells of “grease and hot metal.” See what I mean? We’re in new territory here, exciting, clever, and funny territory.

Unfortunately for Sam (but not for us readers), he’s in denial about his own nature. Oh, he’s great with being gay, content as a confirmed bottom (this is no saccharine coming out or discovery story), but there’s more to him than he’s willing to acknowledge, even when staying in the cosmological closet threatens to destroy him. His sporadic and impetuous uses of sex magic and chaos magic fail to change reality, either objectively or in Sam’s mind, and Sam’s refusal to heed the word of his gods make him a narrator for the ages, unreliable and lovable in equal measure.

Enter Hector, Sam’s ideal Top. At first blush, Hector completes the traditional pairing of big, rich, older Dom with smaller, poor, younger sub. But there are twists galore in their liaison, not all of them happy ones, and their troubled relationship plays out on a number of levels, both cosmic and mundane. The questions we (and Sam) harbor about Hector’s motivations drive the conflict and keep the pages turning even more furiously than the skillfully-wrought scenes of BDSM sexuality or the burgeoning love story. Watching Sam transcend his no-strings bottoming to learn a deeper range of sensuality and ultimately come into his own full power is captivating, disturbing, and utterly delightful reading.

Lygon injects the BDSM love story and the magical-realist bildungsroman with some very dark notes of domestic violence and mental illness; that the hopeful (I won’t call it happy) ending is believable is a testament to the skill of the author and the power of the story. If I have a criticism of the book it is that Hector’s misapplications of his power make his love for Sam suspect to the point of being irredeemable. The rather precipitous ending does not resolve our lingering questions about Hector’s worthiness of Sam’s love or Sam’s future emotional safety with Hector, though one imagines the planned sequel will address them. I wouldn’t dream of missing it!

{This review originally appeared at the Rainbow Reviews site.}

Books 2 and 3 in the series are also available from Torquere.

Testing LiveJournal CrossPoster

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:06:21 GMT

Originally published at Lee Benoit Tales. You can comment here or there.

Please ignore hammering and dust…

Picture for the giggle:

8-10 week old guinea keets.

Summer projects

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:35:31 GMT

Hi friends!

Today, Torquere released the re-edited, revised-into-a-novel version of my 2008 Chaser series SERVANT OF THE SEASONS.

In the course of blogging about that over on the Torquere Social LJ, it came to me that one of my summer projects is an echo of the kind of postapocalyptic sodbusting I write about in SERVANT.

Learn more about the new book at Torquere's website, find excerpts at my website, and here's a blurb:

When architect Mèco is turfed -- ejected from his protected but autocratic Dome -- he finds himself adrift in a dying and dangerous land. With no choice but to scrape his survival from an abandoned farm, he tries to improve his prospects by acquiring an animal to pull his plow. What he ends up with instead are two slaves, a bonded pair of Novigi, a strange people Mèco's never heard of. As the land slowly awakens by their combined efforts, so does Mèco's sense of himself as a man and -- maybe -- a lover. But when their fragile home is threatened by brutal gangs of Salters, Mèco and his friends discover being servants of the seasons may not be enough to protect their new way of living and loving. They must become warriors.

Anyway, I thought it would amuse some of you to hear about my own adventures in something like farming...

Besides writing, teaching, and quitting smoking, since May my sons and I have been rearing Guinea fowl!

You might think that sentence doesn't really deserve an exclamation mark, but you must understand that I am a city child (apologies to Kay Thompson). Grasshopper (who is 11 and wants to be a rice farmer when he grows up) brought up the idea and after much research and whatnot (the whatnot involving a lot of me wondering how the hell I could say no when I'd certainly say yes to hockey or drums) we got 15 adorable, tiny guinea keets in the mail. This is what they looked like:

We housed them in the bottom half of a dog crate and all was well. For, like, ninety seconds. Then they grew, and we re-housed them in a nursery brooder I built (cos I'm so butch) out of hardware cloth, plywood, and zip ties. And we started building a coop.

Perhaps I overstate. We moved an old three-sided shed off the back of a bigger shed and started refurbishing it.

I won't share the horrors of that project, though if your imagination takes you somewhere like Oz after a tornado you're not far off. I'm still looking for a pair of ruby wellies, if you've seen them...

So, keets got bigger some more (they're about half-grown now, starting to grow helmets and vocalize in their gender-specific adult calls) and now they live in their brooder in the almost-finished coop. I still have to figure out how to hang the door but so far we're predator-free and all is well until the keets start free-ranging in a few weeks. I wish I could show you how cozily bucolic it looks lit up at night. I'm looking forward to the eggs now!

This is the closest I've been to the kinds of projects that Lys, Tywyll, Cynar, and Meco get up to in SERVANT, but it gives me new appreciation for their life. I was astonished how much of the research for SERVANT served me in Project Keet!

Visit the Torquere Social list and leave a comment between now and this time tomorrow (6 p.m. EST, 14 July 2011) to be entered into one of two drawings to win a Torquere gift certificate or a PDF of SERVANT. sydmcginley is also on hand with two new pubs and giveaways!

Pride Report 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:10:32 GMT

On June 18^th, I made the 80-mile trip to Providence, RI to run a vendor booth at the 35^th annual Pride Fest. It was my third year there as a vendor, and by far the best year yet!

There were three reasons it was so fabulous. First, more authors and publishers sent me materials and books than ever before, which made for a dynamic table. Even when the same visitors wandered by more than once, the contents on the table had changed and they stopped to browse and chat a second or third time. Second, the energy was incredible. The weather was perfect, the river behind us sparkled, and music from the entertainment stages reached us just loudly enough to maintain the festival atmosphere without dampening conversation. Third, my sons, 11 and 13, who had come with me to help unload and set up, decided to spend the entire 8 hours with me in the booth (with frequent forays for fried dough, corndogs, and Pride hats / necklaces / noisemakers). Their presence and enthusiasm were just one more source of pride for me.

I had lots of eye-catching promo material from participating authors and publishers, and a steady supply of almost 300 rainbow swirl lollipops brought folks to the table who might have passed by otherwise. Visitors enjoying the festival don’t always want to buy a book and then have to carry it around the rest of the day, which gives me a great opportunity to pimp e-books in general, and many were pleased with the special Pride coupon Torquere Press issued for me to distribute. Even so, I sold more books than ever before, and had a great time sharing free books from Torquere Press with many who came by. The varied and attractive Bold Strokes titles were definitely a draw. What were folks grabbing? Well, paranormals and fantasy, contemporaries (especially featuring first responders), and erotica sold well, and good covers absolutely drew folks from glances to picking books up to read the back covers. (As a reader who pretty much ignores covers, this phenomenon always surprises me.) Librarians were delighted to get a crack at a free book, and snapped up YA titles.

As you see in the photo, I had a banner with “Rainbow Writers Collective” on it – the festival organizers require a name other than the individual and that one seemed appropriate to me. Several visitors inquired about whether we have a bricks and mortar bookstore or an online presence, and I told them we were an ad hoc group of authors and publishers who pool resources to have a presence at events like RI Pride. I encouraged visitors to pick up lots of author postcards and publisher lists and visit their sites online.

The most common question visitors asked was where to find more LGBT books. It turns out many, many readers still browse their local B&N shelves in vain hope of finding new LGBT fiction. Almost no one had thought of following favorite authors to their web sites, and no one I talked with had heard of the GLBT Bookshelf – by the end of the day I wished I’d thought to print up some cards or flyers so I wouldn’t be scribbling the URL on the backs of coupons, postcards, and chapbooks! I also spoke with some aspiring authors, many of whom were bewildered by the new publishing landscape. I hope I was able to encourage them and steer them to good resources.

Young people of all descriptions (including a couple of my students!) stopped for a lollipop and stayed to ask about books that address coming out, building an identity, and navigating the world as a queer person (I call these “coming to self” stories). The gal working the temporary tattoo booth next to us wandered over again and again to peruse the books on offer until she found one that took on these issues. Older folks cheerfully described their reading habits and asked for recommendations – and I was interested to hear that most didn’t equate “GLBT fiction” with “porn” as is so often done in the mainstream. I ran into some of them later at the illuminated nighttime parade and it felt so good to know that I’d had the chance to widen their view onto the dynamic and rewarding universe of GLBT fiction and publishing. Besides, everyone loves a parade!

I want to thank Bold Strokes and Torquere for being so supportive and sending so many great books, and also authors

Syd McGinley
Radclyffe
Catherine Lundhoff
JM Cartwright
J. Rocci
Emily Carrington

Ides of Pride Book Swap

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:49:16 GMT

Hi all,

Over on the gay historicals review site Speak Its Name, erastes has organized a print and ebook swap in honor of Pride month!

Authors and readers have open threads offering LEGAL downloads and print copies of books they are willing to share, and commenters to threads offer something of theirs in exchange.

See the details here and explore the dozens of offers in the posts that follow on!

And speaking of Pride, I'll be running a vendor table at Rhode Island Pride this Saturday, June 18 from noon-6 p.m. If you're in the area, stop on by! Look for the "Rainbow Writers Collective" banner (Booth 614).

Cheers,
Lee

MOONSPUN Nominated!

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:01:50 GMT

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that MOONSPUN, my odd little magical-realist tale of a moon-bound weaver and his playwright lover, was nominated for Best Erotic Paranormal/Fantasy Romance in 2010 as part of The Romance Reviews Grand Opening celebration. MOONSPUN isn't competing in a GLBT category, so I don't expect it will win, but I'm delighted and humbled that it made a showing at all! (Voting in all categories is here.)

The Romance Reviews Grand Opening is month-long event with gajillions of prizes, book giveaways, and games. Definitely worth checking out as this new review site for all sorts of romance makes its official debut!

Lee does the Flea

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:53:06 GMT

For the third year in a row, last Saturday I spent the afternoon and evening at the New England Leather Alliance's Fetish Fair Fleamarket. My companion (another academic social scientist and member of the GLBT spectrum) and I arrived with just enough time to cruise the vendors, but we missed the classes we wanted to attend because they were too crowded. It's a testament to the success of the Flea that so many of their classes are so popular, and truthfully, the unparalleled people watching more than made up for the disappointment of being shut out of classes. Next year, we'll be first in line for the "Mind Fuck" panel!

I'm always in awe of the great variety of people at the Flea. Beautiful, bedecked young things, solid, enviable older pairs, bent straight folks and proud queer folks and artists and rebels and activists -- all ages and skin tones and body types and lifestyles unabashedly parade within this safe and electric space. For a deeply introverted solitary practitioner, it's a heady experience. The organizers and volunteers -- especially the curiously gentlemanly old guard of the New England leather community -- do an amazing job with a huge and varied program.

It took some courage (did I mention: deeply introverted?) but I introduced myself to the amazing Cecilia Tan of Circlet Press, who was just lovely. (If you haven't encountered her remarkable serial, The Prince's Boy, head over to the Circlet site now -- at 82 chapters and counting, this is one of the best-written and most absorbing serials going online. But I digress.) I was fortunate to meet up again briefly with erotica writer and editor D. L. King, who was kind and gracious and teased us with her forthcoming Carnal Machines, a Steampunk erotica anthology due out from Cleis Press in May. There was one other author/book room, but it definitely seemed to me that more bookish types would be a good thing.

Speaking of Steampunk, the trend I noticed last year hasn't let up one iota. Lots of clockwork and goggles graced attendees, and several artisans displayed Victorian-tech-inspired gear from the pretty standard to some amazing custom handcrafts. My favorites were the folks from Brute Force Studios, who had lovely hard leather bras and corsets, along with leather paddles that would leave a clockwork imprint and brass-and-leather goggles with optional opaque black lenses. Steampunk blindfolds -- how amazingly cool is that?

There were lots of leatherworkers and corset makers and artisans in rope and chain mail and latex. But the clothier who captured my attention most this year was Reyen Design Studios, whose proprietary Silkcloqué material -- a felted mix of merino wool and silk -- makes for some absolutely breathtaking creations. It was a treat to hear David talk about his journey through other media to textiles, and my companion and I were grateful for his time.

I always love listening to talented folks discuss and demonstrate the things they're passionate about. One of the most unexpected at this year's Flea was the For My Sir room, where vintage and rare printed erotica was displayed alongside antique and newly crafted implements like whips and sailor's fids (the pic at the top of this post is a newly crafted example). The vendor (whose name I forgot to ask) delighted my friend and me with his demo of his Magnetos -- zappy devices made from old telephone parts and mounted on boards. I've never tried any kind of electrical play, and neither had my friend, but we both agreed that the kick we got from licking our fingers, placing them on the terminals, and cranking the handles was a revelation.

And that, ultimately, is what the Flea is about for me -- exploration and discovery around a multifarious and enthusiastic community that attracts and intrigues me even if I am too old and too shy to dive in for myself. Next year, I'll be back. Maybe I'll be bold enough to attend one of the evening events -- the New Designers Fashion Show or the Fetish Masquerade. Maybe I'll be organized enough to host a vendor's room for like-minded authors. Because it seemed to me this year more than ever in the past, that attending the Flea is just the beginning.

Click on the pictures to learn more about the products featured in this post.

Cheers,
Lee xo

Winter Wonderland Sale!

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:57:30 GMT

It's another snowy day here in the wilds of central New England and I'm just about to take up my shovel to do battle with the drifts. I'd much rather stay indoors with a hot mug of something and a good book. What a perfect time for Torquere Press to offer a sale.

Here are the details: "It's a winter wonderland out there! So we're offering 15% off your purchases from now through the end of day Sunday to celebrate the white stuff! Just put 'wonder2011' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books (www.torquerebooks.com) before Sunday at midnight to get 15% off your order. Sale good now through Sunday January 23 at Midnight (est)."

It also seemed like a good time for a little shameless self-promotion. I recently compiled a list of my Torquere releases for 2010, and I humbly (no, really!) invite you to check them out.

And there's also my newest Torquere release, "Going to Eleven" in the POUR SOME SUGAR ON IT anthology:

Click on the covers for more info on each.

Celebrate winter with a book (any book, not just mine, lol) from Torquere Press today!

Keep your toesies warm!
Lee xo

Lovely surprises!

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 03:45:07 GMT

I was surprised and delighted to learn that an anthology I'm in has finaled for two awards, an Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC) eBook award and The Romance Studio's Cupid and Psyche (CAPA) award! For more on the awards and the book, click the pix.

Bound with a Bow is the second of two GLBTQ BDSM anthos edited by Beth Wilde. My story in it is called "Cardinal Points." Here's a blurb:

Argus is a master Dom who’s lost his sense of purpose. Dori is a spiritual seeker who’s never quite found his way. When the two meet at a pagan festival, the heat is undeniable -- Dori even offers a solution to Argus’ disillusionment: ordeal path spirituality! But how can BDSM amateur Dori and novice pagan Argus chart a new path together if Dori keeps disappearing? Will he find his way to commit to Argus in time for a Christmas Eve appearance at Broad Horizons?

To read an excerpt from "Cardinal Points," follow this link.

It's a thrill to have a story in an anthology thus recognized, and I wish all the finalists the best of luck!

First release of 2011!

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:41:12 GMT

Today Torquere Press releases POUR SOME SUGAR ON IT, a new full length anthology of stories with the theme of sweetness. My story, "Going to Eleven," will be there along with many other terrific reads.

Blurb: Chip is a hopeless romantic who wishes every boyfriend would turn out to be his one true love. When the real thing finally comes along in the form of an independent berry farmer, Chip almost misses his chance.

Here's a worksafe excerpt in which we learn why Chip needs a new boyfriend. (Bartholomew is the berry farmer, Cat is Chip's cat, and Kulima is Bartholomew's sister.)

"Talking to you is like talking to Jimmy." The words were out almost before the thought formed in his head.

Bartholomew cocked his head to one side, just like Cat listening for mice in the walls.

"My first boyfriend," Chip explained. When Bartholomew didn't ask any more of his questions, Chip went on. "We were in high school, each other's first." To cover the blush he could feel creeping up his neck, Chip said the rest in a rush. "We were just boys together, you know? Didn't know what we were doing, but it was so great. I guess I keep expecting every relationship to be like that." He subsided and stared at Cat messily lapping his water so he wouldn't have to meet Bartholomew's eyes.

The question Bartholomew asked next wasn't the one Chip expected. "What happened to Jimmy?"

Chip blinked. "He went to college out of state. We stayed in touch for a while, but you know how it is."

Bartholomew's quizzical look said he most definitely didn't know how it was, so Chip clarified. "No one expects to stay with their high school sweetheart, right? You grow apart, explore new things. You know."

"I don't know any of that," Bartholomew said.

Chip waited for the feeling of embarrassment, a rush of anger at being judged, but one look into Bartholomew's bright blue eyes told him he wasn't being judged. There was something sad in the look, though. Like Cat when the mouse got away.

Bartholomew turned away to make a sale. When he turned back, he asked, "So what about after Jimmy? I know I'm all nosy. Sis says I'm worse than her chickens for clucking and pecking."

Chip darted a glance across to Kulima's booth. She was making change for a couple with a stroller, but even so made very pointed eye contact. Like Cat when the mouse did not get away.

"It's okay," Chip said. "Kind of a funny litany, really. After Jimmy there was Andrew, in college."

"What happened with him?"

"I was an experiment. He decided he preferred sorority girls."

Bartholomew winced around a bite of jam and bread, but made a rolling gesture with his hands. Go on.

"Then there was Josh." Chip paused. "Basketball player. Wouldn't come out."

Bartholomew nodded and Chip went on with his sad gay ballad.

"Tony. Wouldn't keep it in his pants. Shaun joined the Peace Corps after college. Marcus wouldn't bottom, George wouldn't top." By this point Chip was counting on his fingers and Bartholomew had given up his expressions of sympathy for rueful chuckles.

"Larry you met. Ambition was more important than me." That one still hurt. "And then Sergio, who just wanted a fuck buddy while he made his way to the big city." That one hadn't been much of a surprise, so Chip gave his new friend a sheepish smile and wiggled his fingers. "That's it I guess. Sounds kinda slutty all in a list like that."

Bartholomew's blue eyes twinkled at him. "Nine true loves in ten years? Not so bad."

Bartholomew was so easy to talk to, Chip hadn't realized how much time had passed, or how little he'd learned about the berry farmer, so he asked, "What about you?"

Buy link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3005

2 gifts for you

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:53:34 GMT

Hey friends,

I'm holding the reins Torquere LJ today with new excerpts, a free story, and soon, a new Paulo carol!

Comment and earn your chance to win a $5 Torquere gift certificate.

http://community.livejournal.com/torquere_social/

See you there!
Lee xo

"Jordan" by the amazing Jacques Sultana is part of the inspiration for one of my new stories. Follow me to the Torquere LJ to find out more!

Free stories and more!

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:00:58 GMT

Speak Its Name, the only blog exclusively devoted to reviews of GLBT historical fiction, is hosting an exciting Advent Calendar event.

Each day, a different author or reviewer offers something new -- new fiction, essays about queer history or craft, new excerpts. And each day offers a chance to win a gift from the author of that day's post, with a further prize drawing on Christmas Eve. So far there have been marvelous posts from authors including Syd McGinley, Charlie Cochrane, Ruth Sims, and Josh Lanyon.

Tomorrow, I have a brand-new story featuring new characters and a new setting -- Oakhampton, Massachusetts, 1834. See what it's all about and enter to win my prize. Head over to Speak Its Name to see what I'm offering!

Cheers,
Lee xx

Veterans Day

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:48:30 GMT

Sitting in my sunny studio with a blessed day off, I'm reminded of the reason. The US honors its Veterans today. I am not a fan of the military as an institution, nor of its current campaigns, and I repudiate Don't Ask Don't Tell. But every day I stand before classrooms where several of my students are currently serving, or recent vets, or medically discharged. I've even taught online courses with students who were deployed, who sometimes had to turn work in late because of casualty blackouts or early because their duties would take them into harm's way. I have developed a deep empathy and respect for their sacrifice that bridges the gap between their ideology and mine, and I hope my classroom is a safe space for them as they navigate the thorny transitions they face during and after their enlistments.

My beloved granddad was drafted during WWII (older than most at 28, he was a high school French teacher whose language skills landed him, with military logic, in New Guinea). Here he is with his buddies declaring War Over (he's the one kneeling just to the left of the sign):

I was a child when the Vietnam conflict ended, but I still see the deep rifts that period carved between men of that generation. My stepdad was drafted and survived to join the Peace Corps and become a social worker. My dad was in the Navy and became one of the first cadre of active duty sailors who succeeded in their conscientious objection to the war. My uncle was career Air Force and now works for a defense contractor. Another uncle escaped the draft by living off the grid in remote locations for years -- a decision that radcally altered his children's lives. Imagine these four men gathered around a holiday dinner table, and it's impossible not to appreciate the lasting effects of a war on the life chances and worldviews of a people.

I only hope that those embroiled in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will find their way. And I hope that, in my small way, I'm helping rather than hindering their progress.

Lee xo

Winner from National Coming Out Day

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:08:26 GMT

kitschywrite's comment was drawn at random from the comments to my post about National Coming Out Day, Gay Writes, and my new releases.

Please contact me via leebenoit at charter dot net to claim your prize (let me know which book you'd like, and an email addy where to send it.)

I learned recently from the brilliant Sarah Frantz that her Gay Writes endeavor has a CafePress site with merch featuring her crisp and lovely logo. All profits benefit the Trevor Project. I can't decide between the tote bag and a coffee mug...

Stay strong, friends!
Lee xo

National Coming Out Day releases and giveaways

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:03:00 GMT

I'm proud to be part of online and real life communities that not only support but actively seek visibility, acceptance, and equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

Today is National Coming Out Day in the US (it's tomorrow in the UK). National Coming Out Day was founded in 1988 under the principle that being visible -- standing up and being counted -- was one of the greatest powers available to the GLBT community. Two decades later, we have achieved a great deal. (My own journey began in the early 1980s as a teen, but I wasn't fully out of the closet as a bisexual until well into my 30s.)

But in the wake of the recent spate of bullying-driven suicides by GLBT young people and a new national survey of campuses that reveals a disturbingly unenlightened climate for GLBT folk, there's clearly more to do.

In my day job, I teach sociology and anthropology. That gives me a lot of opportunities to share GLBT history and experience with students. I also advise my campus Pride group. In my writing life, I tell the stories that invade my brain and tug at my heart, and I've been very fortunate to find a supportive and enthusiastic audience. This past month alone, I've had a handful of stories come out (so to speak).

Two of these books, MOONSPUN and SOMEPLACE IN THIS WORLD are part of the exciting Gay Writes celebration hosted by advocate Sarah Franz over at the Dear Author Blog. Click on the Gay Writes icon to learn more and be sure to throw your name in the hat to win copies of these or another several dozen books by some amazing authors.

As for my own recent releases, I've decided to give away an electronic copy of one of them (reader's choice) to a random commenter to this post. I'll hold off on the drawing until Wednesday, 10/13 at noon EST so folks in far-flung time zones have a chance to visit.

Click on the covers below to learn more about each title and to read excerpts!