Loose Change

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Originally published at The Naughty Bits. You can comment here or there.

01. Brokeback Mountain 2005 $83,043,761 <<<See, write more Gay Cowboy stories!
02. Bruno 2009 $60,054,530
03. The Hours 2002 $41,675,994
04. Monster 2003 $34,469,210
05. Milk 2008 $31,841,299
06. Rent 2005 $29,077,547
07. Capote 2005 $28,750,530
08. Frida 2002 $25,885,000
09. Notes On A Scandal 2006 $17,510,118
10. Far From Heaven 2002 $15,901,849
As reported by IndieWire

Aaron shared this with me. It's definitely giggle-worthy.

Even if this is an adventure plot, neither Nick or Ty, the two main characters, are exactly the adventure heroes. Ty is a 23 years old man who looks and behaves more like a boy; it’s not that he is dumb or naïve, it’s simply that he is basically an innocent, like he hasn’t yet lived all the years he has. There is a void in Ty’s life, from when he left his foster home, probable at 18, to when he literally bumped into Nick, probably knowing what happened in between, it would help to understand better Ty, but all of that is lost in Ty’s memory, and Ty’s mind is not exactly an organized archive, so retrieve the information is almost impossible.

On the other side there is Nick, that should be the protector of Ty, the big and strong man… only that Nick seems more a day-after-day hero, one that resolves one problem at time, and who hasn’t a big plan in mind. Neither being Ty’s protector was his choice, Ty appears in his life and he suddenly realizes that he can’t the boy go, that they are bounded by something bigger that neither of them knows.

Yes, there is the danger outside, but the most interesting thing is to see Ty and Nick’s interaction, and how they story evolves always remaining sweet. Ty and Nick have sex, but sex is more like comfort and sharing than need and desire; sex is like a warm blanket, sex is like having something in common, sex is light and funny, nothing serious. For this reason, sex is also “innocent”, heavy petting and nothing more; at first it seems incongruous, even if Ty is more like a teenager than a grown man, he is 23 years old, so nothing prevents Nick (that is only 29, so not much older) to have sex with him, but in the end, it seems not right. Ty needs sex to survive, and so, in a way, maintaining it in a lighter level, takes off heaviness to something that heavy should be not.

Nick and Ty are really two lovely characters, pretty and cute, more like puppies in love than really grown men, but probably this is their strength. Along their story there is also that of Devon and Aidan, with Aidan that, in particular, is a really interesting possible hero. Those two men are not fully developed in this story, and maybe the author is considering to give them their own story.

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2084

Amazon Kindle: The Fire Inside

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Rose Lenoir

Back home, with my broadband [cuddles router]. I don't actually mind 56k dialup for a few days as long as it's over a good quality line, but the last few days was *not* over a good quality line.

We weren't due home until tomorrow, but with the bad weather forecast decided to come home today to be on the safe side. As it was, the trip took over an hour longer than usual. Tired now, so will probably not catch up on everything tonight.

I owe several people emails and/or prize copies of books, but as my brain has just switched off, I'll deal with that tomorrow. (Seriously. Sometimes it's as if somebody's flipped a switch -- in the last five minutes my cognitive capacity and fine muscle control has dropped significantly, to the point where I'm having trouble typing coherently.)

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The third Temple of Luna story is coming out at the end of the week, and that means goodies to give away!   Couldn’t be more simple…reply to this post and tell us if you’d rather win a copy of Savage Possession or Savage Need and on Thursday five of you will get your wish!  (From here on out I’m doing most of my book gifting through All Romance Ebook’s book gifting function, so if you don’t have an ARe account you will need to sign up for one to receive the book.  It’s fast & free!)

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Originally published at Moira Rogers = Bree + Donna. You can comment here or there.

I managed to miss Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End so I still haven’t seen that film.  I’m not heartbroken to have missed it, but it might have been nice to watch it just for the sake of completeness.  Another time, maybe.

Dr. Who was very RTD-like still – far too much rushing about and shouting with over the top emo moments and a soundtrack out of a second rate opera.  I would be very excited about the return of the Time Lords (I hated the fact that RTD got rid of them in order to do all this ‘lonely god’ nonsense with the Doctor), but I strongly suspect it will be the kind of bringing them back that lasts all of three seconds before they get destroyed again in some way where they’re even more destroyed than they were before.

I do miss the days where Dr. Who could do ‘long running story with quiet menace’ instead of the current ’shouty emo with messianic themes’.

Also saw “Hamlet” which I almost avoided on account of Dr.Who putting me off David Tennant.  However, I’m very glad that I didn’t avoid it – it was awesome.  Really gripping and thought provoking – and demonstrates that David Tennant clearly can act brilliantly.  Hamlet’s not a play I’d studied or seen before, so it was mostly new to me, and I now see why it is so revered.  Oh Hamlet, you are a loony, and a coward, and too clever for your own good, and a disaster to your friends, and still, as Horatio says, a sweet prince, naive and hapless and trapped.

My 15 year old daughter was also gripped, and we went “awww, bless…” together over Polonius, who I had not expected to like so much.  I also liked Claudius a lot, though I’m not sure how much I’m meant to.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at finding Shakespeare’s most famous play better than I had thought it would be, but I am thoroughly impressed at how wonderful the combination of excellent acting and excellent writing can really be.  Definitely one to watch again, if I get the chance.

What else is on that I should be looking out for?

.

The storyline has not a normal development and the reader is plunged in the lives of two shinobi in the Japanese warlord era. Sora Sanada is 19 years old and just named captain and Kaname Takeda is appointed his sempai; what apparently seems a dislike due to the fact that the captain is 10 years younger than his man, slowly becomes clear as a different dislike, there is bad blood between the two clans of Sanada and Takeda, but even that it’s not fully explained. What it’s clear is that Sora starts to see Kaname with different eyes, and even if he is the leader and higher in social status, he becomes a little teaser, trying to coax Kaname out of his self imposed isolation.

While continuing in their role of “killer” for the warlord, and never losing their ruthlessness, between Sora and Kaname blossoms a sexual relationship that is erotic but never explicit. The author has the men having sex in romantic places like under a waterfall or a light rain, they explore each other bodies in every possible way, but never once she uses explicit words, for example, bodily fluids become “his sempai’s secrets”.

There is no need to explain Sora and Kaname’s past, better the past of their parents that still conditions the life of their sons; there is no need since this is the story of Sora and Kaname, their love allows them to find the courage to escape their legacy, and it’s a love so strong that it’s not even necessary to acknowledge it: Kaname will allow everything to Sora, not since Sora is his captain, but since Sora, even if younger, even if inexperienced, his nevertheless the only lord Kaname will worship, the lord of his heart.

I really love the interaction between Sora and Kaname, Sora so unwillingly a teaser, all pout and temptation, and Kaname so unwillingly weak to the other man’s desires. Kaname can’t refuse anything to Sora, and Sora doesn’t even realize it, it’s enough for the younger man to look with eager eyes to Kaname, and Kaname is lost in that love.

Sins of the Father is a story out of time, it’s clear the love of the author for the era she chooses to set the novella, but the two characters seem to live in an “eternal” era, time changes, but love is always the same.

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/sins-of-the-father

Amazon Kindle: Sins of the Father

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain

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Originally published at The Naughty Bits. You can comment here or there.

If Obama does not get rid of DADT this year he will never get my Gay vote again.

If I hear another argument based on the false assumption that all Gay or “M/M” Romance is written “By Straight Women For Straight Women” I will be forced to admit the person, organization, company, article writer making such a false assumption is being homophobic on purpose. Because they are working really hard not to notice me or the other Gay Men & WOMEN writing and reading this genre for years now. It might be bad of me to use that term but I am so over the forced ignorance of such arguments. It’s insulting and frustrating and we need less of that for 2010.

I’ll admit Gay Romance exploits the gay men when you admit Straight Romance exploits the straight men. Why are we having this discussion are you going to quit reading Romance?

Things to ponder in 2010… I am not fetishizing anything by reading Gay Romance I live this stuff. Now am I fetishizing Straight Romance or do I just adore men?

Instead of M/M Romance I have decided we should all use the term “Codpiece Ripper” in 2010. I figure it makes a point.

I will give up smoking when Karen quits twittering how many Gay Romances Loose Id publishes on their schedule. Karen, smart writers would rather publish their eBooks with Loose Id than Torquere Press home of the “Guess The Owner’s Pen Names” game. Real cover art and real editing and a publisher that actually respects their intelligence! What’s not to like?

Any other suggestions out there?

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After last year “X-Posed” coffe table photo book (http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/453275.html), London-based photographer Dylan Rosser comes out with “Red.” The new photobook amps up the erotic with images based around a color theme.

Amazon: Red

I'm very happy to see some past men candy among the model in the sample below, you can click on their name on the tags section to see their specific posts.

Rosser says he was aiming for a book “that would be visually pleasing”:

“It is all about sensuality and even danger! I had already started using the color in my work during the previous years, so once I had the book concept in my head I started to expand on what I had already done.”

Other than the photo book, it's available also a 2010 Calendar:

Amazon: Red 2010 Calendar

 

( Red by Dylan Rosser )

And obviously it's not Man Candy Day without some specific models to light up your day. I decided to feature 3 models who worked with Dylan Rosser and that are quite different one from the other:

Damon Danilo, 26 years old, resides in Orange County, California, works as a personal trainer and likes working out (obvious); he also loves to hang out on the beach, with or without his dogs.



( Damon Danilo )

Rugged and manly, the sexual muscular beauty of Damon first appeared on video for Manifest Men, where he shows it all and a little bit more. And Damon also generously showed all of his muscles on Dylan Rosser’s member site The Male Form.

@MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/damondanilo

Erik Bucci, 28 years old from Queens, New York, is an Italian-American guy who lives for fashion. He is always going to be a Marine, just not serving presently. He is an ambitious professional ready to go to work. In the past he did high fashion, runway, fitness, underwear. He loves to dance and he also doubles as a go-go boy with the name of Victor Steele for Raging Stallion stables: he has made appearances at several nite clubs in New York City, Including G lounge, Rebel, The Eagle, Mr. Black, Splash, Avalon, The 20 Club, Urge, and Cock!


Erik with Rob Pacicca

( Erik Bucci )

“I’m an extremely motivated individual living an amazing life and enjoy sharing it with the people I care about. I’m very active with physical training and staying very healthy in preparation for a long and wonderful life I have ahead of me. Creativity is very important to me. I enjoy thinking critically and solving problems. With the right resources anything can be accomplished. I love stimulating conversations. I express my feelings with absolute honesty. I have been known to be a bit sarcastic at times.”

@ModelMayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/377690

Sam Devries is a 26 years old Israeli model living in Pittsburgh, PA. He has been shooting with Reed Massengill, Tom Bianchi, Thomas Synnamon, Rick Day, Tony Sand, Greg Weiner, Easonmodels, Stanley Stellar, Walter Kurz, Mark Lynch, Mark Henderson, Jo Lance and Jeff Brewster, as well as drawn by Harvey Redding.



( Sam Devries )

Sam Devries was born and raised in Israel where he studied arts and played soccer before he had to serve his time in the Israeli military. He fulfilled his obligation for a period of 3 years, and when he was finished at the age of 21 he picked up studying again. Computer science this time. Eventually he loved to the United States of America one year and a half ago, and now resides in Pittsburgh, where he keeps himself busy with art, photography and practicing Capoeira.

Moving to the USA wasn’t a bad move for Sam, since this is where he was discovered as a model and by now he has been working with an impressive list of photographers.

@ModelMayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/amdevries

http://jenre-wellread.blogspot.com/2009/12/monday-mistletoe-madness-minis-week-4.html

The Santa Mug by Patric Michael
Darren is still grieving over the death of his lover on Christmas Eve a few years ago.  In order to try and get him away from his house at Christmas, Max, Darren's best friend, asks him to come with him to his family's thanksgiving dinner, where Darren discovers that a second chance at love has been waiting for him for years.

Likes: The family scenes were the right mix of chaos and camaraderie.  I liked Darren's bewilderment at being surrounded by so many noisy people and his reactions to this rang true.
Dislikes: The only sex scene was a flashback between Darren and his ex-lover which I felt was misplaced.  It's a bit of a bugbear of mine, but in stories about moving on from grief I need to see the physical closeness between the two alive heroes, not the dead one.  It may not have been so bad if there had been a sex scene later between Darren and Max but the end was too much about the dead lover and not enough about the new life between Max and Darren.
Overall: A well written second chance at love story with some touching scenes.  There was a good mix of holiday cheer and letting go of the past.  Grade: Very Good.


One Night Stand by Clare London
Teddy wakes up the morning after the office Christmas bash to discover another man in his bed.  He is horrified and embarrassed to discover it's his boss who he's had a major crush on for a long time.

Likes: Clare London is the mistress of embarrassing situations.  I loved the way that Teddy slowly came to the realisation that he's had sex with his boss, especially as it's clear to the reader that any feelings Teddy has for Marshall are reciprocated and yet Teddy is oblivious.
Dislikes: Morning breath.  It's another bugbear, but Teddy wakes up hungover and I kept thinking "just have a drink of water and swill your mouth out a bit" but he didn't.  The morning breath is even mentioned later and I find it a bit of a turn off.
Overall: A humourous story with a likeable, if clueless, hero.  One for those of you who are looking for something less sugary this Christmas.  Grade: Very Good.


Silent Night by Rowena Sudbury
Jonah is a wrestler who is stuck at the snowy airport on his way home for Christmas.  Also stuck is ex-wrestler Max who is looking forward to getting home to his lover Seth.  Their flights are cancelled so they are given a private lounge where they learn about each other's bad situations and comfort one another.

Likes: I liked Jonah and felt sorry for him that he's been used in the way that he has.  He has very low-self esteem and it was lovely to see how a little care and compassion from Max started to break down some of those bad feelings he has about himself.
Dislikes: At the beginning of the story Max claims that he misses his boyfriend Seth and yet not an hour later is getting it on with Jonah.  It wasn't enough for me to know that they had problems in their relationship, I needed them to break it off before Max had sex with Jonah.
Overall: This short is mostly made up of an extended sex scene, but there was enough in terms of emotional connection to get a understanding of the characters and their motivations.  Grade: Good.


Four Grooms and a Queen by John Simpson
Cops Patrick and Hank get an unexpected surprise and decide to celebrate by asking their lovers to marry them.

Likes: A good all round story of nice things happening to nice people.  It wasn't difficult to like.
Dislikes: Not a dislike, just an observation that as this is a follow on short from John Simpson's Murder Most Gay series, which I haven't read, I didn't have the emotional investment with the characters.  This made me seem more like an observer to a happy ending than involved with their story.
Overall: One for the fans, but still well written enough to be enjoyable to read.  Grade: Good.


Simple Gifts by Andrew Grey
Eli and Geoff are spending their first Christmas together, but Eli misses his Amish family.

Likes: I liked the way that Eli's preparations for Christmas were less commercialised and simple.
Dislikes: This is a follow on from Love Means...No Shame, which I haven't read.  There was one character, Len, who lived with the men and I had no idea who he was and what relationship, if any, he had to the heroes.  Just one word or a sentence to explain that would have been nice.
Overall: Having not read the first book there was, again, a lack of connection between me and the heroes, this coupled with a lot of assumed knowledge made it a bit of a frustrating read.  Still the writing was good and the ending left me with a happy glow. Grade: Good.


The Star Man by Jan Irving
Janitor Matthew has a crush on his CEO boss, Dove, who basically looks down his nose at Matthew.  After a terrible row where Matthew is fired from his job, Dove is struck by lightening.  When Dove wakes up, he has been possessed by an alien in the shape of an angel, who has been watching Matthew from afar for years.

Likes: There were a number of nice touches in the story, the use of the wings, the way that Dove's almost childlike innocence hides a slightly naughty love of kinky sex and Matthew's slow acceptance of Dove's feelings for him.
Dislikes: The ending left me with far too many questions about Matthew's future.
Overall: Despite the preposterous sounding premise, this was actually a lovely story of a man who is riddled with self-hatred and is saved by the pure love of a being who can look past Matthew's prickly defenses and see the hurt inside.  Grade: Very Good.


Holiday History by Heidi Champa
Kevin's future is turned upside down when his father gambles away his college fund.  Reduced to being an assistant to a painter and decorator, Kevin makes the best of his life as he scrimps and saves so he can go back to college and finish his degree in nautical history.  Just before Christmas, Kevin's boss, Tim, gets them a job at a large house owned by a rich and lonely man, Gary.

Likes: I really liked Kevin.  He was making the best of a situation which wasn't of his making and despite being from a rich a privileged background, he never looked down his nose at the blue collar, Tim.
Dislikes: Not much to dislike here, other than I wanted it to be longer as the ending was a little sudden.
Overall:  This is my pick for the week, a cute story about how love can find you when you least expect it and change your life for the better. Grade: Excellent.

Buy these stories HERE.

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Did anyone receive this? I got it by email, I understand it's one of those viral passed-on-to-someone-else email thingies:

> TIGER POEM

>

> T’was the night of Thanksgiving and out of the house

> Tiger Woods came a flyin', chased by his spouse.

> She wielded a nine iron and wasn't too merry,

> Cause a bimbo’s phone number was in his Blackberry.

> He’d been cheatin' on Elin, and the story progressed.

> Woman after woman stepped up and confessed.

> He’d been cheatin’ with Holly, and Jaimee, and Cori,

> With Joselyn, and Kalika. The world had the story.

> From the top of the Tour to the basement of blues,

> Tiger’s sad sordid tale was all over the news.

> With hostesses, waitresses, he had lots of sex,

> When not in their pants, he was sendin' them texts.

> Despite all his cryin’ and beggin' and pleadin',

> Tiger’s wife went investin' -- a new home in Sweden.

> And I heard her exclaim from her white Escalade,

> "If you’re gettin' laid then I’m gettin' paid."

> She’s not pouting, in fact, she is of jolly good cheer,

> Her prenup made Christmas come early this year.

By the way, now they are suggesting that he used enhancing drugs to get that body of his? Where are the near-naked photos of this man so that I can see for myself whether this is true?

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