I Don't Have Balls...

Morning.

Once again, the subject has come up about women who write m/m. I’m not sure why this is such a big deal but people seem to be fascinated about women writing about gay males. I mean, we’re women and a lot of us date men or are married to them. And men aren’t all the same either. They can be very unemotional or wear their feelings on their sleeves. Some men are very affectionate while others can be cold.

While it’s true that men and women are different, the fact still remains that we’re human. Why can’t I write about another human just because I don’t have the genitalia? I feel good when falling in love and having sex just like men do. Men, gay or straight, have fears and or anxieties they must get over. A gay man is worried about being accepted. Well, so am I since I’m a black woman. Like a gay man who gets involved with a man who is different from himself, I worried about my husband’s parents liking me.

Those are a few examples of some things that will be the same but I’m not that naïve to know that gay men and women are a lot alike. My argument is human beings can write about other human beings no matter what the gender or genitalia. In other words, I may not have balls but I can write about them. Why? Because I choose to. I love writing about two people, man and woman, 2 men, 2 women, or multiples who find a common bond with one another. Romance is about connecting with people, overcoming obstacles, and building a long lasting relationship if all parties agree. Since I’ve experienced happiness with another person, why can’t I write about it?

I’m a woman and I’m not ashamed. I like writing about people in love and most of the time, it’s men. I take pride in my work, I support the community, and I’ll continue because I love what I do.

So even though I may not have balls, I’ll write m/m until I can’t write anymore. I won’t be deterred by people women or men, who say I can’t because I’m not a gay man myself.

I have the freedom to express myself though my writing and writing men in love is what I enjoy most of all.

Author Sharita Lira: In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3 4 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

In addition to being a computer geek and a metalhead, Sharita loves live music, reading, and perusing the net for sexy men to be her muses.  She’s also a founding member and contributor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net.

For more information, please visit http://www.thelitriad.com as well as her Facebook fanpage, The Literary Triad.

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Michael Mandrake – http://michaelmandrake.wordpress.com

BLMorticia – http://blmorticia.wordpress.com

Rawiya - http://rawiyaerotica.wordpress.com

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Writing Cheaters

Greetings folks! Instead of the muse, I’ve decided to talk about something that affects all authors everywhere when it comes to their craft; writing characters who aren’t faithful to their spouses and or partners.

Let’s go back a ways when I decided to write my latest book, Something About Jayden. When developing the story, I did a lot to make the characters believable and relatable. Jayden Demario, a foster child, is a college intern looking for his first big break in the advertising world. Because of his past history with his stepfather, he isn’t too hip on the holidays and his upbringing in a rough neighborhood forces him to stay somewhat closeted. My other character, Isaac Bridges is a successful advertising executive who is also in the closet and married to his best friend; a woman he’s known for years named Brenda. The two of them are in this setup for convenience but have the understanding that once the other finds love, they’ll separate. Notice Isaac’s character bio; married and in the closet which means he’ll try to cultivate a relationship with Jayden during the course of the story.

I knew this would be difficult to pull off from the get go and that many might not want to read it because of the cheating hero. Still, being the author who likes to write what they want and take risks, I did it anyway because it was a story I’d still read.

No question, cheating is most likely the biggest no no in romance. Seemingly not a lot of people enjoy stories about someone who leaves their significant for another regardless of the situation but like many other things in fiction, this too is part of reality. A grim one but definitely something humans face in the real world. It’s a very touchy subject but in my opinion, we as authors, especially when it comes to our craft should be willing to take risks. I don’t write for the money, I write because I love it.

Another case in point is Michael’s book, I Love it Rough. In this one, my main character Frankie finds another man he works with very attractive. From the few reviews I’ve gotten, this turned off some people but truthfully my character reacted to frustration with his current lover Kajika and because of this his eyes wandered to another man.

Like Jayden, I knew this might have an effect on the book but in Rough, it isn’t part of the main character’s make-up. Really, Frankie’s infidelity is the build up for the next book between the man he’s lusting after and another so there is reasoning behind the madness. It’s not just for the sake of showing cheating or glorifying it but again, the characters unfaithfulness leads into another part of the storyline. In the case of Rough it builds a bridge to the next book and creates more tension; something I love to do.

So what’s my point here? Cheating isn’t pretty. It isn’t something people like to hear about, read about, or experience but it’s a part of life. In no way shape or form am I trying to make you, the reader, change your mind about books if it’s part of the storyline. You read what makes you comfortable and happy which is fine.

However, a lot of authors like to push the envelope, because reading happy go lucky Jenna and Brian or Bill and Nate isn’t always fun to write. We like some angst, we like the drama and the cheating definitely adds something to the storyline.

Many publishers don’t even want the element in their books because they want their stories to be HEA or HFN and they know how readers feel about infidelity. Few others allow us the freedom to write what comes in our heads and if we self-pub, like I did with Rough, we write whatever satisfies our creativity.

I’m proud of how both books turned out and if I have a cheating MC I won’t hesitate to write him or her again. Not because I’m insensitive to people or want to glorify the ugliness, I like telling stories that push the boundaries and break the normal romance mold.

To read more about Something About Jayden, click here

To read more about I Love it Rough click here  

* * * *

About Sharita Lira: In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3  4 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

This happily married mother of two beautiful children loves music, computers, reading, and still enjoys reading and writing fanfiction. She’s a proud member of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, as well as an advocate for rights of GLBT citizens.

She’s also co-editor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net

Writing Gay Men of Color

Unfortunately the media is filled with stereotypes. How people perceive men of any color is a guy lacking emotion, rough, most of the time an alpha with a bad attitude. Then there’s the gay man who is sometimes portrayed as overly girly, weak, and more often than not, a sex addict. In the early 2000’s we were blessed with Queer as Folk, showing beautiful gay men of all types, embracing their sexuality, dealing with the same issues as straight couples trying to survive in the modern era. As brilliant as QAF was, it was missing a key element. In my opinion, a gay man of color who was also a main character would’ve added something to the show.

Some time later, Noah’s Arc came along and I believed it only lasted two seasons. From the couple of episodes I did see, it portrayed gay men of color in a positive light. Seemingly, this series might not have been interesting enough to keep running so it disappeared without a trace.

What about in fiction? These days we have a wealth of colorful gay characters in many books. The question is how do we write them? Do we draw on the stereotypes? Black and or Hispanic men who are angry and always intense; Asian men who seem timid and weak. Those are just a couple of examples. Do we need to add this to our books for them to seem real? In my estimation we don’t. I often wondered why authors, whether it be books, TV, and or movies can’t make a character, especially a gay male character of color, who doesn’t fit that mold. Sure, you can add to the setting to make it more “real”; a young black man from a poorer neighborhood. Perhaps his family hates that he’s gay and his friends don’t accept him. Yes that’s all the reality I need and let me say, not every black man comes from a background like that. But with his attitude? Must he be overly angry at the world and seething all the time? Well hell, he could be a goth boy. That would make BL happy. *grins* Or could he be an intelligent scholar, from a not so poor neighborhood. Perhaps he was the rich one and his white counterpart the middle class working man. My favorite with that kind of background was Bonnie Dee’s Undeniable Magnetism which I enjoyed thoroughly.

What’s my point here? When I write a gay man of color, I try to avoid the stereotypes unless it is a central part of the plot. I feel people should be written as people, without pulling from the so called mold.

Regardless of race or nationality or orientation, we’re all human with unique traits and attitudes that make us stand out from others. Characters should be treated in the same fashion.

* * * *

Coming in late May I Love You Rhett Vorhees

BL's alter ego Rawiya has expanded on the Unforgettable Valentine story from the Only THAT Night Anthology. This story features a gay black man who doesn't fit the "mold"

“What? I didn’t hear what you said.” Darren spun around in his chair behind his desk and glanced out the window, admiring the beautiful Chicago skyline. He never wanted to move from this place despite the high cost of living because he loved his hometown. Besides, he still had family here who cared for him deeply. They were his rock when he needed someone to lean on.

At the moment, he was enjoying a conversation with his former lover, Terrell who’d moved on to play baseball for one of the minor league teams in the south. North Carolina to be exact. They’d broke it off when both realized they loved one another but weren’t in love. That’s why they stayed the best of friends.

“Yeah? And no prospects of fine men down there, huh? Like I said, you should’ve stayed here in Chi, my man.”

“Naw, naw.” His smile came through the phone. “We agreed it wouldn’t be good for us to live in the same town after breaking up. I love it here but I do miss home, especially the restaurants and nightlife. Damn.”

“Hey Terrell, I’m over you, okay? I can handle it. Like I said, it wasn’t your fault we didn’t work, it was all me...”

“And the love you had for a little boy you used to know in elementary school. Listen, you need to get over that, okay? You haven’t seen the man in years and you ain’t heard from him. For all you know he might be−”

“Don’t say it.” Darren cut him off and shifted his chair back around. “I know it could be a possibility he’s left the country, married, or hell he could be−” Darren couldn’t bring himself to say Rhett Vorhees could be dead. He blinked back the memory of the day at Rosner Elementary when he laughed at him and all his classmates teased him to no end. God, how he wished he could change that day for the better. He cared for Rhett immensely and never had the cojones to tell him so. Darren held out hope he’d meet Rhett Vorhees again.

“Darren? Darren you drifted out on me again didn’t you?”

Darren shook his head and rubbed his temple with one hand. “Yeah I did. Sorry. I was just thinking about Rhett. I wish we hadn’t made fun of him.”

“Yeah well. Heck, we were scared to take sides with him and show ourselves right? I mean imagine the hell we would’ve caught if all the boys found out we were into other boys, huh? They don’t really associate with us now after we came out and told them we were dating.”

“Screw ‘em, Terrell. I always told you not to worry about those fucks anyhow.” Darren opened the drawer and stared at the crumpled card he’d held onto for the last decade plus. It was his good luck charm, his memoir of a young boy he had the hots for and let him go because of stupid pride. A red heart with black scribble on the front, saying, To Darren from Rhetta. As an adult, Darren presumed he’d changed it to avoid any questions from Darren’s parents if they looked at it. So simple, beautiful, this was the only thing other than the picture of Rhett he cut out from the school graduation shot.

After that, Darren heard from a mutual female friend that Rhett and his family moved away to Texas. If only he had the chance to see Rhett again, just to tell him how very sorry he was, and possibly get to know him better. Darren would do just about anything for that opportunity.

“Darren? Damn, will you stop that?” he yelled through the headset. “You’re like a love sick puppy when we start talking about Rhett. The boy was strange as hell. Real pretty but way too quirky.  Remember he used to like collecting just random stuff from people? Things they didn’t want, he’d ask for. I remember the one time he asked everybody if he could take a sample of hair to do some kind of study on the texture and why it was coarse as opposed to silky,” he laughed. “And he was a cross-dresser which wasn’t all that big of a deal but why his parents allowed him to wear skirts and kilts to school is beyond me.”

Darren turned up his lips and shook his head. “Wasn’t that for a science project? And as far as his way of dressing, obviously his parents supported him to be who he wanted to be. That’s commendable. Hey listen, I need to get going, all right? I got some last minute paperwork to finish before it’s time to head home.”

Silence. “Sure you do, Darren. You wanna sit back and stare at that card for a while, don’t you?”

“No.” Darren closed the drawer quickly, knowing he really did have stuff to do. “I got some work that needs my urgent attention. Thanks for the phone call. I’ll come down to see you play soon.”

“Alright then. You should go with me to Fall League. It’s usually spent in the Dominican or something. A lot of fine Latin boys to look at.” He grinned through the phone.

“Yeah maybe. I’ll see you later.” Darren pulled the phone away from his ear and put his finger on the disconnect button.

“See you Darren. And go out somewhere for Valentine’s Day. Get laid!” Right after that comment he hung up.

Darren sighed inwardly and pressed the button. He leaned back in the chair and yanked that same drawer open once more where he kept the familiar keepsake from the boy he used to know in elementary school.

“Where are you, Rhett?” Gently, he picked it up and gazed at it longingly, noticing the chicken scratch handwriting, the red heart that faded because of the time passed. The paper had been flattened in Darren’s journal and kept in a little wooden box with Rhett’s picture to protect it from harm. Through high school, college, grad school, and every dorm, apartment, he moved into, the tiny box went with him. He’d never discarded them because deep down, he just knew he’d get the chance to apologize. And even if Rhett hated his guts, he still craved to tell him how sorry he was for laughing at him.

Darren even told his mother how he’d kept the faith all these years, desperately wishing he’d be able to see Rhett’s face once again. He held out hope that Rhett was still alive and well. Even better, still single so they could explore the possibility of being together. 

In Tribute to Shane Willis

Good morning readers. 

Being an author isn't easy work. There's the plotting or panstering, the research, agonizing over edits, and finally, after you've sweated, bled and cried during the process, it's time for the release of your book.

Oh wait! I forgot about one very important step; filling out your cover sheet.

Whether you're with a publisher or not, you have an opportunity to put your story into art form. If you do it yourself, you go through thousands of pictures, looking for just the right models. Then more pictures for settings and you test the colors for the backgrounds to see if they mesh with the people on the front. It's a lot of work, and I know since I've tried doing this on my own. Believe me, having someone to put your vision into motion is a key in selling your book and when they do an awesome job on the cover,it makes the process a lot easier.

As an author who writes under 3 names, I've been blessed with some beautiful covers. I'm proud to show off any of them but my covers from NNP stand out. I never knew Shane personally but he captured the visions of my book perfectly. Whether it was my saucy menage Living in the Now or my hot gay romance Smooth Like Latte, Shane did an amazing job capturing me story.  

I'll be forever grateful to him for bringing my stories to life. May he rest in peace.

Expanding my Horizons - Writing F/F

Greetings folks! This is BLMorticia, resident bad girl with another smexy blogpost!

I’m about to tackle another subgenre in my budding writing career. Sure, I love some hot and sexy men. Sweaty muscular bodies humping, hairy faces rubbing against one another, mutual masturbation. Whew, just thinking about it gets me hot and bothered. However, I’m not ashamed to say I love reading some hot women getting it on too.

As you all should know, I’m not afraid to explore all facets of sexuality and writing some lesbian erotica romance is just one of the many things I look forward to doing. Besides, women can be hot too right? Gripping on one another’s breasts, playing with nipples, sucking, biting, and oh let’s not forget bumping uglies. *laughs* Women’s form of mutual masturbation is fingering or adding some toys to their sexual moment.

Take a look at my picture above. It’s sensual right? Two hot women, in a heavy embrace. One covering the other’s breast with her hand, toying with her nipple while their tongues dance in each other’s mouths. I searched the royalty free sites for beautiful lesbian photos and this one caught my eye as a great cover for my lesbian shorts. Now, it doesn’t mean I won’t be doing hot gay romance anymore nor will I stop doing hetero. In fact, my next full romance will be a hetero book in the Triad’s N'awlins Exotica series.

All it means is I’m exploring romance and erotica in its many forms. Women may not be as hot as men to me but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hot at all. In my opinion, only a woman knows another woman’s body better than her own. You should know what feels good to her because you’ve probably done it to yourself. Women don’t have dicks but we improvise when we’re by ourselves so of course, being in a lesbian relationship forces both women to use their imaginations to the fullest.

Writing the feelings a woman will experience will be a lot easier since I can experiment on my own. *evil snicker* Should make the research a lot more fun too. I look forward into delving into it further in the very near future.

How about it readers? Would you be interested in reading some girl/girl romances and if you have, please recommend a few I should take a look at. Not just erotica but actual romance books too. I’d love the suggestions.

Thanks for listening and look for my first published lesbian scene to be in the Wretched 1.2 coming the end of this month. Also, my first erotica short shall be released soon.

BLMorticia is currently a published writer with Naughty Nights Press and Rebel Ink Press. She entertains her readers with hot and smexy sex, humor, and lots of swear words. She attempts to incorporate metal music or the military in most of her works. Nothin’ sexier than metalheads or military servicemen and women! She also writes a biweekly column on Blak Rayne Books and blogs on the First Thursday of the month at NNP Blog. For more info, please visit, Erotica With Snark

Hi My Name is Sharita Lira and I Love Gay Romance

Greetings people. I’d like to talk about the phenomenon I suppose I’m part of. Maybe we should call it a movement. It has become more of a story in the last few years but in reality, it has always existed.

What am I saying? Females who write gay romance.

Now, first let me say, I’ve only been publishing pro for two years. I’ve been writing for years and sharing the stories with friends to read. Over time, I got better and they told me I needed to try selling some of these. So, I joined the ERWA over 9 years and started sending my stories over the list. I got some great comments and finally two years ago, I decided to submit.

However, when I wrote the tales to the list, they were hetero. I was okay at it but I figured, this wouldn’t be more than something I did in addition to my regular job and I’d never turn it into a career.

Let’s back track to 2009.

I discovered something I really enjoyed reading called slash fanfiction. For those of you not familiar, slash is same gender pairings, mostly m/m. I read these on Livejournal as well as a site for my favorite band Duran Duran called Lovely Planet of There. Now, I’ve always loved watching manlove in erm, adult movies, but I’d never really read them until I started reading slash. And it went beyond DD, it went to Depeche Mode, Placebo, some slash of TV shows, Lord of the Rings, etc. I was HOOKED and finally I said, oh I think I’d enjoy this a lot more. That was when, Sharita Lira, the m/m writer was born.

Much to the chagrin of some of my friends who read my m/f, I began writing more slash and almost completely abandoned hetero because I loved writing about men in love. It was just something so much more exciting, arousing, and taboo telling the tales of two men who find one another attractive and move to the bedroom. WHEW.

A little over two years ago, I finally subbed my twisted stories to several publishers and well, about 30 plus stories later, here I am! A lot of people ask, including those in my immediate family, what’s the reason? I stated some of them but the most important one is, I believe love sees no color or gender. In reality, if you truly have emotions for someone, regardless of how others feel, you will pursue them. The other reason? I love being the rebel and even though the manlove genre has exploded, it’s still considered a niche subgenre, placed under erotica. (Don’t get me started there)

So in closing, I write manlove, gay romance, gay erotica and I don’t hide from it. Yes, sometimes, and I do mean sparingly, I write m/f. If I’m feeling female, I’ll add a gal to my male pairing to make it saucy but at the moment, all my muses love the m/m and until that changes, which I don’t think it will, I’ll continue to be part of the movement.

  

For now, my latest with NNP is Candyman by BLMorticia

Blurb: Alain Roux is the new President of the world famous Diamond Candies chocolate factory on the South Side of Chicago. His father, Demi Roux lost his battle with cancer and has left it in his care despite Demi’s brother’s advice to leave it to him. Alain has no interest in the company but to fulfill his father’s last wish, he takes on the day to day of it anyway.Ty Washington is a born and raised Southsider who’s working there to put him through college. Recently, his father threw him out because he confessed he might be gay. When he and Alain talk, his heart soars and as badly as he tries to fight it, the two connect and eventually they decide to give their relationship a try.

In BL’s own humorous way, she’ll tell the tale of a man and his subordinate as they overcome the struggles to build a long lasting commitment.

NNP     ARe   Amazon

Excerpt from Candyman written by S.Lira aka BLMorticia Copyright 2012

I don’t like this!

Unfortunately, Ty couldn’t sleep, despite his knowledge of his upcoming early shift. The bills weighed heavily on his mind and, instead of getting the proper rest, he decided to log on to his favorite porn site, Brothas in Heat. A free site he’d found while searching for pictures to rub off to, and he hadn’t stopped looking since. Damn hormones. Regardless of what was going on, a man could always find time to masturbate.

Fucking slow connection! He mooched off someone in the building’s wifi – someone who didn’t have a secure network. Lord knows, he couldn’t afford his own.

On his laptop screen was a picture of a black man: his legs spread, feet up in the air; an older white man plowing his ass with his large uncut dick. Ty had his own in hand, jerking off wildly, while he salivated over the video clip. “Mhmm…” He licked his lips and gawked at the display, totally hating himself for being so aroused. Ty wished it was him getting it from that stud, despite the fact that the idea of penetration terrified him.

In moments the tremors took over; he covered his mouth with his free hand, trying his best to muffle his own screams. Long, white ropes of his own cum painted his chest. “Fuck!”

Beads of sweat popped on his forehead. His brown skin coated with perspiration, the heat swirled around him. Ty’s toes curled, he gritted his teeth and leaned back in the folding chair to ease himself down from the sexual high.

No question – men did it for him so much more than women. It was time to face the fact that he was indeed a gay man.

After catching his breath, he closed the notebook and got up, dragging himself to the bathroom to wash off the sticky substance and sweat from his flesh. The throb in his cock had been satisfied, but his right hand hurt from all the self-love. While running the water, waiting for it to warm, he glanced at himself in the mirror. “Why me?”

Why not you?

The man in the glass spoke back to him, scaring the living daylights out of him. Of course it was only his subconscious telling him how stupid he was for denying his true feelings. No one could change what they really felt deep inside; they could either accept it or ignore it. Ty couldn’t do the latter any longer. Females just don’t do it for me!

Despite the hot towel, he ran it along his stomach and inner thighs, cleaning the residue from his body. At first touch, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes, enjoying the burn. In three short strokes, he’d removed the remnants of his own juices from his skin. Ty turned the valves to shut the water off and turned out the light. Time to get some shut eye. Hopefully he would sleep, since he had to be up in three hours to make that early morning shift. Unable to keep his eyes open, he flopped on the bed, holding the pillow as if it were a lover. As usual, the coils of the sleeper couch pinched him on his stomach and legs. Surely that would leave marks. Who cares? No one’s lookin’ at my ass anyway.

Within moments, Ty drifted off into a deep slumber, not thinking about his unpaid bills or his fucked up confusion and now certainty about being a gay man.

Damn it all. I’m tired!

***

Alain tossed and turned until the alarm went off at five-fifty, signaling time for a shower. “Shit!” He pulled the pillow over his head, not even bothering to shut the annoying thing off. “Oh God, who signed me up for this again?” Alain finally reached over and hit the top of it, making the noise stop. Still yawning, he removed the blindfold and rubbed his eyes. “Still fuckin’ dark outside. No one should hafta wake up when there’s no sun out!” Would he ever adjust to these early mornings? Who knew, but he’d have to do it soon.

Slowly, he slid his feet from under the cover, attempting to put them into the slippers that sat at the side of the bed. “Coffee, I need coffee!” Tossing the eye covering, he raked his locks with his hand. “Damn, hair a bit long much?”

The moment he did manage to get his toes into those warm shoes, the door opened and Lucas came strolling in with a big mug and a tray of what looked to be food.

Alain smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Now this might be a good reason to wake up early.” Damn, stop flirting! He knew it was wrong to be making suggestive comments to his deceased father’s lover, but he couldn’t help himself. The man was just too delicious to ignore.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Cut that out! Sit up and eat this small breakfast that Marisol made for you and get ready to go. I told the staff we’d be there between seven and seven thirty.” Lucas made a production of checking his Rolex.

Still not wanting to move, Alain ate a piece of toast and sighed. “Ack! I hate getting up at this hour!”

“Well, too bad. You need to be at your best Alain, if you wanna beat your uncle.” Lucas sat on the end of the bed and stared at him some more, then he grinned. “God, you look more like Demi every day!”

Alain nodded. His smug grin replaced the grimace. He took a sip of the coffee, then slid closer to Lucas and peered into his grey eyes. “Do you wanna find out how much I’m just like Dad?” Alain couldn’t help but flirt with Lucas. The attorney was hot, hands down one of the hottest men he’d ever come in contact with. Plus, he knew it riled Lucas up.

“Hey, no; you stop that! I told you, never in a million years! Now eat your breakfast!”

Alain glanced at the ceiling and went back to eating. “Sorry Lucas, you’re just so handsome, ya know? I’ve gotta get me a man and quick! I’ve been way too lonely!”

Lucas cocked an eyebrow and drew up his lips. “Obviously!” He got up from the bed and looked at his timepiece once more. “Just hurry up and meet me downstairs. Don’t make me come back up here after you, ya hear?”

“Yes sir!” Alain saluted. He allowed his eyes to follow the hot counselor as he left his bedroom. “Dayum, baby. Dad? Why’d our lawyer have to be so hot? You cursed me!”

Sharita Lira -

In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

This happily married mother of two beautiful children loves music, computers, reading, and still enjoys reading and writing fanfiction. She’s a proud member of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, as well as an advocate for rights of LGBT citizens.  She’s also a contributor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net.

For more information, please visit http://www.thelitriad.com as well as her Facebook fanpage,The Literary Triad.

Can A Man Be Sensual?

Greetings folks! I’d be the less snarky and more sensual one, Rawiya, half of the BLRawiya writing team of the Triad that also includes, Michael Mandrake.

As you may or may not know, we’re all fans and writers of gay male romance. We love the tension, the stories of the struggle for two men to be accepted in a society that frowns upon homosexual relationships. It makes for great stories many readers enjoy and some of them really love it when there’s more sensuality between the men.

What does that mean?

 

First, define sensual: In the dictionary, it means a multitude of things. Arousing or exciting the senses is the one that caught my eye. When we think of sensual, we usually equate that with females, because we like more of the complete picture. We’re more than just visual. We like to feel, taste, and sense the emotions in our characters just as if we were there with them.

A lot of female readers who are picking up gay romances want the men in the stories to be sensual with one another and to show how aroused they are. No wham bam, sex. Give them the tender kisses, the touches, massages, the tugging at clothes, the nuzzling of necks, WHEW! I like it all and so do BL and Michael. We refuse to be writers that don’t show every little bit of emotion between the men in our books. A lot of them might do it too much which might be nauseating to some but I think the majority appreciate it.

Why do people think men can’t be sensual? I mean, in my hetero relationship, I’m happily married to a fairly sensual male. Some days, he just holds my hand, touches my face, gives me a back rub. Yes, usually it leads to more but isn’t that supposed to happen? Is every man supposed to be this hair grabbing, fuck you senseless with no emotion kind of individual? Hells no. If mine was, I can tell you, I’d show him the door. The key is balance. Can he grab you and manhandle you and still be tender at times, tells you he loves you, adores you, and still be all man?

Yes! Definitely!

Our ideas of how men are or should be remain skewed. The men’s perception of themselves is even worse, when they equate being soft and sensual to be femme. Maybe that’s why we, as females, love gay men and their stories because a lot of them realize they have a soft sensual side and accept it. Nothing wrong with that at all and straight men, if you have it, embrace it.

The women, like me, will love you for it.

So, in closing, be sensual, show your feelings. It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a man. It means you’re human. Stop thinking you can’t do that and not be all male. In my opinion, when you show your sensual side, it makes you more of a man to me.

Blurb: Matthew Davidson wants a MAN! The setting shifts away from the America’s to Britain where Matthew and his childhood friend, Devon Peartly attend a cooking school to obtain their cooking certificates. The young man wants a partner so badly, he decides he’ll try an online dating service in hopes of finding a black man that can take care of and satisfy him romantically.

He finds that man, Antwon Bantu on an online dating site and is instantly intrigued. Little does Matthew know that Antwon is involved in a “convenient” marriage and is seeking a younger partner so he can finally get on with his life. Instead of confessing the truth, he decides to hide it, fearing he’ll lose the chance with Matthew if he informs him. To complicate things, Antwon’s wife claims to be in love with him. Antwon must choose what’s more important; loving Matthew or saving his impeccable reputation as a top barrister in the London courts?

Which will he choose?

In this scene, Matthew is expecting a called from Antwon and can’t help but be nervous.

After school, Matthew did everything he could think of to keep himself busy until nine pm. He cleaned, did all his homework, cooked dinner, and talked Devon into leaving for the evening even though his good friend wanted to stay and hear the conversation. He couldn’t wait to hear that voice. Just thinking about the rich deep tone made his hardened muscle swell underneath his sweats. “Damn, what time is it?”

Nearly eight thirty; just a half an hour till he’d hear the voice of his potential new man. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t into Caucasians at the moment. Matthew assured himself he’d make Dlovr change his mind very quickly.

Matthew went into his room, trying to relax and get his wits about him. He lay on the bed he’d just made up, holding the phone in his overly busy hands. “Damnit, I’m so nervous.”

It had been awhile since he was this overjoyed about talking to someone new.

He just has to be the one.

All the signs pointed to him being the one he’d been searching for, with the only tiny detail being his preference for black or Latino. Nothin’ against men of the colored variety but I’m quite entertaining.

Gripping his cell tightly, he smiled to himself and stared at the screen. What would Dlover sound like? Matthew hoped he’d have a deep voice like Barry White, along with a slow hand. “Mhph.” A face like Denzel wouldn’t hurt! Although Matthew did say that looks didn’t matter that much, he had to wonder if Dlover was at least an average looking bloke. What if he’s butt ugly but real sweet? Just the thought made Matthew shudder. “We’ll cross that bridge when I see the picture.” He bit his lip and placed the handset face down in his lap. “C’mon nine o’clock.” This waiting period made Matthew even more uncomfortable. One by one, he began biting his nails on one hand while the other fidgeted with his curls. All kinds of what ifs ran through his brain. What if I’m not able to sway him? What if he’s pissed when he sees I’m not the man in the photo? What if he is butt ugly? Matthew shook his head and sighed. This had to be the longest half hour of his life. “Maybe I should call him, maybe…”

Jarred from his deep thoughts, Matthew nearly jumped out his skin when his phone blared the simple ring tone. His palms slightly moist, he wiped them on his trousers. Attempting to relax, he took a deep breath, and pressed the green button. “Hello?”

“Hi there, is this Choco?”

Matthew grinned and drew up his lips. A slight bit of guilt came over him. Choco eyes and hair but not skin. “Yes it is, is this Dlover?”

“It is indeed. How are you?” The smile came through the headset making Matthew’s smile grow wider. Not quite Barry White but still sexy. He licked his lips and propped his cell on his shoulder. “I’m good. My name is Matthew by the way. And yours?”

Silence then the voice came through once more. “Antwon. It’s good to talk to you, Matthew. I have to say I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Yeah me too.” Making himself comfortable on the couch, he shifted and stretched his long legs out over the coffee table. “I have to be honest, I’ve been quite nervous about talking with you all day.”

“Same here. Maybe we could calm each other down. It’s not like we’re meeting one another in person… yet.”

The last part of that statement caused Matthew’s heart to skip a beat. Yeah they weren’t meeting but what would occur when they did?

Hopefully he’ll still like what he sees.

Amazon, Are, Smashwords NNP

Check out the rest of the series here on Amazon

RAWIYA is the more sensual erotica writer in the BLRawiya duo. She loves multiracial characters who overcome obstacles other than race. Sweet, sassy, and spicy would be the best way to describe her work. Happily married mother of two, loves music, computers, and travel. She blogs regularly at Wicked Sexy Writers. For more please visit the Rawiya's blog on Wordpress

Candyman - The Final Book in the SNOTM series

Good morning! It's very hard to believe that this series is done. The first book in the series released in Nov 2011 and now, here it is Jan 2013 and it's finished. But oh what a ride its been, meeting characters with very distinct traits, various lives, and um, fetishes. 

It's been a treat to create this series along with BL and Rawiya and now BL will finish it, just as she started it. Candyman is a humorous look at a young man who obtains control over his father's company when he passes. However, things get even more complicated when he falls in love with one of the workers. 

Of course, there are sequels planned for Latte, Sugar Daddy, and this one since they have secondary characters that needed their own books but the series is officially done. Look for Candyman to be released on January 8th!

Alain Roux is the new President of the world famous Diamond Candies chocolate factory on the South Side of Chicago. His father, Demi Roux lost his battle with cancer and has left it in his care despite Demi’s brother’s advice to leave it to him. Alain has no interest in the company but to fulfill his father’s last wish, he takes on the day to day of it anyway.

Ty Washington is a born and raised Southsider who’s working there to put him through college. Recently, his father threw him out because he confessed he might be gay. When he and Alain talk, his heart soars and as badly as he tries to fight it, the two connect and eventually they decide to give their relationship a try.


In BL’s own humorous way, she’ll tell the tale of a man and his subordinate as they overcome the struggles to build a long lasting commitment.

Coming to NNP, All Romance, Smashwords, and Amazon!

Don’t come back here until you get your head outta your ass! Get out and stay out!

Like a broken record, the words of Ty Washington’s father replayed in his mind. Nope, Dad wouldn’t accept his only son being gay. He’d told him after dinner and right away, Mr. Washington made him pack his bags. They’d always been close, especially after Mrs. Washington died of leukemia when Ty was twelve. Didn’t matter though. Mark Washington couldn’t see himself with a homosexual for a son and he let him know, in no uncertain terms, there was no way he’d allow him to live in his upper southeast side home with those “unclean” thoughts, let alone behaviors.

Although that happened almost two years ago, Ty still felt it like it was yesterday. He and his dad hadn’t spoken since then and nothing looked as if that would change. A lot of times, Ty thought about ending it all, but then he thought about his mom and how he had promised her he’d make something of himself someday. No way could he let her down.

On his way back to the sty he called home on the west block of seventy-ninth, Ty turned his headphones up louder and glanced out the window of the bus. He noticed people going in and out of the small stores, carrying bags as they ran to the bus stop or to their cars. It was Friday night, which meant payday for many – a chance to spend their hard-earned cash on new shoes or clothing – something Ty wished he could do. Unfortunately, except for Ramen noodles, eggs, and cereal, almost all his check went to paying for the apartment and keeping his jalopy of a car running. Right now it was sitting in his friend’s garage getting a tune up, hence Ty’s ride on the big blue limousine. He barely had enough left for anything outside the essentials. Still, Ty was thankful for what he did have. Better than being homeless.

In minutes, they came up on his street and he pulled the string for the bus to stop. “Excuse me,” he muttered to the curvy and attractive young lady sitting next to him that he cursed himself for not even noticing. Why the hell didn’t I see her?

Ty really wasn’t comfortable with the fact he liked men more than women and often thought he was a freak of nature. His few remaining friends let him know he needed to get out more and start dating girls more aggressively.

“I don’t have time,” he’d answer. It was true, since he worked up to thirty hours a week and went to college at UIC studying for a marketing degree. Between tuition and books, the only social life he had was the fiction he read and the time he spent on the phone with friends. Even that was limited because of his tight budget.

“Hmph.” Ty sprinted to his building and picked up the few pieces of mail in his mailbox – offers for credit cards, junk mail, and a couple of utility bills. “Shit, how am I gonna come up with the money for these?” He opened up the first invoice and shook his head. Whenever he got a bill, he thought about the ad he saw in one of the smaller newspapers for the all-male revue at the Hotspot nightclub. But when would there be time to study and work a second job? At night, Ty hit the books and did his homework. Of course, that was after he left Diamond Candies for the day. If I took on anything more, my grades might fall! He leaned against the door and breathed a sigh while he looked at the picture of his mom on the mantel.

Damn Momma, I wish you were here for me now!

Once he settled in and made a can of soup for supper, Ty sat on the couch and searched the company website to find out about college assistance. Due to his stupid pride he’d never thought about it, but since the bills weren’t stopping any time soon and he didn’t want to get kicked out, he thought this would be as good a time as any.

“Damn, my GPA might not be good enough. 3.5? Shit!” Ty was doing good in school, but he didn’t think he his grade point average would make that cut. He’d flunked a test earlier in the semester and he was still paying for that.

The one night I decided to go out.

Stupidly, he’d join his friends for a beer the night before the test, to try picking up girls and getting laid. Instead, he’d embarrassed himself with bad attempts at dancing, and he got so drunk he’d ended up in the bathroom puking his guts out.

Eww!

Just thinking about the morning after made him shudder. He grimaced, knowing he shouldn’t have let them talk him into it. Ty had missed class and hadn’t been able to make up the test. His marketing professor was one of those insufferable bastards that loved to make his students’ lives a living hell. Damn him.

Damn Diamond Candies for making the standards so fucking high. That kind of average meant all A’s and maybe one B, most likely a high one – not one teetering on the edge of a C. Shit.

Disgusted, he slammed the laptop down and tossed it next to him. Once it hit the couch, he cursed himself knowing that wasn’t the smartest of moves since the old Thinkpad was a hand-me-down. He rubbed his hands over his smooth head and turned on the TV, hoping that would take his mind off the bills and the seven a.m. shift at the factory he had to endure tomorrow. A Channel Two news brief flashed across the screen.

And today, beloved owner of Diamond Candies, Demi Roux, was memorialized. Many were in attendance…

“Yeah? It’s about time that old bastard kicked the bucket. Maybe the new boss will give me the well-deserved raise I’ve been looking for!” Ty snarled at the mourners leaving what looked to be a mansion.

Reportedly, Demi left his fortune to his son Alain. No word on who will step in as the president of the beloved corporation.

“Hopefully somebody who isn’t as much of a tightwad as him!”