Magic Mike!

A little eye candy for your day

In honor of the movie coming out soon,we thought you guys might like a little eye candy and a synopsis of the story--yes, there really is a story!   Mike (Channing Tatum) is an entrepreneur. A man of many talents and loads of charm, he spends his days pursuing the American Dream from as many angles as he can handle: from roofing houses and detailing cars to designing furniture from his Tampa beach condo.

But at night... he's just magic.

The hot headliner in an all-male revue, Magic Mike has been rocking the stage at Club Xquisite for years with his original style and over-the-top dance moves. The more the ladies love him, the more they spend, and the happier that makes club owner Dallas (Matthew McConaughey).

So load up the cars and bring along your dollar bills!  It's gonna be hot!

So you think if you write a book and make it to number one on Amazon, and hit all the top ten bestseller lists, your life will get better?  Think again!

The Alpha's Pet from Secret Cravings Publishing came out in May and was an almost instant breakout hit for me.  I was thrilled, of course, and watched it climb higher each day until it reached number one.  I was ecstatic, flying high, exhilarated and pumped!  Until the reviews started coming in... Some of them were quite lovely and complimentary. I got a lot of 4's and 5's and some people were very nice.  Even the 3's were understandable--just not their cup of tea.  Fine.  I can deal with that,

Others, the nasty ones, not so much.  An author is always prepared for reviews that are not stellar, and though it's painful to hear sometimes, it can also be instructive.  A trend in reviews tells you when something you thought might be funny and fantastic, is really probably best left on the drawing board.  I don't mind at all when someone doesn't care for this genre, or doesn't like fantasy, or even doesn't care for the elements of BDSM in the novella.  I get that, and it's fine, really. (Though I would have thought the name Alpha's Pet would have been a clue to the fantasy, wolf, BDSM nature, but whatever)

So I was ready, I was prepared--I thought.  Now I write m/m because I love the genre, and have read a lot of it.  I do try not to read too much of any genre I plan to write, because I don't want to be influenced by anybody else and their ideas. So when I decided to delve into the Wolf pack books, I knew I was going to go through some uncharted territory.  Sci Fi and Fantasy people have very specific and distinct ideas about their wolves and vamps, and don't like anybody messing with them.  No sparkly vampires, than you very  much.

So when I got an idea for my wolves and their penises, I thought I'd come up with something a little new.  Why not have a wolf who has a gland on his penis, like any canine, that makes him "tie-up" with his lover for hours?  I thought it sounded like fun and was maybe a little sexy. I wasn't prepared for one reader to say I copied the idea from Kari Gregg!

Now, she is a fine writer, I'm sure, but I just happened not to have read any of her books before writing mine.  I since bought the book in question to see just how similar the stories were, and found to my great relief that I had not channeled Miss Gregg in my sleep and the books, despite what the misinformed reader said, were just not all that similar.

I just recovered from that nasty little episode when a reader on ARe said  "I hate this book so much I want to punch the author in the face."  Really? Punch me in the face?  Bring it, bitch! LOL...I wish I was a nicer person who would turn the other cheek and say well, consider the source.  The poor thing probably doesn't get out much and doesn't know how to act civilized and so says stupid, outrageous things for attention.  But I'm not.  So--you want to punch me in the face for writing a book you don't care for?  I'll be ready for you!

Don't get me wrong!  I love my fans, and I respect pretty much everybody, and believe they have a right to an opinion.  But that doesn't include the right to threaten me for writing something you don't approve of, or accuse me of plagiarism. My daddy taught me to stand up for myself, so if it comes to defending myself against bigots, then again, bring it on.
I have a good friend who is a blogger and happens to be a gay man.  He said he never received hate mail until the blog got really popular, and then it poured in.  I have to wonder if some of these more outrageous comments are from the fringe crazies who hate gays and everyone who supports them?

Gay Marriage Protests--Not for the Straightfaced!

Political protests are always a little more fun when the protesters are a little more fabulous. Equal marriage rights are coming, and in a way it'll be a little bittersweet when we don't see these awesome signs anymore.  Read these and enjoy!

Gotta be the best of the bunch!!!  Love to all of you!!  We shall overcome!

Pickup Lines Not for the Faint of Heart

Need some new pickup lines?  These could get you in the door, or they could get you slammed in the floor--Have any good lines we could use?  Please comment and let us hear 'em!

I wish you were a door so I could slam you all day long.

Nice butt...what time does it open?

You've got 206 bones in your body, want one more?

Those clothes would look great in a crumpled heap on my
bedroom floor.

My name is (name)...remember that, you'll be screaming it
later.

Do you work for UPS? I could have sworn I saw you checking
out my package.
  

Men Keeping it on the DL

     Welcome to the blog of Shannon West and Hanna Hart, two authors of male/male romance and erotica. We love to talk about our books, and important issues to gay men!

     Hi, I'm Shannon, and today's issue has to do with those men who keep it on the downlow. These are men who for whatever reason are leading two separate lives.  In  one life, they are straight men--or allow others to think of them as such)  In their other life, they are who they were born to be.  Why do they do it?  Often it's because of their jobs.  Those with careers like the Armed Forces, the Police Department, Fire Department etc. think they can't reveal who they really are.  Their colleagues wouldn't accept or understand them. In the Bible Belt South, it mostly doesn't matter what kind of job a gay man holds down--he wouldn't be accepted no matter what he does.

     Others say they keep things secret because their families wouldn't understand.  Sometimes this extends to a wife.  The general angst surrounding that scenario is that it is unfair to the wife they sneak around on, and that they never should have married a woman in the first place since they knew they were gay. Recently, in one of my books, Georgia Heat, a married gay policeman renews his acquaintance with a boy with whom he's had a passionate one night stand.  After a great deal of soul searching, he decides to ask his wife for a divorce and be true to himself for once in his life.  I received a negative review from a reader, saying she never would have picked the book up had she known that one of the main characters was a "low life scumbag who cheated on his wife." This seemed to be her only issue with the book.

     Obviously, the main character had a hard time making this decision and admitted he never should have married a woman in the first place.  But like so many others, including those in my family, he felt pushed into marrying a woman. It was only after the attempt at "normalcy" didn't work that he realized he'd trapped both of them in a loveless marriage. What should he then do?  Stay and be miserable, or leave and allow them both a chance at happiness? There are no easy answers, and what better place to explore the issues than in a romance novel, where no human beings are actually hurt?  If nothing else, it might evoke a discussion, and get the issue out in the open.

     So where do you stand on the issue?  Should a gay man involved in a heterosexual marriage "man  up" and stay true to his commitment? Or should he bail and try to find happiness?  Is it an either/or situation?  We'd love to know what you think!  Leave us a comment, or tell us your story.