Friday, September 25, 2009

NEW COVER: No Place Like Home


Every once in a while, I like to amuse myself (no, not that way!). I mean, in my writing, I like to step away from the crime, horror, gore, and dark deeds that seem to take hold of me for most of the stuff I write.

Occasionally, I like to write something that makes me laugh.

No Place Like Home was one of those projects.

And now it has a new cover by the amazing cover artist, Trace Edward Zaber. I thought I would share it with you. The book comes out November 8 from Amber Allure (the GLBT imprint of Amber Quill Press) and it's a short and silly e-book that I hope will make you laugh as much as it did me.

Synopsis
Trannies and Psychos and Bears…oh my!

Burl was horny. And his lover, AJ, was in the kind of sleep that approaches comatose. What’s a boy to do? In the middle of the night, Burl slips away from the house he shares with AJ, looking for just a little release for his pent-up passion. AJ won’t mind; after all, he says he doesn’t care where Burl gets his tires pumped, as long as he gets to ride.

But what Burl finds in straying from his own backyard is not quite the kind of excitement he had in mind. From boxer-shorted bears, to men who aren’t quite what they seem, to homicidal ebony gods, Burl doesn’t know quite what to make of the bizarre world outside…and the people in it. From the snow-capped peaks of the Adirondack Mountains (and the Sodom Sin Mountain Ski Resort), to the dangerous streets of the lower east side of Manhattan, Burl discovers that it isn’t always easy—or safe—when you go looking for love in all the wrong places.

What lessons does Burl learn on his quest? Does he discover, really, that there’s “no place like home?” There’s only one way to find out: start reading!


Sample
Dawn's pinkish light filtered through the gray as Burl drove on, now well into the Adirondack Mountains. Gradually, his destination became clear. Even to him.

After six hours, Burl pulled up, with a spray of snow, in front of the Sodom Sin Mountain Ski Resort. He planned to have a few hot toddies in the lounge and a slow, comfortable screw in one of the guest’s rooms.

Feeling slightly out of place at ten o'clock in the morning in a ski lodge in his ensemble, Burl chose an unobtrusive spot near a window and ordered a hot buttered rum. Outside, the snow was coming down steadily, making Burl think of the last bukkake party he had attended and how he had come home to AJ accusing him of smelling like bleach.

“How droll,” Burl thought when a waiter, clad in tight black jeans and cable knit sweater, set his drink before him. A cinnamon stick, carved into the shape of a circumcised penis, garnished his mug. Burl glanced around quickly to ensure no one was looking, removed the stick, stood, dropped his jeans to the tops of his thighs, bent over and inserted the garnish deep inside himself. He sighed when he felt its tingle.

Glancing around once more, he put himself back in order, sat, and sipped his potable with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. In spite of the diversion (“Shouldn’t that be perversion, hon?” AJ taunted in the back of his mind), Burl knew it would take a lot more than a stick of cinnamon to satisfy him.

“Hi there! Wanna get lucky?”

Burl jumped, the cinnamon stick ejected and rolled to one side of Burl’s ass cheek. He squirmed and turned to see a man who reminded him of a middle-aged Tonya Harding, albeit a Tonya Harding with a bleached blond crew cut and soul patch.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Good Read: MEMORY OF DARKNESS by P.A. Brown


I review horror and suspense for a monthly column called "Grimoire" at Dark Scribe magazine. This month, I wanted to call your attention to my column and a little gem called Memory of Darkness. I have been a fan of P.A. Brown's work for some time now (ever since I read her amazing L.A. Heat). If you like solidly crafted crime thrillers, P.A. is your man, er, woman.

Here's a little snippet from my review:

P.A. Brown is one of those writers who should be as famous as P. Cornwell, if there were any justice in the world. The author of a whole series of competent, well-researched, and catch-your-breath suspenseful thrillers all centered around the seamy (and gay) underbelly of Los Angeles, Brown’s oeuvre is one that should be embraced by anyone who loves a seamlessly plotted thriller with characters that are anything but typical. Brown writes lean, muscled prose and captures the male viewpoint so effortlessly that one wonders how she does it.


Read the rest here.

Pick up a copy of Memory of Darkness here.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

M/M Writer Ally Blue Gets Colorful with 10 Silly Questions


I recently tracked Ally Blue down at a hash bar in Amsterdam. We shared a bowl and walked along the canals, then took in a tastefully-done sex show, which will allow us to deduct the entire trip on our income tax as "research."

Ally's answers may surprise you. Or they may not. Do you know Ally?

1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what would you eat?

Spinach burritos! I luuuuurve spinach burritos. But, alas, I cannot cook them worth a crap, so we would have to go out to a Mexican place to eat. And if we're going out, we're going someplace that makes awesome Margaritas *g* Yay for getting celebrities drunk!

2. Who do you think you are?

Well, Facebook thinks I'm either Laverne (from Laverne & Shirley), a Berserker Zombie or a cheeseburger. So it's no wonder I'm confused :-/ [RR: I've heard you taste like a cheeseburger.]

3. What’s your problem?

Life, and its stubborn refusal to allow me to become rich and famous from my Art, that I might cast aside the EDJ (Evil Day Job) and banish it forever from my sight.

Life. Don't talk to me about life.
[/Marvin moment]
[RR: If you're like me, you have no idea what that means, or who Marvin is]

4. If you could have one wish, would you give it to me?

Of course! As long as I could think of a way that giving it to you would mean ten more wishes for me :D Or for a hundred million dollars, whatever.

5. Where you at?

BEHIND YOU, AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
Haha, not really. Did you look???
[RR: No, I didn't. And if you were behind me, I would think you'd have the courtesy to give me a reacha-around]

6. If you had to choose only one vice, what would it be?

Sloth. Because I am tired. No, wait, that's a SIN, not a vice. Dang!
Errrrrrr. Does lying in bed all day watching No Reservations and Ghost Hunters count?
[RR: Yes, because reality TV is a vice. I know.]

7. What’s your favorite brand of cereal?

The kind that is sausage biscuits.

8. When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?

The Crypt Keeper.
Seriously. Ally pre-coffee is NOT a good thing O_O

9. Do you know your ass from a hole in the ground? And if so, how do you tell the difference?

I do know! And I can tell because I am SMRT [sic] and I know my ass is that thing in the front yard with the dirt and rocks in it :D

Oh, wait....

10. Do you have anything you’d like to plug?

Yes! That fucking hole in the ground! Heh *g*

Ally Blue is known by some as the Queen of Gay Angst. Her ultimate dream is to one day ditch the evil day job and support the family on manlove alone. She is not a hippie or a brain surgeon, no matter what her kids’ friends say.

Visit her on the web here.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Jonathan Bleiweiss: Officer of the Year?!!

By Rick R. Reed

When I first started hearing about the Jonathan Bleiweiss case a couple of months ago, I wasn’t sure what to believe. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office officer had been accused of sexual misconduct while on the job—and the misconduct involved forced sex in his patrol car with undocumented Latino immigrants, all male. According to the accusations, Bleiweiss fondled the immigrants and forced them to allow him to perform oral sex on them. He allegedly also compelled the men to give him cell phone numbers and repeatedly texted and called some of them. Why on earth, I wondered, would an officer of the law text an undocumented illegal immigrant, “Que pasa, amigo?”

On the other hand, this was a commended and celebrated openly gay police officer, profiled in a South Florida gay publication and once honored as the Broward Sheriff Office’s Officer of the Year. His record was pretty much untarnished—from joining the department in 2002—until the first accusations started coming in. The match was put to the gasoline when Bleiweiss was arrested last June on fourteen charges, including sexual battery, false imprisonment, and stalking. Detectives said Bleiweiss stopped a 30-year-old man waiting for a ride to work. After discovering he was an undocumented migrant, Bleiweiss groped him during a pat-down, detectives said.

I read through the subsequent blogs and news stories that fluttered around Bleiweiss like ash after a fire, looking for the truth, hoping maybe that this commended openly gay police officer was not guilty of the crimes of which he was accused. Maybe, as his lawyer asserts, he was simply the victim of retaliation. After all, one of the things for which he was commended was his ability as an “enforcer” and his high arrest statistics.

But as I saw more and more about this case, and about Bleiweiss, I became less and less hopeful that the poor gay officer was simply a victim of a vendetta. As far back as a year ago, there were complaints against him. According to NBC Miami, “An Oakland Park priest sent an email to the mayor, city commissioners and sheriff officials, informing them of a deputy that was abusing the homeless people who attended his church’s soup kitchen.

“Father Bob Daudill had even posted a flier inside the All Saints Catholic Mission soup kitchen with Bleiweiss’ picture on it, warning the homeless to avoid that deputy, according to The Miami Herald.

“Daudill sent his email in June 2008. Apparently nothing was done about it.

“Not even an investigation.

“In fact, nine months later, Bleiweiss ended up receiving the BSO’s 2008 Employee of the Year award for the Oakland Park District.”

I understand how law enforcement officials can be targets for retaliation; that only makes sense. But to ignore complaints from a priest and a community group seems out of line…and arrogant.

But it got worse when I realized that Officer Bleiweiss was allowed to continue working on the streets for three months after the sexual misconduct charges were filed against him. Whether the allegations were true or not is not the issue here. I was not the only one to wonder if the case were slightly different—oh, say a male officer accused of sexual misconduct with some American citizen women—would the Broward Sheriff’s Office have let that cop continue to work the same areas where he was accused of victimizing people? I kinda doubt it.

Public Defender Howard Finkelstein has been quoted as saying, “If this had been a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student, all it would take is one complaint and they'd be removed from the classroom and charged. These cases show there are two sets of standards—one for police and another for the general public.”

At least eight undocumented immigrants have come forth to point a finger at Bleiweiss, including a minor, and all have the same stories to tell: tales of being outside in the early morning, waiting to be picked up for a job, being detained by Bleiweiss—detainment that included fondling beneath their underwear accompanied by crude remarks, detainment that led to forced oral sex (or risk deportation), and being compelled to give the officer their cell phone numbers. And the accusations do not stop with just the official paperwork. So it’s pretty hard not to believe this officer horribly abused his power and his uniform.

But that’s just one person stepping way out of line (and I’m not minimizing the officer’s alleged crimes here). What really angers me is a couple of things. The first is how the establishment in South Florida treated these accusations, allowing an accused officer to be in a position—for three months—to commit, over and over again, the same crimes he is accused of. The second thing that angers me is how Officer Bleiweiss, unfairly or not, stands as a very tarnished representative of the gay community. Of course, the song goes, “One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl,” but come on…this story made national headlines, portraying at least one openly gay person in a very bad light…as someone with no respect for human rights, a victimizer, and an abuser of power. And I don’t kid myself; there are those out there who will only too gladly latch onto this story as anecdotal proof of how twisted and corrupt “the gays” are. Michael Rainer, a South Florida gay rights activist, has said, “This is not an act that necessarily impacts the gay community…This is an act of an individual, not a community.”

It’s nice to think so, Michael, but my trust that the whole world will agree with you has been sorely diminished.

I hope Bleiweiss, if guilty, gets punished for his behavior to the fullest extent of the law. I also hope the Broward Sheriff’s Office is being closely watched now, to ensure that officers are not given special treatment when it comes to crime.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Mystery Author Joe De Marco and 10 Silly Questions


Last week, I had the chance to meet with mystery author Joseph R.G. De Marco for a few drinks at a local Seattle piano bar. Before getting blotto on rusty nails and making goo goo eyes at the pianist (Joe loves that word...pianist), he managed to get serious about being silly.

1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what would you eat?

Justin Hartley. A Long Island Iced Tea or two to get started – well, to get him started. Then some food but not enough to make him sleepy. An exotic pasta with truffle sauce and lots of sausage. An avocado and celtuce salad. On the side: stuffed artichokes. Another stiff drink. Then dessert! Lots of lactose-free whipped cream, strawberries, and butterscotch sauce. And if I can get my face out of his… well… why don’t I just keep that between Justin and me? [The foodie in me wonders: what the hell is celtuce?]

2. Who do you think you are?

Good question. Sometimes I’m like a screen and you can see whatever you want to see on that screen. Fulfill your fantasies. Who would you like me to be?

3. What’s your problem?

I’m not rich. Yet.

4. If you could have one wish, would you give it to me?

No, I would not give you my wish. Honestly, would you give me yours? You’re a nice guy and all, but, we’re not on intimate terms and I couldn’t ever give you my wish. Besides, it’s mine, all mine. And I intend to keep it that way. [RR: Well then, my wish is for YOU to take a flying leap at the moon!]

5. Where you at?

Is that a metaphysical question? Because I’m really good with metaphysical. I went to Catholic school for sixteen long kinda metaphysical years, then worked in a Catholic school library. Metaphysically, where I’m at is in a quandary. Tough place to be, y’know? I used to be this carefree person who could…

What? Oh you meant where am I physically?

Oh, well, I was pretty good in Geography, too. So, let’s see: I’m sitting in my chair in an apartment on Locust Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania You want latitude and longitude? ‘Cause I can do that, too. It’s approximately thirty-nine degrees…

Not that either?

Well, how about the question of where we all are temporally. I mean, the new Star Trek would have us believe we aren’t anywhere, or maybe we are everywhere or anywhere. Unless we’re somewhere else, of course. I know. It’s confusing. Have a lie down.

As they say, wherever you go, there you are. So, here I am.

6. If you had to choose only one vice, what would it be?

I have lots of vices. So, I allowed the Academy to vote on what they thought was my main vice.

The envelope please. The winner is a tie: Food and Men, Men, MEN.

I’m a lustful glutton. It’s my vice and I’m stickin’ to it.

7. What’s your favorite brand of cereal?

If I say Shredded Wheat, you’ll think I’m bland (while I’m anything but). It’s crunchy comfort food. I could say Honey Bunches (that was the name of the guy who I woke up next to the other morning, and, well, I guess what happened would qualify him as breakfast). Or, I could say Froot Loops, ‘cause who doesn’t like fresh fruit?

8. When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?

Remember that guy in high school, who, you really can’t remember his name because you couldn’t ever get close enough to find out, and if you had gotten close your mouth would’ve gone dry and you’d have only been able to stutter? The guy whose package was so invitingly bulgy and bouncy that your eyes always immediately dropped from his face to his crotch whenever you saw him. The guy whose skin had a smooth creamy complexion and all you wanted to do was lick and kiss and lick again. Remember that guy? Him. That’s what I look like when I get up in the morning.

But if you want celebrity lookalikes, depending on the day of the week, upon waking I can resemble Brad Pitt, Ryan Phillippe, Ben Barnes, Craig Horner, Chris Pratt, or Ian Somerhalder.

Then I look in the mirror.

9. Do you know your ass from a hole in the ground? And if so, how do you tell the difference?

Yes, I know the difference. Of course I do.

I’ve never fallen into my own ass. There’s one difference right there.

10. Do you have anything you’d like to plug?

Heh, heh., heh. Where do I start?

I’ll start with my book, Murder on Camac, a mystery that has just been released, published by Lethe Press and you can find out more here or here.

I’d also like to give a nice plug to my online mystery magazine which is very gay friendly, Mysterical-E.

Joseph R.G. De Marco divides his time between Philadelphia and MontrĂ©al. He’s been editor of The Weekly Gayzette and New Gay Life, and now is editor of Mysterical-E (www.mystericale.com). He’s also written extensively for the gay/lesbian press, including The Advocate, In Touch, The New York Native, and the Philadelphia Gay News. His article “Gay Racism” won the prize for excellence in feature writing from the Gay Press Association as was anthologized in We Are Everywhere (Routledge), Black Men, White Men (Gay Sunshine Press), and Men’s Lives (Macmillian). His fiction has appeared in anthologies such as the Quickies series (Arsenal Pulp Press), Men Seeking Men (Painted Leaf Press), Charmed Lives (Lethe) and others. His non-fiction work appears in Gay Life (Doubleday), Paws and Reflect (Alyson) Hey Paisan! (Guernica), Male Sex Work (Haworth), The International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family (Macmillan) and the Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinites (ABC CLIO) among others. He loves writing mysteries as well as science fiction, fantasy, and more. Werecreatures and vampires also inhabit his work. His website is www.josephdemarco.com. Murder on Camacis the first of his Marco Fontana series.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

New Cover for the Upcoming MUTE WITNESS


My next full-length novel, Mute Witness, should be out later this year from MLR Press. I have recently been working with the cover art to put a face on this very serious story (probably one of the most serious I've written to date) and we have finally decided on a concept.

Covers are one of the most trying and difficult parts of writing a book, even if you have no input into the design yourself. That old chestnut, "you can't judge a book by its cover" is probably one of the wrongest things I've ever heard. People can, and do, judge books by their covers...and people and other things too. We see with our eyes and this is how we form our first impressions. So if a book doesn't make that critical first impression on you, you will probably pass it by. And if a book has a simply dazzling cover, you may be more intrigued about the book than if it was fronted by a mediocre cover.

I hope the cover for Mute Witness makes a good first impression. I'd love it if you'd leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Here's the back cover copy (which is also really cool, maybe even cooler than the front, since it's just the back of the boy's head). Read it and see if you think the cover does the storyline justice.

I hope you won't stay mute (groan!) on whether this cover would inspire you to check out the book inside.

Back cover copy:

Sean and Austin have the perfect life. Their new relationship is only made more joyous by weekend visits from Sean’s eight-year-old son, Jason.

And then their perfect world shatters.

Jason is missing.

When the boy turns up days later, he has been horribly abused and has lost the power to speak. Small town minds turn to the boy’s gay father and his lover as the likely culprits.

Sean and Austin struggle to maintain their relationship amid the innuendo and the very real threat that Sean will, at the very least, lose the son he loves. Meanwhile, the real villain is much closer to home, intent on ensuring the boy’s muteness is permanent.


Mute Witness should be out in late fall.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

10 Silly Questions with author Shelby Stone

I met with author Shelby Stone near the Dumpster out back at Piggly Wiggly. While rummaging for good eats, I asked her my patented 10 Silly Questions. Working her way through her own lunch of fried squirrel brains, collard greens, and peach cobbler, Shelby took the time to provide some very thoughtful answers.

1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what would you eat?

I would invite Jim Morrison and his first wife, Patricia Kennealy. I would cook them Southern fried chicken with cream gravy. We would have cat head biscuits with honey butter. A congealed (that’s Jello) strawberry salad, green beans, cole slaw. For dessert we’d have red velvet cake.

2. Who do you think you are?

I am really a Russian princess switched at birth.

3. What’s your problem?

The Grim Reaper is always just around the corner and it bothers me more every year.

4. If you could have one wish, would you give it to me?

Yeah why not. You might make better use of it than me! I wish you well! About all I want out of life anymore is good health and more years to kick around in.

5. Where you at?

I live in the deep south. It’s like where they filmed the movie Deliverance. I saw a bumper sticker last month that said “Paddle faster, they’re warming up the banjos”

6. If you had to choose only one vice, what would it be?

Probably gluttony. Food tastes so good!

7. What’s your favorite brand of cereal?

Capt’n Crunch- with crunch berries.

8. When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?

Sharon Stone [RR: Me, too. Mind if I smoke?]

9. Do you know your ass from a hole in the ground? And if so, how do you tell the difference?

I’m about average intelligence. I wish I was in Mensa, but it’s not gonna happen. I try to avoid conflict and holes in the ground. How do I tell? I use a mirror!

10. Do you have anything you’d like to plug?

Oh sure, world peace. Wait a minute, that’s for beauty contests. I would like to plug my erotica novella, The Gelding which is selling on MysticMoonPress.com. It takes place in the year 2060 and women rule the earth. [RR: Is Hilary still around?]

Shelby Stone writes from the wilderness of Alabama. She began writing in 2004 as a mental challenge. She found writing was not that difficult, but the editing process is very painful! She was first published in 2005 and it’s been all smooth going ever since.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Let Me 'Flash' You


Okay, so the heading for this post was a bit sensationalized. I'm not gonna post nekkid pictures of myself or have some animation of me opening a trenchcoat to show off my twig and berries.

No, this post is about an anthology I'm in: Chilling Tales of Terror and the Supernatural. Now, wait, before you run away screaming in terror and/or boredom, you have to know that this anthology of terrifying tales is really something different. All of the tales within its cover are gay-related and are all examples of "flash fiction" which means each story is 1,000 words or fewer (roughly two pages). It's the perfect offering for today's nervous and short-attention-span society.

The book carries a warning from the editor, Patty G. Henderson: "The reading and enjoyment of this anthology will greatly increase your chances of terrifying nightmares, lack of sleep, and fear of your own shadow."

With that in mind, here's one of my five flash stories contained in the book. Let me know what you think:

Two Calls

©2008 Rick R. Reed

1.

911 Dispatcher: What is your emergency?

Caller: It's my husband. He's…oh, God…He's… (voice becomes unintelligible, panting).

911: Ma'am, try to calm down so I can help you. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths.

Caller: Okay, I just came home and found (gasp)…found my husband in the shower.

911: Okay, Ma'am, is he injured?

Caller: Yes! Yes! There's so much blood! (Voice dissolves into sobs).

911: Ma'am, can you give me your location?

Caller: ________________ Cornelia Ave., just off Halsted, in the city.

911: Okay, Ma'am, I am dispatching an ambulance, can you stay on the line with me?

Caller: I, I don't know. I don't know what he did to himself!

911: Is he breathing?

Caller: Yes, yes, he's breathing…and oh God, he's just staring at me. These eyes staring up through the blood. All the blood! It looks like he's ripped his skin away (silence). Oh, Jesus, I think I see the problem.

911: Yes?

Caller: There's a wire brush lying near him. It has skin on it. (Silence). God, why would he do this?

911: Hang in there, Ma'am. They're on their way.

2.

Man: Hey, what's up? You wanna come over and party?

Other Man: Dunno. I'm pretty wiped, think I might just crash.

Man: Come on, it's Saturday night.

Other Man: Sunday morning, technically.

Man: Stickler. C'mon, man, Tina's here.

Other Man: I don't know, dude. I just got in from the baths.

Man: How was it?

Other Man: Slow.

Man: You meet anybody?

Other Man: Yeah, of course. When don't I? Bad sex is better than none at all, right?

Man: You know it. What was he like? Cute?

Other Man: Oh yeah, great body, great face, nice dick. But here's the thing: totally a closet case.

Man: Uh oh? So it didn't work out? No worries. Come on over here, I'm talking to, like, four different guys right now on line.

Other Man: Dunno. I'm kinda shook up.

Man: From the closet case?

Other Man: Yeah.

Man: Did he do something? Hit you?

Other Man: No, no, nothin' like that. He just, like, totally freaked.

Man: Did you get any warning?

Other Man: No, none. That's the thing. He was really into it. Really wanted me to fuck him and totally hot for me.

Man: And then?

Other Man: And then, soon as he comes, he starts getting all weird. I ask him what's wrong.

Man: And?

Other Man: And he starts asking me all kinds of shit, like how many guys have I been with, how many times tonight, did I ever do groups. But he wasn't asking like it turned him on, but like he was scared shitless of my answers.

Man: So, was he cool?

Other Man: Hell no. His final question was, was I was poz. I told him the truth. That's when he really freaked out and ran out the door, almost crying.

Man: Were you safe?

Other Man: Oh yeah, I pulled out when I came and just shot on his chest.

Man: Then, what was the fuckin' problem? You comin' over or not?

Other Man: Just let me hop in the shower.

The End

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

M. Christian Exchanges Dirty--and Silly--Words with Me


M. Christian, celebrated erotica author, met with me at a filthy peep show whose location will remain secret. While popping tokens and watching assorted XXX-rated fare, M. took his eyes away from the screen long enough to indulge my ten silly questions fetish.

His hands were busy in the shadows. M. knows how to multi-task. Here are his responses:

1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what would you eat?

I'd invite Jesus Christ to sit down at my table, with me on the left, of course. I'd then serve him up -- just to see if his body and blood turns to bread and wine in my stomach.

2. Who do you think you are?

I have a penis.

3. What’s your problem?

I have a penis.

4. If you could have one wish, would you give it to me?

No way, Jose: I know you WAY TOO MUCH.

5. Where you at?

37.752238,-122.466892 - physically
Somewhere between birth and death - chronologically
At the intersection of hope and despair - emotionally
Halfway between poverty and wealth - financially

6. If you had to choose only one vice, what would it be?

Writing book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book after book ....

7. What’s your favorite brand of cereal?

Cereal is for horses. I survive on meat and coffee.

8. When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?

Lionel Barrymore - because he's dead.

9. Do you know your ass from a hole in the ground? And if so, how do you tell the difference?

One smells slightly better than the other.

10. Do you have anything you’d like to plug?

Out now: DIRTY WORDS, a reprint of my gay collection (Lethe Books)
Out now: THE VERY BLOODY MARY, my queer vampire novel (Lethe Books)
Out now: BRUSHES, a erotic romance (Phaze Books)
Out now: ME2, a twisted gay thriller (Alyson Books)
Out now: PAINTED DOLL, a cyberpunk erotic thing (Lethe Books)
Out now: FILTHY, a new collection of queer smut (Alyson Books)

Coming soon: THE BACHELOR MACHINE, a reprint of my SF erotica collection (Circlet Press)
Coming soon: LICKS & PROMISE, a new erotica collection (Phaze Books)

And my sites:

www.mchristian.com
www.meinekleinefabrik.blogspot.com
www.frequentlyfelt.blogspot.com

M.Christian is an acknowledged master of erotica with more than 300 stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica, and many, many other anthologies, magazines, and Web sites. He is the editor of 20 anthologies including the Best S/M Erotica series, The Burning Pen, Guilty Pleasures, and others. He is the author of the collections Dirty Words, Speaking Parts, The Bachelor Machine, Licks & Promises, and Filthy; and the novels Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Me2, Brushes, and Painted Doll.