Now, if we
don’t double-count re-releases or include omnibus editions, I’ve got
twenty-five published titles under my belt. And you know what? That first M/F
book remains the only M/F romance in my entire backlist. My primary couples
(with one exception in a currently out of print novella) are cis men, although
their sexual orientations run the gamut from pansexual through asexual.
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| https://ejr.pub/duking-it-out-amz |
When
Judith suggested “why I write M/M romance” as a potential topic, my knee-jerk
answer was “because that’s what was contracted.” Beginning with my third book,
I wrote for a publisher that specialized in queer fiction, and for another that
only published M/M romance.
But that’s
not the only reason.
I came of
age smack in the middle of the second wave of modern feminism--the first issue
of Ms. magazine was published two years before I graduated from high
school. I’m an introvert who had always been a high achiever in school
(sneeringly referred to as “a brain”), and as I hit puberty and entered the
scary world of non-platonic relationships, I began to get seriously irritated
by the way boys were defined by their success and accomplishments while girls
were defined by their looks or their domestic function.
It wasn’t fair,
dammit.
Although
this implicit gender bias isn’t as pronounced as it was back then—barely a
decade past the 50s—it’s still with us today, and any female character you put
on the page has an automatic disadvantage because of it. At this stage in our
societal evolution, that power imbalance cannot be overcome. It’s baked
into all our systems, reinforced by tradition, the media, politics, and
interpersonal baggage. When I first began writing romance, I struggled with
this dichotomy. I mean, a kick-ass heroine can only kick ass so far—because a
hero who allows his ass to be so kicked apparently isn’t “heroic.”
On the
other hand, two male characters, while they might have other personal
and relationship issues to confront, at least start out on a level playing
field with regard to gender expectations. Their relative social power, as a
function of their genital configuration at birth, is the same. I found that
writing about two men falling in love, besides being fun, was much
better for my blood pressure!
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| https://ejr.pub/silent-sin-amz |
But that’s not the only reason
either.
My best
friend in high school was gay. He came out to me in 1975—and mind you,
consensual intercourse between men was still a felony in California at that
time, so I was constantly concerned for his safety and well-being. I’ve had
countless queer friends over the years. My twin sons are both gay. All of
them—not just my family or personal acquaintances, but the whole glittering
spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation in the LGBTQIA+ community—deserve
stories that are just as happy, just as funny, just as charming, ridiculous,
heart-warming, uplifting, and romantic-AF as any cis heterosexual couple. It’s
only fair, dammit.
In my
books, everybody is out. LGBTQ+ relationships are first-class relationships
like any other—and characters who don’t subscribe to that view are quite
obviously Wrong with a capital W.
I write
romantic comedy—both contemporary and paranormal. I write supernatural romantic
suspense. I write historical romance. But as far as the question about why I write
M/M romance? Yes, I want to write it--I love writing it as much
as I love reading it. It makes me happy to tell stories about LGBTQ+ folks
finding their soul mates. But when it comes right down to it, the real question
is…
Why not?
Multi-Rainbow Award winner E.J.
Russell—grace, mother of three, recovering actor—holds a BA and an MFA in
theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial
manager, database designer, and business intelligence consultant (as one does).
She’s recently abandoned data wrangling, however, and spends her days wrestling
words.
E.J. lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits
from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and
the occasional hyperbole.
Find E.J. here:
E.J.’s latest release is a tale of the
Tokyo Olympics that-might-have-been.
It’ll take more than medals to mend their
relationship.
 |
| https://ejr.pub/thomas-flair-amz |
Diabetic gymnast and team
alternate Sol Ashvili had one thing on his agenda when the 2016 Rio Olympics
wrapped up—confess to his teammate and best friend Tony Thomas that he’d been
in love with him for years. But Tony took a major deduction in Sol’s heart when
he jetted out of Rio and turned his back on an almost-finished college degree,
international gymnastics meets… and Sol. The first two Sol could
forgive—barely. The last? Not a chance.
Tony’s crowd-pleasing,
no-holds-barred, high-octane gymnastics style stole its nickname from a
legendary gymnastics move—the Thomas Flair. After the 2016 Games, he vaulted
into a career as an internet celebrity, specializing in extreme sports and
risky stunts. When Tony decides to battle his way into competition shape to
earn a spot on the 2020 Olympic team, he has to survive the most extreme risk
of all: facing Sol again.
For the sake of the team and
the reputation of US men’s gymnastics, Sol and Tony must leave the past behind
and get a grip on working together. And as the Games draw closer, they realize
that being more than teammates might be the only way they
can truly fly high and stick the landing.
The Thomas Flair is available at Amazon on Kindle
Unlimited.
