When I first started publishing my stories, they were all set in America. Partly because they were fanfiction based and partly because I knew the gay romance market is dominated by America. I carried on basing my stories in America but gradually I got more confident and started writing stories set in and around south London. Although I’ve had a few tussles with publishers over certain phrases and colloquialisms (do not mention the dreaded gotten) I’ve realised I can write my stories in the UK and people will read them.
However the gay romance genre is relatively unknown over here and I’m used to the blank faces when I say what I write. Yes, gay. No, not lesbian. Yes, men. Because I can. I’ll leave you to fill in the questions.
After a chat with Elizabeth and Lynn from Dreamspinner, UK Gay Romance was born, and now we’re on Twitter and Facebook. The aim is to celebrate the UK gay romance authors and UK-based stories. Since its inception we’ve had interviews from Lisa Worrall, Josephine Myles, Garrett Leigh, LM Brown and RJ Scott. Greg Hogben and Liam Livings have discussed issues that are personal to them and affect the LGBT community. We are also spotlighting Britain because hell yes, it deserves a plug. Oh, and giveaways. Lots of giveaways.
UK Gay Romance is young and the word isn’t out there yet, but it will be. The more authors get involved the happier I will be because we’ll be promoting our fantastic genre. I might be a tad biased but I can’t think of a better and more relevant genre to promote. Like every author out there I dream of my books being mainstream, I’d like the genre to be mainstream, and when I say I write gay romance to a group of people their first question is “Where can I buy your books”, not “Eh?”.
The Isle of Wishes is available on 19th August, published by Dreamspinner.
Sequel to The Isle of… Where?
After a whirlwind vacation on the Isle of Wight, where he found the love of his life, Sam Owens sends Liam Marshall home to Michigan to tie up loose ends so they can be together forever. When all communication with Liam goes silent, Sam worries. Fearing the worst, he enlists the help of his brother, British Metropolitan police officer Paul Owens, to help him find Liam and get him back safely in time for their wedding. Paul has little difficulty digging into this mystery across the pond. Paul is also good-looking and openly bisexual, all of which adds to the dismay of Wisconsin Detective Olaf Skandik.
Olaf is ex-military and still closeted now that he’s part of the police department. He’s frustrated, hemmed in by the walls he’s erected, and when he meets Paul, he wonders if this may be the time and opportunity for change. Looking into his brother’s missing fiancé, Paul also starts looking into Olaf, and business soon mixes with pleasure, a bit of romance that may strengthen his case for them to make a future together.
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PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: Isle of Wishes by Sue Brown
Reviewed by Danielle
TITLE: Isle of wishes
SEQUEL TO: The Isle of … Where?
AUTHOR: Sue Brown
LENGTH: 242 pages
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
REVIEW:
Fantastic – if I would have to say one word! I loved this book. It can definitely compete with the first book “The Isle of … Where?” and that is always a question in my opinion as a sequel needs to box up to the first part always.
In this sequel, Sue Brown does that and even more.
In this book, we meet Paul, Sam’s brother (Sam is one of the MCs in the prequel) and we meet detective Olaf – a US cop. The plot thought over is genious because as the blurb says – they meet when Liam goes missing. And Sam & Paul travel across the world to search for him.
During the search they meet officer Olaf and there is some instant connection there. Both being officers of law by profession, they have common grounds and besides the fact that Olaf is in the closet, there is no stopping them. They seem to want to make most of the time they have.
As I mentioned before, what makes the book so special is other than the building relationship of the MC, this story also holds a good part of Sam and Liam and gives you more of the inside life of the Owens family. Something I really loved reading about. The Owens are a family to behold with granny Rose on the top of the hill.
The way the author weaves the family within the story is nearly perfect . It gives you the feeling of reading a family story and you want to learn more about them like what is that going around with Colin? and how about Danny and Tea?
The story tells itself, so I am not going to put many details in here as I want to focus on what the story will feel like for the reader. It is such an easy read that you’d get totally sucked up in the story and I, for one, had a really hard time to even put it aside. The writing flows. It makes you want to read on and on, not forgetting to mention the sexiness and the chemistry between these two MCs (Paul and Olaf) is sizzling – just like the evident love is there showing between the MCs from the first part (Liam and Sam).
The fact that all the characters of the first part (including Nibs and Wigs) are transported into this one makes it so much more entertaining and pleasurable than I could have imagined beforehand.
What leaves me to say that the author leaves us with some open questions here what I, in general, don’t like to be honest. But it also makes me feel very secure with the fact that there has to be coming more. I mean we need to get some permanent answers to some questions there – not only about the MCs but also, for example, the business of Nibs and Wigs.
I cannot do differently than rating this novel 5 stars and I recommend it whole heartedly.
To the author, Sue Brown – I only want to say thank you for a memorable read and please let me be right about the coming more part.
RELEASES: 19th August, 2013
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Danielle is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.
Toreadall her reviews, click the link: DANIELLE’S REVIEWS
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot, and has become expert at ignoring the orders.
Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.
Sue can be found at her website, http://www.suebrownstories.com/; her blog,http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk/; Twitter, https://twitter.com/suebrownstories; and her Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/suebrownstories.
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