Dare Seize the Fire has roared to life!

And here it is! Dare Seize the Fire is available right now as an e-book and soon in a print version. Woot!

Katie Zielinski is an ordinary girl who obeys her parents, does her homework, and loves her autistic brother, Cassie. But Katie is too afraid to tell anyone about her secret crush on her best friend, Laurinda. Then Katie meets Jyoti, a tiger who's able to think and talk when he gets close to her, and also fuels amazing magic powers in Katie. The evil warlock Zadornin wants to sacrifice Jyoti in a black magic ritual, and he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. Katie must think fast to save Jyoti while her ordinary world explodes with magic fireballs, a deadly enemy, and discovering how Laurinda really feels about her. From a chase among ghosts on the Gettysburg battlefield to a confrontation in Philadelphia where mythical creatures join in a vicious battle against Zadornin, Katie must learn to dare seize the fire of who she really is to survive.

Stay tuned for updates on the availability of a print version. Either way, I think you'll love this one; it's got adventure, young romance, a tiger, and gryphons! How can you go wrong? :D

Dare Seize the Fire at Storm Moon Press/Budding Moon Press

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The Gryphon's Boy has been unleashed!

He's finally here! Dzywllym, the young bird-boy first seen in The Glasschanger's Child, is back with his own amazing adventure in The Gryphon's Boy! Discover how Dzywllym's parents were killed, leaving him an orphan wandering around aimlessly until one day when he spies the magnificent ship Orpheus and meets his true love, the ship's navigator and budding opera composer Quinn. Quinn is a young gryphon who fled the cold gryphon homeland of Okrakktyr to find adventure of his own and found the devoted Dzywllym as well. But things are about to get a lot more adventurous for both the gryphon and his beloved boy!

The winged Vylloizõ boy Dzywllym is tired of adventures and simply wants to love his gryphon boyfriend, Quinn. When Quinn is called back to the gryphon homeland Okrakktyr and imprisoned there, Dzywllym sets out from Klyrrok with the cheerful and valiant mytho-magic Fledglings to rescue him. But wizard Flyntn Castefurvus, who murdered Dzywllym’s parents, takes over Okrakktyr in his pursuit of Klyrrok’s throne. Chaos erupts when Flyntn and his sadistic henchmen steal a battleship from Earth. The fates of Earth and Myrohtrae hang in the balance as gryphons, dragons, wizards, werewolves, the goat-god Pan, his prankish, sexually rapacious and deadly cousin Pwcca, a cranky, well-armed guardian angel, and the magnificent triple-hulled flying ship Orpheus wage war with Flyntn in the skies over both worlds. Amidst intense episodes of erotic passion and ferocious violence, young Dzywllym must learn to vanquish his fears and focus his rage to save Quinn and exact revenge for his parents’ savage deaths.

Join Dzywllym for his greatest adventure in The Gryphon's Boy, now available in print and on Kindle, and available soon in other e-book formats.

The Gryphon's Boy (print)

The Gryphon's Boy (Kindle)

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Sinews of the Heart is here!

Sinews of the Heart is finally available in both softcover and e-book editions! Check out this great review of Sinews of the Heart from Kris Piet, and look for updates about reviews and my blog tour on my Facebook page. You can read an excerpt from Sinews of the Heart and order the book from Budding Moon Press, the YA imprint of Storm Moon Press. It's a great story! Hey, where else are you going to find genderqueer youth, furries, a post-apocalyptic world, and big explosions all in one novel? :D

Sinews of the Heart at Budding Moon Press

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Sinews of the Heart is awesome!

Kristina Piet of Storm Moon Press wants to tell you about my upcoming novel, Sinews of the Heart. She likes it. She really likes it!

This book, quite frankly, breaks the rules. These days, people expect YA QUILTBAG fiction to basically be YA Gay fiction. Let’s face it, the rise in popularity of gay fiction in general has led to quite a number of authors in the gay romance fiction genre ‘giving a go’ at writing YA gay fiction. Is that a bad thing? Oh, hell no, it’s not! I love seeing an influx of Gay YA just as much as the next reader who wants to spread the love for GLBT to young people. But it does mean that the majority of YA books coming out deal primarily with gay characters. This book doesn’t end at that. Sinews of the Heart breaks past that barrier into not only addressing the common ‘coming out’ story arc for a character identifying non-heterosexually, but also addressing gender identity in a very raw and organic way. The main character, Nikki, is biologically male but lives as a female. Her parents fight about it, have pronoun arguments, the works. On top of that, a romance develops between Nikki and a boy, Kane, who then has to come to terms not only with his own sexual identity, but with Nikki’s gender identity, expression, and sexuality as well. Add another boy into the mix–Rory, who is secure in his identity as a gay young man–and you have just struck YA QUILTBAG Fiction gold!

Nah. To hell with gold; this is YA QUILTBAG Fiction diamond-studded rhodium. It has the potential to open eyes and minds through skillful narration, balanced storytelling, and some really amazing characters. All this from a novel starring a trans* anthrotiger in a post-apocalyptic setting! YES, please!

Wow! I'm humbled that something I wrote has touched someone like this. Sinews of the Heart will be available on September 27, and you can save by pre-ordering now.

QUILTBAG YA Fiction: You’ve Gotta Read This Book!

Sinews of the Heart at Storm Moon Press

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The Gryphon's Boy is almost ready!

He's almost ready! I'm putting the last touches on the text of The Gryphon's Boy and fiddling a bit with the formatting. The Gryphon's Boy is a sequel to The Glasschanger's Child. I already have ideas for another novel in this series. The books each stand alone, so you can start with whichever one you prefer. Adventure awaits!

The winged Vylloizõ boy Dzywllym is tired of adventures and simply wants to love his gryphon boyfriend, Quinn. When Quinn is called back to the gryphon homeland Okrakktyr and imprisoned there, Dzywllym sets out from Klyrrok with the cheerful and valiant mytho-magic Fledglings to rescue him. But wizard Flyntn Castefurvus, who murdered Dzywllym’s parents, takes over Okrakktyr in his pursuit of Klyrrok’s throne. Chaos erupts when Flyntn and his sadistic henchmen steal a battleship from Earth. The fates of Earth and Myrohtrae hang in the balance as gryphons, dragons, wizards, werewolves, the goat-god Pan, his prankish, sexually rapacious and deadly cousin Pwcca, a cranky, well-armed guardian angel, and the magnificent triple-hulled flying ship Orpheus wage war with Flyntn in the skies over both worlds. Amidst intense episodes of erotic passion and ferocious violence, young Dzywllym must learn to vanquish his fears and focus his rage to save Quinn and exact revenge for his parents’ savage deaths.

And isn't that a great cover? Thanks once again to April Danaher for her great work!

Dzywllym and Quinn will be flying your way soon! Thanks for being patient; perfection takes time. :D

The Glasschanger's Child

April Danaher's Photobucket Page

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"And Weren’t You in Love When You Were Young?" is here!

My story "And Weren't You in Love When You Were Young?" is now available as an e-book from Etopia Press! It's included in the LGBT anthology, Come Out With Me. Based on a classic tale of love and tragedy (Eugene Onegin), “And Weren’t You in Love When You Were Young?” is about fifteen-year-old Todd Laurino, who falls hard for fellow high school student Adrian Ginneo. But Adrian cannot come to grips with being gay, and his blind rejection of Todd’s love devastates the boy and nearly destroys Adrian’s best friend. I’ll post an update when the story is published. This is one of those wonderful tales that I always wanted so very much to find a good home, and now it has. I’m very happy about this!

"And Weren't You in Love When You Were Young?" from Etopia Press

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"Sinews of the Heart" will soon have more furriness to love!

"Sinews of the Heart" has switched publishers! Storm Moon Press originally passed on the story since one of the editors, S.L. Armstrong, felt it was more of a YA piece and at the time, they didn't publish a YA line. Well, now they do! And S.L., who liked the story very much, contacted me again about placing the story with them, with the caveat that I have to make it...longer?!? No one ever wants me to make my stories longer! How cool is that? I came up with the idea for a follow-up tale shortly after I originally wrote the story, and now I'm working on expanding the original "Sinews of the Heart."

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where human civilization has fallen in a war with anthropomorphs. A family of anthrotigers hiking across the Yellowstone Territory comes upon a hidden family of humans. Whether to kill the humans or let them go is a decision that has dire consequences for Nikki, a twelve-year-old anthrotiger, whose true identity her father refuses to acknowledge. It's a compelling story of coming-of-age, forgiveness, and the importance of being true to one's real self. Plus, it has furries! And now, the story will continue, where some interesting new developments will happen with the characters.

I'll post another update as we get closer to publishing the story. I still have lots of work to do! Meanwhile, go check out Storm Moon Press; you might find something interesting there! They publish LGBT-themed works, usually with SF/fantasy/horror settings. Quite intriguing! Thanks to S.L. for remembering and liking my tale so much!

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Drawing from here.

And Weren’t You in Love When You Were Young?

More good writing news to end the year! I just learned that my story “And Weren’t You in Love When You Were Young?” has been accepted by Etopia Press and will be issued by them soon as an e-book. Based on a classic tale of love and tragedy, “And Weren’t You in Love When You Were Young?” is about fifteen-year-old Todd Laurino, who falls hard for fellow high school student Adrian Ginneo. But Adrian cannot come to grips with being gay, and his blind rejection of Todd’s love devastates the boy and nearly destroys Adrian’s best friend. I’ll post an update when the story is published. This is one of those wonderful tales that I always want so very much to find a good home, and it has. I’m very happy about this!

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Beware of the unicorns!

"Rainbows & Unicorns" is now available from Aeon Press Books in a volume called Transtories. This anthology looks to be chock full of great stories! My story "Rainbows & Unicorns" is a sweet fairy tale with blood splattered all over it, in which a gang of hurt kids encounters a brand of helpful magic that, for some people, turns into a nightmare. I will leave it for you to discover why it fits perfectly in an anthology involving stories that in some way are based on the word "trans".



Transtories is available in both print and electronic editions. Read it, and be very careful that you never harm those who are protected by unicorns. Enjoy!

Transtories, from Aeon Press Books

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Once Again, HOORAY FOR BOYS WHO WANT TO BE GIRLS!

Seven-year-old Bobby Montoya identifies as a girl and wants to join the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts won't let him. His mother, Felisha Archuleta, thinks the organization is being ridiculous.

Archuleta says that Bobby identifies as a girl and she doesn't have a problem with it: "He's been doing this since he was about 2 years old. He's loved girl stuff, so we just let him dress how he wants, as long as he's happy." Bobby himself told CNN, "It's like hurting my heart. It hurts me and my mom both. Somebody told me I couldn't like girl stuff."

Fortunately, Bobby's mother and grandmother are telling Bobby that it's okay to like girl stuff! It's about time people figured out that girly-boys, however they grow up to be, shouldn't be shunned, discouraged, shamed, teased, beaten, or otherwise just because they're different. My life would have been a lot better had the adults around me, when I was a girly-boy, understood this.

Here's a great video about Bobby. All I can say is, just like with Livvy James, when I was a kid I would have killed for those fecking GORGEOUS boots Bobby is wearing!



My girly-boy story is here. I still miss that black cat costume an awful lot...

"Transgender Boy Tries To Join Girl Scouts, Rejected Because Of 'Boy Parts'" (Gothamist)

BTW, Bobby likes My Little Pony, so on top of everything else he totally rocks!

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Hooray for boys who want to be girls!

This is a fantastic article about a terrific girl, her beyond-awesome mom and dad, and how they defied bigots to help their child be who she needs to be. Naturally, the worst of the bigots are adults. The kids are all right.

‘None of the other children called me nasty names and the boys accepted me as a girl. A few of them kept calling me by my old boy’s name, but I didn’t mind because it takes time to get used to something new. I have a small group of close friends — all girls — who would look after me if anyone tried to pick on me, so I’m not worried. I have as much acceptance as I need.’

Read the whole thing for an inspiring look at a world that, small hard-won bit by small hard-won bit, is changing for the better.

"Why I let my son live as a girl: Mother of boy who returned to school in a skirt bravely tells her extraordinary story" (Daily Mail)

BONUS STORY! Here's a look at a sweet world where boys want to be girls, girls want to be boys, boys just want to love boys and girls just want to love girls, and bullies get their comeuppance!

"Gryphon and Tiger and the Boy Filled with Dreams"

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"Straighten up your gay kids or find another agent!"

Here's a great blog entry about a pair of writers who encountered trouble when a prospective agent demanded that they "write the gay away" -- i.e., remove the gay elements of one of their teen boy characters in a YA fantasy novel they had written. The writers stood their ground and wrote this excellent blog post alerting fellow writers and genre fiction fans to the problem, which appears to run pretty deep in the publishing industry. There's not much I can add to what the writers say or to some of the terrific comments that follow their post. This incident makes me anxious to finish my gay YA steampunk fantasy novel Wrath of the Gryphonwind and get it self-published. It also convinces me that I was correct to go ahead and publish WotG myself. Keep an eye here for updates on that novel, and go read some gay YA fiction! If you want to read something shorter than a novel, try one of my stories listed on the left side of this blog and enjoy!

"Authors Say Agents Try to “Straighten” Gay Characters in YA" -- Genreville

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This kid is AWESOME!

Here's a terrific story about 12-year-old Grant Mower, who not only designs dresses but hopes to design a gown for First Lady Michelle Obama. Be sure to watch the video at the link; it's very cool. Here's to a kid who knows who he is and what he wants out of life at such a young age! And I hope the First Lady takes Grant up on his offer.

12-year-old boy designs dress for first lady Michelle Obama (KSL TV)

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"Sinews of the Heart" is coming; or, The Furries Have Inherited the Earth!

My short story/novella "Sinews of the Heart" will be published as an e-book next year by WolfSinger Publications! The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where human civilization has fallen in a war with anthropomorphs. A family of anthrotigers hiking across the Yellowstone Territory comes upon a hidden family of humans. Whether to kill the humans or let them go is a decision that has dire consequences for Nikki, a twelve-year-old anthrotiger, whose true identity her father refuses to acknowledge. It's a compelling story of coming-of-age, forgiveness, and the importance of being true to one's real self. Plus, it has furries!

"Sinews of the Heart" is one of my favorite tales, and I'm very happy that it has finally found a home. I'll post an update when the e-book becomes available.

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Drawing from here.

Justice for Living Children

This is for everyone who is upset about the CAYLEE ANTHONY case.

That case is over. Our jury system has decided, rightly or wrongly, and it is a system we should prefer since I, for one, do not wish to live in a police state. I hope you feel the same way, too. We seem to have forgotten that many other murders, including that of children by their parents, occurred during the time since this crime was committed.

But if you feel bad for hurt kids, it is time for you to step up.

There are children out there now, ALIVE, who need your help. Children who have been kicked out of their homes for being gay. Children who have been raped and abused by their parents and protectors. Children dumped on the road for simply being a nuisance. Children who have run away because they simply could not take it any more.

These children aren't always pretty and they aren't always sweet. But they goddamn sure could use your help.

Give to The Trevor Project or to the Ali Forney Center. Or find a children's home or charity in your town and give. No money to give? Then donate time and work. GET OFF YOUR COMPLACENT BUTTS AND HELP THE CHILDREN WHO SUFFER TODAY.

Leaving your porch light on will help no one. DOING SOMETHING WILL.

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Photograph from here.

Founding Father

Like the revolutionaries of our nation's past, this man took a bullet so that, today, our legislatures can peacefully pass laws that recognize the full humanity of gay people in New York State and in all of America. After all the bullshit, this is what it comes down to: we progress with determination, with pride, and with arguing, but in the end we do it peacefully.

Sometimes I feel like burning the buildings down. But that's not necessary tonight.

Tonight, Harvey Milk is smiling. Those of you who fought on the front lines for this victory are his inheritors. Be proud.

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Pictured: Harvey Milk's inauguration, January, 1978.

"Rainbows & Unicorns" is coming!

My story "Rainbows & Unicorns" has been accepted by Aeon Press Books and will be published this fall in a volume called "Transtories". "Rainbows & Unicorns" is a sweet fairy tale with blood splattered all over it, in which a gang of hurt kids encounters a brand of helpful magic that, for some people, turns into a nightmare. I will leave it for you to discover why it fits perfectly in an anthology involving stories that in some way are based on the word "trans". I believe "Transtories" will be available in both print and electronic editions. I'll post an update when the story is published. Meanwhile, please check out the list to the left of my other published stories. Enjoy!

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"You gotta give 'em hope."

Harvey Milk speaking about giving hope to young gays. We've come such a long way since he spoke these words, but we still have a long way to go. This video is very, very cool and inspiring. You gotta give 'em hope!

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It Gets Better - Dan Savage

In response to the recent suicide of Billy Lucas, a fifteen-year-old Indiana teenager who was taunted for being gay, Dan Savage has launched a new initiative, the It Gets Better Project, to communicate to young gay kids that their lives are not hopeless despite the bigotry and hatred they may encounter in their communities and from their families and so-called friends. As Dan tells it:

"My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas," a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. "I wish I could have told you that things get better." I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids. So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better. I've launched a channel on YouTube to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one.

Watch the beautiful, funny, touching, and hope-filled video above, and then go to the YouTube page and see how you can submit your own video message to gay kids. It will be noticed. It is necessary. Dan Savage quotes the man himself: "You gotta give 'em hope," Harvey Milk said.

It Gets Better Project (YouTube)

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Answers About Gay Youth in New York from Kai Wright

Author Kai Wright is an advocate for LGBT youth. He recently answered some questions on that topic in a three-part article in the New York Times. Lots of interesting and hope-inspiring comments. Like me, Wright believes strongly in reaching out to the next generation of gay youth:

Personally, I think out gay educators offer students wonderful opportunities to learn not just about diversity but also the critical thinking it fosters. There are obvious political challenges, which stretch past sexual orientation. Teachers from all walks of life are too often discouraged from bringing their full selves to the classroom, to my mind. But I won’t wade too deeply into education policy, lest I show how little I know.

More broadly, I’ll say that adults working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth consistently report their greatest challenge is people power: There just aren’t enough adults willing to enter into what are by any measure challenging relationships. The cross-generational communication challenges are enormous and filled with assumptions and misunderstandings on both sides. There’s just not a lot of trust between gay youth and adults, in part because there is so little contact between them.

In addition, the significant baggage many gay adults have with their own youth (who wants to go back there?) can make it difficult for some to step up to the challenge.

I particularly liked one of the questions, which was about the advantages of being a gay youth.

It’s not so much that being gay offers an advantage, but it opens doors to meet other remarkable, dynamic gay young people who are building healthy, exciting lives that never make it into the headlines or broadcasts.

I do believe there is something positive that, while not unique to gay youth, is at least a quintessential part of the gay experience: having to step forward and make an active choice about building the life you want rather than the one you’ve been told you should lead. The debate over whether sexual orientation is a choice makes this a delicate point, but it’s an important one nonetheless. You do, in fact, have a choice as a gay person, of any age. It’s the choice between living honestly versus trying to suppress or conceal your sexuality. In my opinion, society pushes hard against making the former choice, particularly if you’re a young person who is still materially (and emotionally) dependent on family. Even before getting to the external barriers, there are many internal ones: the fear of being singled out, of being alone, of taking a step with no idea about what comes next. Someone who nonetheless chooses to build the life that feels true to them has been through a remarkable rite of passage.

It is not an easy road being gay, and it certainly hasn't been easy for me as over the years I've wrestled with accepting that part of my being. But now that I've completely accepted myself as gay and am confident about being gay, as I was when I first became aware that I'm gay as a teenager, I often feel that I wouldn't want to be any other way. When you're gay you see the world differently, and I love knowing I can be honest and caring about guys without the fear and competition that straight men go through with each other. Anyway, check out all three parts of Kai Wright's Q&A; it's very good.

Answers About Gay Youth in New York (The New York Times):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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