A couple of days ago, there was a discussion that sort of flashed past my timeline. An author of gay romance who is also a gay man was expressing the frustration over a sentiment in an m/m group that was posted—“women write the best m/m”—and how unwelcoming it can feel to gay men writing gay … Continue reading The Shoulder Check Problem
Diversity in Writing
Romance Writers of America
Dear board members and president; I cannot put in strong enough terms the level of disappointment (and outright frustration and anger) I feel at the decision to censure Courtney Milan for her ongoing efforts and discourse to attempt to change the direction of the RWA and romance writing in general toward a more inclusive, representative … Continue reading Romance Writers of America
When They Don’t Get It
This week, I was super lucky and was asked to step in at the last minute to talk to a local writing group about queerness, as a replacement. Now, before anything else, I want to say it was a really good overall experience, it went about as well as I ever expect it to, and … Continue reading When They Don’t Get It
State of the ‘Nathan
Hello! I know, I know. This blog has basically been nothing but flash fics and short story reviews for a while now—not that there's anything wrong with that—but today I have actual updates on writing type news, and not only that but it's not one bit of news but two to share with y'all, and … Continue reading State of the ‘Nathan
Judging for Yourself
Both the Lammies and the RITAs have announced their finalist lists for the year. Now, before anything else, I want to make sure I begin with a simple declarative here: there are some really great things that are happening on both lists. And there's some buts. I don't know how coherent I'm going to be … Continue reading Judging for Yourself
Historical Romance and Queerness as Up For Debate
I recently joined the RWA despite knowing full well it wouldn’t necessarily be a place I’d be welcome. I’m a queer writer of queer stories—including romance—and seeing some forward motion in the organization made me think perhaps it was time. Or at the very least, it was time enough to try and get involved, rather … Continue reading Historical Romance and Queerness as Up For Debate