Erastes’s Comments (group member since Sep 07, 2011)

Erastes’s comments from the Q&A with Erastes group.

I've not found any yahoo groups to be particularly effective - good reviews and perhaps interviews on bigger sites, perhaps, but I don't know how to even check the effectiveness. I think the best way to sell books is to write another one.

If you can move it without spoiling the plot, that might be best! Good luck and looking forward to reading it!

I've had a look this morning and couldn't really find out much -- I didn't know it was that limited--I thought it was a weekly dance, to be honest.

My rule-of-thumb is that if you are finding the information difficult to find, then no one is really going to moan about it too much.

You could join the historical novel society yahoo group and ask them? There is a huge knowledge base there.

Or the livejournal group "little details"?

Sorry I wasn't of more help, seriously I didn't know that it wasn't weekly!

Sorry, Sue--I missed this somehow, the notifications from GR can be a little patchy.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that Austen has some of her men disappearing off into little side rooms to gamble, Almacks was primarily a gambling house, but people came to dance too.

Emilie wrote: "I've read a number of good m/m historical romances, happily. I have to say that Ransom by Lee Rowan is way up there for me, and so are the Cambridge Fellow Mysteries, mentioned above. I'd also hi..."

all good choices! Thank you!

Tristan wrote: "Erastes wrote: "The term is "Mary Sue" (or for a man, "Gary Stu" but there are variations) it was a term invented in 1973 for a Trekkie character.

Here's the Wiki entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/..."

Perhaps I should write the book "The Pitfalls and Morasses to avoid in M/M"

:)

The term is "Mary Sue" (or for a man, "Gary Stu" but there are variations) it was a term invented in 1973 for a Trekkie character.

Here's the Wiki entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

Basically, if you character is a goody two shoes, can do everything effortlessly without raising a sweat, everyone lOVES them then you are in danger of creating a Sue or a Stu.

I know that Josh Lanyon has written a book about writing m/m fiction, ( but I don't know if it addresses pitfalls like Gary Stus!

Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks & Cash

Grace wrote: "As a newbie to the genre I'm afraid I've only read two. A Promise of Tomorrow by Rowan McAllister and Frost Fair by Erastes and I loved them both. I aim to read more of course as I regard it as pa..."

Check out www.speakitsname.com - there's so many great ones there - use the four and five star tag. Glad you liked FF--thanks!

Yes, I think so--there was a gay character in Night Watch as far as I remember, but that's about it! I hope you enjoy ITT.

K.Z. wrote: "I'm really looking forward to exploring the work of Lucius Parhelion and [author:Elliott Mackle|595132

Hope you enjoy them. Parhelion writes some really unusual time periods--so does Elliot, actually! LOL

The first story is "Whatever the Risk" and is in Queered Dimensions. The second story "Traffic" hasn't been published yet. I'd like to do a whole book of short stories about them in one antho--all standalones, but with perhaps an over-reaching arc.

Oh yes, it wouldn't pass the Historical Novel Society's criteria, but as no-one else had listed gay historicals I had to use criteria which worked for me--and Maurice and The Charioteer are too important works in the genre to be left out. I don't think that real people and real events are at all necessary, as long as the world around and facts are accurate.

*giggles* there are so many of them!

Elin wrote: "Would you ever attempt the world building that a fantasy novel demands?"

Oh yes--in fact I have done with my space-opera shorts about twomarried (to each other) men who run a trading vessel and get into trouble a lot...whole universe building but not sci fi realism. More along the lines of the famous star trek quote: when asked "How does the Heisenberg compensator work?" by Time magazine, Star Trek technical adviser Michael Okuda responded: "It works very well, thank you."

Madelynne wrote: "I'm very fond of Maurice, and The Vintner's Luck."

:)me too! we need more of that kind of thing and fewer weeping male prostitutes...

I'v heard of this one - it's on the list

www.speakitsname.com but I've not been able to get hold of a copy!

Thanks for contributing, Mary!

Marion is a Really Good Egg and always beautifully thrilled when someone contacts her--I met her that way and I've got the sequel to The Boy I Love in my reading queue right now and can't wait to get to it.

Oh, I'm not offended by your mention of romance. I'm not a fan of the genre overall--and particularly for gay historicals. I find it difficult to write a HEA that's convincing and solid and I admire those who do. Anyone who's read any of my books will realise that most of my HEAs are "Just for the moment" and in some cases perhaps only for one night... I prefer gay lit, but I write romance for now because there's no way women are being given a fair shake of the stick when it comes to recognition of gay lit. That being said... my next two novels are not at all Romance!

I haven't read God in Flight--not sure if it's even been reviewed on Speak Its Name, must try and get hold of a copy - thanks - and great list. I did love Call Me By Your Name, I have to say. It FELT historical, even if it wasn't.

Kernos wrote: "Erastes wrote: "...I really couldn't get on with Kav and Clay - see my review on SIN for that! LOL. But it would be a dull world if we all thought th..."

I think one of the reasons I liked Kav & ..."

Here's SIN (speak its name) Go the "Reviews Done" page - the review is listed there - along with many many others!

www.speakitsname.com

Well, personally I say yes. However, the Historical Novel Society says it has to have been written about the past of 50 years, so it doesn't qualify for them--but no-one was making rules for GHF -- there was little around, or at least no-one had lumped it all together into a list so I made my own rules! It means that books like the Charioteer and Maurice also qualify, when they wouldn't under HNS rules.

Agree with all your prompts -although I have read the C-Lamb, and I really couldn't get on with Kav and Clay - see my review on SIN for that! LOL. But it would be a dull world if we all thought the same, and it's great that we are getting varied opinions here - thank you.

I haven't heard from Ruth for a few days, but I had an email last week, and she was better then, her health scare wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be, and although her vision isn't great, it's getting better. Hope she can get back to writing soon, someone needs to!