This Writer’s Brain
The 1st draft of my 3rd book, Girl Sex 101, is done and off to my editor and illustrator. (Learn more about the book here) I’ve been “done” for a week, and I’m going a little nuts. Yes, there’s more to do, but this is the weird lull that after 3 books I’ve grown to hate. An efficient writer/publisher would use this downtime to work on press releases, tweak the production calendar, and cross all the paperwork “t’s”. I’ve done it before. But for this book, my circumstances are...
read moreWhy I’m Never Selling on Consignment Again
There are many frustrating realities of being a self-published author: unfriendly review policies, managing your own production, stigma, and more. Now, after self-publishing two books and prepping the third, I’ve decided to improve my quality of life by fixing one of these frustrating realities: I’m not selling on consignment to bookstores anymore. Consignment works like this: You loan a bookstore your books. If they sell them, they pay you, if they don’t, they either give the books back, sell them for a loss, or destroy them. There...
read moreTruth-Telling and Permission-Giving: Sexy Stories for Revolutions
I have an agenda. As both a sex educator and a fiction author, I walk in two worlds. Granted there’s a decent overlap, but it’s sometimes been hard for me to figure out how to be 100% authentic without alienating fans of either of my careers. Where these two passions come to an elegant union, however, is storytelling. I don’t mean spinning a yarn though, I mean true, honest, storytelling. For most of my childhood I was either considered a weirdo or a confidante because I was gifted with very little shame. I say gifted...
read moreHow to Have Opinions About Art
In my former life, I was a theater reviewer, gallerist, and curator. I continue to be a passionate advocate for artists and will always be a great lover of art. Last year, I posted a sarcastic-as-hell blog post How to Write Bad Reviews. But I realize that people might actually be interested in how to be better armchair art critics. In an effort to replace snark with substance, I’d like to offer amateur reviewers some tips for writing useful and insightful reviews of books, film, and art. Start from a Place of Love: Roger Ebert loved...
read moreQueer girl visibility poll!
I’m working on a sexy, new book project that has to remain on the DL for another couple of weeks. In the meantime, I want to hear from you! This book will have a large cast of characters on the girlqueer-to-genderqueer spectrum and I want to know what kinds of girls you don’t think get enough representation in sexy books. Do you want to read more about FilAm fat femmes? Skinny AfroCuban butches? Deaf femme-faggots? What kinds of fabulous folks do you want to see more of? Let me know in the comments! In the meantime, stay...
read moreAllison Reads at the Cleveland Gay & Lesbian Center!
Title: Allison Reads at the Cleveland Gay & Lesbian Center!Location: The LGBT Community Center 6600 Detroit Avenue, ClevelandLink out: Click hereDescription: I’m visiting the place where I came out AND giving a reading! This is so exciting! Come out to this FREE event on Tuesday, May 28 at the Cleveland Gay & Lesbian Center!!!!Start Time: 19:00Date:...
read moreWisCon – Madison, Wisconsin
Title: WisCon – Madison, WisconsinLocation: Madison, WisconsinLink out: Click hereDescription: I’ll be at WisCon for a hot minute on Friday, May 24th! Come by the Broad Universe booth to buy my books and say hello! I leave on Saturday, so be sure to find me on Friday if you want to buy any merch or get a book signed. Date: 2013-05-24
read moreHow to Deal with Bad Reviews
Now that Hungry Ghost has been out in the world for two weeks, the very first of the reviews are starting to dribble in. I figure this is a great time to remind myself, and you, of the ways I deal with bad reviews. Take a deep breath. Know that a bad review will likely trigger an emotional response. It sucks the first couple of times, but you get used to it. Let the flood of stress hormones happen. Keep breathing. Then practice some self-care. Know this is all optional. Lots of authors don’t read reviews. You can add your...
read moreLIT! Durham : queer.writers.drinking
Title: LIT! Durham : queer.writers.drinkingLocation: The Pinhook – 117 West Main Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701Link out: Click hereDescription: LIT! is an evening of queer writers giving you their best fiction, poetry, and embarrassing life stories, while most of us have a drink in the name of art. Hosted by Allison Moon. Featuring readings by Alysia Angel, Tanya Olson, CJ Suitt, and more! Show starts at 7pm Books and merch will be on sale. ** This event is open to all 21+ folks: drinkers, non-drinkers, queers, non-queers, writers,...
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