The Return of WIP it Wednesday!

    I just realized that I have not updated this list in quite a while. . . I am so sorry. I will strive to update it at least every two weeks or so! (All hail the return of WIP-it Wednesday!) As far as writing habit, I'm writing on average 500 words a day, which I would love to improve and get to 1000 words a day within the next month. I am also very excited to have a couple of co-writes in process. . .

    Right now, I have two FREE READS finished. I did "The Question Game" (FINISHED and PUBLISHED) for last year's challenge on the Goodreads M/M, Love Is Always Write, and it was published in August 2012 and then I did the challenge again this year and produced "I Sing the Body Eclectic/ ISTBE"  (FINISHED and GOING THROUGH EDITS) which was rejected because it did not follow the guidelines, so I went back into that universe and created "The Missing Pieces" (FINISHED and PUBLISHED around August 17th), which compliments ISTBE, so my plan is to have "The Missing Pieces" as a FREE gift to the readers, turning ISTBE into a novella, and then "The Big Picture" to finish the story off.

     Regarding sold pieces, Two Tiny Secrets (FINISHED and PUBLISHED) came out in February, and then Exercising His Options (FINISHED and PUBLISHED) came out on July 5th. So, that means that once I finish revisions, I will be working on selling ISTBE, and expanding Shattered Mirrors (which was FINISHED as a short, and then advised to form into a complete novel).  A Little Lonely, which is the follow up to "Exercising His Options" is FINISHED and GOING THROUGH BETAS, and hopefully will be published soon. 

So . . .to recap. . .

1. The Question Game, published August 2012
2. Two Tiny Secrets, published Feb 2013
3. Exercising His Options, published July 5th, 2013
4. The Missing Pieces, set to be published August 2013
5. I Sing the Body Eclectic, in final revisions to become a novella
6. A Little Lonely, out to betas and then be submitted
7. Shattered Mirrors, being expanded to a novella
8. The Big Picture, being plotted out
9. The Perfect Marriage, (the third piece of the Kurt/Enver/Deanna triangle), being plotted out
10. The Things Edgar McMann Saw While He Lay Dying (a co-write)  being plotted
11. The Deathwalk Chronicles (5563 words) Totaling 34082 words
     a.) Dark Side of Day (14739 words)
     b.) My Father's Son (9554 words)
     c.) Broken, Not Fixed (1770 words)
     d.) Absolute Power (2456 words)
12. Another Day (17974 words) Working on BLOG
13. Becoming Carnal (6568 words)
14. Colors in the Sky (7053 words)
15. Gender Non (2362 words)
16. Ghost Love (960 words)
17. Nicest Kid (1669 Words)
18. No Breeders Allowed (3902 Words)
19. Rainbow Rage (668 Words)
20. The Black (2010 Words)
21.  The Chosen Family Chronicles (6200 words)
        a.) Picket Fences
        b.) Roads Traveled
        c.) Anger Ball -Part One
        d.) I'm Gonna Love You Through It
        e.)  Anger Ball -Part Two
        f.) The F Word (801 Words)
22. The Release (3178 Words)
23. Tulpa (612 Words)
24. The Zombie Curse (586 Words)
25. The Unknown (524 Words)
26. Two Week Notice (2657 Words)

SEVEN FREE BOOKS, A 50.00 DOLLAR GIFT CARD, and lots of love could be yours!!!

I've posted quite a bit over the last few weeks regarding my blog tour for AdDickTion Volume Three, and regarding Writer's Online Network - Blog Talk Radio (WON-BTR). This post is about both. . . and neither. I wanted to give everyone another chance to win some (one of seven) awesome FREE books. . .

J.P. Barnaby was on BTR with me two weeks ago and gave us tons of insight into her world. And then, I visited her blog just a few days ago . . . (You can check it out here) AND NOW She’s OFFERING A FREE BOOK IF YOU READ AND/OR LISTEN, and leave a comment here or there!

Next, up there is Colette L Saucier, and her interview on BTR last week (Here is the link in case you missed it!) where she tells about her name creation process, about the pressure of writing a historical, and the words she just won’t use. . . And she is giving away TWO eBooks! One copy each of *Pulse and Prejudice* AND her NEW RELEASE *Alicia's Possession*  . . .SO check that out and comment here to possibly win these books.

Brenda Cothern, featured on BTR on Wednesday, reveals her thoughts on the yays and nays of indie publishing and the work she credits as inspiration and motivation for her author journey. Amazon listed her as a Top 20 Author in gay, gay romance, and romance, listen up and find out why! Brenda is offering a chance to win one of three copies of one of her books, you can enter by commenting on her blog.

 AND FINALLY . . .

 Vicktor Alexander, who was on the show tonight, is offering a $50 Amazon Giftcard AND a free e-book copy of any one book from his backlist or a free copy of "Chain Me" when it releases in August.  To be elligible for this drawing you will need to: 1) be a follower of WON-BTR (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writersonlinenetwork) and 2) Leave a comment about the show. (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writersonlinenetwork/2013/07/20/write-on-the-edge-w-guest-vicktor-alexander)

Glee, Death, and Changing the Wind!!

I am writing this post in response to the announcement of death for Cory Monteith.

     First, let me say that I was not Cory’s biggest fan. Sure, I noticed him here and there once in a while, but overall he did not stand out in my memory. That was until I saw him on Glee. Finn Hudson, the character he played, was not my favorite. But as he stood up for Kurt and cheered on the Glee squad, I noticed that smirk and bright eyes more and more. I understand the actor who played Finn was not a James Dean or a Kurt Cobain. Some feel he did not blaze a path for others to follow, but he did try hard to give voice to that “normal kid” who was popular but still terribly insecure. And for that I give him major props. While I am a fan of the show, and maybe even a Gleek, I did not study the intimidate details of Cory’s or anyone else’s life. I did not know that he had struggles with drugs, but it was not terribly surprising to find out.  Everyone has their struggles, failures, and victories.

     The reason I write this post (and dedicate it to Cory) is simple: Because once again I am reminded of the short breath of life that exists in each one of us. I know we all think “here today, gone tomorrow”, but do we really treat life that way? Do we acknowledge the people that mean the most to us? Do we cherish every experience as if it might be the last time? Do we honor each other and ourselves in only committing what we can, time, money, or energy wise? Do we, as Tim McGraw sings, “live like we are dying”? I ask these questions not as a lecture for anyone else, but as a reminder to myself that “Tomorrow is not Guaranteed!”

And my biggest hope when I perish is that others will see my life and remember me giving all I could, to myself, my wife, my family, my friends, and perhaps even to those I don’t know. I hope that people remember the kindness I’ve shown, the forgiveness I’ve offered, the love we’ve shared, the memories (great and small) we built together. I hope that I have let go of my hatred, my anger, my grudges, and my insecurities. I don’t care if I die with money or possessions, big houses, pretty clothes, and beautiful cars. I would rather know that I meant something positive in the universe, that I helped changed people’s lives for the better.

     I admit: I am scared that I will be forgotten after I’m gone. But if I am, I can only hope that someone somewhere has an easier, more beneficial life because I dared to fight for love, honor, respect, compassion, and the truth (Which for me is that we are all connected and have the ability to change the direction of the wind.)

     I hope this letter finds you all well. And if you are not, think but this: You are still alive and have the ability to change your situation, in thought, deed and action. If you need me to focus positive energy for you, please let me know.  

      Thank you , Cory, for reminding me of all this. Yet again. –Wt

Tornado Living, dream development, and FREE books by Colette L Saucier!

Greetings, faithful reader. I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I mean, I've been posting but nothing personal because my life is a tornado . . . a "fun filled crazy sour patch kid" of a tornado. I mean, I'm been kicked out twice in as many months (no details needed, just focus on the positive!) It seems the universe likes me in chaotic form, LOL. But while surfing various couchs, looking for imaginary jobs, and trying not to give up to the pit of despair, I pray for ability to see the silver lining, or at least avoid the giant puddles of shit!

And I continue to fight for my dream . . .world peace, of course. Followed quickly by becoming a world famous author. And to that end, some things have changed. I left post with Marketing For Romance Writers as their Blog Talk Radio Coordinator and took on a new challenge. My friend, Kristyn Phipps, and I starting a new project called Writer's Online Network and I am super excited about it. It combines all my major passions while helping me to grow both as an author and a completely unprofessional professional networker. (Which as you all know is my hard core passion!)

So with this development my show Write On the Edge has moved over to the new network and as Director of Writer's Online Network Blog Talk Radio (aka WON-BTR) we have five new shows that will be debuting in August. I am very excited about this shows that will feature everything from contemporary authors to paranormal, as wide as the spectrum goes. Behind the Book will feature those who work behind the scenes, Ask the Editor will be anyone's chance to hear from the horse's mouth, and Freshly Booked, a series geared to people new to the craft of writing. There will be more information released about these shows in the upcoming weeks. And there is still room for you. In September we will debuting five more shows! So if you have an idea and you want help bringing it to life (and people's ears), email me at wtprater.jwasg@yahoo.com

And speaking of Write On the Edge, tonight I got to meet Colette L Saucier, whose bestselling book, Pulse and Prejudice, is a brilliant revamp of a classic. Find out about her inspiration for writing this book, how she incorporates her kids in her writing process, and who her greatest inspiration is. She also tells about her name creation process, about the pressure of writing a historical, and the words she just won’t use.Check out Write On the Edge w/ guest Colette L Saucier at http://tobtr.com/s/5113401. #BlogTalkRadio

AND IF YOU COMMENT BELOW YOU ARE ENTERED TO WIN A COPY OF ONE OF HER BOOKS! SO DO IT! (The drawing will take place next thursday on that episode of Write On the Edge.)

AdDickTion Volume 3 - The Release, The Tour, and Ways to Get It !!!

     Ad-Dick-tion Volume Three was released TODAY!!! This is my third big release and I am so excited. This anthology features my short story, Exercising His Options.

     Marriage is already an obstacle course but this is one hurdle they never imagined. This is the story of Enver Mann and his wife Deanna, who have their marriage challenged when Enver begins to lust after someone else. . .a man.

      This steamy story will have you running to the bedroom for some alone time, or maybe, some together time with the one you love. Either way, it will provoke conversation and bring the question "What defines a marriage?" I will do a blog tour to promote the anthology (and this story) throughout all the July and August. Starting with Raven's Ramblings... http://www.ravenmcallan.blogspot.com/2013/07/ad-dick-tion-3-is-here-and-so-is-wt.html TODAY and check out the list below to see who else's blog I'll be appearing on. And if you just can't wait and you want to buy the anthology now, here's the link . .

http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=18&products_id=460&zenid=9k2bci5sdle7diob81rcbi6d36
AND HERE
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-addicktionvol3-1228214-166.html
AND HERE
http://www.bookstrand.com/ad-dick-tion-vol-3

And here are the posts where I'll be, when I'll be there, and what my post will be about:

July 6th Mychael Black  http://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/category/blog/ 

That Line Ain't So Straight (Thinking Outside of Labels)
July 8th Becca Butcher  http://beccabutcher.wordpress.com 

PDS (Public Displays of Sex)

July 12th Louisa Bacio  http://louisabacio.blogspot.com 

Down On My knees (A discussion of Christianity Vs Homosexuality)
July 17th JP Barnaby  http://www.jpbarnaby.com/ 

We're All Prostitutes Here (Understanding the pay rate)
July 18th Dianne Hartsock  http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/ 

Sexuality, DOMA, and Beyond

July 22nd Michael Rhua  http://www.michaelarhuaauthor.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Enver Mann - Writing Myself Into the Story
July 25th Morgan Danes http://morgandane.wordpress.com/  

Deanna Mann - How Naked Can I Get? (The Road to Self Discovery)
July 26th Word Enlightenment  http://wordenlightenment.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Small Words, Big Plots ( The subtle element of storytelling)
July 28th Tales From the Writing Cave  http://talesfromthewritingcave.blogspot.com/

Do Gingers Have Souls? (Picking Physical Traits for Characters)
July 30th Babes in Boyland  http://www.babesinboyland.net/

Thumbing Our Nose at the Institution of Marriage
July 31st Xara  X Xanakas  http://xaraxanakas.com/x/Blog.html/ 

From Cos Play to Cat O'Nine Tails ( Geeks and Kink)
August 2nd Jacob Flores http://www.jacobzflores.com/

Poly . . .The Naked Truth

Write On the Edge and A Chance at FREE books!!!

Never before has Write On the Edge attempted an author roundtable, but this challenge was well worth it. Gotten together by The Mixed Tape Anthologies, recently released by ManLoveRomance Press, these five artists are all brilliant in different ways. Cherie Noel, Jambrea Jo Jones, Embry Carlysle, CJ Anthony and editor Kris Jacen  discuss what drew them all to these anthologies, how important Goodreads is to authors, and what they think of Vanilla Ice. This discussion is guaranteed to make you giggle as we talk about Paula Abdul, songs you can't get out of your head, and how  many people Kris Jacen has roped into writing.

AS A BONUS . . . just by listening to Write On the Edge and answering the question below, you will be entered to win a FREE copy of one of the four stories written by Cherie, CJ, Embry, or Jambrea. PLUS if you are really lucky. . . a FREE copy one of the four books in The Mixed Tape Anthology.

Laugh and learn by listening HERE!



And the question is: How many new authors are showcased in The Mixed Tape Anthologies?

A Declaration of Pride!, a Blog Hop, and a "Ask the Editor" session

Wanna win a copy? Leave a comment, and enter to win! 

I am a coat of many colors. Some people would like to  color me as only a gay man, but I am many other things. Being gay is not a strength or a weakness, it is simply a part of my DNA. When asked about my life, I say the only choice I made was to be comfortable with the feelings and attractions that I had had since I was five years old. But again, being gay is not the only thing that makes me me. Yes, I am an activist. And I am do write M/M. And I don't believe in secrets! (But many of my characters do, like Victor and Marissa of Two Tiny Secrets, my latest short story on sale here!)

I have gay friends who talk about gay things, but I also have straight, bisexual, and transgendered friends who inform, educate, and entertain me on matters of their first culture.

I am not and will not be pigeon holed into being only one thing. I am writer. I am a husband. I am a poet, a humanitarian, and a deep thinker. I am against bullying, hate, and discrimination of anyone. period. I am a hippie, a social butterfly, and a bibliophile. And I choose to believe I am all these things and would be all these things, whether or not I am gay, queer, or otherwise strange. Each of these things are a part of the quilt that make up my mentality and physicality. They are, as Dolly Parton sung, my coat of many colors which I hope to wear until the day I die. And I will have pride in all this, and more, as I discover new and interesting things about myself as I grow older.

And speaking of a coat of many colors, I got the chance to do an "Ask the Editor" session with Kris Jacen, who I have the honor of calling a great editor, an excellent advisor, and an incredible friend. She answered a ton of questions about the ideal author for an editor, her various projects (including Butt Pirates in Space), and the things she can (and cannot) teach as an editor.

Check out that Q&A and be educated, enlightened, and even tickled.

Her bio . . . Kris Jacen is the Executive Editor and Formatting Director for ManLoveRomance Press and its imprints. She was invited to join the MLR staff in 2008 and has never looked back. Working with over thirty-five phenomenal authors such as Rick R. Reed, JP Bowie, Ally Blue, Jet Mykles, and S.J. Frost has allowed her to both hone her editorial skills and indulge her inner fangirl. Kris also acts as editor, mentor and sounding-board for newcomers including Kendall McKenna, Parker Williams and Z. Allora. With this stable of talent under her guidance, Kris is quick to tell anyone who will listen that she loves her job. And her authors are just as quick to say that they love their editor.

And we part of the Rainbow Blog Hop, hosted by the Marketing For Romance Writers group. Tour around and see what else you can win while learning about other authors and projects!

AND A FREE GIVEAWAY!!!
Free to everyone -- No entry needed.
Download your favorite version of the exclusive Marketing for Romance Writers Rainbow Excerpts Book, with 60 pages of excerpts and samples from our authors. This version features gay romance.
Kindle http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/RainbowExcerptBook-Vol1.prc
Nook / ePub http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/RainbowExcerptBook_Vol1.epub
Adobe PDF http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/RainbowExcerptBook-Vol1.pdf

"Write On the Edge!" with Sedonia Guillione and "Ask the Editor" this Thursday!!

A triple threat as owner of her own press, editor, and author Sedonia Guillone is in the spotlight on this episode of Write On the Edge. In this interview, we focus on her as an author, with her new Re-release of "His Beautiful Samurai". Sedonia shares intimate information that has assisted her with her writing style, how she focuses on the beauty of writing about human nature, and the difficult but rewarding challenge of writing love scenes. This interview gives you an insight into the mind and ideas of a awe inspiring writer of LGBT Romance, intrigue, and love! Check it out here!

Sedonia's bio . . .Multi-published, award-nominated author, she lives on the water in Florida with a Renaissance man who paints, writes poetry and tells her she’s the sweetest nymph he’s ever met. When she’s not writing erotic romance, she loves watching spaghetti westerns, Jet Li and samurai flicks, cuddling, and eating chocolate. She writes both man/man and man/woman erotic romances and hopes you’ll find something here you like!

AND THIS THURSDAY, we will feature our very first " Ask the Editor" with Kris Jacen of ManLoveRomance and FeatherWeight Press. The lines will be open for your questions for this incredibly marvelous woman who has been an editor with these presses for years. She recently edited Lost and Found, the anthology, and will be with us answering queries about everything you can think of regarding writing and the process of publishing. We are taking questions beforehand, simply email us at wtprater.jwasg@yahoo.com and we will try to ask your question, as time permits.

Kris' bio . . . Kris Jacen is the Executive Editor and Formatting Director for ManLoveRomance Press and its imprints. She was invited to join the MLR staff in 2008 and has never looked back. Working with over thirty-five phenomenal authors allows her to both hone her editorial skills and indulge her inner fangirl. Kris is quick to tell anyone who will listen that she loves her job. And her authors are just as quick to say that they love their editor.http://www.amazon.com/His-Beautiful-Samurai-Sedonia-Guillone/dp/1934166839http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Samurai-Genjin-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00CSDVCGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370984139&sr=1-1&keywords=his+beautiful+samurai

Write On the Edge! with Piper Vaughn and coming up on the show

Have you discovered author Piper Vaughn? Well, here's your chance to find a new favorite person or re-acquaint yourself with her as she answers questions about her favorite words for intimate matters, who is her ideal fictional lover, and how she uses the social security website to come up with the names for her characters. This interview will have you rolling with laughter as we play "Name that song", talked about writer's block, and how she uses google maps in her writing process. Check it out here! 

Piper's Bio . . .She wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing was exactly what she wanted to do. She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put characters of every ethnicity in her stories. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book.

Coming soon. . . Tonight (Friday, June 7th) we will be interviewing author, editor and owner of Ai press, Sedonia Guillione!!

Sedonia's Bio . . . Multi-published, award-nominated author, Sedonia Guillone lives on the water in Florida with a Renaissance man who paints, writes poetry and tells her she’s the sweetest nymph he’s ever met. When she’s not writing erotic romance, she loves watching spaghetti westerns, Jet Li and samurai flicks, cuddling, and eating chocolate. She writes both man/man and man/woman erotic romances and hopes you’ll find something here you like!

AND NEXT THURSDAY, we will feature our very first " Ask the Editor" with Kris Jacen of ManLoveRomance and FeatherWeight Press. The lines will be open for your questions for this incredibly marvelous woman who has been an editor with these presses for years. She recently edited Lost and Found, the anthology, and will be with us answering queries about everything you can think of regarding writing and the process of publishing. We are taking questions beforehand, simply email us at wtprater.jwasg@yahoo.com and we will try to ask your question, as time permits. 

And next Friday . . .C R Guiliano, author of It Takes a Village. 

A Promo Opportunity For All the Rainbow . . .

FOR ALL MY RAINBOW WRITERS OUT THERE . . . AN OPPORTUNITY . . .
A group I am a part of (Marketing For Romance Writers) is putting together a Mini-book to help promote authors and an upcoming Blog Hop and i'm helping organize the project. 

So, what is a mini-book you might ask? It is a book that contains excerpts written by the various authors who are a part of it from works they are promoting.

Now, the catch . . .YOU MUST BE A PART OF THE MFRW GROUP IN ORDER TO BE A PART. But joining the MFRW is FREE and so worth it! Ask me how to join if you are interested . . .

Our first minibook is due to come out in coordination with our next hop, the Rainbow hop. If you write in this category, we would love to promote your book. Submissions will close on May 29th at noon. This is a FREE promotional book for anyone in the MFRW Rainbow category. The book will be published in conjunction with our Rainbow Hop June 14-16.

FIVE COMPLETELY FREE Ways to Increase Your Social Net (And Maybe Your PROFITS!)

Hey guys and gals. . . . My name is Wt Prater and I wanted to let you know about FIVE opportunities to get yourself, your book, or short story out there farther. That's right, five things you can take advantage of that are ABSOLUTELY FREE and open to you.

First, I host a Blog Talk Radio show called Write on the  Edge, where I talk with authors who write edgier projects, like GLBT material. I also cover BDSM and general Erotica authors on this show. This is a relatively new way to promo (at least for me), but it is awesome. If you are interested in scheduling an audio interview just because, or better yet, you have a project coming out, send me an email at wtprater.jwasg@yahoo.com

Next, I am also helping organize a Rainbow Blog Hop for our Marketing for Romance Writers yahoo group. This Hop is for exclusively LGBT Books, but we host a different blog hop every other month. AND we are putting together a Mini-book for each Blog Hop. This opportunity is only open to members of the group, but joining MFRW is so easy (not to mention incredibly beneficial)! Again, if you are interested, contact me.

The third chance to get yourself more out there: join me on my blog, which will be starting Author Interviews again soon. (All authors I interview are permanently listed on my website also. So check that out, too at  www.wtprater.com ) I am happy to help cross-promote authors and their projects. My blog is called Just Write and SO Gay. . .and it was established with that purpose in mind. And while it was started for just GLBT writers and projects, I am now ready and willing to interview any authors who would like to be interviewed. So, holla at me if I can help.

The fourth opportunity is based on the Pay It Forward idea. You have done the impossible: You have gotten through the muck and weeds and got published. Now it is time to give back by helping the next generation of writer. The group is called Write It Forward, and it is a "For Authors, By Authors" kinda place. This IS NOT LGBT exclusive, it is a group built for ALL authors. This is an opportunity to get your name out there, but there is NO PROMO allowed in the group!

The fifth opportunity is that I have a small group of authors I meet with monthly in person. This is a chance for us to check in, checking out each other's projects, cheerlead for each other, and if needed, coach each other on how to overcome obstacles in writing.  This group is only for people who want to write seriously, not dabble in the craft. (Not that there is anything wrong with dabbling.)

So if you are interested in any or all FIVE of these FREE opportunities to expand your networking, please contact me via FaceBook, Tumbler, Twitter, or LinkedIn (I am listed as Wt Prater on all of them) or email me at wtprater.jwasg@yahoo.com and I will respond as quickly as possible.

Music Monday!! Zazie . . . music to write, listen, and learn from . . .

                                                   
     I would like to introduce people to the beautiful music of Zazie. This French singer first captured my attention in 2003 when I was introduced to her song “Larsen.” I believe that Zazie’s success as an artist goes beyond her melodic voice and the almost hypnotizing music she puts to her lyrics.
     I believe that Zazie transcends the language barrier her international fans might encounter because she communicates tremendous emotion in her voice while she sings. You don’t have to be fluent in French to get the gist of what each song is trying to convey. ----Review by Amanda Miller 

At Amanda's suggestion, I started listening to Zazie and almost immediately became addicted. I researched her at  Wiki . . .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazie

And I also watched some of her videos including this one, which is beautiful and has a surprise ending which got Zazie in a lot of trouble at the time . . .

Zazie - Un point c'est toi

A few things about Zazie . . . She is known for playing with her language, which has led to the coining of the French word zazisme, or "Zazie-ism". She released Za7ie as seven different albums with a total of 49 songs. Her attitude about the GLBT community: Love is love, and all love is normal, which she states in her song "Adam et Yves"

                                                    
Zazie currently has 8 albums (One best of . . . . ), all in French, all emotionally charged, so check them out.

Write It Forward Project and thanks again. . .

"Don't write unless it's a compulsion you can't overcome."  --Author Bonnie McCune

      So . . .as many of you know, I held a workshop last weekend for people who are serious about writing and having projects published. The workshop was small and allowed for a lot of interaction regarding the research I do, which is a project I call Write It Forward.
      Nowadays, it feels like the internet is growing bigger and bigger and it is very easy to get lost. So I wanted to help however I could. And to that end I started this project. It's mission statement is very simple: To make it easier on the next generation of writers (and maybe even the current gen, too).
      So I did my first survey of writers, asking them what their most useful websites are, what blogs give great advice, and which sites they use for networking with other authors. I also asked for their advice to new authors and if they used writing tools and which ones were the most useful. Then I collected all their data and compiled it together and gave it to other authors, people who had yet to publish anything.
       Doing this survey re-enforced my feelings about my author friends being helpful and overall willing to share their experiences. But I was completely surprised how much I learned (and have to learn) by doing this survey. From the tools I didn't know existed to the blogs that will probably change my writing forever, I am so grateful to all the people who were a part of what I call "The Five" survey.
       In fact, this process has changed me so much I want to learn more and help more, so very soon I will be putting out "The Next Five" survey which will be five more questions that will help authors better navigate the waters of the web and hopefully help the Write It Forward project even farther.
       So, if you are interested in being a part of this incredible project, Join us on FaceBook (the only place the group currently exists . . .RIGHT NOW. . . .) Hope to see you there, whether you want to know something or you have something to share. 
       This will be the only place I post the answers to all the questions I ask in the survey, so please come and join us. This project I hope will be on tremendous value to me and hope to many others.

Sigur Ros, music to write to. . .for Musical Monday!

Greetings and Welcome to Music off the Mainstream. My name is Wt Prater and I am a writer. And I love music. But I do not profess to be an expert at either. I simply have a passion for both. So, thus the journey started. I wanted to find music to write to, and I found that while I could be inspired by Top 40 music, I couldn't write to it because I would find myself singing along, not digging for my own words. So, i started exploring music in Foreign languages, which leads me to my first group: SIGUR ROS.

Now the first thing I do when I find a new group is I check out Wiki, so . . . here's their entry. The main reason i do that is so that I can see with their music is available. There is nothing worse to me then hearing a song, love the artist, and then finding it impossible to find more of their music.

So, Sigur Ros . . . A friend Facebooked (is that a real verb?) one of their videos, Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa,  and almost immediately I became addicted. Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson's voice grabbed me, emotionally, and wouldn't let go. It is worth mentioning that Jonsi also has a solo career, which is worth investigating as while.

Sigur Ros - Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa (translated "nice day for airstrikes") with English subtitles

A few things about the group. . . Jonsi identifies as Bisexual, the group is very GLBT friendly, and if you want to check out Shia LaBoeuf's hot naked body doing ballet type dancing and cross dressing, check out their video, Fjogur piano . . .

Sigur Ros currently has 6 albums, all in Icelandic, all emotionally vulnerable, so check them out. I guarantee you won't regret it. 

Help Not Wanted : A Letter to the Transgender Community

     I feel like I should start this letter off by saying I am Cis-gendered male and I am gay. I have known I was gay since I was five years old and I have never yearned to be female in any way, shape or form. True, I love the female ability to dress wildly and accessorize outrageously, but I would not give up my penis for the world.

    Now, with that said, I am tired of being considered less... by my own community. Because I am  a cis (equals biological) male, I am apparently assumed to be close minded and judgmental about the other parts of the rainbow. I am told that I can never understand what it is like to be a woman, or a black man, or a transgender-ed person because I was not born any of these. I am told that I am unique because I don't take issue with racial or physical differences when looking at my friends and loved ones.

    When I suggested helping start a Transgender support group, I was told I would look like a predator or that my being there would make any trans-men feel uncomfortable.That my being there would be counterproductive of the meeting and that I would be force-ably outing the trans-men in my community. And my question is: If I am a true ally to all, why must I be made to feel that my help, my support is worthless?

   And I am not alone. I have watched as many were told, "We appreciate your support, but you don't understand what it's like?" And one can only be told that so many times before walking away, feeling useless and ashamed that there is nothing we can offer.

   We are all of a life journey to find and realize our true selves. How is it that my experiences are less valuable because I am a cis male and white? Have I never been the minority? Have I never felt unloved or unwanted? I submit that we, as a human species, are all subjected to judgment from the masses, from our families and friends. And to be told that I'm not good enough to help anyone understand is insulting and perpetuates the same anger and frustration that my transgender counterparts feel.

   As a human being, I feel that as long as we continue to fight against each other and even those willing to help, we all lose. As long as we continue to talk about how your struggle is tougher than my struggle, we are not focusing on the things that will help us grow. As long as we tell ourselves and others that their help is not needed, their advice is not wanted, and their life experiences are invalid, we deny ourselves the ability to see the common themes and change so that all people are equal, dignified, and loved.

  This is the final battle: to be able to see and accept love from all who offer it and to believe in good intent even in the hardest of lessons. We will always fight hate in it's various forms, but it is only when we forget the power and healing of love that we are truly lost.

My interview with Shannyn Schroeder

Shannyn Schroeder is the mother of three and an author. Her book, More than This, just came out and is the first of six in The O'Leary Series. Learn about how she balances her real life and her writing, her movitation, and her musical playlist. Check out my interview with her here. . .

MFRW Spotlight presents Write on the Edge w/ host Wt Prater featuring Shannyn Schroeder

If I call myself an Ally, then I better act like one!

I am an open man. I am open about all aspects of my life. I tell people I am gay, kinky, married, a nerd, and other things that I am not ashamed of. But sometimes being so open causes me to forget open thing. . .other people aren't. And that, THAT is valid too. It is not my place to decide what information YOU should share. That is not an Ally. I do not judge in any way, but I forget that my openness is mine to share. it is not my place to "out" anyone else on anything that i haven't gotten direct permission to reveal.

Example . . .I'm talking to a group of friends, and i'm talking about Bob Johnson. Now, Bob told me that he likes diapers. And/or cross-dressing. And/or he's transgender.Now which of these "facts" are mine to talk about? NONE. Especially if I have not asked Bob if he is open with these things. I should probably assume he is not, and I shouldn't bullhorn (or even whisper) his life. Or things of a sensitive nature. Right?

That's just common sense, hopefully. If I am your ally, I am your protector, your friend. I should not expose your weaknesses or things you are working on, regardless of the intent. I shouldn't tell people your secrets or even possible discreet matters about you. That is not my place as your ally. If I'm not sure you've revealed yourself, I should take caution, and err on the side of SHUTTING MY FUCKING MOUTH.

So what is my role as an ally? To support, protect, help. Period.

And if you are my ally, please take heed of this cautionary note!!

The Real World:Nashville Edition

 As most of my readers will know I don't tend to share what is personally going on in my life. But with the most recent happenings it seems to be necessary to inform those who are curious as to what occurred. We shall title this adventure of Wt and Jule's "The Real World: Nashville Edition" So here's what happens when you take six people with vastly different personalities and have them stop being polite and start getting real...

It began with us moving out of our house and looking for a new living situation. One of our best friends (at the time) whom we shall name for this story Booby McRedHair approached us about getting a larger place because she was unhappy with the apartment she was living in. We understood that in accepting this arrangement along with her came her boyfriend Gamey McSlacker, and their two current roommates Gunny McPsycho and Casper the Gay Ghost. These names are not intended to be slanderous, but rather to bring humor to a time and situation that had been completely devoid of it.

We realized that moving into the living situation we were moving in six very different personalities: granted it was into a three floor townhouse so everyone had their space. The top floor had the master bedroom for Booby and Gamey and there were also bedrooms for Casper and Gunny. The middle floor was designated as Switzerland, one half the game room and the other half was the living room/dining room and kitchen. On the bottom floor there was a large room which we converted into our bedroom and there was the garage.

Now when we first moved in everyone worked day jobs except for myself since I was focusing on my writing which I mostly did at night. This worked for last than two months when both Gamey and Gunny both quit their jobs and began gaming almost 24/7. Now this would not have been a problem had it not been for the way gamey played, which was by yelling at the screen and constantly belittling the people he was online with. This became the source of our first major conflict.

By the time these issues had started to resolve themselves it was decided that Gunny would move into the gaming room thus allowing for two new roommates to move into his old room upstairs. This was decided without seeking our input or even meeting them prior to them moving in. With this move I began to feel very unwelcome on the middle floor and retreated into the bedroom where I stayed pretty much 24/7.

Even with all of this, we tried to see the positives in the situation. Julie and I had even discussed staying on another year beyond the one year mark. The Monday, mere days before "the incident", we had a household meeting in which we informed them of such. Looking back...well the signs were there, we just didn't want to see them.

That Thursday (Feb 21st) the power got turned off due to an old debt we were planning on finally taking care of literally the next week. But as luck would have it Booby, Casper, and Gunny were home. Now I should state that had they not both called in sick no one would have even known the power was off until it had already been restored. But as over-reactors would have it they decided to move the electricity bill into Casper's name. Meanwhile across town, my wife had left work early and was emptying out every account we had to pay the bill and get the power turned back on. Embarrassed and in tears, she texted everyone to let them know the situation had been dealt with and the power would be back on shortly.

The power came back on within six hours, but by then the damage had been done and the ball had started rolling. For the next day and a half no one in the household would speak to us. The hostility was palpable and culminated during the impromptu household meeting called the next day. The meeting began with them handing us an envelope that contained a threat stating that if we didn't get our finances in check that we could be evicted. We had never treated this as a landlord/lessee situation but as the six of them sat facing off with us. As Booby began to list off our many varied wrongs, I stopped her and asked a simple question “Do you want us to leave?”

Hemming and hawing around for a moment finally the answer was made of “Yes. We want you out.” We were then given the deadline of March 31st. As soon as we received this information we went through what appeared as the seven stages of grieving, which ended the next day...sort of...

Julie deciding that we were going to move out by the 1st of March and me agreeing to the challenge. We put out the call for places to stay and are now in the process of planning our next journey. At this point, we have some very good friends that have offered us temporary lodging. Where our destiny might take us is at this point unknown but we have received several offers within the Nashville area, one in Clarksville, one in Murfreesboro, and several well beyond Tennessee's boarders (Canada anyone?). By the end of March we plan to know more about where the spirits are leading us. but until then, we plan to keep it positive, learn from past experiences and as always Keep on writing.

My First Book Release (Short Story)

Out today from Torquere Press
"Welcome to Shady Business, the hottest gay BDSM club in town. Owned by Grey Shade, it's the place you want to be if you're into leather, whips, crops, and hot and steamy sex.

Each story in this anthology takes the reader inside the club for a steamy, hot night filled with passion, sex, and leather. From love stories that pluck at the heartstrings with riding crops to subs masquerading as Doms, from virginal first-time forays into the scene, to tales of experienced members in the leather community, there's something for every reader here. Top or bottom, Dom or sub, every need is met, every desire filled.

At Shady Business, no good deed ever goes unpunished."

Edited by Kiernan Kelly with stories by Kiernan Kelly, Kayelle Allen,Kc Burn, Lydian Harker, CR Guiliano Sascha Illyvich,, Wt Prater,Emily Moreton, CC Bridges, Wade Kelly, CB Conwy, Daniel Christian Juris, Amelia June, K.c. Wells, Winnie Jerome, PT Walden, Sean Michael ...http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=3812

Words Without Friends . . . The words I won't use.

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.  ---Napoleon Hill 


Today's blog is about words. Since I am a writer, you may have guessed that I love words. I love how some words have double entendres, while others are very certain singular in their purpose. I also love the growth of vocabulary, how it changes and evolves, just as we do. This is the main reason I love watching television. I love studying what is said and how it is said and learning creative ways to say things that have been said thousands of times over. I study the works of Joss Whedon and Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy because in these works, I find the truths of life and of communication which is absolutely necessary in order to enjoy life. At least for me.
There are very few words that I absolutely hate. Words that if said in my presence will provoke what I believe to be a rational anger. I see these words as an almost immediate reflection of one's intelligence and civility. The words I am about to talk about are commonly used by some and I'm very careful to choose my battles with most people.
For instance, it's only if you're in my most select group of friends that you know never to use the words SHUT UP. These words for me automatically denote disrespect. When used, someone is trying to shut down someone else, whether it is emotionally, physically, and/or mentally. I have never had a positive reaction to these words and use them only in extreme situations where I have been pressed to the point that I generally am completely fried, and can't deal (not that that makes it okay). So, in other words, I ask that people not say these words. Hush, be quiet, even shushing me is fine but please…
Looking over the other words that have negative effect with me, I can find only a few other words that I absolutely abhor hearing. On that list are these words:

 1.) Idiot
 2.) Retard(ed)
 3.) Faggot
 4.) Nigger
 5.) Dumb
 6.)   Stupid

Now I realize that there other words that can be added to this list, but these are the five top triggers for me. I don't know if it's because they were used at a younger age negatively, but I can't think of any way that any of these words can be used to build someone up, only tear someone down.
I'm sure that some will argue that these words have their uses and that they're not as bad as I may view them but to me these words are more harmful than words like frakking, fricking, or even fucking. I would rather someone say hell or damn or even better, if you feel the need to insult someone research foreign languages. Merde means shit, but doesn't it sound prettier? And it makes you sound more intelligent.
I don't know that the world would be a prettier place or better place if we stopped using these words but I know for me that if you use these words you are showing that you have no consideration for my feelings or the energy that I fight very hard to project.
I am totally an advocate of the First Amendment, free speech all the way. But just because some things can be said doesn't mean they should be.

You can change your world by changing your words... Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.  --- Joel Osteen