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Saturday, November 29, 2014

A few gay-themed movies I recently saw and liked:

Southern Baptist Sissies. Actually just a filming of a play, but a good play. Del Shores (Sordid Lives) wrote and directed this comedy/drama.

The Falls and The Falls: Testament of Love. Gay Mormon companions fall in love. An unusual love story with surprise twists.

No Night Is Too Long. Speaking of surprise twists, this Canadian thriller keeps them coming.

Out To Kill. A gay murder mystery with a fun script.

Diversity-themed scifi!

We stopped racism and homophobia, but face surveillance of our weight and our words. Now a First Nation family gets caught between our oppressive government and the colony it rejected.

“A thought provoking and fun sci-fi read.”—Blogger Girls.

“A must read.” – Joe Wright, StoneWall Society.

“I recommend DEGRANON for its exciting, well-constructed narrative, its often intriguing characters, and its wealth of ideas both political and philosophical.” –J. Clark.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I read?

Visit a bookblog "for anyone interested in YA books with GLBTQ characters and themes." I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I read? Producer, blogger, author, speaker Lee Wind brings together reviews, quotes, poems, and much more in an interactive blog.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Quote/Passage/Excerpt from Diversity-Themed SciFi Novel Degranon

But they wouldn’t be holding her hand anymore. They had warned her to avoid the rally. “Think of your career,” her mother had said. Her father had said much worse: “Stay away from disruptive elements. If you don’t distance yourself from them, we’ll have no choice but to distance ourselves from you. Be maintained, if you want to be a part of this family.”

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Gay Movie Review: Out To Kill (Murder Mystery)

A talented but obnoxious gay man is found dead in a gay loft complex. Writer/director Rob Williams delivers a mystery filled with twists, humor, and good-looking men. Read my review at ThisWeekInTexas.Com.

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Guest House Films Responds to Fan Requests by Launching Kickstarter Crowd-Funding Campaign for Make the Yuletide Gay 2

From the press release:
"Guest House Films, a leading producer and distributor of gay-themed films, has launched a new Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to help bring to life the much-anticipated sequel to the company’s 2009 smash hit gay Christmas comedy, Make the Yuletide Gay, in response to growing fan requests. Make The Yuletide Gay 2 will go into production in 2015, contingent upon the campaign reaching its goal."
My review of Make The Yuletide Gay.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Science Fiction Adventure Continues at Goodreads

In Sons of Taldra, Chapter 8, the Naadloosh stowaway is alive, feeding on homeless people in the undermall. Also, the Degrans learn what happened to Degranon.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Author Promotion Service theindiespotlight Becomes my 100th Twitter Follower!

Find more book promotion services via the Writer Resources label below.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

Gay Relationships in Science Fiction Novel.

Sons of Taldra, the sequel to Degranon, will focus more on the gay relationships, but will still feature just as much scifi adventure. It will also still feature strong female characters and a cast that’s mostly people of color. I hope to finish the revisions by the end of 2014.

#GaySciFi

Saturday, September 06, 2014

9/04/14: Another 4-Star Review for Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure at Goodreads!

The brilliant scientist Taldra loves her twin gay sons and thinks of them as the hope for Valchondria's future, but one of them becomes entangled in the cult of Degranon, while the other becomes stranded on the other side of a doorway through time. Can they find their way home and help Taldra save their world?

Monday, September 01, 2014

Superhero Helps Readers Understand Autism

Face Value Comics' autistic script #writer features a #comic hero with #autism in a #steampunk world with aliens, robots & lots of misunderstanding!

Active Goodreads Reader Nvnative Shares Book Tastes

Works with four stars include books from Terry Brooks, Stephen Batchelor, Lawrence P. White, Steve Karmazenuk, Joe Haldeman, and Michael Siemsen.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Pride, A Gay Movie Opening in the UK, Based on a True Story

Movie description:

It's Summer 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power, and the National Union of Mineworkers are on strike! At the Gay Pride March in London, a group of gay and lesbian activists decides to raise money to support the families of the striking miners. But the only problem is the Union seems too embarrassed to receive their support.

Not discouraged, the activists ignore the Union and go direct to the miners. They identify a small mining villiage in Wales to make their donations to the community in person. This journey begins a surprising partnership between two seemingly alien comunties as they fight for the same cause.

Pride stars Bill Nighy, Adrew Scott, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Joseph Gilgun, Paddy Considine, George MacKay, Ben Schnetzer, Sophie Evans, Jessie Cave, Freddie Fox, Faye Marsay, Adrian Palmer, Lasco Atkins and Shane Salter.

Friday, August 15, 2014

New Cover for Selected Poems

Selected Poems.

“Thoughtful and moving poetry.” –Leona L Lee, author of Taxing Tallula. Read the review. This short eBook includes the gay love poem Home, the strange story of The Gardener, and the comical Angels and Razors, as well as thirty other poems.

Complete list of poems in this book: Chasing Seagulls, Home, Album, Children in the Streets, The Gardener, Friday Afternoon Spectrum, Reception, second year, Angels and Razors, Separated, Faces, Songs In Sign Language, Forgotten, Higher Education, Family, Ex-Gay? Part I: Cocoon, Ex-Gay? Part II: The Ex-Me Movement, Ex-Gay? Part III: Who Does God Hate?, The Escape Artist, Daughter, The Same Lips, Pharisee, Anne Bradstreet, Bareback, Cycle, Cross, Two Rapes, Rainbow, Elephant on an Opera Stage, Detour, Editing, Process, Haiku.

These works also appear in my longer anthology Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems.

Keywords: Gay pride, Gay romance, Gay men, Gay poem, Gay poems, Gay poetry, Gay poets, Gay writers, Love poems, Story poems, Humor, Homophobia, Exgay, Ex-gay, Diversity, Poetry, American poets, Lubbock poets, Texas poets.

Available from bn.com (for Nook) , Smashwords (for multiple eBook platforms), and Amazon (for Kindle).

Blog entry updated 8/16/2014.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Friday, August 08, 2014

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Ryan Skyy - Quite Like This (#MyLoveisEqual)

Here's the music video of a dance song from Ryan Skyy, to benefit marriage equality.

For more information on Ryan Skyy, visit http://www.ryanskyy.com.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Gay Movie Review: The Last Match (La Partida).

In this imported film, two young men love soccer, and maybe each other. However, their life in Havana offers little hope for their relationship. Read my review at This Week In Texas.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Gay Movie Review: Lose Your Head

Luis breaks up with his boyfriend and visits Berlin in this German import. He gets caught up in a twisting story of romance and mystery. Read my review at ThisWeekInTexas.

Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Monday, June 23, 2014

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure Reviewed at The Blogger Girls

Susan at The Blogger Girls reviewed Degranon. An excerpt follows.

I felt strong emotions from Taldra, and even though she was a strong female in her own right, she was also a mother who never forgot that being a mom came first. She is the mother of two gay twin sons. They are the reason, I believe, that is considered this a gay themed book. But the gay is so accepted that it came across as secondary and more a book about strong females.

The Blogger Girls post reviews, giveaways, interviews, and more at a very active blog.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Best Day Ever. Gay Movie Review.

A middle-aged indie filmmaker fears he might never find true love or success. Director Jeff London and his partner co-wrote this romantic story, based on their relationship. Read my review at ThisWeekInTexas.Com.

Current Top 10 LGBT Lit List at OutVoice

1 Armistead Maupin THE DAYS OF ANNA MADRIGAL

2 Patricia Nell Warren THE FRONT RUNNER

3 Duane Simolke THE ACORN STORIES

4 Austin Gary THE QUEERLING

5 Christopher Rice THE HEAVENS RISE

6 Diane and Jacob Anderson- Minshall QUEERLY BELOVED: A LOVE STORY ACROSS GENDERS

7 Jerry Rabushka STAR BRYAN

8 Joel Derfner LAWFULLY WEDDED HUSBAND How My Gay Marriage Will Save the American Family

9 Sally Bellerose THE GIRLS CLUB

10 Ellen Hart REST FOR THE WICKED

Read more at http://www.outvoice.net/currentlitpickstop10chart.htm

Top 20 LGBT CD's at OutVoice

Saturday, June 14, 2014

The Dark Place Trailer

A new thriller from the makers of the gay-themed scifi movie Judas Kiss.

Monday, June 09, 2014

Scifi Movie with Gay Couple

Monday, June 02, 2014

Senn Gay SciFi Movie

Credence Gay SciFi Movie

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

In Sons of Taldra Chapter 7...

... Taldra sees a white person for the first time, then a shapeshifter.

In previous chapters, Taldra’s rivalry with a military leader became dangerous, aliens attacked a peaceful ship, Jase-Dawn proposed to his boyfriend, and Argen grappled with the effects of his past drug addiction.

gayscifi LGBTscifi queerscifi diversityinscifi race people of color

Thursday, May 08, 2014

PaperMoon discusses the gay-themed movie Torch Song Trilogy

In a Goodreads forum, PaperMoon shared a touching essay he'd written about one of my favorite gay-themed movies, Torch Song Trilogy. He kindly gave me permission to pass it along.

The scene that I do not tire of seeing, nor fails to move me to tears each time I’ve viewed it (well over 20 times by now) is the final scene in Torch Song Trilogy. This is Arnold’s ‘morning after the showdown’ with Mama and after a brief uneasy reconciliation of sorts – Arnold goes about tidying his apartment after Mama’s departure. As he gathers one by one various objects to himself – he has a dawning realization that after a lifetime of fighting for respect for being who he is, he is loved by various significant others who ‘see’ him beyond his Virginia Ham alter-ego.

The cap signifies David the son who has come to need and value his parental attention, the oranges from Mama – who may never fully understand not accept him completely but who’ll love him in the best way she can all the same, the spectacles are Ed’s – who’s beginning to get enough courage (with Arnold’s help) to bravely setting up a family-life of sorts with Arnold and David at the risk of losing the approval of his straight friends and parents, and the photo of Alan – the now deceased love of his life – whom Arnold will never forget because of the many many ways in which Alan had softened, rounded out and deeply touched the once brittle core of him. And as Arnold sits and clutches these items to himself, I imagine him thinking that he may lose his looks, his apartment, his financial security, his career – but he will never lose the love of nor his memories of these very folk who have come to matter so much to him.

I always tear up when the film score of Ella Fitzgerald singing "This Time The Dream’s On Me" swells up just before the credits roll, because for me (who’s on this side of 44 years of age), maybe like Arnold, I may find that the life I’ve dreamt of having may well be the life I’m living and journeying on after all.

This scene is of course bitter-sweet, but if a funny, feisty, flawed but fabulous individual like Arnold can look around to see and find that life can promise hope and opportunity after all, then so can I, a gay man coming to terms with his sexuality much later in life. And for this, the scene will always spring to my mind whenever anyone asks me for my favorite gay-themed movie.

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Empire of the Summer Moon

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American HistoryEmpire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne


This book includes some local history and a fascinating account of the Commanche. The focus starts out on the Commanche in general but slowly goes to Quanah Parker.

View all my reviews

Longer Trailer for Fox's Fall 2014 Series Gotham

This new series looks more like Smallville and Arrow than any big-screen version of Batman, but those TV shows are both good.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Book Reviews from Kirkus

Kirkus Reviews Page 1765: book reviews of FALLING IN THE GARDEN, TORTILLA FLAT, APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA: A NOVEL, IT'S A BATTLEFIELD, THE ACORN STORIES, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, and more. Featured author: Greg Iles.

An inspiring, vivid and unique work

Read JonBoy’s review of The Acorn Stories or his other reviews. He gave The Acorn Stories five stars, calling it “an inspiring, vivid and unique work.”

“A lush tangle of small-town life branches out in this engrossing collection of short stories.” –Kirkus Reviews

“The ability to depict such a wide cross section of humanity, including details of each character’s breadth of knowledge and experience, takes a talented, insightful author, and Duane Simolke is such a writer.” –E. Conley, Betty’s Books

“If you liked WINESBURG, OHIO…rejoice.” –Watchword

“By the time you have finished reading these tales of the people who inhabit the fictitious town of Acorn, Texas, population 21,001, you will have met some endearing as well as irritating characters, from the Mayor to the local would-be gigolo; from the busy-bodies to the business owners; from those who grew up in Acorn and have tried to escape the small town to those who have moved to Acorn to escape from the real world.” –Ronald L. Donaghe, author of Uncle Sean

“A well-crafted collection of short stories.” –L. L. Lee, author of Taxing Tallula

“When you finish, when you put the book aside, Acorn will still be with you.” –E. Carter Jones, author of Absence of Faith

“I highly recommend this book!” –Richard Carlson, author of Jeremy Grabowski's Crazy Summer in Stormville!

“It was a real pleasure to read about the fictional town of Acorn, Texas.” –Mark Kendrick, author of Desert Sons

“Simolke makes good use of his vivid imagination in creating credible dialogue and satirical images.” –Huda Orfali, author of Blue Fire

“There are people that you like, some that you can't wait to see if they get theirs.” –Joe Wright, StoneWall Society

“Each of Simolke's stories lets us look into the lives of some of the most interesting characters I have ever read about.” –Amos Lassen, Literary Pride

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Captain Laaron misses his boyfriend but receives promising news.

Taldra and Admiral Nil must decide the best way to protect the human home world. Read Sons of Taldra Chapter 6.

gay scifi, sci-fi, science fiction, adventure, gay marriage, Degranon, Duane Simolke, Native American, First Nation, African American, black, Arabic, Indian, Hispanic, people of color, strong women, female leaders, space travel, health care, shapeshifters, aliens, teen heroes, new adult, diversity, social issues, alternate reality

Sunday, April 13, 2014

New Gay Mystery Movie: Out to Kill

Out to Kill, a new film by writer/Director Rob Williams (Make the Yuletide Gay), stars singer-songwriter Tom Goss. Williams filmed the mystery in Tampa, Florida. Read an interview about that movie in the Tampa Bay News.

Share or Discover Writing at Wattpad

Wattpad provides a community for writers and readers to share or discover stories.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Price Lowered for Degranon eBook

The eBook of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure is now just .99 US at bn NOOK, Amazon Kindle, etc., except for the iUniverse edition.

Winner, StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Award.

The brilliant scientist Taldra loves her twin gay sons and sees them as the hope for Valchondria's future, but one of them becomes entangled in the cult of Degranon, while the other becomes stranded on the other side of a doorway through time. Can they find their way home and help Taldra save their world?

Monday, March 24, 2014

New trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past

The new clips show more characters and effects, with dramatic voice-overs from Prof. X and Magneto.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

February 2014 Top 10 LGBT Books at OutVoice

1 Patricia Nell Warren THE FRONT RUNNER

2 Rita Mae Brown RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE

3 Armistead Maupin THE DAYS OF ANNA MADRIGAL

4 Duane Simolke DEGRANON

5 Ronald L Donaghe COMMON SONS

6 Josh Aterovis BLEEDING HEARTS *

7 Austin Gary THE QUEERLING

8 Lori Lake BUYER'S REMORSE

9 Christopher Rice THE HEAVENS RISE

10 Jan Morris CONUNDRUM

Read more at OutVoice, along with details about the top 10 in gay-themed music.

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Another Five-Star Review for Time Travel Adventure

Visit the Goodreads Degranon page to discuss diversity-themed scifi or preview the upcoming sequel, Sons of Taldra.

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Vote for Gay Literature and Gay Music

Visit OutVoice to vote for musicians or writers who present LGBT themes in a positive light. OutVoice is part of StoneWall Society. Please also visit my StoneWall Society page to read about my books.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Working on SciFi Sons of Taldra Chapter 5

Admiral Nil grieves the loss of her spouse, fears her son is also sick, and helps Leader announce the trajectory of the Degran ship. #SciFiAdventure #Aliens #ScienceFiction

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Extended Fantasy Adventure With Teen Heroine

The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure.

Revised eBook, published 2014 on Nook and Kindle.

Though born to a noble maternal lineage, Sasha Varov lives in exile on a dangerous island. Her family faces constant threats from deadly weather and deadlier dragons. That family sends sixteen-year-old Sasha back to their beloved kingdom of Jaan to buy seeds. She stumbles into adventures and becomes an accidental legend, known as “Innocence.”

A year later, Sasha leaves her father and her gay brother protecting the other exiles while she returns to Jaan. She begins her journey, unaware that an old enemy has gained arcane powers, or that the people of Jaan expect her to defeat that enemy. With the help of an outcast, a mutant, and an aging but heroic lesbian couple, Innocence might prevail.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Happy Valentine’s Day 2014!

Gay Love Poem has received 264,742 views at YouTube. That video features Home, from my books Holding Me Together and Selected Poems. Gay Pride has received 15,000 views at YouTube.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Degranon in Dare2Care Novel List

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure appears in the Dare2Care List of Top 100 LBGTQ Teen Novels, along with Geography Club; Torn; Huntress; Magic’s Pawn; The Perks of Being A Wallflower; Will Grayson, Will Grayson; and many other popular titles. It’s humbling and flattering for my work to appear in such good company!

Dare2Care provides resources, ideas, news, poetry submission, and much more to create supportive environments in place of bullying and fear. Read the results from their Poetry Competition.

Preview the Degranon sequel, with more chapters coming soon.

Sons of Taldra, Chapter 1

Sons of Taldra, Chapter 2

Sons of Taldra, Chapter 3

Sons of Taldra, Chapter 4