Can’t say I didn’t warn. I brought author interviews back in a big way this week with a new author, Christopher Murphy.

Christopher Murphy on LGBTr

On my YouTube show, LGBTr, where I interview Black LGBTQ authors, we talked about his debut novel, Where the Boys Are. Learn how he twists the thriller/mystery genre to create something totally unique and hear how his idea for the story came to be. There’s even a special story about the time he met none other than E. Lynn Harris. Watch below now!

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Where The Boys Are

Find more about the author and his novel here.

Follow on social media @christophermurphybooks

If you haven’t already, sign up to my email list and get a short story in exchange. You’re gonna love it!

I’m bringing back author interviews with my YouTube show, LGBTr – Lots of Good Books to Read. This is where I interview Black LGBTQ authors about their lives and their books.

Why I Stopped the Author Interviews

I originally stopped because it felt overwhelming to do this, create content for other mediums, and write my next books. My hope is that my approach will allow me the stamina to keep everything going at the same time.

Why Am I Doing This Again?

Based on the feedback I got from interviewees and their fans, I realized what I was doing was very special. If I can make an impact like that for my community, I want to continue.

Who’s Next?

This coming Wednesday, October 9, 2019, expect a new video where I chat it up with Christopher Murphy. It’s sure to be a great conversation.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel, hit the notification bell, and enjoy everything that is to come!

If you haven’t already, sign up to my email list and get a short story in exchange. You’re gonna love it!

After leaving his nine-to-five job, Eddie S. Pierce Jr. started the LOVE mini-series with its first entry titled, Something Infinite. It was then that his business, Rainbow Room Publishing Company, was born. From then, he went on to write the second title, From Behind, and he’s now wrapping it up with his upcoming release, Changes. I was so happy to have Eddie on my live YouTube show, LGBTr.

We talked about the series, representation of HIV+ characters, and creating stories that everyone could relate to. Take a look!

LOVE Changes – Eddie S. Pierce Jr. on LGBTr

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Pre-Order LOVE Changes

http://www.rainbowroompublishing.com/

More about this author

Eddie: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Rainbow Room Publishing Company: Facebook | Instagram

For more interviews and information, check out the Author Database.

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m back doing more episodes of LGBTr (Lots of Good Books To Read). I interviewed author Ryan Douglass about his upcoming novel, Jake in the Box. It’s not due until spring 2020, but based on our talk, it has a lot of deep themes. It’s an interesting story about a high school student dealing with the ghost of a school shooter. If that doesn’t intrigue you already, I don’t know what will.

Topics with this chat range from what got him into writing in the first place, his background, and two areas that I felt were particularly interesting: Twitter politics and the state of young adult (YA) fiction when it comes to its lack of Black LGBTQ characters. This is one writer you’ll want to keep tabs on.

Press play, hit the thumbs up button, and hit the bell button to get notifications for more live interviews like this that are on the way.

LGBTr – Ryan Douglass

More about this author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryandouglassw
Website: https://ryandouglasswriter.com/

Click here for more about ‘Jake in the Box’.

For more interviews and information, check out the Author Database.

I had a chat with Vanessa Clark (a.k.a V.C.) in my latest episode of LGBTr (formerly The Read). They are the intersex, gender non-conforming, androgynous, pansexual author of erotic short stories and novel, The Man on Top of the World. This was their first video interview, and I was happy to have them on the show. They were my first gender non-conforming guest, and this experience really confirmed to me just how easy it is to switch up my usual language in order to be respectful. There are a lot of people who don’t respect those who live outside of binary gender norms. My advice to them: take the few seconds necessary to re-wire your brain and remember that we are all deserving of respect. Not everything is black and white.

Some of the most interesting moments in the interview were when we started to talk about dealing with book query rejections from publishers/agents and Clark’s response to some of the negative reviews of their book.  Jump to 6:43 in the video below for the rejection letter discussion, and to 14:26 for thoughts on the negative reviews.

All in all, I believe that our conversation was enlightening. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this author in the future. Take a look at the full interview below.

#LGBTr: Vanessa Clark

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For more interviews and information, check out the Author Database.

I had the privilege of interviewing author Terry J. Benton for an episode of #LGBTr, or Lots of Good Books To Read (formerly The Read). This is one for the writers out there! I had a blast discussing what he learned from writing the Empire Trilogy and his journey through the traditional publishing process. He shares some nuggets of experience and we even dig into his latest book, Through God’s Eyes. Take a look at the show below, and don’t forget to subscribe, thumbs-up, and click for notifications of more videos while you’re there.

#LGBTr: Terry J. Benton

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For more author interviews and information, check out the Author Database.

While reading I Rise: The Transformation of Toni Newman, I started to reflect on my own life. For one, I didn’t get nearly as much attention from the same sex in high school and college as Toni. (Yes, I’m kinda jealous, haha!) Aside from that, I was able to reconfirm just how good I had it (and still do). My family accepted my sexuality when I came out and I never had to go to extremes to explore and be who I was. The same can’t be said for Toni, nor for many other transgender people for whom she wrote this book. While her strict Christian family accepted her as a gay male, that connection was lost once she told them the full story. She explored being a man, but found that she couldn’t hide from who she really was. This led to her decision to make the transition. And what followed was a story worth making into a movie.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Toni and learned so much by reading her story. Despite all of her circumstances, she gave us all the message to live in the fullness of who you are. This is something we both agree on. My tagline is Show Yourself, after all.

Watch the video below, subscribe, and grab a copy of her book for the full story.

The Read: Toni Newman

Purchase I Rise and Find the Author

Website: http://www.tonidnewman.com/

Short Film: Heart of a Woman

Twitter | Facebook

For more great authors and interviews, check out the Black LGBT Authors Database.

Watch my conversation with Renaldo Christopher, author of Gorgeous. It’s the story of four Black, gay men who try to escape the pasts that always seem to creep back up. We explore the stories of these characters and talk about how sickness helped him power through the first draft of his novel.

Some interesting points were when we discussed why he called his book “trash”, his thoughts about getting serious about making his writing a business, and especially his thoughts on the urban fiction genre. After a couple of conversations online with others about the show, I can tell that his perspective (found ten minutes into the video) ruffled a few feathers. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. Don’t forget to subscribe!

The Read: Renaldo Christopher

Buy Gorgeous and Find the Author

Website: http://novaslim.com/

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

For more great authors and interviews, check out the Black LGBT Authors Database.

In this episode of The Read, I get personal with Jayce Baron, author of Absolutely Me. He’s now got a follow-up to that book, titled Absolutely Us, and we talk about what’s in store for readers. I also dig into his numerous blog posts, podcasts, events, and all of the things that made him who he is today.

His story is interesting. For one, his mother is the First Lady of a Baptist church. Being her gay son came with its challenges, but he has a strong sense of self. We talk about where that comes from and his journey from being a rape victim to becoming a champion for HIV / AIDS awareness and an author. Despite the heavy topics, it was a very fun conversation. Watch the interview now!

The Read: Jayce Baron

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My interview with James Earl Hardy is one that I know many of you will enjoy. I wasn’t able to get a visual of him, but our talk over the phone was just as good. We talk about his book, B-Boy Blues, his special relationship to E. Lynn Harris, and how it felt to see his characters brought to life on the stage. There’s also a ton more! Listen in on a great conversation!

The Read: James Earl Hardy

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Facebook Pages: B-Boy Blues the play | Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star