Message of Love: Play Along

If you haven't already watched and listened to Dudley Saunders' wonderful acoustic adaptation of The Pretenders' "Message of Love," which inspired the title of my new novel, please do so. 

And once again, I've created a fun and historic playlist of songs mentioned in the novel, in sequence. But I also found some informative and slightly disturbing TV clips from the era, dealing with the encroaching crisis that the gay community faced in the early 1980s. 

I'll be posting book excerpts and music videos, as I did for Every Time I Think of You and PINS.

One of my favorite songs from the era of Message of Love's setting is actually 'heard' in the book later on. But I used a few lyrics as the epigram in the book, so it sorta gets re-placed up front. 

Here's Blondie performing "Accidents Never Happen." When I last saw them last year on a double bill with Devo, sadly they didn't play it! 

Anyway, here are the lyrics I used. When you read the novel, you'll understand the reference.

"Like the magi on the hill,
I can divinate your presence from afar.
And I'll follow you until
I can bring you to a perfect world."

Message of Love, the sequel to Every Time I Think of You

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Message of Love, the sequel to the Lambda Literary award-winning novel Every Time I Think of You, is finally published, in paperback and Kindle editions.

Stop Senate Bill 401

No clever puns for this title, because the latest bit of rightwing stupidity isn't even worth joking about; it's about outright government censorship.  As reported by Under the Dome Today, Senate Bill 401 would enforce broad and ridiculous censorship to school arts education.

I've had the honor of my first novel, PINS being added to reading lists of more than a dozen college classes at universities across the U.S. including my BFA alma mater, Ohio State University. While my books may not be "appropriate" for high school classes, I would be astonished if anyone actively sought out to censor my works and keep them from potential readers. This is just another case of the 'American Taliban' wielding its unlawful interference on government.

Sochi: Worst/Best Olympics. Ever.

The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are proving to be the worst Olympics ever, because of its massive corruption, glaring incompetence and sanctioned antigay bigotry, but that also makes it the best Olympics ever, because Vladimir Putin's corruption, bigotry and idiocy are being exposed to the entire world for ten inglorious days and nights.

Here's a lesson for all the crypto-fascist government set on crushing LGBT people. enact antigay laws, and the whole world will watch you make a complete ass out of yourself. Tell a gay to "just shut up," beat us, pummel us, outlaw us, and you will live to regret it.

Let's take a look, a long parade of athletic responses, and media coverage of, the inept, stupid, and financially preposterous joke that is the Sochi Olympics.

During the Opening Ceremonies, the fifth of five rings failed to light up, proving symbolically, and technically, that Sochi's  ineptitude is blatantly obvious. you wouldn't know that from watching Russian TV, where the failure was digitized into a CGI lie.

Fascist Russian censors have also blocked access to the largest search engine on the planet, after Google posted a rainbow banner of athletes on its main page.

During the Parade of Athletes, the Greek team offered a five-fingered "F. You, Putin" with rainbow-colored gloves. They openly defied fascist Putin's edict against perceived "gay propaganda." this is becoming the best Olympics ever, because homophobia is being exposed for what it is; stupid.