Rainbow Awards: Meet the Jury (A-M): elisa_rolle

Alan T. Orr: I’m a college professor in Canada, where I teach writing and literature courses. To me, good fiction is about engaging characters who grow and change as a result of experiencing compelling circumstances. It’s all about the characters in my view; if the readers are indifferent to them, the plot won’t matter. In a comedy or romance, the characters flourish and succeed (in a tragedy not so much); boy gets boy, girl gets girl and they all ride off into the sunset. One of the reasons I’m looking forward to participating in this year’s Rainbow Awards so much is that authors of GLBT fiction are generally so skilled at creating wonderfully interesting and basically fun-to-read characters. To all the writers: I tip my hat to you for sitting down with your inspiration and putting your thoughts into words to share with all of us.

Alannah

Aleksandr Voinov: Founder and co-owner of Riptide Publishing, writer, business editor, I'm joining the cause to read books I normally wouldn't have and genres I normally don't read. Characters and style are important to me, and I'm pretty demanding when it comes to my reading, I want good style, characters, plot, good editing, and a fresh voice. Bad prose makes me grind my teeth and good prose turns me into a life-long follower. I enjoy pretty much anything in my reading, because a good story is a good story and good writing is good writing.

Ali: I'm a scientist who reads far too many books, be they romance, crime thrillers or epic fantasies. If I'm not reading a research paper or some industry news, chances are I'll be reading a book of some sorts. I like non-traditional, non-perfect characters, rather than the perfect and flawless sort, and would love to see more in the genre.

Alisha

Ally Blue: Ally is a married mother of two, living in the mountains of North Carolina in the U.S.A. She is a registered nurse by trade and a writer of manlove by inclination. Her husband is a freelance artist, and their children have apparently inherited his artistic tendencies. Thankfully, they have also inherited his singing voice instead of Ally's, which her family will confirm can peel the paint off the walls. Ally wrote her first story - a slash fanfic - in the fall of 2003. She has since branched out into original character gay romance. Her short stories have been published in the e-zines Forbidden Fruit and Ruthie's Club, and her novels are available from Loose Id and Samhain Publishing. In addition to writing, Ally enjoys traveling, collecting dragons, and trying to scare herself. Her favorite authors include Stephen King, Clive Barker, and H.P. Lovecraft, and she is a rabid fan of horror movies. Ally adores music, particularly Radiohead and Patrick Wolf. She plans to have her iPod surgically implanted as soon as someone invents a way to do that. Hopefully this will mean the end of playing CDs and her children can finally stop telling her to turn the volume down.

Amberly Smith: Amberly lives in the Northwest with her husband, two children, mother-in-law, and a cat named Cat. She has a bachelor's in communications and works for a telecommunications company. Currently she serves on the board of Rainbow Romance Writers, Coeur du Bois, coordinates for the End Results fiction critique service and is past president of Popular Fiction Association of Idaho. She likes to read in bed, lurk in bookstores, and cuddle on the couch with her kids to watch TV, just to hear the beautiful sound of their laughter. Her husband is a computer addict who she lures away from the latest PC game with promises of a good story, sex, or food that she hasn't made. Her first full length novel was published by Dreamspinner pres Feb. 2011 and she is published in short and novella length as well.

Andrew Grey: Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew's hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Anke: I'm a married mother of - finally grown up - three kids living in Southern Germany. I love to travel and of course to read. After getting my kindle, I discovered M/M romance and that was that. I think, E-books were the best invention ever. I'm always a 'bit' behind on my TBR, therefore I prefer calling myself collector of books - sounds much better!

Anna: I'm Anna, originally from the UK, but living in the USA right now. I'm in my 30s and married with a young daughter. I discovered m/m fiction in late 2007 and haven't looked back since, especially after getting an eReader... I've read more m/m books that I care to admit to and there are still many many more to go. I'm currently writing a screenplay based on one of my all time favourite m/m stories (with the very generous permission of the author). My dream is to write for the movies one day, so watch this space!

Annabeth: Pacific Northwest Book blogger at Cloudy with a Chance of Books http://www.chanceofbooks.com Contemporary romance writer, RWA member, Rainbow Romance Writers member. Frequent tweeter @AnnabethAlbert & harried adjunct professor and chief toddler wrangler.

Anne Barwell: New Zealand writer of m/m and avid reader. I have a Batchelor of Teaching, a BA in English Literature and work in a library. While I have a weakness for a good hurt/comfort story, I'll read anything that piques my interest especially if it has good characterisation and plot.

Anne Tenino: Raised on a steady media diet of Monty Python, classical music and the visual arts, Anne Tenino rocked the mental health world when she was the first patient diagnosed with Compulsive Romantic Disorder. Since that day, Anne has taken on conquering the M/M world through therapeutic writing. Finding out who those guys having sex in her head are and what to do with them has been extremely liberating. Anne's husband finds it liberating as well, although in a somewhat different way. Her two daughters are mildly confused by Anne's need to twist Ken dolls into odd positions. They were raised to be open-minded children, however, and other than occasionally stealing Ken1's strap-on, they let Mom do her thing without interference. Wondering what Anne does in her spare time? Mostly she lies on the couch, eats bonbons and shirks housework. Check out what Anne’s up to now by visiting her site: http://annetenino.com

Antonella: I'm Italian, but I live in a German-speaking country. I'm a professional translator. I love my job because it's interesting (translations vary from love letters to divorce sentences) and I'm my own boss. I do believe we should leave behind us a better world, that's why I'm engaged in political and environmental battles and I volunteer in a Centre Against Racism. I started to read LGTB books especially after ''Brokeback Mountain'', which had a deep impact on me. I've been reading a lot since then and I'm honoured to be in the same jury with some of the authors I love.

April C.

April O.: I'm a mom and teacher who has been addicted to LGBT Novels for years now.

Arch: I´m Arch, from a small town an hour from Venice, Italy. Divided between my scientific studies and work - in a completely different field, of course "sigh" -, a lot of my free time is spent reading, there are so much books in the world... One day I will have a huge room turned into a library, for now I simply have piles and piles of books around and thanks God for ebooks! My passion for the GLBT genre goes back many years ago. However in Italy, the field is limited, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, improve my English with pleasant readings. Well, from then on I am like a kid in a candy store.

Austin: Austin Wallace is a 24 year veteran of the book industry having worked for Lambda Rising Bookstore, Obelisk Books, White Rabbit Books, Chronicle Books Publishing and Cleis Press. He currently toils away his time at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. An avid reader and photographer who loves the feel of an actual book in his hand, he continues to haunt local independent bookstores and resist the urge to buy a Kindle or an ipad though knows he may have to succumb one day. You can follow him online at justtoday45.blogspot.com , placesiveeaten.blogspot.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzytraveler/sets/

Aya

Barbara: A girl in her mid-twenties who lives in Poland and studies Information Science and Library. I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember. Although, I’ve discovered m/m romance just few years ago, still I was able to read lots of both amazing and poorly-written books. Discovering new themes and plots is what tigers like the best and I’m all for it.

Bethann Korsmit: I'm a writer and an avid reader. My novel Darkness Descending was awarded first place in the gay fiction category of the Reader Views Literary Awards 2007. I'm currently working on a few projects, along with writing the sequel to Darkness Descending. http://wryterreviews.blogspot.com/

Bobby D. Whitney: I live in Washington State, work in downtown Seattle, and live way out in the rural `burbs. I use that long daily commute to read -- lucky me with at least two full hours of relative quiet to read daily! What else? I´m a motorcycle rider, avid if bumbling crafter, mother to a college-aged son, and wife to an incredibly patient and supportive man. My degree is in English, which qualifies me to read and write and make embarrassing typos. I'm amazed at the writing talent out there and want to encourage these wonderful authors as much as possible. Without them, I would have nothing to read! This is my fourth year to act as Jury for the Rainbow Awards, and I´m honored to participate.

Boxtersushi: I'm an avid reader and lover of fiction, and in the last few years I've become one of the legion of fans of LGBT fiction. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area w/my husband and 11 yr daughter - am a licensed insurance agent specializing in coverage for physicians and medical groups.My daughter is of the age where we're starting to explore some of the themes of social justice found in many GLBT novels and I've found the genre to have made an impact on how I view what's going on in our world today. I just love a good read.

Calathea: My preferred genre changed quite a bit over the time. In my teens I read lots and lots of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It was then that I came across the novels of Marion Zimmer-Bradley, which had some m/m and f/f couples in them. Later I read more and more historical fiction and then added romance into the mix. I've been reading m/m romance for 2 years now and I'm glad I took the leap from reading slash fan fiction to "real" m/m books. :-)

Carey Parrish: Carey Parrish is a native of Northern Georgia. He began writing professionally in his late thirties when he founded the popular e-zine Web Digest Weekly. He´s also the author of the books "Into The Light: Experimentations In Poetry & Prose," "The Moving Finger Writes," and the novels "Marengo" and "Big Business." He attributes his success to "taking all the things that were wrong in my life and replacing them with things that are right." http://www.careyparrish.com, http://solefocus.blogspot.com

Carol: "My name is Carol and I live in North Carolina. I have been reading forever it seems. Even sneaking my mom´s romances that "I was too young" to read (yea right!). She finally learned just to let me read whatever I wanted as I would go through 5-6 books a day. Today I still read books daily. Number vary depending if I read an excellent book and need to savor it a while, I may only read 3 that day. I never leave the house without a book."

Caroline: I'm an English teacher and "wannabe" translator from Poland. My hobby is - no surprise here - literature. It started when I was six and read my first book. (some nursery story about two bears;)) I've always felt my favourite genre would be LGBT stories but I also discovered I should have learnt English to have full access to them and enjoy them properly. My dream is to introduce the best stories to Polish readers (since we have but a few LGBT stories on the market here) and that's why I studied to be a translator. Who knows what will the future bring?

Cassandra Gold: By day, I am a middle school teacher. I spend much of my time grading papers, filling out paperwork, and trying to get 6th- and 7th- graders to read. When I am not at work, I can generally be found at the computer, dreaming up stories about men falling in love. When I have spare time (which is unfortunately not too often anymore!) I read romance of all kinds. Occasionally I pretend to do housework, but my hubby isn't fooled!

Cathy

Cherie Noel: Butcher, baker, candlestick maker…ummm, eww, every chance I get, and I surely would if these damn characters would ever shut up. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida and raised…er, is all over the damn place a sufficiently descriptive term? No? Then how about this? Tinker, tailor, Indian chief…Ooooh, especially when smexy men are involved (!), only under duress, and did the cheek-bones give it away? Seriously? I’ve lived in Washington D.C., Virginia, Upper Michigan, Texas, New York, California, and Alabama in the United States; Hessen in Germany, London in England, Masirah Island in Oman and…sometimes it was in a house, sometimes in a tent, and sometimes anyplace I could find to lay my head. I’ve been in love with words since before I drew breath, and I don’t see that ever changing. I write stories. Sometimes I write music with them, sometimes they’re poems, and lately, to my great delight, M/M erotic romance. Yum. Smexy man to the second…or third power…now that’s the kinda math I can get behind!! The hair curls or frizzes as it will, the eyes are green and tend to look in two different directions—no, really—and the rest is subject to change. You know the guy who didn’t know if he was a butterfly dreaming he was a man or a man dreaming he was a butterfly? Yeah, that’s me, but substitute drag queen for butterfly and wacky, wild ex-Army chick for man.

Chris: I'm a blogger and voracious reader who lives in Uptown Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've been reading m/m for several years now and blogging for nearly seven years at http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/

CiraArana

Clare London: Chartered Accountanct by day, gay romance author by free time, not that I have much of that! I was the child who never wanted to join in sports, preferring to read, and things haven't changed a lot. I will read any genre in the quest for fine, entertaining, challenging fiction. I love it all!

Dahlia Adler: Dahlia Adler is a freelance copy editor, blogger, and aspiring author. Her life's aspiration is to make the perfect French macaron.

Dan

Danielle: I'm an avid reader and love reading most genres of books. This is my second year as a judge for last year's Rainbow Awards and I'm most definitely looking forward to another year as a judge. :)

DarienMoya: I am a lover of books and all people. I write reviews over on my blog Pants Off Reviews, and most of the time I have no freaking clue what I am talking about.

David A. Kentner: David is a multi-published prize-winning author and journalist, a former Chief of Police, U.S. Army veteran, and winner of Calliope magazine's 18th annual short fiction contest. As a freelance journalist, he interviews both famous and soon-to-be-famous authors for GateHouse News Service and the (Freeport) Journal-Standard. He currently has twelve published books with another romantic tale of suspense contracted for release in mid 2012.

Dawn: I’m not a writer, but I love to read. The internet is probably the best thing to happen to the world of the written word. I am always amazed by the talent out there. So many of these writers, whether they do it for pleasure or profit would not be published in the mainstream publishing world of 20 years ago. Online publishers have allowed us as readers to be exposed to so many fantastic writers in traditional and non-traditional genres. I’m honored to participate as a reader in these awards.

Debbie: I live in Ohio USA. I have 3 kids at home. In high school, many, many years ago, I discovered Robert Heinlein and an instant love for scifi. Of course Star Trek (the original) was doing its first run at the time thus reinforcing my scifi love. Now my all time favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory! If you haven't seen it you've got to take a look! I enjoyed many different types of books. I attended over 20 years of school becoming an attorney, of all things. The kids kind of destroyed my enjoyable reading time until I discovered PDAs, and downloadable fanfiction. Now I can read in bed and not annoy anyone. Lesbian authors and fiction that include mystery, action/adventure, historical fiction, romance all kicked up my interest. Lesbian fiction is the only thing that I want to read now I enjoy it so much. It's like being a kid in a candy store as Arch said last year!

Devon Rhodes: Devon started reading and writing at a young age and never looked back. After a creatively sapping career in the business world, she gratefully took some time off to be at home. At 39 and holding, Devon finally figured out the best way to channel her midlife crisis was to morph from mild-mannered stay-at-home mom into erotic romance writer. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children, who are (mostly) understanding of all the time she spends on her laptop, aka the black hole.

Ellen

Ellis Carrington: Ellis Carrington is a wild child who hates to color in the lines, but who lives and loves passionately. She can be found in and around the Washington D.C. area, swilling Starbucks and saying inappropriate things out loud in public. Her greatest loves are good friends, good music, and of course reading M/M romance. Find out more at EllisCarrington.com

Emanuela: I am a 38-year-old (going on 39 ahem) accountant, living in Italy. I have been reading m/m romance for a couple of years, following a few recommendations from Amazon and then finding a few gems that prompted me to discover this side of romance. I haven’t read much except m/m in the GLBT world, but I like to broaden my horizons, and I am usually able to enjoy many different books. Even if I mainly read romance, I won’t complain if there’s no HEA in a book, or if there’s not a prominent romantic relationship, I am especially looking for unforgettable characters and authors with an original voice. I have a slight preference for crime/mystery novels and dystopian books. My favourite authors are Josh Lanyon, Jordan Castillo Price, Ginn Hale, Aleksander Voinov. I am not a blogger. I interact with fellow readers on Goodreads, where I try to post a review for every book I read and to pimp the books I love like crazy, and I also post my reviews on Amazon. Even if I have a degree in economics, my first love was for literature and languages. I like art, especially the Italian Renaissance artists. Goodreads profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4268461-emanuela-plastic-duck. Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1RXR105ND8OSH?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_tr_tbl_3595_name

Erotic Horizon: I read extensively and like to keep an open mind about any book I read. I love romance and tend to go through various phases in a year of how I read the books I read. I am a big lover of paranormal and M/M romances, but am known to rush out and buy the latest Mills & Boon or sci-fi annuals as soon as they hit the shelves. I like my crime fiction just as much as the most avid reader and tend to stick to the bread and butter authors - you know the ones you swear it's the last time you're going to buy their book, but end up a faithfull servant to their artistry with the pen. I appreciate books that gives you pause to think and look at the other side of the coin, but I also love the books that are heavy on the erotic and big on alpha males and feisty heroine. My days are currently filled with plots to find the perfect spot to hide from my overachieving kids and my nights are overrun with men in loin clothes chasing the hero or heroine of their choice. There are times I wish all my days were nights.

Ethan Day: I am a gay man living in Missouri...I can hear the gasps already!! How very un-chic of me, yes I know. It was here I was born and here I have stayed.I'm currently single but always looking for that special someone that makes my heart skip a beat...in addition to being able to put up with my neurotic ass. The worst thing about being a romance writer is finding a real life hottie that can live up to the fantasy I create in my head and subsequently thrust upon him before actually getting to know the real him. I can hear you getting all judgie...it's an occupational hazard!! To all my past and future boyfriends, my sincerest apologies...I can't help myself! I was the youngest of four children and the only boy, so needless to say, I was spoiled rotten. I've always had an extravagant fantasy life. When I played with my Star Wars action figures as a child, I liked to make up my own stories. Naturally, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were totally meant for each other, and Princess Leia made a bitchin' wise cracking Fag Hag.I somehow managed to survive high school living in a small racist town in Southeast Missouri and emerged unscathed, realizing life was too short to pretend to be anything other than who I was. I was the little homo that could...so damn it, I did! It was all very Lifetime Movie Network meets After School Special I assure you.After a few stints in college, I eventually signed up for a Creative Writing course. I took the class because there were no tests. For once my scholastic laziness paid off, and I found an outlet for all the fantasies running amuck in my head. It was love at first write, and I've been doing it off and on ever since.Now I've decided its time to un-barricade the doors and unleash my imagination onto the world. So very sorry world!! With the help of the lovely and talented team at Loose Id and MLR Press, my fantasy life is now available for public consumption. I'm desperately hoping your really, really hungry.

Ethan Stone: Ethan Stone is a published writer, but a longtime reader. The discovery of the M/M genre helped him to blend his two passions--books and gay men. Reading and writing are his top two passions--just behind his son and his boyfriend.

Eve: I started reading gay fictions when I was about 19 years old - discovered a new GLBT section in the local bookstore. I loved to read both "serious" gay fiction and what in the old days called "gay porn", so I'd be reading Edmund White, David Leavitt one day and Alex Kane by John Preston the next day. These days, however, 80% of my reading are m/m romance and fiction - thanks to the convenience of ebooks. I have pop culture journalism experience, however, I have long resigned to the fact that, despite being an avid reader, I am hopeless when it comes to writing original characters.

Feliz Faber: Female, age 43, lives in Germany, reader, reviewer with Reviewsbyjessewave since 2010, small-time writer (one novel, City Falcon, one short story, Desert Falcon). Looking forward to doing something new!

Gillian: Gillian Rodgerson is a freelance editor living in Toronto, Canada. As a journalist, she was a member of The Body Politic Collective, wrote international news for Gay Times magazine, and edited Capital Gay newspaper and Diva magazine in London, England. With Elizabeth Wilson she co-edited Pornography and Feminism: the case against Censorship (Lawrence & Wishart, 1991). Her hobbies include cooking, needlepoint, and writing pornography

Heidi Cullinan: Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren't enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state's LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Visit Heidi's web site at http://www.heidicullinan.com/ and her blog at http://amazoniowan.livejournal.com/."

Heidi F.: Heidi French lives in a small town nestled between the bustle of Vancouver and the renown ski resort of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada -- both of which recently played host to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her home is sandwiched between the best of both worlds, with all the excitement and diversity of one of Canada's fastest-growing cities at her doorstep and some of the best outdoor recreation in the world at her backdoor. Her grade three teacher described her a voracious reader, a label that still fits to this day as she continues to read several books a week. Reading isn't just a pass time for Heidi, it is a way of life, one she that shares with her husband and was fortunate enough to have passed on to her two young children. In 2005 she discovered LGBT novels, which fast became one of her favourite genre's and she hasn't looked back.

Helen Beattie: Long time reader and new author. My first story, Love Led Them, was published by MLR Press this year.

J.P. Bowie: I was born and raised in Scotland and have lived in the US for the past twenty years. I started writing about ten years ago, mostly gay mysteries, and m/m romance about four years ago. To date I have over forty books in publication, both in print and ebook format. I'm one of the organizers of Gayromlit Retreat, along with Carol Lynne, Lynn Lorenz, Ethan Day and William Neale to be held in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Happy to read just about any genre, I devour books - and read them too!

James Rasmussen: Publisher and Editor at QueeredFiction Press

Janet S.: I am an avid reader. I know where every bookstore is located within a 50 mile radius of my home. I'm pretty eclectic in terms of what I enjoy reading, but I am open to anything provided it is written well. I live in NorCal near San Francisco and love the beauty of the SF Bay Area. I work as a paralegal during the day, but if I could figure out a way to get paid to just read all day -- well, I would be in heaven.

Janet T.

Jason: An Asst Editor in Chief for a prominent online publishing house, my partner and I live in Fort Worth and help raise his daughter from a previous relationship. As one of the moderators for the goodreads M/M Romance group, I post a daily author and publisher report for our members. I enjoy writing, reading, cooking, kink, and long walks on the beach. :)

Jeff Erno: Jeff Erno is an author of gay fiction, young adult novels, and BDSM. He began writing stories in the 1990s and became published in 2009. He currently has 13 published works and lives in southern Michigan.

Jem: An avid reader as well as book collector, Jem accidentally started reading M/M over twenty years ago with Mercedes Lackey's "Last Herald Mage" trilogy (still one of her all-time favorite fantasies). In the last few years she discovered yaoi, and the growing gay romance genre. She has hundreds of reviews on Amazon, and has written reviews for GottaWriteNetwork.com. Jem has also done beta reading, as well as reviews, directly for authors. She lives on the East Coast of the United States with her husband of fourteen years, and one old, cranky cat. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/jshillingford, http://jshillingford.livejournal.com/, http://twitter.com/jshillingford

Jenna Jones: Jenna Jones is the author of m/m romance such as the EPPIE-nominated Chiaroscuro, Something Beautiful and the Apples & Gin series. She lives in a small town in the Wasatch Mountains, where by day she works with software engineers and by night she reads, writes and watches a lot of movies. She enjoys her imaginary worlds. You can visit your website at http://jennajones.com.

Jenna W.: I am a prior military veteran who has worked in the medical field for almost 20 yrs. I am currently a stay at home mom of an energetic 2 year old. A self confessed bibliophile, I hope to one day stop investing so much in other peoples works and produce something of my own.

Jenre: I'm a British woman who writes a review and commentary blog which covers m/m romance. I've been reading m/m for about four years and blogging for three years. http://jenre-wellread.blogspot.com/

Jentay

Jessica: Jessica is the author of a handful of short stories, as well as the translator of four books by renowned healer and Olympic coach Semjon Bek. She is also the designer of Faraday Bags, a line of data-shielding wallets, purses, and clothing. An outdoors enthusiast, she enjoys hiking, camping, and cycling.

Jillian Bell: Editor at Ellora's Cave

Jodie: I always say a book a day keeps the doctor away. Or is that a book in the hand is worth two on the shelf? All I know is that I love to read, either paper or ebook, although my groaning bookshelves are probably sighing in relief that I mostly read ebooks now. Ebooks also allow me to indulge my need for instant gratification instead of waiting the weeks it used to take for books to reach Australia.

Johnny Townsend: Johnny Townsend earned an MFA in fiction writing from Louisiana State University. He has published stories and essays in Newsday, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Humanist, The Progressive, Christopher Street, Glimmer Train, The Massachusetts Review, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and in the anthologies Queer Fish and In Our Lovely Deseret: Mormon Fictions. He has published several collections of short stories, including Mormon Underwear, Sex among the Saints, and Zombies for Jesus. His book, The Abominable Gayman, was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2011.

Jorgi-Anne: I'm an American living abroad, most currently in the Italy. I'm a voracious reader and have been ever since I learned to read at the age of 3 (thank you Sesame Street!) My love of GLBT fiction has only grown exponentially with the advent of e-books. I've drabbled the odd story or two, but find that I'm more enthusiastic about reading than writing at this point in my life. Maybe I'll write once I retire :)

Júlia

Juli-Anna

Julie A.

Julie W.: I love to read and enjoy discovering new writers. I am in constant search for a book I can escape into, where the characters live in me for days, giving my mind a much needed vacation. These books end up on my bookshelf to be read again and again. Though, my love will always remain with sci-fi and fantasy, mysteries and romance occupy just about as much space on my bookshelf. Thanks to my Kindle, not only can I read as often as I like, I have a another bookshelf (albeit a much lighter one) to store my favorites. I look forward to the next book that I want to read over and over.

Juni

Kari

Karla Ruksys: I am Karla Ruksys. I live in NJ, near Philadelphia. I am a woman in my 50's. I read a great deal, averaging a new book every 2-3 days.

Kate

Kate McMurray: Kate is a writer, editor, and voracious reader. She is the author of several m/m romances. She edits nonfiction to pay the bills and is also an amateur violinist. She lives in New York City. http://www.katemcmurray.com

Kathy: Like so many other members of the Jury, I'm an avid reader with a voracious appetite for anything that tells a good story, brings emotions to the fore and always leaves me feeling good at the end. In the past I was adamant about not being a fan of books where the bad guy wins, where love is lost or where I'm going to be scared to death... although I've noticed over the last while that my 'definitely don't reads' are now becoming part of my diet. I've been a fan of m/m romance--and any sub-genre out there--for five years now and it's a big part of my library, but I've also enjoyed f/f romance, m/f and ménages... gotta love a lot of lovin'. :) My four children, now all gone from home, are also readers and I like to think that I had something to do with that. They, and my wonderfully supportive husband, may not understand my steady diet of GLBT or romance books, but as readers themselves they understand that good stories can be found anywhere. I'm a reviewer for two sites--nothing like being able to read a book and tell people what it is about it that appeals to me--and I'm now also working as Editor-in-Chief for Silver Publishing. I always knew that books were important to me, now they're a part of everything I do. How wonderful is that!

Kimberly Gardner: Kimberly has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. As early as the seventh grade, she recalls slashing her favorite rockstars for her own and her friends’ enjoyment. It was also around that time that she began a lifelong love affair with the romance genre, devouring category romances as fast as she could smuggle them into the house. So it’s not all that surprising that her two passions, romance and putting pretty boys with other pretty boys, would ultimately come together in her writing. Moliere says, “Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, then for a few close friends, then for money.” Kimberly is delighted at long last to be doing it for money. She has two novels available from MLR Press and is hard at work on her third.

Kimberly Lynn Workman: Kimberly has long been involved in media discussion, engaging others in conversations about the implications of television, film, and other artistic creations on society. In 2010, she took on a more official role in these discussions by becoming a staff writer on a number of media review blogs. She has long been drawn to LGBT fiction and most of her writing/reading projects are focused in this genre.

Kirsten

Kris Jacen: 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, James Buchanan, Kimberly Gardner, 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 Z. Allora and K-lee Klein. 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.

L.D. Madison: LD is the Author of Caught by Surprise, Keeping Secrets and A Tangled Web. She has been writing gay erotic romance for several years, and is a member Rainbow Romance Writers (RWA GLBT Chapter).

Lasha: Avid reader and reviewer, who works for Reviews by Jessewave and Dark Divas Reviews.

Leah Braemel: Like most authors, Leah's always had stories revolving around in her head, talking to her late at night. College, marriage and raising a family had her pushing them aside until a conversation with her eldest son about how he needed to follow his dreams was thrown back at her. One year later Leah was thrilled to get her first contract for her sizzling romance Private Property from Samhain Publishing. In January 2010, the reviewers at The Romance Studio nominated Private Property for a CAPA award for "Best Erotic Romance." Leah was also nominated in the "Best Erotic Romance Author" category. Reviewers have since awarded her books numerous Top Pick and Recommended Reads designations along with another CAPA nomination for Deliberate Deceptions as "Best Contemporary Romance of 2011."

Lee Rowan: Lee Rowan has been writing since childhood, but professionally only since spring of 2006, with the publication of her Eppie-winning novel, Ransom. She is a lady of a certain age, old enough to know better but young enough to do it anyway. A confirmed bookaholic with a wife of many years, she is kept in line by a cadre of cats and a dog who gets her away from the computer and out of the house at least once a day.
http://www.lee-rowan.net/

Lex Valentine: Lex Valentine is a bestselling, award winning author who writes across genres from contemporary to urban fantasy in both M/M and M/F. A native of Monterey County, California, Lex now lives in a canyon in Orange County, California with Rott, her long haired tattooed husband, Nikki, her art student daughter, and bunch of cats she calls “babies.” She loves loud rock and alternative music, builds her own computers, works full-time at a cemetery as the network administrator, and has a propensity for having very weird vivid dreams about Nikki Sixx, although he’s never naked in them to her great disappointment.. She also enjoys creating cover art as the award winning Winterheart Design. Lex is a member of Romance Writers of America and the PASIC, Rainbow Romance Writers, Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, and Orange County California chapters of RWA. You’ll find her door always open to readers at lex@lexvalentine.com.

Lia: I love reading, I don´t leave home without at least one book in my bag, ever. That's all that´s relevant, really. If it isn´t: I am German, married to a Brit, 2 bilingual kids. I´m currently living in Germany, but I lived in England and the USA for several years. Other than reading I love classical music and sing in 2+ choirs.

Lidya

Lily: I've been addicted to reading pretty much since I picked up my first book. After many years of reading m/f books, of which I was getting increasingly bored with, I discovered m/m ebooks. I'm totally hooked now and 99% of what I've read in the past three years has been m/m. My Sony eReader is never far from my side and I enjoy writing reviews as well as reading other people's thoughts on the books I've read. I live in North Florida and enjoy the mostly sunny days with my family.

Lori Toland: CEO by day, manlove writer by night, Lori Toland somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her cats and husband. Visit Lori's web site at http://www.loritoland.com/

Louisa Bacio: In addition to working as an editor for magazines and Keith Publications and writing, Bacio teaches college classes in writing and popular culture. Bacio lives in Southern California with her adoring husband, two wonderful and challenging daughters and a houseful of pets. Her debut novel Physical Education is available through Ravenous Romance, and Amazon.

Luce

Lyndi Lamont: Lyndi Lamont, sold her first romance novel in 1997 to Kensington Precious Gems. Since then she has written historical and Regency romance for Amber Quill Press and erotic romance, including male/male erotica, for the erotic imprints of AQP. Website: http://www.lyndilamont.com

Lyne: My name is Lyne and thanks to my mother's pushing when I was younger, I am now an avid reader. In my spare time I review M/M stories for a couple of different sites. If you had told me a few years ago that this would me my genre of choice I would have looked at you like you were crazy. Thanks to authors like Jeff Erno, JL Langley, TA Chase, and Sui Lynn I can't get enough.

Lynn Lorenz: Published Author

Rainbow Awards: Meet the Jury (A-M)

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Book

Error