Less than a week now before I head to the west coast for Yaoicon in Los Angeles! Last year, we were in San Francisco, and I was sad to hear they were moving the convention (I love the bay area). But I know we’re going to have a ton of fun in LA, too.
For those of you unfamiliar with yaoi, it’s a subgenre of Japanese anime and 
manga (graphic novels). Gay anime and manga, aimed primarily at women. Realistic gay relationships? Almost none, but it’s a lot of fun and the artwork is incredible and the men gorgeous. Yaoi can be quite graphic, so the convention is 18+ only. And it’s a perfect place for MM readers to find MM romance to read. Dreamspinner Press will have a table in the dealers’ room, so if you’re attending, be sure to stop by and get some great deals on paperback books (usually heavily discounted for the convention). Amy Lane, Mary Calmes, E.m. Lynley, Eon de Beaumont, Augusta Li, Lori Hawkins, Venona Keyes, Nessa Warin, D.J. Serani, Rhys Ford and I will all be there.
After Yaoicon, I’m headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the 2012 Gay Romance Literature Retreat at the Albuquerque Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. GayRomLit (or “GRL”) is a huge gathering of gay romance authors from around the US and the world, and celebrates the genre in a way no other convention does. GRL is only 2 years old, but it’s already one of the biggest events of the year for MM romance writers. I can’t even list all the Dreamspinner writers in attendance – there are so many! There are tons of great events sponsored by various publishers, and lots of opportunities for writers to network and for readers to meet their favorite writers.
Of course, in the meantime, I’ll be working on the first round of edits for “Aria” (Blue Notes #3), which is scheduled to be released on December 24th. I’m also finishing up a draft of “Prelude” (Blue Notes #4). It’s going to be a busy but exciting few months!
Hope to see you all in California or New Mexico! And if you can’t make one of the events this year, you should definitely think about it for next year. I can’t wait! -Shira
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