Just got a couple great reviews for the new Own Voices anthology I am a part of:
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism, Drag
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewers: Ulysses at Paranormal Romance Guild; Maryann
Universal Buy Link
About The Book
A queer Anthology that embraces the romantic life and happy ever afters of drag queens navigating the LGBT landscape. All stories are written by Own Voice gay authors! From small towns to big cities, drag queens are the heart of the gayborhoods they belong to. Stories by Shane K Morton, Blake Allwood, Jole Cannon, Kelvin Young, J. Scott Coatsworth, Kristian Parker, Brent Archer and M.D. Neu.
The Reviews
Ulysses:
Drag is not my primary reading target, but as a gay elder I have the deepest respect for its place in our shared LGBTQ+ culture. I knew that an assemblage of drag-themed stories from the editorial desk of Shane K. Morton would be richly diverse and emotionally satisfying. And so it is. Each story very much reflects the narrative style of its author, and the biggest revelation of this anthology is the surprising narrative range that the theme of drag performance can encompass.
“Alec in Wanderlust”,” by Blake Allwood. Linc, a successful young country-western songwriter in Nashville, finds himself unable to get over being dumped by a younger boyfriend, who is a drag queen. A fortune-tellerâs unexpected solution to his emotional woes is for him to write a Broadway musical based on Alice in Wonderland, but populated entirely by drag queens. Rather an unlikely premise, which of course Blake Allwood handles with high humor and touching candor. Weirdly believable, and filled with appealing characters.
“Jakeâs Tryst” by Brent Archer. Jake Cavegn, a super-star soccer player in California, falls for Brody Rossi, a petit drag queen who goes by the stage name of Olivia Tryst. A rather dear twist on the jock-and-nerd trope, in which big burly Jake has to convince Brody that heâs for real. I have to say, the core premise that this whole professional soccer team was cool with their big name player being gay took me aback. I do have a weakness for happy gay jocks, so it won me over quickly.
“Drag Me On Stage” by Jole Cannon. Micah Cantor is a gay stand-up comic who dies on stage while performing his set at a drag bar. The only upside of his failure is meeting Sheeba Inu, a little Asian powerhouse named Choji Sato, who performs drag like nobody Micahâs ever seen. Choji dares the entranced comedian to step outside his personal comfort zone in order to find an audience that will both appreciate his story and set him free.
“Shakinâ with Sunshine” by Kelvin Young. A university senior, Dean Thomilson, is aggravated by the arrogance of his young world literature professor, Doctor Cavan Caddel. Dean doesnât know the sadness that triggers Doctor Caddelâs arrogance, and the good professor has no idea that the handsome scholarâs alter-ego is a breathtaking drag queen named Sunshine. Thereâs a sort of farcical build-up to a drag showdown, which would be a little far-fetched if both Dean and Cavan werenât such sympathetic, interesting men. Itâs a romance we all root for.
“Miss Vina Volaria”,” by M.D. Neu. Iâve read Neuâs book, âVolaria,â so I quickly realized that this short-form space opera takes place in a space-age happy-post-apocalyptic world. The twist is that Pailo Annson, known internationally (including on the moon and on Mars) as his drag persona, Vina Volaria, is a lycan (wolf shifter). Along with vampires and magic-users, lycans are one of the new species of human variants that appeared as a result of the apocalyptic pandemic that forever changed the world. Pailo is set up by friends with a grumpy, handsome Ukrainian recently emigrated from Earth named Dura Petrov. That meeting goes terribly wrong over a disagreement over Volariaâs history itself. The center of this romance is not Pailoâs performance per se, but the way in which his career blends with his private self in a complicated interplanetary world.
“Miz Fortuneâs Lonely Hearts Salon” by J. Scott Coatsworth. What I found so endearing about this story is that its central character, a widowed accountant named Chester Carlson, uses his drag persona as a healing retreat from the sadness of his everyday life. Faye Min Fortune has no stage act, but instead becomes a fortune-teller focused on the love-lives of her clients. Miz Fortune is as bright and exotic as Chester is competent and gray. When Dixon Murdoch shyly appears in Miz Fortuneâs salon late one evening, we donât quite anticipate the little twist of magic that transforms this sweet romance into something rather special.
“The Cowboy and the Rose” by Kristian Parker. At the end of a hugely successful run of his drag review in New York, Brit Michael Black finds himself suddenly abandoned (career-wise) by his longtime friend and collaborator, Hugh, who wants to start a line of drag couture with his rich and talented boyfriend, Josh. Seeking solace in an unlikely cowboy-themed gay bar in Manhattanâs Chelsea neighborhood, Michael finds a blue-eyed bartender in a cowboy hat. What starts as a restorative fling turns into something more, as Jack tries to find Michael work to keep his visa valid. Here again, while Michaelâs drag persona is important to his life and work, the real focus here is on these two unlikely men finding each other across a crowded room.
“That Disco Night” by Shane K. Morton. In a sweet bi-awakening fairy tale, the campus jock, Ethan, visits a drag bar as the âtokenâ straight man with his gang of gay friends. Ethan is thunderstruck at a performance by a ravishing drag queen called Shae Black. Shae, whose everyday name is Bobby, is working his way through college (in Kentucky!) as a drag performer. After a meet-cute arranged by one of his gay friends, Ethan realizes that the shy scholarly Bobby is just as interesting as the gorgeous, outgoing woman he plays on stage. It is a low-drama story, sweet and positive in its presentation of a twist on the classic jock/nerd romance.
Five stars.
Maryann
Here are a few of my favorites from âRomance is a Dragâ anthology. It was not easy to choose, because I loved each and every story.
“DRAG ME ON STAGE” BY JOLE CANNON
Construction worker Micah Cantor is taking his shot at being a comedian. Micah has a supportive group of construction buddies: Leonard, Oscar, Matt and Casey. When he gets a set at the âLiquid Pearl,â a drag club, he watches Sheeba Inu from back stage as she lip-syncs and dances. Then Micah is introduced by emcee, Lady Day, but Micahâs act doesnât go very well. He eventually meets his rescuer – Choji Sato.
“SHAKINâ WITH SUNSHINE” BY KELVIN YOUNG
Doctor Cavan Caddel is a English Professor from England. He has a student whoâs very annoying – Dean Thomilson. Dean is snarky and somewhat of a know-it-all, and drives Doctor Caddel crazy. Dean has a best friend named Jerric, whoâs always trying to get Dean to be more careful, but it just doesnât work. Caddelâs focus on books, work and Ollie lead him to a lonely life. He hasnât been out to a club in six years, but tonight he is meeting friends at one. Little does Caddel know he will have one wish to make.
“THE COWBOY AND THE ROSE” BY KRISTIAN PARKER
Michael Black and Hugh Mottram are not only considered friends, but brothers. They came from England to New York to perform their Drag Queen act. They were doing well, until Hugh needed to make a change. Hugh’s partner is Josh Winterton, a famous and wealthy fashion designer. They plan to return to England, where Hugh will become a business partner working with the clothing line. For Michael, this is a big blow up, and he becomes angry. He decides to stay in New York and continue performing. He finds himself at a bar âMidnight Cowboyâ and meets bartender Jack. When Michael starts to feel comfortable with Jack again, he is in for disappointment. Will Michael ever find happiness again?
I have to give a very special mention to:
âMIZ FORTTUNEâS LONELY HEARTS SALONâ BY J. SCOTT COATSWORTH
Coatsworth always brings out the Sacramento that many of us know and love. A lonely, fiftyish accountant, Chester Carlson liked things simple, easy and predictable. But when he went home at night, he became a woman of mystery and matchmaker. As Miz Fortune, he is confident, certain and spontaneous. He lost his beloved husband Andrew, but when he meets Dixon Murdock, is there a possibility they will both find what they are looking for?
Romance is a Drag, A Queer Anthology: Volume, has something for everyone. Even though I only mentioned four stories, all of them are wonderful reads. Each of these stories deals with different people who love being Drag Queens, and each queen is different and comes from a different walk of life. There are lots of surprises in each story.
A big thank you to all the talented and brilliant authors who participated in this entertaining and enjoyable anthology. It will warm your heart.
I am looking forward to the next Own Voices anthology from this talented crew!
The Reviewers
Ulysses Grant Dietz grew up in Syracuse, New York, where his Leave It to Beaver life was enlivened by his fascination with vampires, from Bela Lugosi to Barnabas Collins. He studied French at Yale, and was trained to be a museum curator at the University of Delaware. A curator since 1980, Ulysses has never stopped writing fiction for the sheer pleasure of it. He created the character of Desmond Beckwith in 1988 as his personal response to Anne Riceâs landmark novels. Alyson Books released his first novel, Desmond, in 1998. Vampire in Suburbia, the sequel to Desmond, is his second novel.
Ulysses lives in suburban New Jersey with his husband of over 41 years and their two almost-grown children. By the way, the name Ulysses was not his parentsâ idea of a joke: he is a great-great grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, and his mother was the Presidentâs last living great-grandchild. Every year on April 27 he gives a speech at Grantâs Tomb in New York City.
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Hi, Iâm Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the âDoctor Dolittleâ books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the âUncommon Cowboysâ series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read âZero to the Boneâby Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now Iâm really into mysteries, grit, gore and âtriggersâ donât bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and itâs right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.