I'm a Hoosier, and I'm taking a stand against hate as part of the LGBTQ Push Back Giveaway

I'm thrilled to be a part of the LGBTQ Push Back Giveaway on Diversereader! There are 224 authors, bloggers, and publishers who are donating something to this massive giveaway. All you have to do to enter is donate to an LGBT charity of your choice in the next two weeks and then enter the giveaway. If you can't donate, you can help by spreading the word. Every little bit helps, and everyone can enter.

As a Hoosier, I'll be donating to the Indiana charities that support the LGBTQ community here. Freedom Indiana was instrumental in getting the most vicious part of SB101 (aka the Religious Freedom Bill) amended, and they're not stopping there. While it's true that business owners can't use SB101 to discriminate against LGBTQ people now that Gov. Pence has amended the language in the bill, we have a lot more work to do. We want to get LGBTQ people recognized as an official protected class here in Indiana, and Freedom Indiana is working hard on organizing protests and campaigns to bring awareness to the fact that SB101 was only the tip of the iceberg here.

The Bub carrying a sign he made for the Stop the Madness Rally,
as well as the sign he carried in 2008 when we protested Prop 8.

I've taught  my kids that it's wrong to discriminate, and my 8 year old and 5 year old are both appalled at the thought that someone could be turned away because of their sexuality. They have stood up to friends on the playground who spout homophobic tripe, and I've seen the eight year old stare down a full grown adult on more than one occasion when we were out in public and heard someone make a derogatory comment.

I'm proud of my kids, and they're the future of Indiana. We saw quite a few children and young adults when we joined in with Freedom Indiana to march in downtown Indianapolis after SB101 was signed into law. My kids chose to go because they wanted  to protest LGBTQ Hoosiers being treated like second class citizens, and they wanted to show the rest of the world to know that not everyone here agrees with the legislature and the few small-minded business owners who were willing to go on record supporting the bill.

The Barnacle made her own sign as well. So proud of these kiddos!

It also underscored the importance of the charities here in Indiana who not only fight for equal rights but support LGBTQ people in need, especially children and teenagers who have been turned out of their homes or made to feel like they are wrong or broken in some way. One of my very best friends works with the Indiana Youth Group, and some of the stories she tells about the LGBTQ youth there break my heart. 

So join me in pushing back against SB101 and the treatment of LGBTQ people as second class citizens. Instead of spouting vitriol and hate like those who are in favor of the bill, let's push back with kindness. Let's put our money where our mouths are and donate to charities that support LGBTQ people, both to help further their missions and to show the LGBTQ community that they are loved. They are valuable. They are not second class citizens

Some of my favorite organizations right now:
Freedom Indiana
Indiana Youth Group
#Pizza4Equality

And don't forget to visit the post over at Diversereader once you've donated or spoken out to get yourself entered in the giveaway!

A peek at Andrew Q. Gordon's The Eye and the Arm and a giveaway!

Andrew Q. Gordon is here today to share his latest book, The Eye and the Arm, which DSP Publications released yesterday. It's book two in the Champion of the Gods series, and it looks amazing! Be sure to watch the YouTube trailer, and scroll to the end of the post to enter Andrew's giveaway contest!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Eye And The Arm Series: Champion of the Gods Book 2

BLURB: 

After defeating Meglar at Belsport, Farrell returns to Haven to recover from his injuries, but Khron, the god of war, has other ideas. He gives Farrell a new mission: free the survivors of the ancient dwarf realm of Trellham from their three-thousand-year banishment. To fulfill Khron's near impossible task, Farrell will need the help of his distance ancestor, the legendary wizard Kel. But Kel has been dead for a thousand years. Farrell finds information hinting that Kel is alive, so he moves his search to Dumbarten, Kel's birthplace. To reach Dumbarten unannounced, Farrell and Miceral disguise themselves as mercenaries on board a merchant vessel. Their journey is disrupted when pirates attack their ship. While attempting to subdue the attack, Farrell is struck down by one of Meglar’s minions. Unconscious and trapped in his own mind, Farrell's only chance for survival rests with Miceral and the peregrine king Rothdin entering his thoughts and helping him sort fact from illusion. To reach Farrell, they will need to rely on an untested spell from one of Kel's spellbooks. If they succeed, Miceral can guide Farrell home safely. If not, Farrell will destroy not only himself, but Miceral, Rothdin, and everyone around him. DSP Publications Length: 99,775 words/296 Pages Release Date: April 14, 2015

Video Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk6OfKOU6nc&feature=youtu.be

EXCERPT:

“Relax, my friend.” Klissmor’s presence calmed Miceral’s growing anxiety. “You won’t feel my presence.” Miceral took a deep breath. “Will I be able to hear?” “Every word. Ready?” “No, but let’s do it.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I need your eyes open for everyone to see.” He snapped his lids open, blinking several times before could focus again. “Sorry.” “Master Teberus.” Miceral knew the words came from him, but as promised, he didn’t feel anything. “I have Masters Erstad and Wesfazial as well as Wizard-Priestess Glendora. Ask your questions to Miceral and we four will also hear you.” “Astounding.” The elder Arlefor glanced at the high priestess. “All four at once?” “Wizard.” Miceral had heard that tone enough to know Klissmor’s mood. “Maintaining this link, this far away with this many minds, is a strain. If we are to save Farrell, you must focus on him.” “Of course. My apologies.” Teberus bowed deeply. “My examination of the one who did this to Farrell confirmed that he is no wizard.” “Then how in the eight gates of Neblor did that man defeat Farrell?” Even though Teberus couldn’t know, Miceral recognized the voice as Wesfazial’s. “The obvious answer is the correct one. A wizard gave this man the weapon.” “But Farrell could defeat all four of us and all the other wizards you brought with you and not be tested.” Erstad’s steady temperament sounded tested. “No weapon used by a nonwizard should be capable of this.” Teberus raised the crest of his hairless eyebrow. “But since that is what happened, we must use it as the basis of our search for a cure.” No one answered. As the silence dragged on, Miceral’s anxiety slowly returned. If Haven’s senior wizards didn’t know what to do, who could? “Tell us what happened.” Erstad’s request almost didn’t register with Miceral. “No,” Klissmor said. “Show them. Let them see the memory.” Miceral closed his eyes and focused on reliving the attack. The clarity of the image caused his chest to tighten, making it hard to breathe. He knew the result, but watching it again, almost in slow motion, added to his agony. When the image played over again, he realized Klissmor must have been guiding his thoughts. “My apologies, old friend—the need is great.” Klissmor’s voice didn’t interrupt the stream of images. “Do whatever you need. Just find a way to save Farrell.” “Your friends are doing all they can. Have faith that Lenore will send us what we need.” When the memory started for the third time, he didn’t find any comfort in Klissmor’s assertion. The Six wouldn’t—couldn’t—help. He needed something that didn’t exist—a great wizard like Heminaltose or Kel. “In theory, I recognize the magic.” Erstad sounded confused. “But I’ll need to find a reference to be sure.” “What about Farrell?” He knew he shouted, or at least what Farrell told him passed for shouting, but he couldn’t prevent it. “He could be dead before you find that.” “It can’t be helped, Miceral. I need to be sure before I suggest a counterspell. If I’m wrong, whatever I try might kill him.” “He is in no immediate danger.” Teberus put his hand on Farrell’s forehead. “But my fear is the number of spells that draw on him for power. I can only give him but so much. If he doesn’t wake, his body will burn out.” “Do what you can, Master Teberus. We’ll begin searching immediately and contact you when we find the answer.” When Erstad stopped speaking, Klissmor’s presence left with him. “Hurry. Please.” Miceral knew no one heard him.

BUY LINKS

DSPP Link: http://www.andrewqgordon.com/2015/04/champion-of-the-gods-books-one-and-two-available-now/
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Eye-Champion-Gods-Book-ebook/dp/B00VGZB6SS Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Eye-Champion-Gods-Book-ebook/dp/B00VGZB6SS
Are Omnilit Link: https://www.omnilit.com/product-theeyeandthearm-1773344-234.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write. He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website: www.andreqgordon.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/dominic.andrews.7568
On Twitter: @andrewqgordon
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AndrewQGordon/posts
 Email: andrewqgordon@gmail.com

 GIVEAWAY

FIVE Winners will win one e-copy of ANY book* each from DSP Publication’s backlist. *Giveaway is of any currently released DSPP book, which excludes the books that are on pre-order and “The Eye And The Arm”. a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's release week for Finding Home, and I'm celebrating by giving away a $20 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate!

Wow, is it just me or is this year just flying by?! It seems like I just finished writing Finding Home a few days ago, but it's actually been almost seven months. (And even more mind-blowing for me: I'm a few days away from finishing the third book in the series!)

Today is release day for Finding Home, and I'm so excited to share Ian's journey from the roguish playboy we met in Island House to the man he is at the end of Finding Home. Don't get me wrong--Ian didn't completely transform his personality. I think we'd all be upset if he wasn't the same snarky, slightly selfish bastard he was when we got to know him. But in Finding Home he matures and finally starts to settle down, and it's so much fun to see how he reacts to domesticity. (Hint: There are quite a few bumps on the way.)

I'm on the Dreamspinner Press blog all day today talking about the book and giving away prizes, so come see me there. If you miss it, don't worry--I'll be touring blogs for the next month talking about Ian and the first man who's ever captured his heart enough to make him want to settle down: Luke Keys.

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BLOG TOUR

June 19: Why I love flawed characters, on J.P. Barnaby

June 23: Writing a series, on Charley Descoteaux

June 25: Living vicariously through my characters, on Tempeste O'Riley

June 27: Writing kids, on Jamie Lynn Miller 

July 7: Character continuity, on Anne Barwell

July 28: Dropping Anchor book 3, on Kim Fielding

July 31: When Pinterest leads us astray, Cup 'o Porn

I'll be guesting with Jana Denardo, Grace Duncan, and CJane Elliott as well!

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Finding Home is available from Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AllRomance, and other online book vendors.

In the meantime, I'll be giving away a $20 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate to celebrate Finding Home's release. The contest runs from June 23 through June 27, and there are opportunities to enter daily. Good luck!

EDIT: Congrats to Andrea, who won the gift certificate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrating Branded's release with a Dreamspinner Press giveaway!

I've had my head down for a while since I've been so focused on getting the third book in the Dropping Anchor series written (I feel like Dorie... just keep writing/just keep writing/writing, writing wriiiiiiitiiiinnggg), so today's release kind of snuck up on me. Oops!

That's a good thing, though. New releases are always happy things, even when I'm up til 4 a.m. the night of the release frantically writing blog posts for the release day blog party that I also somehow managed to forget about.

I'll be over on the Dreamspinner Press blog all day today talking about the hurt/comfort trope (it's one of my favorites!), the book, and some of the whacked out things I researched on Google so I could make it as accurate as possible. There will be several chances to enter to win a $10 Dreamspinner gift certificate that I'll be drawing a winner for at 9 p.m. EST tonight (June 1), so make sure you come by at least once to enter. (Hint: You can enter on each post today, so come by often and comment a lot for more chances to win!)

Branded is part of the Dreamspinner Press Mended Anthology, which is a collection of 30 different hurt/comfort stories. They're available individually or you can buy the whole set.

Diving In giveaway

Reviews are starting to come in for my latest novelette, Diving In, and I'm ecstatic that the consensus is that Max and Everett are adorable--and that Everett's friend Nikki steals the show with her snarky wit.

Sunscreen? Check. Sunglasses? Check.
Comfy spot? Check. Steamy book? Check.

Haven't had a chance to pick up Diving In yet? Then here's an opportunity to get a free copy from me! Just leave a comment here with a note about how you're spending your summer for a chance to win my steamy pool book.

(If I could enter, this would be my comment: "I have a six year old and a three year old, so my summer will be spent pushing swings, drawing with sidewalk chalk and being perpetually sticky from opening popsicles.")

I'll choose a winner at random at 12 p.m. EDT Friday, June 21, to celebrate the solstice and the official start of summer with a bang (or a splash, which would be more appropriate for Diving In). Anyone who Tweets this link (and tags me, @bru_baker) will also receive an entry into the giveaway contest, so that's a chance to get your name in there twice!

Please do not enter if you're under 18. The book contains explicit sexual themes. I'll announce the winner on my blog and the winner will have 24 hours to claim it or I will draw another name at random and award it to that person. Leave your Twitter username (or email) with your comment if you like so I have another way to reach out.

Good luck!