Island Song gets a 5 Star Review from noted Writer Josh Aterovis

Reviewed by Josh Aterovis


Island Song is a beautiful novel. Technically, this book would probably be categorized as a romance novel, but it's really so much more. Island Song is about loss, healing, finding love in unexpected places, leaving the world a better place when we're gone... and the sacrifices we sometimes have to make to achieve that.

First-time-author Alan Chin writes characters that are richly drawn. Garrett's pain is revealed slowly through flashbacks and dreams. He's a broken man haunted by the love of his life, but he has to let go in order to move on. Songoree is a sensitive, sweet soul. While he doesn't quite fit in with his rough-and-tumble surfer buddies, he's accepted as one of the gang as long as he sticks to the straight and narrow.

Even the secondary characters are vivid: Grandfather, Audrey, Mother Kamamalu, Hap. Each stands on their own as fully realized personalities, adding depth and dimension to an already strong story. Just as important as the human characters is the island upon which the story is set, Hawaii. While Chin does a fantastic job of recreating the lush, exotic feel of the island, he goes beyond a mere travelogue and really captures the spirit of the island.

The book is written in the present tense, an unusual approach these days. It took me a while to get into the rhythm, but once I did, the style really works. It creates a sense of urgency and immediacy that serves the story well. I was completely enchanted by this novel, and I look forward to more from Alan Chin.

An Interview with Elizabeth Burton, Executive Editor of Zumaya Boundless, a new GLTB publishing imprint.

Last year, during a time when most traditional publishers were scaling back their GLTB offerings or eliminating their GLTB titles altogether, a small independent publisher based in Austin, Texas decided to fill that growing void. Not only did Zumaya Publications decide to publish quality books with GLTB content, but they have recently formed an imprint, named Zumaya Boundless, that focuses exclusively on publishing superior GLTB content books.
Earlier this week, I caught up with Elizabeth Burton, the Executive Editor and driving force behind Zumaya Publications, and she agreed to answer a few interview questions:

Q: In today’s tough publishing world, why did Zumaya Publishing decide to create a GLTB imprint?
Liz: I had noticed that much of the existing GLBT literature seemed to be highly focused on erotica. That could simply be a misconception on my part because that's what the retailers choose to offer, but then I signed Dorien Grey to continue his Dick Hardesty mysteries after his previous publisher opted to drop the series. I had already published a historical romance of his, a Western titled Calico, and as we talked he agreed with me that there could be a large untapped market in both the community and the world at large for fiction that, to put it badly, had GLBT characters but wasn't GLBT fiction.
It happened that about that same time a lovely literary lesbian romance I had edited for a client became available--Susan Brooks's She's the Girl--so since I don't believe in coincidence I chose to interpret that as a hint I should pursue the idea and Boundless was born.

Q: What are Zumaya’s goals regarding the Boundless imprint?
Liz: The same as for all our imprints: publishing excellent books by talented authors. As an adjunct, we also give those authors a place to submit works that may not have been considered suitable for the mainstream GLBT presses but that have clear value as literary works. If, in the process, we manage to overcome a bit of prejudice here and there, so much the better.

Q: How does Zumaya Boundless and Zumaya authors reach out to the GLBT community to sell books?
Liz: We don't. We market Boundless books the same way we do any other: to readers. The authors themselves do a fantastic job of marketing to the community; our goal is to expand their efforts to the world of readers at large. That we are actually achieving that seems possible, as we have a number of reviewers who wouldn't have ordinarily read a GLBT book who read Boundless and say how very much they enjoy the experience.

Q: How many GLBT titles per year does Zumaya Boundless plan to publish?
Liz: Right now, we're doing about four or five new titles a year; we're limited by the fact Zumaya as a whole is still a one-woman show.

Q: Who are some of Boundless’s top selling authors and what type of stories do they write?
Liz: Dorien Grey, with his large base of ardent fans, is our second-best selling author company wide--the top place goes to one of our Zumaya Enigma mystery writers who does a fantastic job marketing to her niche readers. Still, it's close. However, all of our Boundless people are doing quite well, and I expect them to do even better as their fan base grows and more people learn just how good they are.

Q: Has any of the Boundless authors won any literary awards?
Liz: Dorien has been nominated for the Lambda four times, and last year James Bennett (Unrequited) was also. Susan Brooks won the 2004 DIY Award for Fiction when her book was first self-published. Unfortunately, there's a nasty bias against digitally printed books that precludes us from having a chance at any of the major genre awards, but we plan to be more active submitting titles to those that welcome us: the IPPY and the ForeWord Book Award.

Q: With so many talented gay and lesbian writers today, why is it so difficult for many of them to get published?
Liz: Well, first of all, it's hard for any writer to get published, which is why the subsidy presses like Lulu and iUniverse are doing so well. People get frustrated and decide they'll just do it themselves. But I also suspect there's a perception within the non-GLBT publishing world that only gays and lesbians will read the books, which means there's not a big enough market. Zumaya disagrees, and so far the results seem to support our opinion.

Q: What advice can you give gay and lesbian writers who are trying to become published authors?
Liz: The same advice I give any writer: learn your craft, polish your self-editing skills, research before you query publishers so you submit to the ones most likely to want your work and read their guidelines.

Q: Other than GLTB titles, what other types of books does Zumaya publish?
Liz: In fiction, just about everything but erotica. In nonfiction, I tend to go with whatever looks interesting, although we do have one established series about true hauntings.

Q: With the economy in a tailspin this holiday season, is Zumaya Boundless or Zumaya Publishing doing any special promotional sales?
Liz: Well, first I think the pundits need to get out more, because both Black Friday and Cyber Monday indicated the public at large isn't nearly as scared to shop as they kept insisting. However, we're having our own little sale at our online bookstore: Novel Ideas from Zumaya (http://www.novelideaszumaya.com). From now through December 12 we're offering a 30% discount and free shipping on the titles offered, which will be rotated every few days. It will be sort of like the weather here in Texas, if you don't see anything you like, check back tomorrow.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges/opportunities for GLBT publishing in the future?
Liz: The challenge is the same everywhere--keeping on top of what people want and providing it. The number of new books published every year increases steadily, and the varieties of alternatives to reading do as well. Publishers have to be prepared to use whatever tools are available to encourage people to pick up a book instead of the Wii remote.

I would like to thank Liz Burton for taking the time to share her thoughts and experience with us. I would also like to commend her work in creating a place where talented gay and lesbian authors can see their work published.

To find out more about Zumaya Publications or browse the books available at Zumaya, please visit: http://www.zumayapublications.com

To take advantage of the Boundless holiday sale please visit:
http://shop.zumayapublications.com/category.sc?categoryId=7

To receive the Boundless Newsletter, send an email to: News@zumayaboundless.com.

Zumaya Publications offers a 30% off Holiday Sale

With the holidays just around the corner, Zumaya Publications wants to find a way to give their customers a holiday treat. Since books are the perfect holiday gift, they've arranged with all their GLTB authors to offer special holiday discounts to help you cut your shopping expenses.

Zumaya, the publisher of my recent title, Island Song, is offering a 30% discount with free shipping. Other talented Zumaya authors include, Dorien Grey, Kage Alan, Susan Brooks and James Bennett.

What could be easier than holiday shopping without leaving your chair? You might even want to order a book ortwo for yourself. To purchase my book or any of the GLBT Zumaya titles, go to:
http://shop.zumayapublications.com/category.sc?categoryId=7

You can pay by check or PayPal...which accepts any credit card: you don't have to be a PayPal member to order.)

Again, thank you for your interest in my blogs and my book.

Have wonderful holiday season!

Best Regards,
Alan Chin

Book Review of Mahu Fire By Neil S. Plakcy

Kimo Kanapa’aka is a detective working a murder investigation and a series of arsons targeting GLBT owned businesses on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He is thrust into the center of the investigation after he and his family attend a fundraiser for gay marriage proponents that is firebombed. Kimo is the perfect candidate to lead the bombing investigation because he is gay and has the support of the gay community, not to mention his personal motives: whoever bombed the fundraiser put his family at risk, and you don’t screw with a Hawaiian’s family, especially when he carries a loaded gun…
The deeper into the investigation Kimo crawls, the more the evidence seems to connect the bombings with the other murder and arson crimes. Could someone be targeting the whole GLBT community, and if so, what could they hope to gain? Or is Kimo simply grasping at straws because there is so little evidence to go by? When he teams up with a hunky fireman to investigate the fire bombings, he finds much more than he bargained for.

This topical story couldn’t have come out at a better time in. When the whole GLBT community is taking to the streets over gay marriage, this story pits equal marriage rights at the core of this plot.
As for a mystery, the plot is a bit too simplistic, readers know who done it very early in the story, but this story is much more than a mystery. It is a rather convincing romance, where both lovers bring issues and frustrations to the table and have to work through them. The story is a glimpse into a sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes sad struggle of two gay men trying to forge a relationship while caught in a deadly game with murders that show no mercy.
Watching Kimo juggle his career responsibility, his family obligations, and his sexual needs felt very real. Although I’m not a fan of detective stories, I found this read rather interesting because I could identify with Kimo’s struggle to blend his sexuality into his professional and family life. It was the main character’s love story and his relationship to his family, rather than the plot, that kept me turning pages.
If you like a well written detective story, and the idea of a dark skinned, hunky, Hawaiian surfer snapping the cuffs on you ups your heart rate, then by all means, this will be an enjoyable read.

I wanted to share with everyone a 5 star review of my novel, Island Song, that Bob Lind wrote for Echo Magazine:

ISLAND SONG

by Alan Chin

(Zumaya Publications, September 2008, $15.99 softcover)

As Garrett Davidson arrives on the remote Hawaiian island, he is a man in desperate need of the restorative power that a simple life of seclusion and thought can provide. Far from the fast-track corporate life he lost in San Francisco, along with the love of his life to the devastating effects of AIDS, Garrett intends to honor Marc's memory by keeping his promise to document their lives together in a book. The house offered for rent on the bay seems perfect for that purpose, but it comes with an additional feature: Songoree, a local 20 year old who will cook his meals and clean for him during his stay. Garrett sees Song arrive each day, walking with a pretty young Hawaiian girl who then turns back home, but can't help but become fascinated by the young man. Despite some initial awkwardness, Garrett and Song become good friends, and the older man is also fascinated by Song's grandfather, who is the island's shaman or religious leader. The older man seems to sense Garrett's loneliness and sorrow, and provides advice that enlightens him to a level he never thought possible.

Billed as a paranormal, gay romance novel, this promising author's first novel is actually much more than any of those parts, but a truly outstanding, well-written character-driven story about life, love, beliefs, attitudes, and an eye-opening look at how we choose to deal with each of those issues. The erotic content is very minor and not at all distracting, and the story is a refreshingly original page-turner of a masterpiece that I enjoyed immensely. Five bold stars out of five!

The final email from the Executive Committee members of the No on Prop 8 campaign.

The following is the final email from the Executive Committee members of the No on Prop 8 campaign. There were dozens of organizations throughout California that served as partners for the campaign.

We had hoped never to have to write this email.

Sadly, fueled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, is has become apparent that we lost.

There is no question this defeat is hard.

Thousands of people have poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Much has been sacrificed in this struggle.

While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.

And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here; freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday. Just look at far we have come in a few decades.

Up until 1974 same-sex intimacy was a crime in California. There wasn't single law recognizing the relationships of same-sex couples until 1984 - passed by the Berkeley School District. San Francisco did not pass domestic-partner protections until 1990, the state of California following in 2005. And in 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 23% majority.

Today, we fought to retain our right to marry and millions of Californians stood with us. Over the course of this campaign everyday Californians and their friends, neighbors and families built a civil rights campaign unequalled in California history.

You raised more money than anyone believed possible for an LGBT civil rights campaign. You reached out to family and friends in record numbers-helping hundreds of thousands of Californians understand what the LGBT civil rights struggle is really about. You built the largest grassroots and volunteer network that has ever been built - a coalition that will continue to fight until all people are equal. And you made the case to the people of California and to the rest of the world that discrimination - in any form - is unfair and wrong.

We are humbled by the courage, dignity and commitment displayed by all who fought this historic battle.

Victory was not ours today. But the struggle for equality is not over.

Because of the struggle fought here in California - fought so incredibly well by the people in this state who love freedom and justice - our fight for full civil rights will continue.

Activist and writer Anne Lamott writes, "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."

We stand together, knowing... our dawn will come.

Dr. Delores A. Jacobs, CEOCenter Advocacy Project

Lorri L. Jean, CEOL.A. Gay and Lesbian Center

Kate Kendell, Executive DirectorNational Center for Lesbian Rights

Geoff Kors, Executive DirectorNational Center for Lesbian Rights

Book Review of Angel Land By Victor Banis

Victor Banis takes the reader into the future, late in the 21st Century, when the United States has disintegrated into territories ruled by Fundamental Christians. Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos that are reminiscent of the Jewish slums of Nazi Germany. In this setting, Harvey Milk Walton, a young gay man on the run from the religious authorities, finds that his only option to escape execution is to hide in the gay ghetto, but he soon finds himself jumping from the frying pan into the fire, because the ghetto holds its own lethal threat: the Sept virus. Sept is the seventh and deadliest mutation of the AIDS virus of the Twentieth Century, but unlike AIDS, no one is exactly sure how Sept is transmitted, which makes it all the more frightening.
In a crumbling totalitarian society, where evil masquerades as piety, gay people are cut off from the rest of humanity and dying of the Sept virus, Harvey Milk Walton faces great danger and agonizing choices which could affect the future of mankind. Can he muster enough strength to live up to his martyred namesake of long ago and rise to lead a rebellion?

Victor Banis stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a society turned into hell. It has extraordinary power, with images that grab hold of you and don’t let go. In the midst of this nightmare, Victor creates a heartwarming love story that is a testament to the human spirit.

The author uses a technique that I have not seen before. The story starts off being told from Harvey Milk Walton’s 1st person point of view, but then switches to 3rd person POV, and thereafter toggles back and forth from 1st to 3rd at regular intervals. I found these POV switches to be seamless, and greatly added to developing the depths of several characters. This is a character driven story, and Victor skillfully opens up his characters and allows us see to their core.

The plot is more complex than Victor’s previous works, which combines with his consummate skill at crafting prose and his well-researched details to keep the reader fully engaged until the last page. Victor Banis’s writing, like fine wine, keeps getting better with age. I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys multifaceted characters, humor, and a well-crafted story.

http://www.VJBanis.com