Black Hurricane Blog Tour
Erica Pike
Smoocher’s Voice, September 22, 2014
Title: Sweeping out the Cobwebs:
The
Icelandic LGBTQ Library
2012 was the first year I
walked into the Icelandic LGBT center, a week before the first Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia
launched. I got this rush as I walked into the rainbow marked house on the main
street of Reykjavik as I had no idea what I’d find on the other side. Once
there, I met with the director, Arni Gretar Johannsson, and we had a chat.
Afterward, I took a look around the small library. They had a lot of DVD’s and
non-fiction books about LGBT matters, a lot of magazines, and a nice collection
of LGBT fiction. However, the most recent gay fiction I could find was from 2003.
When I asked Arni about it, he said that the center was funded only by
donations and member fees and they didn’t have money for stocking up on new
fiction. Whatever they had had been donated from other people’s bookshelves.
That got me thinking about
all the wonderful gay romances I’d read. None of the modern M/M books had made
their way onto the shelves as Icelanders are still generally oblivious about
the brilliance and existence of gay romances. There were no horrors by Rick R.
Reed, sci-fi books by K.C. Burn and Angel Martinez. There were no
heart-wrenching romances by Amy Lane, Marie Sexton, or Mary Calmes. And what
about all the rock star books? And the paranormals? And the cowboys? Icelanders
were seriously missing out.
I went home and sent out a request
on the GRL yahoo group, explaining the situation and asking if anyone was
willing to donate a book. Over twenty people and publishers promptly replied
that they’d be happy to donate a book or two. Arni was pleasantly surprised
when I told him (right after I donated my own book) and after speaking to the
board of directors, he gave me a bunch of 78 pins as tokens of gratitude
(they’re called Samtökin “78 - or Organization “78). So, a few months later, I
visited Albuquerque and had a blast. People kept giving me books and I gave
them pins as thanks. I ended up with 64 books in my bag to take to the center!
That was beside a few books I’d bought/swapped for myself and the copies of my
own books I wanted to take with me to Iceland. Naturally, I had to buy an extra
bag, but since Iceland Air is awesome, and I had a AM-EX card (they allow an
extra bag), I didn’t have to pay anything extra for bringing three big
suitcases into the country (hey, it was also a shopping trip). Fortunately for
the center, some of the people were donating more than one book, so everyone
got a pin.
So, there are still no books
by some of the authors I mentioned above, but there are now awesome, modern
books in many of the sub-genres of M/M romance by many fantastic authors.
Book Name: Black Hurricane
Author Name: Erica Pike
Author Bio: Erica lives in Iceland with her adorable little twin boys. She often says that her real name sounds like Klingon to foreigners. Seriously, if “Eyjafjallajökull” looks like a random strings of characters, it’s nothing in comparison to Erica’s name.
She’s been writing for several years, or ever since reading
became an obsession. Aside from a business degree, Erica has taken English
courses at the University of Iceland and gulped down anything that might help
her in her career as an author. She takes great interest in English, but will
break every single grammar rule for the sake of The Voice.
Author Contact:
Cover Artist: Scarlet Tie Designs
Publisher: MLR Press
Excerpt: “Jazz, take pictures!” Eric pokes
me hard in the side with his bony elbow.
I wince and raise the camera, clicking a shot.
“Go to the front, like they’re doing.” He points at the
photographers running to the front and clicking madly on their cameras.
Heaving a sigh, I drag my ass off the chair to walk forward.
I rake my hand through my hair before I glance back at the monstrosity on the
platform. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be in this
position. Suddenly oil paint and new guitar strings don’t seem all that
important. I just wanna get out, but Eric needs these pictures for the magazine
and I’d rather die than let one of my friends down.
My heart thuds when I see Dean looking right back at me as I
approach. His brow furrows as if he’s trying to place me. Typical. Of course he
wouldn’t remember me. Why would he? My heart hammers a fast beat as my body
breaks out in sweat. The inside of my throat thickens, stopping half of the
oxygen from reaching my lungs. And still, I’m having the hardest time looking
away.
Am I nervous under
his green-eyed gaze? Or is it just the hate? It’s been years since I last saw
him.
Not wanting to give the wrong impression of an adoring fan, I
narrow my eyes and spew out all the venom I feel for this man into one, hateful
glare, just before I raise the camera and snap my shots.
Sales Links:
Tour
Dates/Stops
September
15: Up
All Night, Read All Day, Love
Bytes
September 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Smoocher’s Voice
September 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Smoocher’s Voice
Rafflecopter Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Certificate and signed paperbacks of A Life Without
You, Hot Hands and The Walls Have Ears. One (international) winner for the lot.
Other books by Erica:
Such a cool anecdote all around!
ReplyDeleteTrix, vitajex(at)Aol(dot)com