The Seventh Pleiade Launch Party!

Save the Date: January 9th REZ Reading Series

andrew December 17, 2013 No Comments

I’m excited to be curating the January REZ Reading Series. I chose the theme of fantasy, and have put together a talented and diverse line-up of authors from the NYC-area.

The event is Thursday, January 9th 7:30 – 9:00 PM at Odradek’s Coffee House in Kew Gardens. It’s free and open to the public.

Here’s the list of readers, which is still in formation:

Andrew J. Peters (Curator) like retold stories with a subversive twist. His début novel The Seventh Pleiade, about the legend of Atlantis, was published in November 2013. He is the author of the paranormal e-novelette series Werecat. A former Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow, Andrew has written short fiction for many publications. He grew up in Buffalo, and lives in Kew Gardens with his husband Genaro and their cat Chloë. For more about Andrew: https://andrewjpeterswrites.com

Tim Fredrick was born in Pittsburgh, PA and currently lives in Elmhurst, Queens. He’s had stories published in Circa, Pif Magazine, Wilde, and Burningword, and has a story forthcoming in Em Dash Literary Magazine. He is also the founder and editor of Newtown Literary, a semi-annual literary magazine focusing on publishing the work of writers and poets in Queens. You can find out more information about Tim at his website timfredrick.com.

Daniel W. Kelly is the author of the erotic horror novels Combustion and No Place for Little Ones and the collections Closet Monsters: Zombied Out and Tales of Gothotica and Horny Devils. He is also the founder of the Facebook page Boys, Bears & Scares, dedicated to all things gay male horror. Daniel grew up and lives on Long Island. For more about Daniel: http://danielwkelly.com

Nora Olsen is the author of two science fiction novels for young adults, Swans & Klons and The End. She has a new young adult novel Frenemy of The People forthcoming in May 2014 from Bold Strokes Books. Her speculative fiction has also appeared in Collective Fallout magazine and the anthology Heiresses of Russ 2011. Born and raised in New York City, Nora now lives about sixty miles north in the Hudson Valley. For more about Nora: http://noraolsen.com

Charlie Vazquez is the author of the novels Buzz and Israel and Contraband, and the bilingual poetry collection Meditations/Meditaciones: Bronx/Salsa. He is the New York City coordinator for Puerto Rico’s “Festival de la Palabra” and is currently working on a series of stage-plays and a short story collection. His erotic poetry collaboration with San Juan-based writer David Caleb Acevedo, entitled Hustler Rave XXX, was published in March of 2013. He is the CCO of Editorial Trance, a new digital Latino publishing company. He was born and raised in the Bronx where he currently lives. For more about Charlie: http://firekingpress.wordpress.com

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My Favorite Books of 2013

andrew December 16, 2013 2 Comments

It’s time for my annual lists, where I share my highly skewed reading and film-watching preferences. First up: books!

I read a total of twenty-four books this year, which is better than I did in 2012 (19 books).

I try to keep up with new releases in order to make this annual post somewhat relevant. I ended up doing better than previous years on that score as well. Half of the books I read this year were 2013 releases.

Here are the books I liked the best.

This was my very favorite book of the year. An engrossing mix of folklore and period fiction, Wecker’s The Golem and the Djinni brings to life, in palpable detail, the experience of Jewish and Arab immigrants in late 19^th century New York City. This book definitely has appeal for Neil Gaiman fans, and also for anyone looking for a story inspired by Middle Eastern folk legends.

Far on the other side of the spectrum, David Zelman’s comic send-up to military politics and homophobia was a highly enjoyable, transgressive read. Even better, it’s been banned by Apple iBooks for “objectionable content.” The story and the illustrations are definitely adult material, but its hardly “objectionable” for any adult reader with a sense of humor, in my opinion.

As with The Golem and the Djinni above, I picked up this title while searching for books inspired by Middle Eastern folklore. I became a fast fan. This is the second book in “The Father of Locks” series, and it stands well on its own. Killeen has a madcap tone that goes off the rails for me at times, but the story’s unique mix of Arab-centered medieval history and gay/bisexual characters was a winning combination.

The Persian Boy has been called the best work of ancient world historical fiction (gay-themed or otherwise). It only took me thirty years to finally read it when it came out in e-book format this past fall. It’s long and epic and filled with interesting details about the life of Alexander the Great. Most of all, it was the beautiful evocative writing that I loved..

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Photos from the Book Launch Party

andrew November 25, 2013 No Comments

Many thanks to Bureau of General Services-Queer Division, and especially Greg Newton for hosting the book launch party for The Seventh Pleiade.

It was a great time!

My husband Genaro took a few shots during the night.

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ReLeAsE DaY!!!

andrew November 18, 2013 No Comments

Cue the music…

via YouTube

It’s the official release day for The Seventh Pleiade!!

Atlantis is besieged by violent storms, tremors, and a barbarian army. For sixteen-year old Aerander, it’s a calamitous backdrop to his Panegyris, where boys are feted for their passage to manhood.

Amid a secret web of romances among the celebrants, Aerander’s cousin Dam goes missing with two boys. With the kingdom in crisis, no one suspects the High Priest Zazamoukh though Aerander uncovers a conspiracy to barter boys for dark spiritual power. Aerander’s proof — an underground vault that disappears in the morning — brings shame on his family and suspicions of lunacy. The only way to regain his honor is to prove what really happened to the missing boys.

Tracking Dam leads Aerander on a terrifying and fantastical journey. He spots a star that hasn’t been seen for centuries. He uncovers a legend about an ancient race of men who hid below the earth. And traveling to an underground world, he learns about matters even more urgent than the missing boys. The world aboveground is changing, and he will have to clear a path for the kingdom’s survival.

Now available for purchase at Bold Strokes Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.

And, for New Yorkers, you can get an autographed copy of the book this Friday, November 22nd at the Official Release Party hosted by Bureau of General Services – Queer Division. It’s free and open to the public.

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