20 Responses

  1. Susana Perez
    Susana Perez at |

    I share much of your background… I used to love Austen, Bronte, Oscar Wilde, but I’ve always been a reader of fantasy and Sci-fi as well. Tolkien, Ursula K. Leguin, Michael Ende… I was never much into romance, I must recognise I am not romantic myself, but I started reading some darker romances and looking for recommendations I stumbled upon the Cut & Run series by Madeleine Urban. It was intriguing so I followed another rec and read The Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon… and I was hooked! 😉
    susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com

    Reply
    1. EJ Russell
      EJ Russell at |

      I love the Adrien English series! There’s that one moment in Death of a Pirate King that just guts me every time! (I suspect you know which one I mean! ;-))

      Reply
  2. Trix
    Trix at |

    I always liked slash fiction (hockey and bands). In college I remember reading David Leddick’s MY WORST DATE (more gay-themed fiction really, since the relationship doesn’t work out) and some gay erotica book called TRICKS, about a sex worker and his different clients. (I remember thinking 17 chapters got a bit repetitive.) The first official m/m book I read was Marie Sexton’s BETWEEN SINNERS AND SAINTS.

    vitajex(At)aol(Dot)com

    Reply
    1. EJ Russell
      EJ Russell at |

      I never even heard of slash fiction until after I’d already started writing M/M. Marie Sexton’s Coda books were one of the first series I read–then I got to meet her at RWA Nationals in 2012.

      Reply
  3. heath0043
    heath0043 at |

    Thanks for a little author insight. I go in spurts on what I read also. it all depends on my mood. Good luck with the book.
    heath0043 at gmail dot com

    Reply
    1. EJ Russell
      EJ Russell at |

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer
    Jennifer at |

    My first M/M book was Jacob Z. Flores’ Spell Bound. I had been looking for similar books to The Hunger Games or Mortal Instruments, but with gay main characters. Through this book, I found Dreamspinner and I got a Kindle. This is how my addiction was born!
    jlshannon74 at gmail.com

    Reply
    1. EJ Russell
      EJ Russell at |

      Sometimes, all it takes is one, right? I’ve met Jacob at a couple of conferences. He’s delightful.

      Reply
  5. Lee Todd
    Lee Todd at |

    Try by Ella Frank was my first truly M/M story but there were “dabblings” in some of the M/F series I read and they had me intrigued. Travis by Nicole Edwards was probably the book that really kicked off my lust for 2 (or more) men together when I realised I did NOT want the female character to get in the way of the hot men!

    leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply
    1. EJ Russell
      EJ Russell at |

      Heehee! I haven’t heard of those–I’ll have to look them up!

      Reply
  6. EJ Russell
    EJ Russell at |

    Thanks so much for hosting me today! And thanks everyone who stopped by to share their “first times” with me!

    Reply
  7. H.B.
    H.B. at |

    I had a very diverse reading history too. My sister use to give me her middle/high school reading to read when I was a kid along with children books. I remember reading The Metamorphosis when I was seven or eight. she also had me read I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Slowly I progress to fantasy, then sci-fi and romance.

    Reply
    1. H.B.
      H.B. at |

      forgot my email: humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

      Reply
  8. Didi
    Didi at |

    Thanks for sharing, EJ. I read DC and Eppo comics when I was younger, before “graduating” to YA books from Enid Blyton: Famous Five, Secret Seven, and the lot; Alfred Hitchcock’s & Agatha Christi. My first exposure to romance stories were through fictions in magazines, then Harlequin books and Scottish and/or Victorian/Regency Histrom. I accidentally stumbled into OVA that introduced to Yaoi manga, among the titles are Kire Papa, Junjou Romantica and Finder before a friend who worked at bookstore present me with Jet Mykles’s and Josh Lanyon’s books. The rest, as they say, are history. My only regret is that I didn’t find out MM Romance sooner! 😉
    puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com

    Reply
  9. The Artist’s Touch by E.J. Russell Blog Tour, Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway! – MM Good Book Reviews

    […] Faerie’s Tales and Reviews February 13, 2018 – Open Skye February 13, 2018 – Love Bytes Reviews February 13, 2018 – Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents February 13, 2018 – The Day […]

  10. Serena S.
    Serena S. at |

    Congrats on the new release! I’m in love with the covers, especially for book 2.
    I’m still surprised how my reading taste changed in the last 6 years.
    serena91291@gmail(dot)com

    Reply
    1. Sheila
      Sheila at |

      very nice cover! Sounds like a good read- can’t wait to try it

      Reply
      1. Sheila
        Sheila at |

        psshepherd(at)earthlink(dot)net

        Reply
  11. lisa
    lisa at |

    OMG I was a precocious romance reader. My mom started giving me her super tame Harlequins when I was maybe 10. Then I started stealing her bodice rippers with actual sex in them when I was about 12. My first m/m experience was fanfic then I think I was reading some m/m/f and liked that. I don’t recall exactly what my first professional m/m was but I think it might have been G.A. Hauser. I do remember after I joined GR, finding out that there were actually entire books written m/m only and seeking them out. Finances were very tight at the time & my library had a very slim selection before I got my first kindle. They have a much better selection now that they’re connected to the Cleveland Public Library system as well as Overdrive and Hoopla. My personal finances improved so I’ve purchased many, many books in the years since.
    legacylandlisa at gmail dot com

    Reply
  12. Purple Reader
    Purple Reader at |

    Congrats, E.J., and thanks for the post. This sounds like an intriguing start of the series. I like the context of art, as well as the mystery. – Purple Reader,
    TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com

    Reply

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