Today we kick of our GRL authors blog posts with author Belinda McBride

She is visiting us talking about  so called “Tribes” and is offering a Giveaway on a title of her backlist

Guestpost :Many Tribes

I remember reading a couple articles about GRL in which our authors and readers are referred to as a tribe. We are members of a small, vital community of readers and authors of GLBTQ romance. Some of us are young and hip, others are middle-aged and motherly. We are gay, straight, bi and otherwise undetermined. We are white-collar professionals, parents, artists, baristas and entrepreneurs. Some are passionate fans of a single author; others are hungry for new reads.

We are united and we are divided. We argue, we stand together in the midst of our disagreements. We fight among ourselves and yet we stand up for our own. We are a fierce, passionate community and we make a difference.

Like almost everyone, I belong to many tribes in life. On the weekends I go to dog shows. I drag my dog around the ring, shove liver in his face and compete for these elusive things called “points.” There are no fiscal rewards; sometimes we walk away with a ribbon. Afterward, winners and losers usually end up at a restaurant where we drink too much, laugh too loud and either celebrate or commiserate. We fight, we sometimes backstab, yet in the face of knee-jerk, dog-hostile legislation, we present a united front.

A few evenings a week, I’ll reside on soap-making forums, or will sink back into my academic roots and talk history or mythology with other geeks. We argue, we agree, we disagree and we take comfort in finding like-minded people out there, even if only on the internet.

Sometimes it all comes together in one blissful moment of serendipity. A couple weeks ago at a dog show, I met a Facebook friend in person. We chatted about Saluki conformation and the historical development of Siberian Huskies. She had a new Saluki puppy she was naming “Suede” after a soap I’d shared on my newsfeed. (I tried to talk her into calling him “Damon,” but no go.) We discussed the French Revolution and then she wanted to know which of my m/m books she should read first. It was perfect.

GRL is sort of like that. We know each other online. We read one-another’s books, we laugh at shared internet memes and we share each other’s successes and heartbreaks. We alleviate each other’s loneliness and in so doing, find the comfort in knowing that we aren’t alone in our love of the written word, and of GLBTQ romance in particular. We are shy, bold and somewhere in between. We are cliques, groups, singles, outsiders and at some point, we break apart, dissolve and form again into a new organism.  We come from all walks of life, all corners of the planet, yet we are all part of the same community.

Every year I go to several events, and every year I find myself anxiously waiting for Gay Rom Lit. The first year, I remember the wide-eyed, breathless excitement of finally meeting with readers and other authors in a non-judgmental environment. There is an excitement in the air at GRL you rarely find at other events. Oddly, that sensation has never faded for me.

Whether 2014 is your first time coming or your fourth, I hope you have a wonderful time!  If you can’t come this time, start saving your money for next year! Be sure to come find me and say hello!

Belinda is an award-winning author of erotic romance, speculative fiction and LGBTQ romance. She lives in far Northern California with her family and is alpha bitch to pack of unruly Siberian Huskies.

A graduate of CSU Chico, she managed to attend the notorious party school without once getting drunk, arrested or appearing in a “Girls Gone Wild” video. Her main focus of study was classical and archival history, cultural anthropology and theatre arts.

Belinda is the author of over 45 titles, including Blacque/Bleu, An Uncommon Whore, Belle Starr and Doms of Dark Haven. (With Cherise Sinclair and Sierra Cartwright)

She’s the winner of the EPIC Award, the Passionate Plume and a multiple winner in the Rainbow Book Awards.

Website: http://www.belindamcbride.com

Blog: http://www.belindam.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belinda-McBride/49209583129?ref=hl

Belinda is graciously offering a e copy winners choice of her entire backlist

Good Luck !

(Contest ends april 27 th)