Happy Labor Day everyone! A little history around the day…

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.

Ten years ago I was hard pressed to find a decent movie or show with relevant, likeable and well acted LGBT characters. There’s still a lag in content for total inclusion as far as race and sexual orientations people feel are “fake” or “irrelevant” among other things. But we’ve definitely come a long way baby. Trailblazers like Queer as Folk and The L Word open the door for LGBT themed shows to storm the gates with juicy storylines, relatable characters and, at the time, steamy scenes that pushed the envelope for main stream media. I mean, seriously, who didn’t love Brain Kinney? The openly, outrageous gay man that was sexy, smart, funny and successful. He challenged many peoples view of what a gay man would be which was welcoming and necessary seventeen years ago. On the other end of the LGBT spectrum there was The L Word which was comprised of strong, beautiful female characters both lesbian and bi-sexual. Again they were smart, sassy and successful. Still though, both shows were on “pay channels” and slotted at late night times. Today we have shows like How to Get away with Murder, Modern Family, Dr. Who, Heroes and my personal favorite, Shadowhunters, just to name a few (click here for a short list I found on Wikipedia).

With the more inclusive and broad range of LGBT characters several smaller media outlets have begun airing exclusive shows and movies as well. Youtube has several smaller or independent shows and movies that you can loose a day wrapped up in, I swear. Some of my favorites are: G&T Italian WebSerie & The Horizon series and there are also movie production companies that post to youtube like HERE TV. There are seriously entirely too many today to list them all. They also have this thing called “Youtubers” and there are a ton of LGBT persons, couples, throuples and fifteen minute short story movies to chose from on the popular video site. You can follow me on youtube to see my favorites and playlists.

My favorite youtuber channels that I follow: Adventures of Zach and B – Matt and Blue – PK Creedon – Tom Daley – Trent and Luke

While were on the youtube topic, there are some fantastic openly gay singers that have youtube channels as well: Troy Sivan – Matt Fishel – Steve Grand – Joey Graceffi – Adam Lambert – Mary Lambert If you look through and/or listen to my playlists for my books, there is always at least one LGBT musician on every playlist. I fell like it’s necessary to represent the genre in the music I listen to while writing.

Books, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, webseries, youtubers and podcasts with prominent LGBT characters are not only on nearly every channel, they are portrayed in a positive light.

I’ll share some of my favorites with you and then you can comment with some of yours. I am always looking for new media that includes LGBT characters.

A Favorite TV show: Shadowhunters #teammalec Seriously, I love this show so very much that I created a character based off Alec and I really loved the books. Alec Lightwood is a badass Shadowhunter and Magnus Bane is the 5000 year old High Warlock of Brooklyn who has a pet cat named Chairman Meow! And there is a ton of fanfic out there for these two that ranges from PG13 to flat out erotic, stick your head in the freezer steamy. Other recommendations I’ve watched and enjoyed are Game of Thrones, Brothers and Sisters, Penny Dreadful, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, DTLA and Hollyoaks just to mention a few.

A Favorite Movie: Latter Days. This movie is heartbreaking at times and I give the acting a B+ but the storyline and characters were very realistic, flawed and damaged. It shows what some gay men are put through in the name of family and religion. But then you have the bond and the love that grows between the Aaron and Christian that is so moving and beautiful. One of my favorite movie quotes ever is from this film. “So your church doesn’t like alcohol or homosexuals. Well, I’m definitely not joining then. I can’t imagine heaven without both.” Seriously, if you watch the last five minutes of this movie and don’t shed a tear, we can’t be friends. Other recommendations I’ve watched and enjoyed are Shelter, Strapped, From Beginning to End, The Ten year plan, All Over the Guy, Judas Kiss and ALL of the Eating Out movies just to mention a few.

Favorite Book that is being made into a Movie: Aside from Shadowhunters I’ve recently learned that a book series I love, love, loved is being made into a TV show. A Discovery of Witches is an amazing series with a prominent Lesbian couple that are witches and a gay May/December romance as well. I’m very excited for this show.

On my list (must see TV!): Sense 8 – Skins – How to Get away with Murder – Wynona Earp – Shameless (is it shameful that i’ve youtubed all the Ian and Mickey scenes from this show?) – Glee – Orange is the New Black – House of Cards – Transparent

So, leave a comment and tell me what your favorite movie, tv show or book that is coming to the screen is. Now it’s time for my shameless plug. My latest book, Survivor, is out now. As I said above, Taylor is based off of Matthew Daddario aka Alec Lightwood. Survivor is an intense read with murder, mayhem and suspense twirling through the pages. But at the heart of the story, it’s a May/December romance between two men that deserve to be loved and protected.

Taylor Langford’s world is torn apart when he is only thirteen years old—his parents killed, leaving him alone and orphaned. With no living relatives, he’d certainly be another statistic if not for the intervention of the policeman who found Taylor in the crawl space where his mother hid him that fateful night. Despite the tragedy and resulting anguish in his life, Taylor knows how lucky he is.

Frank Moore is a rookie with the Dallas Police Department when he and his partner answer a call in Devonshire, one of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods. They think the young boy in various pictures throughout the home has been kidnapped until they find him, shaken but alive. Officer Moore recognizes the pain in the kid’s eyes, having lost his own mother to cancer when he was just a boy. He steps in, making sure Taylor is placed with a loving foster family. Over the years, Frank becomes a permanent fixture in Taylor’s life.

A decade later, the case remains unsolved and the once gangly, uncertain teenager is now a college graduate who knows exactly what he wants. He’s coming home to the man that helped mold and shape his life, the man he’s loved for as long as he can remember, Frank Moore. But Taylor isn’t the only person returning to Dallas, and while Frank is distracted by his own conflicting feelings and the new bond growing between the two, the past creeps up on them, determined to finish what was started ten years earlier.

A note from the author…

I hope you enjoy Frank and Taylor’s story. It’s been a long road to get them settled, but I’m happy with where this story has taken them. When I started this book, the intent was to write a stand-alone story, but that has changed. Characters continually evolve throughout the writing process, and there are several characters in the book that want to tell their story. I’ve grown especially fond of Rory and I can’t wait to write his book, which will take us back to when he first joined the Bureau, and continue on to his happy ever after.

Please be advised: This is a May/December romance, and as in life, there are sexual situations that take place prior to the main characters finding their way to one another. This is not gratuitous; it is meant to show character growth and self-realization. There is absolutely no cheating.

Survivor buy links…

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2w3Nx46

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2w6YUs8

Amazon DE: https://goo.gl/PuJttx

Amazon AU: https://goo.gl/gMbnvK

B&N: https://goo.gl/SBfp99

Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/hJYB

Kobo: https://goo.gl/ta7JNt

iTunes: https://goo.gl/v2vam9

Smashwords: https://goo.gl/F7ErD7

TM Smith

Author bio and links:

A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant, she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good book, or ticking away on her next novel.

Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because, seriously people, Love is Love!

Website: www.authortmsmith.com

Blog: www.ttcbooksandmore.com

Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTMSmith

Facebook All Cocks series: https://www.facebook.com/AllCocksStories

Twitter – https://twitter.com/TTCBooksandmore
GoodReads: https://goo.gl/XQugse

Pinterest: https://goo.gl/cq9R9t

Youtube: https://goo.gl/Rpq5gX

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1muE5AA

Smashwords: https://goo.gl/iyiBz9

B&N: https://goo.gl/dWauDA

Kobo: https://goo.gl/jS8Ygx

iTunes: https://goo.gl/vrLfOl

Audible: https://goo.gl/7Iu4Zf

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2syj3Ij

Amazon AU: https://goo.gl/0sCPxq

Amazon DE: https://goo.gl/fhBB9c

Payhip: https://payhip.com/authortmsmith

** Remember to comment and tell me what some of your favorite shows, movies, books and audibooks with prominent LGBT characters are! See you guys next month.