If you follow this blog and want to keep updated, it's best if you join my Facebook group Wendyland, where I am very active. It's private and I share new projects, excerpts, blurbs, cover reveals, free books, and more!
Here is the link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/718074255203918/
FYI: I write all male/male romance now. So that's what you can expect from me.
Happy reading!
Wendy
Subscribe to Newsletter
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Thursday, December 7, 2017
I'm Participating in a Christmas Fiction Blowout Sale!
Get swept away to times past.
Fourteen authors are having a half price or less sale of one of their m/m historical romances.
Fourteen authors share the history and setting of their books or book excerpts on their blogs and websites.
On the bottom of this page, follow the links to the authors’ websites to
read all the authors’ posts and then go pick up a great read
for half-price or less from December 12 - 24!
🎄🎄🎄
For every day of this promo (Dec. 12-24, 2017), my new book Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods, will be on sale for $2.99 on Amazon. That's half-price of the $5.99 price it was this week! So if you haven't bought it yet, now's the time!
Also remember you can get a free copy of my book "Letters to an Android" if you sign up for my newsletter.
🎄🎄🎄
Many Greek myths contain same-sex affairs between the gods, half-gods and humans, but Ganymede's abduction is one of the most blatantly homoerotic tales. Basically, Zeus kidnaps him to be his lover simply because Ganymede is the most beautiful youth he's ever seen. Yes, he pays Ganymede's father for the loss of his son. Yes, he says he wants the innocent and lovely Ganymede to be his "cup-bearer", but really he wants to possess him and have him in his bed.
In the myth, Ganymede remains one of Zeus's favorites, so much so that he is the only human Zeus ever bestows the gift of immortality on, giving him the name Aquarius and making him a constellation.
I had an erotic story in my head, inspired by this myth, for about a year before I wrote anything down. When I did, it took off in its own direction. I took the basic story of the myth and made up my own fantasy version. First, I decided that since Ganymede is abducted against his will, the theme would have to be more along the lines of Ganymede's hopeless and helpless situation. He goes through a lot of homesickness and culture shock. The gods in my universe have technology that includes far star-travel, and Ganymede is introduced to it all at once, which is a shock to his system. Also, being on Olympus against his will causes resentment (duh!), and he never really falls for Zeus. Instead, he falls for the raven (in the myth it's an eagle, but I like ravens better) who flew him up to the stars. The Raven is a shape-shifter and the real romance happens between him and Ganymede, but not until the second half of the book.
This book does not follow a traditional formula romance, so it is for those looking for something deeper, different. It has eroticism (because I like it) and my penchant for poetic details. It is about being a fish out of water, and learning what it might be like to suddenly be given the gift of immortality. But of course, Ganymede finally does find love!
This book has inspired me so much that I am writing more books in this universe which I call my "Fantastic Immortals Series". Look for future books focusing on Zeus, and Eros.
🎄🎄🎄
Follow the website links below to discover a new author.
Find a new book to read.
Find a new book to read.
Silvia Violet - Revolutionary Temptation - Website
Era: American Revolution
Era: American Revolution
Anne Barwell - On Wings of Song - Website
Era: WWI - 1920s
Wendy Rathbone - Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods - Website
Era: Bronze Age, fantasy, alternate myth
Era: Bronze Age, fantasy, alternate myth
Ruby Moone - Memories - Website
Era: Regency
Brita Addams- Beloved Unmasked - Website
Era: Early 20th Century New Orleans
Era: Early 20th Century New Orleans
Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee - Simon and the Christmas Spirit (Victorian Holiday Hearts series) - Website
Era: Victorian
Era: Victorian
Christina E. Pilz - Fagin’s Boy: The Further Particulars of a Parish Boy’s Progress - Website
Era: Victorian
Era: Victorian
Alex Beecroft - The Reluctant Berserker - Website
Era: Early Medieval/Dark Ages Saxon
Era: Early Medieval/Dark Ages Saxon
Deanna Wadsworth - Wrecked - Website
Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida
Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida
Joanna Chambers - Unnatural - Website
Era: Regency
Era: Regency
Michael Jensen - Man & Monster - Website
Era: 1799, America
Era: 1799, America
Charlene Newcomb - Men of the Cross (Battle Scars I) Website
Era; Medieval - 12th century
Era; Medieval - 12th century
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Two New Books!
I'm excited to announced I have two new books available, both LGBT romances, both male/male romances.
It feels like I've been waiting a million years for it, but my 55k novel Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods is finally out! This book is very loosely based on the Greek myth, one of the more homoerotic myths out there, wherein young, beautiful Ganymede is kidnapped by the god Zeus to be his cup-bearer and lover. In my version of this myth, the gods are jaded alien immortals, and Olympus is a floating city on a far distant planet. Also, Ganymede may lose his virginity to Zeus, but he does not end up with Zeus. Read and find out why!
The wonderful cover for this book was done by the talented Sadie Sins (check out her books on Amazon or her website).
My second book is a Christmas novella The Elves of Christmas, also a male/male romance with tall, broody elves at the North Pole expecting a surprise visit from Santa. It's a sweet, cozy curl-up read.
Both books have been receiving wonderful reviews this past week, and I thank each and every one of those readers!
Ganymede has a somewhat interesting backstory. It started out as a sort of five page poem which I decided had to be a novel. I used the unfinished poem as a sort of very abstract outline, and started over, writing the book. I knew Ganymede was taken against his will because of his beauty, and that he missed his dog. I knew Olympus would be a portal in a different sort of time-flow that overlooked the entire galaxy. Slowly, awhole world unfolded before my eyes and I knew there would be other books about these fantastic immortals. It was Sadie Sins who suggested I subtitle the book "The Fantastic Immortals Series" allowing me to pursue more books in that universe. I'm just about to finish up a novel about Zeus's origin called Zeus: Heir to the Gods. I plan to write stories about Eros, and Sable (Sable is a character from the Ganymede book). The Sable book will probably be a sort of stand-alone sequel to Ganymede. I'm very inspired and I can see myself writing about six of these books, upping my game with each one.
I still have one more release I'm hoping to get out by the end of this year. Prey is a dark, sci fi, alien abduction and rescue novella. It poses some darker themes, such as: What if you are taken young and the only life you know is with abusive aliens and when you are rescued you no longer fit with human society? It is one character's story about this very question, and his unique seduction of his proper, wound-tight rescuer. It is about guilt, Stockholm Syndrome, shame, freedom and transformation with a lot of inky dark pools shimmering around the edges of sexual coercion and sexual freedom. Look for it soon.
Don't forget you can get a free copy of my book "Letters to an Android" if you subscribe to my newsletter.
Now, back to writing!
Wendy
It feels like I've been waiting a million years for it, but my 55k novel Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods is finally out! This book is very loosely based on the Greek myth, one of the more homoerotic myths out there, wherein young, beautiful Ganymede is kidnapped by the god Zeus to be his cup-bearer and lover. In my version of this myth, the gods are jaded alien immortals, and Olympus is a floating city on a far distant planet. Also, Ganymede may lose his virginity to Zeus, but he does not end up with Zeus. Read and find out why!
The wonderful cover for this book was done by the talented Sadie Sins (check out her books on Amazon or her website).
My second book is a Christmas novella The Elves of Christmas, also a male/male romance with tall, broody elves at the North Pole expecting a surprise visit from Santa. It's a sweet, cozy curl-up read.
Both books have been receiving wonderful reviews this past week, and I thank each and every one of those readers!
Ganymede has a somewhat interesting backstory. It started out as a sort of five page poem which I decided had to be a novel. I used the unfinished poem as a sort of very abstract outline, and started over, writing the book. I knew Ganymede was taken against his will because of his beauty, and that he missed his dog. I knew Olympus would be a portal in a different sort of time-flow that overlooked the entire galaxy. Slowly, awhole world unfolded before my eyes and I knew there would be other books about these fantastic immortals. It was Sadie Sins who suggested I subtitle the book "The Fantastic Immortals Series" allowing me to pursue more books in that universe. I'm just about to finish up a novel about Zeus's origin called Zeus: Heir to the Gods. I plan to write stories about Eros, and Sable (Sable is a character from the Ganymede book). The Sable book will probably be a sort of stand-alone sequel to Ganymede. I'm very inspired and I can see myself writing about six of these books, upping my game with each one.
I still have one more release I'm hoping to get out by the end of this year. Prey is a dark, sci fi, alien abduction and rescue novella. It poses some darker themes, such as: What if you are taken young and the only life you know is with abusive aliens and when you are rescued you no longer fit with human society? It is one character's story about this very question, and his unique seduction of his proper, wound-tight rescuer. It is about guilt, Stockholm Syndrome, shame, freedom and transformation with a lot of inky dark pools shimmering around the edges of sexual coercion and sexual freedom. Look for it soon.
Don't forget you can get a free copy of my book "Letters to an Android" if you subscribe to my newsletter.
Now, back to writing!
Wendy
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Poem Nominated for the Rhysling Award!
Many of you know I belong to the SFPA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association).
This year I was honored to be nominated twice for their yearly Rhysling Award. Voting is not yet complete, and winners are usually announced in the summertime. Anyway, here is the nominated poem in their "short poem" category. (And to read the poem nominated in the "long poem" category, go here.)
*
Thanks for reading!
Wendy
This year I was honored to be nominated twice for their yearly Rhysling Award. Voting is not yet complete, and winners are usually announced in the summertime. Anyway, here is the nominated poem in their "short poem" category. (And to read the poem nominated in the "long poem" category, go here.)
Build a Rocketship Contest: Alternative Class A Instructions and Suggestions
by
Wendy Rathbone
Section
One
it
shall please the wind
if you
make your rockets
of silk
and balsa
for
this journey is not about
functionality
it is
all emotion
how
trembled sands
and
vortex seas
make a
language
in the
shape of yearning
how the
wings of your
star-boat
flicker
to a
thrill
more
about the hunter
less
about the hunt
Section
Two
Past
winners include rockets made of
magnetic
poems
and
Victorian lanterns
a
candle in every porthole
your
vessel may run on the fuel of wine
trailing
fumes of oakmoss and patchouli
you
will be rated on the colors of
its
vapors
how
well they curve and twine
in pink
torrents or Mediterranean blue
and if the black fog of the thrusters
and if the black fog of the thrusters
can be
distilled to ink
your
captain will require
Section
Three
your
final judges--
all
former starship commanders
who
have suffered the inexorable isolation of space
Friday, December 30, 2016
The Goblin of Wishes -- a flashfic
For my blog entry this time, I offer a poetic, weird little flashfic for fun. My gift to this month of December, 2016.
The Goblin of Wishes
Wendy Rathbone
On
a moon called Firelight, in a sector of space more like black marble than
hollow void, lived the goblin of wishes.
Where
he walked, all energy bent and curved beneath him like candle flame. His hair
leaked phosphorescence. He gave off a sugared scent.
No
one who encountered him could capture and keep him, though many tried, hoping
they could force him to make their wishes come true.
One
day, in a starship shaped like a twist of ribbon, came three astronauts from
three different sectors of space.
They
kidnapped the goblin of wishes and put him in rooms of silk, behind bars of
gold.
The
goblin never defended himself. He was taken easily, with nets made of lilies
and silver foam, and led to the cage where all of manner currency to buy his
services awaited him. Poems. Rings. Roses. Pretty cards with funny bears on
them. Promises. Violins. Wine. Rain sounds on a curtained window.
He
was given furs and leather, shirts of taffeta. Boots of dragon scale. Kilts of
alien light.
Songs
carved from the tongues of extinct fairies filled the rooms.
The
goblin sat among his beautiful gifts, in his prison, and said nothing.
He
watched his captors with still eyes that rarely blinked, watched what they
favored, how they moved and talked, what they ate, studied their language and
what might be missing.
He
knew what they wanted from him. It was why they treated him well.
One
day, the astronaut called Million came to him and said, “If you can give me my
heart’s desire, I will drug the others and set you free.”
The
goblin produced, as if from the air, a small oval hand-mirror in a frame carved
with images of snakes eating each other’s tails.
Million
took the mirror and looked into it. He cried out, for within were the ghostly
images of his wife and daughter, dead from an alien plague.
“This
is a trick!” he said. “I will never set you free!” But he took the mirror
anyway, and could not stop looking into it.
The
edge of the goblin’s mouth lifted in a half-smile at the word “free”, for these
astronauts were incapable of holding him forever, for they were mortal and he
was not.
The
second astronaut, Clea, came to see him later that evening when the ship was
humming quietly and the goblin could hear the sad, grieving dreams of Million
as he slept, and the erotic dreams of the third astronaut as he dozed in a
fitful slumber.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MnrwWn5815mU2R_DYd0ovgs6D085teZdC1DXrMT3p6baGL24es0c6RjE1qAhXhXVcvF1lSuh7Rle4XNvftHnWqrIrIABEG0Em3N-f27-HBLrwDVv1N7cxkrTMxoNhQ6fY2bRGZhGLGmf/s320/88cd4b98108d69dbddd06a2a862fb5ce.jpg)
“No
one will love me because of how I look,” Clea told the goblin. “If you can help
me, I will find a way to return you to your moon.”
As
if from thin air, the goblin produced the loveliest mask in the galaxy, with
filigreed edges and a feathered crown. Lunar lavender rhinestones outlined the
holes for the eyes.
“You
want me to wear that? Ridiculous! Offensive! Monstrous!”
But
Clea took the mask from him anyway and left, her promise to let him go
unfulfilled.
The
goblin waited two days for the third astronaut, Gren, to visit.
The
first thing Gren said to him was, “Clea and Million are not happy.”
The
goblin watched Gren as he paced before the golden bars of the caged room. Gren
had a kind face and smile, but he seemed shy. His black hair fell in a glossy
braid down his back. He had a habit of chewing his lower lip. He would not
allow his body to be still, to be himself.
“You
fulfilled their wishes in ways they do not like. I’m not sure if I should ask
you what you might have in store for my wish.”
The
goblin did not need Gren to voice his wish. He’d felt it through the ship’s
bulkheads for three days. He motioned Gren close. The young man hesitated, but
finally moved forward until his chin nearly touched the bars.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGeZ5Wdnr6TxxEEZzh23pVgIcHmEB93_wxN6Dj2Enx6bpYtiNiBoQ3H_BTlfDmdxDnc79se_wZ_AQBNclJ30MO7BXDB_3LWa9kGCxbvUm35RvXtEzBlkTCngM3CmoBhI998qFGlbvSI6S/s200/download+%25286%2529.jpg)
Gren
was the only one who hadn’t promised the goblin anything for his wish.
But
it was Gren who stayed with the goblin after he took him home, where space is
more like black marble than hollow void.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Good News Despite Set-Backs
Writing, whether it is part-time or full-time, is one of those occupations that is a continuous roller-coaster with ups and downs that never end. No matter how much experience or how many sales and publications you have under your belt, the let-downs happen, the set-backs occur. It requires a tough approach, a thick skin. Just when you think you're up, bad news floats in. Amidst the bad news, good news can pop in at any time. You never know. But you have to remember that the good does happen.
I have faced a lot of rejection this year, probably because I marketed my work more heavily this year than in the past. But I have also had some great acceptances. After all my years of playing off and on in various writing genres, I still find rejection hard. It's stupid, really, because editor tastes are individual and not for all, and because the competition is fierce and good things get rejected simply because editors can't fit all the good stuff they get into their projects. But still, rejection in general makes me second-guess myself, question myself. And these are dangerous waters to tread.
So I like to focus on the good, and on accomplishment. And this year I have had a lot. Here's the list:
I sold a novel to a real publisher. "The Android and the Thief" will be out from Dreamspinner Press April 2017.
I sold a novella. "Eve of the Great Frost" will be out in the holiday anthology "This Wish Tonight" from Mischief Corner Books December 14, 2016.
I published "The Coming of the Light," a sequel to my novel "The Moonling Prince."
I published a book of poetry, "Dead Starships."
I had a long poem nominated for the Rhysling Award.
I had a poem win third place in a long poem category of a poetry contest. It won a $25 award. You can read it here: We Shall Meet in the Star-Spackled Ruins.
I had poems published in Asimov's, Eye to the Telescope #21 and #22, Love is Love, and Lupine Lunes.
I focus on all these positive things on this list to keep myself going into the next year. It is about pushing forward, always striving to do better. I have a lot of writing experience, but the more I do, sometimes it feels like the less I know. Writing is about trusting. Running blind. Stepping off a ledge into the unknown. You just have to do it and hope. And then repeat and repeat and repeat.
I have more projects for the coming year, 2017. I am working on a new queer scifi romance called "Lake in the Stars". I am working on a new poetry collection called "Superheroes Take Over the World". I am working on a collection of the best of my best queer vampire stories, "Bitters," which will be out very soon (since all of it is already written).
I will not lie that disappointments for me in being a writer, and doing my very best, run vast and deep, but I keep looking at my list of accomplishments from just this year and I know I can go on. I'm not griping, I'm just saying that it's a very hard road. I always wanted to do this full-time, and I can't.
The enthusiasm and excitement with which I approach it comes with a lot of hair-pulling, anxiety and even resentment. Every writer overcomes these things in their own ways, but the battles are real. This has been both a good year for me, and a hard year. But I am off and running into new projects, new hopes, new dreams.
I look forward to 2017 and all it will bring.
I have faced a lot of rejection this year, probably because I marketed my work more heavily this year than in the past. But I have also had some great acceptances. After all my years of playing off and on in various writing genres, I still find rejection hard. It's stupid, really, because editor tastes are individual and not for all, and because the competition is fierce and good things get rejected simply because editors can't fit all the good stuff they get into their projects. But still, rejection in general makes me second-guess myself, question myself. And these are dangerous waters to tread.
So I like to focus on the good, and on accomplishment. And this year I have had a lot. Here's the list:
I sold a novel to a real publisher. "The Android and the Thief" will be out from Dreamspinner Press April 2017.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAvZ_pamagIeqITDPgmBhAlMaDNIenx6mpcLFg279bxrg40GYBOF9NDg3HFy6Wgcto5hK_uonKO4ef1mwO_k5XpnjmkNgeL8xx8-IOw4c52IOMc2p4AdVPWOD1f9HAL5D5lz0SoklVbrc/s320/51YWOGWG4xL.jpg)
I published "The Coming of the Light," a sequel to my novel "The Moonling Prince."
I published a book of poetry, "Dead Starships."
I had a long poem nominated for the Rhysling Award.
I had a poem win third place in a long poem category of a poetry contest. It won a $25 award. You can read it here: We Shall Meet in the Star-Spackled Ruins.
I had poems published in Asimov's, Eye to the Telescope #21 and #22, Love is Love, and Lupine Lunes.
I focus on all these positive things on this list to keep myself going into the next year. It is about pushing forward, always striving to do better. I have a lot of writing experience, but the more I do, sometimes it feels like the less I know. Writing is about trusting. Running blind. Stepping off a ledge into the unknown. You just have to do it and hope. And then repeat and repeat and repeat.
I have more projects for the coming year, 2017. I am working on a new queer scifi romance called "Lake in the Stars". I am working on a new poetry collection called "Superheroes Take Over the World". I am working on a collection of the best of my best queer vampire stories, "Bitters," which will be out very soon (since all of it is already written).
I will not lie that disappointments for me in being a writer, and doing my very best, run vast and deep, but I keep looking at my list of accomplishments from just this year and I know I can go on. I'm not griping, I'm just saying that it's a very hard road. I always wanted to do this full-time, and I can't.
The enthusiasm and excitement with which I approach it comes with a lot of hair-pulling, anxiety and even resentment. Every writer overcomes these things in their own ways, but the battles are real. This has been both a good year for me, and a hard year. But I am off and running into new projects, new hopes, new dreams.
I look forward to 2017 and all it will bring.
the utterances of
the winter dragon
his breaths of ice
snow over the tiny
sleepy town
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Writing Sales News and other Tidbits
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysj-wIgu5Yomvu8xvePIkIsJZ0oih_DnM5rB0Ri4Hwji9IvxKqdUt8kOyDRRWB1O79ubQdzv-TuuVZqqFUarjqLMez25T7L9fATupuPxbNFlJLDsIoB1kdQWP6QlMQNFY8uSQ0XkAGEj4/s1600/autumn-mood-947484__180.jpg)
I also managed two in-depth edits on my novel for Dreamspinner Press, "The Android and the Thief." Originally, that novel had been accepted by their genre imprint DSP Publications. But over the summer some romance reviewers gave me information that they DO NOT review that imprint. I also heard complaints from some authors from DSP that apparently romance readers were a) avoiding that imprint because they did not think it was "romance", or b) did not even know it existed. I panicked, envisioning my novel languishing on unseen websites, shoved to backs of dusty digital shelves because the title is not "fluffy" enough and because it would be labeled that dreaded word "genre". I politely asked that my novel be moved to the regular romance line-up of Dreamspinner Press since it is, really, a romance despite the futuristic, scifi setting. The wonderful people at Dreamspinner agreed to my request. While there are some GREAT titles/authors in the DSP Publications line-up, and I recommend people check them out for some great reads, I am happy to be moved into the main line-up of gay romances.
That said, I often lately find myself confused as to how to label and market my books. I enjoy writing gay characters, erotica, AND science fiction. To wit, I often include all three in my books. I bust out of the formulas for all of those genres and just write the story that falls naturally onto the page. I don't follow the entire romance formula, yet my books include romantic themes, beautiful erotic scenes, and characters undergoing transformative experiences, including the transformation of falling in love. I love erotica, but my books are not comprised entirely of boinking, so they are not technically porn. I love to world-build and describe beautiful alien vistas, but I am not writing hard scifi with info-dumps and techno explanations that delight much of that crowd. I am writing about the people, period. So where do I belong in that tangled web? If I label a book "gay romance" I alienate the scifi readers. If I label it scifi, I alienate the gay romance fans. As usual, I fall between the cracks. No one knows what to make of me. I need to create my own label: gay starshiptopias where people find love amongst the stars and the shadows but you will also get those Bradbury moments of lyrical wonder, nostalgia, poetry. (But no techno-dumps explaining how the dome on the asteroid works.)
Okay, so I fall through the cracks. I always have been an outsider, even in "outsider" groups. And here's more: I am a poet, gods help me. That right there puts the kabash on most writing conversations. Forget about the readers!
Updates on the poetry front:
I had a poem, "Marco Polo 3879," published in July's issue #21 of "Eye to the Telescope". The theme is "male perspectives" edited by Marge Simon. There was some rancor politically over that issue's theme despite the editor being female and accepting submissions from any-gendered poets. You can see the issue (and my poem) here. The rancor died down. The predicted public drama (the opinion that men already have had their say in this patriarchal society, so the theme might be anti-female) never happened.
Much to my utter shock (and joy), I also had a long poem, "We Shall Meet in the Star-Spackled Ruins," win 3rd place in the "long poem" category of the Science Fiction Poetry Association's poetry contest. My prize: $25. The link to the winning poems, including mine, is here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUSPAtyG8zrkWzUmGm1aat-JKGemCkK50P-WFed1y3gxA8zRpT-69G9eKE6DEoCv7VHMiqp2MwYIc3rMSBrnm901xtgYRTt_SMdkYd_nU5Xy7A0qhzKWsblX_pw6Z4YQwL5x4txbxy28E/s200/tumblr_o5q73usw2i1v8m1sao2_r1_540.jpg)
On the fanfiction front, yes, I do still write the occasional fics. My current love is "Captive Prince" fandom based on the "Captive Prince" trilogy by C.S. Pacat. You can check out my newest fanfic, all written during April/May 2016, under the name Natasha Solten here. Simply, Damen and Laurent are irresistible.
I thank you for reading to the end of this blog.
And may you have a happy autumn!
Wendy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)