Happy Halloween from TRR

Happy Halloween from The Rainbow Reader

Those of you that are regular visitors to The Rainbow Reader know that I usually start out each book review with a short essay that somehow, at least in my humble opinion, relates to a theme, plot point, or cavernous leap-of-faith residing deep within the story.  I've talked about beady little eyes influencing my faith, bearded women, the base-4 notational system, and life in a small town.  

I've raved about a few books, and had to find a way to politely say that few others didn't really do it for me.  

I had the good sense to ask a few special guests to write reviews, and the better fortune that many of them accepted. 

I was honored to be asked to write pre-release reviews for Carol Anshaw, John Irving, and our very own Susan X. Meagher. 

I even got to unveil TRR's inaugural Very Best Awards in December of 2011.

But one moment stands out for me as truly the very best, and that happened on Halloween.

Let me slow down and explain a little of the backstory first...context is everything.

You see, for quite a while now, authors and publishers have been contacting me about reading and reviewing their books.  I try hard to accommodate everyone, and keep a running list of stories to review. On occasion, just as I'm about to do a review, the author or publisher will contact me and ask that I hold off on my review for one reason or another.  In that case, I almost always go to the next book on the list.  However, sometimes, if someone has just slipped a new book into my hands, I work it into the open slot.

That's where this whole story started...

It was October 25th, and I got an email from Casey at Bedazzled Ink.  After a few lovely compliments, she got down to business, as she is wont to do—she had two books that had just come out, and she wanted to know if I could review them.  I told her that wasn't a problem, and mentioned that I might just be able to slide one of them into the slot for the coming week, since I had a pending cancellation.  

She jumped on that little opportunity like a vegan on a lavendar cake...

By nightfall I had the book on my beloved Kindle, and even though I didn't know it at the time, I started to read the story that would change my life. 

It began like this:

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down..."
                       — Hebrews 11:30

Many of you know the book I'm talking about, but for those of you who don't, it was Jericho by Ann McMan.  While the book had a handful of technical and editorial flaws, I couldn't deny the fact that there was something special about it—I knew the town, I knew the people, and I knew the love story.  Somehow it resonated deep within me, and it made me feel like someone had slipped a ruby into my pocket.

It was a pretty amazing experience, especially given that I'd never heard of this Ann McMan before.  

Still, I had a review to write, and I did my best to give it the review it deserved—that little ditty debuted on this site on All Hallows' Eve, a year ago today.

Quite often, authors contact me after a review to say "thanks," or to challenge something I said—that's part of the process.  Still, it would be over a month before I heard anything from Ann McMan, and that was only because I awarded her the TRR trophy for "Sexiest use of jagged verbal jousting and intellectual tête-à-tête in a mountaintop romance," and I happened to see my name scroll by in the left hand column as I logged onto Facebook—and you just know I had to say something about it.

The rest, as they say, is herstory...

I can't say I was ever a believer in love at first sight, and I sure as heck didn't believe in the concept of "soul mates."  But, when I really and truly met Ann McMan, it was all over for me.  We were legally married in North Hero, Vermont in April of 2012.  

Make no mistake, it was the best thing I EVER did.

So, this post commemorates the book and the review that changed everything.  

The only truly sucky thing to come of this is that I can't review Ann's books anymore.  

Thanks for stopping by and sharing this special moment with me.

Salem West
October 31, 2012
Winston-Salem, NC

The Rainbow Reader Awards - The Very Best of 2011

As another year gears down, flips on it’s bright yellow turn signal, and aims its scrunched up little nose towards the exit ramp, I figure it is time to flip back through The Rainbow Reader reviews, and bestow the Very Best of 2011 Awards.

So far this year, I’ve had the honor and privilege to review 46 books and two short stories; and have been fortunate enough to post Guest Reviews from two amazing and talented authors – Baxter Clare Trautman and Catherine Wilson. 

Not a bad run for a twitchy little dyke, eh?

I tried to cover the spectrum of lesbian literature available, so authors could have a platform to showcase their work and readers could hopefully find books and stories that they will love.  I’ve read my way through piles of romances, dramas, mysteries, thrillers, poetry, anthologies, erotica, graphic stories, and an autobiography. 

Heck, I even reviewed an audio book just to cover all the bases.

I want to extend a special thanks to each and every one of my Victims (er, the brave and valiant authors) for having the guts, grit, and determination to make your work available.  It takes an amazing amount of talent to write a book, and it takes a constitution of steel to voluntarily become vulnerable to a world of readers and reviewers, and our myriad, sketchy opinions.   

I also want to thank you, The Readers, for stopping by to read my reviews.  Many of you have left comments on this blog, which I appreciate.  Many others have sent me emails or contacted me in other ways, and I want to thank each of you for letting me know what you think . . . that includes the readers who don't agree with me or the opinions presented in TRR reviews - I want everyone to have a voice.

With no further ado, The Rainbow Reader’s Very Best of 2011 Awards 

TITLE	AUTHOR	PUBLISHER	2011 TRR AWARD
365 Days	K.E. Payne	Bold Strokes Books	Best use of the word "queasy" to describe the feeling resulting from a date with a teenage boy that smells like a goat
A Ride to Remember	Sacchi Green	Lethe Press	Anthology most likely to result in multiple memorable rides
Beautiful Game	Kate Christie	Bella Books	Sexiest use of a soccer tan in a romance
Beyond Instinct	Lynn Ames	Phoenix Rising Press	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for highest volume of anonymous threats as a result of a review
Bingo Barge Murder	Jessie Chandler	Midnight Ink	Best use of a fungo bat by a minor character
CORE	JD Glass	Outlines Press	Most fitting use of the word "Scheisskopf" by a man in a kilt
Damaged in Service	Barrett	Affinity e-Book Press	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for Best First Page in a story featuring an inappropriate pronoun for a character coming out of the closet
Descent	Julie Cannon	Bold Strokes Books	Honorary Award for artistic ability to make protagonists sweaty, dirty, and bloody, but still damn sexy
Desire by Starlight	Radclyffe	Bold Strokes Books	Gutsiest use of simultaneous orgasms in a rainstorm under a double rainbow while on a romantic picnic
Dying to Live	Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou	Bold Strokes Books	Special TRR Reviewer's award for repurposing the term "head of the table"
Far - Short Story	Sarah Diemer	Self Published	Best use of a sketchy dystopian soul recycling machine
Fearless	Erin O'Reilly	Affinity e-Book Press	Best use of more than thirteen female characters in a historical romance
For Frying Out Loud	Fay Jacobs	A&M Publishing	Special TRR Reviewer's award for book most likely to make the Reviewer chuck it all and move to Rehoboth to be Fay Jacobs' Cabana Girl
Forbidden Passions	MJ Williamz	Bold Strokes Books	Best use of the word "twat" as pillow talk in historical erotica
Full Court Pressure	Lynn Galli	Penikila Press	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for It's About Damn Time a Woman Coaches a Men's Major College Sports Team
Getting the Mercury Out	Áine Ní Cheallaigh	Capsule Press	Best use of self-deprecating humor in an autobiography that includes multiple uses of the word "poop"
gone	kris dresen	Outlines Press	Most innovative avoidance of capitalization by an artist with biker babe swagger
Hellebore & Rue	Edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft & Catherine Lundoff	Flyleaf Press	Funkiest cover art in an anthology featuring sexy queer magic mojo
Jericho	Ann McMan	Bedazzled Ink Publishing	Sexiest use of jagged verbal jousting and intellectual tête-à-tête in a mountaintop romance
Love and Other Demons	kt klimax & miss slinky	DDM+Publishing	Hottest sex scene in the dairy section of a local market in a book of poetry and prose
Miles to Go	Amy Dawson Robertson	Bella Books	Most daring leap to get the girl
Misfortune's Friend	Sarah Aldridge	A&M Publishing	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for making the Reviewer weep while writing her review
Moving Pieces	Emily Maroutian	Maroutian Entertainment	Best use of a troubled, but sexy protagonist with a non-specific gender
Murder Takes to the Hills	Jessica Thomas	Bella Books	Best use of a black Labrador retriever in a mystery series
My Soldier Too	Bev Prescott	Blue Feather Books	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for best toaster-oven moment of 2011
Parties in Congress	Colette Moody	Bold Strokes Books	Most likely to get Googled by confused Louisiana conservatives
Pitifully Ugly	Robin Alexander	Intaglio Publications	Best use of a strap-on as a successful plot device
Port Mortuary	Patricia Cornwell	Putnam Publishing	Most likely to make readers mainline black coffee and chain smoke while obsessing about what everyone else is hiding from them
Promises, Promises: a romp with plenty of dykes, a unicorn, an ogre, an oracle, a quest, a princess, and true love with a happily ever after	L-J Baker	Lethe Press	Best book title over twenty words long for a story that features creamy breasts
Redback	Lindy Cameron	Clan Destine Press	Most innovative use of ass tats on a female mercenary
Redemption	Dejay	Regal Crest Enterprises	Most likely to make the Reviewer throw the book across the room because she wants to see the damn Happily Ever After
Shadow Point	Amy Briant	Bella Books	Skeeviest bad guy with anger management issues
Shadows of Aggar	Chris Anne Wolfe	Orchard House Press	Miscommunication Award for protagonists who have hot sex but need to communicate better
She Waits	Kate Sweeney	Intaglio Publications	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for juiciest will they/won't they
Souls' Rescue	Pat Cronin	Regal Crest Enterprises	Best use of the Jaws of Life in a romance
Sweet Carolina Girls	R.E. Bradshaw	Blue Crab Publishing	Best use of an absorbent golden retriever in a lesbian drama
Sweet Turnaround J	P.V. Beck	Bedazzled Ink Publishing	Most likely to make readers sport a huge foam finger while reading
The Dark Wife	Sarah Diemer	Self Published	The hottest, most smokin' Lord of the Underworld in Lingerie
The Doge's Daughter - Short Story	Gabriella West	Self Published	Best ménage à trois utilizing a castrato
The Door at the Top of the Stairs	Alison Holt	Booklocker.com	Biggest cheer for retribution, even though the sadistic bastard really deserved to be strung up by his dangly bits, smothered in honey and left to have his parts picked clean by an army of pissed-off fire ants
The Killing Room	Gerri Hill	Bella Books	The hands down hottest sex scene in a secluded hot spring
The Leaving	Gabriella West	Self Published	Best escape plan implemented by a socially-awkward teenager
The Middle of Somewhere	Clifford Henderson	Bold Strokes Books & Dog Ear Audio	Most likely to cause a massive cholesterol spike before breakfast
The River Within	Baxter Clare Trautman	Self Published	Special TRR Reviewer's Award for sending the Reviewer into a three-day fugue state
The Target	Gerri Hill	Bella Books	Most ill-advised sexual act while being hunted by a hired assassin
The Wedding Party	Tracey Richardson	Bella Books	Best conversation between butches without the use of words
Two for the Show	Chris Paynter	Blue Feather Books	Most compelling use of a Press Box Yoda
Waiting	Q. Kelly	Ride the Rainbow Books	Highest concentration of intriguing subplots in a book with a character in a persistent vegetative state
When Women Were Warriors	Catherine M. Wilson	Shield Maiden Press	Best kick-ass warrior babes with swords and bows and attitudes
Whitewater Rendezvous	Kim Baldwin	Bold Strokes Books	Sexiest night of wild, lusty passion in a grizzly-ripped tent, in a snow storm, on the banks of a raging river, awaiting emergency evacuation

Stop by The Rainbow Reader next week, when special Guest Blogger, Barrett, reviews Ruth Perkinson's Piper's Someday in another edition of TRR's Rewind Series.