Cover Reveal: Gaga for the Geek (Belinda Y. Hughes)

Posted on November 2, 2016 by belindayhughes

I am pleased to reveal the cover for Gaga for the Geek, a lesbian romance. The cover artist is Marie Lavender of Ambrosia Innovations.

Back in June, I had the idea to do a geek romance and polled my readers. The title Gaga for the Geek was the winner. At the time, Marie was launching Ambrosia Innovations and offered to do the cover. Being a successful romance author herself, I knew she understood my needs, so I agreed to give her a try.

She sent me several stock images until we found two that worked. At every stage of the process, Marie was professional and customer service oriented. She listened carefully to my requests and did her best to fulfill them. Once we agreed on the couple images, she added the background and titles. The results speak for themselves.

And she surprised me with the red velvet stage drapes and spotlight effects, which I absolutely adore!

Click here to check out Marie Lavender’s gallery of gorgeous stock covers and learn more about her custom covers at Ambrosia Innovations.

So tell us in the comments below – what do you think of this cover?

UKLGBTChat Knocked Me Up!

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Posted on July 1, 2015 by belindayhughes

How does a single lesbian become impregnated without a sperm donor, sperm bank or Divine Intervention? All it takes is one Twitter chat: #UKLGBTChat. For me, it was the May 31, 2015 episode, which focused on books. That and I was fertile and took no precautions.

CONCEPTION

That fateful evening, I happened into #UKLGBTChat when it had just begun trending. When I learned the topic and heard some of the convo, I felt like I was among kindred spirits bearing compatible DNA: LGBT readers, reviewers and authors who wanted more LGBT in their gay and mainstream books. They shared reading lists for different countries, stating that US authors were doing fairly well at writing diverse books, including LGBT characters of various ages and abilities and genres beyond coming out stories, such as scifi. UK authors still needed to work at it. I forgot to mention my friend LJ Cohen did very nicely at LGBT and racial diversity in composing her YA space opera, DERELICT. But it was when I heard participants say they wanted to see more age and situation diversity, as well as disabilities in their LGBT characters that I felt that first spark of life.

GESTATION

Once the chat was over much too quickly, like many copulations, my book pregnancy – set in my hometown of Lake Charles, LA – sucked up my attention, time and energy. Ordinary daily tasks, like housecleaning, greenskeeping and grocery shopping, suddenly became secondary to the importance of nurturing this new life inside me. I even had difficulty sleeping and suffered from indigestion, from my baby demanding to be written. There was also a lot of loneliness as a hormonal single pregnant mom. Sex scenes, need I say more?

(OK, I will add that neither of my main characters is pregnant – yet. Who knows what will happen in future books?)

When I sat down to make out a grocery list, characters, settings, situations and plotlines sprouted on the pages, like ultrasounds. As I began writing from my notes, the story flourished. Each day its features grew more defined. Being a romance fan and a member of several award-winning authors’ street teams, it was no surprise to me that my book baby was a love child, too. What might surprise some is her complexion and full genre identity: lesbian interracial romance, yet another request from that prophetic episode of #UKLGBTChat.

LABOR & DELIVERY

As babies tend to do, mine decided when it wanted to be born, regardless of recommendations against premature birth. Thankfully, I had assembled my own street team, beginning with those same award-winning authors – now my midwives – to support me through the perilous labor and delivery process. Mackenzie Crowne administered tips on opening paragraphs as the pains began. Mac, Melanie James, Sarah Grimm, Vonnie Davis, Marie Lavender, Devika Fernando, AJ Nuest, Dyane Forde, Alison Bliss and Betty Olsen were my Lamaze coaches as the cover art, in the form of a guitar pic by Sarah Bromage, began to crown and had to be turned.

As I shared with her about #UKLGBTChat, Marie introduced me to LGBT authors Dianne and Young. It was rather odd to meet new people in the delivery room, but these are two writers you don’t want to pass up, so I was immensely grateful.

S.A. Hunt, D.W. Metz, Paul Bucalo, Air Force historian Shawn Bohannon, and Bronx Pride’s Peter C. Equality Frank gowned up and gave their feedback and encouragement near the final push.

Alas, she got hung up in the birth canal and I had to stop pushing for a bit for Catherine Ryan Howard to coach me through ebook formatting for Amazon, et al. That was sheer torture!!! Thanks to her, I at last held my beautiful new book baby, Blues in the Night, safely in my arms.

So, to all the above and the members of #UKLGBTChat: Host Faye, Nichola, Jess, Marion, Antonia, Julianne, Liz, Vanessa, Debbie, Nina, Queer YA, Sophie, David, Kam, Michelle, L.D., Keren, Chouett, Sara, the Paisley Piranhas and George, a heartfelt and resounding THANK YOU!!! for knocking me up and seeing me and my book baby through this incredible pregnancy! Let me know when you’re ready to get together again. My next book baby’s already a twinkle in my eye. 😉

P.S. As I was writing the wedding proposal scene, set in New Orleans, I wondered how much longer it would take for same-sex marriage to become legal in Louisiana. At last, after Blues in the Night was born in the wee hours of June 15, 2015, eleven days later, the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages MUST be recognized throughout the country! #LoveWins

EXCERPT

Nita Nunez was going to hell. As she and Jo basically had sex in front of the whole church, Nita wondered if it was good for Jo, too. As they joined the band of seasoned bluesmen in performing “Learned How to Lean” for the morning worship service, Nita and Jo were getting into it, acting out the song by angling themselves against each other, sparks flying as their heads and shoulders brushed. “What a fellowship, what a joy divine,” thought Nita as their eyes rested in one another a few beats too long before returning to the congregation.

It was all she could do to keep from plucking the neck of her top and fanning herself as they finished the verse, Jo’s body rocking, her face squinching up as she unleashed her power gospel voice. Certainly everybody could see Nita’s nostrils flaring as she wondered if the handsome black woman in the Sunday go to meeting dress and pumps beside her was gay or not. “I found out if I trust Him, He will provide.” Nita sure hoped so, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to ask Jo about her sexual preferences over Sunday dinner in the fellowship hall, surrounded by people Nita still barely knew.

That “Nobody Knows I’m a Lesbian” t-shirt would come in real handy right about now, she thought…

BUY Blues in the Night at Amazon:

US: http://www.amazon.com/BLUES-NIGHT-Belinda-Hughes-ebook/dp/B00ZQW7ZNC

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

DE: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

FR: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00ZQW7ZNC

IT: http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

NL: http://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00ZQW7ZNC

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ZQW7ZNC

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00ZQW7ZNC

AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

IN: http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00ZQW7ZNC

ABOUT the Author

Belinda Y. Hughes is the Louisiana lesbian author of the lesbian interracial romance Blues in the Night, Living Proof and Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2, a lacto ovo vegetarian cookbook. She enjoys reading, writing, beading, baking and hiking in the woods with her old dog. Belinda is eager to write more LGBT books in a variety of genres.

FOLLOW Belinda at:

Book Review: Dream Warriors (D. Robert Pease)

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Posted on July 28, 2014 by belindayhughes

As an Egyptology fan since childhood and an eternal Piscean dreamer, Dream Warriors thrilled me to my bones! A field trip to an Egyptian exhibit at the Met, combined with a forced tour of a New York City sewer, open 15-year-old Joey Cola’s eyes to a world beyond his upcoming entry to MIT. His dreams of making a difference increasingly turn into a full-time job of saving the world. Along the way, Joey picks up a few new skills and learns some fascinating, fun and difficult truths. He is forced to re-examine everything he believes about identity, relationships, trust, reality and dreams.

In this colorful, urban fantasy YA novel, D. Robert Pease breathes new life into the immortal words of Walt Disney, “If you dream it, you can achieve it.” If you like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Mummy and DERELICT, you’ll love Dream Warriors.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book for editorial review purposes. The opinions above are my own.

Read More Reviews & Buy Dream Warriors:

Amazon

Goodreads

Evolved Publishing

Belinda Y. Hughes is a cookbook author, blogger, freelance content writer, poet and artist. She enjoys gardening, cooking and meditating in the country with her labradachs and wildlife friends. Having given up clocks and watches, she now relies on an alarm cardinal and the sun.

Publications

Cookbook

Food Blog

Writing, Editing & Social Media Blog

Guest Blogs

Yellow Ribbon (Unknown Poetry)

Seniors Don’t Sit Well (PenPaperPad)

Bringing Food to Life (Writing in the Modern Age)

Author Interviews

Writing in the Modern Age

Social Media

Garden Writing Markets that Pay

Posted on April 2, 2014 by belindayhughes

Image credit USDAgov

You might be a garden writer if…

you get excited about coffee grounds, fruit rinds and eggshells.
you’re a card-carrying member of the Dirty Fingernails Club.
you consider bees, wasps, worms and beneficial nematodes to be highly qualified employees.
you say manure instead of bullshit.
you shop for meals and gifts from the windowsill, patio, backyard, landscape or roof.
the top words in your curse vocabulary are Monsanto, Snowpocalypse and drought.
your hunting rack holds a cultivator, shovel and rake.
your idea of a hot date is a garden show or seed swap.
you prefer pole beans to pole dancers and bush beans over Amanda Palmer’s Map of Tasmania.
shoppers ask your advice whenever you dash into your local garden center.
overalls, hiking shorts and Crocs dominate your wardrobe.
you’ve never once had to call a bondsman on behalf of your strippers.
the highlight of your week is #gardenchat on Twitter every Monday night at 8p CST.

Image credit bbalaji

Not to worry. There is a constructive therapy for all these symptoms. Send your gardening tips, how-to articles and personal stories to the garden writing markets below. If they like them, they will send you money to support your habit. Most payments include contributor copies for your clip files or to share with your loyal fans. Also, these markets are primarily nonfiction, so save your poetry and fiction for other publications.

I certify that I did not copy these garden writing markets from anyone else’s articles, lists, blog posts or directories. They are the direct result of my own crazed lust over Mother Earth News and a Google search for “gardening magazines.” All information in the notes below was carefully gleaned from each magazine’s official website.

Grab your shovel and dig in. Click the links below for more information on audience, slant and submission formats. I highly recommend reading sample copies and querying before submitting. These editorial staffers love to help writers. They make sure you’re not duplicating past content or accepted articles on file and that your work meets their needs, resulting in a happier experience for all. So go ahead. Thar’s gold in them thar garden writing markets!

Mother Earth News

Pays $25-100 per published “Country Lore” tip of 100-300 wds. Email and snail mail submissions accepted.

Capper’s

Fees negotiated per assignment. E-query first. Email and snail mail submissions accepted upon assignment. Sow Hoe is the gardening department. Prefers 500-1,500 wds. Pays on publication. Payment includes two copies. Buys shared rights. Author may republish elsewhere a year after publication date.

Greenprints

Pays up to $150 for up to 2,000 wds. Pays on acceptance. Buys First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). Accepts esubs, but prefers and pays by snail mail. Query first.

Small Farm Today

Pays 2-3.5 cents per published word. Prefers 1,400-2,600 wds. Accepts reprints. Buys first serial rights and nonexclusive print rights. Pays 60 days after publication. Check editorial calendar for topics and deadlines. Make extra money with colorful sidebar materials (photographs, art, graphs, charts, diagrams and cartoons) related to your article.

Back Home Magazine

Pays $35/printed page and up. Pays on publication. Kill fee offered. E-query first. E-subs welcomed. Buys First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). Make extra money with good quality, high resolution digital images relevant to your piece.

Texas Gardener

Pays $25-200 upon publication. Payment includes two copies. Prefers 700-1,050 wds. Query by email, disc or snail mail with outline or completed article. Include personal expertise and writing sample or published clips. Responds to queries in six weeks. Prefers high resolution digital images, but will consider slides or prints, all of high quality.

Author Bio

Belinda Y. Hughes is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2: Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes and Living Proof. Her blog, Café Belinda, specializes in dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, Kosher, vegan and vegetarian recipes. When she’s not refilling her wildlife buffet, covered in compost or out hiking with her old labradachs, she is available for author interviews and guest blogging opportunities.

Publications

https://belindayhughes.wordpress.com/

http://cafebelinda.blogspot.com

http://amazon.com/dp/B00H4L35NM

Guest Blogs

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2014/02/bringing-food-to-life-by-belinda-y.html

http://penpaperpad.com/2014/03/seniors-dont-sit-well-guest-post/

Author Interviews

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-author-belinda-y-hughes.html

Social Media

http://facebook.com/belinda.hughes.1656

https://plus.google.com/117025905891975822672/posts/p/pub