When I wrote the post below this about Rainbow Con 2014 I noticed something called “Quiltbag-Centric.” I wrote that post fast, but made a mental note to come back to it later to find out more about it. Then a blog reader asked me something about it on Facebook and I could only find one link. I couldn’t even find it at my mainstay for all things new and different…Urban Dictionary.

A few hours after that, the same blog reader posted this definition for Quiltbag-Centric:

Queer/Questioning, Unidentified, Intersex, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay.

But it’s more complicated than this. So here’s a web site for a small publisher, Storm Moon Press, that seems to focus on Quiltbag-Centric fiction.

 We are a small press, defined as a Limited Liability Company, dedicated to a specific niché market. There is no intention on our part to become a medium or large press in the future. Our goal is to publish quality fiction, and no more than 24-48 titles a year. Any more than that and we believe we will compromise our original intent for this press, which was to offer erotic romances (with an emphasis on GLBT and alternative lifestyle characters and themes) in print formats while offering our authors the best royalties we could.

I actually had a little fun with this with my agent friend who tends to know all and EVERYTHING…smile. He admitted he didn’t know what it was, but I could just imagine him scrambling through google the minute after he fired off his reply to me.

This is from a blog that did a post about Quiltbag-Centric and mentioned Storm Moon Press. And after I read this, it started coming together better for me.

One of the things that we’re always looking for more of at Storm Moon Press is genre fiction. There is a distinct lack of QUILTBAG-centric mysteries, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Instead, the market is flooded with contemporary romances. And while there’s nothing wrong with romance, it’s a source of frustration that in order to read something more, you have to look to the mainstream. So, the obvious question is “why?” Why is it so hard to find good QUILTBAG genre fiction? I believe there are a few reasons.

I think it’s an interesting post and I suggest reading it in full. And here’s yet another that goes into more detail.

If anyone knows where I can find something more concrete for a set definition, please feel free to comment and I’ll update the post.

Gay Destinations and Gay Conventions

I’ve posted about two gay conventions recently, one of which was Gay Rom Lit Retreat 2013 where there was a bit of a kerfuffle over policy changes implemented this year. A lot has been written about this and I’m not going to add a single thing. One, because I’m not affiliated with them on an active level and I would never be that presumptuous. And two, because I have seen too many people who are not affiliated with them jump onto the proverbial bandwagon offering suggestions. In other words, this one’s none of my business.

But what has always interested me with all of these conventions…in a broad and general sense…is that whenever I see one of these conventions pop up they are never held in a place where gay people would go willingly. I honestly don’t want to sound like the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, but Albuquerque is not a place I would go under any normal circumstances for fun and pleasure. It’s not a place where any of my gay friends, or lesbian friends, would go for pleasure either. I’m sure it’s a nice place. But there are only certain places you can go in one lifetime and if you’re gay Albuquerque is not at the top of the list. When I think of Albuquerque I think Ethel May Potter, not gay fun.

And these conventions are expensive. Plus, Tony and I don’t travel as often as we would like because we have two dogs and we don’t board them or hire pet sitters. We’ve heard too many horror stories and we won’t take that chance. So what we do is take the dogs with us everywhere we go. Unfortunately, that often limits us to dog friendly towns. And gay friendly towns. I would love to go to a convention as a reader, not even as an author. But it should be at least a little enticing as far as location goes. I mean they wouldn’t hold the Republican or Democratic Conventions in Paris. That wouldn’t make sense.

My point here is that I honestly don’t get why gay oriented conventions would be held in places where gay people don’t usually go for pleasure. We go to Provincetown (photo above) and don’t think twice about it. In fact, P’town has many events for gay people all year long now, from Women’s Week to Family Week. When we go to Florida, it’s not Tampa. We go to Ft. Lauderdale, South Beach, or Key West. And then there’s Palm Springs and Russian River. There are also a few places lesser known, like right here in New Hope, PA, where we even have our own gay pride event every single May. So having a gay convention in a location where gay people don’t want to go kind of defeats the purpose. At least I would think so anyway. But then what do I know.