Sloan Parker Blog

International Day Against Homophobia is May 17th. To help spread the word and get people thinking about what homophobia is, what kinds of damage it can cause, and how we can all help to combat such discrimination and hatred, I’m participating in the Blog Hop Against Homophobia.

To view links to all the blogs participating in the hop and how you can enter each giveaway, go to http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com.

Keep reading for details on how to enter to win a copy of my latest eBook TAKE ME HOME.

SLOAN’S MESSAGE ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA

There are many ways people discriminate. One I’d like to share about today is discrimination through the support of laws that continue to ban gay marriage, or more precisely the act of discriminating by not supporting marriage equality.

There are many people who do not consider themselves to be homophobic. They know (and often love) gay men and women. They’re family and friends and coworkers and neighbors of LGBT people. They say they have no issues with gay relationships. Yet, they do not believe we need a federal law for marriage equality. They do not understand or acknowledge that gay and lesbian couples need the same protections afforded heterosexual marriages. Perhaps they are in favor of civil unions or some other designation for gays and lesbians, but are opposed to calling it marriage.

The thing is…Separate is not equal. Unequal leaves a lot of room for discrimination to occur, leaves room for legal interpretations that are not the same as the rights automatically granted to married couples.

A scenario like the video I’ve included below, and even worse—not being allowed to say good-bye or to care for my partner in an emergency—is a fear I live with every day. Without going into a long history of our lives, I’ll just say situations similar to what you’ll hear about in this video are a very real possibility in my life.

And yeah, that scares the hell out of me. Even after 20+ years of living with my partner, and no matter how many legal documents we sign, we are not married.

I have a roommate.

If you’re unsure about the federal government stepping in to legalize gay marriage, to protect gay and lesbian couples under the same rights as heterosexual marriages, please watch this video to the very end, and give it some thought.

What if that was you? What if that was your child?

Direct link to the video

Here’s what Shane says on the video’s YouTube page:

“It has been said that sharing personal stories is one of the most effective ways to change people’s hearts and minds. This is my story and I hope you are inspired to share it with others.”

For more information on combating homophobia, to donate to a worthy cause, or learn about more ways you can help, check out these sites:

• Americans for Marriage Equality
• The Coalition for Equal Marriage (UK)
• The Trevor Project
• Stop The Hate
• GLADD
• Straight But Not Narrow
• PFLAG
• GLBT National Help Center

SLOAN’S GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away an ebook copy of Take Me Home for the Blog Hop Against Homophobia. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post stating you’d like to enter the giveaway. If you are unable to leave a comment for any reason, shoot me an email and I’ll add your comment for you.

Be sure to include a valid email address in the email form field in order to be entered in the drawing. Your email address is for my use only (in order to contact the winner). It will NOT be published on the blog or used for marketing/promotional purposes.

This contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 20th.

The winner will be randomly selected on May 21st and contacted via email. I’ll also post the winning name in a new post on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out Shane’s video!!
Sloan

Check it out…my critique partner’s daughter made me this awesome trailer for Take Me Home. Thank you so much, Katelynn! It’s perfect for this story.

(If you can’t see the video, you can watch at YouTube)

I’m happy to share that my latest e-book, Take Me Home, is now available at All Romance eBooks, Barnes and Noble, Amazon US and Amazon UK, and it should be up at Fictionwise soon.

Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy so far, and all the reviewers who have taken the time to read the book and write up a review. I’m thrilled so many of you have enjoyed it.

Here are a few of the wonderful remarks for Take Me Home:

“I loved both of the heroes in this book, and found myself easily rallying for their relationship to grow from being best friends to developing a loving, romantic relationship together that lived long within my heart long after the story was over.” Night Owl Reviews

…

“I can assure you that you will LOVE Take Me Home. This is a book that you will want to read over and over. Ms. Parker is an incredible writer and I have enjoyed every one of her books. But let me warn you…once you read her books you’re hooked and will find yourself waiting impatiently for her next one.” Books and Porn

…

“This isn’t just a romance, it is filled with plenty of heartfelt moments, action of both the steamy kind and adventure kind, it had everything you could want from an m/m romance read with a little mystery and plenty of suspense.” Book Devotee Reviews

…

“Oh, this was such a sweet, yummy friends-to-lovers story! … Great dynamic between the two guys with just the right combination of tender, sweet moments and scorching hot scenes, something Parker does so well in her books.” Joyfully Jay

As a thank-you to my readers and all readers of the romance genre, I’m holding a giveaway for free gift certificates (winners’ choice between Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks).

Here’s how the giveaway works:

One random winner will be selected from all who comment on this post. Additionally, for every 50 entries another gift certificate will be given away (up to a maximum of 6 total winners). All winners will have their choice from the following options:

• Option 1: $25 gift certificate to amazon.com
• Option 2: $25 gift certificate to barnesandnoble.com
• Option 3: $25 gift certificate to allromanceebooks.com

Rules and instructions for the giveaway are listed below. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST Sunday, January 1, 2012 or as soon as there are 250 entries (whichever comes first).

Instructions / Rules

• To enter, leave a comment on this blog post indicating that you’d like to enter and share what you love about reading romances.
• Be sure to include a valid email address in the email form field in order to be entered in the drawing. Your email address is for my use only (in order to contact the winners). It will NOT be published on the blog or used for marketing/promotional purposes.
• If for any reason you cannot leave a comment, email me and I’ll post your comment for you (that way everyone can see how many entries there are).
• Winners are randomly drawn from the total list of entries.
• One entry per person please.
• Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST Sunday, January 1, 2012 or as soon as there are 250 entries (whichever comes first).
• Winners will be announced on the blog and privately emailed within 48 hours after the giveaway ends.
• If I do not hear back from any winner with his or her selection within two weeks, I reserve the right to select another winner.

Feel free to share the link to this blog post. There’s also a direct link to the giveaway on my website.

Good luck to all who enter and thank you again for your love of reading!

Also, for those of you interested in my latest release, Take Me Home, a friends-to-lovers romance, check out Chris’s post at Stumbling Over Chaos for a chance to win an ebook of Take Me Home. (Thanks, Chris, for hosting the giveaway!)

Happy reading in 2012!

Much love and happiness to you all.
Sloan

Reminder: To enter the gift certificate giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post indicating that you’d like to enter and share what you love about reading romances.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog hop giveaway for all your interest in reading Take Me Home. And for the wonderful comments about my writing and the rainbow awards. I have the best readers!!

The winner of my blog hop giveaway is Sylwia. Congratulations, Sylwia! I’ve sent you an email.

Thanks again, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

Thanks to author Drea Becraft, a huge group of authors are participating in a blog hop giveaway. There are over 190 authors offering up prizes on their blogs. All the contests will start Friday, December 16, 2011 and will go until midnight Sunday, December 18, 2011. (Not sure, but that might be midnight EST). Just go to the blog hop page and click to each author’s blog to enter their giveaways.

For my contest, I’m giving away one e-book copy of TAKE ME HOME. The winner will be selected randomly from all who comment here on this post. Be sure to include your email address in the email form field so I can contact the winner.

Also, I was recently interviewed at Joyfully Jay, sharing more about the writing of Take Me Home. You can also enter there for another chance to win a copy of the book. Just leave a comment on the post for a chance to win. The giveaway closes Tuesday, December 20 at 11:59 pm EST.

Happy Holidays!

Edited to add: Thanks guys for all your interest in reading Take Me Home. And for the wonderful comments about my writing and the rainbow awards. I have the best readers!!

Thanks again, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

I’m thrilled to share that my third novel, Take Me Home, is now available for purchase in various e-book formats. You can pick up a copy at Loose Id or keep an eye on my site for links to other e-book stores such as Amazon and All Romance eBooks. I’ll add the links as the book become available at each site.

TAKE ME HOME: Ten years after their one and only night in each other’s arms, best friends finally give in to passion and new sexual roles while trapped in a blizzard as they head home for the holidays.

I hope everyone who picks up a copy enjoys this holiday friends-to-lovers story. Have a happy holiday season and a beautiful, healthy new year!

Join me and several other m/m authors as we celebrate the holiday season on Keira Andrews’s blog. You can check out several of the posts already there. Mine will be coming December 19 and will include an excerpt from Take Me Home that I have not shared yet here on the blog or my website. Although, it won’t be new to those of you who pick up a copy of Take Me Home when it releases this week.

For those of you who do check out Take Me Home, I truly hope you enjoy Kyle and Evan’s story.

Thanks for checking out Keira’s blog and helping us celebrate the holiday season.

A girl can dream, can’t she?

Thanks to author Julie Lynn Hayes, I shared my thoughts on this question and more when she interviewed me for her blog. Her questions were interesting and quite unique. You can read my responses on her blog.

Also, Book Devotee Reviews is hosting a giveaway for Take Me Home. To enter, follow Jet and leave a comment on her blog.

And there’s a few days left for the giveaway at Rarely Dusty Books. The winner will be announced on Dec. 13.

A huge thank-you to Julie, Jet, and Janna for hosting!

I mentioned the other day there would be a few more chances to win a copy of TAKE ME HOME. The lovely Janna at Rarely Dusty Books invited me to do a guest blog today. I’m talking about the setting of the train in Take Me Home and how setting can be used to help shape the story and the characters.

Comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book on release day. The winner will be announced on December 13.

What are some of your favorite settings in a romance? I’d love to hear from you!