Hot Angels and Cool Demons Blog Tour Continues With...

Me!

::waves:: Hi folks.

Hopefully there's some new people here, maybe ones who don't know me. For those who don't, I'm DC Juris, and I write gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and heterosexual romance. ::coughs:: Okay, okay. I write smut. But it's romantic smut! erm...Mostly!!!

Anyhow, the lovely Jay Di Meo (http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com/) invited me to participate in the Hot Angels and Cool Demons Blog Tour, and since I can't say "no" to Jay (who can, really??) here's my contribution.

My very first stand alone (not anthology) publication was a book at Torquere Press called "On God's Honor."

Here's the blurb:

Ekenezer has no idea why Nathan Bradley is so important, or why God has sent him to guard a hapless klutz. But one look at Nathan and Ekenezer soon finds that he has more than protective feelings for his ward. What’s an angel to do, though, when having the one person he’s ever wanted means giving up his wings for eternity? 


Although I was still new to the writing world and the book lacked a lot of the polish of my current releases, "On God's Honor" still garnered fairly good reviews, which was awesome for my first time out. No five star ratings, mostly three stars, though looking back, that's fair. The contract expired earlier this year, so the book is currently out of circulation.

At this point, I'm excited to start a rewrite on it--give it all the details and love it needs, and resubmit it to Breathless Press. I think my editor Mason and I could make it a really, really good piece!

After "On God's Honor" originally came out, I received a few e-mails asking me why I'd chosen an angel for a gay romance, and why in the name of Heaven had I made God a gay-sympathetic character??? (Yep, I wrote God into the book, too. Nothing is sacred with me!)

The short answer is that I find the idea of an angel in any sort of sexual relationship extremely erotic. Think about it: a messenger and representative of God, holy, incorruptible...until they meet a certain human. Suddenly they're tempted. Emotions and desires they'd buried, or even thought they'd never experience, come rushing to the forefront. Do they give up their wings for their lover? It's a dilemma they never even imagined. Think about the power there, of the average human being. Most of us can barely convince others to do what we want, we remain incapable of winning arguments against the most zealous of people, yet we tempt angels. And what greater show of devotion and love, but to cast yourself down for your soul mate?

Of course, in my book, that doesn't happen. In "On God's Honor," I portray God as a character sensitive to the needs--carnal and otherwise--of his angels. He admits that such things take place far more often than he'd like to admit, but the goal is to keep the humans safe, and he'll do whatever that takes. Even if it means turning a blind eye to certain activities.

But there's a larger reason for writing God in such a way--affirmation. You see, it's my belief that, if there is a God, he knew what he was doing when he made each and every one of us. To think otherwise is to give dominion to the other side, or, worse, to suggest the All Powerful makes mistakes. In essence, you can't have it both ways. If I'm a transgender bisexual, it's because I was meant to be. Else the Man Upstairs doesn't know what he's doing...in which case you throw the believers into chaos!

I'll admit I'm an Atheist. I've never been quiet or shy about that fact, so writing a book about an angel raised some eyebrows among people who knew me. Who was I to claim enough knowledge to speak about God and Heaven? Well, I didn't. I'm not a theological expert. I claim enough knowledge to speak about love, nothing more.

Some people suggested that, because I'm an Atheist, I wrote the book as a slap in the face to God and organized religion. To them, I've said that if love is a slap in the face to organized religion, then you're doing it wrong. O.o

I'm looking forward to diving back into this story, and seeing what can be added and tweaked. It sort of feels like visiting an old friend.