DSP Publications Presents: Genre Talk and a Giveaway with Author Elizabeth Noble

We’re so pleased to have author Elizabeth Noble as our guest in today’s Genre Talk segment. She’s talking about Going the Subtle Route, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out the details below.

Welcome, Elizabeth!

Every week or two DSP Publications releases a new book. Among other things, this imprint of Dreamspinner Press strives for diversity in fiction and inclusion of all people including LGBTQ+.

I’m very happy and proud to say I’m among the authors with books published by this publisher.
Recently I wrote a blog post about why I have the pen name I have. You can read it HERE. It’s my real name with a slight twist. There is, however, another woman who writes under the name Elizabeth Noble. Now, as I’ve stated on other occasions I don’t know much about this lady and I suspect she’s a bit difficult to find online because people seem to find me instead.

Having been contacted by some of her readers, or seeing comments they left about my books is sometimes an eye opener. When my books are mistaken for this other author’s books there are people who express, sometimes strongly, displeasure. While they often seem to enjoy the plot and story they are very against the main characters being two men in a romantic relationship, even if there is a low heat level.

This has made me ponder a bit on diversity and why some people aren’t bothered by those different than themselves, and others adhere to a strict view of their perceived norm.

I didn’t grow up in a religious home and was raised by my grandparents. My grandmother was an admirer of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy as well as other political figures of the 1960s. I was very young, preschool age when she began exposing me to speeches and issues. I wasn’t exactly taught tolerance; however, I wasn’t taught bigotry and prejudice either. What she stressed was judging people as individuals not as a group.

I will admit I mainly judge people by how well they love and treat their animals.

My grandparents were also voracious readers. They read news, fiction, non-fiction, you name it. We had books and magazines in every corner of our house. Of course, from a young age books were always one of my gifts on a birthday or Christmas. Thanks to my grandmother, I was reading before I hit school and as a result always read at a much higher level than my grade. I loved archaeology (still do) and tended to read a lot on that subject from an early age, but more so in my teens.

Here’s the interesting thing about ancient societies—they all had homosexual relationships. The terms were different, but the fact is, in non-fiction books written by academics, accuracy was important. One simply needs look at art from periods of Greek or Japanese or African or Mesoamerican or—well, you get the idea—to know same sex relationships, loving ones, existed. Not only did they exist, they were depicted in art! In many books and periodicals non-heterosexual couples aren’t ignored. There may not be a big deal made of them, however they’re not discounted either. Here’s a nifty Wiki page on the subject.

Long before I knew the terms, I had an understanding that not all couples were boy/girl. This wasn’t presented as good or bad, right or wrong, but something that simply was.

In fact, by the time I got to high school I was a little shocked to find out everyone didn’t know this fact. I was even more shocked to learn some people considered being homosexual bad, or wrong somehow. By the time I got to college I was thoroughly appalled by such attitudes.

Honestly, I still have a hard time understanding what the big deal is.

I wish there wasn’t the need for publishers of gay fiction or romance, or television shows devoted to the gay culture. I love when I read a book that’s say, a mystery and ‘oh by the way the main couple is gay’. Not, it’s ‘a gay mystery’. I like it even more if there are a mix of homosexual and heterosexual characters.

Since homosexual couples and relationships have been around since before people began making art and recording things—a really loooooooong time—shouldn’t we be over the surprise by now? Shouldn’t the fact that some men prefer men and some women prefer woman be so well known it’s not only considered normal, but not even discussion worthy?

I feel sorry for people who feel the need to raise their children to dislike or distrust one group of people or another. It seems like so much more work than just shrugging off the family/skin color/religion/take your pick that isn’t exactly like yours because there’s no news there. It’s really a shame that the people searching for that other Elizabeth Noble’s books often seem embarrassed (or angry) to have found me instead. I hope some of those folks who discovered my books by accident stayed and found a good story with human (sometimes vampire and werewolf) connections, not simply a gay story.

If you’ve found this post mistakenly, or even if you read it on purpose, feel free to enter my giveaway. I’ll give two different winners their choice of any eBook off my back list, anthologies and bundles excluded.

In case you need a list of my books, I spent about six hours last week redecorating my website. All my published works can be found on my website, Emotion in Motion.

About the Author

Elizabeth Noble started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.

Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess and one tabby cat. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she’s not writing she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.

Elizabeth received several amateur writing awards. Since being published two of her novels have received honorable mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Her novel Jewel Cave was a runner up in the 2015 Rainbow awards in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category.

Website || Circles Website || Vampire Guard Website || Dreamspinner Page || Amazon || Facebook || Facebook Page || Twitter @elizabethnoble1 | Pinterest || Goodreads

The Giveaway

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