The Adventures of LitBoy: Bill Brent's Blog

WIN-WIN: Thinking My Way Outside the Economic Box of the American Artist / Entrepreneur

Want to make an easy $25 and help support my work?

Through October 30, Capital One, my savings bank, is offering $25 to anyone I refer using the following code:

AM3Y4KYDF

You can open a High Yield Money Market Account:

- online HERE,
- or by calling 1-800-555-4904

Simply provide the code AM3Y4KYDF when you open an account online or over the phone. I get $15 per referral, so actually, you get the better part of the deal! And CapitalOne pays a great rate on savings accounts regardless of balance, currently 5.00%. More details at: CAPITAL ONE .

Normally I would not make a commercial announcement like this via my blog or email newsletter list, but I have been extremely satisfied with my CapitalOne savings plan. Plus, at this point I am doing my darndest to think creatively about how to stay afloat in the current economy. So I don't mind trading a tiny bit of pride and running the risk of offending someone here in order to help make ends meet. We all know friends, family, and colleagues who've taken a hit. I have, too. So this is one small way I'm fighting back. I don't intend to do this kind of thing very often, but I've decided that Fall, starting this year, is going to be my annual fundraising drive.

Not to worry — I'm not in dire straits at the moment, but you know what they say about an ounce of prevention. And, as a disenfranchised artist in this culture (please note the clever double redundancy in that phrase), I am choosing to be proactive rather than reactive with regard to my financial situation.

Typically, the last year of a President's term is bad for the stock market. I have managed to save a couple hundred dollars each month over the past several years by starting a ShareBuilder plan. Right now, I'm looking at cashing out a couple of very small but somewhat volatile investments while the market is still strong, and placing the proceeds in my savings plan.

Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to paddle against the stream in other ways:

- I'm clearing space by donating items to my local thrift stores and selling the more valuable stuff on eBay starting next week, HERE.

- I have been keeping a tiny little online bookstore at Amazon.com for five years now.

- I'm rewriting MAKE A ZINE!, my very first book (1997), for a second edition release next year from Microcosm Publishing.

- Royalties from my how-to book on sex are lagging a bit, and I'm taking up the slack by helping to produce a second volume of stories from the Literotica.com website.

- Paddle faster. I'm getting older, so I'm trying to work smarter, not harder. However, I just took on a small gardening job, just to make sure I can cover a bill or two.

And I'm still finding time to write:

- I'm a featured contributor to the seven-author anthology, ENTANGLED LIVES, just out on Alyson Publications. Details are HERE.

- I've just completed the first draft of a novel of modest length (about 50,000 words);

- and I'm about seventy percent into a second, longer novel.

- I've just signed a contract for a new short story to appear in a big-time erotic anthology. Due to the publishing industry's volatility nowadays, I don't pre-announce things anymore, so details on that to come, once it goes to press.

Here are some other ways to lend support:

- by donating via the Tip Jar to MY BLOG, RIGHT HERE. The Tip Jar is in the upper left hand corner.

- or by purchasing a gift from me for yourself or someone else via Amazon, HERE.

- or from me via eBay, HERE (opening by Sept. 20).

- And, of course, you can buy a copy of ENTANGLED LIVES, if that's something you would enjoy. You can send me a ten percent commission via Amazon by using THIS LINK.

Finally, any other Amazon.com purchases you make (aside from links via this blog) can also help me out. You can file the following code for future reference and paste it in at the end of whatever Amazon URL you are using:

/tag=billbrentauth-20

...and then reload the page, so that Amazon knows to send me a commission. (Now how's that for trickle-down economics?)

Thanks so much for reading this, and I truly appreciate your support of my work, whether or not you can help with the financial thing at this time.

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2007.09.13, 8:25 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $200 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do here. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

53.06 / $199.90 (26.5%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution on my next blog post.

All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.

"Down the Dark and Sweaty Path of Extreme Sex"

...is how my sex-and-drugs memoir is described on the back cover of Entangled Lives, which just arrived here yesterday. It's available at Amazon.com for under $11 a copy,as well as through many other fine venues. However, if you order a copy through this page, I get a ten percent commission. That's, like, a dollar. Still, it's better than nothing. Just click on one of these LINKS! (They all go to the same Amazon page.)

I still think that cover is blah. Baby blue for a sex book? And what's with the lipstick on a rather raunchy title? Still, it looks better in the pulp, as it were, with a gloss varnish that adds a bit of pizazz that the image here (and at Amazon) cannot convey. You can find out more about the project and its contributors at Entangled-Lives.com.

Regardless of the cover, I'm very glad that Entangled Lives is out. It's the first truly new thing I've had out in print for close to three years, and at a whopping 12,000 words, it is by far the longest literary work I've had published to date. And I still like my story. Literature such as this usually gets branded with the "confessional" label, but I've never felt like my self-revelatory work was confessional, more like brutally frank. Perhaps the difference is largely semantic, but there's a difference in attitude, too.

I'll post some stats on the novel writing soon. Right now I just want to post this so I can get some sleep.

If anyone out there does purchase a copy, please consider posting a review at Amazon.com. Even a few lines of commentary can make a difference in sales. Thanks!

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2007.07.11, 11:15 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $200 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do here. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

43.55 / $199.90 (21.8%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution on my next blog post.

All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION, summer 2007 edition

Greetings—

I'm taking time out from my novel-writing challenge to let you know about several things:

(1) Interview — Internet broadcast:

Here is the link to the show that was broadcast June 19, 2 p.m. Pacific time. It is now archived for anyone to listen to:

HealthyLife.net, host Ann Sanders interviews Bill Brent

— Ann Sanders, the host of "Sextra" (a weekly series), interviews me as the author of The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men (Cleis Press, 2002). We discuss anal sex for men (straight, gay, bi) and their partners.

Ann was great fun to talk with. The sound quality could have been better, but I think it is enjoyable nonetheless.

The link to the interview remains up for at least two months, I am told, so the show will be available for listening through at least mid-August 2007.

Please note that I get a 10% commission on any of my books ordered through the Amazon links in this newsletter, so please help support my cause!

For starters , here's the link to The Ultimate Guide for Anal Sex for Men:

The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men

– By the way, I'm very pleased that the popular website for A Different Light Bookstore just made my book a permanent feature of their Health and Body section. Thanks to the ADL staff, and especially to all their customers who have helped to keep my book on top!

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(2) I have a new book out! Get all excited!

Actually, it's a wicked and wise sex-and-drugs memoir that is part of a seven-author collection titled ENTANGLED LIVES: Memoirs by 7 Top Erotica Writers. You can check out the promotional website for the book at Entangled-Lives.com.

My memoir is titled "This Insane Allure," and I'm quite pleased to have been selected by editor Marilyn Jaye Lewis to be part of her stellar lineup of writing talent – again, you can check out the Entangled Lives website for details!

I am especially proud of this project since it includes my most ambitious purely literary work published to date. Part 1 of my story originally appeared in a somewhat different form under the title "Wounded," in the anthology Roughed Up: more tales of gay men, sex, and power (M. Christian and Simon Sheppard, eds.; Alyson Books, 2003) and then in the annual Best Gay Erotica 2004 (Richard Labonte, ed.; Cleis Press, 2004). This is the first publication of parts 2 and 3.

Entangled Lives is now available through Amazon, here:

Entangled Lives: Memoirs of 7 Top Erotica Writers

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(3) My short story, "September Shower," has been reprinted.

It originally appeared in Best Bisexual Erotica, volume 2 (which I co-edited with Dr. Carol Queen in 2002). Now my story is part of a new anthology titled Bi Guys (Ron Suresha, ed.; Southern Tier Editions / Haworth Press, 2006).

This is a fun, sex-drenched romp (I would call it erotic burlesque) involving a three-way scene between a woman and two men, set in a giant shower stall at a sex party. The location bears a suspicious resemblance to the party house I managed in San Francisco from 1994 to 2000, heh heh. (Actually, the house is sort of a character too, since I describe an idealized version of the place in elaborate detail. So my story is somewhat of an homage, too.)

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Want to support my cause even more directly? Then do your summer book-shopping with Bill Brent! Browse my bookstore on Amazon Marketplace and buy something for yourself or as a gift! Note that I ship every book via Priority Mail at no extra charge.

And, as always, you can make a donation to help support this site and my future work directly via the Tip Jar at the top of this page.

 

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2007.07.24, 3:30 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $200 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do here. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

43.55 / $199.90 (21.8%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution on my next blog post.

All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.

FOR SALE: bowling ball, AMF Strikeline, black and teal swirl, vintage 1976

See all my pictures HERE.

An AMF Strikeline bowling ball, 1976 vintage (the last two digits in the serial number [pictured] are "76"), black and teal blue swirl, 12 pounds, extremely rare! New and undrilled, in perfect condition; no blemishes, a ten on a ten scale. (See my ratings page at  www.BowlingBay.com for details.)

Total cost of $90 includes shipping from Hawaii to anywhere in the USA (usually about $35), plus the ball holder you see pictured — great for display, or take it to the lanes to hold your spare ball in place on the floor.

Makes a gorgeous display piece, as is; otherwise, here is a rare chance to bowl with a classic Strikeline. Twelve pounds is a good weight for a woman or an older child; if you plan to drill this, please check with your local pro shop to see if this is the right weight for you. No returns on this item.

PRICE:
$90, includes display cup, safe double-boxing, insurance, and tracking.
Postage is included in the price on all my FOR SALE items.

Of course, I will combine shipping to save you money when you purchase RELATED ITEMS, such as:
Two form-fitting Colonial bowling ball bags.

See all my pictures HERE. $50 each, or both for $90 postpaid.

I also have:
-    matching authentic vintage bowling shirts, 1960s and 1970s.
-    shoe bags for carrying bowling shoes, similar vintage.

Any questions? Please click HERE to learn why I am doing this. Otherwise, please post a comment with any requests, and I will get back to you ASAP.

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

WHY MY LITBOY.COM BLOG IS NOW A MARKETPLACE TOO

INTRODUCTION

I have a lot of fun and unusual vintage items, mostly authentic retro bowling collectibles from the Fifties through the Eighties, that I need to sell in order to make more space in my home.

I planned to re-open MY EBAY STORE this month, but then I remembered how eBay had bullied me with legal threats back in 2004, when I wanted to become a Trading Assistant. A "TA" is an experienced eBay seller, acting as broker and working on commission for folks who don't want to set up and run eBay auctions themselves. This gives many more sellers access to the eBay market and generates more revenue for eBay. So I chose the supportive URL, HoorayForEbay (dot com), but then eBay swiftly sent me a cease-and-desist order alleging trademark infringement and warning me not to use the URL. So I decided not to become a TA. Lose-lose.

While I have remained on eBay for the past three years, I felt blocked when I tried to re-start my store this month. So I went online this week, searching for "eBay alternatives," which led to blogs decrying eBay's controlling and manipulative tendencies. It was déjà vu all over again. Their bad behavior hasn't improved since 2004: with several rounds of big eBay fee hikes, "fixes" to things that weren't broken, and failure to fix things that were, eBay appeared worse than ever.

Then it came to me in a flash: eBay is the ultimate alcoholic parent.

— Forever greedy, self-absorbed, and unhappy with itself;
— Bent on punishing others for its own defects of character.

So I realized that, in good conscience, I cannot support eBay as a seller, at least not for now.

Here are a few examples:

WHY I'VE LOST THAT EBAY-LOVIN' FEELIN'

Craigslist would have been a logical alternative, but I live on the Big Island of Hawaii, and the Craigslist market here is teeny-weeny. So here we are. Welcome to my online store!

SO WHY HERE?

Logically, I'd put my odd and interesting vintage items up for sale on their very own website — yet even more logically, why not put them right here, where there is already an audience?

— I don't have enough stuff to justify the expense and maintenance of a merchant website (which would be best suited for mass merchandise anyhow).

— I'm not interested in starting up with one of the eBay competitors such as Yahoo! auctions, since now I'm looking for the exit door.

— I also thought about paying an extra monthly fee to start a second blog for my items, but this blog already keeps me busy. Plus, it has yet to earn steady enough Tip Jar contributions to be self-sustaining. So why not help subsidize this blog with a few sales?

And here we are.

HOW TO BUY MY STUFF

I have created a new subject tag here: FOR SALE. Just click on the "FOR SALE" tag in the sidebar to see what's currently up for grabs. Most of my items are priced between $30 and $100 — postage, insurance, and tracking included, so there are no hidden costs. You can be assured of my honesty, integrity, and extensive experience with online sales by visiting my eBay and Amazon Marketplace feedback pages. Here are those links:

[ eBay ]

[ Amazon ]

Then, if you see something with the "for sale" tag that you would like to own, please go to The LitBoy Store in the sidebar of this LitBoy.com blog to order, or for further details.

Then, if you still have questions, please post a comment to that item's blog entry. That will send me a private email, which I will reply to ASAP with easy instructions on how to complete your purchase.

(Since I moderate all comments to this blog, your comment will not ever post for public view. Transactions are private and completed via PayPal. (Yes, I know that PayPal is an eBay-owned company, but that's the best I can do for right now.) Or, by special arrangement, I can accept a US Postal Service money order if that works better for you.

Any questions? Have I left something out? Just holler, please.

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2007.12.19, 12:15 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $200 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do here. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

80.99 / $199.90 (40.5%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution on my next blog post.

All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.

FOR SALE: Two Colonial bowling ball bags, blue, vintage 1975

See all my pictures HERE.

Two matching vintage bowling ball shaped bowling bags, aqua blue, extremely rare style! Made by Colonial; I am guessing on the date, and I believe this bag was model #3007. Both are in great vintage condition; I would rate each about an eight on a ten scale. (See my ratings page at  www.BowlingBay.com for details.)

One bag still has its nametag holder attached. One has two small imperfections: a 1/4'' black ink dot, and a small slit on the bottom of bag (also about 1/4"). The ink can probably be removed, but I didn't want to harm the bag. The slit could be sealed from inside the bag. Each bag has dual zipper pulls to meet in the middle or open up wide enough to insert or remove a bowling ball. It would make an awesome purse!

These come up on eBay from time to time, but I have never seen two matching ones appear at the same time, and my price is reasonable compared to other auctions I've seen for this item.

PRICE:
$50 each, postpaid.
Or buy both for $90, postpaid.

UPDATE: I now have three of these round blue bags in stock. Should you want all three, the price is $120 postpaid. To order, or for further details, please see The LitBoy Store, in the sidebar of this LitBoy.com blog.

Of course, I will combine shipping to save you money when you purchase RELATED ITEMS:

pictured: bowling ball, AMF Strikeline, blue and black swirl, vintage 1976, new and undrilled (NOS), also available. 13 lbs., $90 postpaid. I also have:
-    matching authentic vintage bowling shirts, 1960s and 1970s.
-    shoe bags for carrying bowling shoes, similar vintage. Please check my store, or post me a comment with any requests, such as pictures and further info, and I will get back to you ASAP.

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2007.12.19, 12:15 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $200 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do here. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

80.99 / $199.90 (40.5%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution on my next blog post.

All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.