Various organizations have honored me with awards over the years. Since very few folks actually get to see my garrett office, I figured I’d “hang” them on the virtual wall here. Also, some are virtual awards, so it works out…
Writing
In June 2015 my novel SLOW SATISFACTION was a finalist in the Passionate Plume Awards, the annual awards given by the Passionate Ink chapter of the RWA (the chapter specializing in erotic romance and erotica). Didn’t win, but it was awesome to be recognized by the chapter founded by Sylvia Day.
I won two awards in Dallas at the RT Booklovers Convention in 2015, the RT Pioneer Award for Genre Fiction (for Erotica), and the RT Career Achievement Award in Erotic Fiction.
My novel SLOW SURRENDER won the 2013 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Erotic Romance! I went to New Orleans for the award ceremony in May 2014. RT is the main trade magazine of romance and popular fiction:
The same book, Slow Surrender, is also a finalist for WON the Maggie Award for Excellence, awarded by the Magnolia Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, in the erotic romance category!! I cried during the acceptance speech and now understand why people cry during those moments!
Honourable mention “Best Gay Fantasy” 2011 Rainbow Awards, and Honorable Mention in the Pauline Reage Novel Award given by NLA-I for excellence in BDSM writing for The Prince’s Boy.
My online web serial “Daron’s Guitar Chronicles” won the inaugural Rose and Bay Awards for Crowdfunded Fiction.
In 2010 I was inducted into the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival’s Hall of Fame for GLBT Writers and Editors. They spring this honor on people as a surprise, so imagine my reaction when I opened the program book for the literary festival and paged through to the page about the award ceremony! No wonder they told me it was very important to be there for the closing ceremonies! Another nice note: my aunt, Maureen Brady, was also inducted the year before. I wager we’re the only family with multiple members in that Hall of Fame…
This one really belongs to Sarah Desautels. It’s the NLA: International Writing Award from 2010, for the anthology she and I co-edited, LIKE A THORN: BDSM Fairy Tales. The NLA Writing Awards are given annually to the best short story, novel, article, non-fiction book, and anthology which depicted or dealt with themes of BDSM, leather, kink, and erotic power exchange.
I’ve been nominated for some other awards including the Lambda Literary Award and the Firecracker Alternative Book Award, long/shortlisted for the Tiptree Award, possibly a few others I’m forgetting, but I’ve yet to win one of those.
Activism
The National Leather Association (now NLA: International) and I go way back. I was named Woman of the Year at one point and then in 2004 received the Lifetime Achievement Award, for all the work I’d done in the New England local community, for founding the Fetish Fair Fleamarket, and for publishing kink-positive fiction with Circlet Press. And writing.
Then in early 2011, out of the blue, I was given the President’s Award by Pantheon of Leather. Wow! A total surprise and when I say it is an honor to be recognized by fellow activists and community leaders I don’t come close to conveying the depth of what it means. So many people work so hard to make our community what it is, so many people give of themselves, their time and energy, I barely feel I deserve to be singled out. Then again, every time I win something like this, I get re-invested in activism, so when I win, the community wins…?
Also, the publishing house that I founded in 1992 and which I am still editorial director for, Circlet Press, was co-winner of Bisexual Publisher of the Year in 2014:
In a move that was a complete surprise to me, SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee awarded the Tweed Webb Lifetime Achievement award to me and my co-editor for our work on The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues in July 2022.