Happy Pride Month everyone! Twinsie Tenise here. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to answer the questions for our pride month celebration. I had fun coming up with this years set of questions. We will be celebrating all month with author spotlights as well as my reviews for some of the LGBTQIA books I’ve read this year. Check back daily to see what’s going on and add to your TBR piles. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little about all of these wonderful authors and their work.
🏳🌈 Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m A.D. Ellis. I’m a teacher of 26 years, a mom of two older teens (17 and almost 20!), and the author of over 50 books. I’m from Indiana (please, don’t hold that against me); I grew up in southwestern Indiana in a small farming community, and I now live in south central Indiana. I enjoy reading, writing, napping, crocheting, and taking walks on pretty days. I’m a fan of laughing over sweet red wine with friends, pizza, chocolate, and a variety of seafood. I like sushi (only the cooked kind), bookstores, new notebooks I’ll likely never use, and collecting just the right stickers to put on my laptop. I have way too many (is that even a thing?!) houseplants, and I enjoy flowering plants on my porch in the spring and summer. I recently put up bird feeders outside my kitchen window, and I love watching the different birds come to eat. To me, there is nothing better than a fun mug of hot tea (the type depends on my mood) and a good book. A close second is a cozy rainy day nap. I have 14ish tattoos, and each time I say one is the last, I end up getting another. I write romance. My oldest books are contemporary with male/female pairings (I also have the same under a pen name: Dove Daniels). Since about 2016, my books have mostly been contemporary LGBTQ romance with male/male pairings. I’m looking forward to seeing long-time readers and meeting new readers at Writers on the River in July 2025! Year 10 is WILD, and I’m so grateful I’ve been a part of this amazing signing since the beginning.
🏳🌈 What is the title of your most recent release?
Cake & Cocktails released in March. This is book 2 of The Men of Haven Grove (book 1 is Peaches & Cream).
🏳🌈 Is there a book or a movie that has helped you have a better understanding of a current or past event in LGBTQ history?
I don’t know that I can pick just one (and I’m TERRIBLE at remembering names of movies/documentaries/books/shows). The following are movies/musicals/TV shows/books that have stuck with me (and I already feel bad because I know I’ll forget about a hundred!): Angels in America The Normal Heart And the Band Played On The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson Stonewall Paris Is Burning To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Priscilla Queen of the Desert RENT Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe POSE AJ and the Queen Heartstopper This book has tons of history- The LGBT+ History Book – https://amzn.to/4jMyTFH A photograph book; maybe the most touching I’ve ever seen – Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love – https://amzn.to/417emnV There are a lot more, but here’s a good list of movies: https://belonging.uccs.edu/lgbtq-heritage-month-movies This is a great list from OUT Magazine of movies about HIV/AIDS everyone should watch: https://www.out.com/film/movies-about-aids-hiv#rebelltitem59
🏳🌈 If you could have dinner with a famous person from the LGBTQ community, past or present, who would that be and why?
I’m skipping this one and going right to the next one 🙂
🏳🌈 I can hear the complaints now. If you think 1 person is unfair please use this space for additional dinner guests and why you chose them.
I’m not one for big parties, but I’d love to meet/talk with: Rock Hudson Marsha P. Johnson Harvey Milk Freddie Mercury James Baldwin Bayard Rustin Alan Turing Frida Kahlo Emily Dickinson Oscar Wilde Walt Whitman Elton John Ellen Degeneres RuPaul Laverne Cox There are so many more, but these are names that come to mind as folks I think would have a lot of insight, stories, advice, and information to share.
🏳🌈 Do you have a favorite review(s) of one of your books left by a reader? Care to share the title of the book, the review, and why this one stood out to you.
Honestly, I can’t say I have just one. I love any review that expresses how the book made a reader FEEL something. Reviews that give away a lot of the story aren’t my favorite thing 🙂 But if a reader shares how the book affected them, I love that. I’ll share a really great review of Peaches & Cream below, but all of my favorite reviews are from readers who want to live in my worlds, be friends with my characters, and closed the book after the last page with a sigh/smile/and something GOOD in their heart. 5 stars: Peaches & Cream by A.D. Ellis is a captivating MM romance set in the charming town of Haven Grove. Hudson, burdened by his past, prefers casual flings, while Lance, who has returned home after eight years, seeks more meaningful connections. Their shared history and undeniable chemistry make for a compelling friends-to-lovers story. The age gap and dynamic of Hudson being Lance’s dad’s best friend add intrigue and tension. A.D. Ellis masterfully combines steamy romance with emotional depth, creating a heartfelt and satisfying read. This book is a perfect start to The Men of Haven Grove series, offering a touching tale of love and second chances without any cliffhangers.
You can find me everywhere here, including Amazon, Kobo, Apple, B&N, Smashwords, etc – https://linktr.ee/adellisauthor My direct buy store is – https://payhip.com/ADEllisAuthor Some of my books are exclusive to Amazon, and some can be found everywhere – https://books2reaRWrrNxd.com/ap//AD-Ellis