A preview for Yaoi: An Anthology of Boys Love Vol. 2 is up now on Yaoi Press' Tokyopop page:  http://www.tokyopop.com/yaoipress/manga/1130648.html
This is an advance preview.  It will be in stores February 26th. 

Fans of my writing should know that I wrote a 63 page story in the anthology.  I stumbled on a real hidden gem of an artist to illustrate it. 

I think it's one of my best short stories to date.  It's about a factory worker named Jody who lives in a quasi-futuristic village.  He goes to be the butler of the factory owner (Mr. Alatore) who is ostracized by the village because he's openly homosexual.  Jody is a closet gay who wants to escape his violently ignorant village.  The high-class Mr. Alatore sees him as an uneducated nuisance. 

Here's their dialog from a scene where Jody is performing dinner service for Mr. Alatore.  This exchange happens over two pages:

Alatore:  Stand further behind.  I don’t want to see you out of the corner of my eye.

Jody:  Why’d you ask for me, then?

Alatore:  I was bored.

 

Jody:  If that’s so, how bout we make some conversation?  Part of me taking this job was cause I wanted to get to know you.

Alatore:  Oh, right.

Alatore:  I suppose I would have found a butler much sooner if the listing read:  If you’re gay and want to escape this village of morons, take a job as Alatore-the-Queer’s butler.  In addition to pay you’ll receive a shoulder to weep on and daily hugs.

Alatore (OP):  Only ‘kindred spirits’ need apply.  

One thing I liked about this story was writing about a couple with a huge age difference.  Mr. Alatore is in his 50s, and sexy in a David Bowie way.  Jody is 19.

I can't talk about Yaoi Vol. 2 without saying how much I adore the title story, which is by new Yaoi Press writer (and current GoComi editor) Christine Schilling.  Christine and I met at New York Comic Con in 2006.  I'd discovered someone who not only loves some of the same dark yaoi themes as I do, but who can actually write a darn good story.  Her story has lots of yummy, belly-shiver inducing moments. 

The artist is Irene Diaz, who fans may remember from the Epilogue in Winter Demon 2.  She's has an adorable signature style.  See for yourself in the preview.
~Yamila Abraham