Mark Loves Steven!

Well, I suppose sitting my flamin' arse down here and writing a blog is long overdue.
Yes, hullo, it's me, Mark Antonious Richfield, for those of you who read about me in GA's Action! Series, you already know me well.
About me...what about me? You either love me or hate me. Oh yes, I've seen some very rude comments about me and my son, Alexander. We know we aren't perfect. Both of us have struggled with a terrible upbringing and felt unloved for a very long time. I don't want to write a blog filled with angst, because Alex and I aren't the only gay men to have been abused, beaten by our fathers or teased and bullied because we were...different.
But Alexander, the child whom came to me at eighteen, by storm, mind- changed my life forever. Our relationship was horrendous in the beginning, and what can you expect since he only found out I was his father at eighteen, and I never knew I had fathered such a son. Alas, we have found each other, for better or worse. Life goes on, we have gotten over some hurdles and we manage.
He has found the love of his life, Lt Billy Sharpe, (yes, the man is twenty years Alex's senior, but...) And I have found my man as well. Steven Jay Miller, lover extraordinaire. Steven and I also got off to a rocky beginning. After all, I was the newcomer to Parsons and Company and my pompous swagger nearly set us up for blows. Luckily our sexual attraction made for a different kind of 'blow'. I sucked his beautiful cock on a business retreat in New Mexico. Did our fellow employees know? Not a clue. They only hoped Steven and I didn't kill each other when we got separated from the group and spent the night out in the frigid cold.
Steven and I lit a fire that night. A fire that awakened what I had been hiding for so long. You see, I was engaged to Sharon Tice at the time. Well, to be honest, I was about to walk down the aisle...no, I did walk down the aisle, to marry a woman. My baby, my lover, Steven, interrupted our wedding ceremony, crying my name. Well! What was I do to? I felt like I was remaking The Graduate and Ben was screaming for Elaine.
My Steven.
The man who has stolen my heart for eternity. We raced off that day, me in my tuxedo, Steven in his sweats and t-shirt. Raced off, driving away from an angry mob of family and friends. To?
To living together in Bel Air, CA. To raising together a wonderful young man, my Alex, to having an incredible relationship with Jack Larsen and Adam Lewis, our closest companions and lovers...
For all of you who believe love in books is not possible, just a fantasy, let me tell you, I am proof that no matter your faults, and yes, lovelies, I have too many to count, there will be that one man who loves you. Loves you even when you fall to pieces, loves you even when you make terrible decisions, and loves you because you have become one.
I love Steven Jay Miller, so deeply, I cry, I hurt, and I will never love another the way I love him.
For all of you who cherish our love, who root for us to continue to succeed and rejoice at the fact that two men, yes, two men, can love and be joined by that love, eternally.
To all of you out there who think there isn't one person out there for them, take heart. Though my Steven is one of a kind, there are men out there who are as incredible as he is. And whether you are a straight couple or a gay couple, you are entitled to that love.

Cheers to my wonderful fans out there. And always remember, it is you who make me who I am.

Treat me or Trick me. Or both-

I may be a kid at heart, but Halloween is my ultimate favorite holiday and fall is the most wonderful season out of the four. Leaves turn colors, (yes even here in Nor-Cal) and the cool autumn air makes running so much fun! I love the windy dark nights, the spooky decorations that begin to appear; pumpkins, haunted houses, witches, black cats...and that's just at the local brewery! The neighborhood gets decked out as well!
As a kid I wouldn't miss trick or treating for the world. My favorite costumes? Mostly sexy vamps, wild cats, you know, typical mischievous fun for a wild feline woman like me.
Dressing in drag is also great fun- several times I have tried to hide my feminine curves and sported male clothing. To my dismay I didn't succeed in fooling anyone. So I have to be satisfied in being a female...whatever it is I am that year as my disguise.
GLAAD is having a charity event this year which I am delighted to be invited to. Dress as your hero or villian, the invite said, "GLAAD's 25th Anniversary "Hollywood Heroes & Villains"
Hmm, I pondered the options. Well, the variety is endless. Not a big Hollywood fan, yes, I know, so sue me, I decided to once again go my own way. I would tell you all, but then the secret of my disguise would be out. Must not. Though pics of the party will end up on FB- you know me.
But it got me thinking.
Halloween is a time of year we can just be our fantasy person. Isn't it cool to see kids in superhero costumes? Dressed as firemen? Cops? All the wonderful men and women who we aspire to be? Or maybe monsters, scary things, since after all Halloween is for creepiness and ghouls.
Whatever you fancy, this is the time of year to get out the carving knife and murder a pumpkin, spill its seedy guts onto a newspaper and light it on fire with a candle.
I am not a fan of horror movies, unless I get to see Frank Langella as Dracula. Sorry, he was hot. (As most vamps are now.)
Think about it. Who we are, in disguise, on a day that allows us to be our naughty fantasy.
Who will you be? Will you scare others? Be a sexy lover or an over-sized condom?
I think the 'trick' is, to be that one fantasy you crave, and act how you would love to act that one day, one night, one party. You can deal with the hangover the next day.
As I look forward to a gala night with a great charity function, including so many people I can't wait to see...I think about who we are in life.

I will always envision myself a hero. I have fought on that thin blue line that separates the citizens from the suspects. I have loved so deeply I can cry thinking about it. I care, I fight injustice, I give what I can both in donations and in helping others...We don't need one night of fun to be heroes. Every day we can choose to fight hate. Fight intolerance. Battle ignorance.
I am dressed as a warrior forever. You only need to know me to see my disguise is not something I take off after Halloween.
You are the hero. Every time you feel pain in your heart and vote for civil rights and justice, you are who you need to be, every day of the year.

Be safe, and get treats this year. You all know you want it. ;)

LaLalalalala Land- A weekend in West Hollywood

Trips are like psychic readings...you hope for the best and usually get a mixture of answers and questions.
On the heels of another jaunt south through a whole lot of nothing on I5 and the Grapevine, which believe me is more than just a song to hum while doing laundry, I have mixed feelings about the effort.
The highlight was, as always, bunking with Kage Alan. (No not in the same bed, get your mind out of the gutter). The man is kind, thoughtful, and always a gentleman, even when it comes to who showers first. Needless to say, he's selfless. Pookie better appreciate what an amazing man he's going to marry in the Big Apple!!
So to be honest, just heading down to LaLa land to hang with Kage Alan, and nothing else, would be enough of an excuse to haul ass southbound.
But, as luck and fate would have it, we actually had a book fair to go to Sunday October 2nd.
And ohhhhh that's when the fun began.
Since we are both anal, and please no puns...we scoped out the fair venue before hand. And like good fair participants we obeyed all the rules. Stupid us!! We arrived while it was still dark out because according to the 'rules' you wouldn't be allowed to set up if you arrived after 7am. Well, while Kage and I sat in the dark with our stomachs growling, no one else seemed to think showing up on time was a big deal. Some moseyed in as late as 930. No one seemed to be 'enforcing' rules. We know better now.
Next- where the booth was located which we were assigned. Well! It looked good on paper but it was behind the main traffic area, where all the old gals of television; IE, Florence Henderson, Dyan Cannon, Meredith Baxter...were signing their pricey hard-bounds.
Us? Near a 'story telling stage' with amplified noise. All flicking day!!! Luckily we had a nice man 'Ryan' on sound who kept it to the minimum, which still meant screaming at the top of our lungs to speak to prospective buyers of our books. To say 9 hrs of yammering nonsense wasn't awful would be a lie. No one could tolerate it. Bad spot at the fair, point for the bad luck fairies.
However, Kage and I persevered. Not only did we rebound customers off each other, saying, "Like erotica? See GA. Like Comedy? Kage is your man." Worked like a charm.
Also it was a pleasure to spend the day with Micheal Perronne and Madison Martin. The two of them complimented Kage and my genres. Madison writes straight romance, and Micheal had some mighty naughty gay porn.
All in all, we sold very well considering no one knew vendors were within screaming distance of the stage. Will we all be there again next year? Who knows?
But Lalaland is the best and worst of everything!
Bumping into Jeff Olson and Rick Sparks while we looked over a menu for a restaurant, ogling lovely pretty boys in and out of Starbucks-
hanging with a group of the best people on the planet? Well, what can I say? Priceless.
The City of Angels...yes, I think I'll keep her.
Be safe-