This novel would make an excellent film. It has all the elements of a box office smash or a highly streamed miniseries. Period drama. Likeable characters. Sneaky dealings. A love story. Two teenage boys meet one evening just before the second world war. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the …
Book Review – Mercedes General by Jerry L. Wheeler
This is a collection of short stories which reads like a novella. In the first tale, Kent meets Spencer when they are both kids in 1966. Spencer is the new boy in school and Kent is drawn to him. But Kent’s domineering sister, Suey, doesn’t like Spence because he stands up to her bullying. Each …
Continue reading "Book Review – Mercedes General by Jerry L. Wheeler"
That Manuscript you Agonise Over
Perhaps 'agonise' is too strong a word. You see, I've gone back to work on the fifth draft of The Midnight Man, a novel I need to get right. I haven't been this obsessed with perfection since my first book. It's currently novella length and tells the story of Stan, a middle aged man in an …
Self editing my first draft
Over the last two days I've read through the first draft of a work in progress. I finished this draft three months ago. This is how long I take before I revisit a manuscript. Any sooner and I wouldn't be able to clearly see what elements need work. I had some doubts about this novel, …
What is Gay Lit?
I'm excited. Why? Over the coming weeks I'm going to publish a very special Q&A blog series looking at gay themed literature. And to help me are several guests who have their own unique insights. You'll meet a reviewer, a representative from a major GLBT publisher, and an author who co-produces a podcast about modern gay writing. …
Gay Men – Seeing ourselves on screen
I think there's a revolution in the way we, as gay men, allow ourselves to be seen. And it's a media fuelled revolution that has gradually 'snuck up on us' since the last century. The self discipline 'straight acting' model is fading in Western society, and the pressure to be an 'acceptable gay' has disappeared …
