I've been blessed this year. Two newer members of my writing group represent my main readership — women and gay men, and I'll get back to why this is relevant later in this blog. I've been presenting the ninth draft of a manuscript which is hindered with early draft scenes. These newer chapters are the …
Book Review – Yeah the Boys by Holden Sheppard
It's risky writing a sequel to a popular novel. It could feel rushed. It may not reflect the same spirit. It may run out of fresh ideas. This sequel to Invisible Boys has none of these issues. Every novel Holden Sheppard has written is a page turner. His characters are well developed and very accessible. …
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Book Review – How to Dodge Flying Sandals by Daniel Nour
I loved this book! This is a memoir with artistic license, as Nour himself points out in the Author's Note at the front of this work. What follows is an entertaining array of stories from his life. These anecdotes are from the point of view of a closeted Australian born man with Egyptian heritage, although …
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Author News Update – 23 June, 2025
Welcome to another author update. I can now announce that I'm one of the gay writers who are collaborating on the second series of Haunted Hearts novels. Last year, a group of queer male authors released the first series, one by one, leading up to Halloween. You can find them HERE. Last year's books centred …
Book Review – Poof by J.M. Tolcher
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. When I first began reading this I was reminded of Alanis Morissette's brilliant song, 'You Oughta Know'. The author takes us back to when he was bullied in school, spitting venom at his tormentors in the same manner as Morissette attacked her ex. As a homosexual, I …
Book Review – The Lodger, That Summer by Levi Huxton
I don't generally read erotic novellas. The few I have read I put down after a few chapters because the scenes were similar. But I caught up for coffee with author, Levi Huxton, to share marketing tips, and as a gift he gave me a copy of his popular debut. His success is something many …
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I’m about to read gay sex scenes to straight older men
I'm part of a cool writers' group. Each week we read and review the next scene of each other's projects. Some feedback is relevant. Some is not. And we all have our quirks when we receive critique. Although I'm not exactly young, three of this group of five men are older than me. And unlike …
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The books for my author signing event didn’t show up.
It was the day before GLO (Gay Lit Oz). We decided not to go to the movies so we'd be home for the delivery of the books I needed for the event. It was Friday and by late afternoon, it was clear something was wrong. My publisher ordered these for me the week before, and …
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Writing Tin Men and Scarecrows – Part 1
I'm halfway through the first draft. But I've just changed the text from past tense, third person limited, to present tense, first person multi point of view. While I was reading Holden Sheppard's The Brink, I was taken by how personal his book felt with different characters narrating in the here and now. My gut …
Book Review – Son Of Sin by Omar Sakr
This is a meditation on identity. Or perhaps it's a meditation on finding your identity. Whichever, it is a meditative experience. Omar Sakr's other published works are poetry. Son Of Sin is his first novel and his prose reflects his poetic style. For example, this is a description of a sunset: "...the sun was losing …
