Inside Writing LGBTQ

“It’s people like Mama and me, I guess, who like to make the regular happenings in our town—like what happened to Joshua and David—sound like myth. There are those who doubt the veracity of my words. But I know. I was there.”So begins the voice of Eric Gottlund in Jim Provenzano’s latest novel, Now I’m Here, as he begins his tale of how two boys discovered, lost, and then found each other again in the small town of Serene, Ohio, in the 1970’s and 80’s. It is both pointed and poignant. As the town’s history is slowly erased by fading memories and encroaching suburbia, Eric brings back to life the two friends who showed him what true courage is. Fighting religious intolerance, small-mindedness, “rehabilitation therapy,” the lure of fame, and the heartbreak of AIDS, the two boys grow into men before our eyes. And through their love of each other and rock’n’roll—and the English rock group Queen in particular—Joshua and David breathe life back into their home town, if only for a while.

Brian & Stéphane are Back, Spreading Mischief, Mayhem, and Loads of Laughs!Buckle up for a wild ride in the fifth installment of the Twilight Manors series! Brian and Stéphane embark on an unforgettable journey to New Orleans via Amtrak—Stéphane to dazzle at a Powder Puff Convention, and Brian to soak up the city’s vibrant chaos. But their adventure takes a jaw-dropping turn when the train is hijacked by the outrageous Barbie Liberation Front!As the pair are plunged into the heart of Texas, they encounter a bizarre cast of characters: a jubilant hooker, a man with an unusual affection for sheep, a curious peeping Tom, a woman claiming to own Ingrid Bergman’s DNA, and a footsie-loving Mennonite woman. Each character adds to the madness.The craziness escalates upon their arrival in New Orleans, where the convention reveals its own set of troubles. Someone is kidnapping chihuahuas, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.Join Brian and Stéphane as they navigate through a whirlwind of opera, voodoo, tortoise painters, biker gals, killer chefs, and the biggest ding-dong on this side, or any side, of the Mississippi. Oh, and don’t miss Stéphane taking a cure for his homosexuality—SPOILER ALERT: it doesn’t work!Dive headfirst into Twilight Manors in Palm Springs: The Great New Orleans Powder Puff Caper for a side-splitting, page-turning adventure you won’t want to miss!

Last Call South Florida sweeps aside the glitter and glamour of the Sunshine State's LGBTQ nightlife scene to reveal the vibrant tapestry of real people who thrived on both sides of the bar. From the harrowing days of bar raids and police arrests to the triumphs of hard-won rights, this book dives deep into the lives of those who made history.Meet the investors and entrepreneurs who built the foundation, the entertainers, bartenders, go-go boys, drag performers, and "bar celebrities" who brought life to the stage, and the customers who found solace and community in these havens. This isn't just a nightlife chronicle; it's a celebration of a resilient community that emerged stronger from every challenge.What makes South Florida's LGBTQ bar scene unique is its dazzling blend of glamour, diversity, and unyielding spirit. Historians Fred Fejes and Rick Karlin have meticulously researched this distinctive community, covering an era from Prohibition to the present day. Focusing from Palm Beach to Broward, and Miami-Dade to Key West, they capture the essence of a community that has withstood the test of time and adversity.Fejes and Karlin's journey unearthed countless personal stories and experiences, bringing the history of South Florida's LGBTQ bar community to life. Their extensive archival research and interviews have culminated in a captivating book that informs and entertains.Last Call South Florida presents a rich tapestry of recollections, memories, histories, and artifacts. It's not just a book; it's a vital contribution to LGBTQ history, preserving the legacy of a community that shaped the cultural landscape of South Florida. Dive into this fascinating chronicle and celebrate the vibrant, resilient spirit of South Florida's LGBTQ bar community.

You're Never Too OldPhilip Gambone’s long-awaited second book of short stories takes off from where his highly acclaimed first collection ended, taking us now into the lives of older gay men. These sixteen, loosely interconnected stories are about men who have experienced a lot: marriages and break-ups; rekindling old loves and starting new romances; the search for sex in an online era; the loss of familiar gay culture; the death of loved ones; and always the adventure of living in a world where they have to make up the rules as they go along.Gambone takes us to a radical faerie wedding; a closeted French teacher’s classroom; the weekly café gathering of a group of older gay bohemians, one of whom has adopted a child; a randy eighty-year-old portrait painter who insists his clients pose in the nude; a gay man who discovers his brother is HIV positive; a man in a wheelchair who hires a straight, 23-year-old companion; another who periodically hooks up with a married man; and a long-standing gay couple whose weekly visits to a sports café in Boston’s Italian neighborhood present a delicious and dangerous temptation.As George Stambolian said of his first collection, “Philip Gambone he has done something extraordinary—he has written with honesty, humor, and compassion about the lives of ordinary gay men. His characters speak to us in voices that are almost hypnotically real. They charm us with their words only to catch us with startling revelations of truth.”Now these “ordinary gay men” have reached a new stage in their lives, where the pull of multiple responsibilities, conflicting desires, and cross-generational connections both enriches and tests the identities they they’ve built up over the years. Exhilarating, heart-warming, sexy, and very real—Gambone’s stories zigzag through the twists and turns of each character’s life toward a place where gratitude, peace, self-acceptance, wisdom, and even spiritual growth abound.

In this coming-of-age literary thriller, Ahdaf, a gay Syrian refugee, after watching his cousin executed by ISIS for being homosexual, flees to Istanbul for safety. Ahdaf’s reputation as apeople smuggler has put him in danger once more. A Syrian refugee himself,Ahdaf earns a meager living in Istanbul helping others make the crossing toGreece – a perilous line of work, but no less so than what he would face if thetruth of his sexuality were discovered by ISIS. 

Magic has been lost for centuries, and when 16-year-old Destiny stumbles upon it, she accidentally unlocks it for all the descendants of the ancient clans, but some of them want it only for themselves and are willing to kill to keep it.

From the award-winning author of Fragile Brilliance comes another gripping Ronan McCullough thriller.Recovering from the emotional and physical damage of his last case, Ronan McCullough is trying to put his life back together. But when a federal agent's charred remains surface, linked to a professor's encrypted money laundering scheme, Ronan becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game of life and death with someone who is willing to kill everyone that knows anything about the encryption codes.Ronan soon uncovers several dark secrets and learns that nobody is being honest with him, including the people he trusts the most. When the encryption codes are stolen and Ronan learns their real purpose, he finds himself in a race to stop a plan that will make it nearly impossible to stop the funding of dangerous crimes.As the body count rises and secrets are unearthed, Ronan must navigate a web of deceit to uncover the truth. How will Ronan succeed when the main suspect is a set of numbers?

Stories collected by the author about those who have been banned and restricted from posting on social media, many times over innocent or harmless posts, because computer algorithms don't understand humor, sarcasm or satire. It takes everything literally. Sudi (Rick) Karatas ended up a "Prisoner of a Social Media site starting with the letter "F" slammer" when he commented "Stick a fork in him he's done" meaning the guy's career was over. Karatas was "charged" with "promoting violence" and he was "locked up" for 30 days in "Jail" unable to post. After a couple more "run ins" this book was born.Thousands of others have also been wrongly accused and punished. Karatas collected stories which include those with the most outlandish and bizarre reasons they were locked up and punished. The funny stories may cause you to bust a gut (not literally, that reference would flag the algorithm). For example, "Bombing the basement for a flea infestation" was considered to be violent by the "Community Standards" bots. But there's a darker side to this phenomenon. Many small and individual owned businesses make their living either directly through or by using social media, it can in fact bring the entire business to a standstill. For example, Kelly O'Brien, a legitimate Dolly Parton tribute act, has had her page shut down several times. There is no way to challenge the bot's random decisions, no humans available, and users are stuck with the decision, despite the real and serious consequences to their livelihoods. As the author explores these stories, he hopes comedy in the face of serious and often detrimental acts by one of America's business giants can make a difference.

Nicky Sullivan is the resident manager of a sober living home in Chicago. There she rides herd on ten newly sober addicts and alcoholics, trying to point them in the right direction while keeping their chaos to a minimum. But when one of her residents is murdered, Nicky turns to the investigative skills honed during her past career as a homicide detective. She calls on her old police partner who has been assigned the murder investigation along with his new partner, a woman beautiful enough to give Nicky pause. The body count starts to mount as it becomes clear a serial killer is at work, targeting newly relapsed women, all of whom have some connection to Nicky. Each death makes her feel she’s wielded the knife herself. In the midst of the tragedy, she finds herself falling in love.With the lives of fragile women in the balance, Nicky finds her own sobriety threatened. Can Nicky save her lover and find the killer? How many others must die before she does?