Subverting heterosexual narratives, challenging the black and white of good and evil, and turning worn out hero myths on their heads; all in a day’s escape for this novelist.
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When I was a kid, I used to write to escape into my imagination. I was a shy and anxious boy, and given that my other form of escape was having triple-decker peanut butter sandwiches for snacks, I was also a husky boy. That led to some teasing and more shyness and anxiety. Add to that my emerging attraction to other boys, which manifested in distrust and hypersensitivity, and you have the complete profile.
Part of that had to do with wondering where they hell the gay people were in those stories. On the rare occasion when there was a gay character, I wondered why the hell the portrayal had to be so tragic or cliché or token?
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I was a mess socially. Withdrawing into different worlds and storylines was much more relaxing than facing things as they were.
I still think escapism motivates me to write some thirty years later. Perhaps that’s a fixed habit of mine, though when I sit down to write these days, there is more of a purpose behind it.
Growing up feeling like an outsider, I was always skeptical and just plain ticked off by mainstream literature and movies. Part of that had to do with wondering where they hell the gay people were in those stories. On the rare occasion when there was a gay character, I wondered why the hell the portrayal had to be so tragic or cliché or token?
The stories I write have gay people front-and-center solving the mystery, leading the epic adventure, and falling in love.
Subverting heterosexual narratives is a big part of what inspires me to write. In the realm of fantasy, I also tend to gravitate toward stories where “good” and “evil” are not so clear cut.
Beyond my gripe about the lack of gay people in popular fantasy, I have a hard time getting behind traditional heroes and hating traditional villains. It seems to me those heroes have a whole lot going for them to start with, and their villain counterparts suffer from their storytellers’ conventional biases. One example is the spate of Hollywood films based on Greek myths, which are sources of inspiration in my writing. From Perseus in Clash of the Titans to Theseus in Immortals, the characters are all so physically and morally perfect, I can’t relate to them and I’m left thinking: here’s another story about a guy on easy street getting ahead. Their battle of good vs. evil seems too simplistic to interest me.
The stories I write have gay people front-and-center solving the mystery, leading the epic adventure, and falling in love.
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That’s typical of myths, which after all originated as morals lessons, but I like retold stories that offer a more complex view of the world. I’m drawn to exploring flawed heroes and illuminating how people come to be “villains.” In my experience, we’ve all been heroes in some people’s eyes, and villains to others, at different points in our lives. The paradox and ambiguity of the world inspires me.
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Photos: Flickr/masterdesigner