Writer
About My Writing
As with most writers, my love for writing was born out of my love for reading. My grandfather worked as a volunteer in a Vermont library, and gifted me discharged copies of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books. Baum’s sparse style and highly imaginative worlds taught me how to love to read, and became my first literary influences.
I was the child that spent too much time in the library, and soon enough was picking up The Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew, and Sweet Valley High. As my teen years progressed, I was drawn to R. L. Stine’s Fear Street series and the novels of Christopher Pike. While working on my high school newspaper, I discovered my love for writing, and the power my own words had to make people think and feel in new ways. This helped focus my college search on writing specific undergraduate programs, and I chose to attend Sarah Lawrence College. I wrote my first unpublished novel while a student there.
I have authored a number of unpublished novels over the last 20 years. I have also self-published 4 non-fiction books on metaphysical spirituality and ecology. My non-fiction books represent the documentation of a unique spiritual journey, and were authored to serve as guideposts for others doing uncharted spiritual work.
With authors like Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, and T. J. Klune charting new industries for YA LGBTQ books, I threw myself into consuming all I could from the emerging young adult queer renaissance. This was further informed by new television series like Sex Education, Young Royals, and Heartstopper. While I enjoyed and found inspiration in these new books and shows, I always felt there was something missing. As Toni Morrison once said, “…if there is a book you want to read, and it is not yet written, then you must write it yourself.” In particular, I felt there was a sexual honesty, romantic humor, and genuine anxiety missing from most of the new gay stories. I also thought back to my own coming of age, and remembered how what I wanted most was my first kiss with a guy. Thus the simple premise for my first YA LGBTQ book was born, “Boy’s First Kiss.”
Today, I am seeking representation from a literary agent, while I continue to write new YA LGBTQ fiction. A gay fantasy, “Our Lost Prince,” a lesbian space opera, “Cosmo Grrrls,” and the sequel to my first book, “Boy’s First Time.”
About “Boy’s First Kiss”
Image from XY Magazine. Concept image for cover of “Boy’s First Kiss”
Boy’s First Kiss is a 98,759-word gay romance. Comparable books are The Gravity of Us, The Music of What Happens, and The Extraordinaries. These stories revolve around identity, coming out, and “will they, won’t they?” situations. Boy’s First Kiss is distinct as it focuses on the romantic milestone of the first kiss, a universal rite of passage often overlooked in the queer literary canon. This book is the first in a planned series, the follow-up being Boy’s First Time, a gay equivalent of Judy Blume’s Forever.
In 1998, David Spruce is starting his junior year of high school, and while his best friend Nina is already having sex with boys, David is stalling in the starting gate of romantic milestones. The one thing he wants most is his first kiss with another boy! If there is a gay god up there, David hopes his first kiss will be with his number one crush Zach Raleigh.
David begrudgingly joins the cross-country team to insure next year’s college applications are bulletproof. Luckily for David, Zach also joins the team. As they get to know each other on their long runs, the guy he used to just fantasize about becomes David’s top prospect for his first kiss.
On top of cross-country, David also writes for the school newspaper, works at his local bookstore, and starts sneaking out at night to sip raspberry mochas at the gay coffeehouse, Leviticus. Where David once thought there weren’t any options for him, he suddenly finds a world of potential boys, including a consistent flirtation with Zach. But which one, if any of these boys, will actually be his first kiss?
Just as David begins to see a world of queer opportunity, his world is rocked when he learns about the victim of a gay hate crime, Matthew Shephard. David starts to stand up in new ways, and see he can’t wait for what he wants, because nothing is guaranteed. His journey for his first kiss turns into something more, a test for him to run to the boy he truly wants most, no matter the risks.
“Boy’s First Kiss” FAQ
Why this premise?
XY Magazine shoot, “Raw.” Concept image for “Boy’s First Kiss.”
Near contemporary, romantic, gay romance is something that is missing and needed. Queer canon has been dominated by trauma and tragic endings. Today’s stories are defined by queer joy, and often set in speculative or fantastic worlds. The pendulum has swung too far. We need stories that meld the two traditions into a new whole, where queer joy is the center, but without erasing the history that got us here.
Why the Matthew Shepard connection?
It made a huge impact on me, and historically marks what is cited as the end of America’s innocence. Oddly enough, today’s queer youth may have heard about Stonewall, but usually never have heard about Matthew Shepard. I think this is sad, and my story remedies this cultural erasure by pinning the narrative to this cultural milestone.
Why 90s?
Have you seen teenagers today? They are all dressed in 90s fashion. It speaks to how in my youth we were fascinated by the 60s. It is a fixation that lasts, and is unique to youth culture, but changes with every generation. It isn’t just fashion, fashion is a leading cultural indicator. If 90s clothes are what today’s youth are wearing, it follows that they will seek 90s history, culture, literature, and music in short order.
Why a first kiss?
What is more relatable then a first kiss? Many gay men I’ve talked to can’t remember their first kiss with a guy. We go from stressing about our identity to having sex, but that romantic milestone of a first kiss matters. I remember mine, it was unbelievably romantic, and I hope to capture that same feeling in this narrative.
Is there more?
I think the romantic and sexual journey of a young gay man has never been quite portrayed in a relatable, realistic, and humorous way. I think of Judy Blume, and how these frank stories of queer sexuality for youth are missing from that core canon that generations of young readers keep picking up. The next story will focus on the first time he has sex, and the unique journey and details inherent to the queer experience.
Influences
Virginia Woolf, “Mrs. Dalloway”
Sylvia Plath, “The Bell Jar”
James Baldwin, “Giovanni’s Room”
T.J. Klune, “The House on the Cerulean Sea”
Aiden Thomas, “Cemetery Boys”
Everina Maxwell, “Winter’s Orbit”
F. T. Lukens, “In Deeper Waters”
Toni Morrison, “Sula”
Phil Stamper, “The Gravity of Us”
Octavia E. Butler, “The Parable of the Talents” & “The Parable of the Sower”
Andri Snaer Magnason, “LoveStar”
Nnedi Orkorafor, “Akata Witch”
Charlotte Bronte, “Villette”
Donna Tartt, “The Little Friend”
A. M. Homes, “This Book Will Save Your Life”
