It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 35: Blair Fell!
Blair Fell joins us to talk about life as a writer, and then shares his two novels, First, The Sign for Home about the deaf/blind experience with a gay twist. Then Disco Witches of Fire Island, a romantacy about losing a love, moving, and finding elders who help him mend his heart.
Bio:
Blair Fell writes and lives in New York City. Blair’s television work includes Queer as Folk, and the Emmy Award–winning California Connected. He’s written dozens of plays including the award-winning plays Naked Will, The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, and the downtown cult miniseries Burning Habits. His personal essays have appeared in HuffPost, Out, Daily News (New York), and more. He’s a two-time winner of the prestigious Doris Lippman Prize in Creative Writing from the City College of New York, including for his early unfinished draft of The Sign for Home. Concurrently with being a writer, Blair has been an ASL interpreter for the Deaf since 1993, and has also worked as an actor, producer, and director.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 34: ‘Nathan Burgoine!
‘Nathan Burgoine returns to share his latest Hi-Lo novel, Dogs Don’t Break Hearts. We discuss the importance of High-Interest-Low-Complexity novels, and why stories for reluctant readers are the “if you know, you know” genre. We then touch on the awful notion of the neutrality movements and the damage they’re doing.
Bio:
‘Nathan Burgoine is a tall queer writer of (mostly) shorter queer fictions. His stories live somewhere in the Venn of Romance, YA, and Spec-Fic—but always queer. He grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His debut novel, Light, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and his debut YA Novel Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks was a Prix Aurora Award finalist.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the rescue of a huskie. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen/Watch Right Here:
April 5, 2024
It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 16 Interview – ‘Nathan Burgoine
‘Nathan Burgoine returns to share the long-awaited third book in his trilogy, Triad Magic! We discuss character growth and relations in queer literature, as well as a recent limited-time anthology and where to watch for news of his contribution being available in the future.
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His works can be found in genres ranging from comedy, romance, and erotica, through to serious and sci-fantastic. He seems equally comfortable writing short- as well as long-form.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the rescue of a six year old husky named Coach, who gave them four wonderful years before crossing the rainbow bridge. Since then, they’ve rescued Max, another husky, who is much younger and very determined to be a bed dog. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 8, Episode 50 Interview – ‘Nathan Burgoine
‘Nathan Burgoine returns to introduce us to the Hi-Lo style of writing with his latest young adult novel Stuck with You. We discuss the benefits of this high-interest, low readability approach to literature and why it’s important.
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His works can be found in genres ranging from comedy, romance, and erotica, through to serious and sci-fantastic. He seems equally comfortable writing short- as well as long-form.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the rescue of a six year old husky named Coach, who gave them four wonderful years before crossing the rainbow bridge. Since then, they’ve rescued Max, another husky, who is much younger and very determined to be a bed dog. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to welcome Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman, and ‘Nathan Burgoine as the guests on Season 7, Episode 16 – Oooh, Nerd Hot!
Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman, ‘Nathan Burgoine tag-team the show to introduce their latest work, Three Left Turns to Nowhere. Each has written a novella about a young man on his way to a sci-fi convention when Fate intervenes and strands them in Hopewell where they find that thing they didn’t know they needed. These three authors are so much fun, and it’s easy to see how well they worked together!
Jeffrey Ricker is the author of Detours (2011) and the YA fantasy The Unwanted (2014). His stories and essays have appeared in Foglifter, Phoebe, Little Fiction, The Citron Review, The Saturday Evening Post, and others. A 2014 Lambda Literary Fellow and recipient of a 2015 Vermont Studio Center residency, he has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches creative writing at Webster University.
J. Marshall Freeman is a writer of novels, short stories, and poetry. He is the author of the young adult fantasy novel The Dubious Gift of Dragon Blood (2020) and the upcoming YA adventure Barnabas Bopwright Saves the City (May 2022). He is a two-time winner of the Saints+Sinners Fiction Contest (2017 and 2019), and lives in Toronto, Canada, with his husband and dog.
’Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first novel, Light, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Triad Blood and Triad Soul are also available from Bold Strokes Books, as is his YA novel Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks and his first collection, Of Echoes Born. For novella lovers, In Memoriam, Handmade Holidays, Faux Ho Ho, Village Fool, and A Little Village Blend are shorter queer romances (often with a dash of speculative fiction). A cat lover, ’Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. They live in Ottawa, Canada—with their rescued husky, in case you were wondering how the cat-dog thing turned out.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to welcome ‘Nathan Burgoine back as the guest on Season 6, Episode 19 – The Most Annoying Trait in the World!
‘Nathan Burgoine returns with laughter and joy as he shares his new novella Village Fool. He also shares how he wrote while injured, and we dig into the merits of writing novellas as a series.
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the rescue of a six year old husky named Coach, who gave them four wonderful years before crossing the rainbow bridge. Since then, they’ve rescued Max, another husky, who is much younger and very determined to be a bed dog. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen Right Here:
OR Watch on YouTube:
November 30, 2018
It gives us great pleasure to announce ‘Nathan Burgoine as the guest on Episode 192: The Queerlings!
‘Nathan Burgoine returns to discuss his latest, and first Young Adult, release: Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks. He then shares what it was like for him talking with today’s youth about the stories they want and his beautifully interwoven short story collection.
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first published short story was “Heart” in the collection Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction. Since then, he has had dozens of short stories published, including Bold Strokes titles Men of the Mean Streets, Boys of Summer, and Night Shadows as well as This is How You Die (the second Machine of Death anthology). ‘Nathan also has a series of paranormal erotic short stories that begins in the Bold Strokes anthology Blood Sacraments, and continues with further installments in Wings, Erotica Exotica, and Raising Hell. His standalone short erotic fiction pieces can be found in the Lambda Literary Award finalist Tented, Tales from the Den, and Afternoon Pleasures. ‘Nathan’s nonfiction pieces have appeared in I Like it Like That and 5×5 Literary Magazine.
‘Nathan’s first novel, Light, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. His second and third novels, Triad Blood and Triad Soul, are available now from Bold Strokes Books. Both are available wherever quality LGBT fiction is found—always check Indiebound for your local brick and mortar, if you can. For novella lovers, ‘Nathan’s wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey gay romance In Memoriam is available on Kindle and Audible, and his gay holiday chosen family romance Handmade Holidays is available from NineStar Press.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the rescue of a six year old husky named Coach. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or right here:
June 2, 2017
It gives us great pleasure to announce ‘Nathan Burgoine as the guest on Episode 114: The Three Second Review!
This week ‘Nathan Burgoine joins us to discuss his series, to drop announcements of his upcoming projects, share the importance of chosen families, unveil Canada as a setting, and share the magic of the three sentence review.
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first published short story was “Heart” in the collection Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction. Since then, he has had dozens of short fiction pieces published. His first novel LIGHT was a Lambda Literary Finalist. Both Light and his second novel, Triad Blood, are available from Bold Strokes Books.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the adoption of Coach, a six year-old husky. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 31: Dr. Kara Zajac!
Kara Zajac shares her memoir The Significance of Curly Hair. We discuss overcoming grief with humor, the fear of becoming a ‘traditional’ woman, raising a child in an alternative family, and how to thrive without giving up your dreams.
Bio:
Kara Zajac is a freelance writer, chiropractor, mother of a daughter, wife, entrepreneur, musician, and die hard romantic. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York and Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life College of Chiropractic. For the last twenty years, Kara has maintained a private wellness practice in Dawsonville, GA, where she helps people revitalize their lives by healing the brain and body naturally through chiropractic care, energy work, and Braincore Neurofeedback.
She is a member of the Creative-Writing-Workshop as well as the National Writers Union and was awarded the IPPY Silver Medal for Transformational Nonfiction. She resides in the North Georgia Mountains with her wife, Kim, and daughter, Senia Mae. Kara can usually be found at home in the kitchen and enjoys sipping wine while hanging her feet off the dock.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 28: Dr. Lawrence D. Mass for Arnie Kantrowitz!
Dr. Lawrence D. Mass, surviving partner to Arnie Kantrowitz, shares Song of Myself. We discuss Arnie’s inspirations, the spirit of Walt Whitman, and how this historical chronicle has become a cautionary tale.
Bio: Arnie Kantrowitz (1940 – 2022) leaves behind a legacy as a true pioneer, champion and sage of the gay rights movement. He is the author of the gay classic, Under The Rainbow, Growing Up Gay, of a monograph, Walt Whitman, and was a notable writer and figure in gay and mainstream media. He became vice president of Gay Activists Alliance in 1970 and was a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in 1985.
Dr. Lawrence D. Mass, Kantrowitz’s surviving life partner, provides context for the novel’s relevance in today’s socio-political climate.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 26: Ross Mathews and Dr. Wellinthon García-Mathews!
Ross Mathews and Dr. Wellinthon García-Mathews share their children’s book, Tío and Tío: The Ring Bearers! We dive into how they encouraged the agency of their nephews in telling this story, the importance of children feeling involved and important, and telling the story through color and the senses!
Bio: Ross Mathews is an Emmy-winning television host and producer, as well as the best-selling author of Man Up!: Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence and Name Drop. He can be seen every weekday as cohost and producer on the daily syndicated talk show The Drew Barrymore Show, and as a judge and producer on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Mathews has hosted the GLAAD Media Awards a record seven times and in 2018 he was honored with the organization’s Davidson/Valentini Award for his work in promoting equality for the LGBTQ+ community, in addition to the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award in 2011. He currently lives in New York with his husband, Dr. Wellinthon García-Mathews, and their rescue chihuahua, Audrey.
Dr. Wellinthon García-Mathews was born in the Dominican Republic and emigrated with his family to the United States at five years old, not speaking any English. He was raised in Brooklyn, and went on, along with his older sister, to be the first in his family to attend college. He holds a doctorate of education in educational policy and leadership from Hofstra University. He has served in the field of education for over a decade in the capacity of a primary teacher, assistant principal, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Associate Director of ENL and Equity in New York. Additionally, he has worked as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, where he lectures on gender expression and Title IX policy impacting LGBTQ+ youth.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 27: Bill Hulseman!
Bill Hulseman shares his essay collection: Six to Carry the Casket and One to Say the Mass. We dive into belonging, birth order trauma, pride parades, identity, pop culture (Madonna & Golden Girls as spiritual!), and reconciling religion with queer health!
Bio:
Bill Hulseman is a writer, ritual designer, and former educator whose work explores identity, belonging, and personal agency. His debut book, “six to carry the casket and one to say the mass,” is a collection of deeply personal essays examining the identities we inherit, the traditions we navigate, and the power we have to shape our own narratives. Through reflections on family, Catholicism, and queer identity, Hulseman offers a nuanced exploration of what it means to carve out space for oneself in a world that often seeks to define us.
Aformer middle school principal, teacher, and campus minister, Hulseman holds degrees in religious studies, the comparative study of religion, and education leadership. His time in Catholic schools gave him both a profound appreciation for faith and a firsthand understanding of the tensions between personal identity and institutional tradition. His writing is informed by this background, as well as his deep love for pop culture—where figures like Madonna and “The Golden Girls” helped him see himself long before the world was ready to.
Hulseman now lives in Seattle with his husband, Jonathon, where he continues to write, design rituals, and lead meaningful conversations about identity, faith, and belonging.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 25: Christopher Rice (writing as C. Travis Rice)!
Christopher Rice returns to share his summer romance novella: Party of Three. We dive into the Sapphire Cove Suite Secrets novella stories, how gay romances are different but can have all the elements that romance fans crave, and the importance of telling our own stories!
Bio:
CHRISTOPHER RICE is the recipient of the Lambda Literary Award. He is the Amazon Charts and New York Times bestselling author of: A Density of Souls; Bone Music, Blood Echo, and Blood Victory in the Burning Girl series; and Bram Stoker Award finalists The Heavens Rise and The Vines. An executive producer for television, he also penned 2 novels with his mother, Anne Rice: Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra and Ramses The Damned: The Reign of Osiris. Together with his best friend and producing partner, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, Christopher runs the production company Dinner Partners. Among other projects, they produce the podcast and video network TDPS, which can be found at www.TheDinnerPartyShow.com. He lives in West Hollywood, California, and writes tales of romance between men under the pseudonym C. Travis Rice.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen/Watch Right Here:
June 28, 2024
It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 26 Interview – Christopher Rice
Christopher Rice (writing as C. Travis Rice) returns to share the next novel in his Sapphire Cove series: Sapphire Dawn! We discuss writing a summer romance for a character who’s had a career in porn, how to show the truths of the industry, and how that character is more authentic than ones with a more acceptable pedigree. We then discuss the true crime murder of Billy Newton that Christopher and his podcast partner Eric Shaw Quinn had a hand in solving on The Dinner Party Show!
Christopher Rice is a recipient of the Lambda Literary Award. He is the Amazon Charts and New York Times bestselling author of: A Density of Souls; Bone Music, Blood Echo, and Blood Victory in the Burning Girl series; and Bram Stoker Award finalists The Heavens Rise and The Vines.
An executive producer for television, he also penned 2 novels with his mother, Anne Rice: Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra and Ramses The Damned: The Reign of Osiris.
Together with his best friend and producing partner, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, Christopher runs the production company Dinner Partners. Among other projects, they produce the podcast and video network TDPS, which can be found at www.TheDinnerPartyShow.com.
He lives in West Hollywood, California, and writes tales of romance between men under the pseudonym C. Travis Rice.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen Right Here:
OR Watch on YouTube:
March 24, 2023
It gives us great pleasure to present Bonus Episode Season 8, Episode 13: Christopher Rice writing as C. Travis Rice!
Christopher Rice, writing as C. Travis Rice, joins us to share his latest Sapphire Cove novel: Sapphire Storm. So if you’re looking for a romance novel where a fitness celebrity tries to exact revenge on a pastry chef, and where the author subtly takes a stand against ageism, then tune in!
Christopher Rice is the recipient of the Lambda Literary Award and is the Amazon Charts and New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls; Bone Music, Blood Echo, and Blood Victory in the Burning Girl series; and Bram Stoker Award finalists The Heavens Rise and The Vines. An executive producer for television, he collaborated with his mother Anne Rice on the novel Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra and Ramses The Damned: The Reign of Osiris. Together with his best friend and producing partner, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, Christopher runs the production company Dinner Partners. Among other projects, they produce the podcast and video network TDPS, which can be found at www.TheDinnerPartyShow.com.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 24: Michael G. Williams!
Michael G. Williams returns to share his collected novellas: Servant Sovereign AND his latest novel, Children of Solitude. We talk about real estate demons being thwarted by witches dipping through time, and then about supernatural horror as a genre that truly peels back the human experience and forces characters (and us) to find joy and love through the dark times!
Bio:
MICHAEL G WILLIAMS writes queer-themed speculative fiction celebrating the unexpected ways we outsiders find ourselves and our people at the heart of the mysterious and the macabre. He’s a member of HWA and SFWA and is on the NC Writers Network Board of Trustees.
He also co-hosts Arcane Carolinas, an award-winning podcast about the myths and legends of his native region. Michael studied Performance Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State, and is a brother in both Mu Beta Psi and St. Anthony Hall.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen/Watch Right Here:
September 23, 2022
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 7, Episode 38: Michael G. Williams + Our Review of Wildhood!
Michael G. Williams returns to discuss queer futures and queer joy as seen in his SERVANT/SOVEREIGN and Autumn noir detective novels. We then review Wildhood and share who won our week.
Bio:
Michael G. Williams writes queer-themed science fiction, urban fantasy, and horror celebrating monsters, macabre humor, and subverted expectations. He’s the author of three series for Falstaff Books: the award-winning vampire/urban fantasy series The Withrow Chronicles; a new urban fantasy series featuring real estate, time travel, and San Francisco’s most beloved historical figures, SERVANT/SOVEREIGN; and the science fiction noir Autumn detective novels. Michael also co-hosts Arcane Carolinas, hosts and produces Social Distancing Radio, and contributes to tabletop RPG development. He strives to present the humor and humanity at the heart of horror and mystery with stories of outcasts and loners finding their people. He lives in Durham, NC, with his husband, a variety of animals, and more and better friends than he will admit to deserving.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to welcome Michael G. Williams as the guest on Season 6, Episode 26 – Probably Selectively True!
Michael G. Williams joins us to discuss relating the queer experience through horror, science fiction, and urban fantasy. We dive into empowering queer voices rather than exploiting queer identities, and laugh about some of the joys of writing queer stories.
Michael G. Williams writes queer-themed science fiction, urban fantasy, and horror celebrating monsters, macabre humor, and subverted expectations.
Michael is an avid podcaster, activist, and gaymer, and is a brother in St. Anthony Hall and Mu Beta Psi. He cohosts Arcane Carolinas, a podcast about the strange and unexplained found on the backroads of North & South Carolina, and Data at Rest, an information security podcast. He also hosts Social Distancing Radio, a podcast intended to recreate the experience of author readings at science fiction and fantasy conventions. Michael lives in Durham, NC, with his husband, a variety of animals, and more and better friends than he will admit he deserves.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 21: Mo Fanning!
Mo Fanning returns to share his new novel: Rainbows and Lollipops. We discuss setting a story close to home – Birmingham in this case, healing from loss, and friends growing into found family!
Bio:
Mo Fanning is a Birmingham-based novelist whose character-driven fiction explores the complexities of love, identity, and human connection through the lens of LGBTQ+ experiences. With his signature blend of humour, heartbreak, and hope, Fanning creates deeply relatable characters whose journeys reflect the universal search for belonging in an often-challenging world. Drawing inspiration from his Midlands roots, Fanning infuses his writing with authentic voices and settings that resonate with readers seeking stories that celebrate the beauty of imperfection and the transformative power of resilience. His innovative narrative approaches and genuine emotional depth have earned him a dedicated following among readers who appreciate contemporary fiction that balances entertainment with meaningful exploration of human relationships.
When not writing, Mo lives with his husband Mark and their beloved Labrador Ernie, continuing to find inspiration in the streets, stories, and people of his beloved Birmingham.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Or Listen/Watch Right Here:
August 30, 2024
It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 34 Interview – Mo Fanning!
Mo Fanning joins us to share his latest novel Husbands! We discuss the dark side of Hollywood, telling stories while protecting identities, and finding happiness in the end.
Mo Fanning is a part-time novelist, part-time stand-up comic and full-time ageing homosexual. He currently lives in the Black Country backwater town of Stourbridge but aspires to something more rural without neighbours.
With a unique talent for blending romance and comedy in intriguing settings, Mo is an emerging voice in the contemporary fiction scene and aims to be the best-known writer of LGBTQ romance.
This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 10, Episode 35: Blair Fell!
