Open Book

[erastes]

I just listened to BBC's book programme, Open Book, and my ears pricked up when they had a listener's letter which said (I paraphrase)

"Where can I read gay books that aren't tragedies, over literary or about teenagers?"

Personally I think he's doing well if he's finding a lot of books about gay teenagers, but I couldn't help but be interested in the answer. They actually had Patrick Gale on to discuss the matter - and GAH! If he didn't bang on about the same old same old. Armistead Maupin (which, incidentally, for those of you priding yourselves on your French pronunciation of his surname you'll be surprised, as I was, to find it's pronouned "moppin'" Hee. Alan Hollinghurst, Ann Patchett (who?) and Merk Merlis.

sigh.

I fired off an email mentioning that there is a HELL of a lot of gay fiction out there now, from sci-fi to romance to mystery and everything in between and if they wanted some recommendations I'd be happy to give them. But sheesh. I think that Moppin and Hollinghurst is exactly what the letter-writer was hoping to AVOID.

Mere Mortals... Ok - so I didn't finish it today - and don't go saying "there's a few hours left" because it's not happening. I'll given myself to the end of the month, but that's it. If I can't write 2-3 chapters in 2 weeks then I might as well give up now and go and work in Tescos. The dialogue is very difficult at this juncture. Something pretty dire has happened and I'm attempting to make the conversation/argument/panic real, which is proving a little hard work.

The more I pick at the book with my brain the more I can see the loose threads and when I pull at them there's a hole that needs filling. There's probably not enough Philip in it, and the relationship between the characters that have a relationship probably needs extending. I'm grateful that I managed to write the things as fast as I did, thanks to Etherpad and prodding from Chris Smith and Gehayi, but I think it's going to need more rewriting than I've ever done with a book before. REALLY not looking forward to that. So. End of month or bust, the on with the Lombardy thing.

Am watching "Burn Notice" thanks to RWDay's rec, and really enjoying it. One thing that really pisses me off though is the whole "tits and arse" close ups of the women in Miami. It's really not that kind of show (in the way, for example, Entourage IS) - and there seem to be no men living in Miami at all (apart from spies and crooks.) RWDay says that the demographic is probably more interested in tits and arse, but I say that I'm sure gay men are watching the sexy spy drama too. It's just... so... Crockett and Tubbs. But I'm still enjoying it, nevertheles. - -