Book Review: Part the Hawser, Limn the Sea by Dan Lopez

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Chelsea Stations Editions

Pages: 51

These tales are five gems floating on a sea of reflection. They are turning points in the lives of five fiercely troubled gay men. Dan Lopez had compiled a collection of moving short stories, all sharing the common threads of water, sadness, and ultimately hope. They are a meditation on loss and loneliness.

An aging architect must decide to give up his grief, even if it means losing the vestiges of a lover’s memory. An object of erotic fixation galvanizes men against the isolation of exile on a cruise liner. As he watches the disintegration of his picket-fence fantasy, an ex-soldier looks to the sea for absolution.

Lopez’s writing style and skill of composing prose is nothing short of masterful, making it impossible to believe that this is his debut anthology. The storylines are rather simplistic, yet the characters are so complex the reader feels an intensity seldom achieved with short stories. These stories reach deep into the reader’s heart and embrace that part of him/her that understands despair.

Japan Was Blooming, and So Did I

I’ve recently returned from a ten-week trek through East Asia, where I visited several destinations in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan. As always, I had a fantastic time and enjoyed numerous “special” experiences.

Overall, Japan turned out to be the icing on the cake. I was there for the last week in March through the first week in April, and the entire country was in full bloom. There are few places on earth that can equal the beauty of Japan during cheery blossom season. The country was outside and enjoying the springtime weather, which created an amazing energy on the streets and in the parks.

I wanted to share a few snapshots of my two weeks in this glorious country. Hope you enjoy.

Writing Tip: Get Feedback From The Right People

When it comes to writing, I don’t put much store in "natural talent," or that "some people have it, and some don't".  I think "talent" is a combination of passion, persistence, hard work, and openness to feedback - through which a writer continues to improve his/her craft.

But where to go for feedback, and what to do with it?  Ideally, you go to other writers whose opinions you trust and respect.  Friends and lay people who don't meet this criteria will tend to be vague, too easy or too harsh, and not particularly helpful, because they don't really grasp what you're trying to accomplish and/or how to help you.

If you don't know any professional writers, book editors, literary professionals, you can hire a professional to evaluate your work. If you can’t afford a pro, then find peers—fellow writers or people aspiring to be one—who are at your level and willing to trade serious feedback on your work for the same in return.  (Please realize how huge an imposition it can be to ask someone to read your material and give a detailed and honest reaction to it - it takes valuable time, may not be enjoyable to them, and they risk alienating you with what they say about it, or visa versa.)

Writers—especially new writers—need encouragement and people who read their work and offer constructive feedback.  Getting demoralized about your work is not helpful, but we do need a reality check and perspective from others—all writers do—and that can be painful.  But that's how a writer grows.  I recommend encouraging your readers to hold nothing back - and not get defensive or try to convince them they are wrong, which just shuts them down and makes them not want to give more.  You should get as much out of them as you can, collect the information, and then determine what to use and what to ignore.   

You don’t have to agree with everything they say, or follow their specific guidance.  I like to have multiple readers, and I look for what there's a consensus about. On the other hand, being defensive and stubborn may stifle you as a writer, and alienate those giving you feedback. The key is to uncover the real problems and not get distracted by minor/personal whims. For that, you may need back and forth dialog with your beta reader where you ask probing questions to dig down to the heart of the issues.

And then, YOU decide how to fix whatever they have uncovered, through the filter of your sensibility. You want others to help you find the problems, period.  Only use their suggested fixes if you really believe in them.  If not, find your own.  They may be trying to help with suggestions, but it's not their project, it's yours.

Your work has to please you first, but ultimately you want it to please others too.  Getting quality feedback is essential to achieving this.

The L.A. Times Festival of Books – April 12 & 13

Tuesdays are the days I showcase my own work on this blog, and now that I’ve returned from my ten-week vacation, I’m back on schedule.

This coming Saturday and Sunday, April 12th & 13^th, I will be signing books at the Bold Strokes Books booth in the L.A. Times Book Festival. The even will be spread over the entire University Of Southern California campus, and we BSB authors will be at booth 41. I’ll be there for sure from Sat-10am to 1pm, and again Sun-3pm to 5pm, but I’m also running the booth, so I’ll be in and around that table all weekend.

Come by and say hi. If you own any of my books, the bring them along and I’ll sign them. I will also, of course, have books to sell.

Other authors who will be signing are:

Felice Picano

Eric Andrews-Katz

Guillerrmo Luna

Sheri Lewis Wohl

Richard Natale

Here is a link to the even information. http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Hope to see you there.

Book Review: With, Edited by Jameson Currier

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Chelsea Station Editions

Pages: 273

Writing short stories is difficult. It takes a gifted writer to condense a story down to its essence, and then tell it with only a few pages of prose. A short story well told is a joy, and the product of a true artist.

In With, several such artists have come together to display their skill. These wonderful stories are not gay erotica, dripping with sex every few pages. These are sixteen artists writing reflective stories that showcase relationships with men: gay men with their friends, lovers, partners, husbands, dates, tricks, BFs, hustlers, teachers, co-workers, family members, and strangers. For many, the plots are as complex as the characters.

There are several stories in this collection that are gems, some of the best fiction I’ve read in a while. Even the tales I didn’t completely connect with were skillfully written and engaging. A few of my favorites were: Andrew Barbee by Dan Lopez. Also, The Beautiful Boy by Shaun Levin, We Are The Revolution by Vincent Meis, and Follow Me Through by Tom Schabarum.

I loved the way William Sterling Walker pulled me right into the streets of New Orleans, something he does better than any writer I know.

Jeff Mann’s story, Eagle Rock is a thirty-page excerpt from his novel Purgatory. It seemed out of place only because I think one needs to read the backstory (I have read the novel) to completely comprehend the depth of feelings in this excerpt.

These are stories that deliver genuine human emotions and attitudes that reflect the many variations of male/male love, romance, and friendship. The list of contributors is a who’s who in gay fiction: David Bergman, Michael Carroll, Lewis DeSimone, Jack Fritscher, Ronald M. Gauthier, Michael Graves, Shaun Levin, Dan Lopez, Jeff Mann, Vince Meis, Matthew A. Merendo, Joel A. Nichols, David Pratt, Tom Schabarum, Stefen Styrsky, and William Sterling Walker.

I can highly recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys finely crafted fiction.

Cover Reveal – For My 1st Short-story Anthology Coming in Feb. 2015

This August my next novel, First Exposure, is being published by Bold Strokes Books. This publisher will also release my first short-story anthology in February 2015 called Buddha’s Bad Boys. These stories tell of six different “bad-boy” Americans, who for one reason or another find themselves living with monks in Thailand.

I’ve been working on these stories for the past several years, and I’m thrilled to share the covers that are being considered for this book.

The folks at Bold Strokes Books recently sent me two covers, asking which I preferred for my anthology. Can you guess which one I picked?

Book Review: An Unspoken Compromise by Rize Xavier Timane

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: HawkFish Publishing

Pages: 192

Rizi Xavier Timane was born in Nigeria to proud parents who loved her and who had high hopes for their daughter. The problem was, Rizi was transgendered, a boy trapped inside a girl’s body.  As he grew older, his family and school chums assumed he was a Tomboy, but as he matured into his teens, they began to think he was a lesbian. He was taunted at school and forced to undergo numerous exorcisms by the church to cast out the gay devil living inside him. He always knew, however, that he was not a lesbian, but rather, a male with the wrong body.

Rizi eventually fled Africa to escape his God-fearing parents and the religious wingnuts at the church, first to England for advanced schooling, and then to Los Angeles to live his life without persecution.  But even in L.A., he was shunned when he tried to join church groups. Then, after finding a life partner, Christina, he decided to finally fix his gender issue, and started conversion therapy.

This wonderful memoir chronicles Rize’s journey, first as a lesbian and then as a transgendered male.

I developed a love/hate relationship with this book. The lion’s share of these pages is Rizi’s story of self-discovery, persecution, and resolution. His story is both thought-provoking and heartfelt. He gives moving details of his feelings and his courage, and also gives accounts of how African culture violently crushes anything having to do with the LGBTQ community.

The part I had trouble with was a sizable section of the book that was basically a religious argument (Fundamentalist Christian) justifying why Christians should embrace the LGBTQ community. Frankly, as a non-Christian, I found this part of the book extremely off-putting. I’m sure only non-Christians will have issues with this.

The bible-thumping aside, this is a wonder memoir everyone can enjoy and learn from. It’s a book that can help confused, LGBTQ youth to better understand themselves, and a book that can help parents better understand the challenges their LGBTQ sons and daughters are facing. This book ends on a high note, and is an inspiration.