The Crotchety Old Man

Category: Gay Lifestyles

  • Call Me Transformed

    I joined the gym three years ago because it was cheaper than paying by the class for Zumba. My membership included weekly sessions with a personal trainer. He gave me a workout plan, expected me to follow it, and since he was really hot and more than a little intimidating, I tried to obey. In addition to two…

  • The “I’m Not Gay” Homosexual

    “I’m not gay” homosexuals turn up in my stories from time to time. Readers — especially women (do straight men read my books?) — question how he can be in denial about being gay when he’s having sex with men. Openly gay men know exactly who I’m talking about because these guys hit on us…

  • Finding Myself as a Writer

    What kind of books do you write? That’s the first question I get when someone finds out I’m an author. “Writing stories true enough for government work” is my tagline, but says little about my novels. When pressed, I’ll say I write gay fiction which is…er… close enough for government work. My first novel is a thriller. After…

  • Single Life and the Serial Monogamist

    For me, a relationship has always been as essential for life as clean air and water. Except for the hours, days, or weeks required to find a new one, I’ve been seeing someone steady since the fifth grade. By high school graduation, I’d spent thousands of hours on the telephone with dozens of girls who sported cheap jewelry engraved with…

  • The Secret Lives of 20th Century Gays

    Thanks so much to pals Julie Lynn Hayes and M.A. Church for organizing The Power of Love blog tour. Click here for links to all the participating blogs. All the authors are giving something away, so you’ll want to visit all of the participating blogs to see what to do for a chance to win free…

  • GayRomLit: A Virgin’s Tale (Part 2: Thursday)

    Last Monday, I wrote about my preparations for GayRomLit in Atlanta. Today’s post picks up with Thursday morning — the first full day of the retreat — before I really knew what I’d gotten myself into. What an experience! First thing Thursday morning, the organizers offered an orientation session for newcomers. All the newbies got cherries…

  • The End of Gay Culture?

    Since the beginning of time, doing gay things hasn’t necessarily made a person gay. You know — boys will be boys. Stuff happens, especially when the guys are far away from womenfolk fighting wars, doing time in prison, hunting, fishing, or hanging out drunk at the frat house. Beyond those who took the occasional walk…

  • The New Gays

    They just don’t make gays like they used to. Kids who come out today are different from those who stepped through the closet doors when I did. For a select group, being gay is not — and never has been — an issue. I grew up in the 60s and came out in 1979, at…

  • My Holiday Series

    I had no idea when I wrote Until Thanksgiving that a prequel would follow. The idea of writing a novel was intimidating enough — never mind a series. But something about Philip Potter, a supporting character, grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I wanted to know more about him. Readers loved him too, and shared my…

  • Boy Scouts, Religion, & Homophobia

    The 2013 Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia (HAHAT) has ended. The experience, from the easy-to-follow directions I received about what to do to feedback about my post, was nothing but positive. Thanks so much to the organizers for bringing attention to an important issue and for allowing me to participate. My HAHAT post is among the…