Tag: Gay Liberation Movement

I first heard about the 1969 Stonewall riots in the early 1980s. I vaguely recall mentions in books I read after coming out and conversations with gay friends. Before researching Stonewall to write Happy Independence Day, all I knew was that a bunch of New York City queens stood up to police during a late June raid of the Stonewall Inn. While somewhat accurate, that little summary leaves out a lot of important details. The riots were part of a larger, more complicated, and far more interesting story about politics, extortion, corruption, and more that too few people have heard. So I was thrilled to hear a movie about Stonewall was in the works. Reviews lit up my Facebook feed even …

Back in July of 2013, I started working on Happy Independence Day, my third novel. The idea was to place several of the characters from After Christmas Eve in New York City for the 1969 Stonewall Riots — the beginning of gay liberation and a turning point for gay and lesbian Americans. Seven months later — at 10 a.m. on January 20, 2014 to be exact — I finished writing the story. Writing Until Thanksgiving — at all — was a huge challenge. Creating characters, developing a plot, and writing dialogue were new to me. I had to learn about stakes and tension (a reason to keep readers turning the page), and showing instead of telling. Getting a contract and …