ABOUT

Born and raised in southeastern Oklahoma, I am an Albuquerque writer of gay erotic fiction. How did I come to do this? Well, one day, I picked up an anthology someone had left on a table at a bookstore, a book my rural upbringing had not prepared me for. It was hardcore erotica. Nonetheless, I read a couple of the stories and decided I could write better than that...even in that genre. Surely, there was a way to make an erotic story more than just stringing one sexual escapade together with another.

So I wrote down the name and address of the publisher, went home, and wrote a story. The publisher bought that story and eleven others, none of which were ever published because of some sort of a legal dispute that essentially closed the business down. Nonetheless, I had sold and been paid for twelve stories, so I was now a “professional” author. That was in 2001.

I immediately submitted to other publishers who not only bought, but also published my work. I had found my niche. Since then, I've sold about seventy short stories to various publishing houses. Along the way, STARbooks Press has also published a novella and three novels. They have also has agreed to three additional novels, one due out in Spring 2014, one in Autumn 2014, and the third in Spring 2015.

My short story erotica covers a broad range of types: mystery, adventure, love, fantasy, sci-fi, military, police, sport… and probably some others. Much of my work explores the sexual discovery process and often involved cross-cultural relationships. Native American cultures and their approach to “Two Spirits” particularly fascinate me.

I consider my books CUT HAND and RIVER OTTER to be historical novels more than gay erotica. Between the two, they span the 19th Century from 1832 to 1870, a period that encompasses the rapid expansion of Europeans into the Dakota Territory, until then considered to belong to the Indians. It also covers the entire duration of the American Civil War, and the effects that conflict had on the tribes. They also explore the difference between the way many native cultures view homosexuality. Man-love was considered sinful and an abomination to the Anglos, who viewed queers and fags and berdaches with fear and loathing. Such conduct was often a death sentence among the dominant culture. On the other hand, winktes, two-faces, and two-spirits were often accorded places of honor among some of the tribes. At the least, they were permitted to lead lives according to their nature, not what others deemed what their nature should be. A third in the series to be released in Spring 2014, ECHOES OF THE FLUTE  and MEDICINE HAIR continue the story line up through 1890, the end of the major Indian Wars.

THE VICTOR AND THE VANQUISHED is a contemporary story of a young man dealing with his gay nature and pulling himself out of poverty, alcoholism, and abuse. CHARLEY BLACKBEAR, due out in the Fall of 2014, approaches these issues from a different perspective.

After a three-year stint in the US Army, I tried oil painting with modest success before taking up writing. I have written forever, but not always in a focused way. Because of a childhood health problem, I spent many summers at the library doing research on other cultures—usually Native American—and putting the information into long themes or dissertations. Then I started making up stories based on my findings. In college, I majored in Government and History, and I have been a lifelong history buff. Now that I’m living and writing in New Mexico, which I believe is the greatest place on earth, I sometimes set my stories in Albuquerque or other parts of the state to give my readers a sense of the culture and flavor of my adopted home.

Writing allows me to relax and lose myself in the stories. Nothing would please me more than for you to get lost in them, as well.

Thanks to everyone who has posted reviews or otherwise contacted me about my work. I consider it essential to hear my readers' opinions on my stories or novels. After all, without readers there would be little writing, a loss for us all. Whether you love my work or hate it, your feedback helps me sit down at the computer and write. Keep those comments coming!