Patrick Scattergood's Blog: Tales to Tell - Posts Tagged "lgbtq"

In the space of three books, I've written some very different characters. I like to think that they are all very distinct from one another and all have their own flaws and differences.

For this blog entry, I'm going to write about a character from Time to Burn, my second novel.

I wrote the novel alongside my partner Golda Evans. We both share a massive love of science fiction but have also had to deal with a lot of death in our lives. So, together, we wanted to write a novel that combined both but in a way that the reader could both be gripped by but also understand the feelings behind it.

That's where Major Luke Reiber came in. He is a character that has lost everything dear to him during a war with a savage alien race lead by a mysterious figure that may or may not be connected to Reiber and his team in some way.

The war has cost him his place in the military. His home and even his family, who have all died at the hands of the savage alien race known as the Deamhan. He embarks on experiments to try to jump some of the timelines created by the war and the alien technology but to no avail.

That's when a friend from his past turns up with a way to travel back in time and change the timelines themselves but warns of consequences. Will Reiber take the risk to get the people back that he has lost?

The thing about this story was that we didn't want to write a stereotypical bad guys vs good guys action story, as that sort of tale bores us. Instead, we aimed for one that combines action with a sense of mystery but also tackles the feeling of grief that threatens to overwhelm Reiber at times. We really wanted to show just how much of a mental toll it's taken on him. We wanted to show Reiber at his most energetic times but also at his lowest times too in an effort to show just how encompassing grief can be.

We wanted Reiber to be someone that the reader could show empathy to. We didn't want him to be some perfect action hero who was sad in one scene but then flying in to action in the next.

Hopefully it comes across that every person in the story is dealing with their own loss, their own issues, but in their own way. That none of the characters are perfect or fully together mentally. That they are all struggling with the things that they have suffered, that they have seen.

If you've read Time to Burn, what did you think of the book?

Drop a comment below and let me know!

It's slightly more than half way through Pride Month and it's made me start thinking about my own story. My story about how I came out, how I became more confident in myself and how I identify.

I've always identified and put myself forward as nonbinary and pansexual but I've also been very private about it for years. There's always been a lot of stigma around not being straight. There's always been a lot of stigma around not identifying as the stereotypical man or woman. I hate that.

So recently, I've been putting it out there a lot more often. I've been adding that I am an LGBTQ+ writer to my posts on my social media. I've been talking about how I identify more often on my personal social media too. It has felt like a more confident me and that, that I like.

What I haven't liked is the fresh torrent of homophobia I get. It seems to be the more I talk about it, the more abuse I get. It's an effort, I feel, to get LGBTQ+ creators to stay behind the curtain, so to speak. I'm not going to be doing that. Quite the opposite.

Someone on Twitter described Mother, Dearest and The Man Who Died Twice, as "gay shit with magic" and, at first, I was offended. Then I started thinking more about that. I'm an LGBTQ+ writer. So, yes, I do have LGBTQ+ characters and I am proud of that. I'm also proud of someone thinking that describing my work as "gay shit with magic" was an insult whereas I have turned it around in to being a compliment. I put out an advert with that quote and it brought LGBTQ+ readers and allies to my books. I'm thankful for that. I've had the most supportive of messages, some wonderful reviews and even made some amazing friends from the whole thing.

So, be yourself. Love who you want to love. Identify how you want to. Just be you and be proud.