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Things Unseen: A Book of Queer Christian Witness
I've written and published stories of gay romance for over ten years now, and now I think it's time that I told my own story. This is a short book, paying witness to the goodness of God in my life. From a childhood raised as an atheist, through a full-on road to Damascus type conversion experience, encounters with demons and with gods, to the acceptance of queer people and the slow realization of the particular kind of queer person that I was myself, it's been an unusual journey. The Lord has frequently blessed me through it. I hope, if you read this little memoir, He will use it to bless you too.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2018
About the author
Alex Beecroft
43 books302 followersSpaceships and galaxy spanning empires, conversations with angels, viking villages, haunted mansions and forbidden love in the Age of Sail... I love a good strong plot in an exotic setting, with characters you can admire, and a happy ending.
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
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BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
~
BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 2, 2019
I've corresponded with Alex here and there, and she's been nice to me, so I'm not terribly objective here. I think it quite fitting that she would write a little book of Christian witness. There were aspects of her life that I could relate to quite strongly, and aspects that were outside my experience. (If I am wrong in using feminine pronouns, please correct me. Thank you.)
We both experienced some of the same online tumults regarding m/m romance, me as a reader and Alex as an author. I remembered much of what she described of that very well. A number of authors were shocked and dismayed by the pushback Alex recounts involving getting opinions given by some gay men on their feelings about m/m fiction. Alex needed time to think deeply about it, she says.
I, on the other hand, had identified as bisexual in college, and been close friends with a group of gay men and lesbians for a few formative years in my teens and early twenties. I had seen the good, bad and ugly in individual gay men's personalities. There were some *big* personalities in that group, too. I'd driven to gay bars in Philadelphia because I was the one with the car. I never escaped for long from living in a conservative county, and the expectations put on me to go along and act as conventional as I could, and to not disagree with my elders. But I felt different inside.
While I was dismayed in my own way about how angry some gay men were about women writing and reading m/m romance, and how some said it should be forbidden altogether, I had more of a background than some authors and readers about various kinds of prejudice, and had had some views of gay culture. I'd seen misogyny before from acquaintances in gay culture, and seen lesbians call it out, so I wasn't impressed by certain forms that anger took. But Alex experienced that backlash much more directly, and hadn't had the sort of real life experience I had had in interacting with young gay men and lesbians. Alex is definitely a much kinder person than I am, though, and feels things deeply.
Our paths had crossed here and there online in those years, but Alex's life had apparently had long stretches before and after of her exterior life appearing very conventional, but with a lot going on inside for her mentally and emotionally. She describes her conversion experience, and feeling the presence of God in her life. Things were apparently more tranquil for me than for her when I was a young child, and I became alienated in middle school, but I also escaped into books, and felt different from my peers.
It's interesting that though we came from different places, and felt different from our peers for different reasons, Alex and I seemed to have some of the same reactions, and walked parts of similar paths. I am glad for her that she had the support and love of her husband, and feels the love of God.
This turned into a lot of me comparing and contrasting our lives for what I could relate to and what I couldn't. This is a book I would recommend for young people, especially LGBT young people, who are on a spiritual search. Alex is a fine person and a good messenger.
We both experienced some of the same online tumults regarding m/m romance, me as a reader and Alex as an author. I remembered much of what she described of that very well. A number of authors were shocked and dismayed by the pushback Alex recounts involving getting opinions given by some gay men on their feelings about m/m fiction. Alex needed time to think deeply about it, she says.
I, on the other hand, had identified as bisexual in college, and been close friends with a group of gay men and lesbians for a few formative years in my teens and early twenties. I had seen the good, bad and ugly in individual gay men's personalities. There were some *big* personalities in that group, too. I'd driven to gay bars in Philadelphia because I was the one with the car. I never escaped for long from living in a conservative county, and the expectations put on me to go along and act as conventional as I could, and to not disagree with my elders. But I felt different inside.
While I was dismayed in my own way about how angry some gay men were about women writing and reading m/m romance, and how some said it should be forbidden altogether, I had more of a background than some authors and readers about various kinds of prejudice, and had had some views of gay culture. I'd seen misogyny before from acquaintances in gay culture, and seen lesbians call it out, so I wasn't impressed by certain forms that anger took. But Alex experienced that backlash much more directly, and hadn't had the sort of real life experience I had had in interacting with young gay men and lesbians. Alex is definitely a much kinder person than I am, though, and feels things deeply.
Our paths had crossed here and there online in those years, but Alex's life had apparently had long stretches before and after of her exterior life appearing very conventional, but with a lot going on inside for her mentally and emotionally. She describes her conversion experience, and feeling the presence of God in her life. Things were apparently more tranquil for me than for her when I was a young child, and I became alienated in middle school, but I also escaped into books, and felt different from my peers.
It's interesting that though we came from different places, and felt different from our peers for different reasons, Alex and I seemed to have some of the same reactions, and walked parts of similar paths. I am glad for her that she had the support and love of her husband, and feels the love of God.
This turned into a lot of me comparing and contrasting our lives for what I could relate to and what I couldn't. This is a book I would recommend for young people, especially LGBT young people, who are on a spiritual search. Alex is a fine person and a good messenger.
Displaying 1 of 1 review