Dreamspinner Press discussion

Meet John C. Houser, author of "Music Box" and "Valentine Shower" on Sunday, February 16th from 2-5pm EST/11am-2pm PST right here!

I'm looking forward to meeting more readers!

Hi everyone. It's John C. Houser. I'm here to chat or answer your questions about Valentine Shower, Music Box, or The Door Behind Us. All three stories are available from Dreamspinner Press.

Picture a middle-aged man, gray haired, slouched in a maroon leather armchair, which is currently being lowered into place from a rainbow-striped hot air balloon.

Anyone want to talk?

This fall, Dreamspinner Press put out a call for Valentine’s Day stories to be included in their e-book anthology, A valentine Rainbow. My immediate reaction was to poo-poo the idea. I’m the last person to write that kind of thing I thought dismissively. But then I started to wonder what a Valentine’s story from someone like me might look like? What if the main character doesn’t get romance at all. What if he’s kind of oblivious? Well, to make a short story shorter, I got hooked. Valentine Shower was the result. It’s something of a new foray for me because it’s first person and—I hope—funny.

You can find it on my author page at Dreamspinner Press:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...

Good afternoon! I'm reading Music Box now and loving it.

Oh, I'm so glad, Andrea!

It's nice to read about older characters for a change.

I used a lot of my experiences from my high school jazz ensemble in that one.

Yes, I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore, and I like to read about older characters sometimes.

I too like age patina on my leads. What was the most challenging part of writing Music Box?

Are you working on a book now?

It's hard work writing about the experience of making music. Here's an example of what I came up with:

THE FIRST phrases reminded Davoud of the opening to Copland’s clarinet concerto, with its slow melodic line and delayed harmonies, like the call and response of new lovers. The first section consisted mostly of back-and-forth between Rascal and Jonah. Hearing them together was startling, like coming across a couple on a blanket in the woods. Later, Davoud and Paul repeated the theme in a variation with guitar on the melodic line and bass responding.

The pizzicato snap of Davoud’s bass at his entrance at the start of the second section was a twig snapping—it signaled a retreat from intimacy and a cacophonous return to the public realm. The remainder was a long tumble downhill, with a shriek from Rascal’s violin at the bottom like a plunge into cold water. The closing section returned to the simplicity of the first bars, each instrument taking a turn with the melody until Rascal finished in solitude.

When Rascal’s last notes faded, Paul set down his guitar and slipped his hand into Davoud’s. A shimmer of excitement lit Davoud’s nerves from scalp to fingertip.

“Well, Rascal, I don’t know whether to buy you flowers or light a cigarette,” said Paul.

Rascal laughed and lowered his violin. “What do you say, Jonah?”

Jonah’s face pinked. “I think we need to work on the bridge. It seemed a little rough.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

Since I'm not a Valentine's Day fan, it's fun to hear your motivation for this one!

Yes, I'm working on a sequel to Music Box. It follows Billy, Jonah's friend, as he goes off to college on a basketball scholarship.

Koozebane wrote: "Since I'm not a Valentine's Day fan, it's fun to hear your motivation for this one!"

I'm a fan of romance, just not the commercial kind. Valentine Shower seemed rather an antidote to me.

J9 wrote: "I too like age patina on my leads. What was the most challenging part of writing Music Box?"

The other challenge writing Music Box was that I had come up with a structure that involved three main characters instead of two: the two older men who fall in love and Jonah, the high school kid who's being bullied. It's not exactly traditional romance, although most people seem to like the result.

I'm looking forward to Billy having his own story - he's a sweetie.

Here's a little excerpt from Valentine Shower for those who haven't read it. The main character, Reuben has fallen into depression after his boss and best friend Terry has announced he's not going to come around as much anymore. His sister comes over to see what's up:

“So Greenberg thinks you’re having some kind of crisis. Personally, I’m hoping you’ve finally woken up and decided you’re a human being after all.”

I swallowed. “Are you here to help me or insult me?”

Yaffa smirked. “Six of one, half dozen of the other….”

“Look, it’s nice of you to come by, but I really don’t need—”

“Oh no, bro. I’ve been waiting for this ever since you reached puberty—and nothing happened. I deserve this.”

Yaffa’s high school years had been marked by unreliable boyfriends, flying hairbrushes, and salty tears. Maybe she had a point, but I wasn’t about to concede it. I chewed.

Yaffa bounced in her seat. “Come on, what is it? Girlfriend trouble? Boyfriend trouble? An online gambling addiction? That would be boring even for you. Oh no, it’s not a porn addiction? Because that’s nothing—everyone’s addicted to porn these days. You can hardly escape from it.”

“It’s not porn.”

“You know it’s okay, right, to touch yourself? Everybody does it.”

I nearly choked on the omelet. “Jesus, Yaffa. Will you give me a second to get my thoughts together?”

“You haven’t had a thought out of place since you were eight. You can’t blame me for getting excited.”

“I resent it, you know, when you talk about me like I don’t have any feelings.”

Yaffa’s glee morphed into seriousness. “Sorry, bro.”

I wasn’t fooled. “Just because I don’t choose to wave them around like a set of great pompoms.”

“Wave what around? ’Cause you know these are natural, right? I can’t help that I was born with—”

“I was talking about my feelings, not your boobs.”

“Oh, right. Never mind me. I’ve been a little sensitive since Boom Boom was born.”

“Boom Boom?”

“Yeah, Jim started calling Jack that when he started on solid food and got the worst case of gas.”

“TMI, sis.”

“Wow, you actually acknowledge that I’m your sister. I suppose I ought to be grateful—”

I was certain it was part of the nefarious plan, but I was more than ready to spill my guts, if only she would stop talking. “You win! I’ll tell you what’s going on if you promise to not to say anything for ten minutes. Ten whole minutes. Promise, or I’ll throw you out and cut my wrists.” I demonstrated with a butter knife. It was a low blow, but the omelet hadn’t kicked in, and I was still light-headed.

Yaffa pursed her lips and stared for a second. “You’re going to talk about your feelings for a whole ten minutes? You know, it might actually be worth it.”

“Just shut up, would you?”

Yaffa reached for her coffee. “Okay, bro. I’m listening.”

I glanced at my watch. Thirty-seven minutes. Yaffa had not only gotten me to agree to talk, but she’d also made me feel like I’d won some kind of concession from her at the same time. Impressive. Maybe she could help.

“Terry told me he can’t come around anymore.”

“Oh good. Boyfriend trouble. I was afraid it might be the online gambling thing, and I don’t know what in hell I’d say about that.”

“Terry isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my boss. I’m not even sure I’m gay! Wait, you’re not supposed to be talking.”

Yaffa shrugged unrepentantly. “Sorry, bro.”

Andrea wrote: "I'm looking forward to Billy having his own story - he's a sweetie."

I'm having a lot of fun with him, and his basketball team is more fun than daytime television—lots of drama!

Here's a little bit about my inspiration for Music Box:

A few years ago, I attended a conference where I saw Dan Savage, author of the Savage Love advice column, speak. Dan had just helped to found the It Gets Better Project, which promotes positive messages for LGBTQ youth. Dan spoke about the difficulty that LGBT adults have assisting troubled teens who have questions about their sexuality. Even the most well-meaning attempt to help may be seen as recruiting, or may even result in an unjustified charge of sexual misconduct. Put simply, gay or questioning teenagers are dangerous as a live-wire for LGBT adults. This is the dilemma for Paul Gaston, the high school music teacher in MUSIC BOX who attempts to help Jonah, a student who is being bullied. Paul’s journey from silence to activism brings him into contact with Davoud Avakian, owner of the local music store. With Davoud, Paul gets a chance at love.

MUSIC BOX is dedicated to the It Gets Better Project and all who hear its message.

As I said, I'm reading Music Box now. I just read the part about Dan Savage and wondered if you'd ever seen him speak. Until this book, I had not given much thought to the problem of gay adults speaking to minors. It makes their young years even more difficult.

Andrea wrote: "As I said, I'm reading Music Box now. I just read the part about Dan Savage and wondered if you'd ever seen him speak. Until this book, I had not given much thought to the problem of gay adults spe..."

Indeed, I wish I'd had someone to talk to when I was a teenager. I felt very alone. If anyone guessed I might be gay, they never said anything.

Totally off topic but how in the world did you choose your twitter name?

It's not very helpful is it? I picked the twitter name before I started writing or I would have tried to pick something closer to my name. Clark is actually my middle name. I like waffles, and twelve...I don't remember why I picked twelve.

Aida is a great character! I just read about her meeting Paul for the first time.

Andrea wrote: "Aida is a great character! I just read about her meeting Paul for the first time."

Yeah, I like her too! Here's a little piece of her first appearance after she retires from her opera career and comes home to live in her apartment in the Music Box:

“What is that smell?” Aida sniffed and stopped a few feet into the apartment. “Davoud darling, have you been mixing chemicals in here?”

“It’s just the floor cleaner, Mother.”

“It did not smell like this the last time I was here.”

“No, I had it professionally cleaned this time.”

Aida sniffed again and wrinkled her nose. “We must open the windows.”

“It’s 36 degrees out. You’ll catch pneumonia.” And my heating bill will go through the roof.

Aida ignored Davoud, marched to one of the double sash windows that lit the living room and yanked upward. She must have expected the stiff movement of the old windows, because the window flew upward and hit its stops with a bang. Aida’s arms flew upward too. She lost her grip and tumbled over backwards onto the Persian carpet in tangle of woolen overcoat, faux fur wrap, and silk scarf.

Davoud ran to kneel beside his mother. “Are you all right?”

Aida looked up at him with her mouth open. “That one always sticks!”

“I’m so sorry, Mother. I should have warned you. I had the windows replaced this summer. The heating and cooling was so expensive….”

“You had windows replaced… oh dear,” Aida giggled. Davoud sighed and offered a hand, but Aida ignored him. She burst out in a full-throated laugh, moving her arms and legs as though she were making a snow angel. “It’s so good to be home!”

Davoud, as always, gave in to her charm and collapsed onto the floor with her.

Jonah just told his father about Faggot being painted on the case. So far, I'm not at all impressed with the man. Does he get more sympathetic as the book goes along?

Not exactly. His father's reaction to Jonah's situation is critical to the story, but not easy for anyone to endure. It's the reaction from his adopted family that helps him get to a better place.

When you say adopted, do you mean literally? Or are you referring to the family he made for himself?

I'm referring to family he made for himself from the Avakian family, Paul Gaston, and Billy Preston.

That's what I thought - just didn't want to be totally blindsided.

I'm at the part now where he's accosted in the boy's room. Seems odd to be reading your book while chatting with you but it's fun. This is definitely a good book.

Odd for me as well. I want to be responsive, but I don't want to give away the plot either!

I just hope those little assholes get their comeuppance!

They do. It takes a while, and Jonah experiences a lot of trauma, but the various story threads do resolve pretty well in the end. This is a romance, after all!

Well, they're preparing Thanksgiving dinner now and I'm not liking Jonah's mother any more than I like his dad. Glad he's got other people in his life.

She's not a bad woman at all, but she's not a traditional mother figure. She's work and career-oriented. She has to be. She's the breadwinner. Jonah's problems are very difficult for her, because she cannot simply abandon her job. She has to pay the bills.

Well, I've got to go feed the dogs and husband but I've enjoyed this afternoon and will look forward to more about Billy. Thanks so much for sharing your time today.

Neither the mother or father are bad but neither of them is going to win a Parent of the Year award. Yes, she has to pay bills but there doesn't seem to be much empathy so far.

Okay, the giant rainbow-striped balloon is hoisting my armchair out of here.