Queereaders discussion

Please join us for a chat with J. Warren on Wednesday, May 7 at 5:00 EST. He will talk about his work and answer your questions.

J. Warren is the author of Stealing Ganymede and Silencing Orpheus, both from Rebel Satori Press. Warren holds a Doctorate in Literature for Children and Adolescents from Illinois State University, and a Masters in Literature from the University of South Alabama. He loves graphic novels, David Bowie, and William S. Burroughs.

Visit his author blog at www.jwcampb.blogspot.com, or @iamnotecho on Twitter.

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by to chat.

Hi, has it started yet?

Hi!

Yep. How's it going?

Hi J., you can just refresh your screen to see new comments.

I have a question. I am more than halfway through "Stealing Ganymede" and I am into it but find it disturbing. The world you created in that novel is very real and believable. How much and what kind of research did you do for the book to create that world and those characters?

Nancy wrote: "Hi J., you can just refresh your screen to see new comments."

Thanks!

I have a few questions for you, J. I noticed your have a Doctorate in Literature for Children and Adolescents. Do you have any interest in writing fiction for kids and teens? Do you enjoy reading YA fiction? If so, what are some of your favorite stories for young LGBT people and which did you not enjoy so much?

Joseph wrote: "I have a question. I am more than halfway through "Stealing Ganymede" and I am into it but find it disturbing. The world you created in that novel is very real and believable. How much and what kin..."

Let me say first, thanks for the support for the novel!
Great question. The novel really evolved because of my obsession with Greco-Roman mythology and my encounter with a young man on the internet. He'd been hurt by not just one, but two separate child sex rings. Over the course of several years he described a world to me that existed right in front of all of our eyes, but we never see. We sense it, I think, but when confronted with it, we often turn away.
He asked me not to tell his story, so I drew comparisons to Greek mythology (the Zeus of Edith Hamilton's Mythology through the lens of contemporary thinking would be a serial rapist, for instance). So I used that set of mythology as metaphor to create the novel. I was also very interested in other cases much like the young man whom I met...the Steven Stayner case, for instance. So I did some research on older cases. Johnny Gosch, for instance, and how that leads to the accusations against Boystown. That sort of thing.

Nancy, I am not seeing any replies. Is anything happening?

You need to refresh your screen, Joe.

I know this is not the best way to conduct chats, but it's all we have.

Nancy wrote: "I have a few questions for you, J. I noticed your have a Doctorate in Literature for Children and Adolescents. Do you have any interest in writing fiction for kids and teens? Do you enjoy readin..."

I would love to write good LGBTQ YA fiction, but after studying it, I can see just how hard it is. Once this trilogy is done and out of my system, though, maybe.
LGBTQ YA that I really like is also kind of tough. So much of it is either well written, but has too much stereotype, or poorly written but does a good job with being progressive toward queer teens. I really liked Will Grayson/Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green. I liked Sprout by Dale Peck. I thought Totally Joe by James Howe was absolutely fantastic.

Sorry, guys...should I be just doing general post rather than "reply" (very new to this--I apologize)

Thanks. But the dialogue seemed very real. Do you just have a great ear, or did you do some research on that. I see the how you creatively transferred the Zeus/Ganymede myth into today's world. However, were you influenced by more contemporary writers. Your style reminded me a bit of Jim Thompson. He created disturbing words with sadistic characters. Also, Zeus talks about declarative sentence. Jim Thompson like you used declarative sentence.

Sorry for the typos.

I imagine it must be difficult for an adult to write in a way that connects and empathizes with young people without being condescending. David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing was beautiful and moving. I've yet to read his other stories. Sprout was humorous while dealing with a lot of serious issues, and I was able to relate with the main character in some ways.

Do you find that readers are generally receptive to your first two books?

Joseph wrote: "Thanks. But the dialogue seemed very real. Do you just have a great ear, or did you do some research on that. I see the how you creatively transferred the Zeus/Ganymede myth into today's world. How..."

Thanks! I worked really hard on the dialogue to make it sound how people actually talk.
I'm influenced a lot by the transgressivists or new narrativists: Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Irvine Welsh, Dennis Cooper, J T Leroy (even after the wackiness of finding out who that actually was, I still couldn't deny the power of the work).
I don't know Jim Thompson's work, but I'll put him on my list to check out!

J. wrote: "Sorry, guys...should I be just doing general post rather than "reply" (very new to this--I apologize)"

It's better to reply, I think. That way it would be easier for those who join later to follow the discussion.

J. wrote: "JI don't know Jim Thompson's work, but I'll put him on my list to check out!..."

The Killer Inside Me is a great place to start! Dennis Cooper scares me, but I have one of his books and do intend to read it one of these days.

Nancy wrote: "I imagine it must be difficult for an adult to write in a way that connects and empathizes with young people without being condescending. David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing was beau..."

I've been very lucky that so many people have read the book and liked it. I know we're not supposed to read reviews, but I do, and I'm always blown away by how kind people are to the books--Ganymede especially. Some who've read both, though, have been a bit less happy with Orpheus, to be honest. I hear that--the two books are really quite different because of the monumental differences between Zeus and Orpheus. Still, though, very kind. And there's some evidence that people are passing them on by word of mouth, which is really exciting. That, to me, has a lot of value because sharing books is such an intimate thing.

Nancy wrote: "J. wrote: "JI don't know Jim Thompson's work, but I'll put him on my list to check out!..."

The Killer Inside Me is a great place to start! Dennis Cooper scares me, but I have one o..."

Thanks! I'll look that one up.
Yeah, Cooper has a scary understanding of the lust is a lot like cannibalism metaphor, which was very inspiring to me, especially early on.

Do you find that social media, blogs, etc. are effective for connecting with readers and promoting your work, or are they a time suck that distracts you from writing?

"The Killer Inside Me" is a great place to start. Then check out "Pop. 1280" and "The Grifters." I am not familiar with JT Leroy. Any suggestions of what to read?

Nancy wrote: "Do you find that social media, blogs, etc. are effective for connecting with readers and promoting your work, or are they a time suck that distracts you from writing?"

Not a time suck, no, but a little unnatural for me. They involve so much self-promotion, and that's pretty uncomfortable for me. So, instead of my Twitter feed becoming a place to sell the book, I wind up retweeting a lot of other people's works lol. I sort of feel like we should all support each other, and I hope that energy will come back around.
I wish more readers did interact with me on Twitter, but for the most part, Twitter seems more and more like a bunch of people in a room yelling at no one in particular. I admit, even I have fallen into that mode often.
I have the sneaking suspicion that everyone is all over at Tumblr. lol

I've heard of some controversy with J.T. Leroy, but haven't paid much attention to it. Did the author write a memoir that was more fiction than truth, or is there more?

Joseph wrote: ""The Killer Inside Me" is a great place to start. Then check out "Pop. 1280" and "The Grifters." I am not familiar with JT Leroy. Any suggestions of what to read?"

I just looked it up and TKIM looks fantastic.
With JT Leroy there are only two novels, and both are fantastic. Start with Sarah, then The Heart is Deceitful Above all Things. Then go look up the Wikipedia page (which is really accurate, oddly enough) about the back story behind who was really writing those books lol

I don't like the brevity of Twitter and Tumblr has too many pictures. With all its flaws, Goodreads is still my favorite spot to interact with others online.

Nancy wrote: "I've heard of some controversy with J.T. Leroy, but haven't paid much attention to it. Did the author write a memoir that was more fiction than truth, or is there more?"

No, that's A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (which I maintain, fiction or no, was a good book).
Leroy, it turns out, was not a young gay teen boy who made it off the streets and could quit prostituting himself because his novels got huge and became friends with lots of celebrities, but was instead a 40 year old woman who had already been published in the romance genre working in tandem with a very androgynous teen girl. It's wacky as all get out.

I can imagine it is expensive to publish a book, not to mention paying editors and marketing people.

Nancy wrote: "I don't like the brevity of Twitter and Tumblr has too many pictures. With all its flaws, Goodreads is still my favorite spot to interact with others online."

Mine, too

In Finding Ganymede, Zeus's guns are named Virginia and Woolf, which seems quite a literary homage. You've mentioned some ancient influences here and some contemporary favorites, but are there any authors from the 19th/early 20th century you'd cite as influential or formative for your writing?

Nancy wrote: "I can imagine it is expensive to publish a book, not to mention paying editors and marketing people."

If one is going the self-publish route, and trying to do it right, yeah. Rebel Satori press is pretty small, and Sven does a lot of that stuff in-house, which saves a lot. He also publishes the books on demand rather than having crates sitting in a warehouse, so that saves a lot of money. All that money smart small press people save make it possible for them to take chances on material like mine (which would never find a home at a large publishing imprint). The 21st century is a super interesting time for writers and publishers.

J. wrote: "With JT Leroy there are only two novels, and both are fantastic. Start with Sarah, then The Heart is Deceitful Above all Things. Then go look up the Wikipedia page (which is really accurate, oddly enough) about the back story behind who was really writing those books lol..."

I have Sarah laying around somewhere, so I just skimmed through the Wikipedia page. In the days before internet, readers just had an author bio and photo in the book to go by and authors often published under a pseudonym. How many times have favorite writers turned out to be someone totally different? Does it really matter all that much?

Thanks J and Nancy. I've got to go.

Holly wrote: "In Finding Ganymede, Zeus's guns are named Virginia and Woolf, which seems quite a literary homage. You've mentioned some ancient influences here and some contemporary favorites, but are there any ..."

I find the big name Moderns influential in many ways. Woolf's version of stream of consciousness, especially. Mrs. Dalloway slayed me. The music of Fitzgerald's lines, especially in Gatsby, is so seductive, but I had to figure out how to stay away from them because Zeus is a brute who cant' be that poetic, and Orpheus is so detached that he can't muster that level of passion. Hemingway, especially The Sun Also Rises Hemingway, was a huge influence. That economy with phrasing--I find that so powerful.

Joseph wrote: "Thanks J and Nancy. I've got to go."

Thanks for chatting!

Joseph wrote: "Thanks J and Nancy. I've got to go."

Thanks for stopping by, Joe.

Nancy wrote: "J. wrote: "With JT Leroy there are only two novels, and both are fantastic. Start with Sarah, then The Heart is Deceitful Above all Things. Then go look up the Wikipedia page (which is really accur..."

You hit the nail on the head. The work is what should matter, and those novels are haunting and stunning. It's been years since I read them, and yet some of those scenes are still so fresh in my mind I could quote them word for word. I think people were just so upset because, on some level, they wanted the novels to be roman a clef...what's the plural of roman a clef?...romans a clef? At any rate, I think people got caught up in the story that was the pen name rather than the work. I think the same thing is what happened with James Frey, which lead to Oprah's very public shaming of him.

Nancy, I'm curious about something, and I wonder if we could include it in the chat. When you announced this chat (and thank you again, this is awesome), there was a large contingent of people who fairly quickly decided they weren't going to attend. I was sort of wondering what your read on that was.

Maybe the timing was bad for them, or they haven't read your work and don't feel they have anything to contribute. I'm not sure. Some people don't respond to the invitation and show up anyway and others respond and don't show up.

My husband was in a fender-bender, so I have to take off now.

Nancy wrote: "Maybe the timing was bad for them, or they haven't read your work and don't feel they have anything to contribute. I'm not sure. Some people don't respond to the invitation and show up anyway and..."

Uh oh. I hope he's okay. Thanks, again!

He's fine, but the car has to be towed. Sorry I can't stay longer.

I'll keep the topic open so others can join in and I'll stop in when I get back.

Alright, I have to take off, too. Thanks everyone for stopping by. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to email them to me here on Goodreads or tweet me at @iamnotecho. Catch up with my blog at www.jwcampb.blogspot.com.
G'night!

I would have contributed but I'm unfamiliar with his work. I wanted to give him kudos for having the nuts to answer questions off the cuff in real time. Internet folks aren't always as easy to handle as media-type interviewers.

I had a hard time thinking up questions since I've not read either of his books, but I hope it was fun for everyone.

Kudos to ya for doing it, especially during a personal emergency. I wanted to say something, but were I an author, I don't know how much I'd want to hear "hey, I've never heard of you, but..."

Thanks for moderating this discussion and the group in general.

Thanks for the kind words, Greg.