I built a fort in the closet,
padded the shelf with two layers of blankets
and laid my body out
I read books until the sun set
and the closet light made my eyes hurt
I flipped through children’s encyclopedias
learning about spiders and elephants
I hid in there
secretly reading comic books
so my family didn’t know I was childish
I grew up in that closet
lgbt
Poem #762
I live to see your arms in fishnet sleeves
your shoulders peeking through spaghetti strap tank tops
your hair in various stages of decoration
I live for the mole surrounded by the flowers on your leg
your freckles spotting your face
your lips in a sultry pout
most of all though, I live for the calm of your voice
your patience seeping through every bit of you
your humor in a stolen moment
Why I Wrote an LGBT YA Novella
When deciding whether or not I wanted to published my debut book The Friendship Ruse, there were a lot of things to consider.
First of all, I’m not a gay guy, which is what the book is about; I am, however, part of the LGBT community. But humans write about aliens all the time, so I decided even if I wasn’t a part of the community, I could and should write about it.
The next big consideration was to write it as a novella or a novel. In my head, I originally had the idea for a three-part book that was fairly long, but when I finished part one, I realized it had a very defined beginning, middle and end. I think it’ll do the story more justice as three novellas in a series — I’m currently writing the second one!
The last consideration was that the story is Young Adult, but seeing as I read more YA than other age ranges, that’s a-okay!
After hitting “Publish” a few days ago, I can honestly say that the psychological effects of self-publishing are so good. Just having my writing out there and available is what I’ve always wanted. Also, writing this book has been so much fun, and it’s made me more comfortable in my own identity.
Get out there and write, folks!