REVIEW:
Okay, so not only gay men can write gay men... but these authors all have a unique perspective that comes to light in their writing for the four stories making up the A More Perfect Union anthology. As you can guess it, these stories are about unions--civil unions, marriage, etc... and focus on the momentous legal decision that all people in the United States, regardless of who they are, deserve the right to stand before their family and friends and be named husband and wife, wife and wife, or husband and husband.
In each tale we get to see the hardships gay men face when they're in a committed relationship. The stigma that can be faced when a couple is dedicated and together but not 'legally' married, the indecision of making that choice and when it's right or wrong for each man, and how to find the right way to propose and marry their true love.
I don't want to go into each story--you can get a great idea of what each one is about with the author blurbs and exclusive excerpts available. I will say that I spent hours in bed, curled up in a nest of pillows, smiling as I read these stories. Were they all happy? No. Real life is seldom easy, and the paths these couples faced to share their love for each other and get to say "I do" is varied and fraught with all sorts of physical and emotional pitfalls. What made me smile was how real each one was and how all the men had that moment of epiphany of, "This man is mine!" which reminded me of my own wedding. I'd faced it with a "it's just a piece of paper, and I don't really care" attitude but once we were there, hands clasped while everyone stared, that chance to share the depth of our love with those who mattered most and have no one be able to gainsay that choice became a magical moment everyone should be able to have if they choose.
To B.G., Scott, Jamie, and Michael: Thank you so much for sharing these stories. While they might not be exactly your own, or even anything like your journey, the depth of feeling and triumph rang true in each story because you had that moment to draw on yourself and weren't afraid to share it.
Publisher:
Dreamspinner Press
Authors:
B.G.
Thomas
J.
Scott Coatsworth
Jamie
Fessenden
Michael
Murphy
Cover
Artist: Reese Dante
Length: 104K
/ 350 Pages
Format:
eBook, Paperback
Release
Date: 6/26/16
Pairing:
MM
Price:
6.99, 17.99
Blurbs
On June
26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States made a monumental
decision, and at long last, marriage equality became the law of the land. That
ruling made history, and now gay and lesbian Americans will grow up
in a country where they will never be denied the right to marry the
person they love.
But what
about the gay men who waited and wondered all of their lives if the day would
ever come when they could stand beside the person they love and say “I
do”?
Here,
four accomplished authors—married gay men—offer their take on that question as
they explore same-sex relationships, love, and matrimony. Men who thought legal
marriage was aright they would never have. Men who, unbelievably, now
stand legally joined with the men they love. With this book, they share the
magic and excitement of dreams that came true—in tales of fantasy and romance
with a dose of their personal experiences in the mix.
To
commemorate the anniversary of full marriage equality in the US, this anthology
celebrates the idea of marriage itself—and the universal truth of it
that applies to us all, gay or straight.
Someday, by B.G. Thomas
Lucas
Arrowood is walking to school on his first day of kindergarten when he meets
Dalton Churchill—a boy who stops and helps him tie his shoe. He knows from that
moment he is going to marry that boy one day. “Boys can’t marry other
boys,” his mother explains, but that doesn’t stop Lucas. He knows what he
wants.
He and
Dalton become best friends—and then, no matter how much he resists, Dalton
falls in love with Lucas. Dalton's very conservative family can't accept that
their boy loves another boy, but finally Dalton stands up for love and for
Lucas. Still, he declares he won't marry Lucas until it is legal everywhere. He
hates the “Commitment Ceremonies” gay men have. They aren’t the real thing. Why
bother?
So Lucas
waits for his day. The day same-sex marriage finally becomes legal and he can
be joined forever with the love of his life.
Flames, by J. Scott Coatsworth
Alex and
Gio had a big fight, and Alex ran away. Then a fire at home destroyed the life
they had built together, and threatened to take Gio away from him.
Alex had
always thought love was enough to keep them together. Why did they need wedding
rings or legal certificates? But now, with Gio lost in a coma, his mother has
banished Alex from his side.
What if
Alex’s voice is the only thing that can bring Gio back from the brink? Their
memories are all Gio has left, and the urge to just let go is getting stronger.
Still,
nothing can keep Alex from Gio's side. If it’s against the rules, he’ll break
them. In stolen moments alone together, Alex fights to bring him back, one
memory at a time.
Destined, by Jamie Fessenden
When Jay and Wallace first meet at an LGBTQ group, they
have no idea they’ll be dating six years later. In fact, they quickly forget
each other’s names. But although fate continues to throw them together, the
timing is never quite right. Finally they’re both single and realize they want to be together… but now
they can’t find each other! With determination and the help of mutual friends,
Jay and Wallace can finally pursue the relationship they’ve both wanted for so
long.
It’s only the beginning of the battles they’ll face to
build a life together.
From disapproving family members all the way to the state
legislature, Jay and Wallace’s road to happily ever after is littered with
obstacles. But they’ve come too far to give up the fight.
Jeordi and Tom, by Michael Murphy
Living
as an open, loving gay couple in the rural South isn’t easy—even today.
When
Jeordi and Tom move in together and come out to their families, Jeordi's family
does not take the news especially well. When yelling doesn’t work, they send in
one sibling after another to try to separate the couple. When that fails, they
call out their pastor to help Jeordi see the error of his ways. But Jeordi’s
love for Tom is greater than anything they throw at them.
When an
accident sends Jeordi to the hospital, his family goes too far when they try to
keep Tom from visiting his partner. Jeordi and Tom are determined to do
everything in their power to gain legal protection so this can never happen
again. But when a bigoted county clerk refuses to issue them a marriage
license, Jeordi decides a big, bold effort is called for, which is precisely
what he sets in moVon so no one can ever separate him from Tom again.
BUY LINKS
Dreamspinner
eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7854
Dreamspinner
paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7855
FIND IT AT:
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
B.G. Thomas
B.G.
Thomas lives in Kansas City with his husband of more than a decade and their
fabulous little dog. He is lucky enough to have a lovely daughter as well as
many extraordinary friends. He has a great passion for life.
B.G.
loves romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror—as far as he
is concerned, as long as the stories are character driven and entertaining, it
doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to literature conventions his entire
adult life where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of his favorite writers.
He has made up stories since he was a child; it is where he finds his joy.
In
the nineties, he wrote for gay magazines but stopped because the editors wanted
all sex without plot. “The sex is never as important as the characters,” he
says. “Who cares what they are doing if we don’t care about them?” Excited
about the growing male/male romance market, he began writing again. Gay men are
what he knows best, after all—since he grew out of being a “practicing”
homosexual long ago. He submitted a story and was thrilled when it was accepted
in four days. Since then the stories have poured out of him. “It’s like I’m
somehow making up for a lifetime’s worth of stories!”
“Leap,
and the net will appear” is his personal philosophy and his message to all. “It
is never too late,” he states. “Pursue your dreams. They will come true!”
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bgthomaswriter
Website:
https://bthomaswriter.wordpress.com
Scott
has been writing since elementary school. After leaving writing for twenty
years, Mark, his husband, told him “the only one stopping you from writing is
you.”
Since
then, Scott has gone back to writing in a big way, finishing more than a dozen
short stories – some new, some that he had started years before – and seeing
his first sale. He’s embarking on a new trilogy, and also runs the Queer
Sci Fi
site, a support group for writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and supernatural
fiction.
Mark
and Scott have been together for twenty four years. They met at the Pacific
Center, an LGBT center in Berkeley, California, in 1992. They dated for two
weeks, and then Scott moved in with Mark, and the rest is history. They run
their own business together, study Italian, and are almost never found apart.
Website:
https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Jamie Fessenden
Jamie Fessenden set out to be a writer in junior high
school. He published a couple of short pieces in his high school's literary
magazine, but it wasn't until he met his partner, Erich, almost twenty years
later, that he began writing again in earnest. With Erich alternately inspiring
and goading him, Jamie published his first novella in 2010, and has since
published over twenty other novels and novellas.
After legally marrying in 2010, buying a house together,
and getting a dog, Jamie and Erich have settled down to life in the country,
surrounded by wild turkeys, deer, and the occasional coyote. A few years ago,
Jamie was able to quit the tech support job that gave him insanely high blood
pressure. He now writes full-time... and feels much better.
Website: https://jamiefessenden.com
Michael Murphy
Michael
Murphy met his husband Dan thirty-four years ago during a Sunday service at MCC
in Washington, DC when a hot, smart man sat down beside him. Due to a shortage
of hymnals they had to share. The touch of one hand on the other in that
moment was electric. Sparks flew that day. Though neither had planned it, they
spent the day together followed by the night. From that day, for more
than three decades they’ve rarely been separated, each finding in the other
their soul mate.
In
the District of Columbia, where they lived, marriage became possible in early
March 2010. The minute it happened they were in line to get a marriage
license, only to be stumped because the license required the name of the person
who was going to marry them. There was such a sudden rush of same sex couples
wanting to get married that the office already had a two-month backlog before
an appointment could be secured. Since they weren’t at all convinced that
the Congress wasn’t going to step in and do something stupid to take away this
right, they started calling everywhere to find someone who would marry them. It
might be legal, but finding someone to marry them was proving to be a
challenge.
When
an article appeared in the newspaper telling of a small, local United Methodist
Church that had decided to go against general church policy because marriage
equality mattered deeply to them, a conversation started. After a series
of emails and phone calls, suddenly they were seated with two retired UMC
ministers who were willing to risk it all to do the right thing. A few
days later, license in hand, surrounded by a handful of friends and their best
dog, Shadow, they were finally legally married.
Website:
http://gayromancewriter.com
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