Book review of…


The Noble Generation Volume II: Stories of the American Experience

Senior writers from all over Texas (including here in Lubbock) share memorable moments from their childhood or early adult years. This book captures great stories that we might otherwise lose. Those stories range from comical to sad to simply nostalgic. Most of them appear in prose form, but a few writers used free verse poetry or traditional verse.

I recently discovered a gay web site that promotes and sells gay ebooks.

GBookEbook—Gay eBooks. “Our website is designed to help gay writers (Gbook) convert their writing into eBook format, and then assist them in marketing their work.”

Ryan Kelly, author of the gay novel Octagon, The Early Years, founded the site, which also includes an exciting ebook project, "Q&A - New Voices." That project invites gay readers to answer a series of interview questions, all designed to help nongays understand us better and see the diversity of our community.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

View a teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Preview the comical fantasy The Return of Innocence.

Press release: Scifi novel joins gay marriage debate.

Read about Serenity, the movie that continues the Firefly saga.

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

• “In Degranon, author Duane Simolke establishes his voice in gay genre writing by combining current concerns revolving around queer culture with a world of dimensional doorways, advanced technology, and distant planets.” X-Factor, October 1, 2004 issue.
  
  
• “A must read.” Joe Wright, a reviewer for StoneWall Society.
  
  
• “A reminder of the danger of fanaticism.” Mark Kendrick, author of the gay time-travel romance Stealing Some Time.
  
  
• “Duane Simolke's latest offering is a fascinating scifi excursion into a world as unique as his singular vision.” Ronald L. Donaghe, author of Cinátis, Uncle Sean, and Common Sons.

Book review: Twilight of the Gods: Cinátis: BOOK ONE COMPLETE by Ronald L. Donaghe
Review by Duane Simolke

After reading Book One of Twilight of the Gods: Cinátis a while back, I kept looking forward to reading Book Two. Now both books appear in a single volume, as author Ronald L. Donaghe originally intended. Two Brothers Press released the single-volume epic, and also released a single-volume version of The Early Journals of Will Barnett, which includes Donaghe’s novels Uncle Sean, Lance, and All Over Him.

However, Cinátis represents a major departure from Donaghe’s examinations of gay life in rural eras. In fact, he takes us out of this world for a grand, high-fantasy adventure.

Young Jeru leaves his farm in Omoham and hopes to use his connection with the ground to learn about a danger threatening his people. That connection isn’t unusual, because many of Jeru’s people are felders—individuals with deep links to particular elements.

Eríl, a new friend, teaches Jeru more about their world’s history, and about his own growing power. They fall in love, and set out on a quest to learn about the plague that threatens life as they know it. Unfortunately, others want to stop the plague by oppressing anyone who disagrees with certain doctrines, while Jeru himself might become a new threat to the very world he wants to protect.

The ensuing conflicts include epic battles and a great deal of magic, but Donaghe keeps his focus on character development. The love between Eríl and Jeru seems no less real than the love between Joel and Tom in Donaghe’s classic gay novel Common Sons, or between any of the other characters in his other novels. Donaghe brings humanity and deeply felt emotions to his fantasy novel; on that level, maybe Cinátis doesn’t represent such a departure from his other works after all. But the fantasy elements certainly let Donaghe explore his interests and concerns in a new and exciting way.

Donaghe’s Twilight of the Gods series will continue with Gwi’s War and conclude with War Among the Gods.

Anti-war poem. Essay about writing. Instinct Magazine. Degranon.

Children in the Streets, a poem from my book Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems, appears in the Fall 2004 issue of Writers Against War.

I recently posted an updated version of my essay
How the Internet Changed My Writing Career.

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure receives a comical mention in the October 2004 issue of Instinct.

The Trip.

DVD reviewed by Duane Simolke for This Week In Texas


This epic starts during the seventies and follows eleven years in the lives of two gay men who seem totally wrong for each other: an outgoing gay activist (played by Steve Braun) and a repressed, closet-case Republican (played by Larry Sullivan).

Not surprisingly, hilarity ensues, especially with Alexis Arquette and Jill St. John in flamboyant supporting roles. Still, The Trip offers much more than comedy. It also shows how love matters more than any differences, and it offers insight into how the political climate of two decades affected gay communities and gay individuals.

The Trip received numerous awards during its trip through film festivals and eventual wider release. The DVD’s many extras make it even more appealing.

Sordid Lives.

DVD reviewed by Duane Simolke for This Week In Texas


In writing my West Texas fiction collection The Acorn Stories, I knew that West Texas offers more colorful characters than anyone could believe. I’ve met much stranger folks here than I ever created. I keep hearing the same about Sordid Lives when I watch it over and over with other West Texans. Frequent comments include “I know these people,” “That’s my home town,” and “Those are my relatives.” Such comments border on scary, considering how bizarre this little movie gets.

I can’t imagine anyone watching Sordid Lives and not laughing, but writer/director Del Shores also offers compassionate looks at his eccentric characters. Never mind the low budget filming, or the little flaws that some viewers will catch with repeated viewings. The fact remains that most people will want those repeated viewings.

Food of Love.

DVD reviewed by Duane Simolke for This Week In Texas

Based on David Leavitt's book The Page Turner, this charming and well-acted film brings viewers around the world as it follows the story of a young man who turns pages for a famous pianist. The young man falls in love, but numerous complications make their relationship seem impossible. Some people will hate the ending, but will probably still love the music, the locales, the romance, and the emotional journey of eighteen-year-old Paul.

The DVD extras include interviews with David Levitt, director/producer Ventura Pons, and members of the cast. As with the DVD of And Then Came Summer, I enjoyed learning about the movie’s background almost as much as watching the movie itself.

And Then Came Summer.

DVD reviewed by Duane Simolke for This Week In Texas


Jeff London wrote, produced, and directed this simple but touching story about gay love and the many ordeals that gay teens face. Anyone who ever felt different or rejected should enjoy this film.

Cameron Cutler directed the photography, and the peaceful, coastal environment creates a counterpoint to the internal struggles that two teenage boys face as they realize how they feel about each other. The DVD’s extras, however, reveal how the movie’s settings resulted largely from London’s lack of budget. The interviews show his great enthusiasm, shared by his actors, to make this little film happen. The film’s alternate beginning, also included, would have provided more foreshadowing, but I liked slowly discovering the backgrounds of the characters.

Some of the actors give somewhat wooden performances at first, but London manages to draw more emotion from them as the tensions escalate. I wish I could say the same for The Last Year, a movie London directed and produced, but that movie’s plague of bad acting ruins a strong screenplay by Russ Williams. Jeff London deserves great actors, and a better budget.