Long and Short Reviews welcomes John Inman who is celebrating today’s release of Nightfall.
I have loved reading since I was a kid growing up on a farm in Indiana. Once when I was seven or eight, I was rummaging through the attic of our old farmhouse and I came across a set of children’s classics. I had no idea who stashed them there, and neither did my folks. Our farmhouse was well over a hundred years old so my dad said it might have been anyone. Anyway, I started rooting through those books, and before I had finished gobbling up the first volume, I knew I was hooked for life. Reading would be my number one passion from that day forth. The first book below in my list of favorites was that book.
Tom Sawyer — In my mind, I can still see the battered hardback copy I dug out of the attic. It was the first full length book I ever read as a kid. It was musky and smelled of mouse turds and it was the most enthralling string of words I had ever read in my life. The kid was even my age! How could a boy NOT love that book?
Huckleberry Finn — Of course, there’s only one book to grab after Tom Sawyer. Huckleberry Finn, of course. If anything, I think I loved reading about Huck even more than I loved reading about Tom. I still return to both those books from time to time. It’s like revisting old friends.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy — Just as my body began to mature, so did my my little pea brain. My expectations from the books I read became a little more exacting. When I found The Lord of the Rings, I though I’d died and gone to heaven. Now here was a set of books you could really sink your teeth into! When the movie came out, I knew they’d blow it, but they didn’t. I sat in that movie theater with tears in my eyes while the credits scrolled past. Not only had they done it right, they had done it BETTER than right. The movie was perfect. I still read LOTR unfailingly once a year. And I watch the movie even more than that. I think my husband considers shooting me every time he sees me drag it out.
Harry Potter — Oddly, when I got around to becoming pretty damned old, I relapsed back into childhood and fell in love with the Harry Potter books. This series too, I reread every year. I still have trouble reading the one with Professor Umbridge in it. God, I hate that bitch. Of course, Imelda Staunton playing Umbridge in the movies is just as bad. I must say I was heartened when I read an interview with Miss Staunton the other day and she said she hated the woman too. On a slightly different note, I’ve found it fascinating to watch the three kids in the Potter movies grow up and claim their own rights to the world of moviemaking. Especially Daniel Radcliffe. I’m just so proud of all three of them, you’d think I knew them, which of course I don’t.
Revenant — By this time, you might be wondering how I found myself writing gay fiction. Well, again, it was the influence of one book that did that. It wasn’t the first DSP book I read, but it was one of the first, and it left me breathless. Incredibly exciting, amazingly sexy, spooky as hell, and really beautifully written. The book is Revenant by Connie Bailey. For sheer eroticism, I’m not sure I’ve ever read another book that can touch it. If you get a chance, drag it out of mothballs and give it a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.
So there you have it. Those are the books that steered me into a career of writing. And now with over thirty books published, I can say I’ve met some terrific writers, and terrific readers, and yes, even some really terrific editors and publishers. I don’t suppose I’ll ever reach the perfection of those five favorite books of mine, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying as long as I still have someone out there who’s willing to read what I put down on paper.
I hope you enjoy NIGHTFALL. It’s my first journey into writing science fiction, but I think maybe it won’t be my last because it was really a lot of fun. And thanks to everyone at Long and Short Reviews for giving me a chance to spout off. Happy reading, everybody.
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Joe Chase and Ned Bowden are damaged men. They each bear scars from surviving the world they were born in. Deep scars, both physical and emotional.
When fate offers its first kind act by bringing the two together, suddenly their scars don’t seem so bad, and their lives don’t feel so empty.
Yet that kindness comes at a price.
Just as Joe and Ned begin to experience true happiness for the very first time, the world turns on them again.
But this time it turns on everyone.
About the Author:
John Inman is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and the author of over thirty novels, everything from outrageous comedies to tales of ghosts and monsters and heart stopping romances. John Inman has been writing fiction since he was old enough to hold a pencil. He and his partner live in beautiful San Diego, California. Together, they share a passion for theater, books, hiking and biking along the trails and canyons of San Diego or, if the mood strikes, simply kicking back with a beer and a movie.
John’s advice for anyone who wishes to be a writer? “Set time aside to write every day and do it. Don’t be afraid to share what you’ve written. Feedback is important. When a rejection slip comes in, just tear it up and try again. Keep mailing stuff out. Keep writing and rewriting and then rewrite one more time. Every minute of the struggle is worth it in the end, so don’t give up. Ever. Remember that publishers are a lot like lovers. Sometimes you have to look a long time to find the one that’s right for you.”
Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.
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