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Columnists

Gay in the 1980s: Showtime’s Pioneering “Brothers” – Boogieman in Lavender

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rainbow TV - deposit photos

The Nineteen-Eighties. It was literally a different era. Cable television was just catching on. Home computers were almost prohibitively expensive. “Google” was a misspelling of a Ukrainian writer. There were hardly any openly gay regular characters on T. V. Steven Carrington on “Dynasty,” and Jodie Dallas on “Soap” in the early 80s and that was about it. The intervening decades brought us “Will and Grace,” “Tales of the City” and the real and fictional versions of “Ellen.” And somehow the Waters Brothers and their friends have gotten lost in the shuffle and in the dim and musty years. In the … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: What Is Magic?

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I’ve always been fascinated by magic. A tent appearing out of nowhere with a table and plates covered with food at the wave of a wand. Only to disappear again with a wave of that same wand. People transforming (or being transformed) into pigs or ornaments. Being able to transform yourself into a beam of light which streaks across the landscape from one location to another. Or hurling beams of light at people to harm or heal them.  I’ve fallen in love with all of these flashy moments, trying them out (or some variation) in my own stories. Other writers … Read more

The Ghosts of E. F. Benson—Jeff baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Jeff Baker - Boogieman in Lavender

The Ghosts of E. F. Benson by Jeff Baker In that era of over a century ago there was a surfeit of novelists, intellectuals, humorists, archaeologists. As well as writers of otherwise “serious” literary literary fiction who dabbled in ghost stories. As well as families who produced more than one notable writer. British writer E. F. Benson (Edward Frederic Benson) fit all of those descriptions. Born in 1867 to an English cleric who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, Benson is best known today for his Mapp and Lucia novels, which have been adapted for radio, movies and Masterpiece Theater. His … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Blogging

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writing journal

Every year I take part in the Blogging From AZ April project. It’s always about the same characters, only I use a slightly different theme.  This year it’s Character Origins. When did these characters come to me? What inspired them? One year it was Character Conflicts. What is the main conflict for the character in the plot? Another year it was Character Snippets. As with Rainbow Snippets, I posted six sentences of story involving these particular characters.  Every time I participate in this project, I’m reminded of these characters. I’m reminded of the stories I’ve written. Every time I learn … Read more

A Little Magic and Some Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. “Three Left Turns to Nowhere” reviewed.—–Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Jeff Baker - Boogieman in Lavender

A Little Magic and Some Grilled Cheese Sandwiches By Jeff Baker Sometimes the road less traveled gets blocked by a falling tree. “Three Left Turns to Nowhere” Bold Strokes Books new anthology of three interconnected M/M romance novellas features stories by Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman and ‘Nathan Burgoine. All three stories are set in a little Ontario town called Hopewell, a town the locals say may have a bit of magic to it, at least where it comes to bringing people together. The three protagonists (all on the LGBT spectrum) are all on their way elsewhere (separately) when circumstances … Read more

The Gay Ghost: Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Ghosts

The Gay Ghost by Jeff Baker CBS’ supernatural comedy series “Ghosts” presents a twist on the haunted house story. A twist with a few gay turns. “Ghosts” presents us with Samantha and Jay, a couple who inherit a big Hudson Valley mansion, “Woodstone Manor” from a distant relative. Intending to convert the house into a bed-and-breakfast, Samantha (Rose McIver) has a near-death experience resulting in the ability to see and hear ghosts. After initial misgivings she and her husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) accept her new ability and the presence of spirits in the house. And Woodstone Manor has a squabbling … Read more

Truman Capote’s (Queer?) Tales of Fantasy. Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Truman Capote’s (Queer?) Tales Of the Fantastic by Jeff baker Hard to believe that a generation has gone by without knowing Truman Capote from their TV or movie screens as well as being parodied by comedians, all making him talked-about as not only one of the best-known American authors of the 20th Century but a master of self-promotion, gleefully eating it up every public chance he got. He was, of course, Gay (“Homosexual” was the term in his day) although he didn’t make a big deal of it, he certainly didn’t hide it. Sometime in his Twenties. Capote met the … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Food

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Such a turbulent, torrid passion I’ve had with food over the years.  No, not always. Sometimes it’s been comforting. Sometimes it’s been all about comfort, distracting myself from fear or frustration. Those are the most dangerous moments when I eat, not really thinking about the food. I’m eating to avoid thinking about something else.  I’m picky, too. There’s a lot of food I dislike while I overindulge in others. Cheese, chocolate, wine; many a time and often during 2020, I hid behind my favorite DVDs and BluRays with these.  At other times, I forget to eat. When I’m so wrapped … Read more