A.M. Leibowitz

queer slice-of-life stories

Writing

Rainbow Snippets: Sept. 2-3

Books, Writing

Oaky, I haven’t exactly been on track with these. I didn’t post for a couple of weeks because I knew I didn’t really have time to read everyone else’s. This is my last “free” weekend before school starts. We’ll see what happens after that. Mercifully, I’m a secondary teacher, so my prep time for classes isn’t as taxing as for elementary kids. I spent this past week setting up my room and making it shine for when the students arrive. I wonder how many parents will complain after open house that I have posters of the reproductive system on my wall.

Snippet time! It’s officially Bi Month, so I’m choosing some excerpts that feature bi+ characters. One of my series is currently unavailable, as it’s going through some “tough love” for a re-release. The others can all be found where most books are sold.

This one is from my very first novel, Lower Education. It’s slightly longer than 6 sentences, but only because some of them are very short.

Phin sighed. “In case it wasn’t clear to you, I like men. I like sex with men. But, Alex, I like women, too. I enjoyed fooling around with Gia. Whatever else you may think of me, I wasn’t play-acting or just trying to work her over. She’s very sexy, and it felt good. That’s all. With some guys, I feel like I need to fake it—to them, shame is respectable, but enjoying myself with women isn’t. It would be easier for them if they thought I only ever fucked women because I was ‘doing business,’ as you said. Or maybe because I was still in the closet, I suppose. But I’m as out as I’m ever gonna be—I’m not hiding.”

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

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Rainbow Snippets: August 12-13

Books, Writing

Another week, another snippet. Today is my youngest child’s 18th birthday. It’s definitely a little odd to have a household full of adults, but I’m incredibly proud of the person they’ve become.

I meant to do a snippet last weekend, but it’s been really busy here. We currently have a friend of my oldest child’s and their partner staying here because we’re helping extract the two of them from a difficult situation. I’m glad to be at a stage of life where we can do this more easily.

On top of all that, I had 2 more job interviews for my primary profession. One of them resulted in a new position! I’m thrilled to be on this path, finally getting started on the career I want. I still love writing, but I never intended to make it my full-time job. Having work now means more financial security and a way to support my writing without relying primarily on my spouse’s income.

Now to the actual snippet. Posting has definitely been keeping me invested in writing, so here’s the next bit.

At one point, back when my children were young, my oldest told a classmate that the Black Diamond was his uncle. When the classmate called him a liar, my son sneaked a photo to school of the one time my brother graced our family table with his presence. He looked ordinary and happy at the time, which I suppose didn’t fit with his hard rock image. The kid still denied that my son was telling the truth, so Brian clobbered him and ended up suspended from school for a week.

This was about a year before my brother publicly announced—for the last time—that he was entering rehab. Neither of my children ever again made it known they were related to him.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

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Rainbow Snippets: A famous sibling

Books, Writing

It’s been a very long time since I shared one of these. Two years ago, I returned to school to finish the teaching degree I’d planned to get before having children. Now that I’ve graduated, I have some spare time while doing the whole job search thing.

I have a couple of other WIPs, but I’m not feeling inspired. They were ones I’d worked on before school and my day job took up all my energy. I’ll probably finish them eventually, but for now, I’m working on something else.

This is a story about a woman searching for answers after her older brother’s death. They’d been estranged for some time before that. When his associate turns up at her home, it leads her on a journey to understand who he was—and, subsequently, who she is.

My brother was famous; I am not.


When he died, every tribute article included the same two images. The first was a twenty-year-old promotional photo for his debut solo album. The second was a picture of a group of fans holding a candlelight vigil on a city sidewalk. No mention was made of precisely where that one was taken or even which city. Presumably, it was somewhere in or near Chicago, where he’d lived on and off since leaving home.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

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The long journey

Books, Writing

I suppose that title accurately describes both the plot of Tree of Life and the epic saga (ha!) of how the book came to be.

It’s taken six years (and one month, but who’s counting?) to see this published. Five of those were spent in writing it; the last was revising, editing, proofreading, and creating the cover. It all started back in 2016 with the publication of An Act of Devotion.

That book in itself has its own back story. Around the time my first novel, Lower Education, was published, I wrote a number of short works for this blog and for Kindle to generate some interest in my writing. Among them was a story originally published under the title “Fifteen Minutes.” It’s sitting in a virtual drawer, awaiting the right moment to be re-published along with a few other works from over the years, all of which are connected to other books.

That story was about a high school sophomore developing an understanding of his sexuality. It was all right, as my early works go. Nothing that made it stand out as either amazing or awful. I did like the characters, though, and always figured I’d do something new with them.

“New” came in the form of a friend, author Adrian J. Smith, and extraordinarily talented writer of women-loving-women fiction. (If you have not read her work, you absolutely must go visit the link and do so as soon as possible.) Not being an author writing gay/bi men, Adrian asked me to write a story for a character in Memoir in the Making. Trust me when I say I was nervous as hell. When an author you love asks for something like this, first of all, you say yes. Second, if you’re like me, you spend the better part of six months stressing over it and worrying about getting it “right.”

I think I managed all right. An Act of Devotion enjoyed some modest success; not one of my best works, but by no means terrible. I was at that point still feeling torn between trying to write Romance (genre) and being true to my nature as a writer. Let’s just say I could have integrated those things better.

A not-small number of people who read both the original version of “Fifteen Minutes” and An Act of Devotion asked me about a couple of the side characters. I suppose what they imagined was more of a romance, which I’d hinted at a bit in AAOD. Hahahaha…I mean, yes, I did try that. And scrapped it.

Yet somehow, Luke and Connor wouldn’t let me rest without telling some kind of story about them. What happened that left Luke homeless? Why was Connor so angry? I messed around with the story for several years while I published a lot of other things: some short stories, a novella, and four novels. The pair of them were awfully patient with me, given how long I let them hang out in that virtual drawer. Long enough I nearly decided to give up.

The pandemic brought a lot of changes, among them the loss of my drive to write. I started a new career path (hi, I’m still on it) and went back to school. Still, I didn’t entirely give up. I worked on this story until there wasn’t anything else I could do except submit it and cross my fingers.

There are a couple of things to know about Tree of Life. First, it isn’t a romance. I suppose if you squint, you could affix that label, but I choose not to. This is slice-of-life/literary fiction. Don’t judge it based on how much “chemistry” the main characters have or which tropes it embraces. Those are great! But they don’t fit this particular novel.

Second, it isn’t necessary to have read any of the previous works that are associated with this book. There’s enough detail to make sense, but those stories have little impact on the plot at hand. If you want to read An Act of Devotion, be my guest, but that’s closer to a romance than this one and also genuinely isn’t for everyone’s taste.

I’m glad this book is now out in the world. I hope that people read it and enjoy it and that it makes them think. I hope it satisfies the curiosity of those who wanted to know what happened to Luke and Connor. Most of all, I hope that in finally telling their story, I find my writing joy again. If not, though, at least I’ve released this out into the wild and given it wings.

Purchase links:

Note: You can certainly purchase through one of the vendors, but my preference is that you buy from the publisher. This is a small press, and going through them supports the business directly rather than a large corporation.

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A road trip playlist!

Books, Music, Writing

Here’s the playlist for Connor and Luke’s epic road trip. I’ve linked it on Amazon if you have an account and want to listen. Otherwise, you can search for any or all of the songs on your favorite music website.

When I was writing this novel, I wanted some music both for the story and for inspiration. I asked friends and family on social media and offline to supply me with some songs. I anticipated I might get several repeats, especially some of the more familiar songs. However, what happened was a long list (160 songs!) with very few people suggesting the same ones. Instead of choosing, I added them all and figured a cross-country road trip definitely needed many hours of different music. This is the result. Enjoy!

Pre-order links:

Note: You can certainly purchase through one of the vendors, but my preference is that you buy from the publisher. This is a small press, and going through them supports the business directly rather than a large corporation.

BEATEN TRACK SHOP:

OTHER VENDORS:

Synopsis

Luke works a job he hates and shares a dirty, small apartment with his roommate, barely making ends meet and envying the successes of his friends. When they all return for a wedding, Luke comes face to face with one of the people he left behind when he took off. Instead of the bitterness Luke expects, Connor invites him on a forty-day, cross-country trip.

They travel the length of route I-90, following the last journey Connor’s father made from Boston to Seattle, recorded in a nearly incoherent memoir. The two of them meet hitchhikers, stowaways, and a collage of people all willing to help uncover the secrets of who Connor’s father was. Along the way, Luke’s hidden past catches up with him when it collides with Connor’s present. With the help of friends and strangers, both of them must learn what home and family mean before Luke runs away again.

Excerpt

He returns to the RV, where Connor is already in the driver’s seat. Luke tucks the new postcards into the scrapbook. On a whim, he takes out his camera and snaps a picture of Connor, whose smile is shy.

“Enough of that. Ready?”

“Almost. Got any music?”

“Yeah, of course.” Connor taps his phone. “Help yourself.”

Luke opens the app and finds Connor’s playlist. His surprise increases until he’s laughing. “Connor, what the fuck?”

“What?” Connor sounds genuinely perplexed, but he could be playing around.

“Why. Why do you have ten goddamn hours of music on here?”

“It’s not ten,” Connor mutters.

“Close enough and…Jesus.” Luke’s laughing harder now. “Why these songs?”

“Because I like them, Janet,” Connor snaps. “Just pick something already.”

Luke shrugs and hits shuffle. He can’t help the continued random giggles as “Movin’ Right Along” plays. He says, “Oh, man. Fozzie’s smooth vocals get me right here.” He thumps his chest.

“Shut up,” Connor replies, but he’s grinning as he pulls back out onto the highway.

Playlist:

  • The Saga Begins – Weird Al Yankovic
  • Cello Suite no. 1 – Yo-Yo Ma/J.S. Bach 
  • I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
  • Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
  • Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
  • Out There on the Road – Big Fish
  • Join the Circus – Barnum
  • Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
  • You Can Sleep While I Drive – Melissa Etheridge
  • Ni Na La – Solas
  • Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
  • Wake Me Up – Avicii
  • Movin’ Right Along – The Muppets
  • Road to Nowhere – The Talking Heads
  • Get Out the Map – Indigo Girls
  • Invincible – Pat Benatar
  • Friend Like Me – Aladdin
  • Sh-Boom – The Chords
  • Time to Move On – Tom Petty
  • Best Day Ever – SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
  • Ramblin Man – The Allman Brothers Band
  • You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
  • Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry 
  • It’s Raining Men – Pointer Sisters
  • Girls/Girls/Boys – Panic! At the Disco
  • I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston
  • Dancing Queen – ABBA
  • Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
  • I can’t drive 55 – Sammy Hagar
  • Born In the USA – Bruce Springsteen
  • This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie
  • R.O.C.K. in the USA – John Mellencamp
  • Firework – Katy Perry
  • Gary, Indiana – The Music Man
  • Rainbow Connection – The Muppets
  • I Ain’t Got No Home – Woody Guthrie
  • All That Jazz – Chicago
  • Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
  • Stand – R.E.M.
  • Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
  • Cell Block Tango – Chicago
  • One Jump Ahead – Aladdin
  • My Shot – Hamilton
  • Beat It – Michael Jackson
  • Skimbleshanks: the Railway Cat – CATS
  • Another One Rides the Bus – Weird Al Yankovic
  • Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
  • Youth – Troye Sivan
  • Seventeen – Heathers
  • America’s Sweetheart – Elle King
  • Preachin’ Blues – Larkin Poe
  • This Is Gospel – Panic! At the Disco
  • Good Morning, Baltimore – Hairspray
  • Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty
  • Guys Like Me – Aimee Mann 
  • Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
  • On Top of the World – Imagine Dragons
  • On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
  • Walk of Life – Dire Straits
  • Somethin’ Stupid – Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman
  • Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
  • Float On – Modest Mouse
  • Georgia on My Mind – Ray Charles
  • Man Like That – Gin Wigmore
  • Cecilia – Simon and Garfunkel
  • Best of Both Worlds – Hannah Montana
  • Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
  • Gimme Gimme Gimme – ABBA
  • American Pie – Don Maclean
  • Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Sparklejollytwinklejingly – Elf
  • You and Me (But Mostly Me) – Book of Mormon
  • I Got This – Freaky Friday
  • Mamma Mia – ABBA
  • 1999 – Prince
  • Thriller – Michael Jackson
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
  • Life Is a Highway – Rascal Flats
  • For Forever – Dear Evan Hansen
  • Take Me to Church – Hozier 
  • Headlong – Queen
  • Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
  • Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
  • Highway to Hell – AC/DC
  • Mama Who Bore Me – Spring Awakening
  • Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn – Evelyn Evelyn
  • On My Own – Les Misérables
  • Open Road Song – Eve 6
  • There Is a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute – Barnum
  • Ya Got Trouble – The Music Man
  • You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son – Wolf Parade
  • Carry on Wayward Son – Kansas
  • You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home – Hannah Montana
  • When You’re Home – In The Heights
  • I’m Goin’ Home – Hootie & the Blowfish
  • Home Sweet Home – Mötley Crüe
  • Sincerely, Me – Dear Evan Hansen
  • Fight the Dragons – Big Fish
  • King of the Road – Roger Miller
  • Satisfied – Hamilton
  • Born This Way – Lady Gaga
  • I Like It – A Bronx Tale
  • I’m a Believer – The Monkeys
  • I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Mulan
  • I Feel the Earth Move – Carole King
  • What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
  • I Want it That Way – Backstreet Boys
  • Good Time – Carly Rae Jepson & Owl City
  • When Can I See You Again – Owl City
  • Drive – The Lightning Thief Musical
  • Hakuna Matata – Lion King
  • Only for You – Heartless Bastards
  • Radar Love – Golden Earring
  • Sedona – Houndmouth
  • Amen – Halestorm
  • Brown-Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
  • Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
  • I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyes Peas
  • Here’s to Us – Halestrom
  • Make Me Feel – Jannelle Monáe
  • Old Town Road – Lil Nas X
  • John, I’m Only Dancing – David Bowie
  • Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
  • Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
  • Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart
  • Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
  • Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
  • Crocodile Rock – Elton John
  • Take the ‘A’ Train – Ella Fitzgerald
  • Piano Man – Billy Joel
  • Lone Digger – Caravan Palace
  • Gettin’ Bi – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
  • America – Simon & Garfunkel
  • Camelot – Camelot
  • Sunrise, Sunset – Fiddler on the Roof
  • I Believe in You – Michael Buble
  • Crazier than You – The Addams Family
  • If I had 1,000,000 Dollars – Barenaked Ladies
  • Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
  • Defying Gravity – Wicked
  • I’m Still Standing – Elton John
  • Happy Ever After – Gin Wigmore
  • With a Little Help from My Friends – Joe Cocker 
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
  • For Good- Wicked
  • Viva La Vida – Coldplay
  • It’s Time – Imagine Dragons
  • Stand By Me – Ben E. King
  • Somewhere – West Side Story
  • Corner of the Sky – Pippin
  • 50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon
  • Back to the Middle – Modest Mouse
  • Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
  • I Don’t Know How to Love Him – Jesus Christ Superstar
  • Michael in the Bathroom – Be More Chill
  • Climb Ev’ry Mountain – The Sound of Music
  • Seasons of Love – RENT
  • Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
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Sunday Snippet: a stranger

Books, Writing

Happy Sunday! It’s just 2 days until Tree of Life is live. Here’s another snippet of the book, introducing a character who becomes important to the story.

I’ve been to the store Luke is referring to here. It’s right off the Peach Street exit in Erie, PA. One half is a Jelly Belly store, and the other is guns, ammo, and fireworks. At least, it was the last time we travelled that way a couple of years ago.

Pre-order links:

Note: You can certainly purchase through one of the vendors, but my preference is that you buy from the publisher. This is a small press, and going through them supports the business directly rather than a large corporation.

BEATEN TRACK SHOP:

OTHER VENDORS:

Synopsis

Luke works a job he hates and shares a dirty, small apartment with his roommate, barely making ends meet and envying the successes of his friends. When they all return for a wedding, Luke comes face to face with one of the people he left behind when he took off. Instead of the bitterness Luke expects, Connor invites him on a forty-day, cross-country trip.

They travel the length of route I-90, following the last journey Connor’s father made from Boston to Seattle, recorded in a nearly incoherent memoir. The two of them meet hitchhikers, stowaways, and a collage of people all willing to help uncover the secrets of who Connor’s father was. Along the way, Luke’s hidden past catches up with him when it collides with Connor’s present. With the help of friends and strangers, both of them must learn what home and family mean before Luke runs away again.

Excerpt

The sky is overcast, and it’s hot—almost ninety degrees today. Luke’s in threadbare jeans and a red-and-white-striped sleeveless shirt so faded it looks pink. Even in lighter clothes, he’s still sweltering, almost wishing he’d joined the others inside the store.

He takes a picture of it because he’s never seen candy and fireworks in the same place before. This stretch of road is almost nothing but restaurants and businesses. While Luke is standing there, looking down the busy road, a soft, “hey” alerts him to someone else’s presence. He turns.

A person who looks like a kid but probably isn’t stands right next to him. They have on black skinny jeans, a baggy white shirt, and a backwards baseball cap that hides most of their brown hair. Their arms are well-muscled, and their skin is deeply tanned. They have inquisitive brown eyes and a small, rosebud mouth. Luke has to swallow several times before he can answer. It’s been ages since he saw someone who instantly sparked his interest this way.

“Hey,” he says.

“You got a couple bucks?”

Oh. Luke holds in his sigh, but he knows before he answers that he’ll give this person what they want. He’s never been able to say no, not even when he doesn’t have any to spare.

“Yeah, hang on.” He reaches for his wallet and pulls out what little cash he has in there. He stashed a bit more in the RV, and he has his bank card, not that there’s much left in the account—or ever was to begin with.

“Thanks. Hey, you know where the bus station is?”

“I don’t live here.”

At that, the person’s attention perks up. “Yeah? You traveling?”

This is too many nosy questions, but Luke’s already said he’s not from Erie. “On a trip with a friend.” He tilts his head toward the fireworks store. “Waiting for him to get out here.”

“You think you could spare a ride to the bus station?”

Luke looks back at the store again. “I don’t know. I’d have to ask.”

“What, your buddy’s in charge?” The person scoffs.

“Kind of? It’s his RV.” Luke thinks, too late, that he probably shouldn’t have said which vehicle was theirs. Though the person might’ve figured it out eventually, given that there are only two other cars there.

The stranger whistles. “Sweet ride. Well, I’ll stay right here with you, since you don’t seem like you’re gonna give me a real answer.”

Luke waits until their back is turned then rolls his eyes. They are nosy and obnoxious, and he’s mad that he’s still reacting to their appearance. He could do without their personality.

“I’m Jory, by the way.” They don’t turn around.

“Luke.”

“Your buddy, he’s one of us, right?”

“Uh…” Luke fights the urge to give this person more details than they need. “One of us?”

“Come on. You know why I picked you and not that guy.” They hitch a thumb over their shoulder at the person on the other end of the parking lot, a beefy man in trousers and a collared shirt, talking loudly on his cell phone.

“I dunno. You didn’t pick him ’cause he looks like kind of a douche?”“Yeah, the kind of douche who at best will throw a name at my back when I turn around. Family knows family.” They turn toward Luke and eye him up and down.

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