Rainbowgirl asks: I really liked your first novel, Sweet Bitter Love. But this new one, I don't know, seems like you jumped ship. No more lesbian books?
Well, Rainbowgirl, (cute name, by the way), I really don't feel I "jumped ship." Publishers set the genres -- fiction, thriller, suspense, etc. My first book was labeled lesbian/gay studies/romance—I thought it was fiction. Just like the new book, Painting The Invisible Man, is fiction. (Although it is labeled contemporary historical fiction because it is a fictional account of a true event.)
I would hope most readers would enjoy reading my work. The lesbian genre label dropped me into a narrow category. Now, please don't misinterpret this and think I am embarrassed or closeted or whatever label may come to mind; I simply see myself as fiction writer.
I think anyone can relate to the story of Jenny and Susan (Sweet Bitter Love). Relationships are universal...and all alcoholic relationships deal with the same types of issues. I felt the sexuality of the characters was not central to the story.
Anna's experiences in Painting The Invisible Man, that is, growing up in a family on the fringes of the Mafia, may be unique to her. Yet, I believe the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and atonement are universal.
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