Jude Unchained

You may have heard me kvetching over the past month or two about my m/m contemporary Jude in Chains being stalled in cyberspace. Well, I finally retrieved it. And the story now has a home.

Last summer, I submitted Jude to two publishers, Quartet Press and ~~~~~~~. Remember Quartet Press? All the pre-opening hype? All the attention from major bloggers? And then -- blammy! -- QP just folded up its tent and disappeared into the sunset. That left Jude at the other place where I'd simultaneously submitted it.

So I waited. And waited. No word came my way. At the three-month point, I inquired about the status of my submission. Received no response. I inquired again and was told my initial inquiry had been lost. Then I got excuses for the delay. I continued to wait while keeping busy with other projects. Sent another, somewhat more impatient inquiry at the four-month point. Got more excuses and another delay.

To make this really long story short, I finally got the manuscript back.

Writers need to be intrepid and even ruthless when this kind of crap happens. What I should have done was submit the story to a different second and maybe even third publisher immediately after I found out QP was dead in the water. But I foolishly gave ~~~~~~~ every chance to review Jude before I sent it elsewhere.

Shame on me. All I ended up doing was fucking myself over.

Anyway, I wasted no time offering the novella to two other publishers. One of them sent me an acceptance and a contract in less than a day. That's right, less than a freakin' day! What makes the speed of response even more astonishing is that I don't have any books and therefore no assigned editor with this press; from their perspective, my manuscript came drifting in out of nowhere.

Granted, it was a unique confluence of circumstances that got my novella read so quickly. What got it accepted so quickly is another matter entirely and one I can't address, since I obviously wasn't privy to the decision-making process. All I know is that after having been jerked around for nearly five months by ~~~~~~~, there was no way I couldn't be impressed.

In case you're wondering how and where my marathon of frustration ended, Jude in Chains will be published by Dreamspinner in April. I'm very pleased, because I think it's a good fit. (I would've been happy with the other publisher, too, but an acceptance that comes in hours rather than weeks or months is pretty damned hard to beat!)

Here's what my long-neglected novella is about:

* * * * *

Hoping further to expose the fallacy of "reparative therapy" for non-heterosexuals, writer Misha Tzerko has enrolled in a week-long program at the Stronger Wings Camp and Conference Center. He's already lost his long-term boyfriend to the ex-gay movement, and for the sake of his own closure as well as his job at Options magazine, Misha hopes to get an inside look at the nondenominational ministry established by C. Everett Hammer III.

Contentedly gay, Misha has always been a player—except when he committed to his only real relationship. But when Robbie abandoned him for straight life complete with wife, Misha's promiscuity began to peak as his emotional landscape flattened.

That’s all about to change. Misha is shocked and dismayed to see another man from his past at Stronger Wings, a man with whom he’d had two brief but captivating encounters. Although Misha knows he can’t save every registrant in the Stronger Wings program, he becomes determined to save Jude Stone.

No matter what it takes.

Jude in Chains

My novella, Jude in Chains, is now sitting in a few publishers' computers. The fact it isn't laden with explicit sex scenes -- it's just erotic enough to suit the needs of the story -- sort of limited my options. I also found it a bit dispiriting, yet again, that certain outlets are closed to me, since I've never been "invited" to submit to them. (Reminder to self: must find out whom to blow; wouldn't hurt to remind them I know when to use "who" and "whom.")

I don't know how this one is going to be received. It's a contemporary, but it might strike some editors as heavy fare due to the theme -- the "ex-gay" movement. Don't know if you're all aware of it or not. It's a truly hideous effort that's been mounted by various conservative, homophobic organizations -- both here and, I think, in the UK -- to turn queers into straights. I tried not to be too ham-handed in my treatment, although it's difficult to underplay the seriousness of this situation, and I believe the protags are engaging. But ya never know with publishers.

So anyway, following is the blurb. Wish me luck!

* * * * *

Hoping further to expose the fallacy of "reparative therapy" for non-heterosexuals, writer Misha Tzerko has enrolled in a week-long program at the Stronger Wings Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas. He's already lost his long-term boyfriend to the ex-gay movement, and for the sake of his own closure as well as his job at Options magazine, Misha hopes to get an inside look at the nondenominational ministry established by C. Everett Hammer III.

Contentedly gay, Misha has always been a player -- except when he committed to his only real relationship. But when Robbie abandoned him for straight life complete with wife, Misha's promiscuity began to peak as his emotional landscape flattened.

That’s all about to change. Misha is shocked and dismayed to see another man from his past at Stronger Wings, a man with whom he’d had two brief but captivating encounters. Although Misha knows he can’t save every registrant in the Stronger Wings program, he becomes determined to save Jude Stone.

No matter what it takes.