“You write in order to change the world… if you alter, even by a millimetre, the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” ― James Baldwin WHILE ANY time is the right time to feature Own Voice authors, PRIDE MONTH is an especially poignant juncture to celebrate these stories that speak from lived […]
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!🏳️🌈 SO HERE’S the thing: queer characters existed in comic book form long before mainstream superhero books finally caught up. Unambiguous LGBTQ+ representation in comics predates both Flash villain-turned-ally Hartley Rathaway’s (The Pied Piper) declaration of his homosexuality in DC Comics’ The Flash Vol. 2 #53 (Aug 1991) and fellow Canadian Jean-Paul Beaubier’s […]
Robert J. Halliwell: “My own experiences with love and romance influence me massively. I’m not the sort of person who can write things that I have no connection to.” AS WE celebrate Pride Month, I’m thrilled to feature an Own Voice author whose work brilliantly highlights the importance of diverse voices in fiction, including authentic […]
“I wouldn’t classify the series as anything other than gay erotic thrillers. I’m proud to be writing them.” – Thom Collins, from our February 2026 interview. BRITISH AUTHOR Thom Collins’ Basic Instincts series is a fascinating fusion of erotic thriller, crime fiction, and M/M romance, drawing unapologetically from the cinematic DNA of the 1990s erotic […]
“Either life entails courage, or it ceases to be life.” – E.M. FORSTER Cover Image: The First Official Pride Picnic that took place at Hanlan’s Point Beach In August 1971 / A poster of the 1973 Gay Pride Week in Toronto. The year I was born! RIGHT NOW, it’s a particularly tumultuous time for members […]
“As weeks passed, David occasionally heard from his editor, then didn’t hear from her at all, until the point came when it seemed the book might never have existed.” – Matthew Pearl, The Award MATTHEW PEARL’S novel, The Award, is an intellectually engaging work that combines literary intrigue with a deeply human story of ambition, […]
Nicholas Young: “I’m sure my sexuality influences my writing subconsciously. It would be strange if it did not.” I WANT to welcome Nicholas Young to the Blog. Nicholas is a Canadian author whose work delves into themes of queerness, memory, isolation, and belonging through intimate, character-driven storytelling. His debut novel, Under the Covered Bridge, is […]
“Bren’s arm wrapped around A.J.’s chest as the first verse started. It was only then, as music poured from the bud snuggled in his ear, that he realized it–even without his Discman, there was always music when he was with Bren.” – Robert J. Halliwell, And Then He Pressed Play: Track One CANADIAN AUTHOR Robert […]
“…we lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” — Margaret Atwood BIRTHDAYS ALWAYS make me think about random, specific moments from my life. Good, bad, and odd. Like that one time my parents forgot my 18th birthday. Yes, I […]
Marc Ruvolo: “…never forget what pain and suffering the queer community went through in the 80s.” Last year during Pride Month, I had the pleasure of interviewing queer horror author Marc Ruvolo about his life, writing, and music career; we briefly conversed about the original edition of his horror novella Pieties. I also reviewed the […]
