Featured Author & Giveaway: Huston Piner

A native of the US Mid-Atlantic coast, Huston Piner grew up in the Stonewall generation and witnessed firsthand the ignorance and prejudice that drives the brutality and oppression against LGBT people even into today’s times. Over the years, he nurtured a talent for writing but only recently began channeling his efforts towards today’s youths. As the survivor of a closeted youth, Huston writes adventures and romances that explore the struggles gay young adults of every generation experience as they mature and face questions about their sexual orientation. My Life as a Myth is his first novel. Huston lives with his partner in Chadham, Virginia.

Visit Huston Piner's website: http://huston-piner.livejournal.com.

Q&A with Author Huston Piner:

1. What part of the story was the most fun to write? The most challenging?
   
   I particularly enjoyed writing about Nick’s growing attraction to Bobby. There are big differences between lust, crushes and falling in love. At first, Nick’s not even aware of his attraction and the way he slowly realizes he’s falling in love with Bobby just felt right.
   
   The most challenging part was the whole sequence dealing with Raymond’s return. I didn’t set out to write it that way and I remember thinking, “Oh my God!” as it unfolded. It was one of those times when you suddenly find your hands possessed by the Muses. It really sent chills up my spine and brought tears to my eyes.


2. What are your writing goals for the next five years?
   
   I hope to keep writing books that entertain and help gay youth feel better about themselves. More books featuring a variety of LGBT characters who struggle with who they are, making mistakes as well as good decisions, can only help young gay people break out of the stereotypes and limitations society tries to force on them. When the day comes that a gay young adult novel is as unexceptional in a high school reading curriculum as Tom Sawyer we’ll have arrived where we should be.


3. What does your main character like to read (if anything)?
   
   Nick reads a lot of poetry. He doesn’t talk about it, but references come out again and again. It’s interesting that he doesn’t initially realize that the poets he likes all reflect his own emerging orientation. Later, he wonders if people “who aren’t like” him understand really get them the same way he does. Poetry has that power; it reveals things about us to ourselves.


4. Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you.
   
   I’m really a cat trapped in a human body. Now where’s my tingly toy?


5. Is there anything from your own teen years that has been placed into your books? (Example: car you drove, song you listened to, food you loved.)
   
   The scene about Andy Framingham and the rest room is very similar to something that happened when I was a sophomore. It wasn’t nearly as explosive an event as what happens in the book, and for the record, I had nothing to do with it.


6. Which authors do you enjoy reading?
   
   Whew! What a question! Tolkien, Whitman, Rimbaud, Rowling, L’ Engle, for a start.
   
   Then there’s Jay Bell, Dakota Chase, Stephen Chbosky, Jeff Erno, John Green, Jim Grimsley, Keith Hale, Kim Harnes, Brent Hartinger, Amy Lane, J R Lenk, David Levithan, Yann Martel, Chris O’Guinn, Anthony Paull, Dale Peck, Robert Reardon, K M Soehnlein, Kiyoshi Tanaka, Brandon Williams, and Bart Yates, to name a few.


7. Do you need music or noise when writing or does it have to be completely quiet?
   
   Music played a significant role in My Life as a Myth, so while I was writing it I played a lot of songs from the late sixties. But I’ve always got music playing when I write anyway. I have to keep it low or I lose focus, but at the right volume it really helps the creative process. My iTunes collection is large and varied, and on any given day you might find me listening to Debussy, Nirvana, Patsy Cline, the Beatles, or Erroll Garner.


8. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   I hope to inspire young readers with characters who confront the same issues and difficulties they face in their own lives. Society often places special problems and obstacles in the path of gay adolescents. A lot of LGBT young people feel alone and suffer low self-esteem. I want to inspire them to recognize the beautiful unique people they are and to learn from both the triumphs and the mistakes of the characters they read about. I also want to challenge closed minds to re-examine their preconceived notions and gain a greater appreciation of the damage and injustice bigotry and intolerance promotes.

Now Available from Huston Piner:

My Life as a Myth 1969 high school loser Nick Horton’s new friend Jesse Gaston promises to make him a superstar. But if would-be girlfriends, his dysfunctional family, and a suspicious principal weren’t enough to deal with, Nick falls in love with Bobby Warren and things really get complicated.

My Life as a Myth is a bittersweet romp filled with humorous misadventures, unexpected psychedelic explorations and moments of love, passion and tragedy. Can Nick and Bobby find their way in a world where acid rock rules, status is everything and being gay is the last taboo?

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My Life as a Myth Giveaway!

Huston Piner has generously donated a free copy of My Life as a Myth for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.