Just Outside of Hope
by Ron Kearse
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GENRE: LGBT Fiction
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BLURB:
Just Outside of Hope, the sequel to Road Without End, moves through the early years of the 1980s. It takes us from the Canadian Prairies to the pubs, bath houses and nude beaches of Vancouver, British Columbia.
It is now September 1980 and ex-Lieutenant Jim Whitelaw is dealing with the guilt he feels from the fall out of a military tribunal, and lingering family issues which make things worse. But just as he feels he's getting his life together, cracks appear once more and he has to make some serious decisions.
Meanwhile, in a matter of a moment, Jim's friend and sometimes lover Bert Gilhuis, finds himself trapped in a serious situation that eventually sees him set off on new adventures in Vancouver.
These are two more stories in the continuing series of the lives of gay men who lived through the most exhilarating and terrifying of times.
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EXCERPTS (Please choose only ONE to use with your post):
Excerpt One:
MAY 1983 – BERT GILHIUS
Is this what it feels like when you wake up after sleeping for what seems like twenty years? It’s been four months since I’ve finished my prison sentence, and it still feels like the time I’ve spent inside has been some kind of bad dream.
When I went into prison in September 1981, Calgary was a boomtown where there were good jobs to be had everywhere. Now here it is May 1983, and as I walk around town, I see apartment buildings that are almost empty, for sale signs on the front lawns of houses, and I’m hearing too many stories of people leaving to get jobs in Toronto. What happened? This drastic change occurred, and I feel like I was asleep. To top it off, it’s been another frustrating morning at the Canada Manpower Centre because I’m limited in the jobs I can apply for due to the criminal record I now possess.
In spite of all that, it’s late spring, the sun is shining, and I feel okay. After being confined for eighteen months, I appreciate what a great feeling it is just to walk down a city side street and enjoy the sun whenever I want to.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ron Kearse lists travelling, photography, art, reading and history as his main sources of inspiration.
An artist, broadcaster, actor and writer, Ron has a colourful and varied work resumé.
Having lived a nomadic life, Ron has finally settled in Victoria, BC where he lives with his partner James Howard.
Just Outside of Hope is the second installment in the Road Without End Trilogy, he has also published a photo book of Vancouver Street Art in the mid-1980s called Lost History.
CONTACT:
rwkearse@gmail.com
250-208-6227
@ronswriting
Ron Kearse
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonsWriting/
BUY LINKS:
Interview with Ron Kearse
1. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
This is an interesting question, and the answer is: both. Whenever I begin to write a story, or even a chapter in one of my novels, I usually have a pretty good idea on the direction that I would like the characters, and/or the action, to go.
However, I always find that once I get so far into the action, or the characters get more developed, it is the characters that take over and then I find myself taking dictation from the characters. Happens every time.
In fact, in the novel I am presently writing–the follow up to Just Outside of Hope–one of the characters literally barged his way into the manuscript, Literally! As it turns out, he is a larger-than-life character with a lot of hutzpah. He took over as the main character in an entire chapter and because of that, he actually changed the direction of the entire novel! How’s that for hijacking the whole thing? I’m glad he did it though. I think it’s made the entire novel more interesting to read.
2. Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
I realized while I was writing my first novel, Road Without End, that what I was actually doing was being a witness to the modern LGBTQ+ history of Canada! I’ve continued with that same realization while I was writing Just Outside of Hope. The characters in this story are living during a much different time for the LGBTQ+ community…and it was not all that long ago! During the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ‘90s, we lost almost an entire generation of gay men, so there are not many of us who are still around, who came out as gay during the 1970s and witnessed life in the gay community before AIDS, during the tumult of AIDS where so many of our friends died, to present day where AIDS is now a chronic condition rather than the death sentence it once was. These are the stories of some of those characters, and of those times.
3. Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes. In fact, I have two other irons-in-the-fire, if you will. I am working on the third novel in this Road Without End Trilogy called Last Chance Town, Further Adventures Along the Road Without End. This is the novel where the trilogy wraps up, and maybe the story even comes full circle–I don’t know yet. I’ll have to wait and see how the characters want to finish it. ;-)
And, I began a novel several years ago called, Zsölt. Zsölt is the name of the main character in the story, and he is a first-year student at the University of Budapest in 1956. Unwittingly, he finds himself involved with a group of fellow students who are some of the main instigators of the Hungarian Uprising against the Communist government during that time. It’s a story about him, his buddies, and the woman he falls in love with. I need to flesh it out a lot more, but I’m slowly making progress on it.
4. Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer and pen/paper! I take pen and paper with me all of the time in order to jot down ideas, inspirations, or even little snippets of conversation I hear in passing. Then, I can keyboard them in to the stories I write.
5. Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
First of all, thank you for reading my stories. I hope you will continue to enjoy the things that I write. Also, if you feel the need to write, then write. I found that something as simple as keeping a daily journal has given me the discipline needed to set aside some time aside every day to write. Go for it! You only go around once!
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Ron Kearse will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on this tour and thanks for the opportunity to read about another great book out there to read. It helps out so I can find books I know my family will enjoy reading. Thanks as well for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful, thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, congrats on the release.
ReplyDelete