If you are like me, you’ve been on a pretty big emotional roller coaster since the election results. I won’t go into my thoughts on the election, but if you really want me take feel free to contact me and I’ll be glad to let you know! Since the election, my focus has been on doing as much as I can with my time to put some good into the world. My favorite of these was donating to the Trinity Place Shelter. I say this not to brag, but to encourage others to donate to similar places. I can tell you that it felt amazing. I keep meaning to come by this shelter and bring a home cooked meal for the residents, but I kept not finding the time. Since the election, I’ve decided I need to take a least an hour out of my day to put some good into the world.

That being said, I’ve also dived back into reading as many books as I can. While I am still struggling to make the time to write each day, I know that in order for a writer to make the most of his/her writing time he/she must be reading constantly. So if you need a recommendation of a good book, just let me know! Chances are I’ve got at least one gem of a book to recommend that you’ve never read! 

In celebration of “The Role,” being turned into an audio book, I am giving away two copies. It barely takes any effort to be eligible, so why not do yourself a favor and enter to win?

For those who love to tweet check out the Twitter Competition!

If you prefer Facebook, check out this one! 

Or you can enter both! 

Earlier today (September 16, 2016) I tweeted this photo!

To win a free audio book of "The Role," all you need to do is RT this tweet, and one lucky tweeter will win a free audio book!  You can be entered a second time, if your RT includes an answer! The lucky winner will be chosen at random on next Friday (September 23, 2016.) ​

​If it helps, I can get you all started. The first show I remember seeing was a production of “Oliver!” when I was in Kindergarten. The high school was putting it on, and, since it was vaguely child appropriate we were invited to watch a performance of the first act. I found the show very moving, mainly I cried a lot through the beginning. I cried so loudly that the teacher had to take me out of the theatre, and explain to me that the kids were just pretending. I sat through the remainder of the first act, attempting to be as quiet as my sniffling would let me. 

Earlier today (September 16, 2016) this photo was posted to my author page on facebook! To win a free audio book of "The Role," all you need to do is like my author page and reply to the post answering the question. One lucky winner will be chosen at random on next Friday (September 23, 2016.) 

To get you started, I figured I would answer this question myself. I can say numerous theatrical pieces have changed my life in many ways, but one that I always think about is “RENT.” The way people talk about “Hamilton” these days is how I felt about RENT as a kid. I was obsessed with it, and a lot of the reasons for that are similar. RENT was a musical, which used modern pop/punk to tell the story. I love classic showtunes, so this was not the major selling feature. The thing that really changed my life was that two major characters in the show were not only gay but in a committed and loving relationship. In the post-Glee/Modern Family universe we live in now, it is hard to remember this this was a big deal. However, for me, it was the first time I ever felt like a part of me was being represented in the medium I adored. As a result, despite the fact I was and am pretty sure I’d never be cast in that show, I memorized every single word and note of the score. While I was not a fan of the movie they made of the musical, I loved the filmed Broadway production.

After giving it a listen over the weekend, I am bursting to tell everyone how thrilled I am with the audio book version of “The Role.” As a performer, I remember thinking I wanted to record it myself, but I am so pleased that Lethe put my story in the hands of a professional. Sean Lenhart’s interpretation of Mason is pitch perfect, and sounds exactly as I hear him in my own head. While certain characters sound a bit different, I am amazed with what Sean has created. I’ve never written a play, but I felt almost like a playwright, hearing someone, other than myself, give voice to my characters. When I submitted my final draft to Lethe, I pretty much assumed that, outside of book events, I’d never want to read or hear my story ever again. This audio production proved me wrong. Not only do I adore it, but I actually found myself completely absorbed by it. I can’t think of a better compliment than an audio book being so good that it caused the actual author to forget what would happen next!
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If you love audio books, I wholeheartedly encourage you to rush out and snag this one. It’s a great way to experience this story that I hold so near and dear to my heart. ​

I've been quiet about the tragedy that hit Orlando. I'd like to say it is because I believe everyone understands that what happened was a heinous act, but, honestly, that is not true. In truth, it was not until this afternoon that it finally hit me.

My instant reaction to the news was numbness, which is rare for me. As an artist I tend to reject the very idea of being numb to pain, but this act of senseless violence was so personal that every cell in my body told me to just keep going. It was and is a shock to my system, and part of me feels ashamed for being silent for even a minute. This is a time when those who still have a voice should speak up.

​I've been lucky. Growing up gay in Arkansas wasn't a tale of terror for me. I had loving parents, sisters, and friends. As a Jersey City resident, I enjoy a life where being gay is considered less interesting than being from Arkansas. I've become insulated in many ways to the fact that many LGBT people
must continue to fight just to find acceptance in their own world. In my world, families celebrate it when their children finally come out. While I never forget that this isn't always the case, my view has always been that we were and are making progress. I personally have been told by many people that merely by knowing me, I changed their mind about gay people. There are still people I know who don't quite get it, who, even after knowing me, are still on the fence. I continue to have hope that, by leading a life full of passion and love, they will come around. It is for those kinds minds that I feel compelled to break my silence.

The LGBT community has come so far in my lifetime, and, while this tragedy has impacted us all, I hope we will not see this as a setback. If anything, this is just another moment that makes us stand even more united against those that would hope to keep us down.

I hate to feel sorrow, but that is exactly what is in my heart. To me, this is better than numbness, because I know what to do with pain and sorrow. As an artist, I know great things can come from deep felt emotion. My focus now is simply the matter of finding a way to convert these intense feelings into something worthwhile. Whether it is a story, a song, a performance, a speech, or even an act of love, I am determined to not let this event shutter my own light. I refuse to contribute to making this tragedy stronger than it already is.

In moments like this, when so many lights were lost, it is on those of us who remain to become beacons of hope. So I implore you to shine with me, to burn brighter, to live and love in remembrance of those who were taken too early and for no good reason. Shine on.

​Today, my interview on the Wrote Podcast goes live. I've been a fan of this podcast for a while now, and it was a real treat to go from listener to guest! The hosts do a wonderful job of shining a spotlight on LGBT artists. While the focus of the interview was centered roughly around “The Role,” I really enjoyed the chance to speak more generally about the theatrical world as well as the business and craft of writing. It was also a lot of fun to to participate in the rapid fire questions. I thought my answers were rather illuminating, even though I was terrible at answering the first few in one word or less! 

​The moment has arrived. As of today “The Role” is officially published in both e-book and paperback. To properly thank everyone, I’d have to write another book, and honestly, it would probably be longer than my novel!
 
In the theatre world I have had the esteemed pleasure to work with a cavalcade of talent that is truly humbling. Every cast is like a small family when a show is rehearsing and being performed, Years go by, wherein we barely communicate with one another, but I still think fondly on them and always mean to write! Furthermore, I would like to thank my teachers. From Jeremy Clay, who gave me my first shot at a non-chorus role in high school, to professors David Jilg, Cookie Ewing, Laura Cannon, and Tony Horne at Rhodes College, I blessed to have had mentors show me how to bring truth to the stage. Without those lessons, and the comradery of my fellow cast mates, I could never have written “The Role.”
 
In the writing world, I quickly learned that being an author is not nearly as solitary as I thought. From my fabulous critique partner Vicki L. Weavil, who always helped me keep my belief that this day would come, to my amazing editor Nancy Beranek, who helped me shape my manuscript into the novel you can now hold in your hands, I’ve been truly blessed. I thank goodness my friend Chris Paradis put a copy of Steve Berman’s “Trysts” in my hands all those years ago. My love of Steve’s work gave me the courage to reach out to him, and ultimately led to my publication with Lethe. Steve truly helped my dream come true.
 
In my life, I’m blessed to be loved by many people. As a kid, I struggled to make friends, which seems insane to me now, because I have friends all across the world, each of which are near and dear to my heart. I thank most of them in my acknowledgments, but I feel I have to mention that every time I hear/sing “Stars” from Les Miserables, I cannot help but think of Sara Davis. I am so thankful she answered my message board plea for the sheet music to that song 16 years ago.
 
Finally, there is my own little family. While my parents and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, I consider it a true miracle to be their son. They gave me a life worth writing about.  My daughter Natalie is a joy, and while her cries to understand the world certainly made editing “The Role” harder, I am so glad that for the rest of her life, she will always know a special part of me when she reads it. Lastly, there is my husband, who made writing about love both easy and incredibly difficult. No book could ever contain enough words to fully express how much I love him. Even after all our years together, I still feel as giddy as the day I met him, and yet also so much more. It is rare to find love that runs as far as a river but as deep as an ocean.
 

1.      Congratulations to the cast of “Hamilton” for their record breaking 16 nominations. I had the great pleasure to see a matinee a few weeks ago. The show lives up to the nearly impossibly hype. 
 
2.      I am dying to see “Waitress” even more now! Congrats to all nominated. I do think Sara Baralleis should have been nominated for “Best Orchestrations” 
 
3.      As a longtime fan of Laurie Metcalf, I hope she wins. I wished I’d seen her in “Misery.” 
 
4.      It is impressive that between “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical” the cast of Hamilton has 5 people nominated. I suspect Lin Manuel Miranda will win Best Lead Actor (though if it goes to Leslie Odom, Jr., he certainly deserves it!) and that Daveed Diggs has a lock for featured actor. Mr. Diggs performance in Hamilton as both LaFayette and Thomas Jefferson is probably the best thing about Hamilton (which is saying something!)
 
5.      While I think Hamilton has several things on lock, the two women (Phillipa Soo and Renée Elise Goldsberry) in Lead and featured actress in a musical have very tough competition. Pretty much everyone nominated in those two categories should win! That being said, both of those women are truly phenomenal and I am pulling for them! 
 
6.      Many congrats to Megan Hilty (and Andrea Martin) for being nominated for “Noises Off!” Ms. Hilty deserves to win for that one, every aspect of her performance was truly incredible. 
 
7.      Finally, I just want to say that Deaf West’s production of “Spring Awakening” was probably the best piece of musical theatre I’ve seen in many years. It is probably in my top five of all time. The production has serious competition in all of the three categories for which it is nominated. The most heartbreaking is that the director,Michael Arden, is going up against Hamilton’s Thomas Kail (as well as others) for best direction. Honestly, while Hamilton is very good, I would say Arden should win this award. That’s how good his vision of “Spring Awakening” was.
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Thinking of the Tony Awards always gets me giddy. In addition to it being one of the best night’s of television ever year, I’ve always had it in my mind how the characters in “The Role,” would handle the drama of being nominated and winning. As the Tony Award’s draw ever closer I will post some of the acceptance speeches I think they’d make. So stay tuned!