Sewers of Paris: Enemies to Lovers (Ep 419 - Christopher Rice/Gay romance novels)
Author Christopher Rice is known for a lot of things, from his thrillers to his podcast to collaborations with his mother Anne Rice to his more recent foray into novels about gay romance. I spoke to him last year about his book Sapphire Sunset, and now he has a new book in that series coming out. It’s entitled Sapphire Storm, and it’s about two men who start as bitter enemies before they realize that there’s an irresistible force pulling them closer together.
I caught up with Christopher for an update to our previous conversation, and we spoke about his writing process and why gay romance matters. Because of his busy schedule, this conversation’s a little shorter than the usual Sewers of Paris interviews. But chatting with Christopher is always a delight — and if you want more, after this episode you can jump back to our conversation last year in episode 378. (And let me know your thoughts on length -- if you like this shorter format, or prefer longer episodes.)
Also, a quick update on my upcoming book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey I’m Homo: we’ve announced some live in-person events, with more on the way! Head over to GaySitcoms.com to see if I’m coming to your town for a reading and book signing — so far we have events confirmed for New York, Chicago, and Seattle, with additional ones in the works.
Comments (6)
This is the only podcast I listen to, and since it is not a video where I an limited in my movements for the duration, I don't really care about length so long as it is more than a very few minutes. I had no idea there were so many MM romances available these days until recently. I loved the film "Love, Simon" especially because it was such a mainstream film (and made a lot of money). I like the more gay type films too, but I think it is important to also make films that might interest (even attract) allies in the rest of the population by coming from a less gay-centric view. I was moved to read the book on which it was based and that book pointed me to other writers of YA gay fiction. I was astounded at the number of books available and at how explicit some were. Eventually I began reading the MM romance written for adults. I have read hundreds of these. I return to any author that I find to be a skilled writer (good enough grasp of language to make me forget I am only reading their story) and reasonably plausible events and decisions. An example of a writer I enjoy is Rachel Reid who writes romances set in the pro hockey world. (For some reason, hockey has more gay romance novels that any other sport.) I find myself trying, when I read, to decide if books by women differ from those by men. I have not found there to be a great difference; I don’t think I have come across any novel where I could say with certainty of which gender that author is based solely on the writing.
Oh wow the only podcast you listen to! That's honestly an honor, very proud to hear that. :) And I'm in the same boat that you were, in that I'm not too familiar with the whole MM lit genre but I have a feeling I'll enjoy it when I finally dive in.
I also appreciate the content at whatever length it is provided the quality is there. I love longer form content (15+ minutes) but understand some content doesn't have the same quality if it gets all drawn out. I have many 1 to 2 hour podcasts that I adore just as much as the few 7 minute podcasts that I listen to.
Gotcha -- thank you for the feedback! That's really helpful. I'm going to experiment with formats & stuff so it's helpful to hear that folks are flexible!
Re length of podcasts, I don't think it matters. If the conversation is interesting then it takes as long (or short) as it takes. I've listened to a 3-hour podcast before and have recently followed a daily one that has episodes of anything from 9 to 20 minutes. I heard a discussion recently about 'The Last of Us' and they made a point about the variable episode length being a product of the story, without padding to meet an arbitrary time limit. Of course they also talked about the creators not being afraid to edit 😃
This is useful to hear, thank you! (Also wow a 3-hour podcast, I'd lose my voice for a WEEK)