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By: ANDY ZEFFER
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For gay author Jay Quinn, being creative is just part and parcel of who he is. It’s something he has to do, whether he is doodling on a napkin or coming up with a story idea at a stoplight.
“With true creative people, they are going to be creative without renown, respect or being celebrated,” Quinn says.
But in his case, Quinn is doing it with renown. As the author of three books and the editor of two gay anthologies, Quinn made his stamp in the world of gay literature within a few years.
He appears June 20 in Atlanta with his latest novel, “Back Where He Started,” a satisfying tale about a 40-something gay man who remakes his life and sets on a journey to find himself after his husband of 20 years leaves him.
Quinn was born in North Carolina and moved to South Beach, Fla., in 1991. He spent his time painting, working as a pool boy and living off money from a freelance job. “Back Where He Started” draws heavily on the author’s Southern roots and his resort-town lifestyle.
Like a cozy afternoon movie, the novel’s easy-going style, Southern idioms and quirky characters with a strong sense of family should feel immediately familiar to readers who live in the South.
The book is receiving early praise from critics and gay readers.
But like his lead character in “Back Where He Started,” extreme unexpected circumstances led to a change in the direction of Quinn’s life.
After a car struck him in a hit and run accident, Quinn got a wake up call and decided to focus on writing. Those early days at the keyboard produced the work that eventually became the well-received gay novel, “Metes and Bounds.”
“My first book had an interesting history trying to get published,” Quinn recalls. “It got a great reception, but when it came down to it, every editor who looked at it left to write his own book or take another job.”
In the interim, Haworth Publishing accepted another of Quinn’s proposals to write a memoir. That book, “The Mentor,” turned into his first published work.
After the success of “The Mentor,” Haworth agreed to publish “Metes and Bounds.” After those books were published, Quinn became Haworth’s editor for its small gay fiction imprint, Southern Tier Editions.
Quinn began soliciting manuscripts, meeting authors, and turning a profit for Haworth. He is responsible for noteworthy titles including “Huddle” by Dan Boyle and “The Big Book of Misunderstanding” by Jim Gladstone.
“In a sense I am asked to be a fortune teller and keep up with the zeitgeist of not only what people are reading today, but what they might be reading 14 months down the road, which is generally how long it takes for a book to make it through the production process,” Quinn says.
But “Back Where He Started” is actually published by gay house Alyson Books.
“I wanted to grow and change with a new editor,” Quinn says. “I don’t live in a vacuum. You have to challenge yourself as an artist.”
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