Novel “Afterglow” Released!

I’m excited to announce that the official publication date of April 1st has arrived! Afterglow is the sequel to Naked in the Rain, about two teenage runaway boys who fall in love with each other as they’re lured into a twisted world of drugs and sex.

Afterglow picks up where Naked in the Rain left off – with River and Brian in their own apartment after escaping the high-class brothels of Los Angeles. Their new life seems easy at first, with Brian continuing his rock band and classical piano. But drugs and childhood demons seem set to destroy the boys. Will they get sucked back into the world of prostitution? Their love is tested when Brian – who is bisexual – is unable or unwilling to be monogamous. Crisis leads to a journey across the country to face the past, to Arizona to find peace, and finally to Portland, Oregon to find a home. (Which allowed me to write about my beloved home of Portland.)

I didn’t use as many artists’ lyrics in Afterglow as I did in Naked in the Rain – but there are still quite a few from The Cure, Tori Amos, and others. Oddly enough, I only realized recently that there are no lyrics from Placebo in the second book (but lots in the first book). (Read more about lyrics used in the books and the Placebo/Brian Molko connection in previous blog postings below…). However, by not using as many artists’ lyrics in Afterglow, it forced me to write more lyrics from Brian O’Kelly (the main character), which was definitely a positive experience.

Of course, I’m always nervous about how a book will be received by readers. The first feedback I received from someone who finished an advance copy of Afterglow was simply lovely – so I’ve decided (with her permission) to include excerpts of her letter below:

"I don’t even know where to start to describe how much your two wonderful books mean to me. Living in the world you created with ‘Naked in the Rain’ and ‘Afterglow’ and seeing it through Brian’s eyes has been such an amazing experience. I can’t remember any other book – and believe me when I say I read a lot – that has touched me so deeply. Especially ‘Afterglow’ was such an emotional roller coaster ride that had me sobbing one moment and laughing with relief the next. I went through several boxes of Kleenex reading that book, but I'm not complaining. It is such a rare and fantastic thing to be pulled that deeply into a world someone else has created. I am so amazed by your unique writing style and by your vivid imagination. The characters you created seem so real, it really felt for me like watching a movie, like being there with them and really getting to know them… Thank you so much for creating that intriguing universe and letting me have such a wonderful time living there with your characters…

Thank you for believing in yourself, in your work and never giving up. Otherwise we – as your devoted readers – wouldn’t have been gifted with such a life altering reading-experience…

Because I loved ‘Naked in the Rain’ I gave it to a friend who also enjoyed it immensely. He moaned for weeks about the cliff hanger ending and asked me daily when the next part will be published. I gave him ‘Afterglow’ as a gift so we both could read the book at the same time and discuss it. I have to admit I often use my best friend as some kind of guinea pig, because for me it is really interesting to get the perspective of a gay man on stories I have written myself or that I loved reading. His favorite was ‘Naked in the Rain” because it was fast-paced, full of suspense, exciting plot twists and “fascinating creepiness”. My favorite is ‘Afterglow’ because I felt much more connected to Brian’s thoughts and feelings in that one. I loved the slower pace and the description of the growing up he has to do. It was so painful but at the same time so breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you for being such a talented and generous story teller. I hope to grow and improve and will someday be able to develop such a unique and impressive voice as a writer as you have.


- Anja Busse"

Thank you, Anja!!

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