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In Deep Mudd. Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender

“I’m a doctor, not a T.V. tie-in writer.”—-anon. Recently, I viewed the last, nearly-forgotten episode of the original “Star Trek,” from 1978. Sort of. At least, I consider it an episode. But first, some background is in order. In the era before You Tube, streaming, DVDs or even VCR tapes there were precious few ways for rabid fans to relive their favorite T. V. shows or movies. For fans of Gene Roddenberry’s classic, the original “Star Trek,” one way was through a series of paperback novelizations featuring adaptions of the original episodes as short stories. These books, which were bestsellers, … Read more

“Potiphee, Petey And Me”: The Last Of Tom Reamy. Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender

Jeff Baker

Potiphee, Petey and Me; The Last of Tom Reamy by Jeff Baker The final story by the late fantasy master Tom Reamy has been published. It is everything a reader could hope for. “Potiphee, Petey and Me” was written for the final volume of Harlan Ellison’s cutting edge anthology series that began in the 60s with “Dangerous Visions.” But this volume “The Last Dangerous Visions” has never been published, despite several promised release dates (including September 2024.) Now Reamy’s final story has been published in a retrospective collection and it is indeed a dangerous vision. The collection “Under The Hollywood … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender at the World Fantasy Convention

Panel LGBT Characters Done Well” L to R: Ellen Klages, Naseem Jamnia, Alex Jennings, Elizabeth Leggett. Photo by Jeff Baker. World Fantasy Convention 2023 by Jeff Baker The World Fantasy Convention, a celebration of all things in Light and Dark Fantasy was held in Kansas City, MO right before Halloween. And LGBT people were well-represented. Held this year at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center it featured author readings, panels and interviews as well as the Dealer’s room with everything from posters, the latest paperbacks and even a 1970s magazine with a first publication of a Stephen King … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender “Found Family”

Found Family by Jeff Baker “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” —-Chas. Dickens 2023 was either an awful year or a good year where some bad things happened. War, violence, death, political upheaval. Open bigotry and divisions everywhere. But an awful lot of years are like that. On the other hand, there were births, triumphs, love, bliss. Continuations of lives. All the things that make the world and its people go ‘round. And little personal discoveries that sometimes “make” your day, sometimes without our knowing it. A concept very well-known to the LGBT Community … Read more

Jeff Baker: Boogieman In Lavender. Lou Rand’s “The Gay Detective.”

Lou Rand’s “The Gay Detective” by Jeff Baker Bay City…Early Nineteen-Sixties…Fog rolling in across the bay…the famous bridge…you know which city this is supposed to be. Bars that are clandestine rendezvous for furtive meetings between men in back rooms…bodies found in the darkness. Not warm, welcoming bodies but Gay men, murdered. No suspects. Few clues. One looks like murder-suicide. It isn’t Into this foggy mess steps Francis “Frank” Morley, detective for hire. The classic private eye with a dingy office, a loyal secretary and a hulking mass of muscle for an assistant. And Morley is as openly Gay as you … Read more

Night Of the Living Queers – Boogieman in Lavender

This is the seventh (wow!) installment of our “On Beyond Cisgender” feature, where we look at books for YA readers (whether written for them or not!) It was initially inspired by a Facebook post from A. M. Leibowitz lamenting the lack of LGBT, non-cisgender, non POC books for High School readers several years ago. There aren’t a lot of good original anthologies aimed at LGBT YA audiences out there, and this one is appropriate for the season. —–jeff Just in time for Halloween, Wednesday Books has published “Night Of the Living Queers,” a YA anthology edited by Shelly Page and … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender: A Visit to XY Bar, Or My Glimpse of 2023

A Visit to XY Bar or My Glimpse Of 2023 by Jeff Baker A month ago I did something I haven’t done in a couple of decades. I went to a gay bar at night when the joint was jumping. Let me explain. The last few months I’ve gone out to a few times to places where I can casually socialize. (I’ve missed having somebody around to talk too.) A nice little coffeehouse, the Public Library in the afternoon (which are also good places to write!) and a couple of Gay bars. Also in the afternoon when there aren’t a … Read more

Jeff Baker; Boogieman In Lavender; “Facing the Blank Page.”

Facing the Blank Page by Jeff Baker Oh Hell! It’s August! I spent most of last month writing “June” on my checks and now it’s August and I have a column due. What to write? What to write? What to write? Damn. Blank page. Damn! Review a book I’m reading? I haven’t read a book lately. Write about what I’ve been doing? Let’s see; sitting around, typing, watching TV, going to the store, drinking beer. Nope. Not enough word count. What time is it now? Damn! Later than when I started. Closer to the thirteenth. I could write about deadlines. … Read more

Queer Poetry Corner: Two Books to Look At. Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Queer Poetry Corner: Two Books to Look At by Jeff Baker And you, whate’er your Fav’rite does approve For Condescension leads the way to love Go with him where he goes, tho’ long the way And the fierce Dog-Star fires the sultry Way —-from “Odes” by Tibullus (60-90 B.C.) The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse Poetry can be a fleeting art. Sometimes the lines and stanzas are brief, sometimes the impact of a poem is less brief than that. But other times a poem can last for a millennia and shine a light on the lives of the poets and … Read more

Spellcheck – Boogieman In Lavender

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If I Ran the World… Well, first I’d get rid of war and poverty and injustice and crime and hatred and all those awful “Children of the Corn” sequel movies that even Stephen King wants nothing to do with. Then I’d get down to the really important stuff. There are words I just can’t spell worth a crap! I’m a writer, I’m supposed to be able to do this. I do use spellcheck but it’s so damn frustrating that after decades there are words I continue to spell the same way, and that way is WRONG! For openers, let’s check … Read more