AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: GREGORY G. ALLEN

One of the unexpected but utterly pleasing discoveries on  my journey as a writer has been in connecting with other authors on similar paths.  Coming from the world of entertainment, where competition -- though masked with a smile -- is vicious and shoot-to-kill, I've been surprised and heartened to see just how much some authors support and lift each other up, and do so on a continual basis.  One such author is Gregory G. Allen, whose novel Well With My Soul was a finalist in The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards and is also on the 2011 Indie Lit Awards shortlist.  Despite the fact that our books are "competing" against each other for the Indie Lit Award, I've found Greg to be incredibly generous with his time and support.  For Greg, it is not about competition, but inspiring readers and in helping to make this world a better place.  He does that through both his work and his life, and I am honored that he agreed to be my first Author Spotlight!

Q & A: Gregory G. Allen

Your novel Well With My Soul is a tale of two brothers struggling to find themselves, juxtaposing their childhood in the South with their latter-day adventures in New York City.  How did this story first come to you?  What was its impetus?I worked on this story for several years; first as a play - then a novel. I wanted to address 'the closet' from a different angle. There were several high profile people in the news being "outed" and my goal was to create a back-story on the choices people make to get them to different places in their lives; and ultimately - what brings them peace where they can find that place that 'all is well'.I’m sure, as with most writers, there are certain elements of yourself in your characters and their stories.  What aspects of yourself do you share with your characters, and where do you diverge?  Readers always ask me which brother I am in the book and really - I'm a mixture of both. I think I have the drive and passion of Jacob, but I also enjoy being the caregiver that is Noah. I left home at 18 from Texas and moved to New York to be an actor and my path changed many times through corporate America, an Artistic Director of a theatre company, and now I run an arts center on a college campus. So like the two brothers in this story (that follows them for 15 years), my path went in many directions as well.You’ve also written Proud Pants, which is on my reading list.  Tell me more about that.  That story also covers brothers in a different way. It's the story of my half brother who passed away at 34 from a brain tumor, but had a life of addiction and pain. It was a love letter to my own mother (his step-mom) and the relationship they shared. I was so pleased how that book speaks to readers dealing with addiction, being an outsider, and of course - family.I also know that you have another book coming out soon, Patchwork of Me.  What is this book about?  A cross-genre book of women's issues and mystery, Sara is a product of the foster care system, but now as an adult unlocks a heinous past she never knew about and goes on a cross country trip to patch her life back together in order to move forward with her future. (But of course she takes her two male gay friends on the road trip with her!)With all of these different tales, as well as others I know you’ve written, such as a children’s book, how would you characterize yourself as an author?I put on my website that I write stories of adversity and diversity. I write in multiple genres and find it hard to be classified in one box. I basically want to tell stories and if that moves to different genres (and in turn to different readers), I'm really pleased with that.Lastly, with so many divergent stories, what lasting effect do you hope your writing has on your readers?I would hope readers close one of my books and question their own lives. Either choices they've made, journeys they've gone on, or perhaps find joy in the fact their lives are better than some of the characters I write about. ;-)For more on Gregory G. Allen, check out his website, and meet him in person at the Rainbow Book Fair in New York City on Saturday March 24th, from 11AM-5:30PM.