Thanks to Alina Oswald for the fun interview on my new book!

I very much appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with photographer/author/activist Alina Oswald, whom I first met at the NYC Rainbow Book Fair in 2012.  She graciously interviewed me for her blog, which you can find here.Here is an excerpt:So, are any of the stories inspired by actual events? They capture everyday life with such finesse, readers may forget the tales are fiction and feel they are reading about their own lives.Some were definitely inspired by real life.  As you know, my debut novel was loosely based on a partner who died from AIDS in 1995, and there is a story in the collection which was inspired by his final days in the hospital.  And even the stories which are completely fictional have some personal impetus, as they burst out from my creative conscience, and largely fall in line with my world views.  Many are about being respectful of each other, being authentic to who we are, showing compassion, and the importance of discovering and claiming our own unique place in the world.What would you like readers to take from Gifts Not Yet Given? My hope is that readers will find themselves touched by the characters…  They are a varied bunch, from young to old, gay and straight, of different religions and ethnicities, but emotionally we are all the same, driven by the same desires and needs.  I hope people connect to our shared humanity.Check out the full interview here.  Thanks, Alina!