A warm welcome to author Russell J. Sanders joining us today to talk about new release “Titanic Summer”.
Welcome Russell 🙂
Titanic Summer and a HERO’s Heart
By Russell J. Sanders
“Houston’s Hot,” the ill-fated, ill-advised tourism logo once said. And the summer of 2015 got a lot hotter in Houston, Texas, for us LGBTQ citizens. A rabble of “others” decided they didn’t want or like the newly passed Houston Equal Rights Amendment (HERO.) So they got up a petition and forced a vote for or against. And as voting day got nearer, tempers flared. HERO was designed to protect women, veterans, gays, lesbians, and transgenders from discrimination. The women, the veterans—they were already protected to an extent by laws already on the books. HERO would only make things easier for them to get justice. But we, the queer population had never had legal protection of any kind from harassment and simple things like a baker refusing to bake our wedding cakes. We knew what discrimination is. Big time. And then…and then…and then…
It all came crashing down. We were facing a city-wide vote, and we were terrified that the haters would win. They were clever. They knew they’d get nowhere if they attacked the idea of equal rights for most of the classes named in the ordinance. After all, who is going to vote against a law protecting women? Protecting veterans? Even protecting gays and lesbians? That would be much too controversial. So they settled on a hot button issue: transgenders. Loudly and falsely, they shouted that men dressed as women would invade women’s restrooms and molest their wives and children. Despite the fact laws prevented this and this had never happened anywhere and that, to many of us, it seemed ludicrous that a pedophile or rapist would go to such extremes, these naysayers latched onto this idea and let their position be known—loudly and often. The transgender bathroom use was not even stated in the ordinance, but theoretically, if an ordinance protecting everyone’s human rights were in place, then no one could question who used what bathroom. So they took that idea and ran with it. And the naysayers knew that in conservative Texas, bastion of the evangelicals, they could stir up enough emotion to get this thing defeated.
And they did. The fourth largest city in the nation, possibly the most diverse city in the nation, wouldn’t get its Equal Rights Ordinance. The voters had spoken. In a nation where only about 10% of those eligible to vote actually do their civic duty, equal rights for all would not come to Houston, Texas. Oh, the voter turnout was strong, but if all the potential voters had shown up, I believe we’d have our rights now.
When I began a once-again revision of Titanic Summer, we had just suffered this crushing defeat. I knew that the climate of the summer of 2015 was perfect for a tale of a gay teen living in Houston and trying to find his place in the world. The initial draft had Jake Hardy, a heterosexual teen, trying to cope with a secretive dad, a father who’d always been upfront with him—or at least Jake thought. When Dad, the ultimate Titanic nut, proposes a road trip for the two of them to the final resting place of many of the Titanic victims in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jake is reluctant at first and then decides he may be able to unravel the mystery that his dad has become. That was the first draft. Hetero Jake, secretive dad, Titanic trip, Jake figuring out how to cope with Dad’s secrets.
But it just didn’t work. I loved the Titanic tie-in. But Jake was a whiny brat. And so the what if’s started. What if Jake were gay? After all, every other novel I’d ever written (and those to come) had gay heroes. So the re-writing began. Jake became a bit more likable, and his trying to figure out how he fit into his mother’s ultra-Christian world being gay fell into place, and I liked what my fingers were typing, there on my magic keyboard, where ideas take wing and finally land.
But there was something still missing. And the defeat of HERO happened. It hit me—a teen in Houston, a teen who is trying to figure out how to be openly gay, had to be profoundly affected by this defeat. After all, I myself was devastated, and my teen years are an ancient memory. So the fingers once again took to the magic keyboard, and this fresh version of Titanic Summer is what emerged—a little bit Titanic, a little bit Houston, and, I hope, a lot of heart. I want Jake to speak to everyone, not just gay teens trying to find their way, but all those other teens who surround them; to speak to the parents of those gay teens, and all those parents who surround them. For, like Van Gogh used a brush and paint, Brando used a playwright’s words, and Taylor Swift uses music and lyrics, I want my novels to speak to everyone.
Enjoy Titanic Summer. It is a work of love.
Blurb—Titanic Summer
It’s 2015, and teenage Jake Hardy is hiding something. During a summer trip to the Titanic Mecca of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jake’s father makes a confession, and though Jake feels upset and confused, he also wants to be understanding. But he feels deceived—much like he’s deceiving those he cares about. Jake is gay, just not ready to tell the world.
Jake and his father are far from alone in their secrets, as Jake discovers back in Texas, where the fight for and against the Equal Rights Ordinance rages. He’s surprised to learn how much the outcome will affect his friends, and he’s torn between standing with them and the wishes of his religious fanatic mother. Being true to himself won’t be easy or painless, and it will come with sacrifices—and rewards.
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Russell J. Sanders is a lifelong devotee of the theater. He’s a singer, actor, and director, winning awards for his acting roles and shows he has directed. As a teacher, he has taught theater arts to hundreds of students, plus he’s also taught literature and writing to thousands of others. Russell has also traveled the world, visiting Indonesia, Japan, India, Canada, the Caribbean, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Florence, and Venice—and almost all the US states. His friends think he’s crazy, but wherever he goes, he seeks out Mexican restaurants. The Mexican food in Tokyo was great, he says; in Rome, not so good. Texans cut their teeth on barbecue and Mexican food. Russell’s love for enchiladas led him on a quest to try them wherever he can find them, and he has found them in some very out-of-the-way places. And good or bad, he’s delighted to sample his favorite food. Most importantly, Russell is an out-and-proud gay man, living in Houston with his husband, a relatively recent marriage but a relationship that started twenty years ago. He hopes that his novels inspire confidence and instill pride in his young gay fans, and he also hopes others learn from his work, as well.
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