"...a perfect, entertaining and exceptional novel." — Reader's Favorite
Los Angeles, 1956. Shangri-La. Palm trees, swimming pools, movie stars. And if you’re gay—persecution. In a society that demands conformity and lockstep conventionality, gay people find out quickly and the hard way, how difficult, dangerous and downright terrifying it is to be different.
So, when the constant fear of arrests, evictions, job loss and ridicule become too much, four gay friends and lovers pull together to hatch an ingenious scheme designed to allow them to live freely, without harassment.
But their secret plan is not without its flaws. Internal struggles and personality conflicts conspire to make their situation harder and more life-altering than any of them could have predicted, leading to valuable and universal lessons about the high cost of blending in—or not.
Lucky Stevens lives, writes and plays in exotic North America. The Duplex is his 3rd novel. It was recently released, and as of this writing is among the Top 200 E-books in the LGBT Historical Fiction category--peaking (so far;) at #5. Stevens was also a finalist in a national screenplay writing contest.
In the 1950s most people thought of gays as being sick. It was a widely held belief even among those in the psychological field. Not surprisingly, many gays were filled with shame and doubt, quite the opposite of the "Pride" we see today. This excerpt is part of a scene I wrote to highlight those feelings of poor self-esteem and the effects such feelings could have on a person's entire being.
Book Excerpt
The Duplex
Suddenly I was no longer welcome. I can still see all the faces in my head. William’s, that cop’s, William’s landlady’s. She seemed like a sweet old lady. I want to hate her almost. But I can’t. I mean I don’t like the condemnation, but is it really her fault? Or that big cop’s fault? I guess you could say he was just doing his job. I don’t know. Maybe I’m sick. I must be. Even the Psychiatric Association says so. These are doctors. Trained professionals, after all.
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