Question: Five Married Men is your second novel? Then The Partisans?
Brant: That's right. A Song in the Park was the first. It came out in Spring 2005, but I
haven't promoted it because it was so poorly edited by the original publisher. I am
promoting the revised edition.
Question: So is the revised edition available?
Brant: Yes. It's now available on Amazon. It's a lot more fun to see your book in print
when you can be proud of it. I got a lot of positive feedback from the first edition. Now
people can read it without the distraction of sloppy editing.
Question: Sounds like you're ready to see it sell.
Brant: I am. It's a fun story about two men who cross paths while trying to straighten out
their lives. Lots of emotion and soul searching.
Question: Your main characters are bisexual or gay. Does that put your novels in a
gay/lesbian genre?
Brant: Perhaps, or adult fiction; but I don't exclude anyone who enjoys a thoughtful
romantic adventure, or anyone intrigued by the mystery of male sexuality. Straight men
and women were moved by Brokeback Mountain as well as gay men. There are many
kinds of gay fiction. You'll find humor, mysteries, horror, erotica --the list is endless.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of thoughtful masculine romance. My novels are written to
appeal to anyone who enjoys a character driven story with intriguing characters who get
into interesting situations and predicaments. We follow along on the path they're walking,
feel their anger and pain and joy, see their surroundings and how they interact with others
and the situations they're in. There's no reason fiction can't validate gay men who lead
sexually quiet lives and identify in every other way with their straight brothers.
Question: You write in a mainstream style. What does that mean?
Brant: The characters lead mainstream lives. Their trials and tribulations, their victories
and failures, and their interactions are those anyone can identify with. Most gay men are
discreet about their sexuality--they're basically mainstream. You would never guess
they're gay until you realize they're living or want to live with another man. They're the
guys I write about.
Question: So anyone might enjoy a Martin Brant novel?
Brant: Almost anyone. They're human dramas. Like in any fiction, you find yourself on a
road you may never walk, but you follow along because you're curious about the roads
others walk everyday. In the comfort of your favorite chair, you escape to another world.
We're entertained in a way only the written word can entertain us, by calling on our
imagination and provoking thought, and allowing time to contemplate a scene we just read.
Question: By "adult fiction" do you mean sexually explicit scenes?
Answer: I mean fiction that appeals to people on an adult level. But yes. Some writers
leave scenes of physical expression to your imagination, others don't. When the main
characters crawl up into the loft together, some readers want to go with them, while others
would just as soon skip over those pages. I believe physical expression in its many forms
is not only a natural expression of our feelings for another, but also an important aspect of
two people in love.
Question: Why base your novels on gay characters?
Answer: Gay men and women contribute another example of the power of love in our
world. They contribute another element to our wonderful human diversity. Their provide
an excellent format for engaging stories and characters. In other words, for a writer, it's
like having a broad brush to paint with, and when you dip the brush into this particular
paint can, you come up with some very interesting colors. Even though there are many
good works of gay fiction out there, it can be difficult to find a mainstream novel with gay
characters. My guys are masculine and lead the same kinds of lives average Americans
do. They just prefer sleeping with another man. They are basically positive about life, but
can find themselves in some real dilemmas.
Question: How long have you been writing?
Answer: Most of my life. After fifteen years in manufacturing, and nine years in the food
service industry, I've shifted my primary focus to writing. There's nothing I'd rather be
doing, though it took a while to realize that Hemingway was right when he said: "The first
draft of anything is crap."
Question: What do you hope to achieve with your novels?
Answer: A dear friend I haven't seen in a long time was gay. We used to go out and
have a couple of beers together. I could sit and listen to him for hours, he was that
interesting. The thought of a beautiful human being like him being victimized or
discriminated against in any way is anathema to me. If my work in some way influences
those with bias, I've achieved something.
Question: People who read your novels are going to think you are gay or bisexual. Are
you?
Answer: Does Stephen King have to go out and kill someone to write about murder? I'm
happily married.
Question: That doesn't answer my question.
Answer: I Know.
Question: What do you hope to accomplish with your website?
Answer: Generate interest in masculine romance and hopefully generate interest in my
novels.
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