NOW AVAILABLE! Volume 2!
My Friends, My Chosen Family, Vol. 2 (the sequel)
by Kyle Scafide
Here is the much-anticipated continuation of My Friends, My Chosen Family. If you’ve read Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, you will enjoy this New Orleans saga he inspired. Even if you have not read the first book, you can jump in and begin following the lives of these lovable characters.
Jerry is the fun and fussy elder whose triplex is the focal point of festivities for his many young friends. Philip and Barry, his tenants, are on their exciting journey to the world of same-sex commitment. Their friend DaShawn is dating a closeted married man even though he decries men on the DL. Tulane students Joel and Lance have been in love, but Lance is fighting his sexuality while being lured into secretive liaisons. Former debutante Patricia and her girlfriend Linda continue their courtship as Patricia spreads her creative wings.
Set in the 1990s, this book will transport you back to a time when those of the LGBTQ+ community faced many challenges, but it was also a time of hope for a better future.
Even if you have never visited the Crescent City, you will find yourself falling in love with its unique, enchanting people and places. The book is filled with touching moments that will make you yearn for your youth, lighthearted stories that will make you laugh, and steamy vignettes that will make your heart pound. (published December 2021)
My Friends, My Chosen Family (VOL 1, 2020)
by Kyle Scafide
If you like Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, and if you also have a soft spot for New Orleans, then this is the book for you. Based in the mid-90s, the book affords a winsome reminiscence of the Crescent City back then. If you enjoy stories about young people “coming out” and falling in love, and if you like sassy gay characters who make you smile, then you’ll definitely want to read this book.
Joel is an adorable, closeted Tulane student tortured by his attraction to his jock roommate, Lance. Patricia, an aspiring artist, is a former McGehee debutante falling in love with Linda, a Creole beauty who is fairly new to the scene. Philip is a Tulane counselor who is falling for a green-eyed hunk (Barry), who is newly single and ready to have some fun. Their friend DaShawn is a social worker frustrated in his efforts to educate the black community about HIV. Patricia’s classmate Mary Ann is trying to figure out why things aren’t going well with her husband Jack, who spends a great deal of time “exercising” in (the bushes of) the park.
At the center of it all is Jerry, a retired gay man who is both nurturer and sage with a quick wit and feisty repartee. Jerry owns a triplex in the heart of the Quarter, and his little compound is often the place for the friends to gather.
If you know New Orleans, you will enjoy re-visiting old haunts and waterholes, and if you are not familiar with the Big Easy, you will be drawn to its sultry charm and languid lifestyle. There’s drama, comedy, suspense, and just the right amount of passion to keep it spicy!
Angel on My Corner
by Kyle Scafide
It begins as an ordinary day for Rene Bonvillain as he walks through the French Quarter on his way to work, but on this day, the world disappears. For just a timeless moment, he finds himself surrounded by bright light in a world where nothing is tangible, not even himself. The next time Rene finds himself in and out of that other world of white silence, he discovers that a handsome stranger named Jacob has followed him back.
Jacob becomes Rene’s guide and companion, walking with him through the everydayness of his life and trying to cajole him into the realization that his life is a good one. Haunted by memories of his lover and isolated from his friends and family, Rene learns to trust Jacob’s guiding hand on the path to rediscovering meaning and happiness.
Sometimes dramatic, often funny, and always engrossing, what unfolds is a tale of two men who begin their journey from different worlds but find themselves surprised by deep-rooted commonality. Through laughter and tears, both men confront enshrouded truths that have risen to torment them. Together they find the strength to grapple with their demons.
Readers may find themselves laughing or crying as they follow the two men on their journey to self-acceptance. Simultaneously lighthearted and provocative, “Angel” is an existential frolic through modern life and an exposition of the eternal nature of love and friendship.
Where to buy Angel on My Corner
Available in paperback or e-book.