Author: Chris

I had some time off last week and tried my hand at creating a trailer for The Family Way. The book comes out in the US/internationally on September 1st, and I thought it would be a fun thing to do to mark its publication. I had a lot of fun making it (maybe I’ll cut one together for Pluto now, too).

What I decided to do was take a few of the endorsements I’ve received so far and set them to images and music. The hardest part was selecting which photos to use. At first, I tried searching for free images online, but there is a limit to what you can find when googling “gay friendships.” Instead, I went through my own digital stash and selected a bunch of personal photos taken over the years in Provincetown.

Like for my characters, Provincetown holds an important place in my life. I’ve been six or seven times over the years, and each time I’ve gone the experience has been transformative. The small seaside village has been the location of so many dinners and laughs and trysts and tears. Everything is heightened when you’re there, from the love and sex and desire to the drama and heartache and insobriety. It’s the perfect place to let your characters grow.

Thanks to my friend Peter for the use of some of these photos (and to other friends who appear in cameo). Here you’ll see photos of me and Leon in the waves, my partner Greg enjoying a slice of pizza outside of Spiritus, Wes and Greg walking arm in arm down Commercial, old friend Brent applying a smoky eye to Neil before a night out in the bars, and a pink sky outside of Tea Dance.

Of course, there are a few Montreal shots too, hence the snow. That’s Theo (my Malone) in the window of our home. And then there’s Greg heading out into the snow.

I could get used to this. Once more, my face graces the cover of a publication I’ve been reading for years. So thankful to the team at the Montreal Review of Books (otherwise known as the mRb) to include The Family Way (and me) so prominently in their summer edition. You can read the article here.

To celebrate the launch of the issue, we gathered at the beginning of the month at the Dépanneur Café on Bernard for an in-person event (watch it here). It was fun, but strange. People at tables could be unmasked, while those of us circulating wore ours, removing them ever so often to take a sip of wine. On stage, the three of us readers could take off our masks, but then would need to put them back on to rejoin those in the room. Still, it felt good to finally be at a literary event in person. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.

One more thing: Big thanks to Marlon Kuhnreich for taking such amazing photos. It was so much fun spending the afternoon getting to know him while trying to get the shot. You can check out his work here and here.

I launched The Family Way from my home in Montreal last night. It was a very different event from the one I had often imagined while writing the book. Who knew a pandemic would get in the way of my plans? When launch day came, I still had no idea how to feel. So many of my friends had to do it this way too. Solider on, I thought. But I have to say, I was surprised at how much fun I had—how much joy I felt, just sitting at my desk and staring into my computer like I had most days for the past year. I loved every minute of it. My host, Rachel Giese, had prepared such thoughtful questions. And I could see the great number of friends and family watching from their homes. I was alone but I didn’t feel alone. I felt supported. To everyone who came, thanks.

If you missed it, no worries. You can still see it below.

With the official launch of The Family Way coming up on May 27, I thought I would share my Spotify playlist for the book (I shared one for Pluto a few months ago).

These are not songs that I listened to while writing the novel, rather songs that would help put me in the world of my characters. Sometimes, if I hadn’t worked on the manuscript for a while, I’d put it on to get back into things. Or I’d listen to it on walks or doing the dishes, trying to work out what might happen next in the story.

In all there are 48 songs on the playlist, but below are ten that hold particular meaning.

“Little Bird” by Annie Lennox

The Family Way is a long book, and my editor wanted me to break it up into three parts. I liked that idea but wanted to give each section a title. I had the idea to name each part after a song. Annie Lennox is referenced at one point in the novel. She is one of the artists that Michael has discovered in his gay education. She definitely was part of mine. Her albums Diva and Medusa were such important albums for me in my development as a young gay man, and a song like “Little Bird” perfectly captures the spirit of Michael’s story.

“500 (Shake Baby Shake)” by Lush

This song is about the Fiat 500 subcompact car. It’s a great, fun pop song that my partner Greg and I turn up every time it comes on in our house. Although Miki Berenyi is singing about a car, she might as well also be singing about a lover, which is often how people feel about their cars. In the novel, Michael is obsessed with cars, particularly his old BMW he names “Baby.” I like how this song befuddles our feelings for animate and inanimate objects.

“Drag” by Day Wave

This song sounds like summer to me and listening to Day Wave—along with The Drums—makes me think of long afternoons on the beach and bike rides in Provincetown. P-Town is an important location in the book, and my main character Paul does start to feel like a bit of a drag on holiday. Paul is the responsible one, while Michael is playful. I feel like this song captures Paul’s thoughts about himself in this regard—he knows he can be a drag sometimes, and does not want to be.

“Alan” by Perfume Genius

When I created the character of Alan, I didn’t know much about him. All I knew was that he was Paul’s former lover and that his name was Alan. Sometimes it’s like that with characters. There’s no other name for them. Fast-forward to me editing the book last year and discovering this song by queer musician Perfume Genius. It was kind of spooky because I feel like maybe he and I were channeling a parallel muse when writing our projects. To me, the song captures how Paul feels about his time with Alan in only a few lyrics and a haunting melody.

“The Thing About Things” by Amanda Palmer

Part Two opens with the title of this song by Amanda Palmer. Truth be told, I’m normally not a huge fan of lyrics. I often don’t even know what a song is about, preferring to daydream to melodies than understand words. But Palmer is such a gifted storyteller. I will sit down and listen to one of her eight-minute songs every time it comes on because she captures life’s moments so perfectly in them. I discovered this song late in the process of writing too, but I felt there was something here connected to what I was trying to say about the meaning we ascribe to the inanimate objects in our lives.

“Liberation” by Pet Shop Boys

One day I’ll write more eloquently about Pet Shop Boys and their influence on my life. Like Paul, I came out around the same time that Very was released. I remember having liked the band when I was in high school in the 80s, but after coming out in the 90s I was looking for queer content wherever I could find it. A lot of the people I was meeting were enamoured with PSB and there were the rumours that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were gay (you had to read between the lines, but the message was there). On the days that I worked part-time as a sales clerk, I would sometimes eat lunch in my dad’s car in the hopes of catching “Liberation” on the radio. It was often played in the same hour as Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia,” and together these two songs would allow me to daydream about being a member of this new community I had discovered.

“Make Me Believe in You” by Patti Jo

I’ve said this multiple times, but Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance is my all-time favourite book. In The Family Way, I pay tribute to it and the other formative influences in my queer life (i.e., Armistead Maupin, Annie Lennox, Pet Shop Boys, Bronski Beat, Ethan Morrden, Madonna, etc.). In fact, I named Paul’s two cats Malone and Sutherland after the protagonists in Dancer. This song, by Patti Jo, is one of several mentioned in Holleran’s novel. Out of all of the songs the men dance to, it is the one that keeps coming back and represents the lives and desires of his characters. When music started to become more accessible online, I remember searching for this song to have a better understanding of the world of his characters. Maybe one day, curious young readers will look up the songs mentioned in my books.

“Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray” by Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline is the queen of heartbreak and there is some heartbreak in this book too. Like many gay boys, I developed a fondness for Patsy Cline at a young age. I don’t know why we are often drawn to the same influences, but we are. I could have included so many of her songs here, but I like the image of there being three cigarettes in an ashtray. Who exactly is this third person? And how did she take her man away?

“Last Dance” by Donna Summer

This song title is for the third and final part of the book. If you’ve ever been to Tea Dance at the Boatslip in Provincetown, you know that this song often closes out the party. Donna Summer is a diva that exists at the height of old-school gayness and big-time disco. This song can be seen as a moment of celebration but also a plea, and I think it sets the stage perfectly for the end of the book.

“Buddy” by Willie Nelson

Although this song is really about a man losing his girlfriend, there is still something extremely touching to hear Willie Nelson asking his male friend for emotional support. “Laugh with me, buddy… Don’t ever let me start feeling lonely.” It’s a wonderful song about friendship, and makes me think of the bond between Michael and Paul who call each other “buddy” in the book.

Want to hear more? Listen to the other songs on the playlist.

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The other day I went to Drawn & Quarterly in the Mile End to sign copies of The Family Way in advance of my launch. I’m thrilled the bookstore agreed to host. Still feels strange to not be able to have an in-person event, but here we are. Those of your who remember Pluto’s launch will remember the animated projections, drag queen servers and purple cocktails. This will be a much more sober affair I’m afraid, but I’m sure you’ll be entertained.

I’ll be reading from the book and speaking about it with writer and journalist Rachel Giese. Rachel was kind enough to read an advance copy and provide me with a blurb. The editorial director of Xtra magazine, she is also the author of the award-winning book Boys: What It Means to Become a Man. Joining us will also be my incredible editor, Dimitri Nasrallah (author of The Bleeds and Nico).

It all takes place on Thurs. May 27 at 7 PM ET. You can sign up to receive a reminder through YouTube (below), or RSVP on Facebook.

Hope to see you there!

Well, this was a surprise. I knew the interview was coming, but I had no idea it was going to be the cover story.

Fugues magazine has been a constant in my life. When I was just coming out, it provided a glimpse into a world that wanted me in it. It provided hope, information, excitement, and even arousal. I can’t remember which edition was my first, but I do remember hiding it in my bedroom in a locked drawer. It was one of the only pieces of my gay identity I had to hold on to and reference.

The publication sure has changed over time, but it continues to play an important role in our community. Over the years they’ve promoted and covered my events, and reviewed my work. But to put me on its cover! (I can remember when it was just shirtless muscle hunks that graced each edition.) It feels like a full circle moment for me and I am honoured.

A big thanks also goes to Richard Burnett for being my first interview for the book. We had such a great (and long) conversation that he edited down to this Q&A. I was happy to get to talk about some of the early influences on my young gay life—from my work with Divers/Cité to my writing mentor Peter Dubé.

You can read the interview here.