Write From What You Know

by Patt Gavin
(Los Angeles, CA)

When I wrote my first book, it was a story that I thought needed to be told. It wasn't a true story, as my writing vacillates between fiction and non-fiction, but it was still a story that I wanted to present to the world. At the time (about five years ago), gay marriage was not front page news, but to those of us who are openly gay, it was an important topic. I wrote a novel about two men who were trying to legalize their union. When the book was finished, I found that most publishers don't publish novels and of those that do, very few publish gay novels, and because of that, I discovered the world of self-publishing. A few months later "Almost Paradise" was out in book form.

Before this work was finished I had already begun work on my second, this time a non-fiction piece about my childhood. I had a rather unique experience in that I was one of seven brothers, and decided that my family was just dysfunctional enough that our stories were worth telling. Writing this book was a wonderful experience as it gave me a chance to relive that childhood and remember things long forgotten. It also gave me a chance to broaden my experience as a writer, branching now into non-fiction. This book is largely humorous, sometimes touching and always truthful, in spite of what my brothers might say. The book is titled "Growing Up in the House of Doom."

When the second book was finished, I again chose the self-publishing route. iUniverse has been great with me and I find their site to be very easy and their people to be quite helpful. I chose to design my own covers for my books, but if I had wanted they would have assisted with that. They also have newsletters and "kits" available to help you with marketing and getting the book to a wider audience.

I am currently at work on my third book, again non-fiction and this time dealing with religion. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies so this area is again writing from something I know. I hope to have it finished by the end of 2008.

Visit Patt's Progressive Ponderings.