Welcome to Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas!
I’m Adriana Kraft, and on the 15th of every month, I’m here to share LGBTQ+
stories with you—sometimes one of my own, and often, as today, stories from
other authors. I always love meeting another academic who’s traded in lectures
and course outlines for creative fiction. Today I’m thrilled to welcome author
Patrick R. Field to these pages to tell us about his most recent release, Servant.
Servant is an adult fiction novel that combines the genres of dark supernatural mystery and LGBTQ+ storytelling. The inspiration for this novel was borne from the supernatural events that have happened in my own home in the Northern Poconos of Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA). A collection of sightings, strange noises and inexplicable events that have occurred to my husband, friends and myself during the day and night are the foundation for the haunting of Blackstone, the mansion in my novel.
Another source of inspiration is that our home is built on the banks of Westcolang Lake, land that belonged to the Lenape tribe (Westcolang is a Lenape term), the indigenous people of NEPA that were part of the Algonquin tribe of New England. I pay homage to this tribe in Servant, as Mesingw Medeu, a Lenape deity that aids my heroes, Mitch MacCleod and Buck Waltham, in their quest to release the spirit of Jedidiah Sheppard, a young man that was murdered in Blackstone.
When I wrote Servant, it was obvious to me the protagonists were a married gay cis male couple, as that is what my husband and I are and as stated the novel is largely built upon our experiences in our home. Mitch and Buck are amalgams of us and other fictional traits, but the fact that they are gay is just incidental to the story. As LGBTQ+ reviewers have stated:
“Finally, a story where a gay couple’s biggest issue ISN’T being gay.”
“It’s really gratifying to see a gay couple as the lead characters in a book who just ‘happen to be gay, and not a main plot point. Refreshing and a welcome addition to the gay fiction genre.”
It may be naïve of me, but I would like to think that as a society we have moved on from the old tropes of what gay fiction was when I was growing up during the turbulent AIDS-era decades of the 1980s/1990s along with other forms of creative expression. Servant does harken back to that time as Jedidiah Sheppard lived during the pre-Stonewall years in rural America, and that contrast is easily seen in the novel as the spirit learns of the legally married gay couple living in his previous home, a concept that he could never have imagined when he was alive.
It is my mission, if you will, to continue to write novels where the protagonists will always be gay (or at least questioning their binary nature) and that they experience the supernatural mystery set before them from the queer perspective, but their sexuality is not necessarily a main plot point, rather, simply a fact about the characters. This is the proposed niche for author Patrick R. Field.
BLURB
Not long after their move into Blackstone, married couple Mitch and Buck begin to witness strange sightings of shadowy figures, physical manifestations and inexplicable events taking place in the former Sheppard family estate nestled in the Northern Poconos of Pennsylvania. Through séances, Mitch and Buck learn from the spirit of Jedidiah Sheppard that he has not been able to cross over into the afterlife because the truth behind his sudden disappearance in 1965 has never been solved.
Through this journey, Mitch and Buck and an eccentric psychic, Gladys Munch aka Madame Fortunesta, encounter interference from the spirit of a Lenape medicine man who protects Jedidiah’s spirit. Mitch and Buck eventually realize that they have to find Jedidiah’s remains and let the authorities discover through modern detective work the evidence needed to try and convict the murderer. But is it too late for Jedidiah’s spirit to find eternal peace?
EXCERPT
Unexpectedly, the bleeding spirit floating above us ascends higher into the air and begins to fluoresce. A whitish glow emanates from Jedidiah’s form as if the full moon were reflecting on it from a transparent ceiling. His presence illuminates the entire gallery. Then without warning, the fluorescent spirit catapults itself through the largest window facing the lake, the illuminating mass rocketing toward the body of water. Once we realize what is happening, Buck and I stand quickly and run toward the window the ghost soared through (as if the physical presence of the structure did not exist) to watch the trajectory. From the middle of the lake, a hot white glow radiates and ripples, as if the energy source is underwater and the rays of light are emanating through a watery filter.
“He is showing us where his body is,” Gladys states, startling us, as she stands next to us. Her trance was broken by the departure of the host and our broken circle.
“How do you know?” Buck innocently asks.
“What else could it be?” Gladys replies.
The glow gathers and rises above the water. Within seconds, the fluorescent mass soars back toward the shore, coming back to Blackstone. Quickly, we re-assemble ourselves into our positions at the table, realigning our circle of hands, watching as the glowing ethereal cloud passes through the windowpanes and settles to hover above the table once again. The mass attains the shape of the specter of a beautiful, wounded youth.
BUY LINKS
ABOUT PATRICK R. FIELD
After twenty-five years in higher education, Patrick R. Field traded in teaching and textbooks to pursue his passion of spine-chilling fiction writing. Holding a Ph.D. in Anatomical Sciences and Neuroscience, his experience informs his writing, a unique blend of scientific knowledge with supernatural storytelling.
His non-scientific writing career began with Prince Patrick, a memoir of his precocious childhood that he wrote for his mother as she battled pancreatic cancer. This process was not only healing but helpful in stirring his creativity and marked the moment he was bitten by the writing bug.
An avid fan of Anne Rice, Edgar Allen Poe, and Joe Hill, Patrick’s subsequent novels were inspired by his favorite authors. His first fiction novel, The Malevolent, and his two latest novels, The Bedfordshire Warlock and Servant were written throughout the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Patrick is writing a paranormal gay romance novel, entitled Bloodstone, set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina involving pirate lore and blood magic.
His latest novel Servant was inspired by the supernatural events that happened to the author, his husband, and friends that have stayed in their home in northeastern Pennsylvania. Taking a page from his teaching philosophy that those who teach must never cease to learn, Patrick found himself hungry to discover all he could about the area's diverse cultures, including the Anthracite coal mining community and the indigenous tribe of the Lenape.
Patrick’s writing process is a mix between walking meditation and meticulous research. His novels form while he walks alone with his dogs, imagining plot lines and characters. Once he’s home, he quickly types notes on his computer before fleshing them out later. Research is a considerable part of his process- the scientist in him abhors “alternative facts.” When he encounters an idea or a historical thread unfamiliar to him, he researches all he can about it. While he writes about a world where the supernatural realm is prominent, the real world is always based on facts.
Patrick’s desire to bring characters to life on the page is also inspired by his time as an actor and the people he’s met along the way. When developing characters, he usually has an idea of the destination he wants for each character but the journey to get there is often written by the character and the environment. Of all the characters he’s written, Gladys Munch in Servant is his favorite, as she’s an amalgam of delightful, humorous “mature” ladies in his life and physically inspired by British actresses Margaret Rutherford (Miss Marples movies of the 1960s) and Angela Lansbury (Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit).
In addition to writing, Patrick appears on the stage of his community theater and sings in the chorus of a local opera company each summer. He enjoys spending time with his husband, Matthew, and their dogs and exploring new destinations around the world, especially those that have a supernatural history. Haunted buildings and structures associated with the occult fascinate Patrick. His idea of a perfect day: drinking pints of Guinness draught with friends and family over scintillating and humorous conversation.
3 comments:
Love the title, cover, and premise. This sounds like a must read. :)
Thank you so much for being my guest today, Patrick. I'm touched by your characters, your setting, your premise, and the way you are honoring the people on whose land we are privileged to live. I look forward to reading this book.
Thank you Adriana and Tina for hosting me on this brilliant blog! Enjoy the journey with Mitch, Buck and Gladys...and Jedidiah!
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