The QLP BOOK CLUB: Clarence A. Haynes on his horror glam novel, writing sexy scenes and the legacy of Octavia Butler

I was thrilled to have Clarence A. Haynes join the QLP Book Club to discuss his solo debut The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery, which he describes as an urban fantasy and glam horror novel, and is now available in paperback.First, a bit of background: Clarence also co-wrote Omar Epps’s acclaimed young adult sci-fi/fantasy title Nubia: The Awakening and its sequel, The Reckoning. Additionally, he is the author of the nonfiction work The Legacy of Jim Crow, which provides young readers with an overview of the history of discriminatory laws in America. His new novel, The Broken Hearts Agency, is in the same universe speculative fiction universe as Ghosts of Gwendolyn, and it comes out in June.Clarence’s family emigrated from Panama, and he was born and grew up in the Bronx during the 1970s-‘90s, and he now lives in Brooklyn, New York. The book is infused with Caribbean culture and is steeped in Afro-Latine traditions, such as Santeria, which focuses on the orishas (deities). His main protagonist, Gwendolyn, was born in Panama and emigrated as well. So I was curious what inspired him to craft this fabulous, code-switching heroine at the center of his novel as well as Fonsi Harewood, the co-protagonist.Fonsi is a queer Afro-Latine medium from the South Bronx who runs a botanica (a shop selling spiritual goods) called La Playa, and he is involved in a love triangle with a ghost and his mortal ex. Listen in because I play a sexy scene from Chapter 2 that exemplifies how Fonsi is getting his erotic energy from these spicy encounters with a spirit named Amadé.Having Fonsi as “sidekick” could have easily slid into a “magical queer" trope, where an LGBTQ+ character exists only to help a straight protagonist, but Clarence makes sure Fonsi’s subplot is integral. In fact, both Gwendolyn and Fonsi struggle with “buried” versions of themselves, and they both struggle to find a “mortal” love while dealing with their mystical lives.Before we wrapped up the discussion, I asked Clarence about meeting the legendary queer author Octavia Butler (which was the subject of a new biography, Positive Obsession, out last year), who’s best known for her books Kindred and Parable of the Sower. He explained that they met at the Borders in Columbus Circle for a signing of her sci-fi vampire book, Fledgling. “I was editing at the time, not writing,” he explained. “She told me, ‘You need to write; we need your voice.’ And there are things in my book, The Broken Hearts Agency, that are my homage to her. It’s my way of honoring her work and saying, ‘I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it wasn’t for her.’”You can find Clarence’s solo debut here (and pre-order The Broken Hearts Agency now)!The Queer Love Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Queer Love Project at queerloveproject.substack.com/subscribe