The Oracle Blog

Today’s blog, since it is Pride Month, is more of a statement or miniature thesis on my identity, the identity of my characters, and the identity of my books. Every person has the right to choose how they are identified and that same right should extend to how my characters and books are identified. They are, after all, a direct extension of me and anywhere and everywhere both I and my books are mentioned I will likely find out and end up reading about it. I therefore feel the need to be VERY clear on my position regarding labels. For the past year... or possibly longer... there has been a very odd shift in the terminology that gets used online when it comes to gay men. Ten years ago it was not uncommon to "say gay" when that is what you mean. Which made sense: this has been the label that most of us have been comfortable with and that has been in use within the community for decades. The better half of the last century in fact! But recently it has become increasingly rare to...

Aletu! [Hello in Houma] Since I was a child, I’ve always been driven by curiosity—especially toward cultures and traditions different from my own. Growing up in the 1990's there was always an abundance of old (and new) "Country Western" movies that were showing on TV or sitting on the shelves of our local Video store. It was, in fact, one of my father's favourite genres to watch —he loved everything "country" including the music! This was also a time when kids would play "Cowboys and Crooks" or "Cowboys and Indians"... because almost every little boy wanted to be a broad-brim-hat-wearing or gun-slinging cowboy! Almost every boy except for me. When I saw films that featured Native American characters, I wasn’t drawn to the cowboys: I was captivated by the Native people. This was for so many different reasons.. some of which were pretty obvious while others I would only fully appreciate later in life. So, let's start with the obvious o...

Wh y did I decide to write? And why did I write this book? Well… that is a long story. But, lucky for you, I happen to enjoy telling stories. To understand the ending, you need to first understand the beginning—the foundation upon which everything else was built. So… let’s start there! I started out like most writers by being a voracious reader. In my case, this happened a long time ago. The year was 1998 and a little 11-year-old boy named Louis had just attended his first book fair hosted by his primary school. He didn’t have much money, just what he’d been able to save up from the pocket money he gets for helping his mother clean their apartment. Nevertheless, he saw a book that peaked his interests. That book was Sweet Valley Twins , “The Haunted House”. Later that same day he started reading it… first during break, then between classes, and eventually under the table while teachers weren’t looking. Who needs math class when you have this wonderful new world full of cool new frie...