Some of the most interesting and intriguing emails I get come from the women who read my novels.

I hear from women of all ages, backgrounds and circumstances, and I hear from them for different reasons.  It goes beyond the fact there are strong female characters in all of my novels: the wives in Five Married Men; a sister and a nurse in A Song in the Park; a colleague in The Partisans; a wife and a seductress in The Strange Haunting of Johnny Feelwater; characters women relate to or sympathize for.  But the two main reasons seem to be: women readers are touched by human romance and intimacy, no matter the characters gender or sexual orientation; or they have found themselves in similar circumstances (their husbands, boyfriends or brothers are gay or bisexual).

Women also want to know what goes in inside a man’s head.  Stories that involve his sexuality are intriguing.  Some women are intrigued by the notion of intimacy between two males; there are some female fans who read one novel after another that involve male relationships.  It’s everything from simple curiosity to the pursuit of a fantasy to full blown fascination with male physical interaction.

Five Married Men inspires most of the e-mail I get from women, often a wife who just found out and is looking to understand and cope with her new dilemma.  She reaches out for a sympathetic listener, a neutral third party that might offer insight on what she might expect to happen next.  Given the fact she has an otherwise happy marriage, I’m honored to be able to offer words of encouragement.

Actually I’m honored to hear from all the women who contact me.  I’m often thinking about them when I write.  Simply put, no matter how attracted to men he might be, women are important factors in every man’s life.

I received the following e-mail just recently:

HI , I WOULD LOVE TO THANK YOU FOR 2 WONDERFUL HELPFUL BOOKS.  FIVE MARRIED MEN AND A SONG IN THE PARK. MY LIFE UNRAVELED 4 YRS AGO WHEN I DISCOVERED MY HUSBAND OF 17 YRS WAS HAVING SEX WITH MEN. HE IS BISEXUAL. IT WAS THE MOST DEVISTATING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. I AM SLOWLY RECOVERING. WE ARE STILL MARRIED. BOTH WORKING ON PUTTING THE PIECES BACK TOGETHER. I AM DOING MOST OF THE WORK BY MYSELF. HE DOES NOT LIKE TO TALK ABOUT HIS BISEXUALITY. HE IS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT PART OF HIS LIFE YET. YOUR BOOKS SHOWED ME HOW THE MALE MIND WORKS. THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOVE A WIFE AND WANT SEX WITH MEN. HE IS NOT HAVING SEX WITH MEN AT THIS TIME. NOT FOR THE LAST 2 YRS TO MY KNOWLEDGE. TRUST IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE. I AM ALWAYS ON GUARD FOR ANY SIGNS. I DISCOVERED HIS BISEXUALITY WHEN HE HAD LEFT HIS EMAIL UP AND I SAW HIS POSTS TO MEN. IT WAS EYE OPENING. MY WORLD WAS FOREVER CHANGED. ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE KNOW. THIS IS HARD TO DISCUSS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT LIVED THIS. YOUR WRITING HAS THE ABILITY TO HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. YOU CAN GET DEEP INTO MY FEELINGS AND HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND THEM. I AM GRATEFUL FOR THAT. THANKS FOR THE BOOKS. KEEP WRITING ON THIS SUBJECT. YOU ARE TRUELY A GIFTED AUTHOR. THANKS, (name withheld to protect her privacy)