What does male sexuality have to do with Martin Brant Novels?
Within the general brotherhood of man, concerning male sexuality, a significant percentage of men live with a closely guarded secret. More common than most people think, these men are dealing a same sex attraction. Most people, other than those they may have shared their secret with, don’t realize how many men have some degree of sexual attraction to other men. Contrary to most moral codes and various religious beliefs, these feelings are quite common and natural. They are feelings that number among the human emotions I deal with through the characters in my novels.
A writer’s first priority, mine included, is to tell a good story. Any writer worth his or her salt wants to create a thoughtfully written story and entertain those who read his or her work. It could be a murder mystery like my latest novel, Copperas Cove, where Jonathon Scott, recently divorced, leaves Pittsburgh to start a new life and finds himself entangled in the bigoted dramas of 1950s Mississippi; or a WWII action/adventure like The Partisans, where two men on an important mission in France stumble upon a bright new future; or a tale of romance like A Song in the Park, where two men at odds with their past cross paths and start facing life’s challenges together. Good stories have characters and characters have personalities, personalities that are very much a part of the whole and make for a more intriguing book. Often the character’s personality can be a story within a story, or it can be the story itself, as in books such as Catcher in the Rye, or my first novel Five Married Men.
Why the element of same sex attraction?
For me it’s a fascination with the vast diversity of human nature. It’s a part of the human race that, for various reasons, many don’t understand. Many of us have been indoctrinated to belief there is something wrong with being attracted to a member of our own sex, which includes the majority of those who are. These are the men who keep secrets, who often feel guilty, who somehow believe there is something wrong with them. Though you may not feel attracted to members of your own sex, you know someone who does. It may be your brother or sister, your neighbor or a colleague at work, your cousin or best friend; it may even be your husband or wife. And chances are you don’t know their secret exists.
Considered a blessing or a curse, or both, the degree of same sex attraction varies from one man to the next; from a mild curiosity that leaves him feeling either guilty or warm inside, to a full blown and exclusive attraction to one’s own sex. Though the same holds true for both men and women, my focus and my novels are about men (and the women in their lives). And for some reason, same sex attractions seem more prevalent in men, though it is also considered by many as more unnatural and less acceptable.
So why would an author that wants to write a compelling mainstream tale include characters with a same sex attraction? Maybe I believe human sexuality in itself is compelling. Maybe, through my novels, I would like to help broaden human understanding. Maybe a part of me wants to say it’s okay.
Knowing what you know now, if you could go back to this age, would you enjoy your youth more?
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Terry never give up hope. One day you will find someone who you love and you will forget about the lonely days. LOL
love the pictures esp number 5,6,and 7
Most definitely…….By having done so then I would not have the stigma of “coming out” now to my children. I feel their lack of understanding now as well as then would preempt my decision making process.
I also want to add that some of these photo are very loving in what they trying to convey. Great job Martin
Yes and no in that it would still be hard to come out as being bisexual and to have parents yelling at you or disowning you
for your choice . But on the other hand finding some one at that age that thinks and feels lile you do would of been a big help as I got older. Being able to explore ones feeling at a young age with another like mind as a friend of mind would say would be perfect.
yes i would for sure go back to around about this guys age… Only because for me i felt and feel that i lost a lot of my life because now i wished that back then that i should of came out that i’m gay. I lead a very lonely life because i refused back then that i was gay. It toke me almost half of my life to come out , to tell my family and some friends..
Because of it i didn’t have a social life, i didn’t meet any nice guys or a relationship with any one until much later in my early forties… My first partner died in a car crash a few years later.. My second partner use to abuse me.. So now i’m on my own again and so given up on finding any one else…. But may be if i came out many many years ago just may be my life might be better to what it is now…
So hey guys don’t leave it to late to admit to who you are. I had a terrible time.
enjoy who you are don’t hide it , don’t be a shame of being BI gay or what ever..
Would I go back? No. Always so much drama then! That was then, this is now. I’m content to live in the present. Beautiful photos, though. Thanks.
I became sexually active at a fairly tender age, and looking back I’m so glad I was – so much pleasure and adventure I’d have missed otherwise. Far from blaming the men who taught me to enjoy my own body (and theirs), I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
Hi Martin,
Thank you very much for your messages, they are so artistic, and beautiful, I love it, put me joy every time I received one, I will send you a picture of me soon. Have a good day