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.
Mike is a fifty-two year old gay Buddist in south Florida. He came out at age 13 in 1973, at which time he endured 3 years of severe psycho therapy and constant bullying. At age 16 he dropped out of school and became a drug addict. In the meantime, all of this amazing talent was bottled up and patiently waiting to get out.
What Mike gives us through his work is a combination of male beauty, sensuality and humor, not to mention male sexuality.
To see more of Mike’s art visit Flynt Art dot com
Mike always knew he was an artist. Beginning with sculpture in the 1980s, he moved on to painting several years ago, self taught with a very strong philosophy about what art is and its purpose. His work has reached a level where it is now qualified for national competition and has entered the market with a splash.
As a sculptor, Mike has worked in the White Collection in Washington D.C., and spent two years as the lead sculptor at Dynamic Imagining where he created photo realistic, life-sized sharks for BaHa nights clubs. Changing his medium to oil painting in 2000, he has been on a learning curve ever since. What you see here are among his first fully realized paintings.
Mike was born in 1960, in a suburb of Washington D.C. At age 17 he ran away and got hired as a male escort working capital hill. At 24 his first lover died of the plague, at which time his much of his gay community started dropping. He has acted in seven porn films and Continue reading 
