Location: United States
Member Since: Aug. 23, 2015

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Wayne Goodman

Biography

Wayne Goodman has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area most of his life (with too many cats). He hosts Queer Words Podcast, conversations with queer-identified authors about their works and lives. When not writing, Goodman enjoys playing Gilded Age parlor music on the piano, with an emphasis on women, gay, and Black composers.

Smashwords Interview

What's the story behind your latest book?
"The Seed of Immortality" comes from a melange of experiences. Initially, the spark ignited when my mother tried to teach my partner, Richard, how to play Mahjong. He suggested writing a story based on the game, and my first reaction was, "That's a silly idea!" Then I remembered a book I had recently seen that based its chapters on cards from the Spanish-language version of Lotto. The helped me to come up with the idea of using terms and ideas from Mahjong as the spine for the story.
One of my favorite books is "Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart. It relates the travels of two men throughout China about 1,500 years ago as they searched for the cure for a plague that could count. The idea of a Chinese roadtrip/picaresque appealed to me, as I also appreciate the amazing culture that blossomed in China. Along with that, "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff had introduced me to "The Vinegar Tasters," an old drawing illustrating the contrast among the three great philosophers Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu. Richard previously introduced me to the myth of Shen Lung, the Blue Dragon, and the combination of all of this, stir-fried and doused in Sweet & Sour Sauce, became "The Seed of Immortality."
What are you working on next?
As with many authors, I have a handful of ideas juggling around for "the next book."
One of my passions is mid- to late-Nineteenth Century piano music, and one day I sat playing a delightful piece by Tchaikovsky, and thought, "What a wonderful era to produce such beautiful music." I started looking into the history of Victorian Russia and discovered a treasure trove of goodies from which to choose.
The book I am focusing on now follows two men who work in the employment of the Russian Royal Family. They slowly become lovers, and over the course of 35 years, they discover and share with the reader many of the amazing times brought about by the Tsars and the popular culture of Russia.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Wayne Goodman online

Twitter: @WGoodmanbooks
Facebook: Facebook profile

Where to buy in print

http://ingramspark.com

Books

BAQWA Presents: Queer Cheer! by , , , , , , , , , , &
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 49,050. Language: English. Published: September 1, 2023 . Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - multi-author, Fiction » LGBTQ+ » General
An Anthology of holiday-themed works from members of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association
Lazarus in St. Petersburg by
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 65,080. Language: English. Published: August 29, 2023 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General, Fiction » Historical » Victorian
Would you alter the course of history if you had foreknowledge of a catastrophic event? Lazarus wrestles with this dilemma as he carries on his business as a healer in 1879 St. Petersburg. Accustomed to working with the talented and prominent, his charmed life gets upended with the introduction of a peculiar boy apprentice who might be the malevolent instrument of fate.
Tim-Tam & the Space Pirates: Race to the Phantom Moon by
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 40,280. Language: English. Published: December 1, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Intermediate, Fiction » Children’s books » Action & Adventure / Pirates
If you could go anywhere and do anything you wanted, what would you choose? Join non-identical twins Timothy (Tim) and Tamara (Tam) on their adventures aboard the intergalactic, interdimensional space pirate ship Richard the Fourth. Meet strange aliens, travel to places no human has ever gone, and get home in time for dinner.
All the Right Places by
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 46,120. Language: English. Published: March 13, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay
All the Right Places is a collection of short stories, most written for submission to anthologies or collections. Starting in the near future and proceeding to the near past, men interact with other men in the pursuit of love and companionship.
Princess Aina: Queen Victoria's Yoruba Godchild (U.K. Edition) by
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 18,680. Language: British English. Published: October 30, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom, Fiction » Children’s books » Historical / Africa
A young girl is whisked away from her home in Africa to the court of Queen Victoria. Based on a true story.
Princess Aina: Queen Victoria's Yoruba Godchild by
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 18,680. Language: English. Published: October 12, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom, Fiction » Children’s books » Historical / Africa
A young girl is whisked away from her home in Africa to the court of Queen Victoria. Based on a true story.
Borimir: Serving the Tsars by
Price: $4.95 USD. Words: 41,900. Language: English. Published: July 8, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » General
"Borimir: Serving the Tsars" follows the lives of two men working for the House of Romanov, starting in 1880. As they get to know each other, they also explore the burgeoning Gay culture of St. Petersburg through concerts at the Conservatory of Music, art exhibits at the home of a wealthy socialite, and White Night celebrations along Nevsky Prospekt.
Fortune's Lot by
Price: $6.95 USD. Words: 130,650. Language: English. Published: February 28, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » Ancient
Based on the first English-language Gay Novel, "Live and Learn" by Gothic author Francis Lathom, "Fortune's Lot" is a retelling that brings the historically-significant but nearly-lost work back into the public eye. "Fortune's Lot" follows the roundabout adventures of a young man known only as the town barber's nephew as he rises in fortune and power during England of the 1820s.
Better Angels by
Price: $6.95 USD. Words: 95,590. Language: English. Published: June 5, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » General, Fiction » Historical » USA
Joseph Asten, a handsome, 23-year-old farmer living in the Allegheny River Valley shortly after the Civil War, secretly longed for intimacy and love with other men. He devised a misguided plan to marry a woman who knew of his “dual nature” then his life took some unexpected, fateful turns.
Vanya Says, "Go!" -- A Retelling of Mikhail Kuzmin's "Wings" by
Price: $6.95 USD. Words: 62,920. Language: English. Published: October 20, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » Victorian
In 1906, Mikhail Kuzmin published Wings, the first book in Russian to discuss same-sex  relationships in a positive light. With Vanya Says, ‘Go!,’ Wayne Goodman retells the story from the perspective of the young man at the heart of the tale. The original work contained only three sections, but a fourth has been added to round out the story and provide some closure.
The Last Great Hope by
Price: $5.95 USD. Words: 73,360. Language: English. Published: August 31, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » USA
A retired Secret Service agent, with secrets of his own, is brought out of retirement to locate a baby he had been assigned to adopt out under an assumed name. It turns out that the child was the son of John and Jackie Kennedy, born after the assassination. His journey across the U.S. also includes his own coming-out process, and he winds up in San Francisco being pursued by a younger man.
The Seed of Immortality by
Price: $5.95 USD. Words: 75,910. Language: English. Published: August 27, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » Ancient
Three great philosophies and a mythological blue dragon lead a peasant and his conniving friend on a series of adventures throughout Ancient China. Along the way they visit the Great Wall, sail down the Yangtze, and have an audience with the first Emperor in his mysterious subterranean palace. Attention: This book contains some male-male erotic passages.
Britain's Glory: Charlotte -- The People's Princess by
Price: $4.95 USD. Words: 18,680. Language: English. Published: August 25, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom
A dramatized account of the life of Princess Charlotte Augusta, granddaughter of King George III of Great Britain

Wayne Goodman's tag cloud

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