As an author, you must read widely yourself. Sometimes, you may come across books that you feel are not as well written as they could be. Other times, perhaps, you read something that impresses your deeply. What two or three books have you read in your lifetime impressed you the most and perhaps even influenced you as a writer?

David Avery Hi, Paul - thank you for reaching out and for posing such an interesting question.

In the realm of gay fiction, Alan Hollinghurst's THE SWIMMING-POOL LIBRARY and THE LINE OF BEAUTY really impressed me and perhaps influenced me in terms of how well, smartly, and honestly they were written. I also really liked Paul Russell's SEA OF TRANQUILITY (I felt like I had never read anything like it when I first read it - maybe time to go read it again!) and THE COMING STORM (for raw eroticism, which felt real to me in ways that fiction usually doesn't, particularly gay-themed fiction that is written for female/mainstream audiences).

I was blown away by Jeffrey Eugenides' MIDDLESEX. I didn't think it would be for me, but a friend badgered me to read it. Once I started, I could not put it down. As a writer, I am humbled by his brilliance and abilities.

For his body of work overall, I have been extremely impressed and most likely influenced by Edmund White even though, and apologies for my impertinence, I have found the quality of his books to be uneven sometimes. I feel guilty even thinking that, because he was such a trailblazer and is in many ways the grandfather of gay fiction.

Thank you again!

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