Yes, Jacqueline Susann of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, THE LOVE MACHINE and ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH fame wrote a science fiction novel! It was published posthumously in 1979. I've searched used books stores for at least 20 years and finally came across a copy last year in Palm Springs. It now holds a special place in my library of pop culture oddities.
I think this one is a travel guide - but I'm not sure.
The back reads: "Steve Archer was black and always seemed to be in one kind of trouble or another. When he married a white girl, his family and friends abandoned him. And then his wife betrayed him. Confused and friendless, Steve turned to pretty boy Coy Randol for love and comfort. But when Coy was found brutally murdered, the only person the police went after was Steve!" Actually, this doesn't sound so bad. The author, Joseph Hansen,went on write 15 crime novels including the Dave Brandstetter mystery series.
Cold Hands by Joseph Pintauro is the story of a "man in a maze of sexual hide-and-seek". The cover reads "She loved him. He loved him–A novel that probes a man's sexuality all the way to the explosive truth..." followed by a quote from The New York Times calling the book "Hauntingly beautiful, moving, splendid". Wow - not what I might have expected. Maybe it's not so sleazy after all. In fact, the author, Joe Pintauro is an acclaimed writer who used to have a website (link doesn't work anymore).
Wow. It always amazes me how homophobic these books were. It was like they were written by guys who were gay, but hated every moment of it- and they wanted their readers to get off and hate themselves for it. Also, I love how they try to pass the book off as a "probing study". I guess in case the guy's wife or girlfriend found the book, he could always shrug it off as a college text book for a human sexuality course. And it's not ALL gay cause there's a busty woman pictured on the cover. Right.
Looking like a TV Guide ad for a daytime soap - No Time to Care is the tale of Dr. Ian Anderson, who "cleaned up Cleveland Metropolitan Hospital, but the backlash came from unusual and powerful places to test his mettle and competency." Reading the foreward, I've learned that this is a sequel to a book called Against All Odds - which claims to be a true life tale! Wow, who knew?
Martin Moore's The Price of Pride is actually third in a series! The first two novels, Under Cover and To Dare To Be Different introduced readers to "Gary Brannon and his gay activist companion" who "have helped (to) clean up City Hall, but now there is a new menace facing Gary, inept police leadership and increasing corruption in the ranks..." Such drama! These books certainly look and sound ambitious - but one quick flip through either book reveals that these Homoquin Romances are not for the faint of heart.
Not to be confused with the paper towel of the same name, Brawny is the rare well-designed cover featuring a stunning photo of a young blonde guitarist and great typography. This 1975 page turner begins with this introduction: "A young man sat in the second row of the deserted theater staring up at Story (a character's name!) from the shadows...There was a glow in his lean good looks, tawny as if he had come in from the west. Yet he seemed too lean for the strength of his looks. He had large biceps without the knottiness of a weightlifter, and they filled his red pullover which was frayed around the edges of the short sleeves. A couple of threads hung from the waistband and gave emphasis to the bulge of his tight cords. Every worn furrow of the corduroy seemed to call attetion to the crotch..." Brawny indeed. Readers might want to keep a roll of Brawny handy... just in case. Wonder if Amazon carries it?
Music Camp by Andrew Martin was obviously the inspiration for the recent Disney Channel film, CAMP ROCK. From 1990, this novel features chapters called "Sharing a Meal," "Strategy Conference," "Plucked and Blown" and the obvious "Standing Ovation". I love that the cover features a mortice exclaiming "ALL-NEW!" so readers won't get it mixed up with other novels they may have about music camp. How thoughtful!
