Thank you, Author’s Lounge for inviting me to write about my debut novel, The Complexities of Love. The book took me five years to write and is a coming-of-age romance set in Australia. It’s about Mark, a thirteen-year-old closet gay male who tries to navigate his way through life hoping his family won’t find out he is gay. His best friend, Dave disappeared when they were teenagers and Dave wrote Mark a letter saying he wanted to ask him a question. Dave returns ten years later in the ’70s, and Mark can’t wait to see him. Dave’s parents are having a welcome home party for him, and Mark wants to know if Dave still has feelings for him.
Anyone who has been in a relationship knows how complex it can be. It’s not just about the person we love, it encompasses so much more like race, religion, and what other family members think about our boyfriend/girlfriend. My novel is not your typical boy meets girl/boy romance where they fall in love and live happily ever after. This book is about family bonds, complex sibling relationships, and Mark’s family history.
I was inspired to write the book because I have three gay relatives, one of which used to confide in me about he felt and what he was going through in the ’70s and beyond. I was the only person in my family (and our relatives) who accepted him. I wanted the world to know what it was like being gay in the ’60s and ’70s. In Australia, gay marriage has been legal since December 2017, but in many countries, there is still a stigma about gay people, and they can’t marry. Imagine how it would feel if you loved someone and society didn’t accept you because you were the same sex and you couldn’t marry. I would be devastated if that happened to me.
The target audience for my book is teenagers to adults. It comes under LGBT, Romance, YA Contemporary, and Fiction. When I was querying The Complexities of Love, I thought the world wasn’t interested in people from the LGBT community and what they’ve been through in life up until now. I want people who read my novel to feel that they are not alone and that there are people in the world just like them who are going through the same thing. Everyone deserves to love and be loved regardless of who they choose, and they should be allowed to get married.
I write a six-word story or a poem on Twitter every day. Sometimes my poetry is about what is happening around the world or about thoughts and feelings my characters have or that I have. I know people can relate to what I’ve written because they tell me. I also ask people questions to gauge what they think and feel about different things. You can find me on Twitter @MQuigley1963. My poetry is like a rough draft to get my creative juices flowing for the day. I was taught to look at a picture and write how I feel without editing it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just the fact that I’ve written The Complexities of Love is enough. I also post about my life and my novel on Instagram using the same handle.
I am currently writing a novel about abuse. Many people suffer in silence and say nothing. Some women and men over the past years are starting to have the courage to speak out. Something needs to be done to make people feel safe wherever they are and whatever they’re doing. I hope that the novel I’m writing will give readers the courage to report it and walk away.
I was born and raised in Victoria, Australia, and have an Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. My work has been published in anthologies in America, Australia, India, the UK, and the Philippines. I also have a blog where I post about writing. When I’m not writing I love to meditate, do yoga, cook or do gardening and go for long walks with my husband and two dogs.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/mquigley1963/
