Larry Benjamin. Wordsmith. Writer. Author.

We lost our beloved Lhasa Apso, Coco , last September. She’d had a heart condition, so her loss wasn’t entirely unexpected but it was devastating nonetheless. Her slow decline was heartbreaking and painful to watch. After taking a cue from her and consulting with her primary vet and her cardiologist we decided it was time to let her go. My husband met us at the vet at the appointed hour. I remember him sitting on the bench in the exam room crying as I held her. “I thought I was ready,” he said between sobs, “But I’m not. I’m not.” My heart broke for all of us: for Coco, for him, for myself. She’d been a great dog, stubborn and regal and difficult, but utterly herself and a fighter to the end. We still had Toby, our silky terrier. He seemed fine, we assured ourselves. He enjoys being an only dog finally and getting our undivided attention, we said. We weren’t ready for another dog, couldn’t face the devastation that would come with another loss. We’d lost two dogs already and I w...

Today marks one year since Beaten Track Publishing  released of my third book, the gay coming-of-age/romance novel, Unbroken   . And what a year it has been. Unbroken was both a 2014 IPPY (Independent Publishers) Gold medalist and a Lambda Literary Award finalist in the Gay Romance category.   That led to the opportunity to join other finalists at readings in New York   and Philadelphia .   But perhaps most significantly, the publication of Unbroken allowed me to reconnect me with my childhood crush, Jose, who is the real life basis for the character of Jose, Lincoln de Chabert’s lifelong love in Unbroken.   Getting to know him as an adult, confessing that long ago first crush has been both cathartic and illuminating. Now seems like a good time to thank reviewers who read the book and wrote reviews, as well as the readers who not only spent their hard earned cash to buy the book but who also took the time to read the book and post a review on Go...

I have a commute to work which, if not, soul killing, is at least soul numbing , but my car has a premium sound system with 10 speakers. Music is my sanity. I happen to love songs that tell a story, that contain a message. So many top 10 hits and pop songs don’t tell a story or tell a story that makes no sense, so MeghanTrainor’s “All About That Bass” really caught my attention. It spoke to the misfit I am, have always been . Before I go any further, let me say I have always embraced my inner (and outer) misfit. I was fortunate enough never to suffer from the need to fit in, which was a good thing because I neither fit in, nor blend; blending to me equals death. Skinny, sissified, I never had any hope of “passing;” I didn’t have the desire either. I wouldn’t try to pass for straight (even if I could) any more than I would try to pass for white (if I could). “I’m all about that bass, ‘bout that bass, no treble.” As I understand it she’s referring to her size (“I ain’t no si...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…-- Corinthians 13:4-13   Photo courtesy of Steven Tutein, Total Focus Studios My older brother, Michael , married Susie Q Wong this weekend and in a surprising turn of events I ended up being his best man. As a romance writer, I love weddings and this one was no exception. What is posted here is essentially a transcript of my best man’s speech and toast. The accompanying photos are courtesy of our cousin, Steve Tutein, a gifted photographer with Total Focus Studios .   Love does not boast, love is not proud.   In the last year or so, Michael and I started talking regularly—well that is to say, I talked; he mostly made snar...

This week, I'm catching up with author, Ashavan Doyon who started out writing fan fiction and who has a new release from Torquere Press. Thanks for having me today, Larry. I'm here to talk about Steven's Heart , my new release from Torquere Press, but perhaps it'd be best to start with a bit of an introduction of myself first, and then the book. I've been writing for a long time, almost all my life. I started on an old portable manual when I was just a little kid, writing Smurfs fan fiction. I always loved to read, from a very young age. I won't talk so much about my influences, because I did that earlier in the blog tour, but I will say they were seriously bent toward fantasy and science fiction.    I grew up as a kid in Georgia and Texas, moving around a lot. Shortly after I reached my teenage years I moved to Massachusetts. It could not have come at a better time for me. I had reached a crisis point dealing with my sexuality, and as hard as the struggl...

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I recently married my longtime partner (see Musings Stanley (left) and me with Stacey Thomas of a New Husband, June 29, 2014 . Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of marrying some bright prince. And as a writer of gay romance, I’ve written gay weddings into two of my books, brilliant, extravagant affairs both. The wedding in What Binds Us ,  included a groom on horseback and “Ten thousand pale pink roses—an entire crop from Holland flown in that morning,” while at the comparatively simpler wedding in Unbroken “it seemed everyone in the world was there” including a flock of startled peacocks. Yet, when it came to my own wedding, panic set in. I didn’t know where to start. I knew I didn’t want to get married in a church and I knew there wouldn’t be hundreds, or even dozens of guests in attendance. In desperation—at that point we only had two weeks to get married on our 17 th anniversary—I goggled “weddings in Philadelphia.” The P...

I've been invited to answer these questions by Debbie McGowan, author of contemporary fiction. Her current titles include the series, “Hiding Behind the Couch,” "Champagne," and "Checking Him Out." Further info and download links can be found on Deb’s website . What am I working on? I’m working on a short story for an anthology of Christmas stories due to be released in November. I don’t want to give too much away but I will say it’s a holiday love story but not a traditional Christmas story. Understanding the difficulties many of our gay youth are still facing, despite the strides we’ve made in recent years, I wanted to respect that experience. The story, “The Christmas Present,” reintroduces a character from my most recent release, “The Wheelbarrow,” which is part of an anthology from Liphar Magazine , Liphar Short Stories Vol. 1 .   How does my work differ from others in its genre? I suppose every writer likes to believe his or her writing is ...