Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are having a wonderful week so far. This week I’m thrilled to have fellow author Gar McVey-Russell over on my blog for a chat about his novel Sin Against the Race. Gar is also one of the amazing writers from the Bay Area Queer Writers Association whom I’ve gotten to know over the last several months. let’s get to know this incredible author and his work.
Welcome Gar, thank you for taking the time to drop by and chatting with us. We have your bio below, by way of introduction, why don’t you share with us something that isn’t in your bio.
Thank you for chatting with me! Something not in the bio. I used to ride motorcycles, exclusively, for 23 years. I haven’t been on a bike in about 13 years now, but I still have fond memories of the rides.
One of the things I found fascinating in your bio is that you wanted to be an astronomer. What was the drive behind that? Why did you decide to leave it behind?
“Out there” fascinates me. We have no idea how large a place the universe is, and its boundlessness and possibilities fascinate me. I love looking at the planets through my telescope and I love pictures of galaxies. My current wallpaper on my computer is of a galaxy (NGC 1300 for the nerds out there). Why didn’t I become an astronomer? I couldn’t hack the higher math. I’m nerdy, but my brain just isn’t built that way.
You mention you are a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek (as am I). I have to know, which is your favorite Doctor and why? Also, which Star Trek is your favorite and who is your favorite captain?
I have a theory that if you talk to someone of a certain age in the UK, you can figure out their age by asking who their favorite Doctor was. Chances are their favorite was on the air when they were 8 years old. It’s almost infallible! As an American fan of a certain age (started watching on PBS in 1980), my first Doctor is of course Tom Baker, the first to cross the pond, and he remains my favorite. Whimsical, serious, righteous, he checked all the boxes. And no one could rattle off technobabble better.
For Star Trek…there are so many now, and I haven’t seen the newer ones. I love the original probably because of the relationships. And Spock is a dream character beautifully realized by the late great Leonard Nimoy. But the captain I would want to meet is Picard. We can have high tea! (Earl Gray, of course). And a shout out to Deep Space Nine, which I thought had very intelligent stories and characters.
Getting into your novel Sin Against the Race, what was the inspiration for the story? Why did you feel this story needed to be told?
I wanted to tell a coming out story from a Black perspective and have it involve established Black institutions: The Black church and the Black political establishment. I disagree that there are “too many” coming out stories. There are as many coming out stories as there are queer folks, and they all have their differences and nuances. We haven’t exhausted “boy meets girl” stories, have we? And it’s been how many millennia?
When I came out, I felt like I had spent the first part of my life invisible to everyone, including to myself. Thus, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man had a great influence on me. It tells the story of a nameless protagonist who others see as a reflection of who they feel he should be, but never for who he is. And as a result, he doesn’t really know who he is. That message really resonated with me.
For the story specifically, I was influenced by someone I knew back in college, an acquaintance, who was active with the Black students group. I admired him from afar because he was very active in the group and seemed quite comfortable in his own skin. But then he vanished, and the rumor was that the group had a talking to with him because he was too “flamboyant,” or words to that effect. I never knew what happened to him. But his story, or at least that version of his story that I heard, formed the backbone of what happens in Sin Against the Race.
What have you enjoyed the most about the writing process and sharing your stories so far?
I like working on puzzles. My mind often jumps around and comes up with scenes and it doesn’t always work out the way I have written it, the dreaded First Draft. I like figuring out the jigsaw and putting it together in the best way possible. I always say that whatever I write has to be in service to the story. And I like to put stories out there because I like to part of the storytelling community. We’re all storytellers. Gossiping is storytelling. Jokes are storytelling. Songs are storytelling.
What can you tell us about the characters of your book? What can you tell us about Alfonso Rutherford Berry III?
Alfonso is the “invisible man” of the story, trying to figure out who he is. He has certain expectations placed upon him, being the son and grandson of noted Black political leaders. So, he knows that he has to enter the “family business.” But he also knows that he has his own interests and wants and drives that have nothing to do with being a politician. Alfonso is definitely political in the sense that he feels a motivation to fight for what he believes in; he just doesn’t want to do it as a politician.
Alfonso has a lot of friends that become part of his support group, his “family of choice,” after coming out. Some are friends of his cousin Carlton, who died of AIDS just before the story starts. Carlton’s death motivates Alfonso to look at his own life and he starts to explore some of his late cousin’s world. He hadn’t before because he was too afraid of what his father would say. Following Carlton’s advice, Alfonso seeks out and meets Sammy, who runs a local corner store or bodega and is sort of the den mother of the Black queer neighborhood close to Alfonso’s family home. Sammy is in his 60s, he’s a jazz musician, and has a backstory that explains why he feels so compelled to support young Black queer kids coming out into the life.
And Alfonso has friends around his own age, in particular Bill and Roy. Bill goes to Alfonso’s church and Roy knew Carlton and is friends with Sammy, so that brings things around full circle. All three attend the same college, which is how they meet.
You have gotten some amazing reviews for the novel including a write up from The Advocate in their, “One of “the Best Books We Read in 2018: LGBTQ Novels”. You must be very proud of this novel. What has all the positive feedback meant to you?
I’m like, oh wow, I guess I can write! It’s been very humbling. In particular I received a review on Amazon from someone in the UK. They found the story very uplifting and affirming, which I find quite humbling. As a writer, it feels amazing to know you can affect someone’s life so positively.
What can we see coming out from you next?
I’m writing a story about gay runaways, one of whom faced being sent to a gay conversion camp. So, he runs away from home. But he has a thick and heavy backstory. The story has been kicking my ass for a lot of reasons, but it’s coming along. Slowly.
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Gar thank you so much for stopping by today and chatting with us. It’s been amazing to get to know you, and please if you ever have high tea with Captain Picard send an invite my way I would love to join the two of you.
Well, Scribblers, that’s all for this week. If you have questions for Gar please drop them in the comments below. If you could please share this interview it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.
About Sin Against the Race:
Alfonso Rutherford Berry III—son of a city councilman, grandson of the state’s first African American legislator—believes that history has ordained for him but one life, and it ain’t his first love: dancing. But after a series of tragedies, starting with the death of his fierce, out cousin Carlton, his assumptions explode in his face along with his closet door.
Alfonso emerges into the life on a blanket of the jazz and blues he shared with Carlton. He hangs on Carver Street, the queer Northside of his largely black neighborhood. There, he is befriended by Carlton’s familiars: Sammy, a local storekeeper and neighborhood den mother, Bingo, a leather queen and nurse practitioner, Vera, a transgender activist and photographer, and Charlotte, his father’s political rival. At college, he becomes tight with two freshmen: Roy, an aspiring actor and acquaintance from high school and Bill, a new member of his church. He also finds love (and peril) in the form of Jameel, a long-time crush. His new life sets him on a collision course with his father, his church, and the family legacy established by his revered late grandfather.
Written in taut prose steeped in history and current events—and seasoned with the blues—Sin Against the Race follows the coming-of-age journey of a young black gay man as he progresses from an invisible councilman’s son to a formidable presence in his community.
Find more posts and information about Sin Against the Race here.
About Gar McVey-Russell:
Gar McVey-Russell began writing early in life, but thought he wanted to be an astronomer. (He also thought he was straight. Go figure.)
At UCLA, he co-created a left-leaning paper called Free Association. He also wrote commentaries for The Daily Bruin and feature articles for the LGBTQ newsmagazine Ten Percent, for which he received an award.
Gar began fiction writing in the early 90s. His work has appeared in Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS (1993), and other publications.
Sin Against the Race (2017) is his first novel.
Gar is married and lives in Oakland. And while he does not study the stars professionally, he does own a telescope and is an avid fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek.
Where to Find Gar:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/garmcveyrussell
Instagram: @garmcveyrussell
Twitter: @the_gar_spot