Just Outside of Hope by Ron Kearse

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Thanks for joining us at It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write LGBTQ+ fiction, but it is based squarely in reality. It is what I know, it is the life that I lead. My trilogy called Road Without End is a slice of Canadian Queer history beginning in the spring of 1979 with Gay Liberation and Disco music, and ending with the city of Vancouver hosting the International Gay Olympic Games in 1990. It travels from the nightlife of 1970s Toronto, to gay life in Calgary in the early 1980s, and finally to the bars, bath houses and nude beaches of Vancouver as the 1990s begin.

If we don’t witness our own history, and put pen to paper for future generations, it will be lost for good. And, I think the fact that we lost almost an entire generation of gay men to AIDS, is the main thing that compels me to write in the genre, especially about this time, and particularly from a Canadian point of view. I think of all the young men that were lost, and all of the stories that will never be told. That’s what draws me to do this.

What research is required?

The challenge for me is conducting research on life in the real world. What is life like in some towns, cities and areas of the country that I’ve never previously been to? What is the landscape around the area like? What does the city or town look like? What is the mind-set of the people in the area? What is it like to experience being in the Canadian Armed Forces at a time when such a thing as being gay got you discharged, or court martialed? What is it like to find yourself in a situation where spending time in jail is a reality?

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

You can plan to the final detail, but sometime there’s an unknown factor that can hit you broadside and derails all of your plans. For example, in my novel Just Outside of Hope, the character Bert decides to go out to the pub for a quiet drink one night, and through no fault of his own, finds himself in police custody facing jail time. Life can be like that sometimes.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

None that I can think of. Although I do enjoy writing first thing in the morning because that is when I’m feeling the most energetic and the most creative.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Both. When I begin to write a book, or a chapter, I have a general idea of the direction in which I would like to see the action go. But I have learned over the years to be general when I plan these things. The reason being, the characters in my story tend to take over the plot at some point and then, it’s their actions that determine the direction plot will go. I’m always excited when that happens because then I don’t know what will happen next, and that’s when writing becomes an adventure.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

An end table and an antique ash tray stand.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m finishing my last novel in the Road Without End Trilogy called, Last Chance Town. I’m hoping it will be published this fall and available for Christmas. I will also be editing a second anthology of Queer Elders sharing their stories with the focus being on Queer Elders of Colour and Trans Elders. So, you can look forward to that possibly in the spring.

Just Outside of Hope, the sequel to Road Without End, moves through the early years of the 1980s. It takes us from the Canadian Prairies to the pubs, bath houses and nude beaches of Vancouver, British Columbia.

It is now September 1980 and ex-Lieutenant Jim Whitelaw is dealing with the guilt he feels from the fall out of a military tribunal, and lingering family issues which make things worse. But just as he feels he's getting his life together, cracks appear once more and he has to make some serious decisions.

Meanwhile, in a matter of a moment, Jim's friend and sometimes lover Bert Gilhuis, finds himself trapped in a serious situation that eventually sees him set off on new adventures in Vancouver.

These are two more stories in the continuing series of the lives of gay men who lived through the most exhilarating and terrifying of times.

Read an Excerpt

Bert stares silently down at the table. This moment of silence seems like forever.

“I’m going to miss the hell out of you, Jim. It’s too bad you’re leaving. We could have had something really good together.”

Then he takes a deep breath. “What does it matter though? I’m probably going off to jail for the next little while, and even if you stayed here, I probably wouldn’t be seeing much of you for God-knows-how-long anyway.”

We’re silent again.

“I think it’s good that you’re going back to help your family in their time of need,” he says. “I really hope your father will be okay, somehow, and I really hope that someday you can come back to Calgary.”

I smile at him and nod.

One of the guards knocks then opens the door. “Five minutes to count Gilhuis!” Then he shuts the door and goes back behind the counter.

“Count?” I ask, “What’s that?”

Bert looks at me sadly. “That means I have to go. They stick us back in our cells just to make sure we’re all still here,” he says with a sigh. “They do this to us about three or four times a day.”

We’re momentarily silent again.

“Bert, I won’t forget you.”

“Jim, I sure as hell will never forget you. Promise that you’ll write to me?”

I smile sadly and tell him I will. I slowly get up from the table. I look into Bert’s eyes wanting to say something, anything that won’t sound trite or superficial. But what do I say at a moment like this? I want to kiss him, to hug him, but I don’t dare, not in here.

It’s as Bert is reading my thoughts. “You don’t have to say anything, Jim. Just go. You have a life to live.”

I bow my head and leave the room. I open the door I look back to Bert. He has a sad but stoic look in his eyes.

“Goodbye, Jim.”

My voice cracks as I say, “Goodbye, Bert.”

I turn and walk through the door.

I feel overwhelming sadness. It’s strange where time brings everybody. I think of my life and twists and turns it’s taken over this past year and a half. I think of Bert, my father, Glenn, Bryn and Marcel, the military and the tribunal. I think of Cliff who has made a special trip out from Manitoba and is at my place packing some boxes for me. I think of how every change in my life seems to be more dramatic and comes at me more quickly. Somehow though, I seem to muddle through those changes and manage to carry on. I don’t know what these next years are going to bring, but I can tell you this much, I’ll conquer every single one of them. This I promise myself.

About the Author: Ron Kearse lists travelling, photography, art, reading and history as his main sources of inspiration.

An artist, broadcaster, actor and writer, Ron has a colourful and varied work resumé.

Having lived a nomadic life, Ron has finally settled in Victoria, BC where he lives with his partner James Howard.

Just Outside of Hope is the second installment in the Road Without End Trilogy, he has also published a photo book of Vancouver Street Art in the mid-1980s called Lost History.

Website: http://www.ronkearse.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonsWriting/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7042513.Ron_Kearse

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ron-Kearse-ebook/dp/B07DQS2GZY/
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Just-Outside-Hope-Sequel-Without/dp/0228813549/
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/just-outside-of-hope/9781927848340-item.html
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/just-outside-of-hope-ron-kearse/1119283120

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