Manhattan Series by Timothy James Beck

New Yorker Daniel Stephenson had made a name for himself with his drag persona, Princess 2Di4, when the sudden death of the real Princess Di drained all the pleasure from his performances. Taking the advice (and financial support) of a wealthy aunt, he decides to "toss the tiara and get a life." Unfortunately, Daniel's only degrees are in "extensive show tune knowledge, advanced lip-synch, and how to cover up a five o'clock shadow... moreNew Yorker Daniel Stephenson had made a name for himself with his drag persona, Princess 2Di4, when the sudden death of the real Princess Di drained all the pleasure from his performances. Taking the advice (and financial support) of a wealthy aunt, he decides to "toss the tiara and get a life." Unfortunately, Daniel's only degrees are in "extensive show tune knowledge, advanced lip-synch, and how to cover up a five o'clock shadow." With his best friend beginning to die from AIDS, his ex-boyfriend prowling around, and his ex-boyfriend's new boyfriend making a pass at Daniel, what's a boy to do but throw himself into intensive weeding and planting of his new apartment garden? And if a handsome stranger should smile down at him from a nearby window, so much the better. Timothy James Beck's debut novel is detailed, realistic, and continually interesting. His main character spends so much energy exhaustively "processing" what happens to him, however, that this might as well have been a lesbian novel. With a little editing, It Had to Be You would have been a much stronger book, but patient readers will agree that Beck shows great promise along the lines of Felice Picano and Neal Drinnan. --Regina Marler less

Beck revisits territory familiar from his debut novel, He's the One (2003), a romantic comedy in which his protagonist, Daniel, a sometimes drag queen, gardens by moonlight in the hope of attracting the attentions of handsome neighbor Blaine... moreBeck revisits territory familiar from his debut novel, He's the One (2003), a romantic comedy in which his protagonist, Daniel, a sometimes drag queen, gardens by moonlight in the hope of attracting the attentions of handsome neighbor Blaine. Now in the aftermath of their romance, ex-lover Daniel (who's very out) is busy acting straight in the soap opera Secret Splendor, while Beck presents the Manhattan milieu from the point of view of closeted ad executive Blaine, who's adjusting to the breakup while working on a key cosmetics account with signature model Sheila, his ex's best friend. While he's preparing to head up his client's new in-house agency, Sheila's trying to make time in her photo shoot-filled schedule to get married, and in the middle of all these major transitions, Blaine decides to father a child with his best pal and learns that gay fatherhood is a man-magnet. less

Being Invisible Is Nick Dunill's M.O. For nineteen years, he's been "the one who disappears" to his disapproving, Midwestern family. And now in New York City, a metropolis of anonymity built on not making eye contact, he feels right at home... moreBeing Invisible Is Nick Dunill's M.O. For nineteen years, he's been "the one who disappears" to his disapproving, Midwestern family. And now in New York City, a metropolis of anonymity built on not making eye contact, he feels right at home. Walking the streets of the Village, sneaking into dive bars, cleaning apartments, and trying to co-exist in a cramped apartment with his three roommates, Nick's trying to find his way without doing anything to put his wounded heart at risk, all the while wondering, "Does anything last?" But Nick's vanishing act is about to be challenged in ways he never dreamed. Little by little, he's being forced into the land of the living--into relationships and opportunities, love and sex, truth and acceptance, into the heartbreaking secrets of his past and the hopeful chances of his future. And the more visible Nick becomes, the more he realizes that in life and love, disappearing is not an option. . . "A book to get lost in."-"Bay Area Reporter" on "Someone Like You" "Funny and touching with wonderful characters."-"The Texas Triangle" on "He's The One" "A charming, humorously appealing tale."-"Publishers Weekly" on "It Had To Be You" Timothy James Beck is the author of "Someone Like You, I'm Your Man, He's the One, " and "It Had to Be You." He divides his time between California, Texas, and New York, where he's hard at work on his next novel. less