New Novel Explores Gay Life in America Long Before Same-Sex Marriage Debate

NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Jeffrey Sharlach's critically-acclaimed new novel RUNNING IN BED (Two Harbors Press; $14.95 paperback; $7.99 eBook) looks at the experiences of a generation of gay men who came of age in the 1970s, the decade following the Stonewall uprising considered the birth of the modern gay rights movement in America. 

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Hailed by Publisher's Weekly as a "fast-moving and engaging story that will linger with the reader long after the final page is turned,"  Running in Bed tells the story of Josh Silver, an ambitious young college grad who's just landed his first job at a prestigious Madison Avenue advertising agency. Everything in his life is working out just fine—except for one nagging problem: he can't stop dreaming about men.  Josh seeks professional help to reprogram his sexual desire but in 1977 New York City's gay community is basking in the golden glow of the post-Stonewall decade and Josh finally succumbs to its lure. 

In what Kirkus called "a vibrant, accomplished debut," first-time novelist Sharlach paints a brilliant picture of life in New York for a gay man at that moment in history.   From the New York club scene to summers on Fire Island, Sharlach writes with humor, poignancy, and charm, and presents characters who are universal in their appeal.

When the AIDS crisis brings the free spirit of the 70s to a crushing end, the book's characters are forced to navigate the turmoil of an era where beauty, youth, wealth and life itself seem unimaginably fragile.  It's a personal tale for Sharlach whose own partner's life was claimed by the disease in 1994 after they had been together as a couple for nearly 13 years.

"Running in Bed is mostly a love story," Sharlach explained.  "But it was also important for me to try to capture that remarkable time in our history for future generations.  This isn't something most young people learn about in social studies class."

RUNNING IN BED
Two Harbors Press
ISBN: 978-1937293482
Publishing May 15, 2012

SOURCE Two Harbors Press