Rifle closed the book and lay it in his coat. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it over his shoulders. He walked to the front of the wagon and sat on the axle to remove his boots. He set them under the canvas and laid his shirt across them. In the dark he removed his trousers and slipped into the still warmth below the wagon. He lifted the quilt he d spread there and crawled under it. He closed his eyes and waited. So silently did the canvas flap move behind him, he would not have known it had parted except he felt a cool, fresh breeze from outside the shelter. He felt the quilt lift and the overwhelming warmth which joined him from behind. An arm slipped around his waist and lips touched the back of his neck. That s one, the voice whispered. That one doesn t count, Rifle said. They only count above the chin and below the waist. He turned in Edward s arms and kissed him deeply. I ll have to teach you everything, I m afraid. I learn quickly. Rifle felt the tightness of their loins and the urgency building between then. The first lesson begins Don t talk. Nothing else was said before the morning. "Woodward's historical fiction, Symmetry, the story of Rifle McCormack, a half Cherokee, half Irish man, ...brings tenderness, romance and love to a tumultuous time. Rifle's community is torn apart in the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation relocation in the early 1800s. Rifle lives in two worlds. In one he is Cherokee, sharing the heritage, traditions and ways of his people. In another he is white, or 'yoneg' as the Cherokee say, where he reads Shakespeare and poetry, serves as a diplomat to all and falls in love with another white man. Lieutenant Edward Hatcher...is intrigued by the Cherokee and unlike most other soldiers, he fights to move his group quickly to the new territory, with as few deaths as possible. Although Woodward's book is fictional, his ability to bring in a historical era makes...Symmetry...a genuinely moving romance that brings a different perspective to historical times. As the title suggests, it is a story about the balance of two worlds. It is about two men who fall in love, who are not always accepted, do not belong fully to any group, and who bring to life, sweetness and genuine hearts to an otherwise challenging and painful time." Christina Claassen Copyright 2005 ForeWordreviews.com

The Rendezvous, the city's biggest gay brothel, is under attack, and poor Logan and his misfit band of detectives must track down the culprit before the whole place blows up. Through a strange turn of events, Logan finds himself caught with his pants down, running away, and taking refuge in the brothel's kitchen. There, some bizarre threats lead to murder and kidnapping, and Logan and his friends must track down the culprit behind the attacks before things explored-possibly literally. They are a brave bunch of detectives: Mikey, the twink with the adorable infant son who lives in an apartment with his mom; a fifty-year-old man who wears black suits, pink gingham aprons, and white pearls; Miss Jason, the high fashion drag queen; her husband, Antoine, the superb chef who operates the Rendezvous; and Freddie and Foxy Baggett, father/daughter gangsters who share an uncommon resemblance, as well as assorted other members of Logan's motley crew. Somehow they all end up in the Buick and the Cadillac and the Porsche and the Escort and the Lincoln-oh, yes, and the Vespa-while getting tied up with duct tape, worked over with wine bottles, and shot at. Quite a tangled mess, you know.

Timothy Evans-Barnes is three and lives with his fathers in an apartment above their bar and grill, The Pickled Pepper. His grandfather, Miss Jason, runs The Rendezvous, the most successful gay brothel and restaurant in the state. His great-grandfather prefers to be called Mom and wears daffodil aprons and bright yellow earrings; he manages a homeless shelter for that well-known Sripper-for-God, the Reverend Margie Bartholomew.

Timothy spends his days playing with his babysitter, Sandra Dee, and watching the cats who parade down Peters Street and Piper Avenue and the rats who hover around the alley trash bins. On the same day that Mike and Logan, his parents, discover he has learned a new word - something Miss Jason says he learned 'genetically' - Timmy becomes terrified that someone is being eaten by the rodent population.

Join the Rendezvous gang in this new adventure in mystery, and meet the latest members of the team: a Ringling Brothers clown, a laundromat owner who names her children for Hollywood stars, all four stooges, assorted professors, a fraternity stud, all following Miss Jason into rat infested tunnels while investigating murder.

This time Miss Jason might just get her merit badge in Detective. . .if it's designed by Donatella Versace

About The First Rendezvous Mystery, "RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS." . . this novel with its tongue twisting title seemingly came out of nowhere to land squarely on my list of favorites for this year. This is a book not to be missed.

Drewey Wayne Gunn, "Lambda Literary Review, " author of "The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film"

The Rendezvous, the city's biggest gay brothel, is under attack, and poor Logan and his misfit band of detectives must track down the culprit before the whole place blows up. Through a strange turn of events, Logan finds himself caught with his pants down, running away, and taking refuge in the brothel's kitchen. There, some bizarre threats lead to murder and kidnapping, and Logan and his friends must track down the culprit behind the attacks before things explored-possibly literally. They are a brave bunch of detectives: Mikey, the twink with the adorable infant son who lives in an apartment with his mom; a fifty-year-old man who wears black suits, pink gingham aprons, and white pearls; Miss Jason, the high fashion drag queen; her husband, Antoine, the superb chef who operates the Rendezvous; and Freddie and Foxy Baggett, father/daughter gangsters who share an uncommon resemblance, as well as assorted other members of Logan's motley crew. Somehow they all end up in the Buick and the Cadillac and the Porsche and the Escort and the Lincoln-oh, yes, and the Vespa-while getting tied up with duct tape, worked over with wine bottles, and shot at. Quite a tangled mess, you know.

Timothy Evans-Barnes is three and lives with his fathers in an apartment above their bar and grill, The Pickled Pepper. His grandfather, Miss Jason, runs The Rendezvous, the most successful gay brothel and restaurant in the state. His great-grandfather prefers to be called Mom and wears daffodil aprons and bright yellow earrings; he manages a homeless shelter for that well-known Sripper-for-God, the Reverend Margie Bartholomew.

Timothy spends his days playing with his babysitter, Sandra Dee, and watching the cats who parade down Peters Street and Piper Avenue and the rats who hover around the alley trash bins. On the same day that Mike and Logan, his parents, discover he has learned a new word - something Miss Jason says he learned 'genetically' - Timmy becomes terrified that someone is being eaten by the rodent population.

Join the Rendezvous gang in this new adventure in mystery, and meet the latest members of the team: a Ringling Brothers clown, a laundromat owner who names her children for Hollywood stars, all four stooges, assorted professors, a fraternity stud, all following Miss Jason into rat infested tunnels while investigating murder.

This time Miss Jason might just get her merit badge in Detective. . .if it's designed by Donatella Versace

About The First Rendezvous Mystery, "RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS." . . this novel with its tongue twisting title seemingly came out of nowhere to land squarely on my list of favorites for this year. This is a book not to be missed.

Drewey Wayne Gunn, "Lambda Literary Review, " author of "The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film"

Rifle closed the book and lay it in his coat. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it over his shoulders. He walked to the front of the wagon and sat on the axle to remove his boots. He set them under the canvas and laid his shirt across them. In the dark he removed his trousers and slipped into the still warmth below the wagon. He lifted the quilt he d spread there and crawled under it. He closed his eyes and waited. So silently did the canvas flap move behind him, he would not have known it had parted except he felt a cool, fresh breeze from outside the shelter. He felt the quilt lift and the overwhelming warmth which joined him from behind. An arm slipped around his waist and lips touched the back of his neck. That s one, the voice whispered. That one doesn t count, Rifle said. They only count above the chin and below the waist. He turned in Edward s arms and kissed him deeply. I ll have to teach you everything, I m afraid. I learn quickly. Rifle felt the tightness of their loins and the urgency building between then. The first lesson begins Don t talk. Nothing else was said before the morning. "Woodward's historical fiction, Symmetry, the story of Rifle McCormack, a half Cherokee, half Irish man, ...brings tenderness, romance and love to a tumultuous time. Rifle's community is torn apart in the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation relocation in the early 1800s. Rifle lives in two worlds. In one he is Cherokee, sharing the heritage, traditions and ways of his people. In another he is white, or 'yoneg' as the Cherokee say, where he reads Shakespeare and poetry, serves as a diplomat to all and falls in love with another white man. Lieutenant Edward Hatcher...is intrigued by the Cherokee and unlike most other soldiers, he fights to move his group quickly to the new territory, with as few deaths as possible. Although Woodward's book is fictional, his ability to bring in a historical era makes...Symmetry...a genuinely moving romance that brings a different perspective to historical times. As the title suggests, it is a story about the balance of two worlds. It is about two men who fall in love, who are not always accepted, do not belong fully to any group, and who bring to life, sweetness and genuine hearts to an otherwise challenging and painful time." Christina Claassen Copyright 2005 ForeWordreviews.com