Activist. Journalist. Survivor. One man's journey from prejudice to Pride. Paul Burston wasn't always the iconic voice of LGBTQ+ London that he is today. Paul came out in the mid-1980s, when 'gay' still felt like a dirty word, especially in the small Welsh town where he grew up. He moved to London hoping for a happier life, only to watch in horror as his new-found community was decimated by AIDS. But even in the depths of his grief, Paul vowed never to stop fighting back on behalf of his young friends whose lives were cut tragically short. It's a promise he's kept to this day. As an activist he stormed the House of Commons during the debate over the age of consent. As a journalist he spoke up for the rights of the community at a time of tabloid homophobia and legal inequality. As a novelist he founded the groundbreaking Polari Prize. But his lifestyle hid a dark secret, and Paul's demons-shame, trauma, grief-stalked him on every corner. In an attempt to silence them, he began to self-medicate. From almost drowning at eighteen to a near-fatal overdose at thirty-eight, this is Paul's story of what happened in the twenty years between, and how he carved out a life that his teenage self could scarcely have imagined. Emotional but often witty, We Can Be Heroes is an illuminating memoir of the eighties, nineties and noughties from a gay man who only just survived them.

A compulsive, disturbingly relevant, twisty and powerful psychological, social-media thriller ... NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 'Brilliantly twisty. I loved it' Lisa Jewell 'Another dark banger from the Orenda Books stable ... A brilliant, twisty cat-and-mouse book about fandom and obsession' Erin Kelly 'Effortlessly readable, intensely chilling. That ending floored me' Chris Whitaker ***LONGLISTED for the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize*** ___________________ Tom is a successful author, but he's struggling to finish his novel. His main distraction is an online admirer, Evie, who simply won't leave him alone. Evie is smart, well read and unstable; she lives with her father and her social-media friendships are not only her escape, but everything she has. When she's hit with a restraining order, her world is turned upside down, and Tom is free to live his life again, to concentrate on writing. But things aren't really adding up. For Tom is distracted but also addicted to his online relationships, and when they take a darker, more menacing turn, he feels powerless to change things. Because maybe he needs Evie more than he's letting on. A compulsive, disturbingly relevant, twisty and powerful psychological thriller, The Closer I Get is also a searing commentary on the fragility and insincerity of online relationships, and the danger that can lurk just one 'like' away... ___________________ 'This book will make you rethink your social media obsession. Dangerous from page one, lit by bursts of black humour, ultimately honest about the frailty of ego and the masks we all wear. Terrifically readable' Sarah Hilary So good. Such brilliant characters. Great premise and a thrilling read' Nina Pottell, Prima 'A sucker-punch of a twist that took my breath away! Absurdly gripping, and enough to unnerve anyone who has ever spent any time online' Angela Clarke 'As perfect a thriller as you'll read all year' Caz Frear 'A gripping ride through the heartlands of need and hurt. Even at his most thrilling, Paul Burston never loses his sense of real pain and suffering' Philip Hensher 'Chillingly recognisable. A delicious tour de force' Alex Marwood 'Compelling, creepy and completely believable' Mel McGrath 'Dark, devious and with a growing sense of dread' Neil Broadfoot 'Brilliantly written, tense and compelling' Amanda Jennings 'Dark twisty fiction at its very best' SJI Holliday 'One of the best books you'll read this year' Ed James 'Unsettling. Taut. Menacing. Burston puts the killer into killer twist' Jonathan Harvey 'Witty and insightful' Susie Boyt 'Brilliant, chilling, totally awesome writing' Miranda Dickinson 'An absolute stunner ... with a deliciously twisted ending' Lisa Hall 'The book is a masterpiece in sustained suspense and smart literate contemporary horror. Bravo Mr Burston' Derek Farrell 'Very easy to read, certainly keeps you hooked in with plenty of twists. I suspect it will be a big read this summer' Fiona Sharp 'It's about a gay novelist who becomes the target of an online stalker and is dark, thought-provoking, and totally riveting. As comebacks go, it's on a par with Madonna bursting out of a giant disco ball in a pink leotard!' Matt Cain 'Gripped and terrified by Paul Burston's new novel, bloody hell!!!' Rowan Coleman

It's here and it's queer -- popular culture inhabits all our lives, whether it comes in the form of movies or magazines, TV or shopping. "A Queer Romance" brings together critics, writers and artists to debate the possibilities of popular culture for lesbians and gay men.
In this profusely illustrated and challenging collection, the contributors variously revisit debates about the gaze to provide a new theory of Queer viewing; discuss texts coded as queer -- from lesbian vampires to Hollywood's use of gay codes in mainstream films such as "Top Gun" and "Black Widow;" consider the sexual and cultural narratives at play in the world of home shopping catalogs in Gregg Woods' essay "We're Here, We're Queer, and We're Not Going Catalog Shopping"; explore the pleasures and perils of gay cultural production, from the radically queer film-maiking of Monika Treut to the wild world of homocore fanzines, and address the possibilities of texts claiming to be "for" the gay spectator -- from pornography "by women, for women and about women" to "Out" TV.
Contributors: Paul Burston, Steven Drukman, Carloine Evans, Lorraie Gamman, Tanya Krzywinska, Bruce LaBruce, Colin Richardson, Anne Marie Smith, Cherry Smyth, Monika Treut, Gregg Woods

It's here and it's queer -- popular culture inhabits all our lives, whether it comes in the form of movies or magazines, TV or shopping. "A Queer Romance" brings together critics, writers and artists to debate the possibilities of popular culture for lesbians and gay men.
In this profusely illustrated and challenging collection, the contributors variously revisit debates about the gaze to provide a new theory of Queer viewing; discuss texts coded as queer -- from lesbian vampires to Hollywood's use of gay codes in mainstream films such as "Top Gun" and "Black Widow;" consider the sexual and cultural narratives at play in the world of home shopping catalogs in Gregg Woods' essay "We're Here, We're Queer, and We're Not Going Catalog Shopping"; explore the pleasures and perils of gay cultural production, from the radically queer film-maiking of Monika Treut to the wild world of homocore fanzines, and address the possibilities of texts claiming to be "for" the gay spectator -- from pornography "by women, for women and about women" to "Out" TV.
Contributors: Paul Burston, Steven Drukman, Carloine Evans, Lorraie Gamman, Tanya Krzywinska, Bruce LaBruce, Colin Richardson, Anne Marie Smith, Cherry Smyth, Monika Treut, Gregg Woods

Martin is kind, decent and good-looking. And look where it’s got him. His boyfriend of four years has run off with a male prostitute. His friends John and Caroline are no help – John prefers infamy to sympathy and Caroline is too busy trying to work out if her wonderful, sensitive boyfriend is a closet case. And to top it all, Martin’s hippie father turns up to stay, wearing his ‘Proud to be an Embarrassing Parent’ badge.

To escape, Martin jumps head first into hedonism, throwing himself into the gay club scene, a world of drugs and muscles, hard bodies and harder music. Meanwhile Caroline is learning that being Shameless has its price, and so does she…

How long can they keep up with the lifestyle? And can they find the man of their dreams when sex has become a substitute for love, and pleasure is measured in beats per minute…?