I wrote Olly Olly Oxen Frey for my fifteen-year-old self. At the time I wished for a book with a hero like me– an insecure kid who was struggling to reconcile his attraction to other boys. That fifteen-year-old also wanted a story in which the heroes could run around in their birthday suits (so I had fun with that), but other than that and a few teenage discussions about boobs and sex, this book is pretty innocent. But if you are offended by mermaids without tops, or monsters without pants, this book is not for you.

A hardbound version of this book with color illustrations should be available in late October.

THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE IS FINDING YOURSELF.

When Jack’s seven-year-old sister Jenny disappears during a game of Hide and Seek, he and his parents are overwhelmed with grief. When fifteen-year-old Jack and his best friend Finn get the chance to follow into the strange world that swallowed her, they hope to find Jenny and bring her home.

But the blood of children is a commodity in the fantastical land of Frey. The children there can’t return. In addition to escaping the creatures around them, Jack and Finn wrestle with their own secrets which could change their lives forever.

Back home, their friend Millie is the dealing with murderous changelings who don’t want their originals to return.

There is also a fair amount of amusing poetry in the telling of this story.

*****

“If Alice or Dorothy had a gay big brother who was desperate to get his little sister home, and if Wonderland or Oz were much more dangerous places… that’s the core of this fantasy-adventure queer tale of coming-out.”

“Beneath the love of absurdity, the satirical observations, swashbuckling adventure, strange creatures, and moments of horror, there is a pervasive sense of kindness in this book.”

“An epic of great imagination and ridiculous delights.”

Lushly illustrated with over 80 illustrations spread over 550 pages. (The Kindle is color, and the paperback is black & white.)

A hardbound version of this book with color illustrations should be available in late October.

(The Purple Fantastic Steam Meter gives this a 2. There is a fair amount of non-sexual nakedness and learning to be comfortable in one’s own body, and sometimes the teenage boys consider the notion of sex, but any intimacy it is left to the reader’s imagination)

More about The Purple Fantastic Steam Meter on the About page.