About the Author

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="57fa77d0.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <A HREF="news_and_events.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Events">News & Events</A></div> <div> <A HREF="novels__short_stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings">Writings</A></div> <div> <A HREF="order_books.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Order Books">Order Books</A></div> <div> <A HREF="blog.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blog">Blog</A></div> <div> <A HREF="press_room.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Press Room">Press Room</A></div> <div> <A HREF="contact_the_author.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact the Author">Contact the Author</A></div> <div> <A HREF="forum__chat.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forum">Forum</A></div> <div> <A HREF="art_gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Art Gallery">Art Gallery</A></div> <div> <A HREF="resources_and_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources and Links">Resources and Links</A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Courier New" ><B>Josh Aterovis</B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Josh Aterovis">home</A>     <A HREF="press_room.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Press Room">Press Room</A></div> <div> <B>About the Author</B><B>   ·   </B><A HREF="about_this_website.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About this Website">About this Website</A><B>   ·   </B><A HREF="id440.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="High Resolution Photos">High Resolution Photos</A><B>   ·   </B><A HREF="id441.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bleeding Hearts Cover">Bleeding Hearts Cover</A><B>   ·   </B><A HREF="id442.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reap the Whirlwind Cover">Reap the Whirlwind Cover</A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>About the Author</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3d4ba050.gif" border=0 width="442" height="5" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="59a1e7d0.jpg" border=0 width="286" height="381" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">Josh Aterovis has been writing fiction for over six years. His first two books, <I>Bleeding Hearts</I> and a spin-off mystery <I>Reap the Whirlwind</I>, were first published in 2001 and 2003 respectively. The first book, <I>Bleeding Hearts</I>, introduced gay teen sleuth Killian Kendall, and won several awards, including the 2002 Whodunit Award from the StoneWall Society. He followed up by winning the Whodunit Award again the following year for <I>Reap the Whirlwind</I>. The two books were republished by PD Publishing in 2008, once again garnering glowing reviews. In addition to novels, Aterovis also writes for AfterElton.com, an entertainment news website owned by MTV's LOGO network for and about gay and bisexual men.</div> <bR> <div> Aterovis was born and bred on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he still lives with Jon, his husband of seven years. He has won numerous awards for his writing and for his website - www.joshaterovis.com - which also features his well-received art gallery.</div> <bR> <div> In August of 2003, Josh and Jon publically celebrated their commitment with a wedding ceremony. It is not yet recognized by the state of Maryland or the United States of America, but they hope that one day it will be fully legal. You can view some pictures of their ceremony below.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="contact_the_author.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact the Author"><B>Contact the Author</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id90.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wedding Album"><B>Wedding </B></A><A HREF="id90.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wedding Album"><B>Album</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id378.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Additional Photos"><B>Additional Photos</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>An Interview with Josh</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Courier New" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Life of the Writer...</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?</B> I was born and bred on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and live there with my partner, Jon. Aterovis is a Latin pseudonym meaning "black sheep."</div> <bR> <div> <B>What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets? Etc.)</B> I'm a fulltime artist and author. I paint in watercolor, mostly landscapes. My partner and I were married in August of 2003. No kids or pets...yet.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is your favorite quote and why?</B> “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather in spite of ourselves.” by Victor Hugo. It's always spoken to me, I think because I've always struggled with self-worth and feeling as if I was worthy of love. The idea of being loved despite yourself was meaningful to me. I even used it in my wedding vows.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is your most favorite quality about yourself?</B> My compassion and empathy. I think it makes me a better friend and a better person.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is your least favorite quality about yourself?</B> My compassion and empathy. It leaves me very vulnerable.</div> <bR> <div> <B>When did you first know you were gay?</B> That's a tricky question. I think I knew from the first time I knew there was such a thing as gay, and even before that I knew I was different--I just didn't have the words to describe it. As a friend of mine put it once, I had no context for my feelings. When my guy friend started getting crushes on girls, I was getting crushes on my guy friends. I can remember very clearly the first time I ever heard what being “gay: meant--a guy who likes another guy...<I>that way</I>--I was in about 6th grade and I was thinking, "Oh my God! Then I'm gay!" Knowing it and accepting it are two very different things, however. Having grown up in a very conservative Christian environment, I had been taught from early on that being homosexual was a sin. That's a lot of brainwashing to overcome. I spent most of my teen years hating myself for being so "weak" and praying that God would make me straight. He didn't, of course. I was 22 before I really started dealing with it and fully accepted it.</div> <bR> <div> <B>How did you meet your partner?</B> Well, he was hooking down the street from my corner and...*laughs* Okay, seriously. Right after I started Bleeding Hearts, probably when I had only posted the first two or three chapters, I got an email from this local college student who recognized the setting of the book. It was Jon. He asked me if he was right and I emailed him back and said yes. We started writing back and forth and became friends, although we didn't meet at that time even though we lived less than half an hour from each other. Eventually we did meet and we became best friends. Over time, I realized I was falling for him pretty hard, but he was still in love with someone else so it didn't look like anything could come of it. I spent a lot of time listening crying while listening to Bonnie Rait's "I Can't Make You Love Me.” For Christmas, I gave him, among other things, a coupon book for various (innocuous) things. The last coupon in the book was for my heart, redeemable upon request. To my great surprise, he cashed it in that night after realizing he was really in love with me. We've been together ever since.</div> <bR> <div> <B>If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?</B> Europe; I've always wanted to visit there to experience all the history and beauty.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Your Writer's Perspective...</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>What inspires you to write and why?</B> I love books and reading. When I was a kid, whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said an author. I got plenty of strange looks but I never really thought I would be an author; it was just one of those things a kid says. I was a voracious reader. I didn't start writing until I was 21, which happened to be the same time I was coming out as gay to my friends and family. It became very important to me incorporate that into my stories. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of other gay people. I wanted them to know that they are not alone and they are of worth. It was a message I never received until I was an adult, and I think it's very important to hear, especially for teens struggling with their identity. In my writing, I wanted to present a lifestyle that isn't morally bankrupt and was, in fact, quite normal. I hope my characters shine through as people first, with their sexuality of lesser importance.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is your favorite genre to write and why?</B> Mystery, they were the first books I ever remember reading purely for the joy of reading: Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys at first and later Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, Sharyn McCrumb, and so on. I love the mental challenge of trying to figure out whodunit. I just love the whole genre.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is your favorite book and why?</B> That's a hard one. I've read so many books that it's almost impossible to choose a favorite.</div> <bR> <div> <B>List your three favorite authors (any genre) and why? </B>Marcia Muller because she has the kind of long-running mystery series I would like to one day have and because I just think she's a fantastic writer with strong character development. Her mysteries are some of my all-time favorites. I love Sharyn McCrumb because I find her writing beautifully haunting and evocative, especially her Appalachian Ballad series. And finally, I'm a long-time fan of Mercedes Lackey, her Valdemar series in particular. I think she's a wonderful story teller and, while she writes in a different genre, I've learned a lot from her style.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What do you think makes a writer successful?</B> For me, it's not so much about the money, although being financially able to do what I love (writing) full-time would be a true blessing. I think success is more about reaching people, forming a connection, and making some difference in their lives.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is it that makes you successful as a writer?</B> Certainly not the money! *laughs* I measure my success by the letters and emails I receive from people who have read my books and been affected in some way. It's an indescribable feeling to receive a letter from someone that essentially says, “You saved my life.” To know that something you have done has had that kind of impact on someone's life…it's simply beyond words. I've been told time and time again how my books have helped young GLBT kids accept themselves, and in at least one case, helped bridge a gap between a young man and his parents. Ever since he had come out to them, thing had been very tense and uncomfortable between them. He asked them to read my first novel, <I>Bleeding Hearts,</I> and they agreed. After they read it, they came to him, crying, and told him that they'd never understood before reading that what it was like for him to be gay. It was a very healing experience for them and a real turning point in their relationship. I feel so honored that, in some small way, I was a part of that.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>A Writer's Journey...</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>What are your goals as a writer?</B> This may sound grandiose, but the reason I started writing and the reason I keep writing is to make a difference in the lives of other people. And hopefully, I can entertain them at the same time.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?</B> Just do it. Simply believe you can, start writing, and don't stop.</div> <bR> <div> <B>What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?</B> Besides the obvious entertainment value, I hope to give them positive role models and a sense of worth.</div> <bR> <div> <B>How did you get published? </B>It's an amazingly simple story really. Everyone who read BH kept telling me I ought to publish it, so, having no idea what I was doing, I wrote a query letter and sent it out to the first GLBT-friendly publisher I found online that was accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It just happened to be Renaissance Alliance Publishing (now Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC). About a month later I heard back from them...they were interested and wanted to read the whole book. Next thing I knew, they were offering me a contract and it's been smooth sailing since then.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Have a question not answered on here?</B> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="mailto:Aterovis@comcast.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Aterovis@comcast.net"><B>Mail it to me!</B></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>