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About this project

I'm writing a book about my family.

It doesn't sound all that intriguing does it? Wait, it gets better. You see my mom had a stroke when I was four, leaving her severely mentally and physically handicapped, and then a few years later my father revealed that he was gay, a few years after that my brother came out as a Republican. You can't make this stuff up.

Statistics from the Straight Spouse Network assert that up to two million gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals in the United States are or have been heterosexually married. Another demographics study showed that of the 27 million American men currently married, 1.6 percent, or 436,000 men, identifies themselves as gay or bisexual. Countless children have come of age in what is commonly referred to as a “mixed-orientation marriage,” most simply try to move on, too ashamed to admit that their family was any different from the norm. Even as adults they keep their skeleton in the closet, afraid to appear anything but like the wholesome Brady Bunch. Guess what? Mr. Brady was gay.

We were different and I'm no longer ashamed to admit it.

This is not some dry memoir. It is filled with humorous stories of four family members trying to figure out how they all fit together. There are heartbreaking moments as well but all told with the love and clarity that can only come with years of distance and a few dead family members.

The words have been written but now I need to edit and rewrite the manuscript so that it is the best it can be. I plan to self publish, which is good for you, and then get this self published book enough interest to land on Oprah or Ellen. Once it hits the talk shows a traditional publishing house will be interested in it.

Why not just write the book, find an agent and let them find a publisher? Because it takes a long time to do it that way and there are no guarantees. I want a published book in my hands by February of 2010.

The more people who pledge the more people who get a book. The more people who read the book, the bigger the buzz. The bigger the buzz the harder it will be for Oprah and or Ellen to ignore me.

What if it sucks? It doesn't.

The money will be used for production costs and marketing of myself and my book. Something I clearly need in light of the video for this project.

The book is currently 44,000 words. I plan on finishing the editing process by November 6th and then design the book in the weeks after that.

You can find updates on my progress and ask any questions at the blog here at Kickstarter as well as at my own blogs, kidsofqueers.com and redheadranting.com.

My writing skills are far superior to my film making abilities.

Thank you for your support,

Jen

Project location: Saint Paul, MN

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