Sixteen-year-old Smiley Hanlon is a young woman trapped in a young man's body. In the 1950's Appalachia coal fields of Solitude, Virginia, Smiley is placed in the "Mentally Retarded Class" because he is effeminate and wears a blouse and saddle shoes to school. Smiley is backed by his best friend, Lee Moore who protects Smiley from a father and many townspeople who hate him. Smiley has dreams of becoming an entertainer. Raised by his aunt in a juke joint, as a child Smiley sings and dances on … [Read more...] about The Grass Sweeper God by Doug Howery
Interview with Author – Doug Howery
About Doug Howery: My mother’s suicide is the catalyst for the plot of the story. In 1982 my mother killed herself after learning that my brother & I were gay. She did this final act on a Friday after learning that we were gay on a Wednesday. She left a suicidal note in which she referred to my brother and I as “Gutter rats that could rot in hell.” This act developed into the obligatory scene and plot for the story line. I followed the mother’s character through the narrators voice, through … [Read more...] about Interview with Author – Doug Howery
