I am an inveterate observer of human nature, creating stories about all kinds of people, some of whom happen to be gay or transgender or bisexual or intersex-people whose destinies are not determined solely by their sexual orientation or gender identity. I write endings that are realistically hopeful rather than sugary and/or "happy ever after." After my first novel (A Secret Edge) was published in 2007, I was thrilled that readers assumed I was a gay man. I took it as a great compliment. One reviewer had looked at my website before publishing his review and saw that I was not a man. His comment: "I think it's wonderful that a lesbian can write so convincingly about gay males." I took this as a compliment, as well. Even so, it was at that point that I realized I had to come out as straight.