“Jeff Stookey’s Chicago Blues hits all the right notes!”
—Darcelle XV/Walter Cole, author of Just Call Me Darcelle and Guinness World Record’s “Oldest Working Drag Queen.”
“…[Dangerous Medicine] is a brilliantly written story set in the tough Prohibition era.”
—Don DuPay, author of Behind the Badge in River City: A Portland Police Memoir.
“[He] tells the story at a jazzy, propulsive pace, capturing the vibrance and danger of Chicago in the 1920s.”
—Alan Rose, author of The Unforgiven and host of KLTV’s Book Chat.
“…a finely woven tale of self-discovery and acceptance.”
—Poison Waters/Kevin Cook, Drag Queen Extraordinaire.
Medicine for the Blues is a trilogy of novels, a work of LGBT historical fiction that explores the complexities of gender and sexuality through the historical lens of the early 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan was growing in influence, the eugenics movement was passing human sterilization laws, illegal liquor was fueling corruption, and Freud was all the rage. Based on extensive period research, this trilogy tells a touching gay love story set against the dramatic backdrop of this influential era.
“In this gay historical novel I want to encourage understanding and acceptance by asking readers to shift their frame of reference. Society and history are not static, they are constantly changing.” —Jeff Stookey
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The pandemic isn’t over yet. Get vaccinated as soon as you can. And continue to wear a mask where required (“I protect you, you protect me”).
Medicine for the Blues trilogy paperbacks are now available at Black Hat Books, 2831 NE MLK Jr Blvd, Portland, Oregon, Fred Nemo’s wonderfully eclectic cozy bookshop. https://eliotneighborhood.org/2017/06/02/black-hat-books/ https://www.facebook.com/Black-Hat-Books-106645271971822
You can order print books and eBooks of Medicine for the Blues trilogy from Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon: https://www.broadwaybooks.net/ . They are taking orders on their website, but they ask your patience as filling orders takes longer than selling books in their store.
You can also order eBooks and printed books on-line from Another Read Through bookshop. Even though the brick and mortar store is now closed, Elisa will continue her online presence: anotherreadthrough.indielite.org
Or you can go to your local bookshop and ask them to order paperback copies from IngramSpark, an international distributor.
Ebooks are also available from Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jstookey
Audio books of Medicine For The Blues are now available at libro.fm, audiobooks.com, bookbeat.co.uk, downpour.com, and Amazon’s audible.com. Dozens of other platforms will be carrying these audio books, so check your favorite web outlet.
And as a last resort: Amazon.
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Check out links to Author Interviews — video, audio, and written — on various websites by going to the Resources tab, above, or click here.
Acquaintance
As a young doctor, Carl Holman has experienced the horrors of World War I and the death of his lover, a fellow officer. Back home after the war, he befriends a young jazz musician who he hopes will become a companion he can share his life with. But this is Oregon: the Ku Klux Klan is gaining influence, homosexual acts are illegal, and such a relationship will jeopardize Carl’s promising medical career. Musician Jimmy Harper has his own dreams for the future and his own obstacles to overcome before he will allow himself to accept Carl’s love. More than a gay love story, Acquaintance is a deep dive into gay and lesbian history based on extensive period research of the 1920s.
This is Book 1 of Medicine for the Blues trilogy.
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Purchase Acquaintance
on Amazon HERE
or on Smashwords HERE.
In stores at Another Read Through and Broadway Books .
Chicago Blues
Book 2: Chicago Blues follows Jimmy Harper as he reluctantly leaves Carl behind to go to Chicago with the Diggs Monroe Jazz Orchestra, where the band hopes to find fame and fortune. Instead, Jimmy descends into the jazz underworld where he becomes entangled in dark dealings with a sinister mob boss and an erotic affair with a black drag performer. In this unfamiliar world, Jimmy begins to question whether he can trust anyone, even his old band members.
“…[a] finely woven tale of self-discovery and acceptance.” —Poison Waters/Kevin Cook, Drag Queen Extraordinaire.
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Purchase Chicago Blues
on Amazon HERE
or on Smashwords HERE.
In stores at Another Read Through and Broadway Books .
Dangerous Medicine
Book 3: Dangerous Medicine, follows Carl Holman’s struggles to navigate his medical career in the face of pressures from the KKK, societal expectations to marry and have children, and other forces beyond his control. As he makes difficult decisions about his professional and domestic affairs, can Carl and those he loves find a way to live authentic lives in this hostile world?
“Jeff Stookey’s engaging novel is a brilliantly written story set in the tough Prohibition era. An excellent contribution to the history of our city, the book is also a page-turner. I had to know what happened next.”
—Don DuPay, Behind the Badge in River City
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Purchase Dangerous Medicine
on Amazon HERE
or on Smashwords HERE.
Now available
at Another Read Through and Broadway Books .
From Our Readers:
“…this entire trilogy by Jeff Stookey was incredible…only after finishing this last one can I truly appreciate the scope of what Stookey accomplished here…Stookey was brilliant in his execution…Highly recommend.”
“Readers will find Acquaintance well crafted and a beautiful read…Stookey’s novel distinguishes itself with a heartbreaking look into forbidden love and fear in 1920’s Oregon…The author does a remarkable job creating Carl Holman and Jimmy Harper. The characters are exquisite, yet flawed, and altogether memorable. Both Carl and Jimmy grow tremendously throughout the novel.”
Acquaintance: “The author’s prose…is often vivid and evocative…Supporting characters…are lively and magnetic…An intriguing and well-written…rendering of a gay relationship under siege.”
Chicago Blues: “…full of vivid details and lively prose…the author ably conveys the thrilling, haunting sound of Chicago’s jazz…There are vibrant characters here and a creepily charismatic villain…”
Dangerous Medicine: “The author succeeds in conjuring a pressure-cooker atmosphere with a sinister noir vibe…Stookey’s prose shows flashes of poetic imagery…An engaging historical crime yarn set in a minefield of intolerance.”
Featured Image
From an Iowa family album circa 1916 through WWI,
including a group photo featuring a pennant reading:
“Vote Yes on the Women’s Suffrage Amendment.”
Here the women have exchanged their hats
for the men’s caps, probably trolly car conductors.
In Chapter 2 of Acquaintance,
Carl Holman reflects on the gendering
of men’s and women’s hats.
Jeff Stookey
Author
Exploring the lives of Carl Holman and Jimmy Harper, I had to learn to see through eyes that were not familiar with a post-Stonewall world. These characters were figuring out homosexuality, just as I had, growing up in a small town in rural Washington State.
I studied literature, history, and cinema at Occidental College, and then got a BFA in Theater from Fort Wright College. In 1992 I retrained in medical lab work and later in medical coding, and I worked for many years with pathologists, trauma surgeons, and emergency room reports. This medical background led to the creation of Carl Holman MD, while a deep dive into gay history and Oregon’s past shaped much of the rest of the trilogy. A novel writing class at The Attic Institute, A Haven for Writers, and a year with a creative writing group helped me bring this story out of the closet.
I studied literature, history, and cinema at Occidental College, and then got a BFA in Theater from Fort Wright College. In 1992 I retrained in medical lab work and later in medical coding, and I worked for many years with pathologists, trauma surgeons, and emergency room reports. This medical background led to the creation of Carl Holman MD, while a deep dive into gay history and Oregon’s past shaped much of the rest of the trilogy. A novel writing class at The Attic Institute, A Haven for Writers, and a year with a creative writing group helped me bring this story out of the closet.
I have lived in Portland, Oregon, for many years with my longtime partner, Ken, and our unruly garden. Acquaintance is my first novel and Book 1 of Medicine for the Blues.