Today we get a special treat as Lambda Literary Award finalist. Rick R. Reed sits down to have a conversation about his upcoming books and writing process.
Q) I saw that you just had a new book accepted for publication, Jealous Of The Clouds. Could you give us a rundown on the story? When can we expect it to be coming out?
JEALOUS OF THE CLOUDS is scheduled to come out in paperback and ebook on 25 October 2025 from Spectrum Books. Here’s the blurb:
Ted Cornish thought he’d found the man of his dreams in Joshua Kade—charming, intelligent, and handsome—until disturbing rumors surface about Josh’s past. A decade earlier, Josh’s former boyfriend, Reggie Baker, was found stabbed to death in an alley in Chicago’s Boystown. Though Josh was never convicted, whispers of his involvement persisted.
True-crime podcaster Bailey Anderson is reopening the case, and the more he uncovers, the more he’s convinced Josh is the killer. Bailey reaches out to Ted for insight, and as Ted reflects on his relationship, he begins to see cracks in Josh’s perfect facade—jealousy, possessiveness, and violent outbursts that no longer match his sweet words.
As Ted spends more time with Bailey, the evidence against Josh mounts. But Bailey is more than just a podcaster—he’s Reggie’s brother, driven by grief and a relentless desire for justice.
When Ted finally confronts the terrifying possibility that Josh is guilty, Josh reacts with a violent threat that sends Ted into hiding. Torn between fear, love, and loyalty, Ted must choose between exposing the truth or confronting the man he thought he loved—before it’s too late.Jealous of the Clouds is a heart-pounding psychological thriller about love, obsession, and the dangerous pursuit of justice.
Q) You changed things up a bit from your usual subjects in The Impossible Childhood of My Desires. What made you decide to focus on a transgender character?
Given our terrifying and current political climate, I’m so glad I did write a book that focuses on a transgender character. It’s more important than even to showcase and highlight the experiences and voices of our transgender friends. But to answer your question, I was inspired to write the book because I happened to be in church one Sunday and saw an older couple. He was very much cis-male and his partner (not sure if they were transgender or not) was dressed in what could be called feminine attire–pretty scarf, cardigan set, low heeled pumps. Because my imagination is always working, I began to imagine them as a couple who had once been two gay men. But one of them, I imagined, was moving closer to identifying and expressing as female. I wondered how that change affected their relationship: was there a time when they considered parting ways? Or was their love for each other now beyond gender and they wanted to stay together not because of who they were as genders, but as people. Those questions informed my story of an established, older gay couple where one of the men wants to transition. I’ve had a few friends who have actually lived out this scenario and I loved the idea of exploring this, along with the very meaning and essence of true love.
Q) You have had a long successful career, what do you think has changed the most about the industry?
When my first two books were published by Dell in the early 1990s, there were no print on demand books, no real self-publishing (beyond shady vanity publishing enterprises, which was something else entirely), and no ebooks. There was no Amazon! My first books had large press runs because they were in a new line of horror from a major publishing house. They were everywhere, most bookstores, but even airport bookstores, convenience stores, and department stores. To this day, those books have sold WAY more copies in their original editions than any other books I’ve had published since then and have had the least promotion (no social media or Internet then either). Together those books sold close to 100,000 copies. The market simply no longer operates like it did back then. But I like that today, we have more freedom and there are more unique and diverse voices getting the opportunity to be heard. Today’s market liberated me to be an #ownvoices queer writer writing about queer lives.
Q) You work with a few different publishers. Do different publishers bring different things to the table or is it more a case of genres? Have you ever thought about self-publishing?
There’s no particular reason I place a book with one publisher or another; it’s simply the house that is the best fit for my book. I don’t really want to self-publish because I enjoy the process of working with a publisher and its team of editors, proofreaders, cover designers, and promotional people. I like having these different eyes on my work and the collaborative spirit.
Q) You write in both the horror and romance categories, do you do anything different with how you approach the writing process when switching genres?
My work is pretty much character-based, so whatever the story my characters want to tell is the direction I will follow. There’s always an element of love, whether it’s a romance or a dark psychological suspense novel. The writing process is always the same, regardless of genre.
Q) What is your next project you are working on?
I just finished and contracted for JEALOUS OF THE CLOUDS. Right now, I’m not working on a new book. I am taking care of a gravely ill husband (terminal cancer) and that requires too much of my time at the moment to contemplate starting a new book.
Q) If people want more information about your or your projects, where should they go?
Check out my blog: https://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Or my social media, now limited to Bluesky and Facebook (I am Rick R Reed on both). www.facebook.com/rickrreed or www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks (author page) or https://bsky.app/profile/rickrreed.bsky.social. I can also be found on Goodreads and Bookbub.
Final four questions –we ask everybody
Q) When the zombies take over the world where will you be? Probably in the kitchen, whipping up something besides brains–perhaps a nice vegan risotto.
Q ) What is your favorite Fandom?
I have no idea what that is!
Q) What piece of art, be it in the form of music, a book, a film or picture, do you think people must experience before they die?
Oh, there are a lot. Let me just go with the book I just finished the other day, DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver. It deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize. It was a heart wrenching portrait of a young man growing up orphaned and poor in Appalachia and was inspired by Dickens’ DAVID COPPERFIELD.
Q) Give one fact that most people would not believe about you?
That I’m deeply spiritual and try my best to lean into Spirit to guide me.
Paper Phoenix ink 