Acquired Tastes LXIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 19 - Pleasure Reader / Phase III cont.

Acquired Tastes LXIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 19

Pleasure Reader / Phase III cont.

We've reached the end of Greenleaf's Pleasure Reader's third phase -  part of the 108 titles that featured black ink or black and white illustrations. The art you see was created by an unknown/unaccredited artist, although there are several done by illustrator Robert Bonfils, some done by illustrator Harry Bremmer, and those done by an artist known only as Savage. Also, a number of the authors listed will be familiar to those of you who have read my past posts regarding this imprint, although we do learn a whole lot about one newcomer.

Enjoy!

Another from the prolific Peter Tuesday Hughes. More about him, here, and here.

A third novel by Billy Peale. See his others, here and here.

This is the only work credited to  Jimmy St. Lorenz.

Our good buddy, Douglas Dean (Dean Goodman). Based on an interview with The San Francisco Crusader, this is one of the books he was proudest of. Read more about Mr. Dean (Mr. Goodman), here.

Another from Peter Tuesday Hughes.

This is part of a series written by William J. Lambert.  Learn more about him, here, here, , here, and most recently, here.

A synopsis:

"There was another sound to pierce the darkness: a forlorn howling that echoed and re-echoed to chill the bones. Some said there was a wolf run mad in the valley. But there were those who knew better. There were those who knew this was something other than a four-legged wild dog accustomed to tamed flesh. This wolf walked on two legs among the very people in was destined to eventually kill. Maritu had returned to the valley. His spirit had been reincarnated."

Lance Lester (George Davis) was a writer at Disney. See his other works and learn more about him, here, and here. I have always wanted to score big in the gym showers (and sometimes have!)

Love this title. Another from Peter Tuesday Hughes.

A synopsis:

"Arley, and his furious blue eyes. David couldn't shake the vision of the boy from his head. It was always Arley: Arley rising naked from the surf, water dripping from skin the color of burnished metal. Arley, mounted on the spirited appaloosa stallion. Arley, his demon lover, the beginning and the end."

This is the only book credited to Eric Thomas. Something tells me that power is not the only thing Mr. Businessman is going to be grabbing!

He had me at... 'gin'. 

As you know, some of our authors have led unexpected lives. Frederick Raborg (Frederick A. Raborg Jr.) was a poet and a writer. He was born April 10, 1934.  

As a child, Raborg sang with the Joe Brown Radio Kiddie Gang on WRVA in Richmond throughout the 1940's, sharing the bill with such stars of the day as Sunshine Sue, The Rocky Mountain Boys and The Carter Family. He also sang for the wounded veterans at McGuire's Veterans Hospital, WSAP radio (Portsmouth), WTAR-TV (Norfolk) and at the Maryland Theatre in Cumberland. Once, he lied about his age in order to get a gig at The Gaiety Theatre in Norfolk (the only burlesque house in the state of Virginia) during the runs of Rose La Rose and Lili St. Cyr.

At the age of 12, Raborg wrote a weekly column, The Bowers Hill News, for The Portsmouth Star.

Because his father was in construction, he attended thirteen schools, eventually graduating as salutatorian at age fifteen from Woodrow Wilson High in Portsmouth, Virginia. 

Upon receiving his AA from Bakersfield College, he attended California State University, graduating with a BA in English in 1973. After completing a fifth year for his teaching credentials, Raborg returned to writing instead. 

Serving in the army from 1952-1955, he held the title of battalion sergeant major with the 8th Field Artillery Battalion in Korea and Hawaii, At age nineteen, he was purportedly the youngest sergeant major in the Army's history. He helped write the battalion history when the unit returned to Hawaii from Korea as part of the 25th Infantry Division, whose home was the Scofield Barracks on Oahu. Among his many awards were the Armed Forces Medal for Leadership from the Citizens Committee for graduating first in his leadership training and, in Korea, he received a Certificate of Commendation from Major General Leslie D. Carter.

While in the army, he wrote for The 8th FA BN Bulletin, portions of which would be picked up by The Stars and Stripes. His work as an editor and his writing would appear in a number of publications, including: The Oregonian, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, The Portland Chronicle, The Kern County Medical Society Bulletin, The Oildale News, The Bakersfield News Bulletin, and The Bakersfield Californian.

He married his wife Eileen Mary, and the couple had six children.

His thousands of poems, articles and short stories appeared in such magazines as Editor & Publisher, Sports Afield, Westways, Our Navy, Ladies' Home Journal, Cuisine, Chic, Gem, Buf, Swank, Short Story International, Cavalier, Nugget, Rogue, Catholic Home, and scores of literary journals such as Prairie Schooner, The Pacific Review, The Portland Review and Tendril.

In October 1982, he and his wife, Eileen, were presented to Queen Beatrix at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam as part of the USA/The Netherlands 200 Anniversary Celebration. The couple was feted by the mayor of Leeuwarden and the prime minister of The Netherlands to gourmet dining aboard a canal boat and in some of Amsterdam¹s finest restaurants as well as country inns of note. Later they would be entertained by Holland's top performers at the RAI Center.

Raborg has 17 novels to his credit, with a dozen titles in this genre. His poetry was published in Voices Against the Wilderness: The 1983 Black Cardinal Anthology of Gay Poets, and issue #40 of Fag Rag, among others. 

In 1983, he and his wife began publishing a literary magazine, Amelia Magazine -  recognized as one of the top literary publications in the nation. An active speaker, judge and teacher, he received an Arts Award (Literature) from the Bakersfield Art Association and was nominated for a Beautiful Bakersfield Award.

His plays include: Brutesong, Daisy at the Dance, Glass Making It!, One Evening in Thalia, The Other Side of the Island,  Ramon and the Artist, Simas, in Chains!  and Tribal Rites, many of which were performed at various theatres in Bakersfield. 

He died at the age of 67 on August 13, 2001.

Julian Mark's (best-selling author Vincent Lardo) name should seem familiar. We've seen other works of his, here, here and here.

Another from the slightly creepy C.J.  Bradbury Robinson. You may remember him from here. Eek!

Another from Douglas Dean (Dean Goodman). As he was an active theatrical director and playwright (Jack Wrangler appeared in a number of his productions), no doubt the inspiration for this one came from real life? Hmm?

Another from Frederick Raborg.

Here's a synopsis from Good Reads:

"They had so many things in common that it seemed incredibly impossible that their lives could have meshed into such splendid happiness, having sprouted from such opposite backgrounds. Amos Riener was black - very black - nearly six-feet-seven in his stockinged feet, Watusi limber, as handsome as Poitier, in his late twenties and inordinately intelligent. Wayne McClure was across-the-railroad-tracks white, a high school dropout who had finished his studies in the Army, handsome as hell, fifty pounds better off than a ninety-seven-pound weakling, pretty damned strong, and prouder than shit that, at twenty-five, he had made a success of his janitorial business."

Lyle Forbes has two titles in the genre to his credit. 

We've visited other works by George Delacourt, here. Check out Goldilocks, sitting on the floor in his swimsuit and flip flops! And that is some serious '70's hair on those other two dudes. 

Carl Driver has eleven credits in the genre, including the anonymously published The Son of Fanny Hill.

This is the only book credited to Colin Murchison. Kind of gives me the creeps.

You'll remember Patrick Doyle, here and here. He has sixteen novels to his credit.

Another from Frederick Raborg.

Chad Stuart has seventeen books to his credit, many for the His 69 imprint, among others. That title... I... whaa?

Another from George Delacourt.

And one from Peter Tuesday Hughes.

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That does it for this phase of Pleasure Reader's branding evolution. Next week: Phase IV. It's much prettier, though many of the same authors will be appearing. Until then, leave your thoughts in the comments section. Always a pleasure to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

One For The Money - Horace Brown