To my early readers, my gratitude and apologies (for asking you to thwack through a jungle of words, oh boy): Stephanie Dees and Steve Susoyev. Stephanie for being the second part of my Holy Trinity, the third chamber of my heart, for putting up with my endless neuroses and helping lift the words off the page (and my soul) to soaring new heights. (And for the hours of talks that kept me grounded and sane through it all. Coco, Sugahbee!) And Steve, an editorial genius who also happens to be one of my guardian angels: Your notes and encouragement helped me make sense of my rambles and allowed me the confidence to keep going when I was sure I couldn’t. And they still do.
To my later readers Elizabeth Cava and Jennifer Matthews for providing me sustenance in the form of loving notes and a belief in me to help me cross the finish line. To my dear friend and teacher Sara Eaglewoman for sharing your words, wisdom, and guidance every step of the way. And special gratitude to Alex Villasante for being my Fairy Bookmother!
To Cathy Renna for the awe-inspiring work you do for the LGBTQ2+ community, for devoting your life to making lasting change, and for helping me tell my story for the past decade.
To my uncle Greg Venneman, a prolific storyteller and writer in his own right, for sharing his teenage stories of bike-riding and hijinks on the St. Louis streets in the seventies. (I promise never to tell Mom what you told me.)
And speaking of: To my mom and stepdad for never once giving up on me (even though I swear you had so many chances to do so), and for always believing in me no matter where I chose to go and what new wild endeavor I decided to pursue. You always said yes to me, and that is why I am who I am today.
To my dad, who will always and forever be my greatest teacher.
And most of all, to my Ernie: For taking me to the moon since the moment I passed around a tray of Toll House cookies and said, “I need to know you in my life,” to nine years later as you help manage my insecurities, encourage my flights of imagination, and continue to be my light in the darkness. I love you.
Finally, I’d like to thank you. I am immeasurably grateful you have chosen to hold these pages in your hands, because without you, none of this would be possible. I dedicated this book to all the Misfit Mapmakers in the world, those humans who’ve had to forge their own path in this wild and wonderful world because they’ve been told they don’t belong. If that’s you, you are my hero.
About the Author
James Brandon produced and played the central role of Joshua in the international tour of Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi for a decade, and is codirector of the documentary film based on their journey, Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption. He's the cofounder of the I AM Love Campaign, an arts-based initiative bridging the faith-based and LGBTQ2+ communities, and serves on the Powwow Steering Committee for Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) in San Francisco. Brandon is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Believe Out Loud, and Spirituality and Health Magazine. Ziggy, Stardust and Me is his first novel.
You can visit James Brandon at justbejb.com
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Ziggy, Stardust and Me Page 29