Kenneth Walsh (aka Kenneth in the 212) is coming to LA for July 7 book signing – see our Q&A here!

I’m so excited and so proud of my friend Kenneth Walsh whose book Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful? has been a tremendous success. I devoured it over a three day period when it first came out and highly recommend you do the same.

I met Manhattan-based Kenneth online through his blog Kenneth in the 212 and was so used to reading him that when we finally met face-to-face at a gay journalists convention in San Diego in 2006, it felt like we already knew each other.

I think the world of Kenneth and I’m so excited that he is heading to LA and there is a book signing taking place at Book Soup on Monday, July 7. The only person who could keep me away is Cher and, well, that’s where I will be that night. But if you don’t have Cher tickets, there’s no excuse!

Here’s an email Q&A that Kenneth and I did today:

Q. Kenneth! I’m so excited you are going to be at Book Soup for a book signing. But really, the same night as the Cher concert at Staples Center? I have tickets. What’s a gay man to do?

Ha! Yes, believe me, the irony of my being cock-blocked by that Half-Breed is not lost on me!
Q. So, I read your book in February over three days and enjoyed it so much. What has the reaction been since its release?
It’s been overwhelming positive, which I’m really thankful for.

Q. You have a full-time job as an editor, you keep up a popular blog and look to have a very busy social life there in the 212. How did you manage to write a book?
Good question. I had actually been approached by a big-time literary agent back in about 2006, but it wasn’t until I was laid off by The New York Times in 2010 that I finally got serious. I think losing a job that I loved so much forced me to dig deep and find another outlet for my writing and creativity, so I truly was able to turn a negative into somewhat of a positive.

Q. I work hard to keep my phobias from my readers and yet you are very honest about being scared of mice and your face turning red etc. Was it hard to be that open or has it been liberating?
Yeah,  it really has been. I actually was a quite nervous about revealing so many intimate details about my life, namely my struggles with anxiety and misophonia, but having so many reach out to say they could relate has been really rewarding. Also, the trauma of growing up gay when we did seems to have touched a lot of people.

Q You are very honest in the book about your family – especially your father – and I read on your blog that your mom initially had some issues with what you wrote. How are things between you now?
Yeah, another reason it took me so long to write the book was that I did not want to hurt anyone, especially my mother. I was really happy when my sister and one of my brothers read it and felt I had managed to capture our mom’s unique personality while still showing what a great woman she is, and how much I love her. I wasn’t surprised that she was taken aback at first, but after the initial shock wore off she and my stepdad called and told me they were very proud of me and that I didn’t have anything to worry about. That was the best review of all.

Q. Have you heard from any of the other people in the book – the ex-boyfriends, the porn star roomie, or the guy who snuck into your apartment and used your shower? Ricky Martin?
I have, actually! The famous first love [Derek] seemed to get a kick out of it and told me his current boyfriend locked himself in a room and read the chapters about our time together. Derek said his boyfriend came out when he was done and said, “You’re an asshole.” That made me laugh!

Q. What part of the book or what incident in it have readers been reacting to the most?
Although there are more scandalous chapters, the one that is primarily about my relationship with my mom seems to have resonated with people the most. People are very complicated — not all good, not all bad — so I think many of us who grew up with a working mother in the ’70s and ’80s can relate to their ambivalence about being a parent. They loved us to death, but hey, sometimes “going to that fucking school to see another chorus performance” just wasn’t what they wanted to do after putting in 50 hours at the office!

Q. You write about your battle with misophonia in the book and I had never heard of it. Have you heard from others with the condition – Shia Labeouf perhaps?
Ha ha! That’s probably the chapter that has gotten the second-most reaction. I think it’s a lot more common than people think, but it’s only recently been treated as an actual condition. I’m told Kelly Ripa has it, so I’m waiting for her to invite me on her show so we can freak out together when someone in the audience smacks their gum!

Q. I read the Thomas Roberts chapter with interest because I’m very fond of him. Have you heard from him since the book came out? The recounting of your years-later face-to-face meeting was mighty interesting!
I haven’t, but I think he’s in a much better place now than he was that fateful night.

Q. And finally, tell us about how your life has changed since the book came out?
More than anything I feel an enormous sense of relief that the book finally came out. The publication date got pushed back twice, and having conceived of the memoir idea for me nearly a decade ago, it was just getting to be something that was hanging over me. Now that it’s out, I feel really proud to have accomplished this goal I had for myself since I was a little boy and first wrote a book about six-grade camp. Now I wonder if my agent can sell that manuscript!