Safe Sex
Safe Sex by Dan Calhoun
Safe Sex is a collection of short stories and a novella by author Dan Calhoun. A confused drifter crosses paths with a charismatic hustler. A grad school dropout struggles to make sense of her life and figure out how to live harmoniously with her boyfriend. A lonely gay man stuck in Kansas begins a sexual and emotional relationship with a straight woman. A high school girl, reeling after the suicide of a former friend she taunted, seeks understanding from her fundamentalist Christian aunt and a classmate. A gay man struggles with expressing the psychological implications of living with HIV as he cuts himself off from family and friends. A man—haunted by a past transgression— investigates a murder, discovering the world isn’t as neat as he believes. This collection—five stories and a novella—explores the intersections of gender, race, orientation, religion, secularism, sex and death, attempting to make sense of what it means to be an American in the 21st century. Safe Sex is hardly ever safe.
Buy $15.95 US
ISBN: 978-0997694314
Fiction / Mixed / Short Stories / Novella
Paperback (Now Available)
6 x 9 inches | 208 pages
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, IndieBound
Reviews
“Great short story collection from a unique voice in fiction. Calhoun’s a writer to watch.” - Amazon Reviews
Couldn't put it down once I started reading, no dull moments! Great book!" - Amazon Reviews
"This collection of short stories really looks at the big questions of life, love, and personal identity in today's society. The author really has a way of putting up a mirror and having us look at ourselves, even in the worst light and with no Instagram filters." – Amazon Reviews
“As a midwesterner, I find very few contemporary writers who use the prairie as the setting for provocative subjects such as the sex that confused/depressed/broken twenty-something-year-olds have with each other. But Safe Sex touches on so many other hard-to-hear issues, especially for salt of the earth folk: the struggle to find confidence in one’s sexual identity and relationships (gay and straight), the wounds fathers cause their daughters, the internal battle that hitches a ride with every self-proclaimed artist, and so on. This is a work of gay fiction. But it’s not, but it is, but it’s not. This is a work of fiction and a damn fine one.” – Amazon Reviews
"It's rare to see a modern writer who so beautifully and abrasively confronts truth. Reads like a documentary of sorts. Dan Calhoun has more than what it takes to make an impact on the literary community and the world." – Amazon Reviews
“Congratulations, Dan on your first publication! The characters were dynamic and believable and the stories really wrapped together seamlessly. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading! A great freshman effort. Keep up the good work, and I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future!” – Amazon Reviews
“I loved the book, being an older reader and not totally familiar with a lot of the trials and tribulations that face our younger generation, I found this book to be easy reading, felt like I was part of the scenarios and found myself easily identifying with the Characters and their situations. Back in our day, abuse and sexuality weren’t spoken about. I definitely am looking forward to reading more from this Author.” – Amazon Reviews
“The book was very well written and so descriptive I could see every element of the story.” Amazon Reviews