English instructor uses
nom de plume to pen risqué novels
BY KRISTEN WOHLERS
Dr. Seuss, Currer Bell and David Holly. by a wider audience as long as they have
What do these have in common? They’re no problem reading LGBTQ characters,”
all pen names, and they belong to authors Lowe said.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, Charlotte Bronte
While most of Crumrine’s novels can be
and Clackamas English instructor Paul found in the gay erotica section, he enjoys
Crumrine, respectively.
writing a variety and mixing genres.
Authors use pseudonyms for different
“ I don’ t like to do the same thing
reasons, like to conceal identity or gender, tw ice,” Crumrine said. “ I ’ve written a
¿ * ^br as a type of branding. Geisel used his gay romantic comedy ‘Kissing Behind the
nom de plume for Children’s books that Bathhouse,’ a gay political novel ‘Stealing
he both wrote and illustrated. Bronte
the Mayor’ s Underpants/ a series o f
used hers to conceal her sex.
creepy/funny femdom/male reduction
Crumrine, who is part-tim e English stories, and assorted Stories of mystery,
fa cu lty at C la ck am as C o m m u n ity science fiction, fantasy, horror, literary
College, teaches w riting classes such and hum or.”
as Occupational W riting and English
His latest novel through Bold Strokes
Composition. In his spare tim e, under Books, which was released on March 1,
pen name David Holly, he writes novels. 2016, is called “ Slaves of Greenworld.”
“ Back w hen I first created the pen The excerpt on the back cover gives
name, it was important to conceal that
I was w riting stories and novels with
happy and enthusiastic gay characters,”
Crumrine said.
Today, Crumrine’s use of a pen name
is not about privacy, to r one, it provides
^ w a y for him to keep his role as a writer
separate from his role as a teacher.
But m ainly, he continues to use the
pseudonym because he is recognized by
it and has experienced his success under
that name.
Crumrine has authored several tales as
David Holly, sometimes enlisting his wife
to help with editing. He has published Six
novels, four of them through Bold Strokes
Books, which is one of the largest LGBTQ
publishers.
“ I have m et David several tim es
at literary events in clud in g the Gay
Rom ance Northw est M eetup annual
event in Seattle,” said Sandy Lowe, a
representative o f Bold Strokes Books.
“ He is talented and charming. David is a
dedicated writer, willing to step outside
his comfort zone and try his hand at a
broad range o f topics and genres that
appeal to readers.”
Lowe suggested that their books can be
enjoyed by a range of individuals.
“ The books can absolutely be enjoyed
readers a taste of the plot.
“ Dpve, a young man without a memory,
emerges naked and nearly drowned from
a creek,” the excerpt reads. “ Am id a
developing slave revolt, Dove secures
comfprt and gay sexual intimacy with his
slave Raret.”
English Department Chair Carol Burnell
believes that it’ s valuable for English
instructors to have writing experience
of any kind.
“ They understand the process, the
difficulties, ’’ Burnell said.
Crum rine’ s best advice to students
who aspire to write is, first, learn to write
dialogue. Early,on, an instructor taught
him how to write plays, and that’s how
he learned the craft of dialogue. But he
presumably established his quirks and
“ ...i t was important
to conceal that I was
writing stories and
novels with happy
and enthusiatic gay
characters.”
- Paul Crumrine
In the past, Crumrine has published
under his given nam e, but wishes he
hadn’t. He has encouraged people not
to waste their money on those works.
“ It’ s like one o f those things that you
write a long time ago, and now you want
to pull the pillow over your head when
you think about it and pretend it doesn’t
exist,” he said. “ Every once in a while,
a student will show up m class having
found a copy out there somewhere, and
want me to autograph the damn thing.”
Currently, under the name David Holly,
Crumrine is working on a new novel, “A
Returning Illumination,” which is about
ancient women who have fled planet earth
and who return thousands of years later,
after males have made a mess out of the
planet. So far, the story has over 150,000
words, and he’s still writing.
Crumrine noted that authors, including
him self, love Amazon reviews. “ That’s
something ttfiat writers want,” Crumrine
said, “ Good,5bad, whatever.”
Crumrine
i tlackamàs Print MARCH 15,2017 Mlackamaspnnt cöm
routines on his own.
“ I cannot stand to have anyone looking
over my shoulder while I’ m w riting,”
Crumrine said. “ I need a wall behind me.
When I write, I go into another place so
that I’m not aware that I’m writing. I’m
in the scene that is pouring out the ends
of my fingers without me even willing
the action. ”