The Gay Coming-of-Age Novel You Didn't Know You Needed — Our Interview With Robert Raasch | Ep 25 Coffee With Gays™: Every Sip Is A Story podcast

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The Gay Coming-of-Age Novel You Didn't Know You Needed — Our Interview with Robert Raasch | Ep 25

11d ago 59:27

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🎙️ New episodes every Thursday | Hosted by Blaine & Reed
☕ A Coffee with Gays First-Ever Author Special

Yes, Blaine was starstruck. And yes, we left that in.

In our first-ever author interview, we welcome novelist Robert Raasch, whose debut novel The Summer Between takes us back to 1978 — before Grindr, before DEI, before the word “community” got co-opted into a rainbow ad. Set in a pre-AIDS Greenwich Village, the book follows Andy Pollock, a closeted high school senior who finds himself (and maybe love?) in the city for one life-altering summer.

What follows in this episode is part literary salon, part red-flag dating game, and part emotionally chaotic gay boy banter. Robert opens up about turning personal memory into fiction, how writing can be therapy (until it isn’t), and the process of shaping a story that feels both personal and universal. We talk about the women who shape gay men, the architecture of Chicago, and the fantasy of living in New York before anyone knew what “viral” meant.

This one is heartfelt, hilarious, and unexpectedly healing. Come for the book, stay for the banter.

✨ WHAT YOU’LL HEAR

Why Robert set The Summer Between in 1978 NYC
First love stories that still sting 40 years later
How writing fiction can be the most honest thing you do
🚩 A savage round of Red Flag or Dealbreaker
What makes a queer story matter in 2025

💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Coming out is always messy, even in fiction
Community used to mean showing up in person
Some stories are too big for 280 characters
Women allies are often the blueprint for gay survival
A good book doesn’t end when it’s over

🔊 SOUND BITES

“Tell your stories. Just write.”
“This book felt like flipping through someone else’s memories.”
“I ignored the red flag… and then made excuses.”
“I wanted a book where the gay kid doesn’t die.”
“Writing’s not always therapy. Sometimes it just rips you open.”

🕛 CHAPTERS
00:00 — Blaine’s Starstruck Intro & Robert’s Arrival
00:40 — Why 1978? Setting the Stage for The Summer Between
02:56 — NYC Before AIDS: Community, Danger, Freedom
04:18 — Building Andy Pollock: Authenticity & First-Love Feels
08:52 — The Women Who Saved Us — Female Influence in Queer Stories
10:35 — From Early Draft to Final Book (Writing Process)
16:15 — Family Dynamics & Coming-Out Shockwaves
19:46 — First-Love Lessons That Still Sting
22:22 — Open-Ended Endings & Sequel Tease
25:14 — Reader DM’s That Made Robert Cry
26:03 — Casting Dreams: Who Plays Andy on Netflix?
27:20 — Would TikTok Have Ru

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Chapters

1. Meeting Author Robert Roche (00:00:00)

2. The Summer Between: Plot & Setting (00:03:02)

3. Writing Authentic Gay Experiences (00:09:10)

4. Female Influences and Character Development (00:17:42)

5. From Architecture to Novel Writing (00:28:47)

6. Dating, Red Flags, and Relationships (00:34:22)

7. Final Thoughts and Book Information (00:57:12)

22 episodes

#Society #Relationship #Conversations #Blaine LaBron #Ryan Hines #Gay Culture #Gay Men's Stories #Gay Dating #Gay Advice #Gay Friendship #Gay Men #Lgbt Community #Lgbt Conversations #Blaine LaBron, Ryan Hines, and Reed Rousseau #Reed Rousseau #LGBT #comeback Stories #Lgbt Relationship Podcast #Gays Into History