William Neale (1957 - March 13, 2012)
When I received an email from Anel Viz, I couldn't believe it: "William Neale passed away yesterday. We are all deeply saddened by the news and are still struggling to believe it. Please keep Bill's partner, Marty in your thoughts and prayers as he tries to feel his way through this difficult time."
I really wasn't able to make that be real in my mind, not only I had lunch with William and Rick R. Reed in New Orleans the previous October (and William was such a nice and kind man), but I had just sent him an email right the day before, telling him I was suppose to be in Cleveland if he wanted to meet again. When I didn't see any answer I thought it was strange but I was sure he would in the end reply and I was already thinking how nice it would have been to see him.
William Neale lived in Cleveland, Ohio with his partner of over a decade, Marty. Relatively new to the world of contemporary m/m romance, he spent over thirty years as a successful corporate communications executive, ad man, and PR "spin doctor."
Knowing how to "make up the truth" prepared him well for his next career as an author. William made no apologies for the fact that his books and characters are often larger than life. A William Neale novel invites you to a fantasy - to a place where you can dream and hope that indeed, happily-ever-after can and does exist.Those who seek brutally "real," gritty, and angst-ridden life stories probably won't find them in a William Neale book. "That's okay," said Neale. "Not everybody wants or appreciates a feel-good story. As for me, reading has always been a wonderful escape from reality. Even as a child, I loved the fantasy of becoming Peter Pan, Huck Finn, or one of the Hardy Boys."
The Best Gay Contemporary Romance category of the Rainbow Awards is dedicated to him, and for that reason we award every year the William Neale Award for Best Gay Contemporary Romance.
William N. (Bill) Fullington, age 55, (formerly of Morristown), passed away on March 13, 2012, at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bill was a 1974 graduate of Morristown-Hamblen High School East and graduated from the University of Tennessee where he was the 1978 president of the UT Chapter of American Advertising Association and the UT advertising student of the year. Bill was president of Fullington Services Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, a marketing consulting firm for the past ten years. Prior to starting his own successful company, he was marketing vice president for one of the United States’ largest privately held shopping center companies, The Richard E. Jacobs Group, for over 20 years.
Further Readings:
Home by William Neale
Paperback: 212 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (August 18, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608202127
ISBN-13: 978-1608202126
Amazon: Home
Amazon Kindle: Home
Lucas Reed is a Cleveland advertising executive who returns to his southern hometown to deal with the sudden death of his estranged homophobic father. There, he unexpectedly encounters Rogan James, the former high school bully and now local deputy chief of police who had once made Lucas's life miserable. Reacquainted 12 years later, the two finally acknowledge a long held powerful physical attraction that quickly evolves into an even stronger emotional connection But all this becomes secondary when a local reporter's secret obsession for Rogan threatens not only the end of their newly found love, but their very lives.
More LGBT History at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Gay Classics
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