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For lesbians and gay men in and around Croydon

3 Thanescroft Gardens, Croydon CR0 5JR    07827 397 817    info@cags.org.uk

Press Release: Novelist announces TV deal at Croydon meeting

4 August 2010

Paul Burston, gay novelist and journalist, used his appearance in Croydon last night (3rd August 2010) to announce that his recent novel, The Gay Divorcee, is to be made into a television series. Paul was speaking at the Brief, George Street, Croydon as part of the series “The Brief Encounter”, organised by Croydon Area Gay Society (CAGS).

The Gay Divorcee, published in 2009, is a tale of two weddings involving the same man—the first to a woman, the second to a man—with an unexpected twist at the end. For the proposed six-part TV series, the screenwriter will be Jonathan Harvey, noted for Beautiful Thing and for his work on Coronation Street.

Speaking about his own experience, Paul Burston said “In 1997 I said I’d never ever get married”. This proved to be ironic given that he has now had a civil partnership which was regarded by all concerned as a marriage, and he always refers to his partner as his husband.

Asked about the process of writing a novel, Paul said that he is mainly interested in characters and their stories. “I always start with a main character. Slowly bits of yourself start to creep in, and the person becomes a hybrid, eventually taking on a life of their own. It feels like the character is speaking to you.” He admitted that he takes a notebook around with him all the time, and is constantly picking up snatches of conversation for use in later books.

The talks in the series "The Brief Encounter" are held on the first Tuesday of alternate months and are free and open to all. The next speaker, on Tuesday 5th October, will be Linda Bellos OBE, the black lesbian activist and former leader of Lambeth Council. For more information, go to the CAGS website, www.cags.org.uk/brief.shtml.

For more about Paul Burston, see www.paulburston.com.

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For more information on this press release, e-mail info@cags.org.uk.