Here is an author profile showcasing 8hangman5 whose stories appear within the fiction section of this website.

Question: How did you get starting writing sexual fantasy stories of men-with-men?

I started writing adventure stories and science fiction. The men in my characters called out for male-to-male interaction. The accessible, restricted, gay material in my community did not include my sexual fantasies. So, I had to write them.

Question: Like many men, you are someone who was attracted to Katharsis, first in its print
format and later as a website. Can you explain how that began?

The magazines Drummer and Honcho prompted me to explore sexual fantasies. I typed on an electric typewriter.

Katharsis promised hot drawings and stories. The promise by and large went unfulfilled. This was partly
because the stories and drawings strayed into subject areas such as feminine-dominator.

Question: What can you tell about dealing with Katharsis founder John Randall?

I wrote a letter to him describing my visit to the Colosseum in Rome. I speculated about the
gladiators. In his reply he suggested in 5 pages that I write a 30 to 40 page story following his
detailed story lines. A gladiator event was for entertainment. He nominated the entrepreneurs by
country. The opposing sides were Russians versus Koreans. 1500 gladiators fought; all survivors
were to be executed. He would commission Fritz to illustrate. In effect I would be a ghost writer. I
didn’t share the exact narrative fantasies as specified.

Later I submitted an original sexual fantasy story of men-with-men. He only acknowledged it after
a fellow subscriber wrote a letter three months later asking about it. His published comment was
that he disliked my use of irony. This was unprofessional behaviour; as an editor of a niche
magazine he could have been encouraging.

The hard copy magazine published an advertisement to commission Fritz the artist for a one off
drawing costing $45. The editor claimed Fritz was too busy. I had no way of contacting Fritz
directly. This was disappointing. He also sold copies of 92 drawings by X of Holland. He shabbily
treated the artist Martin of Holland whom he paid next to nothing.

The underlying problem was economic. He didn’t have the capital to establish and sustain a
magazine beyond an amateur level. His insistence on running the show excluded possible donors.

The magazine became a big disappointment for the niche community who wanted to read about
and see illustrated sexually explicit stories of men-to-men in extreme situations.

Stand alone documents were for sale. I expressed interest in two of these—“What Men Are For”
and “Essays on War”. They were time consuming and difficult to print. He fobbed me off with a
synopsis and decided that they would be of no interest to me.

Question: With what other authors of sexually explicit stories of men-with-men have you
interacted over the years?

John Barton, Victor Terry. The legendary Leyland Publications published John Barton’s Milkin’ the
Bulls and other hot hazing stories. Larry Townsend published Victor Terry short stories in various
anthologies.

Question: How do you get the inspirations for your story ideas?

Use my imagination. I admire masterly drawings by Cavelo, Etienne and Sean. Occasionally I
discover brief descriptions which prompt me to expand into a sexual fantasy.

Question: What advice would you give to aspiring authors of sexually explicit stories of men-with-
men?

You need to practice your writing skills before you get a gay friendly literary agent. Draft. Write.
Check with mentor and/or fellow enthusiast for feedback. Rewrite. Submit. For the time being
your writing will not qualify for a literary prize. Your immediate best bet is to aim for your stories to
be published in anthologies. Writing is a way of exploring. Your work may surprise you and take
you into unexpected territory. Best of all it may arouse diverse adult gay men.