Jake Biondi's BOYSTOWN: The History

BOYSTOWN: The History

BOYSTOWN has an interesting history. I have always been a huge fan of continuing dramas -- whether they be classic ones such as the novels of Charles Dickens (which were released in magazines in weekly installments that always ended in cliffhangers to keep Dickens' readers coming back for more) or more modern ones such as Dallas, Dynasty, Nashville and Revenge.

 

I decided that I wanted to write a continuing saga that had gay characters at its core. Because Chicago's Boystown neighborhood grows more and more diverse each year, the BOYSTOWN book reflects that diversity by featuring interesting characters with a variety of backgrounds.

I began BOYSTOWN in June of 2013 as an online story and intended to release one "episode" online per month, each ending in a cliffhanger. The story became so popular -- and the online reading audience grew so quickly -- that people from all over the country began to email me demanding to know what happened to their favorite characters and wanting the episodes to be released faster. They also had suggestions for future storylines! I was surprised and excited by the readers' response to BOYSTOWN. So I began to write more quickly and, by November, I had released 10 episodes and readers from all over America and overseas as well.


Readers then suggested that I publish the first 10 episodes as a book rather than leaving them online. I did -- and BOYSTOWN Season One was born. The book was released in mid-November of 2013 and is selling very well locally and nationally. In the meantime, I am continuing to write additional episodes. Episodes 11 - 20 will be released in the Spring of 2014 as BOYSTOWN Season Two.

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