Exploring the lives of Carl Holman and Jimmy Harper, Jeff Stookey had to learn to see through eyes that were not familiar with a post-Stonewall world. His characters were figuring out homosexuality, just as he had, growing up in a small town in rural Washington State.
Jeff studied literature, history, and cinema at Occidental College, and then got a BFA in Theater from Fort Wright College. In 1992 he retrained in medical lab work and later in medical coding, and he worked for many years with pathologists, trauma surgeons, and emergency room reports. This medical background led to the creation of Carl Holman MD, while a deep dive into gay history and Oregon’s past shaped much of the rest of the trilogy. A novel writing class at The Attic Institute, A Haven for Writers, and a year with a creative writing group helped him bring this story out of the closet.
Jeff has lived in Portland, Oregon, for many years with my longtime partner, Ken, and their unruly garden. Acquaintance is his first novel and Book 1 of Medicine for the Blues trilogy.