Promises is the story of the bitter and sweet dilemmas of life when God, love and sex collide. It is an 80,000 word literary/gay novel searching for a home.

Promises explores the bitter and sweet dilemmas of life when God, love and sex collide. JOSEPH REED, the protagonist, is a devout Mormon who becomes involved with a missionary companion on his mission to pre World War II France. After he nearly drowns under mysterious circumstances, he fears he has incurred the wrath of God as well as the wrath of his companion and pleads for the Lord’s forgiveness. Yet despite his sincere intentions to repent, he yields to the temptations of a handsome Frenchman.

Determined to do the right thing, he returns to Utah after his mission and becomes engaged to a young woman, RUTH STONE. But he is unable to deny his physical attraction to a male graduate assistant at the University of Utah where he is a student, and gives his heart and body to BRIAN HAWKINS. When Brian ends their relationship, Joseph confesses his moral dilemma to Ruth. Ruth insists that with her help he can change, and they marry in the temple. They have a child, ELIZABETH, and Joseph focuses on his family and teaching career. Tensions inexorably mount as he struggles to follow the precepts of his religion.

Joseph eventually lives two lives, one as the dutiful husband, father and schoolteacher, and the other as ERIC HARTMANN’s lover. What happens next is inevitable.

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