LOS ANGELES, CA (2020) “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast”

In the fall of 2019, I contacted Bret Ellis about being on his podcast, which he recorded out of his apartment in Los Angeles.  

He agreed to have me on, to publicize my most recent novel The Red Pill, which had become controversial and resulted in my being “soft cancelled” among my literary friends in Portland and publishing colleagues in New York.

I say “soft cancelled” because the college-age Powell’s Bookstore employee who attacked my book (as sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.) admitted publicly that she hadn’t read it. 

The people who did read The Red Pill were adamant that the book was not sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.  One local commentator compared it to an Anne Tyler novel. This was the most accurate review it got. 

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This type of controversy was not unusual in 2019.  Social upheaval was the norm.  The President was facing impeachment. Protestors were marching in the street.  High profile public figures were being #metooed and/or cancelled, at a rate of two or three a day.

All that year, I’d wake up at my parent’s house, turn on the radio next to my bed, then curl back under my blankets and wait to hear which famous actors, directors, writers and media people had been “taken out”.

A Powell’s employee protesting my novel seemed insignificant in comparison to these more serious accusations.  Probably my situation would just blow over. 

As it turned out, I had a rough couple years ahead of me.  And my career would never be the same.