Larry Duplechan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Duplechan
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Duplechan in 2023
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| Born | December 30, 1956 |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1980s–present |
| Notable works | Blackbird, Got 'til It's Gone |
| Spouse | Greg Harvey |
Larry Duplechan (born December 30, 1956, in Los Angeles, California) is an American novelist. He is well-known for his books Blackbird and Got 'til It's Gone. Blackbird was even made into a film in 2014. His book Got 'til It's Gone won an award for romance stories.
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About Larry Duplechan
Larry Duplechan was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 30, 1956. He went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, he studied English and sang in the university's men's choir.
After college, he first wanted to be a musician. He sang by himself and with a jazz group. But he found it hard to balance his music career with a full-time job. So, he decided to focus on writing instead.
His Writing Journey
Duplechan published his first novel, Eight Days a Week, in 1985. This book introduced a character named Johnnie Ray Rousseau. Johnnie Ray Rousseau became the main character in almost all of Duplechan's later novels.
His next book, Blackbird, came out the following year. This story was a prequel, meaning it told what happened before Eight Days a Week. Blackbird focused on Johnnie Ray Rousseau's childhood. This book helped Duplechan become known as an important writer who tells stories about African-American characters.
In 1990, he published Tangled Up in Blue. This novel was different because it did not feature Johnnie Ray Rousseau as the main character. Instead, it focused on a married couple, Maggie and Daniel Sullivan, and the challenges they faced in their relationship. The characters from this book later appeared as supporting characters in Duplechan's other novels.
Duplechan's next novel, Captain Swing (1993), brought back Johnnie Ray Rousseau. In this story, Rousseau was dealing with the sadness of losing someone close to him in a car accident.
After Captain Swing, Duplechan took a break from writing for several years. He went back to singing during this time. He started an a cappella singing group and joined community choirs. This happened after his home was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
A special 20th anniversary edition of Blackbird was published in 2006. Duplechan's most recent novel, Got 'til It's Gone, was published in 2008. In 2022, he also signed a contract to write a movie memoir, which was planned for publication in 2023.
Besides his novels, Larry Duplechan's work has appeared in many collections of stories. These include Freedom in This Village: Twenty-Five Years of Black Gay Men's Writing (2005) and The Lost Library: Gay Fiction Rediscovered (2010).
His Life Outside Writing
Larry Duplechan married his partner, Greg Harvey, in 2008.
He has also studied different religions. For several years, he served as a deacon for a church congregation. He even thought about going to a special school to become a minister. Later, he and Harvey attended the Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Since 2018, they have been involved with an Episcopal church in Monrovia, California, where they often sing in the choir.
Books by Larry Duplechan
- Eight Days a Week (1985, ISBN: 978-0932870841)
- Blackbird (1986, ISBN: 978-1551522029)
- Tangled Up in Blue (1990, ISBN: 978-0312051679)
- Captain Swing (1993, ISBN: 978-1555832346)
- Got 'til it's Gone (2008, ISBN: 978-1551522449)
- Movies That Made Me Gay (2023, ISBN: 173-9773918)
Images for kids
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Larry Duplechan in 2023
