History Creator / BillyMartin

'''Billy Martin''' (formerly known and published under the name '''Poppy Z. Brite'''; born May 25, 1967) is an American author.

Long known as a [[{{Transgender}} transgender man]], he later began his public transition and announced his preference for male pronouns. In mid-2012, he began using his current name, though his previous works are still published under his professional name of Poppy Z. Brite. While still being officially retired, he has on occasion independently published short stories in chapbook and ebook formats.

Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Goth sensibilities (and to a lesser extent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world, drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

Martin, a serious foodie familiar with [[TheBigEasy New Orleans]] restaurant culture, branched out into the ''LIQUOR'' series, which revolved around two gay line cooks, Ricky and G-Man, who open a restaurant (the titular LIQUOR) in which every dish is themed around a different type of alcohol. While the series developed a modest following and was well-known for its luscious FoodPorn (seriously, don't read while hungry), it was not a critical success. Martin has indicated that he felt further demoralized by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, unable to write stories set in his beloved New Orleans after witnessing the destruction. This combination of events caused Martin to announce his retirement from publishing, while stressing that writing is still a part of his identity.

* ChromosomeCasting: Martin admitted early on to not finding woman interesting enough to write about.

* GenreShift: The ''LIQUOR'' series compared to the earlier horror-themed books. They're written in a noticeably less florid style, tend to employ a lot more humor, and are probably closer to thrillers or mysteries than horror.

Long known as a [[{{Transgender}} transgender man]], he later began his public transition process and announced his preference male pronouns. In mid-2012, he began using his current name, though his previous works are still published under his professional name of Poppy Z. Brite. While still being officially retired, he has on occasion independently published short stories in chapbook and ebook formats.

* TheBigEasy: When the books aren't actually set in New Orleans, characters are frequently either from New Orleans, go to New Orleans, or like to talk about that one time they were in New Orleans.

* TheBigEasy: Characters are frequently either from New Orleans, going to New Orleans, or like to talk about that one time they were in New Orleans.

* PurpleProse: There's a lot of lovingly described gore. Much ink is expended on descriptions of things like kudzu, trash in gutters, and whatever the characters are wearing, too. Averted with the ''Liquor'' series, which is written in a noticeably less florid style.

Billy Martin (formerly known and published under the name Poppy Z. Brite; born May 25, 1967) is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Goth sensibilities (and to a lesser extent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world, drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

Billy Martin (formerly known and published under the name Poppy Z. Brite, born May 25, 1967)) is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Goth sensibilities (and to a lesser extent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world, drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

* CastFullOfGay: The lead characters of ''Drawing Blood'' are gay men falling in love. Conversely, the baddy vampires of ''Lost Souls'' are likewise gay and in a committed threesome [[spoiler: that turns into a foursome, then later, back to a threesome.]] All four main characters in ''Exquisite Corpse'' are gay, and there are plenty of gay side-characters and gay/bisexual encounters throughout all the novels and many of the short stories (''Plastic Jesus,'' notably, basically asks the eternal question "What if Music/TheBeatles never broke up, and also Music/JohnLennon and Music/PaulMcCartney were boyfriends?")

* PurpleProse: There's a lot of lovingly described gore. A lot of ink is expended on descriptions of things like kudzu, trash in gutters, and whatever the characters are wearing, too. Averted with the ''Liquor'' series, which is written in a noticeably less florid style.

'''Billy Martin''' (formerly known and published under the name '''Poppy Z. Brite''') is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Goth sensibilities (and to a lesser extent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world, drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

'''Billy Martin''' (formerly known and published under the name '''Poppy Z. Brite''') is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Gothic sensibilities (and to a lesser existent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world, drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

'''Billy Martin''' (formerly known and published under the name '''Poppy Z. Brite''') is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Gothic sensibilities (and to a lesser existent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] and [[EveryoneIsBi bisexual casts of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similarly-themed short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels. The final straw came when his contracted third novel, ''Exquisite Corpse'' (about a pair of gay serial killers in love), was declined by both his American and UK publishers as being "too nihilistic" and "a bloodbath without justification." While the book eventually found a publisher, this experience, along with other behind-the-scenes issues in the publishing world--drove him to seek a break from horror writing.

* ''Wormwood'' - short story collection

* ''The Crow: The Lazarus Heart''

* ''The Value of X''

* ''Water If God Wills It: Religion and Spirituality in the Works of Creator/StephenKing'' - nonfiction, released through Patreon

* CastFullOfGay: The lead characters of ''Drawing Blood'' are gay men falling in love. Conversely, the baddy vampires of ''Lost Souls'' are likewise gay and in a committed threesome [[spoiler: that turns into a foursome, then later, back to a threesome.]]

Long known as a [[{{Transsexual}} transgender man]], he later began his public transition process and announced his preference male pronouns. In mid-2012, he began using his current name, though his previous works are still published under his professional name of Poppy Z. Brite. While still being officially retired, he has on occasion independently published short stories in chapbook and ebook formats.

'''Billy Martin''' (formerly known and published under the name '''Poppy Z. Brite''') is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several horror novels that appealed heavily to mid-1990s Gothic sensibilities (and to a lesser existent, the early hacker subculture) known for their violent imagery, their baroque-verging-on-PurpleProse, and their frequently [[CastFullOfGay homosexual]] [[EveryoneIsBi and bisexual cast of characters]]. After two successful novels of this type--''Literature/LostSouls'' and ''Literature/DrawingBlood''--as well as several similar short story collections, Martin found himself feeling bored and limited by both the genre and negative critical reviews claiming that Martin himself was "typecast" as an author of Goth novels.

Martin, a serious foodie familiar with [[TheBigEasy New Orleans]] restaurant culture, branched out into the ''LIQUOR'' series, which revolved around two gay line cooks, Ricky and G-Man, who open their own restaurant, the titular LIQUOR, in which every dish contains a different kind of alcohol. While the books developed a modest following and were well-known for their luscious FoodPorn (seriously, don't read while hungry), they were not a critical success. Martin announced his retirement from ''publishing'' midway through the series, while stressing that writing is still a part of his identity.

* ''Wormwood'' -- short story collection

* ''Plastic Jesus''
* ''Wrong Things'' -- with CaitlinRKiernan

* ''The Devil You Know'' -- short story collection

* ''Triads'' -- with ChristaFaust

* ''Antediluvian Tales''

* PurpleProse: There's a lot of lovingly described gore. A lot of ink is expended on descriptions of things like kudzu, trash in gutters, and whatever the characters are wearing, too. Averted with the ''Liquor'' series, which is written in a noticibly less florid style.

* PurpleProse: There's a lot of lovingly described gore. A lot of ink is expended on descriptions of things like kudzu, trash in gutters, and whatever the characters are wearing, too.

Billy Martin (1967-), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several homoerotic horror novels, but then found himself bored with the genre and began writing the ''LIQUOR'' series. Long known as a [[{{Transsexual}} transgender man]], he later began his public transition process and officially prefers male pronouns. In mid-2012, he began using his current name.

* TheBigEasy
* CastFullOfGay
* EveryoneIsBi
* FoodPorn

* PurpleProse

* ''Literature/Drawing Blood''

* ''Drawing Blood''

Billy Martin (1967-), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. Early in his career, he wrote several homoerotic horror novels, but then found himself bored with the genre and began writing the ''LIQUOR'' series. Long known as a [[{{Transsexual}} transgendered man]], he later began his public transition process and officially prefers male pronouns. In mid-2012, he began using his current name.

* ''Literature/{{Wormwood}}'' -- short story collection
* ''Literature/DrawingBlood''
* ''Literature/ExquisiteCorpse''
* ''[[Literature/TheCrowTheLazarusHeart The Crow: The Lazarus Heart]]''
* ''Literature/AreYouLoathsomeTonight''
* ''Literature/PlasticJesus''
* ''Literature/WrongThings'' -- with CaitlinRKiernan
* ''Literature/TheValueOfX''
* ''Literature/TheDevilYouKnow'' -- short story collection
* ''Literature/{{Liquor}}''
* ''Literature/{{Triads}}'' -- with ChristaFaust
* ''Literature/{{Prime}}''
* ''Literature/SoulKitchen''
* ''[[Literature/{{DUCK}} D*U*C*K]]''
* ''Literature/AntediluvianTales''