Ahoy! And thanks to Armistead Maupin for his kind words about my novel Upon This Rock currently in screenplay development and now in its second printing! — David Eugene Perry
“Perry has written an elegant, twisty thriller in which a gay couple investigates a mysterious suicide in a scenic Italian hill town. It’s not hard to imagine that this book could do for Orvieto what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did for Savannah.” — Armistead Maupin, author of the internationally acclaimed “Tales of the City.”
Get your copy — instant ebook for Kindle or print — at the link below or at your favorite independent bookstore like Fabulosa Books, Books Inc. in San Francisco or the The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs!
Tom LeNoble interviewed by Rob Lawless for “The 10 K Friends Project”
Thanks to Rob Lawless for including Tom LeNoble in his visionary “10 K Friends” Project. Read the interview highlights below and follow Rob on Instagram @robs10kfriends and Tom @lenoble.tom
“We had no hot water and no refrigerator. My father brought home a block of ice every day to put in the icebox. He used to heat our bath water on a kerosene stove, which I can smell right now. And there was a pecking order because there was only so much water, and I was the baby so you can imagine where I was, except on my birthday I got to be first.”
Tom LeNoble had an incredible career that spanned leading customer service at MCI and Walmart.com to being employee #57 at @facebook to being VP of HR of a dating site acquired by @match (amongst many other accomplishments). However, evidenced by his book, “My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels,” he’s much more than his titles.
From humble beginnings in Jacksonville Beach, Tom found authenticity in performing at the gay bars in college. Yet, wanting more for his life, he managed the lab of a psychiatric hospital and worked at MCI part-time, setting him down his corporate path.
Throughout his career, though, he navigated the loss of his older brother to AIDS (Tom was 29, his brother was 35) and battled his own serious illnesses. “I’ve been given 6 months to live 3 times…First time was from AIDS, the second time was from AIDS, the third time was from cancer.”
With an unfaltering sense of resilience, though, Tom’s always pressed on – falling in love, traveling the world, hosting his Open Pathways podcast, running @acecoachtraining and giving back to causes like youth in the arts, first-gen students and women in need.
As Tom puts it, “I retired being retired to be inspired.” And now, not only is he feeling uplifted by his endeavors; by sharing his story Tom’s teaching others an important lesson!
“Who we are today is the sum parts of who we’ve been in our life. And some of those parts we may feel shame, they were outrageous, they’re private or just people wouldn’t understand, right? But you would not be who you are today without all those parts.” Great hanging with you, @lenoble.tom!
Maritime Memory Lane! David Perry was a ship’s officer (on gold-plated Crystal Cruises) and went on to become a shoreside media tycoon (yes, from the printed word to TV host). A dear friend, we co-lectured on a Maritime/Ocean Liner Nostalgia cruise (from San Diego southward to New Zealand onboard the Crystal Symphony) back in 2014. These days, David is himself a hugely successful shipboard speaker (onboard the likes of Seabourn & Holland America) and so wonderfully & expertly carries the torch of maritime history. Yes, he is eloquent, well researched, impeccably stylized. Recently, he reached into his shoebox of travel photos & found the views below:
Not just a handsome face, Alfredo Casuso (left) created the billmilleratsea website
2nd seating: Crystal dinnertime friends
I was King Neptune during the Crossing-of-the-Line ceremonies & with my trident ordered that even the captain be dunked!
Just had a post card from David & Alfredo from a Seabourn cruise in Panama (but below they are seen in Casa Martín 1920 in Grazalema, Spain)
14 years before the first Rainbow Honor Walk plaque went into the sidewalks of San Francisco’s Castro District, a dedicated group of community members, including RHW founding member Gustavo Serrina, established The Pink Triangle Memorial: the first historical landmark in the USA remembering LGBT victims persecuted in Fascist Europe between 1933-1945. Today I took a stroll through. Thank you to all the volunteers who maintain the site, including its wonderful flowering garden. — David Eugene Perry
Today on the anniversary of her birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Barbara Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996). A groundbreaking congresswoman, constitutional scholar, and powerful voice for civil rights, Jordan became the first Black woman from the South elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Known for her historic role during the Watergate hearings and her unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and the rule of law, she also stands as an important figure in LGBTQ+ history — a woman who lived authentically and whose legacy continues to inspire generations fighting for dignity, representation, and democracy.
