SLIGHTLY cooler this morning so I got out on my #bike and hit the #CVLink for 15 glorious miles. Just took a quick dip in the pool and now it's time for #coffee and #breakfast. #cycling #desertliving #summer

“He had been taken away from his old world.… He had somehow slipped the ties of the world that had been his for almost 30 years.” —From the book, THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout

Today, I’m #grateful that I was once this young man, but am no longer. Lessons learned, battles won, battles lost. #TBT Chicago, Red Lion Pub, mid 1990s. In my 30s, I was a regular reader at this haunted #British pub, as part of its Twilight Tales series.

“In some ways, I might liken Reed to a gay version of Alfred Hitchcock in that he starts off with a plot twist but then just keeps ratcheting the tension up and keeps it going till the end." (Goodreads) A comparison to Hitchcock? I’ll take it! Be Grab a copy: www.amazon.com/Silence-Miss...

#Chicago, around age 36. Polaroid test shot for my photographer friend, Steve Becker, who was doing a shoot for the Advocate magazine. #memories

Have you picked up your copy of my #book, SEASPRAY yet? Readers love me this #magicalrealism tale of an escape from domestic abuse and newfound love. Amazon: www.amazon.com/Seaspray-Ric... Other retailers: books2read.com/seaspray #ownvoices #domesticabusesurvivor #lgbtq

I asked that ole devil, AI, to take a pic I took of myself yesterday and add some color to the beard and heighten the green of my eyes. Below is the original and what AI came up with. Genuinely curious...what are you thoughts? #selfie #profilepicture

In this #PalmSprings heat, I've found a good way to keep cool is #icecream. We all scream for...

You maniacs! You blew it up. Damn you! #4thofJuly

Today, I’m #grateful to be turning 68 with the privilege of still having the sun shine on me.

#truth (published in 2007)

#Grateful that I was out on my bike at 5 am and got to see the #sunrise while #cycling. 16 miles in an hour and 10 minutes. Great start to the day. #CVLink (pic taken just past the Gene Autry underpass)

And then there was the time I did a reading (circa 2000) at Chicago's Red Lion Pub on Lincoln Avenue. The occasion was Valentine's Day and Twilight Tales's (a local literary performance series) annual salute to #erotica with Red Light Night. #amwriting #amreading #flashback

The Reflecting Pool is a Reflection of Donald Trump open.substack.com/pub/johnpavl...

The Reflecting Pool is a Reflection of Donald Trump

We’ve seen this movie a few hundred times before.

open.substack.com

Back on the bike today after a little hiatus (a little more than 16 miles in an hour and a half). Early morning temps in the 70s, abundant #sunshine, and the usual glorious scenery make my heart #grateful for this #Saturdaymorning. How's your weekend starting off? #Cycling #CVLink

#FBF #Halloween, 1983, Evanston, IL. Here I attempt to impersonate a #Bavarian hiker boy. Note the lederhosen.

#TBT Late 1990s, Chicago with a quirky pal, St. Sukie de la Croix (on my right). I seem to recall we were judging a drag queen beauty contest.

Finally got around to seeing PILLION on #HBOMax (unrated version, of course). I really enjoyed it, but ever since viewing it, I've had the oddest desire to go camping. #movies #BDSM #submissive Seen it? What did you think?

I just learned that it was (gulp) 49 years ago yesterday that I graduated from high school. Here’s the senior picture of that naive and hopeful kid….and what he looks like today. #graduation #highschool

One of my most autobiographical #novels, BLINK, is perfect #reading for #Pride2026. It's also perfect if you've ever experienced your own life changing in the blink of an eye...with a chance encounter, a phone call, a missed connection. BUY: www.amazon.com/Blink-Rick-R... #ownvoices #LGBTQ

Blink

Blink - Kindle edition by Reed, Rick R.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Blink.

amazon.com

Today, I'm grateful for my French press and my #coffee bean grinder and the 'elixer of the Gods' they faithfully produce every morning...with sublime quality. I've tried all the other ways to make coffee and the simple, humble press is still the best, in my opinion.

A dog tucked under a blanket with a tennis ball nearby doesn't spend much time worrying about the future. He trusts that the people who love him will take care of things.

Today, I'm #grateful for the childhood show that inspired my dreams and nightmares, Dark Shadows. To say I was a fan is an understatement.

#TBT Ah, #Pride memories… #Chicago, around 1999, lining up for the parade with some very conventional corporate types I called friends. We may have had a wee spot to drink. We may have danced in the street to Ricky Martin. That’s me in the #leather harness.

If someone were to ask me, "What pair of #shoes would be the antithesis of who you are?" these would be the ones. Show me the shoes that would be the opposite of who you are.

In honor of #Pride2026, I offer up my novel, CAREGIVER, based on my own experiences as an #AIDS buddy during a time when the virus was a death sentence. It's redemptive, hopeful, sad, yet touching. #ownvoices #loveislove www.amazon.com/Caregiver-Ri...

Today, I'm #grateful for cheesy #horror movies like TRILOGY OF TERROR starring Miss Karen Black. What once was scary was now hilarious. Oh, but that killer doll.... What's your fave cheesy #horror flick?

#throwbackThursday: Nothing like a hometown signing of your first novel. 1991, signing Obsessed (which I’m happy to say is still in print).

Have you picked up your copy of my haunted apartment story, WOUNDED AIR, yet? Only $4.99 at Amazon: www.amazon.com/Wounded-Air-... #ownvoices #Chicago #addiction #amwritinghorror #lgbtq

What was your 1st R-rated movie in a theater? And how old were you? Mine was a pretty awesome choice: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, which haunts me to this day & still stands up as a classic. The pool party scene was an eye-opener. My mom dropped me off at the theater to see it—I was 13. #movies #growingup