One Thing or Another Podcast #63: Author Dave Hughes Hits Launch Sequence with Fourth Book

It’s great to chat again with friend and prolific author Dave Hughes, founder of RetireFabulously, and soon-to-be author of four fabulous books in his new adult gay series. I’ve known Dave for quite a few years now, and had the pleasure of sharing his articles on retirement at my own LGBTSr.com website. He’s since moved into fiction writing, and he’s got a new one coming out in just a few days. Listen in as we talk about his life, his writing, and his new release, If I Seem Quiet …

About Dave Hughes

Dave Hughes has written three gay fiction novels, Maybe Next Year, Instant Adult, and Open Books, Closed Sets. His next novel, If I Seem Quiet…, will be released on November 17, 2023. These are the first four books in a series of six. His first short story, Cruise Virgins, is available free to subscribers of his newsletter. Chronologically, it fits between Open Books, Closed Sets and If I Seem Quiet… .

In addition to fiction, Dave has written three retirement lifestyle planning books, Design Your Dream Retirement, Smooth Sailing Into Retirement, and The Quest for Retirement Utopia. Dave created the website RetireFabulously.com, which enables readers to envision, plan for, and enjoy the best retirement possible. In addition to writing hundreds of articles for RetireFabulously.com, Dave’s writing has appeared on US News & World Report, lgbtSr.com, Medium, Yahoo! Finance, CNN/Money, Next Avenue, Tiny Buddha, and others.

Aside from his writing, Dave is also a jazz musician. He plays trombone, steel pan, and electric bass in various bands in the Phoenix area. He owns an embarrassingly large collection of jazz, Brazilian, exotica, steel band, jazz/rock, and vocal ensemble CDs and videos.

Prior to retiring early at age 56, Dave was a software engineer for 34 years, working for companies such as Intel Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation, McDonnell Douglas Space Systems, and NCR Corporation. Over the course of his career, his projects included software development, customer support, training, course development, and management.

Dave resides near Phoenix, Arizona with his husband Jeff and their dog Maynard.

If I Seem Quiet… Coming November 17!

Aaron Bradbury, 28, has a successful career as a pharmacist and a nice apartment in sunny Tempe, Arizona. Yet, his life seems empty. He has few friends and has had no luck with dating.

A chance meeting with a trombonist named Rob sets a series of events in motion that will change Aaron’s life. Rob invites Aaron to attend the Desert Pride Symphonic Band concert the following Sunday. Aaron, who quit playing his trombone in college, decides to go. As he enjoys the concert, he realizes he misses playing his trombone and the camaraderie and friendship that come with playing in a band.

After the concert, Rob encourages Aaron to start playing again and join the band. There’s only one catch: Desert Pride is an LGBTQ and Allies band. Rob assures Aaron that straight people are welcome. After some initial hesitation, he agrees to give it a try …

Aaron’s story is filled with humor, drama, discovery, trust issues, and questionable life choices as he discovers gay life, deals with homophobic parents, and learns the ins and outs of same-sex relationships – from horniness to heartbreak to happiness.

If I Seem Quiet… will be released on Friday, November 17. In the meantime, download and read the short story Cruise Virgins. It’s the perfect bridge between my third novel, Open Books, Closed Sets, and If I Seem Quiet… As an email subscriber, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of If I Seem Quiet… or the ebook version at a pre-release discount.