Byron Lane’s love affair with words is far from languishing. Winning two regional Emmy Awards for his time as a TV journalist, he went on to write for and appear on the stage and screen. Remember the odd but highly successful stage piece Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist? That was from his mind. Three years ago, he made the leap into novel writing with A Star is Bored, a fictional homage to his time working for Carrie Fisher, a master of words herself. The book barely hit the shelves as it was scooped up by critics and readers alike. It was a smashing success. It made the top book lists for People, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Parade Magazine, New York Times Review, USA Today, and the NY Post, with the list going on and on – not to mention the social media frenzy it stirred with celebs from the LGBTQ world and beyond touting his book. We had the honor of chatting with him as his debut novel was released. That’s when we fell in love with the man behind the keyboard. Unassuming and soft-spoken, he is a force of optimistic and infectious energy. He is what his books promote – sincere love and affection. He somehow turns the conversation around, asking how you are and what you are going through to the point you don’t know if the conversation will result in laughs or tears with it most times having a bit of both.

This summer, he’s back with his sophomore novel, Big Gay Wedding: A Novel. Already a hit lauded literally everywhere, it centers on a gay man’s journey back to his small-town home – with whom he visits with his fiancé. The two decide to get married on his childhood farm, despite the pushback from conservative townsfolk and gasp! even his own mother. The book is beautifully written, and it is not only very funny, but also deeply emotional as it focuses on getting older, unconditional love, and even grief.

In this episode, we talk about his new book, married life, how he captures his characters so well, the balance of comedy in drama (even in real life), dealing with cancer, noticing the beauty in everything, dealing with loss, forgiving those who don’t accept us, the need to be super gay, building bridges with “the other side,” what’s up ahead for Byron, his Pride message to the community, and more! Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez.

You can catch our in-depth conversation with Byron in the Pride issue of Metrosource, now on newsstands or at Metrosource.com. Follow everything Byron at ByronLane.com.