Finding Tulsa

Review "It's not easy writing a novel in the first person and relying on the sole perspective of your narrator, but Jim Provenzano pulls it off beautifully in Finding Tulsa. He brings us the remarkable voice and life experience of Stan Grozniak, a struggling Hollywood director and a nuanced gay man in a town where so many live on the surface of things... Finding Tulsa is both a unique and satisfying read that gives much perspective on the AIDS pandemic and living through it as a modern gay man." - Art & Understanding
"Written as an autobiography, this entertaining work of fiction tells the story of Stan, a gay film director making a film about his past. Cast in the movie is Lance, a boyhood crush who Stan reconnects with in Hollywood. Finding Tulsa is an intense story, yet it's an easy read due to the author's vivid writing." - Echo Magazine"Finding Tulsa is more than just the pseudo-memoir of a Hollywood hotshot and his sexual escapades (however exciting they are to read about -- and in lurid, delicious detail), but also an unexpected, endearing love story. ... Whether it's a small town production of Gypsy or a porno movie set in the desert, Stan's limitless passion for creativity and the artistic process remains intact, and guides him throughout." - Edge Media Network"Finding Tulsa is a smashing exploration of what it would be like to be a gay film director of some renown living his best life. Mostly, I loved how recognizably messy Stan is, yet still makes his life work--which, for Stan, includes finding love with his unrequited high school crush and making a living through film; an excellent read for anyone who is interested in complex, first-person narratives." - Joyfully Jay Product Description Stan Grozniak, the once-rising star of 1990s gay cinema, almost self-sabotages a prestigious directing gig with writer-producer (and soon to be ex-boyfriend) Barry, after casting his rediscovered teenage summer stock crush. Still haunted by the death of Rick Dacker, the sexy star of his cult favorite action trilogy, Stan attempts a romance with actor Lance Holtzer, his 'Tulsa' from a small town Ohio production of the musical Gypsy. When Jason Daw a gay adult video star, invites him to direct an epic porn feature, he risks it all while finding the means to confront a long-lost and once overly affectionate uncle. Discovering more about himself than he wants to admit, he traces his recent success with past obsessions. Framed through a visit to Stan's boyhood home where he made short films with his brother, the tale of his rise to cinematic success, and the sacrifices he made­, captures the passion and heartache of making love, making movies, and the occasional riot. From the Back Cover Advance praise for Finding Tulsa"Finding Tulsa reminds you what a good friend a novel can be. It's about friendship,about "losing men and then finding them," about brotherly love andconflict, and the possibility of resolution. It's sexy, funny, astute,panoramic - it knows about suburban Ohio basement rec rooms and glamparties in the Hollywood hills. I felt like I had met a charming guy at a cocktail party who seemed to get me, understood my past, confided his own, and then disappeared to another better party before I was readyfor him to leave. And it's wrapped around a fearless, wrenchingnarrative about facing your childhood demons, raising the question ofwhether or not one of the demons might have been you. There's so much to savor, to argue with, reflect upon, learn from, enjoy."- John Weir, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket"Finding Tulsa is sexy, romantic, witty, engaging, both cleverly current yet sweetlyretrospective. It's Jim Provenzano's most complex and accomplishednovel. He gets so much right and so evocatively about show business,from those school plays we all remember to Hollywood made-for-television movies, with delicious stops at boyhood Super-8 movies and out o