Welcome to the official site of R.M. Garabedian. I write things, take pictures, and occasionally climb something steep.
ABOUT MOUNTAIN PHOTO (under text):
Summitted 10,358' peak! On volcanic “scree” you slide back a foot for every two gained—so I’m calling it a 20,716-foot ascent! LOL
IN-PROGRESS:
Advance by Fire and Maneuver
A novel of love, ambition, & survival during the 1980s Hollywood AIDS panic
Category: LITERARY/UPMARKET
Status: ✒️ Completed draft; now revising toward final polish (Chapters 1& 2 ready)
Open to: Representation inquiries, editorial interest
Panoramic—and spanning decades—this deeply character-driven work centers on an epic male-male love story.
Two passing-for-straight leading men—David, an intense ex-paratrooper with a combat-like approach to obstacles and a background in Shakespeare, and Jed, a charming and sexy goofball who is also capable of moments of startling depth—battle up from tough beginnings as they rise in show business and dangerously strive to maintain a secret relationship.
When the 1980s Hollywood AIDS panic erupts just as each breaks through to stardom, they must fight to protect their romantic bond—and their financial and artistic survival—in an industry determined to identify, shut out, and expunge homosexual men.
With everything on the line, their differing personalities, approaches, and strategies unleash both shattering pain and surprising forms of triumph.
WHY THIS WILL APPEAL:
It’s entertaining...fun, sexy chemistry between the guys and uniquely rendered behind-the-scenes looks at bygone versions of NYC theater world and Hollywood TV & film productions full of wild characters and wacky/absurd/shocking situations.
Including: revealing experiences with the era’s established stars, playwrights, talk-show hosts, agents, directors, and industry executives.
Oh…and with all this, a lot of page-turning suspense. (!!)
NOVEL DESCRIPTION BY MENTOR
(Excerpted from “Early Reactions” page)
“You’re offering romance with gravitas—not just swoon, but soul.”
And:
“You’re crafting something that challenges readers with literary depth and stylistic richness, while rewarding them with emotional payoff, narrative propulsion, and romantic tension. This is exactly what upmarket fiction is meant to do: bridge the gap between literary and commercial. And you’re not just bridging it—you’re building a highway across it.”
I’ll leave you with a LOGLINE (smile):
Two young, closeted leading men fight to survive the 1980s Hollywood AIDS panic as it threatens their secret love and hard-won stardom