In 1942, Rupert Rocket’s grandmother was cursed by an Irish fairy, the Pooka, to end her bloodline. But the Pooka's sister, the Grogoch, blessed the boy to counteract the curse.

As a young gay man, Rupert’s life spins wildly between the competing spells through adventures as a dancer, a model, an actor, and a spy…But what will happen when the blessing runs out?Mark Salzwedel is a gay writer and editor living in New York City. His short stories have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, and his previous novel is The Lever (Queer Space Books, 2022).

PRAISE FOR THE LEVER BY MARK SALZWEDEL“There is as much wonder here as there is fear, and that careful mixture made this book a special read for me. ” – Ulysses Grant Dietz, queerscifi.

com“Unique space thriller, with good character development, surprise twists and turns, and a fascinating (terrifying?) antagonist at its heart!” – Damian Serbu, author of The Vampire’s Angel“Loaded with space-age detail and plenty of interpersonal melodrama, Salzwedel elevates his hefty 400-page novel to new heights with creative intergalactic accents and characters that pop and sizzle with righteous momentum to restore the greater good. ” – Jim Piechota, Bay Area Reporter.