Samantha Allen's Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet is a raucous, rollicking, and occasionally racy romance featuring unlikely lovers: a "decidedly midlist writer" and "the most famous man in America." More than a decade has passed since Adam's memoir, Salt Lake City Sodomite, about being a gay ex-Mormon, made him a bestselling Lambda Literary Award nominee. Nothing he's published since has brought him much attention (or money), so he's shocked when his agent summons him for an expensive meal and offers him a quarter-million-dollar contract to ghostwrite A-list actor Roland Rogers's memoir. For that sort of money, though, Roland requires Adam to handwrite the book at his Malibu mansion within a month.
Adam immediately flies to California from New Jersey. He's eager to get started, but 24 hours after arrival, he still hasn't even seen the elusive star, only heard his voice from speakers throughout the mansion. An In-N-Out Burger (animal style) pick-up and a digital Timex watch impossibly flashing H-E-L-L-O eventually convince Adam that Roland is actually, literally, dead: he died in an avalanche in Alta, Utah, and woke up (minus his body) back home. Roland knows they've got to finish writing before his corpse is inevitably discovered. Falling in love, however, was never supposed to be part of the story.
In this inventive romp, Allen (Patricia Wants to Cuddle) balances supernatural romance with insightful gravitas about identity, expectations, perceptions, oppression, and truth-telling--oh, and food, plenty of indulgent food. Deliciously fun, delightfully endearing, Allen's novel provides readers with fulfilling fodder for the soul. --Terry Hong