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William Jack Sibley

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Any Kind of Luck Hardcover – January 1, 2001

by William Jack Sibley (Author)

4.2 12 ratings

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Manhattan hand model Clu Latimore, along with his lover Chris, returns to his hometown, where he is faced with a variey of dilemmas, from his dying mother and her impending marriage to a Mexican-American evangelist to a smashing production of "Agamemnon--the Musical;" and, in a place filled with fire ants, Bible thumpers, barbecues, and blue bonnets, temptation lurks in the most unexpected places. 30,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Powered by the same type of giddy, clichéd fluff that is common to so much contemporary gay fiction, Sibley's debut is an energetic, frenzied tale centered around two 30-something gay men. Clu, "a modestly successful actor/director/hand model," and Chris, his vaguely psychic lover of eight years, relocate to "culturally eviscerated" Grit, Tex., from Manhattan to tend to Clu's ailing mother, "prize-winning" Chihuahua breeder Bettie Jean. The shocking announcement of Mother's impending marriage to clergyman Brother Ramirez ignites a culture clash aggravated by the antics of Clu's stereotypical redneck brother Jaston, perpetually pregnant sister Laine and a constant stream of endearingly flamboyant Texans. Spicing up the show is Preston, the blond, muscle-bound son of Oveta Canfield, Grit's resident busybody, who tempts Chris with a sightseeing tour of Texas while Clu is enlisted to direct a silly local production of Agamemnon Ya'll: A Country and Western Musical. Clu halfheartedly bonds with old friends and relatives, many of whom are closet nudists, evidenced by one of the story's more delightful scenarios during a "truth session" in an enormous hot tub. Clu can't suppress his overly defensive tendencies, and every spirited discussion with the local "backward hicks" finds him mounting his gay-rights soapbox though preachy, he's often right on the money. Sibley's bouncy story line recovers gracefully from these overblown spurts of anger by detailing the dramatics of Clu and Chris' increasingly strained relationship and the temptation to get back to the Manhattan lifestyle they've abandoned. A white-knuckled stage production, a death, a break-up and new beginnings conclude this light, humorous beach book shot through with campy one-liners and the sweet syrup of happy endings. Agent, Irene Kraas; national advertising in gay publications.

Review

FINALIST, 2001 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS FINALIST, 2001 FOREWORD REVIEWS, BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST, 2001 TEXAS INSTITUTE OF LETTERS/ JOHN BLOOM AWARD

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Pub Corp; First Edition (January 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1575667665
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1575667669
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,311,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18,501 in LGBTQ+ Genre Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 12 ratings

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William Jack Sibley

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WEBSITE - www.williamjacksibley.com

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HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP - WINNER 2022, FIRST PLACE - "INDIE READER DISCOVERY AWARD"

https://www.prweb.com/releases/2022/6/prweb18706921.htm

HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP - WINNER 2022, IPPY AWARD - "GOLD MEDAL/ BEST BOOK OF HUMOR"

https://ippyawards.com/164/2022-medalists--general-categories-1-59?fbclid=IwAR2XZ2w8_FyDVsabF3gPI3ld7j1tEK2Q6mLit84XcDJ_6UyzTQutkx2kYrM

HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP - WINNER 2022, BRONZE MEDAL (SATIRE) - "GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS"

https://globalbookawards4.spread.name/

HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP, - FINALIST 2022 - "AMERICAN FICTION AWARDS"

http://americanbookfest.com/americanfictionawards/2022afafullresults.html

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, "Ten Notable Books of 2021 by San Antonio Authors."

December 17, 2021

https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/article/10-notable-books-2021-San-Antonio-authors-16710576.php

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SIGHS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS - WINNER 2013 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE BOOK AWARD! - www.indieexcellence.com

SIGHS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS - WINNER 2013 USA BEST BOOK AWARD, "Gay and Lesbian Fiction!" - http://www.usabooknews.com/2013awardannouncement/2013awardspressrelease.html

SIGHS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS - FINALIST, 2013 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS, "GAY GENERAL FICTION" - http://www.lambdaliterary.org/foundation-updates/03/06/llf-announces-finalists-of-the-25th-annual-lambda-literary-awards/

SIGHS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS - FINALIST, 2012 FOREWORD REVIEWS, BOOK OF THE YEAR - https://botya.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2012/gay-lesbian/

SIGHS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS - FINALIST, 2013 BALCONES FICTION PRIZE - http://www.facebook.com/balcones.fictionprize

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ANY KIND OF LUCK - FINALIST, 2001, LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS

ANY KIND OF LUCK - FINALIST, TEXAS INSTITUTE OF LETTERS, (JOHN BLOOM HUMOR AWARD)

ANY KIND OF LUCK - FINALIST, BALCONES FICTION PRIZE

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William Jack Sibley's first novel ANY KIND OF LUCK (www.anykindofluck.weebly.com) was published by Kensington in 2001. It was nominated for a Lambda award (Best Romance), The Texas Institute of Letters "Funniest Book of the Year" John Bloom Award and the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year. His play MORTALLY FINE was produced Off-Broadway and numerous of his screenplays have been optioned by such directors and actors as John Schlesinger, Arthur Hiller and Diane Ladd. His writing has appeared in the UTNE READER, HALLMARK MAGAZINE, BRILLIANT MAGAZINE, THE SAN ANTONIO CURRENT, THE ORLANDO WEEKLY, THE DALLAS TIMES HERALD, HERITAGE MAGAZINE, TEXAS CO-OP MAGAZINE, THE DEAD MULE ("A Journal of Southern Literature"), FLYING COLORS, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES MAGAZINE and THE NEW YORK NATIVE. In addition to screenwriting, playwrighting and journalism Sibley is a fifth generation Texan who oversees his family's ranching operations in South Texas. www.williamjacksibley.com

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Author Interviews:

- "WROTE" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCo0DE37iwg&t=4s

- https://news4sanantonio.com/sa-living/here-we-go-loop-de-loop

- https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/beinglgbtq/episodes/2021-11-18T04_47_35-08_00

- https://anchor.fm/brianbielanskiletstalk/episodes/Here-We-Go-Loop-De-Loop-Author-William-Jack-Sibley-e1ad1r8/a-a2vrqld

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

12 global ratings

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Travis Cox

A wonderful book about an interesting place!

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2018

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book even more than I imagined. I'm a native of the South Texas area this book explores and I'm familiar with many of the folks Sibley's characters are based on. Sibley's writing style is enjoyable and flows easily. Wish he'd write more!

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avidsouthernreader

The pages within are empowering...

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2011

I just finished "Any Kind of Luck" given to me by a dear friend of mine. Just as he said I would, I literally laughed out loud! On the treadmill, at a restaurant table and waiting to get my teeth cleaned I LITERALLY laughed out loud (to the point people stared).

In my opinion, more importantly than the insightful humor the book contains, are the amazing pages of Chris' address to Brother Ramirez's congregation. I've read and reread those pages at least 50 times! I've been empowered by it. I've anguished over it. I feel validated by it. I literally cried tears of joy and remembered past hurts over it. I've been comforted by it. I've actually shared it with family and friends. Those pages are EXTREMELY powerful.

William Jack Sibley has the ability to succinctly and thoughtfully write what so many people would love to say to the world. I will forever cherish those pages!

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Blah

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2002

I read almost half the book, and then skipped and skimmed through to the end, and I am happy I didn't spend a lot of time with it because I found what I read to be cliche-ridden and utterly boring. It's certainly not the worst thing I've ever read, but it wasn't worth my time. I really wanted to like it because the whole going-back-to-one's-hometown thing always intrigues me (it's so universal), but unfortunately Sibley's characters didn't engage me at all. Yawn.

One person found this helpful

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J. Shaver

Pleasant but ultimately disappointing!

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2002

I found the book to be a diverting read, but ultimately disappointing. Character development was lacking. The characters were created so shallowly that I never really got to know any of them, and I wanted to, especially since the narrator (at least to the extent we got hints as to his character) did not seem to be likeable. There were great possibilites in these cartoon figures, but the author was never willing or able to delve into them. I guess it is a compliment that I wanted to know them better. It was like eating cotton candy. The faint taste I got was intriguing, but there needed to something more solid to it.

One person found this helpful

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Jonathan Burgoine

Chihuahuas, Musicals, Tex-Mex, Coming Home, Staring Over...

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2003

Normally, when I read gay fiction, I get frustrated by the plethora of perfect-looking single men with adequately successful lives bemoaning the tiny imperfections that plague them. When a perfectly built jock-stud with a long string of one-night-stands suddenly wakes up one day and says, "Gosh, I wish I had a true love," I have a hard time gathering much empathy.

This isn't one of those stories.

Here's the deal. Moderately-successful Hand-model Clu Latimore lives on Christopher street in Manhattan with his eight-year-long lover Chris, the Latin teacher. Though Clu has a lot of internal monologue about how he can't figure out why Chris, such an attractive man, is still with him, they're a good, solid couple.

Clu gets called howe - to Grit, Texas - when his mother's impending death to cancer looms. And though the plot from there really shines with a lot of really odd bits and pieces (a tex-mex musical version of Agamemnon, a pack of breeding Chihuahuas, his brother digging for buried treasure, his sister's umpteenth attempt at being pregnant, and a country that just screams hick and angry), it's the characters that keep this one going.

Clu is alternately enjoyable and frustrating. Anyone with emotional baggage from their family can easily empathise with the guy's situation, but you want to smack him over the head every time he takes a well-meaning comment someone else made and turns it into an impromptu "This is why what you said is homophobic" seminar. Clu's relationship with Chris takes a path I really didn't expect, and there's a betrayal that made me ill, but - let's face it - read quite true.

I guess the word "plausible" doesn't sound like it should belong in a tale that includes a tex-mex musical Agamemmnon, but honestly, I can't find a better word to describe the characters nor the emotional reactions. I'll watch out for Sibley in the future.

'Nathan

2 people found this helpful

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Chad Sosna

What a whirl!

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2005

Oy! This has all the spice of Tex-Mex, the pathos of going home to Mom, and small-town hickness that will have you rollicking with laughter--and empathy! It's the story of Clu, a somewhat successful 30-something New Yorker, who returns to his small hometown in Texas (called "Grit" of all things). His mother has cancer, but that doesn't stop the announcement of an impending marriage to a minister. Clu has to overcome small-mindedness, getting the hometown to accept Chris, his lover (who happens to be psychic) and has to deal with his redneck brother and ever-pregnant sister. You won't be bored!

One person found this helpful

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Todd Ransom

Leaves You Laughing

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2002

Any Kind of Luck is not the kind of book you read on an airplane unless everyone around is wearing earphones. The vivid imagery and colorful characters will force you to leave an imprint on someone else's eardrum. If chicken soup is good for the soul, Any Kind of Luck is good for the heart. William Jack Sibley's book is a melting pot of small-town characters, puntuated with dysfunctional family members, coupled with gay relationships...not to mention a menagerie of Chihuahuas at foot. You will find yourself anxiously awaiting the next hilarious entry in each chapter. Witty, charming and heart warming. With William Jack Sibley, it has nothing to do with luck, but everything to do with talent.

3 people found this helpful

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gary moore

quite a surprise

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2001

since gay fiction is so hard to come by,(or good gay fiction i should say)i wasn't sure of my choice in this book at first.after the first chapter i'd decided i'd made the right choice.
this is a great first effort and the author should feel encouraged to write more.

3 people found this helpful

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