AfterElton.com – by Steven Frank
James St. James was a central figure in the New York City club scene of the ’80s and early ’90s who was known, along with his circle of fellow club kids, for his outrageous attire and hard-partying lifestyle. The good times came crashing down when St. James’ friend, party promoter Michael Alig, was convicted of the murder of drug dealer Angel Melendez. St. James wrote of those events in Disco Bloodbath, which was nominated for an Edgar Award for best true crime book of the year and was the source of the movie Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin as Alig and Seth Green as St. James.
St. James’ new novel, Freak Show, will be published by the young adult division of Dutton on May 17. Based on St. James’ own teen years, this hilarious and heartbreaking novel focuses on Billy Bloom, who shows up on the first day at his new high school in South Florida decked out like a gay pirate. His flamboyant behavior leads him to be cruelly abused by his conservative, close-minded peers, but also inspires the unlikely friendship of Flip Kelly, the school’s beloved football hero.