Check out the author’s interview on BOOK TALKS as he shares why he wrote this powerful book and the impact it’s having on the world.
Jack Cooper experienced tremendous heartache while growing up as a gay teenager during the 1970s, a time well before the seemingly impossible dream of LGBTQ+ freedoms of Pride parades and same-sex marriage became reality.
Too many of his gay male peers took their lives, choosing to die rather than face the destructive and sometimes deadly scorn of families, religion, and society that tormented them for being gay.
So Jack channeled his pain and heartache into his new best selling book:
Pain Before the Rainbow: A Biomythographical Anthology by Jack Cooper.
During his Book Talks interview, Two Sisters Writing & Publishing CEO Elizabeth Ann Atkins sat down with best-selling author Jack Cooper to explore the deeply personal and powerful stories behind his new Pride 2025 release.
Jack shares the emotional and spiritual journey that inspired this unique anthology — a raw, moving collection of stories centered around LGBTQ+ identity, religion, resilience, and self-acceptance.
The book, whose centerpiece is a love story called “Anthony’s Sin” about two gay male teenagers, is already making waves as an Amazon best seller, offering vital visibility to queer voices often silenced in traditional religious spaces, especially within the Catholic Church.
This heartfelt and interview dives into:
🌈 Jack’s personal journey as a gay man raised Catholic during the oppressive 1970s
✍️ How writing became a form of healing throughout his life and continues to provide comfort as he processes pain and grief
💍 The impact of discrimination against same-sex love
🏳️⚧️ Honoring transgender stories and LGBTQ+ survival
📖 How this book is sparking change and creating hope
Whether you’re a book lover, queer writer, LGBTQ+ rights advocate, or reader craving diverse stories, this conversation will leave you inspired and empowered.
💬 Leave a comment to share how LGBTQ+ literature has impacted your life.
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Elizabeth Ann Atkins is a bestselling author, Emmy-nominated TV host, actress, and award-winning journalist. She co-founded Two Sisters Writing and Publishing with her sister, Catherine M. Greenspan, a company that has written and published over 60 memoirs, novels, business books, and journals since 2016. With a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan, Elizabeth has written over 20 books and is widely known as America’s Book Coach. She also hosts The Goddess Power Show, a podcast and YouTube channel that explores topics empowering women to live bigger, better, and bolder.