They say truth is stranger than fiction, but in the world of political reporting, sometimes the truth is just… hilarious.
If you’ve kept an eye on the news during major conservative conventions, you know the drill. A few thousand “family values” advocates descend on a city, and suddenly, Grindr starts sweating. It’s a digital stampede of faceless torsos and “discreet” profiles so intense that the servers eventually just throw in the towel. It’s a phenomenon so predictable you could set your watch by it—or in the case of my new book, you can set a plot by it.
That specific, chaotic intersection of public piety and private “Looking?” was the spark for Original Sins.
The “Glitchy” Meet-Cute
Imagine you’re a reporter. You’re at a conservative political conference to find a scandal, not a boyfriend. You’re scrolling through a sea of “Headless Torso #402” and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” profiles when you finally find a connection that feels real. You’re mid-sentence, heart doing a little flutter, and then—poof.
The Grindr Crash.
The app dies. The servers have surrendered to the GOP. You’re left staring at a spinning loading wheel, wondering if your soulmate is the guy in the “Traditional Values” tie at the coffee cart or the one currently shouting about “the sanctity of everything” on the main stage.
The Holy Mess
In Original Sins, that crash forces my protagonist to do the unthinkable: actually talk to people in person. When he finally tracks down his mystery connection, he doesn’t find a fellow jaded journalist. He finds a man whose entire career depends on nobody ever seeing that profile—a megachurch pastor who is essentially the poster boy for the movement the reporter is trying to dismantle.
It’s a story about what happens when the digital mask slips and you realize the “enemy” is actually the guy you’ve been dreaming about—even if he does have a lot of explaining to do to his congregation.
Preorder the Chaos
I can’t wait for you to dive into this one. It’s got all the secrets, scandals, and “oh no, he didn’t” moments you expect from my stories, with a healthy dose of “why is this app like this?” energy.
Original Sins is available for preorder now! Grab your copy before the servers—or the characters—have another meltdown. The preorder price is 2.99, but the price goes up to 3.99 on release day. It’s available at all major online retailers. Lock in your savings now!
Ian O. Lewis and Luke Jameson 