By Isabella Zarate
Once the pandemic hit, Mahomet native, Joel Shoemaker found himself just like everyone else —bored. Amidst his boredom, Shoemaker decided to not only write, but self publish his own book—one bringing together two of the things he was most passionate about —sexuality and faith. Thus, “Bacon Grief” was born.
The title, a reference to the German word “kummerspeck,” which translates to grief bacon, refers to emotional overeating. As Shoemaker jokes, the title actually has nothing to do with the context of the novel, though the author considers it a repercussion of love.
“Bacon Grief” is a short story that takes readers through a “fluffy nonsense” sort of romance. The romantic comedy follows two high school students, Charlie and Tim. Charlie, a local who is accepted by his family, and Tim, a pastor’s son who is new to town, join a Christion youth group and become friends. As the friendship turns into a romantic relationship Tim is met with decisions regarding his faith and sexuality.
“It’s one of the only books for teens of fiction that celebrates and affirms both sexuality and faith,” Shoemaker notes.
Throughout the book, Shoemaker also pays some homage to his hometown. “There’s definitely some heavy influence from Mahomet and my high school experience,” the author mentions.
“There’s only really four characters in it, and two of them are Mahomet people, including [the late] Judy Swiger.”
Growing up, Shoemaker saw himself as relatively “blessed.” He was one of the few practicing magicians in the area, leading him, he believes,to be one of the popular kids. For that, his high school experience was quite positive as opposed to others. The positivity is something that he has since carried over into his book.
“It’s a purposefully silly, happy, fun book,” he shares. “It has no angst whatsoever.”
When he’s not writing books, Shoemaker works as the associate director of Library Services for Methodist College in Peoria. According to Shoemaker, working in libraries has had a lot of influence on his book.
“This particular book was written with the specific purpose that relates to my library experience,” he explains. Serving on committees within the library association, specifically the Rainbow Round Table, Shoemaker noticed that the majority of LGBTQ+ literature ended with the story’s character leaving their faith behind. For Shoemaker, who clings heavily to his faith, he knew creating a story that recognizes sexuality and religion was something he wanted to put into the universe.
Writing “Bacon Grief” specifically for the young adult genre, Shoemaker claims that this was for more reasons than one.
“The young adult genre is a great time to put a message out there … those are like the formative years where teens are really deciding what they want their life to be,” he explains. “It’s a great age for decision making and truth telling.”
While “Bacon Grief” is the first book for Shoemaker, it is not expected to be the last. “I’ve got a lot of projects that I’m writing on and working on and trying to put out into the world.”
“Bacon Grief” is available for purchase on the book’s website and on Amazon. Shoemaker’s work can also be found in a handful of public libraries.
