In 1996, Atlanta-based real estate agent Doug Jones felt concerned by his difficulty in finding contemporary literature with Black and queer men who defied personal and professional obstacles as main characters.
Jones’ father told him those stories were “at the tip of his pen.”
Three decades later, Jones has released his debut novel, “The Fantasies of Future Things.” Jones is hosting a book release at Auburn Avenue Research Library on Wednesday, April 23.
The book, set in 1996, follows two Morehouse College graduates working for an Atlanta real estate development company as the city prepares for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Told through flashbacks, rotating points of view and references to Atlanta geography, the story follows the men as they grapple with moral and professional dilemmas relating to gentrification, family, career aspirations, romance and sexual identity.
The first-time novelist told UATL he wanted the book to showcase authentic, Black, same-gender-loving relationships.
“I wanted to lean into work that shows some struggles, resistance, uphill and love. We’re not writing pornography or erotica, but it can be truthful, honest and intimate.”
Credit: Shikeith
Credit: Shikeith
Charles Stephens, the Counter Narrative Project's executive director, said Jones’ book is a reflection of his own life and raises awareness around Black LGBTQ+ relationships in modern literature.
“I’m really excited this novel exists in the world. He’s deeply influenced by Joseph Beam and Essex Hemphill, and in 2025, it’s still a courageous act in these troubling political times to tell stories about Black queer life,” Stephens, an Atlanta native, said.
“Doug’s voice, stories he’s sharing and ideas he’s advancing will inspire critical conversations about race, masculinity and sexuality in an Atlanta context. I’m thrilled about a novel that reflects the Atlanta I know and reminds me of the people who shaped my life.”
Jones has practiced real estate in Atlanta since 2017.
He came to Atlanta in 1986 from Brooklyn, New York, to study finance at Morehouse College. Four years later, during the spring semester of his senior year, he came out.
Jones said he found community at the all-male historically Black college, despite being ostracized for his sexuality.
“It was painful and disruptive. My life fell apart. I lost a lot of friends, but I made a lot of my gay friends and found my tribe after I left,” Jones said.
In 1996, Jones started writing a novel after he enrolled in Columbia University’s creative writing program. He found a literary agent, who started sending out his manuscript to publishers.
Jones kept getting rejection letters. He claims his agent and the publisher didn’t know how to properly market him or his work.
“I was a different type of writer and studied in what I wanted to do, and that didn’t work for her. The letters said my work was nice, but they didn’t know what to do with a Black gay writer. She told me the same thing, so we parted ways,” he said.
Burdened with student loan debt, Jones took jobs with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in 2002 and the New York City Economic Development Corp. two years later before venturing into real estate.
Those jobs exposed Jones to how ethics and geopolitics affected Black communities. He said he wants his work to humanize those underserved communities.
“I’ve always seen the dilemma of what happens when a community of people are in a place and living in a way that has become desirable and attractive for other people. I wanted to show the story of what happens to the people going through those everyday struggles that live in those areas,” he said.
Jones hopes his novel will encourage publishers to prioritize diverse stories about love and romantic relationships.
“Thirty years ago, the infrastructure, visibility and background that needed to exist to support a book like this didn’t exist. I want to do good work, represent Black gay men, our families, who we are, where we are in the community, because we’re doing valuable stuff here,” Jones said.
“We’re living lives with the same dreams, aspirations, insecurities, wants and desires as everybody else, and I hope the next brother or sister that’s writing a story like this doesn’t give up.”
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23. Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-613-4001, eventbrite.com.
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