Byrnes was born on December 8, 1958, inRochester, New York. After graduating fromUnion College (Schenectady, New York) he worked in politics and government. While working as Chief of Staff to two Members of theNew York State Assembly, he ran as a minor-party candidate for Monroe County (NY) Legislature in 1981 and the United States Congress in 1986. In 1996, he moved toManhattan, and has worked as an executive in the not-for-profit business development field since then.
Byrnes's first three novels were gay comic romances. His acclaimed debut,The Night We Met, was released in 2002. His second novel,Trust Fund Boys was released in 2004 and his third, the Lambda Literary Award-winningWhen The Stars Come Out, in 2006.
Beginning with his 2009 novelStraight Lies, Byrnes began a series of comic crime capers featuring a hapless gang of gay and lesbian criminals led bypartners in life and crime Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca. The second novel in the series,Holy Rollers, was released byBold Strokes Books in November 2011; and the third,Strange Bedfellows (not to be confused with the 2000 anthology), which was published by Bold Strokes in September 2012.
Byrnes has also published short stories inBest Gay Romance 2014;Men of the Mean Streets (2011), a collection of gay noir short stories edited byGreg Herren andJ. M. Redmann;Saints & Sinners 2010: New Fiction from the Festival, edited by Amie M. Evans and Paul J. Willis;Fool for Love (2009), a gay romance anthology, edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R. D. Cochrane; andStrange Bedfellows (2000), a book of eroticpolitical fiction, edited by Dominic Santi and Debra Hyde (not to be confused with the 2012 novel.)
His 2006 novelWhen the Stars Come Out won theLambda Literary Foundation's award for Best Gay Romance, andStraight Lies, published in 2009, was a Lambda Award finalist in the Best Gay Mystery category.
Strange Bedfellows (2000), (ISBN073883890X / 978-0738838908) -- Political erotica. Byrnes's "Media Relations" is a humorous short story about an encounter between a gayWashington Post reporter and a conservative presidential candidate.
The Night We Met (2002), (ISBN0758201931) -- Gay comic romance. Andrew Westlake, a struggling writer, falls in love with the closeted son of aMafia boss, Frank DiBenedetto. As their lives spin out of control, Andrew and Frank try to dodge cops, hit men, Andrew's writing arch-rival, Frank's vindictive fiancée, and an attractiveFBI agent, as they struggle to save their relationship and their lives.
Trust Fund Boys (2004), (ISBN0758205449) -- Gay comic romance. Failed actor Brett Revere tries to take a short-cut up the ladder to success by pretending to be wealthy and fitting in with a gay moneyed crowd, but falls in love with Jamie Brock, a charming conman who is playing the same game. As his adventure unfolds, Brett discovers a lot about himself and the price he is paying for hiding his identity.
When The Stars Come Out (2006), (ISBN0758213247) -- Gay comic romance. When Hollywood heartthrob Quinn Scott realized he was gay in the late 1960s, his wife—the girl-next-door actress Kitty Randolph—exiled him and wrote him out of her life. Almost forty years later, Quinn's about to write his autobiography (with the assistance of the cute yet arrogant Noah Abraham), and Kitty is now a major entertainment mogul. This novel examines the effects of the "closet" on numerous levels, from the biggest celebrities to the person-next-door.
Fool for Love (2009), (ISBN1573443395) -- Gay romance anthology. In Byrnes's story, "Happy Hour at Cafe Jones," a man awaiting his blind date encounters his ex-lover. This anthology also features contributions fromAndrew Holleran,Felice Picano, Greg Herren,Joel Derfner, and other major gay writers, as well as a number of new voices.
Straight Lies (2009), (ISBN0758228570) -- Gay comic crime caper. The story of a pair of small-time gay criminals who learn about a sex tape proving that the world's hottest openly gay celebrity is actually heterosexual. What should be a simple plan—retrieve the tape, blackmail the celebrity, and live happily ever after—gets complicated when the tape is left in the back of a cab, setting in motion a madcap crime caper involving a misfit group of gay and lesbian thieves.
Saints & Sinners 2010: New Fiction from the Festival (2010), (ISBN1608640353) -- Gay and lesbian anthology. In "Saint Daniel and His Demons," Byrnes tells the story of a man eager to lose his too-good reputation. Contributors include Greg Herren, Jeff Mann, andJewelle Gomez.
Men of the Mean Streets (2011), (ISBN1602822409) -- Gay noir anthology. Byrnes's dark short story "Patience, Colorado" was his first non-humorous work. Other writers in the anthology includeMichael Thomas Ford, Jeffrey Ricker, and 'Nathan Burgoine.
Holy Rollers (2011), (ISBN1602825785) -- Gay comic crime caper. The inept gay and lesbian criminals introduced inStraight Lies return. This time, their target is $7 million in "petty cash" hidden in a mega-church located in Northern Virginia, and their adversaries include a powerful preacher, scheming congressmen, and an extremely aggressiveHomeowner association.
Strange Bedfellows (2012), (ISBN160282746X) -- Gay comic crime caper. When a racy cellphone photo is used to blackmail a congressional candidate, his campaign manager hires the gang of gay and lesbian criminals to retrieve it.
The Other Man: 21 Writers Speak Candidly About Sex, Love, Infidelity, & Moving On (2013), (ISBN1483970965) -- Essay. Byrnes's essay in the anthology, "A Brief History of the Divorce Party," details the breakup of a long-term relationship.
Best Gay Romance 2014 (2014), (ISBN1627780114) -- Gay romance anthology. In "Carver Comes Home," a young man returns to his hometown to make amends for past lies.
