Featured Interview With Cory Allen
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Cory grew up in rural western Pennsylvania before a divorce between his parents moved the family to a conservative suburb of Richmond, Virginia. He got his first job at fifteen at a family restaurant and bar. He soon found his voice and love for music and took steps to become a performer, even traveling to Nashville, TN to record in a studio. He ended up in the U.S. Air Force, which led to a career in local law enforcement. However, this meant hiding his sexual orientation.
In 2009, Cory quietly married his first boyfriend and came out to his family. He was later hired by the U.S. Secret Service as a Special Agent and sent to Miami, FL, working high level protective assignments and criminal investigations. He and his husband relocated to Washington, D.C., but extensive Secret Service work weakened the relationship. In 2019 at the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service and everything he knew on the east coast to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person.
Cory continues to reside in California with his partner where they are plotting their way into parenthood.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Around the age of 30, when I was seeking LGBT literature and fell in love with David Sedaris. I have always written a little here and there but Breaking Free was my first full attempt writing at a book.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, Steven Rowley, and a host of memoirists.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Breaking Free is a deeply personal yet candid saga of a gay Secret Service Agent in the Obama era; an agent who was struggling with his own identity, marriage, discrimination, and balancing the demands that accompany being assigned to protect the most powerful people in the world.
Cory Allen delivers an amusing view into his adventurous life, with abundant historical and pop-culture references, twists and turns of his relationships, and an inside look into life as a gay Special Agent in the hyper-masculine career field. Through intense self-reflection he recounts the impacts it had on his life and the hardships imposed by a career in the spotlight.
At the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person. Struggling to break free from societal norms, creating his identity apart from his all-consuming profession, and learning to listen to intuition are at the heart of this memoir.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Cory Allen’s Website