Trent's World

After numerous posts of Hi, I'm Lance, a return to If It Weren't For the Two of Us brings us back into Trent's life. Chapter 36 is now posted.

Read If It Weren't For the Two of Us, Chapter 36 here.

Quite simply, Trent's world is turned upside down. In this chapter, Trent meets Jakob and experiences the worst family drama yet. Things are happening fast for him. And they make demands on his emotions and his heart.

I am fortunate to say I have not had to deal with such betrayal. We all have issues that we have to contend with, but this was a biggie. What are your thoughts on how he handled it? Would you have handled it the same?

The chapter does not let us delve into the mind of Mike, so the reader has to assume — or guess — just how he is feeling.

As always, share your thoughts in the comments below.

Brothers

I think all readers can agree, Lance has made incredible headway, particularly since the chapters of Extracurricular and the first half of If It Weren't For the Two of Us. But although he is developed confidence with his parents, the latest chapter ends with him speculating on telling his brother — who in the past has exhibited incredible homophobic tendencies.

Read Meeting 13 [Chap. 10] here.

This is one aspect of Lance I can totally relate to. I have two older brothers. We were a religous family, so I knew coming out would be tough. One of my brothers is very homophobic. He has not held back on that. He is kind to my other half, or at least polite. Oddly, my other brother told me I was going to hell just a few years ago — at a family funeral!! (Hm. That would be interesting to work into a chapter.)

Coming out to everyone happened ages ago. Still, at family gatherings, there is just an aura of tension below the surface. No one ever speaks disapproval, but I know it is there. The lucky thing is I am totally myself. I'm not flaunting my sexuality in any way but nor am I hiding it. I'm me.

Lance has had great luck with being blessed with understanding parents, particularly in comparison to Jakob and Lance. His brother Oliver eventually has to enter the picture though, right? Those opportunities are on the horizon.

As readers, many of you probably have very positive and some have been shut out of your siblings' lives. The world is very uneven. I think my characters have helped illustrate that.

Big Steps

With the latest chapter, Jakob takes risks, or at least big steps. 

Read Meeting No. 12 [Chap. 9] here.

How this develops in the weeks ahead for Lance and him remains to be seen? Are he and Lance good together? Or should they be paying attention to the warnings others tend to be offering?

While how their relationship will develop is yet unclear, each of the men involved have some soul-searching to do. Lance continues to mature, and Jakob is learning to trust. Both of them are growing, and that is what I am trying to convey in these chapters.

My favorite part of the chapter is the drawer. Was it a loving a touch? Or no big deal?

I tried to put myself in Jakob's shoes when I wrote this chapter. My own life experiences come nowhere near to what his character has gone through. It was challeging to get into the mind of such a person. I always want my book characters to come off as authentic. Hopefully that is the end result. As Hi, I'm Lance was beginning to evolve, Jakob grew on me quickly. I also enjoyed writing Lance's evolution, as well.

More steps — big ones and small ones — are still yet to emerge.

Meeting Parents

In the latest chapter of Hi, I'm Lance, Jakob meets Lance's father.

Read Meeting No. 11 [Chap. 8] here.

While Lance and Jakob figure out what they are, it became evident to Lance that Jakob was important enough to introduce him to his father.

Gay or straight, such occasions can be very unsettling. Not only do you worry about what your parents will think of your love interest, but you also worry about what your love interest thinks of your parents.

In my case, it actually happened before either of us were out to our parents. We all met at a dinner under "event" circumstances, so there was no real scrutiny of boyfriends.

I find it heartwarming to hear of so many friends speak highly of their "in-laws" (whether married or not). I know I have felt very loved by his family, even more so than what my family puts forth for him.

Parents will continue to play a significant role in the lives of Mike, Trent, Lance and Jakob. Stay tuned.

Randall

Is there anything more confusing, frightening and thrilling than first sexual encounters? 

Judging from readers, everyone has a different story and time frame. Mine were in high school, but they left me confused. We never talked about it. We never kissed or were romantic — just random sexual activity. In the scheme of things, I have no idea if it was healthy or not. I was in a fog (and denial) for years.

Lance's flashback to Randall is an example of what I wish I had.

Read Meeting No. 10 [Chap. 7] here.

My experiences were not like that. Same guy, multiple occasions, but ... we never talked about it. We just did it. We didn't go very far, but we knew it was going to happen each time we slept over.

High school years are long in the past. I have no idea how open teens today are to talking about such things. It is all so personal and intimate — and scary — that no one is probably confident. The internet has made everything so immediate and available, so maybe the anxiety isn't as bad. But people are people. We all come with insecurities and fears, especially when younger.

So Lance is finding new uncertainties. In his group, he is realizing he is not alone. 

None of us are.

Jakob

Well, it is obvious now that Jakob is a character that is going to take on a role that impacts Lance's life. Just how that transpires will be laid out in the chapters ahead. There are so many questions. Do they attempt a relationship? They are from two different worlds — can it even work? Is it worth the risks in their first year of sobriety? Can they possibly be right for each other? Or is it two friends being there for each other when they need it? Baggage can be weighty.

Read Hi, I'm Lance [Chap. 6] Meeting No. 9 here.

While this book is completely written, posting a chapter at a time lets an author go back and refine things here or there. Even though I've gone through the book twice in terms of the writing process, I still add and tweak things each week before it is posted. More importantly, my readers — you! — can create an edge to a chapter or character I might not have imagined. It happened in If It Weren't For the Two of Us and now recently a reader has created a whole new dynamic in this book as well. Thank you for your feedback. It makes my day to hear from you. [You can always comment below, even anonymously. Email is welcome too.]

With six chapters in, any early thoughts on Jakob? Or Cooper or Ophelia or the AA meetings? It's funny, Mike and Trent were the main characters when all this started. Then Lance grew on me. With this book, all the other characters grew on me as I developed them. There is so much more ahead; I'm very excited to share it with you.

It took me this long to realize that when my chapters are posted, things are slightly different than when seen on my screen. When I type a flashback, I always use blue and a different font. I do feel you can differentiate on the font, but I had no idea the blue was replaced by black text in the post. Hmph. Ah well. All my artistic nuances apparently can't be in play.