The first of two Christmas chapters has posted.
Read Hi, I'm Lance, Meeting 45 [Chap. 20] here.
One thing I like about this chapter is that it is long enough to cover several dynamics in Lance's relationships: family, adulthood and new boyfriend. A lot is covered here.
I think readers will be drawn to the holiday between Lance and Jakob, but I probably enjoyed writing the growth between siblings the most. Lance and his brother Oliver made headway, and Jakob's family has made steps, even if they are small ones.
Hollywood tends to embrace Christmas with "feel good" stories. I confess I haven't strayed much from that, but I do know that the holidays aren't always happy times (remember Richard from the previous chapter?). Families can be a mess, and the time together can be a struggle for some. Shouting and arguements are probably not that rare. [Here's a foreshadowing hint: I'm working on Cooper's book. You'll see what I mean.]
But Christmas gatherings are times to express love, so that's got to be a positive thing.
I enjoyed the Christmas chapter very much. It was somehow quite comforting to note the "thawing" of the relationships within Jakob's family. The fact that Keaton would gently pull Lance's arm to signal a desire for a few private words was a surprise. But then for Keaton to offer words of thanks for bringing Jakob back to the family – well, that was a pleasant shock indeed.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the section I felt was the most unexpected was the conversation between Oliver and Lance – and hearing Oliver admit that he recognized (and was jealous of) Lance's happiness. Considering that you had previously painted Oliver as a guy who only exhibited negative or sarcastic opinions about his brother's "lifestyle choice" (!!!), this one-on-one dialogue opened up a much more nuanced perspective of him. It was clever and thought-provoking the way you flowed the concept of a straight man viewing a gay relationship (involving a relative) as positive and good and admirable. Then the inclusion of Oliver's phone conversation with his college buddy Xavier just added to this "softening" of Oliver's image.
Finally, you wrapped up the chapter with a wonderful bow by describing the warm oil massages Lance and Jakob gave each other at the end of Christmas night. Just to imagine that, to think how it would feel – well, it was very sweet and romantic. Thanks for that!
B.
I finally had a chance to read this chapter today. What a heart-warming chapter it was! Lots of fences being mended and relationships getting stronger. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if it had been available to read during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteIn short, I loved it.
Agreed! If only life's timing could have worked out that way. I would have loved that.
DeleteNow that is one incredible, emotional chapter. You can feel the love in the massage and their tenderness,WOW! Thank you for a beautiful Christmas story. Even Lance’s call to Zach says how far he has come.
ReplyDeleteG.
After the hurt of Tyler's death, the latest chapters of Hi, I'm Lance and If It Weren't For the Two of Us have been lovely to read. Everything is going well; at least for the moment. I liked the massage/lovemaking scene with Jakob and Lance. I particularly liked the comparison of the massage oil with Jakob's cum. Hot sex and no penetration — that's exceptional on Nifty. Must be a love story...
ReplyDeleteIt will be a bit of a wrench when the two books come to an end. Of course, there are books 4 and 5 to look forward to, though I suspect that both will be hard when looking back even if things look good going forward.
Thanks for all the effort you put into writing for us.
CG
I have read Hi, I’m Lance Chapter 20 and I loved it! I am so excited that Jakob’s family is reconnecting with him. I don’t expect them to ever understand (I am from a family much like that) but just being able to be there for Christmas was special.
ReplyDeleteM.
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ReplyDeleteThis is also a very good post which I really enjoyed reading. It is not every day that I have the possibility to see something like this.. Spalling concrete
ReplyDelete