Finally.
I so wanted to get here. We all did. I said from the
beginning that Book Four would be darker. Thankfully — as we knew he would —
Jakob has survived his past. I cannot fathom having any readers of Ascension:
Jakob’s Ladder that did not first read Hi, I’m Lance. If so, please
let me know … and bravo. That was a lot of tough years to get through. I would
certainly be impressed.
Click here to read Ascension: Jakob’s Ladder, “26”
[Chapter 8].
Click here to read Hi, I’m Lance, Meeting 4 [Chapter
1].
All of my stories have their own niche. Extracurricular
simply introduced our first three characters. If It Weren’t For the Two of
Us had Trent’s journal. Lance’s book had its meetings. Jakob’s story is
told by years. We are now caught up to where you (as readers) were introduced
to him. Some of the flashback scenes are familiar to you, others are new. But
seeing them through Jakob’s eyes, I hope there is a fresh take on what you
recall. It’s all now placed into the context of his life. (And I do indeed
have a distinctive niche for Books Five and Six. 😊 )
Just because we are caught up to age 26 doesn’t mean the
book is done. Ascension: Jakob’s Ladder goes to age 30. A few chapters
ago, a reader asked me if I was keeping the reason Jakob was talking to Trevor
a secret. He was speculating on many theories on what prompted their conversations
and what might have happened. It is true, I haven’t shared it yet, but it is only
a few weeks away. I was so intrigued by the reader's thoughts. Fascinating.
The toughest part of this chapter was summarizing half of Book
Three into this one year. As Jakob explains life to Trevor, I worry that the slow-build
relationship of Lance and Jakob just doesn’t come off clearly enough in a single chapter. Alas,
that’s where I have to depend upon readers to remember all those things from Hi,
I’m Lance.
By no means do I think Jakob is a Cinderella story. It was
not an overnight miracle transformation. We have to remember that as Lance and
Jakob’s relationship was growing, he was living in a homeless shelter. It was
gradual, not fast at all.
The joy of their love story is them finding each other and making
the other individual a better person. That is the reward of Jakob’s story:
through it all, he found the love he deserved.
More to come…
Is it weird that I love Sister Julie?
ReplyDeleteI was reading this chapter and thinking how long it seemed to be taking to read it, wondering if I was just slowed down by having much to think about. When finished, I went back to the file and saw that it was a minimum of 50% longer than any of the preceding chapters, and in most cases longer than that.
ReplyDeleteBut I did have much to think about while reading and found, for myself, this chapter to be much more emotional and difficult to get through than the immediately preceding "darker" chapters. Perhaps the preceding chapters didn't seem quite so dark to me because I already knew where the story — and Jakob — were headed.
Great work, as always!
L.
I loved it!
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that Jakob (young, alone, rejected and with his self-esteem in pieces) made some errors. He admits as much. Without those errors, things probably wouldn't have been quite so hard, though some of the abusive people he had to deal with, it wouldn't have been good. But then, if he hadn't done what de did, he probably never would have met Lance.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I think it's important that even though Lance later helped him enormously —and vice versa— Jakob had already done the two essentials before he met him. He'd got away from the abusive environment —the shelter was dismal but he was at least safe there— and he started tackling his alcoholism. He's a survior as well as a lovely guy. (And a fictional character: yes, I know!)
-C.
I've been appreciating the way you've written "Ascension: Jakob's Ladder," particularly the contrast between private memories and what Jakob admits in the counseling sessions. I too have done that kind of editing in my own life.
ReplyDeleteYou are creating a body of work which really does offer insights into the joy and perils of gay life today.
I just sat and read the last three chapters in one sitting. Nothing to be sorry for. Thoroughly enjoyed them. Tons of tears in the third.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your writing. Can’t wait for more. Addicted.
T.
I don't know if you see comments on older posts, but I actually did read Ascension before Hi I'm Lance (which was actually the last one I read, I started with Coffee At Nine last week, then blazed through Ascension, Extracurricular, If It Weren't For The Two Of Us, and then Hi I'm Lance). Ascension made me cry so many times, and I'm so glad Jakob got his happy beginning with Lance, Trent, and Mike. Ascension and Hi I'm Lance even got me to start thinking about my own interactions with drinking from a new point of view. Thank you so much. - Another T
ReplyDelete