Kansas

 

Readers on my notification list know that my mother passed away two weeks ago. She grew up in Kansas. Although she had not lived there in several years, her gravesite service was there.

As I drove through numerous small towns, I couldn’t help but think about Laramie’s situation. While he is (obviously!) a fictitious character, I pictured those like him. I wondered what it would be like to be in such a small town and know you are gay. Who would you confide in? Who could you trust? And if you did, and it was received poorly, would you have anyone at all to turn to if your trust was shattered?

Click here to read Laramie, Chap. 16.

It would be nice to think times have changed, but certain cultures are fairly dug in. My heart broke for anyone growing up in such a small town where they had so few options. Not for boyfriends — which, okay, there’s that — but just the human need to share and confide with someone close to you.

For me to say this is somewhat misleading though. It’s not like a grew up in some big city. It was a city, but certainly not gigantic. It’s not like I talked to a lot of people about things. Of course, I still debated if I was or wasn’t gay. But there was a friend who certainly helped bring me to the conclusion that I was.

I am grateful that young people today know that they are not alone. It’s better, at least. Even those in rural areas can hopefully find support online, even if they feel cut off out in the farms and ranches. Things are different, but some feelings always remain the same.

The contrast between families was an overreaching arc to this chapter. Cooper and Laramie not only help each other weather these situations, but they are building a depth to their relationship that will serve them well.

I enjoyed writing this chapter. Laramie’s story continues to grow, and I think there was much development here. Long chapters are rewarding to do, but I know that sometimes they are probably too time consuming for several readers. I’m grateful that you indulge me.

Sledding and Valentine's Day

 

So.

We caught up. “January” was the concluding chapter of Coffee at 9. The payoff here wasn’t a surprise of any sort. It was seeing it again through Laramie’s eyes. There was a lot of overlap between Coffee at 9 and Laramie, but it wasn’t necessary to move ALL of it over into Book Six. Yes, I left some steamy scenes behind and a whole lot of Cooper’s life, but this is Laramie’s story, so I feel we still saw the critical parts in Chapter 15.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 15.

However, if you want to see what I left out, click here to read Coffee at 9, Chapter 12.

For some reason, when writing it last year, the sledding scene resonated with me as the author. I loved everything about it. This time around, we eavesdrop on a conversation between Laramie and Natalie that wasn’t in the previous book. And I still love the sledding scene.

But more importantly, Valentine’s Day takes place after January, so not only are we caught up, but readers also begin to see where Cooper and Laramie go from here. As we ease into the second half of the book, it now becomes all new material.

I have no idea what predictions any of you may have. Something tells me that where things go with our handsome gents aren’t events you necessarily expect. I hope you enjoy unwrapping each chapter and where life takes each one.

Look for Corey to take on a role of great significance. How will that affect Laramie? And what will he be like as a teenager?

So much left to come…

 

And now to do something totally wacky, let me provide a playlist. In this chapter, Laramie tells Cooper about a song. It’s “On My Way” by Jennifer Lopez. He felt it summarized their relationship. See it here. 

Cooper’s song, suggested by Emory, was Ben Rector’s “Brand New.” Click here to hear it. Emory encouraged Cooper to dance like when no one could see. Laramie eventually made Cooper feel "brand new."

When Cooper ended it with Mitchell, he played a song by Steve Grand and Eli Lieb about two men breaking up. To play “Look Away,” clickhere.

When Mitchell was trying to work things out again in the middle of Book Five, he gave Cooper a slideshow on a flash drive set to the song “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz. Click here. It still breaks my heart to think of Mitchell wanting Cooper back so much, but he knew he messed it up.

And to go back to Book Three, Jakob and Lance played “Come With Me” by Phil Collins at their wedding. See it here. Every time I hear it, I now think of those two and the wedding at the lake house.

 

Holes in December

  

I tend to like the longer chapters as books develop. I feel the characters are evolving.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 14.

This chapter is relatively long, but I could have easily made it considerably longer. Back when I was posting Coffee at 9, “December” was a massively huge chapter. It was among my favorites — ever. When it came time to position that month’s events from Laramie’s side in Chapter 14, it was painful to not include certain parts.

Natalie meeting Cooper at Joe for lunch, Cooper’s meetings with Dr. Horwood, the development of Aiden, Cooper’s dinner party, Cooper’s accidental descent into an agonizing love triangle — all of that was so relevant to moving the plot in Book Five. It felt odd not to put all those details in this recent passage. They seemed absent, like holes. But this is Laramie’s story, so I tried to keep the narrative as it pertained to him.

Anyone interested in how everything stirred up in December can revisit those sections here: Coffee at 9, Chap. 11

One thing repeated here is Laramie’s “bad luck” with the sheets at Cooper’s mother’s house. How many of us have done something embarrassing with families of significant others?

As I wrote Laramie, I had to reference the previous book (a lot!) to make sure I aligned things correctly. Now, as I review each chapter before posting it, I will find a spelling or punctuation error (in Cooper’s segments), and I wonder if I did the same when posting Coffee at 9. It’s a big “Aaargh” to me when I find errors on previously posted material. I know it is unrealistic to expect it to be perfect without an editor, but it annoys me. Posted or not, my main manuscripts are still somewhat in review even months or years later. I suppose any author could finetune his or her work indefinitely. (I’m sure directors feel the same about their movies.) As much as I am digging the beginnings of Books Seven and Eight, a big part of me also wants to go all the way back to Extracurricular and refresh it. If only work didn't get in the way, right?

This chapter officially takes us past the halfway point in terms of page count. I hope you are enjoying the journey. Another half is yet to come.

Hold My Finger

 

Chapter 13 was a bit longer than originally intended. For reasons I can’t explain (sensibly), Chapter 12 was supposed to be about ten pages longer and Chapter 13 ten pages shorter. However, I liked the stopping point of the previous chapter, so this one seems large.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 13.

This chapter overlaps autumn with Coffee at 9. One has Cooper’s perspective, and one has Laramie’s. And if you want to relive the full effects of Cooper’s birthday, click here to read Coffee at 9, “October,” Chapter 9.

In a previous post, I mentioned that the whole incident of Laramie slicing into his finger happened to me in real life. I do love the whole “Hold my finger” connection between them. Many couples have their own cute things just between them. I had Lance and Jakob “hold feet,” which came from my other half and me actually doing that. I had friends who didn’t hold hands, they held pinkies. I hope my readers have that special little something between them that only they share. If you are in a relationship and have something of your own, let me hear it. I dig that stuff.

For me as the author, it was really nice to relive many of these scenes. I loved writing them the first time, and now seeing them through Laramie’s eyes is equally enjoyable. The garlic alfredo kiss, the dance floor scene, the nervousness in bed and their first time to make love — sheer joy to write. You’d think catching Laramie up to the previous book would be a chore, but making sure it aligns and seeing it from his eyes was still engaging to me as a writer. Portraying people falling in love is its own payoff.

For most people, dating sucks. It’s all nerves in trying to figure out expectations of the other person. I tried to put much of that anxiety into these scenes. Let’s face it, every date doesn’t go well.

A reader recently wrote to me saying he had come to really like Laramie through his backstory and was so relieved to know the outcome, as he could see Laramie retreating into his shell following a lifetime of disappointment up to this point.

The good thing is that we still haven’t reached the halfway point (in terms of page count) in Laramie’s story. There is SO MUCH to this character yet to be developed. You’ll see.

This chapter ends just before Cooper descends into his love triangle of hell. I loved writing about the holidays too, so we have that to look forward to next. Once that arc is completed, it is all fresh content for Laramie.

In a slight bit of news, I have started both Book Seven and Book Eight — at the same time. I was formulating plotlines in my head, and both excited me. Something tells me I will write them concurrently if that enthusiasm continues. And some of you may not care whatsoever. As Laramie continues, it leads into both of them.

Your support of my writing is a heartfelt gift. Thank you. I hope someone holds your finger on a regular basis.