Most of you know I am posting — and writing! — two stories
concurrently, one in College and one in Adult Friends.
Click here for Chapter 5 of Say Goodbye to Sparkleland
Click here for Chapter 2 of A Bed, A Desk and My
Unfortunate Soulmate
If there are any other authors out there reading this (or those who wish
to be), this is not something I would recommend. I’d probably be done with one story if I just concentrated on it.
So why am I doing it?
All along, Mitchell’s story was to be Book Seven. It flowed
with the narrative of Laramie. I had already started planning where I
wanted to take it long before I finished Book Six. But by the end, Corey (along
with Aiden) had developed into a strong character. I was really "into" telling his/their
story too. While I had that enthusiasm for both, I just dove in. I’ll work a
week or so on one, then I’ll flip back to the other. This requires a little
backtracking and rereading. Again, NOT a writing method I’d recommend. Ha.
That said, it does allow me to weave threads between the
two. Before Christmas, you will see (preview) details of Mitchell’s story in
Book Eight before they happen in Book Seven. It will be fun to see it all come
together.
So far, three chapters in Say Goodbye to Sparkleland
have combined to make one “session” with Logan. As he gets into his third and
fourth session, things dive deep into Mitchell’s thought process. You’ll get to
know more about him, who he is, and who he was before he met Cooper. For the “haters”
who didn’t care for him, I hope he will continue to grow on you. All my
characters are flawed, and we’ve seen through the first six books, many of them
strive for some sort of redemption. Count Mitch among them.
This most recent chapter was the hardest to write. I was
intrigued with the blind character of Dominik. I thought there would be some
interesting questions that both he and the world in general would have, and I
tried to explore that. At the same time, I was on eggshells trying not to
misrepresent that community. Hopefully it came off sincere and delicate.
Now with the second chapter of A Bed, A Desk and My
Unfortunate Soulmate out, we have one narrated by Aiden and one from Corey.
This dichotomy will dig deep into this friendship. I’ve written many stories
about romantic love; this one of a loving friendship is a different mindset for
me. There will be hope and heartache, growth and gratitude — and some of that
sexual stuff too. I hope seeing it from two sides will help define both of
these very different characters.
Let me know how I’m doing.
It’s excellent but for me it triggers something. I had a crush and I’d say loved this heterosexual guy. We are still friends but he’d send me mixed signals. Thing is we had sex and all the way for a year but we just grew apart. Yet we split and didn’t talk for three years. We got back together but just wasn’t interested in it being sexual. So we never have. But I’ll get him to read the story because he will relate to Corey.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely loving this story! Loved seeing Laramie and the crew visiting. Aiden and Corey’s evolution is so interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. Thank you for all your hard work in creating the universe of these wonderful character for us readers. You are very talented.
ReplyDeleteEven straight men of all ages experiment with 'gay' same sex stuff, but that does not turn them gay. That Corey does not view what him and Aiden do as gay is 100% normal. But even if Corey's sexuality is the core problem, you have captured much more than that. At this early stage it's just the crisis of everything he's going through. So that is what makes the story gripping. It just seems to me it's coming from the lack of confidence rather than oh I might be gay or bi, but, so long as consensual between adults, if straight men try gay sex and enjoy it but they are still attracted to females, it really is not a big deal. The story shows that. The gay community is inflexible and need to accept a straight man will commit a act with another man and still be heterosexual.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the other comments. I struggled at college with am I homosexual? My gay friend was like Aiden. But regardless of the outcome of the story, I went gay. I am still in frequent contact with my friend who moved to London ten years ago, but he didn’t turn me gay it was just there. This is what makes this story wonderful but like the other poster, it’s not just Corey’s sexuality doubts that’s bothering him.
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you! You have nailed the emotions of both Corey and Aiden - I don't care how long you've been out of college. This is what I love about your stories, you give me great smiles and joy with the good things in your characters' lives and then you can bring me to tears with your sensitive presentation of their angst and tribulations. This tells me how caring, understanding and perceptive you are. Am I invested in your characters, ONLY Slightly!!!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping Laramie makes a goodly amount of appearances, He has my heart!
I am already hooked on both stories, I can see Mitchell turning into someone we should all care about, he is human and you are helping us see it.
d.w.
I just read the first two installments. That practically mimics my college time.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the story.
E.