Dating Carter

 I wasn't sure when I wrote Chapter 25 if I ended it appropriately. I thought the request to not come back to the bar would have been a good cliffhanger tease. But I decided to set up the date with Carter instead.

And here we are, with that date and following ones in place.

Click here to read Say Goodbye to Sparkleland, Chapter 26.

I liked this chapter. With the sexual content reined in, I enjoyed the mental aspects of the two characters figuring each other out. Some of the readers on my notification list have seen pictures I have found online that I use for reference for my characters. I had the picture of "Carter" on my screen as I wrote a few of the scenes. It helped me get certain descriptions on target. It is amusing that when I see those pictures now, I usually call them by their "name."

Carter and Mitchell (and even Layton and Mitchell) are not the only ones on the planet that have challenging work schedules. I'm friends with a couple that don't even live in the same city, but somehow they make it work. You are probably aware of couple who can't see each other as often as they'd like. These are the challenges that truly test strong relationships. And Carter and Mitch aren't there yet.

I think my favorite part of this chapter is how both characters made assumptions about the other and their "types." I enjoyed them revealing the truth, particularly Carter's softer side.

Having written eight books now, it is a bit of a challenge to create characters that are distinct, particularly when we all know they are going to have sex at some point. But I liked "creating" Carter. Even fleshing out Mitchell to where he is more than just a cheater has been rewarding. I'm grateful to the readers who have come along and given him a chance to be a human being.

Which may make some readers question: Timothy, did you cheat on someone? The answer is "no." I'm quite faithful and loyal. I pride myself on it. 

With each new book, there are new characters. Heaven knows Soulmate virtually had an entire new cast. At some point, I'm going to need to make myself a "bible" to keep everyone straight. And I'm not kidding.

In a previous post, I mentioned Carter's secret. In this chapter, he tells Mitch that he had meet Laramie and Cooper back in the fall.

Click here to review Laramie, Chapter 19.

What are your thoughts on Carter and Mitch as a couple? Those glimpses into the future from previous posts (and other books) all come into play in the next two chapters, so ... as always, stay tuned.

And one last thing, I'm grateful. I appreciate people who simply read my work, but those that take the time to drop me a note, proofread, comment, etc., I hope you know that you are a bright spot in my world. 

Layton

I'll start this by saying I hadn't intended to do a post on this chapter. But since it turned into a longer-than-expected chapter (again), I felt compelled to share.

First, a request: Don't hate Layton. I'm sure most of of us have friends that are not monogamous. In gay circles, that's very common. Not that Layton ever acted on anything while seeing Mitchell. He just asked.

But that was the plot point. Now out of therapy (mostly), Mitchell has come to terms of who he is, or more importantly, who he wants to be. And life, being the fickle bitch it is, is throwing temptation, curveballs and a slew of mirrors in his face.

For the Mitch-haters, this was an easy chapter to go, "Ha! You deserve this." For those readers who see Mitch as a human being, Chapter 25 was an opportunity to know all people hurt sometimes.

Click here to read Chapter 25 of Say Goodbye to Sparkleland.

When I started Chapter 25, I wasn't expecting it to be as sexually charged as it was, but the steamier scenes seemed to have a purpose. It drew the two of them closer together.

Overall, I like Layton. He was good for Mitch — to a point. He never wanted to hurt Mitchell; he just didn't feel ready to be tied down to one guy. And again, there are a LOT of people like that in the world. But Layton served his purpose in the next step of Mitch's journey — and he's not going away.

I've teased bits and pieces of Mitch's future in both Laramie and A Bed, A Desk and My Unfortunate Soulmate. We'll see those weave in soon.

Like I said, I hadn't planned on a post for Chapter 25, but it was the last lines that influenced me to do one. I almost stopped at Carter saying, "I don't want you to come back to The Black Stallion." It was the perfect stopping point for a good cliffhanger. Some of you might think, "You should have!" But, clearly, I have set up the next chapter. I think you're going to love it. It will be filled with a lot of soul-searching (as if Mitch's life hasn't already).

Stay with me.