Husbands: The Conclusion of "Heart and Soul"

Well, Book Nine is now complete.

Click here to read the conclusion, Chapter 16 of Heart and Soul.

Certainly, it has ended dramatically differently than previous works. I have never killed off a major character before. Yes, there have been some deaths for protagonists to deal with, but never someone so significant to the plot. I will fully admit I was teary as I wrote it.

For those of you who will say, "I'm going to miss Don," please realize that was a significant time jump in this chapter. Don will still be around in subsequent books.

When Emory first mentioned meeting Don in Coffee at 9, I thought it a good seed to plant if I ever did a story on Emory. Don appeared heavily in Books Six and Seven. Please note that I didn't create him just for the purpose of killing him off. It wasn't until I sat down and outlined how Heart and Soul would go that I felt that would be the true finale of showing their love.

When I began Heart and Soul, I assumed a story of retired gentlemen wouldn't have the heat of "young studs." But I still wanted to show all ages in my stories, and I know men of all ages experience love and are still sexual individuals. (If anyone is wondering, I am younger than our two gentlemen.) For those readers who told me they appreciated a story showing senior men falling in love and enjoying sex, I hope the conclusion still played true. Honest, authentic emotions are always my primary goal.

So, what's next?

Book Ten will be called Controversy. Brad, our favorite barista at Joe, will be the headliner. In our timeline — while Brad will certainly look back on his life's backstory — it will take place as the first story to follow Corey and Aiden's freshmen year in college. It begins with them returning home. Eventually, that sets the stage for our lads heading off to Notre Dame for their sophomore year (the following book).

Brad always seems sassy and confident, but we will find out that the gentleman has a lot to unpack. In addition to established characters, there are new friends to meet along the way.

If you don't want to overlook it's debut in a couple of months (yes, unfortunately, it is not finished), send me an email to be notified. timothylane414@gmail.com And feel free to email at any time. I enjoy hearing from readers.

Before I wrap up things With Heart and Soul, I once again thank the friends who did some proofreading for me. Their assistance was invaluable. I also thank the readers who shared their own lives. Writing their experiences into the sharing sessions really meant something to me.

Five years ago as the pandemic started, I never would have dreamed I would ever write nine novels. Just putting an open-ended conclusion to Extracurricular was enough. But our gentlemen of Jackson Bend have a way of burrowing into my brain. Bless 'em.

Stay tuned.

 

Weddings

I would have to assume if you are reading this, you have read the latest chapter of Heart and Soul.  Click here to read Chapter 15.

I'm not sure if readers saw the title of the chapter, and thought, "Oh, Emory and Don are getting married. Ah. No. It is Cooper and Laramie's wedding. Oh wait, it is Emory and Don." If it all bopped around in a bit of surprise, well, dandy.

Of interest to me is that it is the third time I have written Cooper's wedding, but it has always been from various perspectives other than the grooms themselves.
Corey: A Bed, A Desk and My Unfortunate Soulmate, Chapter 4
Mitchell: Say Goodbye to Sparkleland, Chapter 29

Perhaps, one of these days I will write it again once more so that we can see it from Cooper's or Laramie's perspective. It would have fit in either of their books, but I found the endings to Books Five and Six to be where their arc reached a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, I tried to bring a natural progression to Emory's decision. None of my stories are ever about me. But a few of my experiences do make it into the text now and then. I was at a convention many, many years ago. A longtime friend in our industry asked if my partner and I were going to get married. We noted it wasn't really in our plans. He pushed for it for legal reasons, owing to a hospitalization that had occurred. Granted, this man was straight, but he wanted to make sure we wouldn't ever have to deal with a "family decision" situation. He urged us to make it legal. So, the seed was planted.

Hopefully, our lovable grump deciding to propose to Don seemed authentic. I didn't want to go off the rails in some showy spectacle. If you enjoyed it, then that pleases me.

One chapter left...

Sharing

I really like this chapter.

Click here to read Chapter 13, Heart and Soul.

The reason for that is two-fold. The entire scene at the radio station was fun to write. Trent was my very first character way back in Extracurricular. Well, along with Mike, at least. It's always a treat to bring back past protagonists from my books. I enjoyed crafting Trent's coming out in that first book, although "his" book was really If It Weren't For the Two of Us. In the timeline of all these stories, we see Trent five years after his graduation and how he has grown as a person.

The bigger reason I like this chapter is because several readers contributed to it. While they shared their stories to me personally, I have included some interpretations in an anonymous way. I won't bother clarifying which shares at the Heart and Soul meeting were ones I created as the author and ones that were derived from readers. I just love the authenticity of the chapter.

I do take this moment to thank the readers who have shared with me. Your honesty and trust is taken to heart.

Each of us has a story in our own way. As different as our circumstances are from other people, we still should be aware that we have so much in common.

I appreciate the support of Emory's and Don's story, as well as your time invested in my work. Hugs to all.