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.

Laramie, meet Cooper

 

Well, well.

Here we are. Familiar territory.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 11.

I’m sure many of you might have questions. Let me throw some answers to a few.

·         Oh. We caught up to Coffee at 9. So, is this book almost done?

Hardly. While there are 24 chapters, we aren’t even at the halfway point in terms of that. As for actual written material, we are approaching being one-third of the way through.

·         Don’t we know how it ends?

No. The conclusion of Coffee at 9 might be known, but that was Cooper’s story. We have much, much more to cover in Laramie’s story.

·         If Cooper is in the picture, does that mean we won’t see Grayson or Freddy anymore?

They are still very much a part of Laramie’s life, so their roles will continue. The format will continue to be the dual narrative in each scene, but it will still continue to change.

Before you think you “know everything” and might as well skip the next couple of chapters, bear in mind that Book Six always shows two perspectives in its narration, so we have a lot to take in from Laramie’s mindset.

This was a challenging chapter to write. While events are familiar, I still had to make it fit the current narrative and also match the details we knew from Book Five. While an author knows the flow of a book, as details materialize in the writing, there is a lot of going back and forth checking on continuity. When everything is said and done, it would almost be fun to see one huge master timeline. It would be wonderful if such a thing existed before you even started, but that’s a fantasy. The real detailed character development comes in the actual writing process.

If I can call the first ten chapters the prequel, the current chapters are Act II. This arc will take us to about the halfway point in Laramie. This is established canon but a new take on it. Then the rest of the book can be considered the sequel. All three arcs are vital to Laramie’s complete story, but the second half of the book has all the stuff I love. (It reminds me of Jakob’s book.)

Now that Laramie has met Cooper, does it feel the same to you as the reader, or now fully knowing Laramie’s past, is there a difference? Mitchell had a big role in Coffee at 9, but from Laramie’s end, we won’t see that here.

Once again, this was a sizable chapter. What’s interesting is that I didn’t include a sex scene. Sure, there is some frank sexual talk here and there, but no one is in bed with anyone else. I hope that doesn’t disappoint readers out there. There are hundreds of pages yet to appear for all the steamy stuff.

Let me hear from you. While we are in this current arc, I probably won’t do a blog post each chapter. But it is still nice to see readers’ responses. I love your email.

Timothylane414@gmail.com

Roman

 

The year for Chapter 10 is 2022, so we’re catching up to Coffee at 9.

Click here to read Chapter 10.

Enter Roman.

Those with good memories — and I would have to assume virtually everybody reading Laramie has read Book Five (but maybe not) — might recall that the events of this chapter are final bits that we saw Laramie share in Coffee at 9. [“August,” Chapter 7]

I liked the scenes between Roman and Laramie a lot. Two people simply longing for a connection. Alas, a connection wasn’t enough. They really enjoyed each other’s company, but was Roman correct? Were they just living in different circles? Could they have had a chance? In a multiverse world, it would have been fun for me to explore this relationship.

So often when I’m writing a book, I unexpectedly get caught up in a secondary character’s life. When writing If It Weren’t For the Two of Us, Lance grew on me in a big way. Big. He’s still one of my favorite characters (probably replaced by Laramie, but Laramie is fresh at the moment). I decided to make a trilogy with the three main leads from the first book. Done. Then Jakob became so wonderfully adorable, he needed a book, as did Cooper. When I wrote Hi, I’m Lance, I inserted Cooper just to be another gay guy with a drinking problem, but his story begged to be told by the end of Book Three. I was just going to do Jakob’s story, but in my mind, I was picturing where I could take Cooper’s story. And voila.

And then … Laramie shared so much of his past history in the previous book, it was obvious I needed to do this one.

But back to Roman. As much as I really like this chapter, I don’t feel the need to do a story about him. And (spoiler), we don’t see the last of Roman. Knowing where he later is, I’m not sure I could really do a story there. Some secondary characters are just best in that role. (And heaven knows I already have three more books circulating in my brain — ENOUGH!)

I liked giving Roman his distinct characteristics. I am pleased that I — and hopefully you — picture each one of our men (and the ladies) as distinct individuals. 

As rewarding as all this is, at some point you know and I know that these fictious characters will run their course. We’ll see. For now, my readers are such a huge blessing. If you are sick of hearing I appreciate you, I’m sorry. But I do.

Next chapter … guess who?

C. J.

 

So. C.J.

It's easy to think he was introduced in this chapter.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 8.

Is there something familiar about him? Quite possibly. This isn’t C.J.’s first appearance. If you want to recall when he first appeared, you can go back to “November” in Coffee at 9.

Click here to read Coffee at 9, Chapter 10.

In Laramie’s story, many readers will find him to be somewhat of a douche. In Cooper’s story, he freely admits that he was, referencing the events of this chapter.

However, I don’t judge C.J. harshly. The gay world is full of many types. C.J. was upfront with Laramie, so we can’t fault him for leading him on. As evidenced by the AIDS pandemic of the previous century, there are countless multitudes who just enjoy playing the field. It’s about sexual gratification, not relationships. If that’s who a person is, then that’s their decision to make. It certainly isn’t limited to the gay scene, either. A person has the right to choose how to live their life. The invention of apps clearly indicates there are countless people just in it for the sex. That's where C.J. is in his life (in this chapter).

The sex scenes between two people just looking for lustful gratification aren’t my favorite to write. I’m kind of an open book. “Love stories for the gay male” is right at the top of the blog. Still, if. Every. Single. Sex scene. is warm and loving, then the sexual content finds itself in a rut — from a creative standpoint. I don't want the writing to become predictable and stale. Granted, I freely admit the passionate scenes between people in love turn me on far greater than the raw, random hookups. But as an author, it helps me stretch, I suppose.

If I were able to live my life over again — and grow up in a time with today’s freedom and rights — I sometimes wonder if I would have been someone different sexually. Could I have a book like Mitch? (I have a friend with a list a mile long. It makes me cringe.) I didn't have much experience in the dating world (gay-wise). But could I get addicted to … “variety” for variety’s sake? One never knows.

Aside from C.J., Chapter 8 has a lot more to it. The Christmas scene rips my heart out. While hard to write it, it continues to define Laramie’s character.

One confession here, the scene with the couple making out and moving back and slamming into the movie poster was something I actually witnessed in real life. I was amazed it didn’t either shatter or fall to the floor. I felt the moment had enough impact on me that I found a place to include it in the story.

I hope something in this chapter — Grayson, C.J., Christmas gifts, Laramie’s emotions — was able to reach you and affect you in some way.

Welcome to Jackson Bend

 It’s not like I have a lot of other written work in this genre, but I always refer to my books as the “Jackson Bend series.” As I have often stated, I never intended to continue this beyond my first book. Extracurricular had its open-ended conclusion, and after feeling unsatisfied, I decided to switch protagonists to complete the tale. Then the third book was supposed to wrap it up as a trilogy.

Then those side characters just grew on me. I’m planning Book Seven and Eight to be written at the same time (we’ll see if that is a good thing).

If I seem to identify with the familiarity of the same characters — much like the fondness we might have for a favorite television series — I assumed others might as well. To me, it makes it easier to jump back and forth in timelines when it suits the plot. Whether it be via flashbacks or just starting years in the past (such as Laramie’s and Jakob’s books), those secondary characters make strong figures for their own stories. But it all takes place in the same city.

We just needed to get Laramie there. We knew he would. We fell in love with him (along with Cooper) in Coffee at 9, so we knew he eventually had to arrive in Jackson Bend. And now it’s happened.

Click here to read Laramie, Chapter 7.

If I have detractors, they aren’t overly vocal. Some might claim I’m in a rut using the same setting with all my stories. But it is serving my inspiration well, so I doubt if I make any great effort to change it.

Lance and Jakob have moved to Von, of course, but their stories began in Jackson Bend, so we can consider them hometown boys.

What I like about this chapter is Laramie’s sense of escape. He now has a feeling of freedom. For so many gay people, that is like lifeblood. Those with wonderful, accepting families don’t feel that pull like others do. Sometimes it is just getting out of a certain house. For others, an entirely new place to live is what is needed. Personally, if I had to live with my parents, I’d need to stick my head a noose. Not that I don’t love them, but I would definitely need my own space.

A reader asked if writing the darker chapters, such as the previous one, is hard. It can be. I’ve learned to love the characters I have created. Thankfully, in these types of situations, I knew it leads to a better scenario. The harsher moments have to happen for Laramie to get to Jackson Bend. And he now is. Besides, if everything is gumdrops and butterflies, it isn’t really a good story. It certainly wouldn’t be relatable.

It's nice to get Laramie to where he belongs. He now has a new life — and new men — ahead.