Fitz

I think everyone is rooting for Scott and Noah. Only time will tell what's in the cards for the two of them! It's early in this story, and nothing has actually been revealed as to what's happened between them yet!

As much as I hate a perfect fairy-tale ending because they always seem to damn cliche, I can't help but always want everything to work out perfectly. However, life's not like that always. There are countless little twists and turns that life takes us through. This chapter provided a lot of questions and emotional heartstrings were pulled, but other than the big twist, there is really nothing actually revealed. The biggest hint in the chapter is that Noah mentions 6 months repeatedly, but Mike says Scott left 5 months ago.

Umm...I live somewhere VERY far away from Atlanta! I knew full well that this chapter was going to evoke some very strong reactions. While many details are relatively recent, the basic elements for this part of the story have been in the back of mind since very early when writing Moving On.

Thank you so much! You'll just have to wait to see how it unfolds!

It's great to be back! Only time will tell if they are able to work through everything. No clue how I arrived at the name, Mike. I went through several names before deciding on Mike. I think it was the one where I felt like I wasn't naming him after someone (although it's a common enough name!)

It's not a dream, and Scott's reasons will eventually be explained. Life sometimes gets messy, and the best laid plans can fall apart unexpectedly. Hopefully you'll enjoy the journey!

It has been nearly four years since Noah Abrams proposed to his boyfriend, Scott. Now alone again, Noah must navigate his murky past and find a way to move forward into the unknown - for his sake, and for the sake of his son. Although previous reading of Moving On is recommended, it is DEFINITELY not required!

Chapter 1 I lay in bed, unable to sleep despite the late hour. I glanced at the man sleeping peacefully next to me and felt conflicted. On one hand, I was so incredibly jealous, since I wanted nothing more than to be able to drift into slumber. With a sigh, I gave up on the idea of sleep and threw on a pair of shorts. If I was awake, I might as well work out. I hoped it might help clear my head. I tiptoed quietly out of the room and down to the main floor, careful not to rouse anyone, especia

Basically, it boils down to Will grossly misreading Scott's actions, and spiraled out of control. I've revisited this in some reedits (which I still need to post here), but I still feel like it needs a little. Then again, it's also supposed to be a little jarring, since the whole thing scared Scott enough that he fled Atlanta!

Actually, this is one of the few times I didn't base it on a real place, although Quinones is a good guess. I wanted it to be popular and trendy, but Scott and Noah can easily go out any day of the week, and are not constrained by the typical 'date-night', which is why I thought a Saturday's only option would be good for the story. When I was spit balling ideas, I was reading some to hubby. When I mentioned the 'hip trendy fine-dining restaurant only open on Saturdays', he immediately asked 'where is that? when can we go?', and I knew it was the right concept choice! Thank you so much. Moving Forward should be coming out in the very near future!!

He probably would have. Scott and Steve had been together long enough by that point (just about a year if recollection serves me correctly) that they were serious enough to want to spend a major holiday, like Christmas, with each other. This was kinda my test vehicle to see how well I could write a sex scene, since I really hadn't gotten to the major scenes in Moving On yet, and I was very happy with how it turned out. It also seems like you read this in the 'right' order. A lot of people read the short story first, which is cute and light-hearted, and then switched over to the main story expecting more of the same. Of course the last line takes on a very different meaning if you know what happens to Steve!

Thank you so much! I hope you mean a 'true love' story, and not a 'true' love story, though. Moving On is partially loosely based on how I think I'd react if I found myself in a similar situation as Scott, but the story is entirely fictional.

Thank you so much! Glad I could assist in flushing out those backed-up tear ducts!

Thank you so much! I wanted to create a story that had emotional significance, yet the end result has far surpassed my wildest dream. Back when I didn't know what really lay in store for Zach's character, I wanted to create a handful of little quirks I could rely on ("I'm not little!", the nickname 'little buddy' and the chin-tapping are the first that come to mind) As he evolved into the scene stealer he became, I relied less on those, but they had become so much a part of who he was, I found myself writing it more often than I intended! At least you'll have time to run the towel through the laundry before Moving Forward!

As always, thank you so much! It really has been an emotional roller coaster, hasn't it? lol All I can say in answer to your question is that Moving Forward begins on February 28, 2017, Noah's 30th birthday. The full answer will come with time, but not for several chapters!

Thank you so much! I started outlining Moving On to deal with a bout of lingering depression, never really expecting to actually write it. When I finished the outline, it ran 78 pages, and hubby insisted I had to actually do it. I figured a few people would start reading it, hate it, and find something else. I never expected the story to turn out nearly as well as it has, nor that my words would be able to resonate with so many people. I've laughed and cried while working on this story, and it brings me so much joy to be able to share those emotions with you!

Noah is a die-hard romantic, and he wanted to not only propose in a grand manner, but to do it in a way that was completely unique. Of course their relationship is unique, and they've never shied away from the lingering footprint Steve has left on their lives. My favorite character will always be Suze, and I hope I can work her into being more of a major character in Moving Forward. That said, Zach is a close second. He went from being a cheap plot device to a wonderful character that was a lot of fun to write. Since he was largely ignored in my outline, I often had no idea what would come out of his mouth when he began to talk. The name 'Beso' for example... even as the author, I don't know where he came up with that from 'Blackie Schwarz'!

Hahah...umm the check is in the mail? This chapter is the first in a long time where I still got emotional rereading before posting. Most of my emotions from the story got worn out back when I was outlining (November 2011!), so it's sometimes easy to forget that people don't know what's coming (especially with evil cliffhangers). It's also a bit easier to disconnect from the emotions the characters are experiencing while writing, but I've definitely gone through my fair share of kleenexes and have laughed along side everyone else many times on this journey.

Thank you so much. It was a helluva ride writing it. I stopped saying it a long time ago, but this is the first story where I've written more than a few paragraphs, so it's very bittersweet to finally have it come to an end. Fortunately, there's much more planned. Hopefully you'll accompany me on that journey as well!

Considering how willingly I go to dark places to tell a story, I'm a huge sucker for the happily-ever-after. Maybe it's the fact I suffer chronic depression, yet am somehow still an optimist. Scott tends to have two reactions when something upsets him. He over-reacts, and runs away. He had all but given up, but fortunately, he found a moment of strength to suck it up and actually listen to Noah. Also, in Scott's defense, Noah probably should have showed him the ring and explained the story behind it first, but Noah is a bit too idealistic and romantic to have thought of that. Ugh...that reminds me, I've rewritten the first ten chapters of the story. Nothing major changes, although the order of some events change (Emma and Ethan explain what they learned about Steve's death to Scott in chapter 5, instead of Sarah doing so in Chapter 9, for instance). Mostly it was a lot of rephrasing. Right now, the only place the story exists in that form is on www.saberpeak.com. I'm eventually going to give the whole story that treatment and fix a few pacing issues, but I have other plans than uploading it to the internet! Thank you so much for accompanying me on this journey, and I'm sure I'll hear from you again!

I purposely kept the supernatural elements mundane enough that they can almost entirely be explained away as the result of a slightly-unreliable narrator, sensing, hearing, and dreaming what he wants to be true. The rest can be explained by Scott being even less reliable in an attempt to 'tell a better story', although then you have to begin to question which parts of the story are 'factual', and which parts he's embellished to suit whatever needs he has. Or you can take his words at face value, and accept the slight addition of a supernatural element to the story. Personally, I believe deceased loved ones can find ways to pass on messages to us if they need to, but leave us alone to find our own way 99% of the time. Of course, it doesn't help that the last time Steve spoke to Scott was back in like chapter 12, and since then, he's only spoken once, and it was to Zach. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Too bad I can't just sit back, but the muses are calling, so it's back to the grindstone for me! As always, thank you!

That is definitely the story arc I set out to convey, and I'm happier with how it turned out than I expected to be (I am by far my worst critic!) Noah may be the young one, and his youth shows in his lack of ambition early on, but in general, he's far more mature than Scott is. Scott is quick to jump to conclusions and irrationally over-thinks everything. Noah's proposal, and the repurposing of Scott's wedding ring would be grossly inappropriate for most relationships, but he chose to think outside the box, and act in a way that made it unique and personal to them. My hope was the first part of the chapter would re-emphasize the bond that Scott continues to share with Steve, and it seems, based on initial reactions, that I was successful, which is always good. As always, thank you so much, and til next time! Fitz

As always, thank you! You and I have gone back and forth a few times on our beliefs on loss, and I think you summed it up quite succinctly! One problem I ran into when figuring out how to make this chapter work was simply how long the story ran, and how much it's grown from Scott simply 'moving on'. Showing his funk around Steve's birthday is actually the largest reason the story went past chapter 40, and I needed to reiterate how strong the bond he still felt was to make it seem reasonable for Noah to choose that venue to propose, or to repurpose Scott's wedding ring. I promise a whole new roller coaster of emotions in Moving Forward!

Chapter 44 A New Beginning I continued to visit Steve's grave every week. The visits had gotten shorter, but I still felt connected to him. I still thought of my husband every day. Even though I missed him terribly, I had created a wonderful life for myself in the past seven months, and did not dwell on the past as much as I used to. There were still moments where I would see a movie trailer or hear a song and think how much he would have loved it. Sometimes these thoughts were fleeting an

Ugh, yeah... I didn't even realize I was doing it because it's so pervasive in society (and Word doesn't say it's wrong). I defended the practice at one point, since 'anyways' is a vernacular phrase, and it only occurs during dialog, but at some point it began to REALLY bother me! Don't worry...I think it stops around chapter 10...I know it doesn't continue for the rest of the story, but I'm not quite sure where I quit doing that! Glad you're enjoying, and thanks!