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Mark Paren

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  1. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren posted new chapter in Exile to Érenn

    Prologue From the Book of the Taking of Ireland (Lebor Gabála Érenn), as set down in the twelfth century from older annals and the recitations of the filid After the sons of Míl had come with their ships and their iron, and the battle was fought upon the plain, the Tuatha Dé Danann were not slain in the body, nor did they perish utterly from the land. Rather were they driven beneath the green mantle of the earth, into the hollow hills and the secret places thereof, and there they
  2. Mark Paren
    Fourteen-year-old Aiden Callahan has been expelled and shipped off to rural County Sligo for the summer. He expects boredom. Instead he finds ancient passage tombs and a mysterious boy named Cianán who seems to belong to the landscape itself. As their bond deepens into first love, Aiden discovers that Cianán may be the last living remnant of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the mythic race who once ruled Ireland and retreated into the ancient mounds. But summer doesn’t last forever, and some connections come with a cost neither boy is prepared to pay.
  3. Mark Paren
    You warned us that this story was a “high school satire where every internet trope you’ve ever read shows up with glitter and trauma.” Who doesn’t love glitter and tropes! Thanks for writing this.
  4. Mark Paren

    Chapter 8

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 8

    The sequel is outlined. One of these days I’ll pick it up again. This is the first part of a trilogy. Thanks for the comment.
  5. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 1

    Good point. There are so many “if onlys.” It took a while, but in the end things turned out well for me. It’s an old adage often directed at young gay boys. “Things will get better.” It’s usually true. Thanks for the comment.
  6. Mark Paren
    Good chapter. I love adventure and discovery stories … and maybe romance?
  7. Mark Paren
    I left my boyhood town when I was thirteen and always dreamed of returning and hooking with my old friends and potential love interests (crushes). I returned twenty years later and sadly everyone had gone their own way. I hope things work out better for Ian. I enjoyed the chapter.
  8. Mark Paren
    I love the concept and looking forward to the next chapter.
  9. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 1

    Thanks for the comment. I think I started out, similar to you, as a boy being open and inquisitive about his sexuality. One deeply traumatizing event changed the course of my life. It took many years to overcome the shame and fear.
  10. Mark Paren
    I have confidence in you. 😉
  11. Mark Paren
    I’m an outliner, but I always end up going back and editing awkward passages.
  12. Mark Paren
    You don’t know what happens in the chapter after next? You must be a pantser (or a no pantser).
  13. Mark Paren
    The tension builds!
  14. Mark Paren
    Sounds like you were much more adventuresome than me.
  15. Mark Paren
    The games we play. But games are often fun!
  16. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on andy cannon's story chapter in Chapter 1

    A painfully emotional first chapter (in a good way).
  17. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 1

    Thanks for the comment. Coming-of-age isn’t always easy..
  18. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 1

    Thanks for the comment. To quote an eminent writer “ it was the best of times , it was the worst of times..”
  19. Mark Paren

    Chapter 1

    Mark Paren commented on Mark Paren's story chapter in Chapter 1

    Thanks, I never know how people are going to react to true stories like this.
  20. Mark Paren
    For those of you interested in why I acted the way I did during this chapter of my life, read “It’s Not How I Remember It,” which explores my first thirteen years. I attended a parochial boys’ high school in Westchester County, New York. I met my best friend, Vincent, in middle school, along with a few other kids that attended the high school. Puberty was hitting me hard at this point, and I was a typical “good” Catholic boy with no sexual outlet. I didn’t even have access to porn. I had to
  21. Mark Paren
    In the halls of a parochial boys’ school in Westchester County, a teenager carries a secret he has no language for and no one to share it with. Convinced he is the only gay kid among eight hundred boys, he navigates a world that would condemn him for simply being himself. Out of those eight hundred, one boy stops him cold. A brutally honest account of obsession, longing, and the cruelty of desire that must remain invisible, and a single sentence that could have changed everything.
  22. Mark Paren

    Encrypted

    Mark Paren commented on Jeff Burton's story in Fiction

    I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that with all the positive responses, the author decided to search out an agent for a publishing deal.
  23. Mark Paren
    Thanks. You bring up some interesting points in your comment. Glad you enjoyed the story.
  24. Mark Paren
    Glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for commenting.
  25. Mark Paren
    Thanks for the critique. Maybe I could have simplified things. You’ve given me something to think about.
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