Mark Paren
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Everything posted by Mark Paren
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Rowan drove along the N4 toward Castlebaldwin. It was late afternoon, and the western sun slanted across the plains, gilding the low hills that rose ahead. Aiden sat on the left, still wired from the flight, staring out at the passing hedges and fields. He hadn’t said much since they left Dublin Airport, just short answers, half-grunts. The radio played low, some folk tune he didn’t recognize. The road curved gently, and without warning the landscape opened on the right. Aiden leaned f
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I’m glad you like the theme. I enjoy writing about things I’m interested in. It allows me to dig into a subject deeper than I normally would. Thanks for the comment.
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Coming soon. Thanks for the comment.
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Aiden isn’t the only one with a story. That’s for the comment.
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Thanks for the comment. I hope I don’t disappoint you.
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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
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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.
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Homecoming: Crowns, Confessions, and Collateral Damage
Mark Paren commented on Jeff Burton's story chapter in Homecoming: Crowns, Confessions, and Collateral Damage
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.- 38 comments
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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.
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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.
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A Wizard and a Wet Sock
Mark Paren commented on Jeff Burton's story chapter in A Wizard and a Wet Sock
Good chapter. I love adventure and discovery stories … and maybe romance? -
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.
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Frosted Hearts: The Pool
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Pool
I have confidence in you. 😉 -
Frosted Hearts: The Pool
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Pool
I’m an outliner, but I always end up going back and editing awkward passages. -
Frosted Hearts: The Pool
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Pool
You don’t know what happens in the chapter after next? You must be a pantser (or a no pantser). -
Frosted Hearts: The Pool
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Pool
The tension builds! -
Frosted Hearts: The Overlook
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Overlook
Sounds like you were much more adventuresome than me. -
Frosted Hearts: The Overlook
Mark Paren commented on Jason Rimbaud's story chapter in Frosted Hearts: The Overlook
The games we play. But games are often fun! -
A painfully emotional first chapter (in a good way).
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Thanks for the comment. Coming-of-age isn’t always easy..
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Thanks for the comment. To quote an eminent writer “ it was the best of times , it was the worst of times..”
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Thanks, I never know how people are going to react to true stories like this.
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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.
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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
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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.
