LittleBuddhaTW

I actually had Tonye Patano more in mind, the actress who played Heylia James in that old Showtime series, Weeds. But every character is going to appear slightly different based on the reader's imagination. For example, for Jack, I had the actor Jack Dylan Grazer in mind when I wrote that character, although there are some differences.

Christian slammed the pickup truck’s tailgate closed with a grunt. “That’s the last of the bags.” He stepped back, wiping his hands on his jeans like the effort of shoving four teenage boys' luggage into a space designed for two was the greatest challenge of his life. It practically was. We’d tried every possible configuration, but no matter what we did, there just wasn’t room for Mr. Bojangles. And I hated it. I crouched beside him one last time, pressing my forehead to his snout

I might come back with even better stories. 😉 Especially if I take that ultra-cute 22-year-old friend of mine, Daniel, along with me. Or my 19-year-old friend, Brayan, or my 19-year-old friend, Alejandro, or my 24-year-old friend, Ferney ... you get the picture LOL

Chapter 31 is coming tomorrow. Already working on Chapter 5 of the sequel (first draft), already making pretty decent progress. And the chapters in the sequel are LONG, at least twice the size of the chapters in Book 1. It's a good thing we've still got a fair amount of Book 1 left to go and then "Medellin" after that. It should give me plenty of time to finish Book 2 by the end of "Medellin." Then maybe a short vacation to the Amazon or the Caribbean or something. The Pacific Coast of Colombia is also supposed to be breathtaking, but I haven't been yet, because supposedly it's a wee bit dangerous in some areas over there right now. I also hear Monterrey is nice. I know a super-cute 22-year-old from there (but he lives in Medellin now). Decisions, decisions.

A relaxing Wednesday was exactly what we needed after an exhausting Tuesday. After everything – Tommy, the theme park, photo album-induced humiliation – we were grateful for a full day of doing absolutely nothing. Mom was working a shift at the ER, so Jack and I took full advantage of the empty house. We lounged around in just our underwear, watched hours of terrible daytime TV, and let Mr. Bojangles climb all over us like we were his personal jungle gym. I kept glancing over at him –

I'll start posting it as soon as "Swing for the Fences" is done, so in about 7.5 weeks. It's not available anywhere right now other than a flash drive locked in my safe 😁

For those who have been wondering what will become of Noah, I finished my outline for the whole 45-chapter sequel (yes, it grew), and Noah appears quite a bit. He may even end up with another love interest. I've gotten through Scene 1 of Chapter 1, so the actual writing has officially begun and it should flow out much faster and easier now that I've got my foothold and all my ideas sorted/organized. And Chapter 30 will be posted tomorrow (Saturday) morning! That means about 7 1/2 weeks left for SFTF, and about 29-30 weeks for "Medellin," and hopefully, that gives me enough time to be finished (or closed to) for "Stealing Home," and on to the next one (which will not be another SFTF book ... yet). I've got a couple of other things I want to write before I even think about doing a third SFTF book.

I woke up before Jack, the memories of last night still fresh in my head. The room was dim and still, sunlight just beginning to filter through the basement windows. Jack was curled toward me, lips slightly parted, and the tiniest thread of drool hung off his bottom lip and was soaking into the pillow. And even like that, he looked like an angel. I lay there for a few more minutes just watching him breathe before I peeled myself out of bed and trudged upstairs in my hoodie, underwear,

One of my favorite memories in Michigan was Mackinac Island. Next Year, in mid-January, Nick should theoretically be able to get his license, assuming he was able to take driver's ed during the summer. That would open up lots of opportunities for them! Lots and lots of incredibly beautiful places to visit in Michigan ... just have to watch out for those dang militias!

I've posted a new blog entry with story updates for anyone who's interested. Some good information about my progress on the sequel:

I wonder what Noah's real deal is, and if he even has the capacity to change? That's something I'm wrestling with as I'm putting together the character sketches and outline for the sequel, now officially titled "Swing for the Fences: Stealing Home." The first spoiler I can give is that Noah will be back. But what will he be like after a year of supposed "growth" at Harrison West? There's a bunch of new characters, too. Maybe we'll see Noah find his redemption in a relationship with one of them? Who knows? I haven't gotten that far yet! But I have completed all of my preparatory materials: Style Guide, Series Bible, Character Sketches (Returning Characters), Character Sketches (New Characters), and am now just trying to get this screwy outline in place and the timing of the mini-climaxes and turning points. Hopefully, I can actually start writing Chapter 1 tomorrow (that's my goal, depending on how long I'm able to work today without falling asleep at my desk!) And BTW, @Altimexis you're absolutely right about the legal issues. I did a lot of research on the various possibilities and outcomes, and getting CPS involved would be an absolute nightmare, particularly for Jack.

I'm pretty sure there is no way in Hell that Nick would have left Jack behind for spring break. Nick's just bummed they couldn't figure out something more fun or exciting to do, but I imagine money was a challenge since Jack doesn't get anything from the 'rents, and it would be a pretty penny for Dr. Kinkaid to send both of them somewhere? Plus, where can you really send two 15-year-old boys alone for spring break? Ideally, Mom would take them on a trip, but because of her job, that wasn't really a possibility. I think they were secretly hoping that one of their rich friends would invite them on one of their trips at the last minute, but that never materialized.

“What the hell did you do to my brother?!” Christian’s voice slammed into the room like a thunderclap as he barged through the door without knocking. Jack and I practically levitated off the bed. Thankfully, we hadn’t been doing anything… compromising. But we had forgotten to lock the door. Again. That could’ve gone a whole different kind of sideways. “Christian – whoa – breathe,” Jack said, hands up in mock surrender. “You trying to give us a heart attack?” “You might want to sit

Mr. Johnston will be in rare form in Chapter 28. I just recommend not eating anything right before you read it. And we'll get to learn a little more about a new character, too.

For all we know, he may already be seeing one. It's just not part of the story, nor did I want it to be, because I wanted to keep the mental health issues in the story focused on Nick and Jack, how it affects their coming of age, and how it affects (or doesn't affect) their relationship. Perhaps, though, we will learn more about Jonah and his backstory in later chapters or the sequel. Of course, I can tell Jonah is a bit "out there" and there is probably "something" going on with him, but exploring that in a meaningful and respectful way (to Jonah's character) so far hasn't fit with the direction the plot is taking (which will be revealed as we continue). Heck, we don't even really have a definitive diagnosis for Jack yet, but still lots of story to go. As I mentioned, although the trees are important, let's not miss the forest because of them. 😉

It's a story. Fiction. It involves a certain degree of suspension of disbelief. Does Jonah have ADHD? ChatGPT says "plausible, but not certain." I didn't write that specifically into this character. Could he, though? Maybe. Jonah's manner of speaking is intentional, partially, for the sake of humor. The flip side, if you've ever spent time talking with the kids who go to these types of elite preparatory schools, they all, more or less, speak like adults. That's why they're there. They're the cream of of the crop, educated in the very best educational institutions in the country, where money is no concern. They speak the language of the elite, which they were brought up in. They're expected to go to universities like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, etc. So, going back to the original point, partially it is for humor's sake, secondly, these types of kids in real life are wildly intelligent, beyond what most of us can imagine (at least those that are there for a real education and not just because mommy & daddy bought their way in, which does happen). Mr. Johnston was such a fun/funny character to write. Unfortunately, that particular arc is relatively short, but was meant to highlight the very real problems elite preparatory schools have dealt with in recent years (and continue to deal with) when it comes to sexual abuse (of both sexes) by adults, such as teachers and other staff. Particularly in the U.K., there has been a MASSIVE reckoning with this issue, stretching back decades, because boarding school over there is much more common than in the U.S. I don't think Jonah is manic depressive. In nearly one whole school year, he has exhibited nothing of the "depressive" side of manic-depressive, there has been no mention of him taking medication, so I think Jonah is just a character who plays a specific (but important) role. He's an archetype. My best advice: When reading, don't miss the forest for the trees! (many thanks to John Heywood for including this oft-used and useful idiom in his 1546 collection of proverbs!)

By Wednesday morning, I felt almost human again. My head was clear, my fever was gone, and I wasn’t coughing every ten seconds – though I still had a lingering tickle in my throat and my body felt like a medium-sized horse had drop-kicked me. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop me from making the day happen. This was Jack’s day. The fact that he’d never had a birthday party still didn’t sit right with me. Not even once. No balloons. No cake. Not even one of those sad store-bought cookie ca

There will be at least one more encounter with Noah in the first book. He may have a greater role in the sequel.

So, what else about the chapter ... Lots of stuff going on in this one ... where do we think we're headed? How's Nick coming along? How has he changed since the very beginning?

Any novel set in Michigan that does not have at least a passing mention of pasties, IMO, is heretical. 🤣😂🤣😂 And damn, what happened to the Lions last Sunday? It was a horror show. The offensive line was like a sieve. I'm sure Christian and Nick would have been pretty bummed out.

Yes, fortunately. Now we’re all up to date, and I will remove the hexes I put on Nifty. ☺️ But I can't believe that the most interesting part of this chapter appears to be the pasties (they are wonderful; I have some "history" with Michigan) ... and not Nick and Jack's very first shower together??? Shouldn't that be some sort of milestone?

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! 😁

Hey guys, glad you're enjoying the new chapter. If you have a few moments, please check out my latest blog entry. Having a bit of an issue with posting on Nifty, and hoping someone might be able to help, or have a contact, or something. I've been losing my mind over the past few days, which is now obviously starting to affect the writing! Or you can all mass email nifty@nifty.org and ask them why they're not posting anymore chapters of "Swing for the Fences" which you know the author has submitted multiple times since Wednesday, with no response, while other stories continue to be posted in the meantime. 😡😠 Thanks in advance! Oh, and Mr. Johnston has plenty of surprises waiting in the next chapter!

So… the Nifty Archive isn’t feeling all that “nifty” right now. Last Wednesday morning, I submitted Chapter 25 of Swing for the Fences as usual, expecting it to be posted that evening. That’s how it has always worked in the past. But by Thursday, nothing. Other stories had gone up in the Gay Male/High School section, but mine hadn’t. I resubmitted Thursday. Still nothing. Friday came and went. Still nothing. I emailed the archive at nifty@nifty.org AND stories@nifty.org. No response. I even reached out on Twitter/X. Silence. Meanwhile, plenty of other stories continue to be posted in the same section — except the continuation of mine. This morning, I went ahead and submitted both Chapter 25 and Chapter 26, since Chapter 26 was scheduled for today anyway. And still, nothing. The story is stuck at Chapter 24 with no explanation. There’s nothing “controversial” in Chapter 25, so I’m stumped. Does anyone know what’s going on or who I can contact to get some clarity? After 24 smooth uploads, this sudden blackout makes no sense at all. I’d hate to lose what is probably one of my largest audiences. So, if anyone has any suggestions, ideas, contacts, or information at all that would be able to help me out, please give me a shout! PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE! On a brighter note — Medellín is now 100% completed and ready to go as soon as Swing for the Fences finishes posting. It’s a very different story: darker, more violent, more passionate… and, yes, a little more erotic. Writing it was deeply personal for me. I’ve lived in Colombia for the past seven years, so the novel became something of a “love letter” to my adopted home. Because of that, it required very little research — I’ve been living the research every day for years. In the meantime, I’m making some final revisions to the later chapters of Swing for the Fences. Once that’s done (in just a few days), I’ll be diving headfirst into the sequel. It’s going to be a bit of whiplash shifting from the dark, dangerous world of Medellín back into the lighter, more hopeful world of Swing for the Fences — but it should be fun. Both stories share one thing in common: flawed protagonists. Hunter in Medellín is far more broken than Nick in Swing for the Fences, and many readers may not like or understand him at first. But that’s part of the point. Hunter doesn’t like or understand himself for a long while either. So, coming full circle, if anyone can help in any way at all with my little "Nifty" problem, please DM me here, leave a comment, or email me at littlebuddhatw@proton.me, I would be forever thankful ... and might even be willing to make it worth your while by gifting a new chapter to read before anyone else, or even the first chapter of Medellin to read. And please don't forget to follow me on Twitter/X, where I often post info/news and promo pics from the novels: @littlebuddhatw UPDATE: Nifty finally uploaded Chapters 25 and 26, so the story is all caught up. If someone out there helped with that, thank you!

It was early April, and although you could still see your breath in the mornings, the sun was finally winning its battle with the wind. Patches of grass peeked out from where snow had been just last week, and students wandered the quad in hoodies instead of heavy winter coats. Spring wasn’t just coming – it was here. Baseball season was underway. And for once, the world didn’t feel quite so heavy. In the weeks after everything with the administration, Jack and I started to settle back