Carlos Hazday

@Timothy M. LMAO - This chapter has proven kinda popular. I think some readers gave up on me ever bringing those two together.

It took me a 100+ chapters to get from Owen objecting to CJ paying for everything at a Bondi Beach cafe to the prenuptial. Even though Owen's family's well-off the amount of money CJ has is a little overwhelming. If you consider Cesar started a savings account for him as soon as he found out he had a son, and later added large amounts together with Brett (who had no other heirs at the time so CJ was it) the kid has a few million dollars to his name and isn't even twenty yet. The difference in wealth can be overcome, Cesar and Brett are proof of that, but there's bound to be a few missteps along the way.

@Timothy M. Very glad you liked the chapter!

@spikey582 I didn't want to make the path to the marriage entirely smooth. I knew I wanted a prenup discussed (my little brother married a trust fund girl and had to sign one) and since Cesar's the accountant, I thought he would be the right one to bring it up. The parents discussing it doesn't bother me so much as them not immediately bringing it up with CJ and Owen. We know Owen's not a gold digger; it's taken him a long time to accept how wealthy CJ is and he fought not to be 'taken care of.' I don't think he would have a problem signing the documents, but his boyfriend's dug in and I don't see CJ relenting.

@dughlas No matter the age and maturity level of their kids, parents often continue to see them as they were way back then. I know it was years after graduating from college my father asked either me or my brother for our opinion regarding his business. Many parents also forget someone of CJ's age knows everything about everything and they risk their lives by suggesting they don't.

@avidreadr CJ's not one to just go with the flow, he felt blindsided and he snapped. I think Cesar may have to grovel before he and his son repair their damaged relationship. Silas is part of the family. Period. It's why I wanted to show him visiting DC alone much the way CJ visited Chicago alone when he was about the same age. The kid will play a small but important role in the future.

When it comes to Jack Scribe's novels, six degrees of separation amongst the protagonists is at least three too many. And the situation isn't limited to the book's main characters; the supporting cast is peppered with men appearing in previous stories. The author's blend of fiction with reality is a trademark of his work and evident in "That's The Chicago Way." Whether it's referencing Sidetracks in Chicago, Lady Gaga's videos, or the bottle of Bombay Saphire Gin, they all immerse you in a universe where the line between said fiction and the world we live in are blurred. I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into Kris or Scotty walking down Michigan Avenue. If you're like me, nothing but the most essential of obligations will prevent you from putting the story down. Grab a cocktail, kick off the shoes, and get ready to enjoy yourself.

@Defiance19 Switching to real time... Georgetown lost on Wednesday and Miami lost last night. CJ and Owen stopped by a bar after the game in Brooklyn last night. I think the hangovers will last most of the train ride back to DC this morning.

Thanks, Tony! Brett has his moments. He's blown up a few times but once he lets off steam he's a thoughtful, caring father. I think Cesar tries to see one too many moves ahead and sometimes it clouds his view of the present. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the comment.

@Defiance19 Good morning, ma'am. I'm on my second cup of coffee!!! School canceled today? Very impressed you actually remembered what took place in the chapter with Silas. I figured the final section would be what grabbed people's attention

Earlier in the month, CJ’s fathers informed him they would be traveling to Philadelphia with Tom and JP the first weekend in June. The two couples planned to attend the Penn Mutual College Rugby7s Championship where the University of California Golden Bears were participants. César made it clear CJ and Owen could not join them; they had to stay home with Ritchie who would be in the midst of final exams at Sidwell Friends School. Although he complained at first, in the end it was not hard to acqu

Why limit ourselves to one ginger? Who's the redhead in the zombie show? Daniel Newman?

@danield You read the comments... everyone knew about it except CJ. This is one of those chapters everyone seemed to enjoy.

@Defiance19 Isn't it funny how there's that little engagement thing and all of a sudden the chapters are more about CJ and Owen than before? LOL I'll confirm right now there actually is a photo shoot and the chapter with it is now being edited. It'll be a while but it's on the way. If I win the lottery this weekend, I'm moving to NYC and opening up a bar named PRIME. I'll look for a hot red to hire as a bartender.

@danield Sorry, Bubba. No index or anything like it. I'll warn you some photos may no longer be available because of the screwy way I posted them. I use pictures for reference or inspiration often and I share some of the more interesting ones on the discussion thread.

Crap! Some of these look interesting but I have a rough week ahead. Let me see when I can squeeze some time to read at least a couple of them.

Thank you all for the nice comments. I'm glad you enjoy the feature and this is where I plug your involvement: It would not be possible without your questions. I have a few in inventory but they're for many of the same authors already featured. I will use those at some point but how about some new questions for people we've not heard from before. This is aimed at those of you who've never sent one in. Do I have to name names @spikey582?

@danield Thanks, Dan. I pulled bits and pieces from a lot of places when writing the sermon. Heck, I even went to church a couple of times looking for inspiration! I don't recall all the sources I used but one does stand out. The section about there being no this or that in the church is a riff from a song. "On This Dancefloor" from the late DJ Peter Rauhofer's I Love Miami album.

Ask an Author 2.0 - #5 Welcome back y’all. So far this year we’ve featured seven different authors in this blog; this month we add four new ones to the mix. I’ll continue to showcase different ones as long as you keep sending in your questions. Remember this is your chance to ask any author anything you want. The identity of the member asking the questions shall remain a secret in order to protect the guilty. J • • • • • @MacGreg Mac’s current avatar on Gay Authors is a length of rope innocently left on a wood floor. Don’t let it fool you, he uses it to rope readers into his world and once you get a taste of his writing it’ll be tough not to return for more. • I love the connection I'm able to feel with your characters and your story even though I may never be in their situation. That's with every story you've written. My question is, what are you hoping to communicate with your writing, and with Dissonance where did the inspiration come from for that story? • First of all, thank you for including me in the Ask An Author series. It pleases me to hear that you feel a connection with the characters of my stories. Honestly, I can’t think of a better compliment than that. I would say that a common thread throughout much of my writing is a focus on character-driven plots as opposed to event-driven plots. Although plenty of events happen within each story, the driving forces are the perceptions and reactions of the characters involved. I’m interested in psychology and sociology and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, so I suppose the biggest thing that I’m trying to communicate with my writing is the intricacy of human relationships. Life is a great big jumble of positive and negative points that we bounce around on, and our reactions help mold our personalities. We all want to end up on a positive point, but it can be extremely challenging to get there. How we interact with others along the way is important, because we are all connected. Dissonance illustrates some of these positive and negative points. The ways in which Travis Cooper and Ben Mansfield navigate through the obstacles of their budding relationship is just as important as the obstacles themselves. I first got the idea for this story many years ago while driving from Colorado to Texas. Something in the air triggered a thought, and nine hours later, I had a story in mind. What happens when two people from very different backgrounds strike up a connection? Opposites attract, yes, but discordance can also happen. It’s an old story line, yet it remains relevant. Nothing is ever as it seems. Add into the mix the fact that these two characters are gay/bi, struggling with self-identity, self-loathing, fear of rejection, fear of the past, fear of the future, societal pressures, and a myriad of family issues (things so many of us can personally relate to), and the result becomes dissonant. This story sat for a long time before I was compelled to pick it up again in the fall of 2016. The characters of Travis and Ben never completely left me alone, and I’m glad for that. Thanks to everyone who's been reading it! • • • • • @jfalkon Having joined in 2007, jfalkon is one of Gay Authors oldest members. His thirty stories on the site show his versatility; the genres are as varied as the tales themselves. Having read some of them, I have enjoyed how his writing has evolved and the variety of emotions it evokes. • What prompted you to write Under The Surface? It was quite a dark story and I'm interested in your motivation. • Thanks for the question. I usually write about things that are on my mind. Before writing the story, I had watched some documentaries on kidnappings and religious cults and had heard a few stories about failed treatments designed to change a person's sexual orientation. This all happened in a period of about two months. The stories melted together in my mind and resulted in this rather dark story. • • • • • @northie One of the benefits or coordinating this feature is being exposed to authors I’m not very familiar with. Northie is one of those. Although I’ve know her for a bit, my interest in her work peaked when she sent me questions for the blog and again when someone sent questions in for her. Since then, I’ve read a few of her stories and plan on reading more. Her characters leap of the page and seem as real as if they were sitting next to me. • You have posted quite a few stories on GA in a short amount of time. Including an impressive 7 short stories in 2017. Were some of these stories already written, posted on other sites, re-vamped, or did you start each one from scratch this year? • Everything that's appeared on GA is new, and with the exception of the Anthology stories, they are usually posted pretty much hot off the pencil. I only started writing in late 2016, after a friend on GA (who's now my editor) planted the idea in my head that maybe I could write. My first efforts were short prompt responses (posted in 'Am I late?'). About the same time, I started a multi-chaptered story which is now complete, but has yet to be posted. Prompts continue to inspire my stories, because as an author who is still inexperienced, I love the opportunity to experiment. Genre, form, style, I enjoy playing around with them. Cia's writing games are another source of inspiration, and also, practice in writing to order. Some things that started out as shorts have evolved into longer, ongoing stories ('Soul Music', 'hell_is.com'). • • • • • @Hunter Thomson Hunter’s our resident jock from Canada. Who else could get away with a picture of a curler as their avatar? The man isn’t only interested in sports, politics battle it out for attention. If you get a chance, read one of his blog entries concerning running for public office. They’re fascinating. • In your bio, the focus is very much on real life and your own personal experiences. How much of your own life goes into your work, bearing in mind that you’re only 27? • I do tend to use my life experiences as a template for what I write. I feel that doing so gives me a more authentic point of view, and I can write about sports more effectively because I understand the thoughts and feelings of the players from my own experiences. That isn't to say that my Out on the Field series is a biography, its not. But there are certainly a number of elements to Devin's life that are similar to mine. It's been argued in the past that Devin's stories are a way for me to relive my life in an alternative universe where things were different (like making the UBC Thunderbirds). I can see where the argument comes from, but what happens in my stories is fiction; my life experience just give me some extra perspective on the psychology and internal aspects of the characters. I find it interesting that the question frames me as 'only' being 27. I guess from a chronological viewpoint I haven't been around the planet for very long compared to some people (and potentially the person asking), but I've given myself a chance to lead a rich life in the time I've been here, and the wealth of positive and negative experiences I've lived through gives me a lot more to work with in my writing than I thought I would have. • • • • • BONUS QUESTION– ASK AN EDITOR @Kitt A little detour along the way. Someone suggested asking editors a question and two of the ones I approached were kind enough to reply. Here’s what Kitt had to say. • Can you give examples of edits you've made of mistakes which were really funny or really strange? • I edit for a gent whom English is his second language. Actually several of my authors fall into that category. I think the most amusing one is where he put shrubs in where scrubs ( the hospital wear) belonged. Was several minutes before I could continue working. I kept seeing this little older woman wearing a bush!

@danield Still around. I see them at the local leather bar whenever I stop for a drink.

@danield I have my moments, lol. What was interesting was reading some of the chapter and realizing how much like a kid CJ sounded back then.

Yeah, it'll take a few chapters to get there but we'll be along for the ride as details get planned and discussed.

I'm sorry, the author you're trying to reach is unavailable. He's busy shaking in fear... More on the way, David. There's three more chapters to this book and editing has begun on the next one. I'm hoping that keeps the lynch mob away.

Thanks, David. I'm hoping the tears were happy ones. I think I struck a chord with readers this time. This chapter has garnered more likes and comments than any other in a while. Now I need to bottle what I did right and sprinkle it on future chapters. I'm still looking for my first 100 likes post! CJ and Owen met in December 2013 and got engaged three years plus later. I figured that was a long enough courting period.

@danield Amazing what a little stress will do. Doesn't take much to push CJ over the edge. After what happens next I'm still not sure who was more surprised, the biker or the dads.