jkwsquirrel

You always hurt the ones you love? Or perhaps he's on the cusp of figuring some things out and he's not completely comfortable with where he's heading yet.

You may be on to something there!

Thanks! Just seems logical, right?

Just wait, it gets better!

It's Rule 6 of writing gay teen fiction - "At least one character shall be abused by their parents."

Brett knows how to push people's buttons!

I write a lot about kids dealing with their parents, don't I? Even the adults in the stories are often processing their relationships with their parents - George trying not to become his father, Paula still trying to be the perfect daughter,

Yes, everyone should read String! lol! I'm glad you found the story that started it all! The BBD triangle... You'll see how that goes! Grandma's death was a necessary development in the story. Losing one's grandparents is often our first significant encounter with death. I wanted to explore that here. I'm so glad you can relate to Billy. He's not perfect, by a long shot, but he wants to be a good person. We'll explore how he navigates his way through life in the stories ahead!

Billy doesn't do well relating with others, and not just because he's thirteen. He doesn't get people. You're right, people handle death in different ways. Billy feels miserable about it, and therefore believes that everyone else should be miserable too.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks! Not only the wounds they carry, but how they deal with those wounds in their own way. Billy tries to bury them, Brett lets them fester until they explode.

Kids these days are like, "What's a tape?"

He's a good father when he's not losing his temper.

Indeed! Billy has a lot of stress in his life. George has a good handle on how to deal with Billy, when he's not losing his temper.

Yes he should have!

Thanks! Hope it was enjoyable!

Thanks! That's a great compliment! I really appreciate you giving it a try and I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😀

Thanks! Glad to do it!

Poor Yeet boy!

What I liked about Aiden was that he wasn't a true hero or villain. He got played by Mr. Hartley and used by Dustin and Doug, but he was tough and resilient. I do wonder if Brett was intentionally calling Tyler "Taylor" to mess with him or if he genuinely couldn't remember his name.

Very true. WAR was very dark at points, with Brett and Dustin being abused in their own ways, the bigotry the boys faced, and the violence. Billy was more pessimistic about how life was going than Jake. Billy dwelt in his misery, Jake was more like "Screw it" and moved on with a sense of optimism. I love them both, but String was more "fun." Yeet Yeet!

WAR was much more graphic than String, for sure. Finding that right balance of what's romantic and what's pornographic is a difficult one. (Not that there's anything wrong with pornography, but it's not what I'm going for.)

I think Brett is #1 for me. He was such a brat to start out but as he grew up he matured into a caring, compassionate young man while keeping that mischievous side of himself. Dustin is probably #2. Billy, and Jake, and George in any order would be my top 5 with Aiden right there at number 6. Mr. Hartley was my favorite villain, by far. One of my favorite scenes was when Dustin threw a desk at him. Favorite "book" is probably Retaliation (WAR 5) with Billy "coming out" to his parents (they already knew), Dustin beating the snot out of Brett, Dustin's attempted suicide, the cabin scene with the boys and George, and Billy's repeated failure to get his license.

Thanks again for all the wonderful comments! This really helped me get through the craziness of this time. This was such a fun story to write and a great experience for me. I loved the interaction between us all! "String" might just be my favorite work I've done, definitely the most fun I've had writing. Jake is right up there with some of my favorite characters that I've written. (I think it was his GFY to Ryan's dad that really defined him for me.) When I started, I really didn't know what would happen, I thought maybe Jake and Danny might work. Kyle kind of came along and the two of them just clicked for me. If I'd have done more planning, I'd have mentioned Kyle in passing here and there, but I kind of like how he came along at the right time. That's how love goes sometimes.

I always say once the story's over the characters aren't mine anymore, they're yours now. Since this one was so reader influenced that's even more true!