RichEisbrouch
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Art It would have been funny if Harry had actually liked Art. But after Carl, Ryan, and Matthew, Harry felt a bit drained, and he was simply cleaning house. Art was older than Harry, in his mid-forties. Like Gordon, he’d been married for a long time. And he not only had kids but also grandchildren. He laughed, telling Harry, “My wife and I started way too young. Then our kids followed our lousy example.” Art knew he’d always liked guys, but he’d mainly ignored it. “Every o
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Yep, a guy who's interesting but self-contained. Though you can understand Harry's initial attraction.
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Matthew “At least, I’m meeting the kind of guys I want to,” Harry told Gordon. “This is good.” Gordon had actually tried to get Harry to stay with Ryan. Gordon didn’t see drinking as a problem. “It’s how I added five years to my marriage.” But just as Harry couldn’t imagine Gordon staying still long enough to please Eric, he couldn’t imagine what Ryan would be like in five years. “Fortunately, you’re not trying to change him,” Gordon said. “That’s wise.” Though
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I'm not sure Carl knows what he's doing, and maybe Harry never even realizes that. He just knows he doesn't like what's being offered and adds that to the list of things he's learned. One of the strange things about that area of western Massachusetts -- the Five Colleges, Happy Valley -- is there are a lot of interesting, intelligent, desirable people to be around and have as friends. But they're often very wound up in themselves. It's a safe place to be gay but often heart-breaking.
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You got it exactly right -- at least in this version. That chapter's had about a dozen different endings. But this one's held for a while, and I think I'm happy with it.
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Yeah, and sheltered Harry -- having no frame of reference for what's too much drinking -- was both surprised by and unprepared to deal with it.
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Yeah, but that handsome Irish face, and all that intelligence and charm...
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Ryan Thanksgiving had been bad. There were storms, so Harry couldn’t get back to Chicago. Instead, he spent the day with friends from work, nice people whose quiet lives barely intersected each other’s, let alone Harry’s. It kept snowing. Cars got stuck. Batteries died. The kids watched The Wizard of Oz endlessly, rerunning each mind-jamming song. The best part, waking warm, silent, alone on Friday morning, with three clear days ahead of him, seemed even less promising. Then the p
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Actually, there are some surprises built into Gordon, so don't write him off yet.
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Fortunately, Carl's gone. I did mention the book is a comedy of often bad manners. If Harry met the right guy the first time out, there's be no story. Worse, Harry would know far less about himself and the world.
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Carl After Eric, Harry took a break. He just hung out with friends he hadn’t really seen for several months. He visited family. He even had a vacation coming but didn’t know where to go. “Come to London with me,” Gordon suggested. Harry laughed. “We’d only end up in bars.” Two months earlier, Gordon had gone to Sydney, on business. He’d left messages for Harry from every gay bar he could find. Bragging. But Harry needed to clear his mind. He was almost afraid t
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Yep. I said, after Perry, things got less sweet.
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5 Eric Eric’s letter was part of a seemingly ordinary batch, though his was typed, on good stationery. It also had paragraphs, complete thoughts, and several jokes. Harry would have written him immediately, but Eric had included a phone number. So Harry called. Their conversation was pleasant. They shared similar interests, notably strong opinions on politics and art. They talked for several hours without Harry noticing the time. Then, only because of mismatched schedules, th
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This, of course, is why there are different flavors of ice cream, and, for me, it goes back to something Franklin Roosevelt said about fearing fear. Perry's so afraid of an idea that's far more scary than the reality. All Harry did was hug him, and Perry went off. He simply needed to move part that point, or it might happen again and again. And it was Perry's choice to stay.
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That chapter about Perry is probably the sweetest one in the book. It gets balanced later on. And I'm sure Perry will be fine. He's another bright, inexperienced guy. He just needs time and, perhaps, a little distance from home.
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Perry Harry kept Perry’s note for almost a week before deciding what to do. He’d been running a print ad in the weekly paper. GWM, 32 -- conservative, creative, articulate, attractive. It was the same description he used online, and he’d nearly added the usual 6'-2", 175, brown, blue. But that wasn’t how he wanted to start. Ads weren’t the easiest way to meet guys, since they involved getting a post office box and having mail forwarded from the newspaper. But Gordon had suggeste
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Glad you all agree with Harry. Smith is more co-ed than it seems. The 5 colleges in the area -- UMass, Amherst, Smith, Holyoke, and Hampshire -- allow students to take classes on all campuses. I've set several books in Western Massachusetts. It's an area I first discovered as a kid. Very different then. Far more rural. Less connected. But it still had manufacturing. One of the books is already on this site -- The Pendleton Omens. But it has some built-in weirdness, especially when it moves to LA. Another book I'm not sure I can post here because its main character is straight, and he lives in a straight world. But the author of the book is decidedly gay, so it may be acceptable.
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Gordon was raised in a different time sexually than Harry and is still pretty set in those ways. Harry clearly likes intelligent guys, so you can see his attraction to Gordon. And Harry's still very inexperienced with men. But, as he says, he knows what he's looking for in a partner.
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Gordon Gordon arrived at Harry’s apartment carrying an overnight bag. “What’s that for?” Harry asked. “A few things... My nightshirt...” “You’re staying?” They hadn’t exactly met. “May I come in?” Gordon asked. He was still standing in the hall. Talking on the phone, Harry knew he wanted to meet the man: Gordon seemed charming and bright. Seeing him, Harry was definitely interested. But he’d never meant to sleep with anyone that night. “May I come i
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Harry seem to know what he wants. But he does get distracted.
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As mentioned, yeah, Kurt's a nice guy to remember. And, also as mentioned, yep, each chapter focuses on a different relationship, so it does take Harry a while to sort guys. But he is looking for long-term happiness, and that sometimes requires patience.
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Yep, the first chapter is both on one of my fiction blogs, and I think leads the online sales blurb.
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That's the last of Nick. Harry's not stupid. Though, obviously, he sleeps with a more interesting married guy almost immediately. He's got a lot to learn. There are some continuing characters, but, basically, each chapter focuses on one of Harry's relationships as he learns.
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Yep, I haven't quite figured out how the story stats -- or a couple of things about the postings -- work, but there are 18 chapters. As mentioned, I plan to post one every other day, and the book will be complete just before Christmas. And I don't think Harry would have fallen in love with Kurt, not seriously. Harry's pretty well grounded. Also, Waldron, Massachusetts, is a safe little town, so it wasn't much of a risk to walk across the street into the town square and chat with a local guy. And it did make for a lovely first time. It could have been Nick.
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Nick is just the beginning.
