James Carnarvon

It's a pity this story seems to have stalled. I returned to it after a long break to read this mini-arc, and I found a lot to enjoy here. Hunt is a nicely self-contained storyline with none of the chaos and mission creep of the mammoth first book in the series. There was enough recapping of key characters and events from book one to re-acquaint myself with my memories of reading it, and I found I could follow the story pretty easily. I liked the world-building of the small, rain-lashed lakeside town; there was enough evocative description to ground me in the location. The nature spirit was an interesting opponent and I thought the resolution to the battle was very imaginative. James seems a little more confident that I remembered, more comfortable in his own skin and further along in accepting and integrating his trauma into his life experience. It may be explainable by the passage of time since the end of book one. Either way, now that James has taken more ownership of his identity and his past, it was fun to see him loosen up a little bit and explore the possibilities of dating with Cody. I suppose the fizzle of their nascent relationship was inevitable, given that James was never going to stay in town for long, but it was an enjoyable ride. Their banter was sort of sweet. I appreciated the humour scattered throughout the chapters. The author hasn't visited this site for some time, so I doubt he will ever see this, but... there you go!

So... a couple of romantic cliffhangers and a plot cliffhanger, right? If you really want to follow the bike ride, use Google streetview. Leave Ravello via Via della Marra, passing the tunnel. Monte Brusara is ahead of you. At the first hairpin bend bear right onto the Via Porta di Scala, signed of course for Scala Climb through a couple of hairpins then, on the edge of the village, turn right onto Via Frà Gerardo Sasso, signed for fraz. S. Pietro and fraz. S. Caterina Continuing along that road and ignoring all side turnings, you will reach the tiny square at San Pietro and then, following Via Gaetano Mansi, the church at the high up hamlet of Santa Caterina Still following the same road - Google seems confused as to whether it's Via Campolavigna or Via Senito - you will leave the village and climb up through the chestnut woods. Shortly before the Google imagery stops, you reach the highest point at a sharp bend surrounded by logs, with a dirt track leading on into the woods. This is where Giacomo stops to give Dani his friendship stone.

It’s a fair question. I know I was late to realise my own orientation, but then I grew up at a time when it was against the law to provide positive teaching about this stuff at school in the UK, and nobody at my school would have admitted to being gay. This story is set in 2008, by which time that culture ought to have changed a bit, but not as much as it has now. We don’t know for sure what Gianni’s school environment was like. As for Angelo, if you think he shares Gianni’s feelings, then I guess he just hasn’t met the right boy (until now). In all probability he has been closeted by the small and traditional nature of his community. There’s another thing. When I originally wrote this, the characters were a little younger (14), but I realised that the level of maturity I’d written them with was more believable for older teens, so 15 was a compromise. It also didn’t help that I allowed someone to read a draft who freaked out a little about characters under 16 being shown to experience any sexual feelings at all. Wrong audience, and a big factor in this remaining unpublished for so many years!

I felt it was 100% right for Dani to act like this, given how young he is, the doubts he faces and how long and how deeply he's crushed on Giaco. I hope it felt that way to you. In my opinion (and you know an author is usually their own worst critic) the whole scene leading up to (and after) the kiss played really well. ...compared to the next chapter, anyway, which is still giving me editing nightmares. 😅

Has that ever really been in doubt? Dani's afraid... he can't quite believe that his dream could come true.

A couple of days later, Daniele left the house early, dressed in a breezy yellow tie-dye t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. He had recovered from his accident, save for a few lingering scabs, and was planning to go on a long bike ride with his friends. Their destination was the Fontana Carosa spring, a remote and revered spot in the uppermost reaches of the Valle del Dragone, high in the hills above Scala. With Marco off on his travels, Daniele and Giacomo were due to rendezvous with Emilia and

I’m really glad to hear that! Even back when I wrote this, I guess I had the storytelling sense not to go down too universally black and white a route. I’m afraid Pietro just sees two extraordinarily close friends, as fits his thus far unchallenged worldview.

I get the sense though that not all Catholics adhere to that generous a view? However, I can’t really profess to know what I’m talking about. While there’s a lot in this story that I’m proud of, it was written on pure instinct rather than research. It’s more naïve than my other stories, reflecting my own age and inexperience when I originally drafted it almost ten years before sharing it here.

I had to look up 'insouciance' - a word I've heard but never really defined - so well done for sending me to the dictionary! Marco's star has certainly risen and risen from the point where he came back for an injured Dani in Lanterns in the Dark. I hope you'll find that the rest of this story is true to his character and where he's come from. As to Giaco... he's been on this path for some time. This is certainly the Giaco that I snuck into the background of The Star in my Eye. In my opinion, with the possible exception of his orientation, we've known all we really need to know about Giaco since the later chapters of Dani the Hero, but it's been rewarding to tackle his character in depth in this tale. There's much more still to come. With this being a longer book, I thought it would be fun to weave a bit of Dani the Hero style mystery into the story. As usual, though, it's only really there as a way to further explore my characters. It's not going to become the central focus. You'll find out more later on. Thank you for your kind words! Besides Dani's ongoing 'dance' with Giaco, as @drpaladin aptly puts it, this chapter took a detour into each of Dani's other main friendships. I was worried it would run short, but it ended up being the longest of the lot, and nearly the longest chapter I've ever written, second only to Ch.8 of The Summer of the Firefly. 😅 Emilia never gets much attention, so thank you for mentioning her. With this being GA, I assume her two X chromosomes have something to do with it! I enjoyed writing the brief Dani/Emilia scenes in this chapter; with their disastrous date now ancient history and everyone having moved on from it, Dani has a very different sort of friendship with Emilia than he does with Giaco or Marco. In Dani the Hero we eventually discovered that she was a brave, no-nonsense sort of character and a loyal friend. I've tried to stay true to that in subsequent stories. As a dyed-in-the-wool appreciator of Marco, I had a feeling you would enjoy this chapter! Of course, he's now going to exit the story for a few days. I wonder what will happen while he's away?

Thank you for reading and commenting! It’ll be interesting to have this read from a Catholic perspective. There is conflict in relation to Gianni’s conformity to traditional values, but it emanates more from Marina, who is an old-fashioned person, than the church itself.

Thank you so much! I thought he came out looking more like 12/13, but he's only just 14 so maybe that's okay. I'm wary of illustrations, because everyone will have their own mental picture of a character and that's fine. From my point of view, I think I probably nailed what I had in mind for the hair and face shape. For the other facial features, it was the most I could do to get them to look vaguely realistic. If I tried the same drawing again, they would come out differently. I don't currently have the skill or experience to reliably nail that sort of detail in a consistent way by character. I was also quite pleased with the suggestion of a tie-dye t-shirt. I'd like to have a go at a couple more sketches when I have the time. I also found tutorials on how to do faces from a profile view and a 3/4 view, so maybe I'll try those with different characters.

It's an impossible moment for him to face unexpectedly at barely fourteen. At their young age, I can't imagine they'd have ended up in a full-on amorous embrace on the dancefloor, but Dani is smart enough to realise the enormity of what he's just missed. What can I say? He needs to know that it's as real for Giaco as it is for him. Thanks for commenting!

By the way, I hope my many American readers will forgive the very broad portrayal of the American family in this, who appear to be from Texas. 🤣

I prefer 'Ravello series' to 'Rome series'.

The following morning, Daniele received a text from Marco. ‘Can I see you?’ Stretched out on his bed, Daniele put down the book he had been reading and frowned at the four short words on his screen. He wondered what his friend wanted. Was Marco about to grill him about what he had seen yesterday? If so, what could he even tell him? Daniele chewed his lip nervously. ‘I can be in the square in twenty,’ he replied. ‘Cool.’ Daniele set out right away, treading the famil

Yes, of course, although they need updating!

I'm not sure what possessed me to spend two hours following a drawing tutorial tonight, but I'm quite pleased with how this came out given that I've NEVER done this before!

Hmm, yes. This chapter represents the denial phase! I suppose Marco has a particular reason to be very aware of what's going on in Dani's world from a romantic point of view... while Luca benefits from a more impartial, outside perspective. Vulnerable Giaco has always been there, beneath the surface. He hides it well, but we've glimpsed that side of him in both of the previous Dani stories. As of now, though, the incident at disco has really exposed him, leaving him almost as thrown as Dani. Or, at least, that was what I was going for... I'm getting the sense that it doesn't take much to make you think of Kate Bush. 😉 I approve of your choice of breakfast! Were I in Ravello, I would be doing the same thing. (Actually, today it was a Sicilian lemon muffin - a weekend treat - and a glass of pineapple juice.) I guess it's in character for Giaco to decide he wants something and go for it. Poor Dani's just trying to keep up. I think we can assume Dani has agreed the arrangement in principle with his parents, if they were persuaded by front they presented that "everything's cool".

Oops… that’s thrown me. This wasn’t meant to be published for several hours yet. I must have set the time wrong! I’ll reply properly to your lovely comments later, and then try to figure out when to publish ch.5 now! 😆

Daniele returned home sometime later, his tie tucked back into his pocket at Marco’s insistence. The other boy had been reluctant to leave him on his own at first, but Daniele had finally persuaded him to go by suggesting that he still had time to return to the disco and let the others know he was alright… that was, if they were even still there. He suspected that Giacomo would probably have made a quick exit soon after he did. Giaco… Just the thought of Giacomo’s reaction cut him up a

Thank you @drsawzall! Thanks... I hope I haven't peaked too early! 😅 Yes, I see what you mean! Although it could also work with a more seedy Pulp / Jarvis Cocker approach (what I like to call 'urban poetry'). True. Sigh, she's so wholesome! The fun thing about the original Paninaro, which was only a b-side here in the UK, is that it actually did receive a limited single release in Italy, and had an ultra low-budget music video made featuring some genuine Italian teenage boys... so it sort of makes sense for it to appear here! This is interesting. I hoped Giaco's move would come as a surprise to readers, although I did lay the groundwork for it. Are you saying you were expecting Giaco to ask Dani to dance? There are certainly no winners in this situation, at least for the moment. I'm glad you're feeling for Giaco as well as the others. I feel like it was pretty huge for him to break cover and offer himself to Dani like that... that is, if you believe he was serious. Oh no, not you as well! @drpaladin suggested the same thing at the end of Lanterns in the Dark. I said at the time that the next story would not be called A Ravello Threesome! 🤣

Yeah, he's had a heck of a year!

Thanks both! Intense is what I was going for. We've never seen Dani furious like this, even if it is at himself. He has just been forced to confront something that he wasn't even fully aware of until now. Stay tuned...

I absolutely love this. I couldn't have put it better myself.

End of Act One... blow the status quo to pieces! 😅 As a bonus, I'm happy to be able to share a Spotify playlist of the songs that inspired this pivotal chapter and became its official soundtrack. I was going for a rising, ecstatic energy... crashing down at the end! Running time approx. 45 minutes. Unfortunately, for the final song, the downbeat, romantic remix that actually accompanies this chapter wasn't available on Spotify, but I did manage to find it on YouTube: Enjoy...!