Josh Aterovis

I look forward to the comments on each chapter the way some of you look forward to the chapter itself. I love reading all the comments, reactions, opinions and theories. I love when y'all are right, and I love even more when you're wrong! 🤣🤣🤣

Agreed! Joey is a lousy excuse for a best friend.

You actually have a few more chapters before the first body shows up. Patience is a virtue...or something like that. And thank you! The title inspired this entire book, so that verse was baked in from the very beginning.

You know, @Summerabbacat, I really wish you would stop holding back and tell us how you really feel. If you think you hate Joey now, just wait... That is a sentence I never thought I'd read! Can't argue with it, though. LOL Thank you! As always, I always love reading your thoughts and opinions about each chapter, however subtle they may be. You are correct that Will's father's first name is Lowell.

Woohoo! Glad it didn't disappoint.

I made it to church Sunday morning, much to the approval of my parents, then spent the afternoon hanging out with Aidan. I was getting ready for bed later that night when my phone started vibrating. It was Joey calling to ask if he could come over. He sounded serious so I quickly agreed. He was at the door in minutes. "How'd you get here so quick?" I asked as I let him in. "I was already in the parking lot." He pushed past me in a cloud of alcohol fumes and glanced around uneasily. "Ca

Thank you! And I love reading your thoughts about Nikki and Co. It's funny how she is amalgam of so many "artsy" types I've known over the years, from my personal life, but also from my time as a professional artist and later as a theater artist. You'll just have to wait and see if she's bad or just drawn that way...

That's an acceptable theory.

Yay! Good to see you here in the comments. 😊

The Plaza, as it's commonly known, is a brick courtyard created by closing off a section of Main Street running through the old shopping district in the heart of the city. Tall Victorian-era brick buildings lining the pedestrian-friendly corridor, with fountains, sculptures, and flowerbeds scattered along the way. The old store-fronts mostly housed restaurants, upscale boutiques, lawyers' offices, and antique stores. The idea was a well-intentioned attempt to revitalize the downtown area, but th

Coming right up!

Yeah, I wish I'd had an Aidan at that age!

Thank you, @Philippe. Returning to this story for such a deep rewrite after all these years, I've realized how much writing this was therapy for me at the time. I was working through all this stuff in real time. Of course, twenty-some years later, I'm much farther in that journey. I've done a lot of deconstructing, so I'm coming at it from a different viewpoint than I was then, but it still feel poignant for me. I appreciate your kind words.

Why thank you! 😊

I brushed my teeth and went through all my evening rituals, then, just before I got into bed, I decided I was thirsty. I didn't want to disturb anyone else if they were trying to fall asleep so I eased open my door and padded softly down the hall to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As I neared the living room, I overheard Asher and Killian talking quietly. I heard my name, and, even though I knew I shouldn't, I stopped to listen. "Will seems nice," Killian was saying. I felt h

You'll see bits and pieces in this story, but it's mostly just setting a few things up for what's to come in the next book. No comment. 😉

Yes.

Ha! That's definitely something I would do...and probably have done...

Some might say it's what I do best. 😉

I can't wait to start posting the next book in the Killian series. You're gonna LOVE the first chapter.

I was in my room unpacking later that night when Aidan appeared in the open doorway. "Knock, knock." I looked up from the box of art supplies. "What's up?" "I thought maybe you could use a break. I baked cookies. You want some while they're still hot?" I laughed. "Do you bake cookies often?" He shrugged and looked a little embarrassed. "When I'm in the mood. Why?" "Nothing. I just think I'm going to like living here." Aidan grinned. "Good! Then my cunning plan is wo

Yes, best to keep the murders fictitious... My brother-in-law moved on to another church that didn't have gay members in the congregation, but more importantly, he became something of a big deal for a while in the convention and spent a lot of time traveling and speaking, then doing what they call "church planting" and I call forcible brainwashing of vulnerable people (they were mostly in very poor neighborhoods, primarily Black or Hispanic, and most of them failed because they used entirely white pastors who, shockingly, were not trusted in these types of neighborhoods). He's now the pastor of a small church and is nearing retirement age. My dad is retired and has dementia. My brother is still going strong with a huge church, and while they do a some good charitable work, especially for people with food insecurity, he is not revolutionary aside from his a-political leanings. He refused to endorse trump in a very trumpy area and I think it cost him some members as well. I didn't grow up in Black churches, though many of my friends and exes did, and from what I understand, they do tend to be very homophobic, often quite ironically since it's not at all uncommon to have flamboyant gay men play the organ or lead the choir, and they are celebrated...as long as no one openly acknowledges their sexuality. It's probably obvious, but these days I'm atheist. 😆

Thank you so much, @Al Norris! So glad you enjoyed it and that you've already dove right into Reap the Whirlwind.