Josh Aterovis

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.

So, while no particular character is really "me" and some of the author goes into every character, Will is probably my most autobiographical character in that a lot of his life circumstances mirror my own, especially his backstory. My dad was a Southern Baptist minister and my mom was a stay at home mom. To a certain degree, you're definitely right in that all Southern Baptists are on the conservative side, but there is still a pretty wide range within that. My dad led the very first integrated Southern Baptist church....in the 70s or 80s. It was big deal that our chairman of deacons was a black man and that black people attended our traditionally white church. People left the church over it. My brother-in-law, who is also Southern Baptist minister, was kicked out of the convention for a while for allowing gay people to attend his church and hold office. It's all bullshit, obviously, but there are shades of red within their bullshit. One of my brothers is also a Southern Baptist minister. Needless to say, I have a lot of religious trauma, much of which I was trying to work out in these early books. LOL As @Tris said, it's a quote from the Old Testament, and the title of this book is one of the very few cases (for me, anyway) where the title inspired the book. I was watching Jeopardy (back in the Alex Trebek mustache days) and it was one of the responses. I think it was something like "In the Old Testement, God told the prophet Hosea that those who sowed the wind would get this result." Or something like that, and the answer, of course, was "Reap the Whirlwind," And I was like, that would be a great title for a book. Then I got obsessed with it and wondered what that book would be about. And Will was born. I usually write very linearly, as in I start at the beginning and outline chapter by chapter, then go back and write from page one on through to the end. With Reap the Whirlwind, the first scene I wrote is actually a scene that doesn't show up until like chapter 16 or 17 or something like that. It's a very emotional scene between Will and Aidan, and the entire book was born from that!

Ha! You'll find out...

Killian pops up quite a bit!

I lay awake for hours in my bed that night, staring at the ceiling, my childhood bedroom lit only by moonlight. My mind refused to turn off. So much had happened in one day — too much for my brain to absorb so quickly. I replayed snippets of conversation from the day over and over, like a slideshow on constant rotation. Joey: "You should move out..." Beth: "Joey always comes first..." Mackenzie: "We've only been going out for two weeks..." Laura: "Why wasn't I ever good enoug

Never too late to start! Especially with a series. Always best to start with book one!

Thank you! Such esteemed company!

It's never too early to speculate! That's my favorite part of posting these stories here, seeing how people interpret the characters and clues, who they think dunnit, what they think will happen next. I hate to admit it, but sometimes, your ideas are better than mine! 🤣 I'll read a comment and think, damn, wish I'd thought of that... I loved exploring friendships and how they change as we get older in this book. Some of your questions will be answered quicker than others...

Thank you! I'm excited to hear your thoughts as the story progresses!

Sorry for the delay! I got bogged down trying to rewrite a short story that just wasn't cooperating, so I moved on to the next novel. LOL It's good to be back, and it's extra good to have you along for the ride.

So true!

I think a lot of us have a Joey or two in our past. Thanks for reading!