empath

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Yes, this story is winding down. I think. Unless? Did the author actually introduce new characters and threads in chapter 32? As for your comment about Mario and Juan, I will say that you found a typo! Thanks! I will definitely be thinking about a list of characters and how to help people figure out all the roles and relationships without ruining current or future stories. Hmmm...

Daniel didn’t make an appointment at the clinic over lunch. For days, he had convinced himself he was simply worn down. His symptoms were each relatively minor, and it was tempting to continue pretending he was fine. Since blissfully waking up in Juan’s arms, however, Daniel suddenly cared more than he ever had about a future. His unknown fate vibrated noisily in his mind, making it difficult to focus on any of the other urgent developments taking place around the country. The week ha

I keep a suggested reading order. Even though this is the story that started that I wrote first, it isn’t the first chronologically. Thanks for reading!

This was fun to wake up to. Definitely not opium. I seem to do fine on my naturally out of wack brain chemistry - no need for other substances. I certainly know the broad strokes of the unwritten plot (although sometimes characters change those too). Some events are foretold in my outline, while many others are the result of the characters themselves and their interplay together. For me, that is the magic in writing. Sitting down, placing characters in a situation and letting them decide what to say and what to do. In this chapter, for instance, Ten’s role was to dispose of Quintin’s body, but the King and his own imagination took over from there. I didn’t know much about him (still don’t actually), but as @drsawzall so elegantly put it, he 'is one sick motherf*^ker.’

The writing has begun. I want to know what happens too! 🤞

-2 f this morning. 🥶

I think this is my favorite.

I didn’t have much left in the tank for writing last week. There is a lot going on at work. So thanks for the patience with a single chapter week! After a few feel good chapters, we are back to the Deck. That means some blood and yuck, which is always harder for me to write as well. I appreciate all the feedback and notes, even on the tough chapters like this one.

Thursday July 2nd, 1992 Juan Ramos’ eyes slowly opened as the incessant and grating sound of the alarm clock demanded attention. The thin, heat-radiating body spooned against his refused to move, despite being between the detective and the electronic crow announcing the new day. “Stay,” Daniel croaked as Juan attempted to extract his numb arm from beneath the older man’s head. “It will turn itself off eventually.” Juan snickered, and then grew tense as he realized his arm wasn

A wild west throuple that enjoys fishing... Hmmm...

Was thinking the very same. 🐟

Did you read the first story about Joshua and Marcus? Not necessary but it exists... We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident.

Sigh… “If it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have no luck at all.” I’m late to the game, but on the plus side, everyday is Bearpaw Monday! Yeeeeeeee-haw! 🤞

We will definitely get to resolution, and then after a bit of a break, I will start book 2.

Make sure to wash the cucumber before you put it back.

This! ❤️ And this! ❤️ Me too! I am actually excited (and terrified) to go back and read this end-to-end. I wonder how many inconsistencies, lost threads, and missed opportunities I’ll find. I am publishing it as it is written, and there is so much going on. Thank you all for sticking with this crazy narrative and challenging plot. I am learning a lot about writing, myself, and our world.

Yes! Another good title. This has always been primarily Roger’s story. Even more than Micah, he has waited long for release and lasting hope. Dom was one of the earliest characters I got to know, even though he isn’t introduced until late in the story. Each of the characters are trying to balance light and dark, which feels real to me. Dom is definitely an extreme archetype, as are Elio and Emilio and ultimately Roger. There are many admirable but twisted elements to the mob. A big inspiration for this story was the idea of a "Mafia of Good,” which Roger has named a Cooperative.

Indeed. Years of effort, an unending journey towards wholeness awaits almost every character. Not all of it will fit in the proverbial pages of this story, although many of these characters will return in stories yet to be written. This is high praise and music to my rookie-writer ears. Thank you!

The watch was all that remained of Roger’s enslavement. He loved it, but was also trapped by it. With Eddie his broken life made sense, but without him, he had no anchor, no future, only a painful past. Thomas changed that, and I hope the watch has been a barometer of Roger’s changing point of view. He needed to save Thomas, but realized early on that he also wanted to be free. The watch is a tangible thing to illustrate the evolution of how he sees himself, Eddie, and the world. The check is similar, representing the love and compassion Thomas more easily accepted but wanted to give back. Roger needs to provide for Thomas, which made taking his new found freedom (money) unthinkable. Roger told Thomas he wanted to be free, too, and Thomas found a way to support Roger in, as you say, a way the man couldn’t refuse. Thomas was able to return the compassion he had been shown, completing the circle and cementing both his adulthood and give and take relationship with Roger. There are no true ends in The Land of Lincoln, only beginnings, but stories need to have ends I think, if only to make room for new ones in our minds. Like Roger, I spend more time weaving the net than I will dropping it. "It was time. There were more threads Roger Cicero longed to place and connect. He had a complete net, but it was not as elaborate as the legal artist desired to make it. He hoped he would have the pleasure of meeting this man again in the court of law…" We are close, and I hope that while not every thread will be laid or resolved, the outcome will be satisfying.

I’ll add it to the pile for when the royalty checks start rolling in.

Tuesday June 30th, 1992 Roger Cicero sat behind his large and ornate mahogany desk. The matching paneling and built-in shelves that lined the now-forty-year-old lawyer’s office looked dark and oppressive with his art, degrees, and books already packed. Roger smiled as his eyes moved around the now empty space. The stunted life he had built after Eddie’s incarceration was over. The empty reception area was visible through the open door. Melissa would still be assisting him from the

Working on it. It’s drafted. Editing is taking a while, tying to get this one right. Thanks for reading and dropping a note! ❤️

Thanks. I've thought about looking for an agent once I've finished it but we'll see. ♥️

Toby is the wild card here. He's too young in many people's eyes but already far older than most realize. I hated that age. It is when a lot of long-lasting damage was cemented in my mind. Gay, confused, alone, and too young. I locked myself in the closet with only my internal homophobia for company. Toby is fortunate that he isn't alone. If it wasn't for Jasper, I think Brian would have let things play out, but since he's not around, he needs to know someone is watching out for his son who isn't old enough or secure enough to fight back physically or even legally.

You so succinctly described my life. 😀 I loved this first chapter and hope you don't change your vernacular or begin to describe things any differently. What a wonderful plunge into Brian and Toby's world. I'm a fan already, and look forward to binging this tale with Google as my companion.