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I cannot believe this is frowned upon. Nor can I believe that I am the first . . . Happy Birthday, Myr!!! Many, many happy returns to you, Sir!

My first story chapter 1 is ready and I'm in need of an editor. I'm in need of an editor going forward. I'm still learning your tags, so, basically it's about 2 14 year old high school students, both gay but nobody knows, not even the other. They develop a friendship externally while internally having to deal with growing feelings they're having for the other. The story culminates with them coming out to each other. Plans are for the story to end there with a sequel to go from there. I expect 10 to 15 chapters for this one releasing 1 or 2 a week. I'm using one office so just about any format works for me. In line edits work best in my opinion but that's not a requirement. PROLOGUE FOLLOWS: Things CAN Work Out Prologue Tommy From what I've read, approximately 10% of the world population is gay. That means that one of every 10 people you know is probably gay. My Dad likes to gamble a little and he says that only a fool thinks he can win on a 10 to one shot. So, I guess that means I'm most likely going to lose. I'm Tommy. I live in your typical middle class neighborhood. I just turned 14 about a month ago. Back when I was 12, I came to the absolutely terrifying conclusion that I'm that one in 10. I'm gay. I didn't necessarily WANT to be gay, it just happened. Do you have any idea how hard it is to accept that I'm different than my friends? To be scared that they'll find out? That they might tell anyone? That they might tell EVERYONE? I guess I'll have to do what just about every other gay boy has to do to at least survive high school. I'll have to lie. To act in a way that is just so against how I'm actually feeling. To be someone I'm not. Just because... I'm afraid. I wonder sometimes what it would be like if everyone knew. I've heard stories. Kids getting kicked out of their homes because their parent or parents can't accept having a 'freak' for a son. Having people who were supposedly your friends beat the living shit out of you. People who told you that they'd have your back no matter what tell you that they never want to even think about you again. I'm sorry, but I don't think I could deal with that. So, for now, I'll play the game. I'll pretend I'm someone other than I am. I still wonder how I'm going to pull that off for 4 more years until I move out or go to college. If only things were different. If only I could find ONE person who would understand. Someone I could talk to. Someone I could confide in. That would make all the difference in the world. Andy You know, moving sucks. I had to leave everyone I knew, everyone I grew up with, everyone I cared about. Now I have to start over. No friends. Making friends is difficult enough if you're normal, but it's almost impossible when you're gay. Not when you're 14 and in High School. Most High School kids are SO homophobic. They're afraid that if you're gay you'll infect them somehow. Back where we used to live I had just told my best friends that I was gay. I'd actually built up enough trust to tell them, and they were cool about it. Well most of them were. Now, I've got to start over, so, for safety's sake, I'll put myself back in the closet. Maybe, Eventually, I'll get close enough to my new friends to feel safe coming out... again. School starts in 4 days. I'll be hopeful that it won't be that bad. But I'm not holding my breath.

"The week my mother died a white lion had escaped from the zoo and prowled the streets of the suburbs for four days, gripping the city in an electric hold of fear and excitement. " That's not a spoiler. That is actually the first sentence of the story, "Stronger Than Lions". Talk about intriguing readers right off the bat. I'm already locked in! Let's see what this story has to offer, right? I can honestly say that this is a story that I'm proud to recommend to anyone looking to involve themselves in something new. It's sweet, it's totally believable, and it's different from what I'm used to seeing on Nifty. It stands out as something truly special, and considering that this the author's first time submitting something online...I'd say this is the beginning of even better things to come. "Stronger Then Lions" is a story about Caleb Macleod, a teenage boy in his last year of high school in South Africa, who's mother has recently passed away from cancer. While just trying to struggle through being slightly different at school, bullied by bigger and stronger menaces like Frank Arliss and his swim team showoff Jason, Caleb seems to keep a bit of his heart at all times. Even when it can be so very hard to do so. However, it's when a new teen troublemaker from out of town comes to his high school that things begin to make a turn for the better. Blond haired, green eyed, Chris Hathaway steps into the picture. Well built, gorgeous, sweet beyond words...he is written as the definitive dream boy. And with just enough of an adorable geeky side to relate to Caleb in a way that most others cannot. (Thumbs up for the 'Watchmen' reference too! I LOVE that book!) What goes on from there is a truly engaging and heartwarming story between the two boys. A really cute relationship begins to build, and the whole story sucks you right in. I'm still reading more chapters, but I'm excited to see what happens next. I think the Chris character is seriously loveable! He's comforting, and witty, and there's just something really magnetic about the way he's written. When Caleb says that he feels 'safe' with Chris...I also feel safe with Chris. Even when danger lurks around the corner. The darker parts of the story are emotional, but not depressing. The dialogue is realistic and flows well. Caleb's friends Rob and Bella are great, the parents are well written. For a first time writer, I'm truly impressed. If I HAD to nitpick about anything in what I've read so far, I would say that the author might think about narrowing his cast of characters a bit more. I say that because I felt like a bunch of names and characters were kind of being tossed my way at once in the first two chapters. As a reader, if I see a character with an actual 'name' and description, I tend to file it away in the back of my memory just in case I need to remember that person for later. And it's realistic for people to know a ton of people in high school, but I felt a little overwhelmed a few times. 'Do I need to remember this guy, or that guy, or this teacher, or this person's girlfriend'? So I have to read further, but I would personally narrow the story down to five or six really strong characters and go from there. Other than that, "Stronger Than Lions" is a really enjoyable read! The writing is descriptive, well thought out, and laced with a really cool sense of wit that made me smile the whole way through. You guys can find it on Nifty at http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/stronger-than-lions/ and see for yourself! Send the author some feedback, and let him know what you think! K? Best of luck to you, Sean! And keep writing!