A to Z II - Z is for Zoism

Holy cannoli, kids!

It's the 31st! It's the last day in May. The last day, which means it's the last letter in my own personal A to Z challenge. The letter z. Z stands for zoism.

I know you're probably wondering what the heck zoism is.

Zoism is a reverence for animal life, or even a belief in magical animal powers. It's also a doctrine that life is due to a certain vital force, but I want to focus on the reverence for animal life.

How does a reverence for animal life correlate with Trajectory?

Simple: Gertrude.

Despite what Joe does, he actually respects all life. Animals, though, especially Gertrude, he reveres

.

Gertrude is Joe's companion. He loves her. She doesn't judge him, she doesn't nag him. She is quiet, always happy. There is something calm, gentle, and serene about her. She is sacred. Joe knows that, and respects it greatly.

Joe admires Gertrude for her simplistic and peaceful approach to life. He finds her wisdom inspiring. He has a tremendous reverence for animals and animal life.

So yes, zoism and Trajectory do go hand-in-hand.

There you have it. That's it. Both of our A to Z challenges are over! Thank you so much for coming along these adventures with me.

I hope you enjoyed learning about both of these books, and that you're excited about them. I'm very excited about both of them as I continue to work on them. I will certainly keep you posted on their progress.

Once again, thanks for joining me. I hope you had fun. As always, happy reading!

A to Z II - Y is for You/Yours

Holy crow, kids! It's May 30th! Do you know what that means? It means we're up to the letter y in my personal A to Z challenge! Y is for you or yours.

Huh?

Trajectory is for you. It's yours. I wrote it for you. Trajectory is yours.

This is your story.

This is my gift to you.

A story of love.

A story of fear.

A story of adrenaline and action.

A story of identity.

A story of friendship.

A story of solitude.

A story of camaraderie.

A story of betrayal.

A story of selfishness.

A story of selflessness and giving.

A story of personal growth.

A story of death.

A story of life - Joe's life.

Trajectory is for you.

Trajectory is yours.

A to Z II - X is for Xenial

Today is day 24 of my personal A to Z challenge, which means that X is our letter today. X is for xenial.

To be xenial is to be hospitable. Now that may seem contradictory considering Joe's reclusiveness, but in actuality, he's very xenial with Michael.


He comes out to him when Michael is still a complete stranger to him. Joe makes himself completely vulnerable to someone he doesn't know or trust. But he comes out as a way to extend his hand out to Michael when Michael says that he is gay. He's clearly nervous, and he just explained to Joe how he moved to Detroit from Phoenix to be with a man who was married to a woman. So he's scared and lonely. Joe admits he's bi so that Michael doesn't feel judged. He uses it as a way to reach out to Michael, to make him feel more comfortable and accepted.

Further still, Joe opens his home and his life to Michael. He spends quite a bit of time with him, which Joe doesn't normally do. Whether they go out, or just relax in Joe's apartment, the two men spend quite a bit of time together. For Joe to allow someone other than Claudette into his home, or to spend his free time with someone other than Pete or Claudette is as xenial as he can get. It may not rival southern hospitality, but it is quite hospitable nonetheless.

Keeping things relative, you can see that Joe is actually very hospitable with Michael. He opens himself and his home as much as he can. Joe, by nature, is a loner, but he is a xenial loner.

A to Z II - W is for Wake

Holy crow, kids. We are nearing the end of the month and the end of the alphabet! Today's letter is w. W is for wake.

Wake? You ask.

Yes, wake. If you've ever spent any time boating, you might have heard of the term, wake. A wake is the waves a motorboat leaves behind as it is speeding along. See picture below.

What does that have to do with Trajectory?

Well, in life, we all leave a wake. Some good, some bad. We all leave a ripple effect, if you will, right? We touch people, and create some kind of an impact on the world around us. Same principle. I'm just going on a bigger scale.

Joe, for all that he does and all that he is, leaves not just a ripple effect, but a wake behind him.

The streets of Detroit are safer, but people are still affected by those he has shot.

Michael was an incredibly unhealthy and unstable person, but he didn't necessarily deserve his fate.

There is a huge effect touched by many because of Joe. It's not all bad. It's just very broad.

That wake seems to come full circle at the end of the story, which is how and why he ends up back at Claudette's apartment, begging for her acceptance.

The world around us - indeed, life itself - is like water. Moving, ever changing, free, malleable. We have the potential and the power to move it and cause a ripple effect, or even a full blown wake effect based on our words and actions with those around us. It is up to us to decide if we are going to make it good or bad. Joe's story in Trajectory  can be an example to us all.

A to Z II - U is for Unique

Wow! It's Wednesday already! It's another day deeper in my personal A to Z challenge. Today's challenge is the letter u. U is for unique.

Unique is applicable to Trajectory in a few ways.

It is unique in that it is my first story with a male lead.

It is unique in that it is my first story with a bisexual lead.

It is unique in that it is not your typical love triangle story.

It is unique in that it is not just a love story.

It is unique in that it is not just a police story.

It is unique in that the characters are all very human: flawed and yet perfect. Deep, dark, emotional, each driven by their own hopes and fears.

There are many layers to Trajectory, and I have done that purposefully. I wanted to create a story of intrigue. Not just an LGBT story. Not just a SWAT sniper story. Not just... I wanted to create a story that was going to entertain, but also one that was going to make you think. Think about life. Think about the difficulties and perspectives that someone in Joe's position might have. Think about how much damage one unhealthy person like Michael can cause. Think about the importance of our relationships, like the relationships between Joe and Pete, and of course, Joe and Claudette.

Trajectory truly is unique.