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 - S is for Sniper

It's Monday! Which means we are back at it with my personal A to Z challenge. We are kicking off this week and this day with the letter s. S is for sniper.

What else were you expecting?


Yes, we know Joe is a sniper.

He was a sniper in the Marines before he was a sniper with Detroit SWAT.

Joe's father was a sniper.

It's in his blood, in his DNA.

He has the eyesight and patience that very few people have.

Call it a gift.

Call it a curse.

It is simply Joe's destiny.

A to Z II - Q is for Queer

Good morning! Another day is upon us, which means it is time for another letter in my personal A to Z challenge. Going in chronological order, today's letter happens to be the letter q. Q is for queer.

I know I've spoken a few times about Joe being bi.

I've always branded myself as a writer of LGBT romance. As a member of the LGBT community, it's important for me to feel that we are represented in the literary world.

In the original Trajectory, there is nothing queer about Joe or the story line. I did myself and our community a disservice. I had always known Joe was bi. In the original NaNo manuscript, he was bi, but that got edited out when I hacked the story down from a novel to a short story. Again, I did us all a disservice.

When VHP and I decided to revisit Trajectory, the first thing I wanted to do was really explore Joe's identity and sexuality. Not to make the story erotica, per se, but to bring back his LGBT roots, so to speak. He is queer, and that is a theme that I wanted to make predominant in the story. I wasn't going to do away with Claudette; she is Joe's rock. Queer or not, Joe cannot live without her. However, I needed to do more than just state the fact that he was bi. I needed to do more than just have him discuss his fears of having the team find out. I needed him to live it. I needed him to live in his authenticity. I needed him to live in his queerness.

Michael was actually a character from another story. I had planned on bringing in a male character for Joe, just not necessarily him. However, my characters are headstrong little buggers. They don't listen very well - they love to do as they please. So, Michael decided to jump into Trajectory. His move was seamless. What I thought would be awkward and potentially stagnate the story was the polar opposite. He is a wonderful unexpected element. He is the giant monkey wrench, and I love how he mucks everything up. He brings out Joe's queer identity, and he forces Joe to face his fears head on. It is a beautiful thing.

If you were to look at Trajectory from a quick glance, you'd never expect it to be a queer story. Even as such, it might make you cringe at first (once you discover the true dynamic between Joe and Michael). However, once you really read the story, once you get into the meat of the book, Trajectory in all of its queer glory is absolutely wonderful. It's the queer story you never saw coming with the queer message you'd never expect.

Queer is not a bad word. Especially in this case.

A to Z II - N is for Niche

Yet another day is upon us, my friends! Which means that we are another day deeper into my personal A to Z challenge. Today's letter is n, which is for niche.

In this case, we are talking about a niche - a special talent for something. Joe's niche for being a sniper.

Joe was destined for his job. His father was a sniper. He was in the Army. Joe inherited his father's patience and keen eye.

In the Marines, Joe proved his skills as a marksman.

In the Detroit PD, he honed and perfected those skills.

It may seem odd or even horrible to call sniping a niche, but it is. It's Joe's  niche. It's his talent. He has patience that very few people have. How many people do you know can lay motionless for days on end, watching people, and not sleep? It's a skill. How many people can shoot with pin-point accuracy? Indeed, sniping is Joe's niche.

Everyone has a niche in this world. Joe's is being a sniper. Claudette's is painting. Mine is writing. What's yours?

A to Z II - M is for Michael

Good morning! We have reached yet another day in my personal A to Z challenge. We are up to day #13, which means we are half way through the alphabet! Crazy, huh?

 It also means that we are at the letter M. M is for Michael.

Now, if you've read the original Trajectory, you know that Michael is nowhere to be found. It's true. Trajectory started out as a NaNoWriMo challenge. In that original manuscript, there was a male love interest for Joe. As things changed, and Trajectory became a short story instead of a novel, I cut out his bisexuality and his boyfriend.

Since we're back to reviving Trajectory into the full-length story it was meant to be, I am bringing back Joe's true identity. As well, I am bringing in a male to gain Joe's attention.

Michael is an interesting fellow. He is awkward and lonely. He reaches out to Joe just to try to make a friend. He moved to Detroit for a guy, only to have his heart broken. When Joe confides his bisexuality, Michael feels as though he has met a kindred spirit.

As time goes on, Michael finds himself wanting more of Joe. Joe sends him mixed messages, which Michael tightly grasps. He becomes obsessed. When Joe finally informs him that he is not interested in Michael romantically, Michael doesn't take it well. Things take a very unexpected turn for the worse.

Michael is from the past, but he's also a completely new character - a man all his own. He's a very unique man. Unlike the original male love interest, he's dark and complex. He brings a very interesting element to the new Trajectory.