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.

A to Z II - P is for Pete

Welcome to another installment of my personal A to Z challenge. Today's letter is the letter p. The letter p is for Pete, of course.

Peter is a vital character to the story of Trajectory.

Without Pete, Joe would be an absolute wreck. Pete is Joe's rock. He is his confidant, his touchstone, his sanity. Pete gives Joe clarity, serenity, logic, insight...he's everything Joe needs to help him gain perspective. He doesn't judge Joe. When Joe feels completely alone in this world, he always knows he can count on Pete.

The two met in the Marines, and they quickly forged a good friendship.

After the Marines, they returned home to Detroit. They joined the Detroit Police Department together, and they both made the SWAT team. Through it all, their friendship remained strong as ever.

In the end, one fateful call changes everything between Joe and Pete. Nothing could ever take away that friendship, nor the importance of it to Joe.

Pete is a wonderful guy. Without him, Joe would never be - and could never be - the man that he is.

Pete is truly Joe's rock.

A to Z II - K is for Karma

It's another day, which means it's time for another letter in my personal A to Z challenge. Today, we shall explore the letter k, which I will attribute to the word karma.

Karma is an interesting choice of words considering what Joe does for a job. It makes you wonder what kind of karma he has or deserves.

Does he deserves what he gets from Michael? Is that his karma, his payback from having shot and killed people in the past? Or is it completely unrelated/irrelevant?

What about Michael? Does he get his karma?

Even moreso, what about Pete? Does he really deserve what comes to him? Is that his karma from something? Is it justified?

Karma is something that we talk about quite a bit in our society today. We talk about people getting what they deserve. People getting what's coming to them. In a story like Trajectory, we see people who have a lot of karma coming to them. As we read the story and see what happens, we have to wonder, is this what they deserve? Is this truly their karma?

Tell me after you read it if you think it is

A to Z II - H is for Hope

Welcome back for another installment of my personal A to Z challenge. In contrast to yesterday's letter g for gravity, today's letter is h, which stands for hope.

For as much gravity and darkness as there is in Trajectory, there is also a lot of hope.

Though his job is scary and stressful, there are times when it ends peacefully.

Though Joe's relationship with Claudette is strained, it isn't over.

Though his relationship with Michael reaches an unfathomable apex, Joe gains an incredible good support from his SWAT team teammates from it.

Though Pete's story is tragic, there is that hope in that his legacy will be carried on by his son.

Yes, there is a lot of gravity in this story. There is a lot of hope, as well.

A to Z II - C is for Claudette

Today is the third day of my personal A to Z challenge, which means we're up to the letter C. C is for Claudette. You can't have Trajectory without talking about Claudette.

Claudette is the great love of Joe. They are perfect together. To better understand their relationship, it's important to look at her as an individual.

Claudette is French-Canadian. Born in Quebec, Claudette's life was deeply enriched by the French Canadian culture, languages, art, and her family. Her parents were artistic, and they made sure that she grew up with the arts. She was surrounded by people and places that influenced her heavily. She was fortunate to experience all art forms, and to live a life most people only dreamed of. She was told she could do or be whatever she chose. She took that to heart. She found her passion for painting when she was sixteen. Within a year, she had won awards and some notoriety. She studied art tremendously in Canada, but she wanted more. So at the age of twenty, she moved to Detroit, where she studied art at Cranbrook.

She was a true artist: free-flowing, free-thinking, and very independent. While in school, she painted to make money. Whether it was painting your living room or your family portrait, she was happy to paint. She lived alone and did as she pleased. That kind of free-form painting and living continued on well past college. She took on all kinds of painting jobs, and she just lived freely and independently.

She and Joe met by chance in a cafe. He went in to enjoy a cup of his favorite coffee when he saw her painting the scene around them. He told her he liked her work. Once he looked into her eyes, he was completely infatuated.

The couple had a rather unusual relationship. He a cop and she an artist, they both enjoyed their freedom. Through their three year romance, they each maintained their own apartments. Their relationship was built on autonomy and respect. Neither judged the other for what they did, and they were allowed to fully be themselves. That also applies to Joe's bisexuality, which is incredibly important to him. Her knowledge of that, her lack of judgment and open-mindedness about it is absolutely tremendous.

In Joe, Claudette found stability and reason to balance out her artistic whims. She found someone who allowed her to live her own life, but still include her in his. For her, their relationship was the perfect balance - the perfect yin and yang.

As time progressed, Claudette yearned to have a family of her own. Coming from a small, close-knit family, Claudette wanted to share that experience with Joe. Despite his work, she knew he would have been the perfect husband and father. The only problem was that he did not want children.

The couple discussed the topic at length. Claudette brightened Joe's life in a way that no one else could. Neither wanted the relationship to end, but family became too important of a topic for her to continue to wait.

Unable to sever ties completely, Claudette continued to take care of Gertrude, Joe's cat, when necessary. His door was always open to her, hers always open to him.

Though she loved him dearly, Claudette was far stronger in her independence than Joe. The dissolution of their relationship shattered him far more greatly than it did her. One fateful and tragic event, though, brings them back together...potentially forever.

Claudette is stunning, both inside and out. She is a woman of great depth and interesting character. She is intriguing, creative, soft, and independent. Claudette is truly a remarkable woman.

A to Z II - B is for Bi

Today, we are focusing on the letter b and the story Trajectory. B is for bi.

Though not discussed in the original short story, Joe is bisexual. By working this into a full-length novel, I am able to address his sexuality, his fears; I also address the complexity of his relationship with Claudette, and how that affects his relationship with a man named Michael.

Joe, just like any other person, is very complex. His sexuality is only one facet of his identity, but it's a facet that he focuses on. I don't want to give anything away, but it is a central topic in this new version. I've always known him to be bi, I just haven't addressed it until now. Becoming a full-length novel, I have the opportunity for him to discuss and explore his identity in a way I couldn't previously do.

You know I have to write LGBT fiction. It's what I do. Joe is my first male lead character, and also my first bi lead character. I think it's really important to discuss bisexual topics, and to address concerns that affect the bi community.

This is Joe's coming out moment. Yes, he's bi. Yes, it is central to his story. Yes, I address it as best I can. The new Trajectory will be another work of mine to help support the LGBT community, and to raise awareness for LGBT issues.

Loving Her Valentines: Maria and Stephania

Happy February, gang!

For this month, what I am doing is going to be discussing romances from the Loving Her series on my usual Thursday posts, and then treating you to a romantic excerpt from the story.

Who doesn't love love?

This week's couple is Maria and Stephania!

This is a rather unusual pair. If not for Stephania's persistence, they never would have gotten together.

They met at Linda's Super Bowl party, as Steph was friends with Linda, and Maria knew Liz and Jen, who invited her along with them.

Stephania was immediately taken with Maria. She was a writer. She was older. She was calm, serene, and wise. She was everything Stephania wasn't, and everything she needed. During the party Stephania hounded Maria. In order to gain some peace, Maria finally acquiesced, and they set up their first date.

Maria felt that she would just be playing along. She went out on the date because she had given Steph her word, but she didn't see anything coming of it. After a brief monologue by Stephania at the beginning of the first date, Maria's mind had changed. There was more to this young woman than she had given her credit for. Thus, the relationship blossomed.

There was one problem, though. Maria's first wife: Addy. Addy had passed away some years before, but Maria hadn't really moved on. She was still very much in love with her. As her relationship with Stephania developed, Maria found herself very confused. She loved Addy, but she was also falling in love with Stephania. Maria struggled greatly in finding a balance between her past and her present. Interestingly enough, Steph embraces Maria's past, and that all becomes a part of their present life.

Not everyone was happy for Maria's new found love. Her sister, Marisol, brought her the bad news that her family did not approve of their relationship. Maria was told that until she and Steph broke up and Maria was no longer gay, she needed to stay away from the family. That was until Maria's mother passed away.

While out in California spending time with her family during her mother's services, it comes to light that the only family member who had a problem with Stephania was Marisol. A heated confrontation arose, and Maria was welcomed back into the family, along with Steph.

Despite their age difference and personality differences, Maria and Stephania really make a wonderful pair. They loved and supported each other both through good times and bad. They remind us that love knows no boundaries with age, personality, background, etc. Love truly is blind, an that is a wonderful thing.