October O'Neil's Blog
May 26, 2025
In the Works
Hi there. I have a few things in the works:
1. There is a sequel to The Long Way Home simmering that I'm very excited about. It's another unique take on a single dad getting a second chance at love in the small town of Pine Gap, GA. I can't wait to share it with everyone. I learned SO MUCH from writing TLWH, reading the reviews, and interacting with all of you. I think Home, Again will retain all the things that made TLWH special--good banter, cozy found family vibes, opportunities to heal--and some improvements that will (hopefully) really help these guys' story really shine.
But first...
2. I'm in the final stages of putting together the very first book I ever started. I actually wrote TLWH when I needed to step away from it for a minute because it got so intense. It's also set in Pine Gap, but 2003. It's a heavy story that really explores trauma in a profound way, but also the healing power of love. There's the support of found family that is so important and a few side characters that I've completely fallen in love with and hope you do too. But, it's no walk in the park. It's torn up my heart something fierce as I've written it. Here's a sneak peek of the blurb....
Rowan
I can tell myself and everyone else I don’t know why I returned to this podunk town for college, but that’s a lie. The reason is standing across the field from me, staring at me with the same eyes that have haunted my dreams for the last six years. But now that I’m here, I don’t know what’s next. The only thing I know for certain–the only thing I’ve ever really known–is that we belong together. I’ve known that since we were five years old.
Nothing’s really changed in the six years since we’ve seen each other: I still want to have adventures with him, share all our secrets and be the one to pick him up when he falls down. Only now, I want him in other ways too, but he’s told me in no uncertain terms he is not interested in any of my “gay shit.” There’s also the problem of him seeming to hate my very existence for reasons unknown.
So, I guess I’ll love him from the sidelines, but this becomes increasingly hard to do when I can tell that he’s hurting more and more every day. Something haunts him, threatens to pull him under, and I’m scared it will succeed. How can I be a friend he doesn’t want and help protect him against an invisible monster, all while protecting my own heart from destruction?
Fletcher
Six years ago, Rowan Shipley was the only good thing in my world. He was light and laughter and a safe place to fall. But a lot can change in six years. When you live with a monster, it’s a very long time. Monsters sink their claws into your brain and make things that were once certain unclear. They tell you that you can’t trust your friends. They help you push them away and stoke the anger and resentment you have when they leave.
So, even though there’s a tiny little voice in the back of my mind that tells me Row can be trusted, the monster’s claws thrash around and try to rip it out, even as he’s standing right in front of me. It feels easier to just let the monster win. To not fight it. I’ve figured out a way to keep myself alive. It might not be living, but at least I’m alive. All I have to do is get through these four years of college, then I can figure it out. I can get out of this town, out of the monster’s grip, and start fresh. I don’t need Rowan Shipley showing up after all this time with his bright smiles and kind eyes and sinfully beautiful body trying to get me to deviate from my plan. I don’t need him trying to get me to live. If I try and live, I just might die.
Gold in the Shadows is a contemporary MM romance that takes place primarily on a college football team in the early 2000s and is as much a love letter to that period of time as it is a love story between the two MCs. It is not a football story, so I may have taken a few liberties there to make the backdrop work for the story. Apologies to the die-hard fans. It features friends-to-tense strangers-to lovers, found family, self-acceptance, slow-burn, moderate angst, lots of steam, and a guaranteed HEA.
See you on the other side!!!
1. There is a sequel to The Long Way Home simmering that I'm very excited about. It's another unique take on a single dad getting a second chance at love in the small town of Pine Gap, GA. I can't wait to share it with everyone. I learned SO MUCH from writing TLWH, reading the reviews, and interacting with all of you. I think Home, Again will retain all the things that made TLWH special--good banter, cozy found family vibes, opportunities to heal--and some improvements that will (hopefully) really help these guys' story really shine.
But first...
2. I'm in the final stages of putting together the very first book I ever started. I actually wrote TLWH when I needed to step away from it for a minute because it got so intense. It's also set in Pine Gap, but 2003. It's a heavy story that really explores trauma in a profound way, but also the healing power of love. There's the support of found family that is so important and a few side characters that I've completely fallen in love with and hope you do too. But, it's no walk in the park. It's torn up my heart something fierce as I've written it. Here's a sneak peek of the blurb....
Rowan
I can tell myself and everyone else I don’t know why I returned to this podunk town for college, but that’s a lie. The reason is standing across the field from me, staring at me with the same eyes that have haunted my dreams for the last six years. But now that I’m here, I don’t know what’s next. The only thing I know for certain–the only thing I’ve ever really known–is that we belong together. I’ve known that since we were five years old.
Nothing’s really changed in the six years since we’ve seen each other: I still want to have adventures with him, share all our secrets and be the one to pick him up when he falls down. Only now, I want him in other ways too, but he’s told me in no uncertain terms he is not interested in any of my “gay shit.” There’s also the problem of him seeming to hate my very existence for reasons unknown.
So, I guess I’ll love him from the sidelines, but this becomes increasingly hard to do when I can tell that he’s hurting more and more every day. Something haunts him, threatens to pull him under, and I’m scared it will succeed. How can I be a friend he doesn’t want and help protect him against an invisible monster, all while protecting my own heart from destruction?
Fletcher
Six years ago, Rowan Shipley was the only good thing in my world. He was light and laughter and a safe place to fall. But a lot can change in six years. When you live with a monster, it’s a very long time. Monsters sink their claws into your brain and make things that were once certain unclear. They tell you that you can’t trust your friends. They help you push them away and stoke the anger and resentment you have when they leave.
So, even though there’s a tiny little voice in the back of my mind that tells me Row can be trusted, the monster’s claws thrash around and try to rip it out, even as he’s standing right in front of me. It feels easier to just let the monster win. To not fight it. I’ve figured out a way to keep myself alive. It might not be living, but at least I’m alive. All I have to do is get through these four years of college, then I can figure it out. I can get out of this town, out of the monster’s grip, and start fresh. I don’t need Rowan Shipley showing up after all this time with his bright smiles and kind eyes and sinfully beautiful body trying to get me to deviate from my plan. I don’t need him trying to get me to live. If I try and live, I just might die.
Gold in the Shadows is a contemporary MM romance that takes place primarily on a college football team in the early 2000s and is as much a love letter to that period of time as it is a love story between the two MCs. It is not a football story, so I may have taken a few liberties there to make the backdrop work for the story. Apologies to the die-hard fans. It features friends-to-tense strangers-to lovers, found family, self-acceptance, slow-burn, moderate angst, lots of steam, and a guaranteed HEA.
See you on the other side!!!
February 26, 2025
What Makes It Real?
The Long Way Home has been out for a little over a week now, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the INSANE idea that I wrote a book. Even though only maybe three or four people have read it, so it doesn't feel entirely like it's an actual thing yet, it’s still on Goodreads, it’s still on Amazon, and I can still pull it up on my Kindle, so I’m telling myself it is indeed real.
Also, I've had a couple of people reach out to me directly and tell me that they really enjoyed reading about the MCs. I cannot express how unbelievably touched I am that people will take time out of their day to figure out a way to find me, number one, and two, tell me that these characters meant something to them.
I fell in love with Marcus and Cory as I was writing, and all I wanted in the world was for one other person to see how amazing they are. As I was writing, I kept hoping that the story they had to tell was coming through in the words I was putting down on the page. I know it won’t come through for everyone, and I know that it probably could’ve been done better in 1000 different ways, but the fact that there are a few people out there who could hear it even through all of that makes me so happy.
So, thank you to the one, two, or three of you who have read the book or thought about reading it, or, who have taken the time to tell me that it meant something to you. That’s really all I ever wanted. So, success, I suppose.
Also, I've had a couple of people reach out to me directly and tell me that they really enjoyed reading about the MCs. I cannot express how unbelievably touched I am that people will take time out of their day to figure out a way to find me, number one, and two, tell me that these characters meant something to them.
I fell in love with Marcus and Cory as I was writing, and all I wanted in the world was for one other person to see how amazing they are. As I was writing, I kept hoping that the story they had to tell was coming through in the words I was putting down on the page. I know it won’t come through for everyone, and I know that it probably could’ve been done better in 1000 different ways, but the fact that there are a few people out there who could hear it even through all of that makes me so happy.
So, thank you to the one, two, or three of you who have read the book or thought about reading it, or, who have taken the time to tell me that it meant something to you. That’s really all I ever wanted. So, success, I suppose.
February 18, 2025
The Beginning
About a year ago, I was in a huge reading slump. I know it's not technically possible, but I felt like I’d read every single book in the universe. Every time I would scan the “Recommended For You” section it seemed like it was the same story over and over and over again. Every time I started a new book, I stopped within the first couple of chapters, feeling uninspired. Part of the problem was that I didn't really know exactly what I was looking for. I think I was just waiting for someone to decide it for me. To look inside my mind and know exactly what I wanted to read and put it down on paper for me. And it just kept not happening. I don’t know why nobody was interested in working that hard for me. But there was, bored out of my mind, with nothing to read, so, I decided to write a story for myself.
I had absolutely no idea where to start or what to say. So I did the only thing I knew how to do and just started writing about the people and places and things I know best. These happen to be small towns and a little bit of heartache and a lot of loneliness and building up friends and family that make it all better at the end of the day. As I was doing that, these two characters emerged: Marcus and Cory. Once I had a good idea of who they were as people, their stories pretty much wrote themselves, and I just went with what they told me.
I wrote the story because I wanted to see where it went for myself. When I finished, I shared it with a couple people because I was proud of it, but I also thought that Marcus and Cory had a good story to tell and wanted other people to love them just as much as I do. As I shared it with more and more people, I convinced myself that it might be worth sharing it with everybody. So, here it is. I have no idea what you all might think. But I welcome your thoughts, whatever they happen to be.
I've learned a lot in this process, mostly about myself, but also about how much creativity and support and generosity there is out there in the world. I have nothing but endless respect for anyone who is brave enough to put their thoughts on paper and share them with the world. In particular, I am endlessly grateful for and inspired by the MM romance community. There’s so much love and enthusiasm, it’s almost impossible not to get excited about being involved in some form or fashion. So here is my little tiny contribution.
The Long Way Home
I had absolutely no idea where to start or what to say. So I did the only thing I knew how to do and just started writing about the people and places and things I know best. These happen to be small towns and a little bit of heartache and a lot of loneliness and building up friends and family that make it all better at the end of the day. As I was doing that, these two characters emerged: Marcus and Cory. Once I had a good idea of who they were as people, their stories pretty much wrote themselves, and I just went with what they told me.
I wrote the story because I wanted to see where it went for myself. When I finished, I shared it with a couple people because I was proud of it, but I also thought that Marcus and Cory had a good story to tell and wanted other people to love them just as much as I do. As I shared it with more and more people, I convinced myself that it might be worth sharing it with everybody. So, here it is. I have no idea what you all might think. But I welcome your thoughts, whatever they happen to be.
I've learned a lot in this process, mostly about myself, but also about how much creativity and support and generosity there is out there in the world. I have nothing but endless respect for anyone who is brave enough to put their thoughts on paper and share them with the world. In particular, I am endlessly grateful for and inspired by the MM romance community. There’s so much love and enthusiasm, it’s almost impossible not to get excited about being involved in some form or fashion. So here is my little tiny contribution.
The Long Way Home
