Tal’s
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(group member since Oct 15, 2016)
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Chap # 'Author Anxiety-ville' (LOL)
It's live "midnightish" in your time zone. If you pre-ordered, it will be delivered to your kindle. It should go live on nsp at midnight mountain time, us. (where the publishing house is located)
Careful, you're going to make me bust out my Beyonce gifs. ;)(Thank you, Trio!)
Hahaha, thank you Trio! I'm VERY happy with this novel, actually. I think it's better than Enemies, personally. (GASP! Like a parent picking a favorite child!!)Still. It's always nerve-wracking, releasing something into the wild. I have the weirdest fears, too. Like, is the file corrupted? Did I miss some HUGE typo or error? (And, Trio, you got a *very* advanced copy. It went through more edit rounds after you got yours.)
I'm still a baby author. :) Still get nervous jitters, lol. One day I'll be cool and nonplussed. ;)
I'm too nervous to sleep, lol. :)
Absolutely perfect!! :) I ask because this exact thing comes up in the holiday story I just wrote! :) You're ahead of the game!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! I LOVE it!! That is perfect!Can you make a rainbow version of that, please?? LOL!! :)
Best GIF ever, Liz. LOL
This thread is now open!! The book is live and out internationally (yay Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and - soon - India!!)This thread is for general discussion.
Happy reading!!
This thread is now open! Feel free to post your GIF reactions as you read.****Chapter # & GIF ONLY****
I'll start. Here's me, waiting for everyone to read!
Chapter #0
You guys can always reach out to me on FB, GR, Twitter, etc. :) Janis, don't feel bad at all! I love chatting with you through the story! Yesterday, I spent a few hours talking through Enemy with another ARC reader. I loved it. Even though she was sobbing. (JK!!!)We are totally doing a group read. I have a few threads going up for the read. My favorite is going to be the Gif Reaction Thread. :)
I'm so excited!!!!
I was asked to copy over some of my comments regarding Jack's sexuality - demi - to this thread for ease of future reading and research! Here you go! It's an interesting character and orientation to write. So much of the male gaze - gay or straight or bi - is attuned to physicality. (Women too, but we're talking about male characters at the moment.) Ethan - proudly gay - notices Jack's appearance right away. It's always a part of his attraction. His is the most familiar to most readers, I believe. It's what most readers see and feel when they read romances - there is usually always the physical cue to attraction when the two protags meet.
In this series, I really wanted to turn a lot of the "GFY" tropes on their head. (And, this is NOT a GFY story. It's a story about discovery and identity, acceptance and perseverance, and true love.) But, in many of the "GFY" stories, there's an immediate physical reaction of the "straight" character to the man they fall for. It typically goes along the line of "what the heck was that? I'm not that way!" and then the confusion begins.
It was important to me that Jack, being demisexual, falls emotionally first and then follows (sometimes follows very quickly!) into the physical. In his POV of their (totally dating) friendship, there isn't a hint of him being attracted to Ethan. No wandering eyes, or gazing at him appreciatively, or zings in his belly. No sweaty palms or gazing at his lips. No imagining Ethan as he rubs one out. He's totally in the heart there - falling for Ethan through their friendship first. When his eyes are opened by Ethan's desire, the possibility of *more* is planted in his brain, and then he starts down the path of "can I reciprocate?"
Later, he gets to "what does that mean that I can?"
In Enemy, Jack goes on to explore his identity more and more. :)
Liz wrote: "Oh my god I figured out my Ethan. Early 2000s Christopher Meloni. I was a little obsessed after binge watching Oz- that show, his fucked up character in particular, led me to Beecher/Keller fanfic ..."Somehow I missed this, Liz! What a great choice! He would be a great fit for the part. I wonder if he'd take it.... in my Hollywood blockbuster.... ;)
If you guys could only see my huge smile right now.... :)
I was asked to copy my comments over here regarding Ethan's looks/personality for people's ease of finding things later on. This is a mix of Ethan's appearance and Jack's sexuality. Here you go!
Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "I'm having trouble visualizing Ethan even after a reread. I was wondering if Tal had a reason for leaving so much to our imaginations?
What color are Ethan's eyes and hair? I know he's "buff and br..."
Hey Lou!
Good questions. And yes! Ethan's description is vague. And, you're also totally correct, again, re bears. I went more with the athletic bear subtype. Not, ultimately, perfectly accurate for him, but I wanted to use a term was more recognizable with (the majority of) the readership. I was attempting to convey that Ethan was *very* masculine. "Unbridled masculinity" is my favorite aspect of the bear subculture - acceptance of the male body, in all its forms and figures, including an embrace of things like body hair, big musculature, etc.
Ultimately, I wanted there to be absolutely no pretense in either Jack's mind or the readers' that Jack was falling for a VERY masculine man. He couldn't pretend Ethan was anything else other than a large, masculine, hairy, muscular dude. :)
I initially didn't describe Ethan because the story starts in his POV. So he can ogle Jack a bunch, but I've never liked writing the "standing in front of a mirror" scene. "Ethan toweled off in front of the mirror, admiring his hairy, bulky chest, his trail of chest hair, and his thick thighs. His chocolate brown eyes roamed over his reflection..." I know it's a popular method of POV character description. I just don't write that way.
So, the onus is on Jack to describe him... eventually. Jack's gaze is different, though. He's not the "typical male gaze", in any area, and certainly not toward Ethan. He wasn't - at first - physically attracted to Ethan. That grew. As Jack explores his feelings, you get more and more of Ethan's description through Jack's gaze. His dream. Their explorations. How he remembers Ethan, when he thinks Ethan is gone.
One reader *nailed* it in her question, which I just posted yesterday in the "Readers Press Corp" interview.
Excerpt:
Nicole: Alright, Mr. President. You never thought about Ethan in a romantic way. Not until Ethan revealed his feelings to you. You’ve never been in a relationship with a man before. What do you think when you look at him? You love who he is, but is he hot, sexy, or beautiful to you? Is the physical attraction the same as it was for your wife, or with other women?
Ethan: *looks down*
Jack: He is all of those things. Beautiful, gorgeous, and so, so sexy. When I look at Ethan, my heart beats faster. I feel like I can’t speak right sometimes, he just stuns me with everything about him. I get that zing inside me, and I want to reach out for him all the time.
Ethan: *smiles. Kisses Jack’s knuckles*
Jack: Was it like this when I first met him? No. No, I wasn’t physically attracted to him right away. I could see he was an attractive man. Could recognize that he was good looking. But it didn’t hit me personally. My… physical attraction to him developed alongside my emotions. The deeper I fell for him, the more attracted I became. His eyes went from being brown to burnished bronze. His face went from being like a statue—so serious!—to me noticing all of the beautiful touches and uniquenesses that were his. The way his lips quirk up, just before he smiles. A pre-smile, almost. How his eyes crinkle at the corners. I can read everything in that little crinkle. The way his eyelashes fall over his cheeks. The angle of his jaw, when he’s standing in the sunlight. How his five o’clock shadow grows in. The way his shoulders fill out his suit. *grins* His butt. He’s got a nice bubble. And his thighs. God, they’re so strong. His whole body. It’s powerful. I can never get enough.
*laughs at himself* So, as you can see, now that I’m deeply in love with Ethan, my physical attraction to him is over the moon. It’s just as, if not more, powerful than anything I have felt before. Because I discovered this. This amazing love I have for this amazing man. *leans over and kisses Ethan’s flushed cheek*
So, long, long answer, and it dove into some of my inner thoughts about writing them - and writing in general - too. Ultimately, I think physical descriptions, and how characters engage with those aspects of physicality, are another facet of characterization. Ethan, a proud gay man, notices Jack's beauty from the get go. Jack, falling in love with Ethan, discovers his attraction to Ethan in tandem with his love. As the story/stories continue, Jack's physicality with Ethan will grow.
For example, this short snippet from Enemy (starts in Jack's POV):
“Why don’t you walk them out?”
“No, I’ll take care of this.” Ethan started stacking plates, but Jack stilled him.
“Go. They’re your best friends. I’ll clean up.”
Leaning close, Ethan pressed a kiss beneath Jack’s ear. “Be right back.”
Jack shuttled plates and silverware and four wine glasses to the Residence’s kitchen and started loading the dishwasher. His thoughts wandered, circling back, always, to Ethan. His smile. The sound of his laughter. Jack’s heart seemed to swell as he smiled. He was going to make love to Ethan tonight, slow and sweet. He wanted to feel Ethan in his arms. Taste his kisses. Press their bodies close together.
And, at the end of the day, I do like to keep descriptions a bit more vague. I like when readers can project their ideal images into the story. :)
For anyone who is interested, I had character art commissioned. These are the headshots I had drawn for each of the characters. My imaginings of the two guys.
http://talbauerwrites.com/bauers-worl...
(What you guys have found is much hotter!!) :)
*right click. save*
Artwork for the Executive Office is online! http://talbauerwrites.com/bauers-worl...
Character headshots (including a few new ones!), our favorite couple, Jack & Ethan, and selected scenes from Enemy of My Enemy!
More scenes to come soon!
..... I believe that exact scene happened, lol! :)
Liz wrote: "Tim Daly, yes! I can so see that! Also, loving your explanation of Jack being demisexual. That makes so much sense in the way the slow burn between these two progresses. I loved the bromance type c..."I don't believe there is. And, I wonder about Underwood. I think he's more a predator than anything else. I think sexual behavior for him isn't about orientation or attraction, but about power. Dominance. He says that in one of his sidebars, I believe, early on. He doesn't want anything to do with his wife, and what he does with Meechum is totally just to establish dominance and power over the man. With the reporter, that was all about power and control as well.
I don't see how his college buddy fits in. Though, that was the one rejection he had, and immediately afterward, he cut the man out entirely. Was that a thwarted attempt at power and dominance?
Ultimately, I don't know what Underwood's orientation would be. Seeing as he doesn't seem to be *attracted* to either men or women, physically or emotionally, then I would venture to argue that he's some kind of asexual, and uses sexual behavior as a means of power. But I don't know.
I'm glad you liked the talk about Jack's demisexuality. I wrote him that way, and that's truly how he is. (though, he may turn to a different label in the future.)
I like the beard, Barb! :) Chris Pine could totally be a young Jack.
Thanks Lou and Liz! I'm glad it worked for you guys. It's an interesting character and orientation to write. So much of the male gaze - gay or straight or bi - is attuned to physicality. (Women too, but we're talking about male characters at the moment.) Ethan - proudly gay - notices Jack's appearance right away. It's always a part of his attraction. His is the most familiar to most readers, I believe. It's what most readers see and feel when they read romances - there is usually always the physical cue to attraction when the two protags meet.
In this series, I really wanted to turn a lot of the "GFY" tropes on their head. (And, this is NOT a GFY story. It's a story about discovery and identity, acceptance and perseverance, and true love.) But, in many of the "GFY" stories, there's an immediate physical reaction of the "straight" character to the man they fall for. It typically goes along the line of "what the heck was that? I'm not that way!" and then the confusion begins.
It was important to me that Jack, being demisexual, falls emotionally first and then follows (sometimes follows very quickly!) into the physical. In his POV of their (totally dating) friendship, there isn't a hint of him being attracted to Ethan. No wandering eyes, or gazing at him appreciatively, or zings in his belly. No sweaty palms or gazing at his lips. No imagining Ethan as he rubs one out. He's totally in the heart there - falling for Ethan through their friendship first. When his eyes are opened by Ethan's desire, the possibility of *more* is planted in his brain, and then he starts down the path of "can I reciprocate?"
Later, he gets to "what does that mean that I can?"
In Enemy, Jack goes on to explore his identity more and more. :)
