Tal’s Comments (group member since Oct 15, 2016)

Tal’s comments from the Frenemies group.

Barb ~rede-2-read~ wrote: "The commissioned drawings are awesome! As soon as Enemy releases, we'll add some more NSFW threads for characters in that story. You'll know why once you read it! Hehehe {slinks away, rubbing palms..."

Hehehe... definite evil grin. :)

Ariana wrote: "Barb ~rede-2-read~ wrote: "The layout:

"

Thank you, that's really interesting. I like maps and that makes it easier to visualize it all!"

Yes! I'm so glad Barb put the map in there. For reference, the secret staircase Ethan slipped up is in the East Sitting Hall (right side of map). The Treaty Room is the Study (where they watch sports and hang out... and some other things later ;) - it goes by different names sometimes. The Treaty Room is the original name for the room, and it's a very cool place. :)

The game room (pool table) and the gym are on the third floor, one floor up!

My inspiration for him (and who I want to play him when Netflix or HBO picks this up!!) is Tim Daly (not the diver, the actor). Blond, though. He's dirty blond with some gray. :) (at least in my head)

This was a headshot I had commissioned for him:

http://talbauerwrites.com/bauers-worl...

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!!) :)

Holy Crap, Liz! :D

He is perfect.

Thank you so much Lou and Ariana! And Janis!! Welcome!! :) Glad you're here! (And thank you!! Top 5 authors?! Wow!!)

I want to know your guys' sigh quota when you get to Enemy on Monday. Do we want to start a buddy/group read for that? Or did Barb already start the thread for it? Sorry I'm being scattered brained right now.

@Janis - Instead of "the blue dress", we have "the suit jacket"! I think I'm going to add this to my Prompts list and make a short out of it. What DID Jack do with the suit jacket?? :D

Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "@2608/50%

Tal Bauer, you are killing me! I am loving this beautifully written, emotional scene between Jack & Ethan on AF1.

Note to self: Just breathe!"

I love that scene. :) They're both on the very edge, and both desperately need to turn to each other. I love Jack's bravery there. It takes him a while, but he gathers himself and faces what he truly desires. He is a man of commitment - to causes, to ideals, and to people. No wavering for him!

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying!

Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "ROTFLOL.....

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said, in his best cowboy twang. “This is my boyfriend, and he doesn’t like to share.”

Good one, Jack."

That was one of those lines that I had in my head from the very beginning. A lot changes, from conception to plot outline to drafts to final. But that line right there one of the roots of the idea, and was part of this story from day one. :)

Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧ wrote: "I'm reading very slowly and savoring every moment, so I'm only @ 41%. It's early evening here, and I plan to continue reading. How can I be enjoying myself even more the second time around? Thanks ..."

Ariana read *fast*! That was amazing.

Glad you're still enjoying it the second time around. :) And thank you!

Hey there! You're not late. :) and! Happy early birthday! Glad to have you here!

Sleep well!! :) See ya tomorrow!

@Lou - great subtitle. :)

@Ariana - thanks!! It was very important for me to have them go slow, explore deliberately, and *want* to take things further. Not fall into the future. These are two men at the height of their professions. They know how to think, act, and weigh choices and decisions, both professionally and personally. It had to be something "deliberate" for both of them. :) With intention. With feeling.

Liz wrote: "I won't have time to do a reread before release day, but I'm following this thread to jog my memory. Going to head over to Tal's site to read the bonus.. the pool scene was the most memorable part ..."

Hey, thanks, Liz! I appreciate that! :) I've never done this before, so I'm not quite sure about the "etiquette" of being an author in your own group. I obsess about this series a lot, too, and I love to sit and chat about it. :)

And yes! All the thanks in the world to Barb for creating this group. She's amazing.

Hope you enjoy the story(ies?) on the site!

Ariana wrote: "Tal wrote: "When you get to chapter 8, might I suggest you jump over here and read Jack's POV for their "secret meetups" (totally dates)?

http://talbauerwrites.com/2016/09/23/......"

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I wanted to write Jack already thinking the world of Ethan. They became best friends. It was also important for me to have Jack react emotionally to Ethan, but not physically. I actually wrote him as more demisexual, and his attraction to Ethan develops solidly after the kiss. When the possibility opens before him, and he connects his emotional attraction to physical attraction. So, you're exactly correct! He just needed to link the dots together. :)

(And a kiss-start)

Liz wrote: "Tal wrote: "The suit makes the man, right? ;)

I keep going back to Liz's photo.... I have to admit..."

I do too :D Sexy, sexy man. I also like that he's dressed for the occasion."

For sure he is. :D

When you get to chapter 8, might I suggest you jump over here and read Jack's POV for their "secret meetups" (totally dates)?

http://talbauerwrites.com/2016/09/23/...

I don't think anyone's read them simultaneously (yet), but I wrote them to go back and forth. :) I hope it works!

The suit makes the man, right? ;)

I keep going back to Liz's photo.... I have to admit...

I'm absolutely fascinated by the show. We should do a discussion thread somewhere about it. I have so many ideas and theories. So much symbolism, and hidden depths. Ahhh.... :D

Oh mah lawdy.... I feel like I need to write a bathing scene now... DANG....

I totally agree, Ariana. And, I actually found him on Westworld, and while watching, I was thinking... hmm... maybe... I mean, I wouldn't say NO... :)

I agree that I like em a bit more rugged. Unbridled masculinity and all. He seems to pull the rugged look off a bit more in Westworld - at times - and I like what you just posted.