Celebrate
Pride Month with… Four Days with Jack
By Romance Author Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
To celebrate Pride Month, I’m sharing a look at the making of my gay romance,
Four
Days with Jack. In this contemporary novella, best friends David and
Jack embark on a sexual relationship. David has always loved Jack and has
fantasized about being his lover, but he lacked the courage to admit his
feelings—until now.
Four
Days with Jack is one of the few books I wrote without an outline. I
think not having a pre-planned structure let the characters write their own
story (so to speak), and took the book in new directions.
At first, I didn’t know what the story would be. All I had was a basic
plot (straight guy comes out to his gay best friend), a title, and one pivotal
scene that takes place in a bathroom. (For those of you who have read the book,
you know which scene I’m talking about—but I won’t give it away here.)
From there, I let my imagination wander and came up with the resort, the
rest of the plot, and the unusual cast of characters that Jack and David
encounter. As I wrote, David quickly revealed a major
conflict—inner turmoil. Over four days,
David and Jack learn a lot about themselves, each other, and what sacrifices
they’ll make to stay together.
David has kept his true desires
a secret from himself and everyone else. He’s afraid of what people will think
about him if they know (or even suspect) that he’s gay. How will they react?
Will they judge him? If so, how will his life change?
These aren’t the typical types
of questions that my straight characters have to face in their romances. And
this line of thinking really got me wondering about what it’s like for people
to come out in real life. Will they be shunned by friends and family? Should
they tell anyone? Live a lie? Move to a new state? What if they live in a state
that’s more conservative and not gay-friendly? What will their coworkers think?
Is their preference really anybody’s business?
I picked up on this theme of “What
will people think?” and ran with it. In the book, David points out that Jack’s
family disowned him when he came out, and David doesn’t want to go through the
same type of heartache. Jack’s reply is pretty much: “So? They’ll get over
it.”
As I was writing this story, I
considered “what people would think” about this book. How can a woman write a
gay romance? What will people think about the love scenes? Then I reminded
myself that I’m a writer, and I create the characters and scenes that make up
the book. Basically, the story needs to be told, and I’m the one telling it.
Writers need to turn off their
internal editors and forge ahead with the story as it should be (and needs to
be) told. If we constantly worried about what grandma would think about our
writing, or if we were afraid to open up and let the characters and story take
us into the bedroom, we’d never write anything except G-rated bedtime fables.
And if a friend/relative/whoever has a problem with the subject matter, Jack’s
right: they’ll get over it.
Or maybe not. One reader
commented that she didn’t like the antagonist (Frank). As a writer, I’m glad to
hear that! Frank is a blatant homophobic ass who says some pretty awful things
to David and Jack, and he treats his own wife like crap.
So why is he in the story?
For two reasons: 1. to show that not everyone accepts openly gay couples, and
2. to add a level of confrontation and intolerance that help band David and
Jack together during a crisis moment. Is Frank an over-the-top stereotype? No, I
don’t think so, because he’s a compilation of a few real people I’ve
encountered.
Even in this day and age, some people are
offended by gay romances and consider them “icky” or immoral. (Yes, I was
actually told by a book reviewer that gay romances are icky!) My philosophy is
pretty simple when it comes to that: it’s a free country, so read whatever you
want —but don’t expect me to censor what I write because you have a problem
with it.
Now more than ever, I’m just as proud of my gay romances as I
am of my straight romances. Why? Because
I’m a romance writer—and in my books, everyone deserves to be in love and live
happily-ever-after with whatever partner they choose.
And that’s the way it should be… in fiction and in real life.
Here’s the book summary and links:
Four Days
with Jack
When David invited his best friend on vacation, he
never expected them to fall in love…
Spending four days
in a tropical paradise with Jack is a dream come true. For years, David has lived a lie and denied his romantic feelings for Jack.
Now that they’re together in an isolated Caribbean resort, he finally
admits what he really wants—to be Jack’s lover.
Jack
has been in love with David for years and is encouraged by his desire to
explore a sexual relationship. He’s more than willing to introduce David to the life
he has always fantasized about. Their sizzling nighttime encounters confirm
David’s long-hidden cravings, but what will
happen when they leave the resort?
Will David come
out and start a new life with Jack? Or will he go back to his old ways and risk losing the best friend he ever
had?
Order Four Days
with Jack here:
All
other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bo6Rap
I hope you’ll
check it out. I fell in love with the characters, and I hope readers will too.
It’s got a good blend of humor, drama, and plenty of sizzling love scenes that
will heat up your summer!
Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins
is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19
romance novels, 5 non-fiction books, and 2 online writing courses. Her romances
span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers
with her horror stories.
Her
historical romance, Dangerous Indenture, was released in March
2019. This full-length novel is set in Pennsylvania Colony and blends a sensual
romance with mystery and suspense. Look for another historical romance, The
Viking’s Witch, coming in late June.
She published the second half of her flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes, in early 2019. These two volumes of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.
Kelli released her
latest Teachable mini-course, Fiction Basics: Finding Ideas in
February 2019. She authored Fiction Writing for
Beginners through Teachable in 2018. These courses are
perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to write. Visit: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/
for more
details.
If you like horror
fiction, don’t miss her latest novella, Nightmare in the North.
Not just an author, Kelli is also an amateur
photographer. Visit her pages on Shutterstock https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins and iStock https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins to
view her photos.
Kelli posts on her
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her new website
www.KelliWilkins.com or blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more
about all of her writings.
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