Ben Ryder's Blog
September 11, 2013
The Englishmen Series Reviewed.
A big thanks to insightout blog! http://insightoutblog.wordpress.com/2...
September 6, 2013
August 17, 2013
Released, Damon, and Jackie's Boys
RELEASED is the final novella in the set of Englishmen stories before the first full length novel Jackie's Boys - A Tale of Two Weddings.
I tried to do something different with these stories. I wanted to tell them over different time spans. Noah was told over a day (albeit in flashbacks), Side Line was told over a week, and Released is told over a month. These will lead to Jackie's Boys, which will take place over the course of a year, as she takes on the responsibilities of wedding planner for two sets of celebrations.
The response for Noah was fantastic. But the main criticism was that it included too much information that wasn't relevant to the story and that it was too short. Hopefully you will see why this information was added as the stories progress.
Though I had many great emails about Side Line, many messages expressed dislike for the character of Damon. Though there is a sense of redemption at the end, many didn't feel it was enough. I know Damon wasn't a particularly likeable character at the beginning of the story, and he was hard to write. But at the same time, I felt he was realistic in his attitude considering his circumstances. Many gay men have difficulty expressing themselves when confined to the closet. Like I said, he was as difficult to write as he was to read, which is the reason why I tried to inject so much humour into the book in the form of Jackie. All I can say is that Damon's backstory and ultimate redemption will be revealed and I hope he will be truly forgiven.
For those who have read Noah and Side Line, you will see in Released how the stories begin to connect.
The first three books in this set are meant to address social issues and the impact they have on gay men's lives. Jackie's Boys - A Tale of Two Weddings promises to be nothing but humour and happy endings.
I tried to do something different with these stories. I wanted to tell them over different time spans. Noah was told over a day (albeit in flashbacks), Side Line was told over a week, and Released is told over a month. These will lead to Jackie's Boys, which will take place over the course of a year, as she takes on the responsibilities of wedding planner for two sets of celebrations.
The response for Noah was fantastic. But the main criticism was that it included too much information that wasn't relevant to the story and that it was too short. Hopefully you will see why this information was added as the stories progress.
Though I had many great emails about Side Line, many messages expressed dislike for the character of Damon. Though there is a sense of redemption at the end, many didn't feel it was enough. I know Damon wasn't a particularly likeable character at the beginning of the story, and he was hard to write. But at the same time, I felt he was realistic in his attitude considering his circumstances. Many gay men have difficulty expressing themselves when confined to the closet. Like I said, he was as difficult to write as he was to read, which is the reason why I tried to inject so much humour into the book in the form of Jackie. All I can say is that Damon's backstory and ultimate redemption will be revealed and I hope he will be truly forgiven.
For those who have read Noah and Side Line, you will see in Released how the stories begin to connect.
The first three books in this set are meant to address social issues and the impact they have on gay men's lives. Jackie's Boys - A Tale of Two Weddings promises to be nothing but humour and happy endings.
August 15, 2013
Released
Released, the third story in the English men stories set, is now available!
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