A Look Back at Four Days with Jack – One Year Later

A Look Back at Four Days with Jack – One Year Later

By Kelli A. Wilkins

 (www.KelliWilkins.com)

Hi everyone,

Today I’m taking a look back at my m/m Amber Allure romance, Four Days with Jack. The book was released a year ago, and it was my first gay romance.

I always knew that one day I’d write a gay romance, and I’ve been batting ideas around in my head for a while. I was in between books and had just finished editing A Perfect Match when I heard about the Amber Allure “Postcards from Paradise” line, and I knew I had my next project.

At first, 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.

Four Days with Jack is one of the very few books I wrote without an outline. I think not having an outline let the characters write their own story (so to speak), and took the book in new directions. As I wrote, David quickly revealed a major conflict – inner turmoil.

David has kept his true desires a secret from himself and everyone else. He is 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 deal with 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 traditional 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 (and some friends) 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 m/m 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. I’ve made up all sorts of things: an erotic Bigfoot story, detailed ménage m/m/f scenes, a first-person vampire love story, and coming soon even a m/m werewolf romance.

Writing these stories is not about me explaining myself on paper and waiting to be judged; it’s telling the story about the characters and showing readers what happens to them. It’s called fiction.

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.

Recently I read a blog where a woman was “confessing” to writing an erotic romance, even though she couldn’t tell anyone about it and wouldn’t “dare” put her real name on the story. I got to wondering…why? Why hide your writing? And if you’re “ashamed” to be writing in a particular genre, why invest the time in something you’re not going to stand behind?  

I’m pleased to say that Four Days with Jack has received great reviews. Here’s a snippet from one:

“...I thought that (Kelli) Wilkins did a very good job portraying the confused David and the wary, but hopeful, Jack. David’s inner turmoil and fears about outing himself were so heartbreaking. I definitely felt for him. A strong romance with very likeable characters. I’m quite glad that I went ahead and read this story. I learned that as a romance fan I can definitely appreciate and enjoy those that feature two male heroes. An emotional, yet sexy coming-out story about two men finally opening themselves up to the possibility of a great love. It was an excellent introduction into the world of M/M romance.”--Jennifer, Romance Novel News

The book blurb and a tame excerpt are below. Check out a HOT excerpt on the book’s page: http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/FourDaysWithJack.html

FOUR DAYS WITH JACK

When David invited his best friend along 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 lived a lie and denied his attraction to Jack. Now that they’re together in an isolated Caribbean resort, he finally sheds his denial and admits what he really wants—to be Jack’s lover.

Jack is more than willing to introduce David to the life he has always fantasized about. Their sizzling nighttime encounters confirm David’s long-hidden desires. But what will happen when they leave the resort? Will David sacrifice everything to start a new life with Jack? Or will he go back to his old ways and risk losing the best friend he ever had?

The Excerpt:

David popped open the champagne and poured them each a glass. "A toast. To us. To our new beginning."

"To us," he said, clinking David's glass and taking a sip of champagne. The bubbles tickled his nose. "This is excellent, nice and sweet."

"Like you." David set his glass on the cart and gathered him into his arms. "I want to prove how much I love you. How much I've always loved you."

Jack closed his eyes as David kissed him. It was gentle, tender, and made his skin tingle. David really did love him, and he was thrilled that he was opening up about it. David kissed him a few more times, then picked up the bowl of strawberries. "Hungry?"

He opened his mouth as David fed him the sweet fruit. His taste buds came alive, and he sucked on David's fingertips as he pulled away.

"My turn," David said. He took a strawberry and ran it along David's lips. David's tongue darted out and licked a droplet of juice off the end of the strawberry. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked it from his fingers.

Jack grinned. "Lovely."

They took turns feeding each other the tangy fruit and washing it down with champagne. After their third glass, his head started to buzz. "I think I'm getting drunk."

"Good," David said, drawing him into his arms for a kiss.

They kissed tenderly at first, then gave in to their passion. He groaned and kissed David deeper, aching and yearning for more. David's hot mouth tasted like strawberries and champagne.

David bent his head and kissed the soft spot on the side of his neck. "Tell me what you like," he said, grinding his erection against him. "Let me know it's right."

"You're doing fine," he replied, yanking David closer. He kissed him hard and plunged his tongue into his mouth. Kissing was fine, but he wanted more.

"Why don't we go to bed?"

"No. Not yet." David stepped back. "Tonight will be different. Tonight I plan on seducing you."

He closed his eyes. "Go right ahead. I'm all yours."

***

I’m proud of my first gay romance – and I’m working on more.

On May 17, 2012 the Amber Quill Press author blog will be taking part in the "Hop Against Homophobia" blog hop. To find out more about the event, you can visit this link: http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com/2012/05/purpose-of-this-hop.html

I hope you’ll check it out.

Happy Reading!

Kelli A. Wilkins

See all of Kelli’s romances here:

Amber Quill Press Author Page: http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/bio_Wilkins.html

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelli-A.-Wilkins/e/B001JSAB24/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1326933452&sr=8-3