Cut from chapter 55

52.

50.

It wasn’t a real question, of course Josh was an alpha. If his recent possessiveness hadn’t given away the game, pretty much everything about him would have. He was strong and steady, protective to a fault, the fortress inside which Ray always knew himself to be safe Capricorn vibes reemerging. Like Ray is Josh’s home, Josh is Ray’s fortress, that is to say; the protective outside of the house. Except he wasn’t meant to be in that fortress, it wasn’t meant for him. An alpha n

heart eyed emoji with a big shocked open mouth

Part 1

He kind of wanted to ask Dora if this was Josh’s moon somehow, since his boyfriend was a Capricorn. Mostly, it would have been nice if there had been a reason other than the obvious.

“Did you know about Belinda?”

Even though I did publish A Quiet Fire last October, I kind of feel like it's been a long while. I have spent the past year and change writing so many stories that it’s turned into a big publication dessert. Sorry! It’s the muses, not me. Or possibly also me, changing, evolving, discovering new facets. But there is one story that will be familiar to you and that’s Raymond Halley’s. I still remember writing the first story in 2015 during a time when I was unemployed and decide

I love art based on books, but I have always felt adaptations must be allowed a certain degree of leeway. I think it's the same part of my mind that relishes alternative universes... the what ifs, the variations. And then there is the fact that an artist, translator, cinematographer is also an artist and making them reproduce whatever the text says too exactly feels like a waste of who they are.

21. “So what do you plan to do when you finish?” Ray’s mum went on, moving around him to drop more veg in the huge pot she was cooking in. He watched her add spices and herbs, taking mental notes. Here goes Josh totally oblivious Martha is being a mum and asking her son’s prospective boyfriend about his, well, prospects. Note, HOWEVER, how Josh is taking mental notes of Martha’s cooking procedures. The way to a man’s heart and all applies particularly well if it’s his mum’s f

Art piece #1 is on its way now, for now... Have more thinky thoughts.

Chapters 12 and 13 function as a mirror of each other. In Chapter 12, Ray is alone and scared of losing Josh, even as he resents him for being upset that Ray is trying to make other friends. He knows he is technically right, but he senses he is breaking an unspoken deal. It’s true. They both feel it, the way Josh offers too much help and too much time, how he acts in ways that would be sweet in a grown partner and are excessive in a teenage friend. How Ray accepts this sile

I figured I’d slow down a bit with the supplemental materials to let you focus on the story itself, but here’s what I just couldn’t not say about the last few chapters. ** Sometimes people mentioned having kids and he shuddered in revulsion. They clearly had no idea how hard it truly was to be responsible for another human being. He loved his siblings more than life itself, but for that very reason he knew he was way too vulnerable to open his heart to another child. If h

So I thought I would do a floorplan of the Halley's house, at least the ground floor where most of the action takes place... And here you can see my results (I even have a video of me drawing the thing!) But I won't use the video because what actually happened is that I fucked up.

Josh was either staring at Ray’s hands or blankly staring at the space where they rested on his knees. His friend’s distraction wasn’t new, for the past few days, it was like they’d switched places. Ray often got teased about having regular contact with the faeries, but he paid attention to Josh . Still, he had no idea how to figure him out when he wasn’t talking. Ray describes himself as an observer from the very first line, and so does Josh… It’s not untrue, but Josh is som

Since this chapter is longer, I figured I’d use quotes instead of annotating the whole thing. Let me know which one you prefer for future chapters. Also, questions are super welcome! I’m curious if you spot something I didn’t.

He’d more or less accepted the drawings were gone. Hoping for a miracle, he’d gone through the whole house by himself, then once more with Marisa’s help. He’d even asked everyone else in his family about the red folder, praying they wouldn’t notice his racing heart. And he’d paid attention to their hearts, just in case someone gave signs of unusual discomfort. But all he’d got were shrugs and some sympathy from his mother.

In honour of Josh's first chapter, here is an even longer video :p

Ray’s mum liked to tell people that he’d started drawing before he could speak. Most people took it to mean he’d been precocious; but it could mean the exact opposite as well. Whatever it meant, it was still true: Ray preferred drawing to speaking one hundred percent of the time. It was slower, for one, and he needed that time. He didn’t know why, but the world felt harsh to him, too much and too fast and too careless. He managed, because he had to. Meals had to be prepared,