Haven Falls Update

Those of you who have been reading the 'soap' which is the Haven Falls free read may have noticed that it's writers have been on a break for some time now. The blog owner, Remmy Duchene, has had a lot of stuff to deal with in the 'real' world and this has left the blog somewhat in limbo. Too, various contributors have either also had 'Life' or have been writing to deadlines for publication, or working on other 'paying gigs'.

Remmy has now posted the following message to readers:

>>>HAVEN FALLS IS CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH MAJOR UPDATES AND CHANGES. PLS VISIT US AGAIN IN THE NEW YEAR FOR MORE! lt;<.. After much deliberation, I've decided to start Haven Falls over. The new and improved Haven Falls will be unveiled in the new year. Please check back then.

I have decided to take down my stories for now, until it's clearer how the site will be moving forward. I do, though, feel that the Haven Falls Project is a terrific idea and I hope to contribute further in the new year, either with my existing characters or with someone new for you to grow fond of. I wish Remmy and the other HF writers all the best for Xmas and the New Year. Will see you all, readers of HF included, soon, all being well.

Haven Falls - Please give us some feedback!

After 200 blog stories, many in the 3000+ word mark, Haven Falls, the free online soap created by Remmy Duchene is having a short break. The twelve authors involved (including yours truly) would love feedback from readers via the latest blog post.

Haven Falls - GLBTQ Soap Opera, an online rpg storytelling project

If you haven't been reading at Haven Falls, now is a good time to catch what has already been written in preparation for when we start writing again, which should be around mid-December, all being well.

If you are an author and would like to join us, contact Remmy Duchene via the Haven Falls blog.

More images for Lyle

These are two further images I associate with Lyle Ashley Tate, my character for Haven Falls.






I've picked these images up via Kei Chan's Facebook albums, so if you own them and would prefer if I took them down please let me know.

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Lyle Ashley Tate

This is the image I now think of as Lyle. I've not been able to find out the original source of the photo, so if you own it please let me know. I'd love to be able to credit you. This is Lyle when he is dressed for work. He's a mortician.

Toughest Writing Task Yet

Yesterday I finished writing what proved to be the toughest Haven Falls entry I've written thus far. Indeed, it was the toughest piece of writing I've done anywhere as an adult to-date. There must have been about 15 versions of the text for 'Haven Falls #169 - Coming...To Blows'.

What made it tough? Well, for me the hardest part was writing with sensitivity and awareness of my intended audiences. Haven Falls is mean to be a way for the participating authors to 'give back' to their fans in a fun way, through the genre of Soap Opera. My primary audience, then, is my fanbase and that of the other authors participating in the Haven Falls project. I should know what my own fans want, right?

Too, though, I am aware of how much criticism has been levelled recently by the LGBT community towards authors of M/M Romance. I at least, in my writing for Haven Falls and elesewhere, seek to make tales that 'ring true' for those who share the orientation and lifestyles of my characters. This subset of readers are a group I am especially keen to court and to have to like my work, because this is my own community.

Maybe I made a rod for my own back when I chose to portray a transgendered character in this online roleplay, a character that has hidden depths, scary secrets, a complex history and who will have to face many challenges as his story unfolds. When I roleplay though I use my characters to explore the world, either theirs or my own. Lyle Ashley Tate is no exception to this.

I love Lyle. I admire him. I don't always like him, but he's important to me. I desire that my characters, including Lyle, are 'authentic', and that is also part of why this piece of text was so hard to write.

Whilst I don't consider that being 'PC' is something a writer should be constrained by, I also have a terrific depth of feeling towards the LGBT community. How was I, then, to write a piece that met my own needs as a writer and those of my character without stirring up a hornets nest?

I'm hoping that the version of the text which finally was posted comes close to fulfilling all of my goals in writing it. I wanted to progress Lyle's story whilst taking the opportunity that story offers to encourage empathy and understanding in my non-TG readers for transgendered persons and to do honour to those who are TG. Take a look, please, and leave me some feedback, either here or over on the HF website, but bear in mind I still have bruised ribs and a ringing in my ears from going ten rounds with this text!

The character of Lyle Ashley Tate is dedicated to my former partners Scrimshaw, Heather and Luvbnd, with much love.

A Thank You To My Readers and Co-Authors

I posted a new chapter for one of my FanFiction stories this evening and already, just 3 hours later, I have had 96 hits on it. Thank you to everyone who is reading my stuff over at FanFiction. I love writing Janto stuff for you all.

As noted previously, I've posted on HF again too, and will be adding to what is there later this week. I'd like to thank the readers of Haven Falls for supporting the project. I am loving participating in it.

Please do comment on what you read, it helps me to improve my work and gives that all important sense of who my readers are and what they want.

Special thanks to my fellow authors at Haven Falls too, in particular A.B. Gayle, Andrea Speed and Jessie Blackwood for their insights, prose, roleplay and friendship. Thanks to Remmy Duchene and Lee Owens for all the behind the scenes slog too.

Keep reading please everyone!

Haven Falls - Cats Climbing Out of Bags

If you've been following Haven Falls you'll know now one of the secrets Lyle had been keeping. I hope what I am writing over there rings true for people currently. The subject matter is dear to my heart, since I was once the partner of a trans-gendered person.

Writing Lyle's story is proving to be challenging. I don't want to preach, especially not to the choir, but I want people to understand him and his issues, his pain, his joy and his aspirations. I thank my co-writer, Jessie Blackwood, for giving Lyle a date with Gil. I thank Gil for being so considerate, broad-minded and curious, and for having the eyes to see Lyle as he truly is.

Lyle's had good fortune in finding Gil, even if it is just a one night stand; I know not all TG people are as lucky. If you find yourself in a situation similar to Lyle's, I wish you much success and love.

Just as a side bar to the topic, in response to a recent article in 'Out', not all trangendered people feel the need to transition, to change their bodies. It's okay to be TG and NOT go for surgery. Please god don't feel pressured to indulge in hormone treatment and devastatingly expensive (and not always successful) life-threatening procedures just to fit the perceived model of 'how to be TG'!

Haven Falls Developments

A follow up to the last posting has gone up at Haven Falls. Lots of hints this time about who and what Lyle is, so if you are curious about him you will want to read this latest post (Number 94).

Speaking of Haven Falls, Andrea Speed, Jessie Blackwood and I have a shared new character on the books. Remmy Duchene, the GM for the HF online roleplay game, greed we could write him together and accepted the character concept before the embargo on any further new characters went into effect. He is called Griffin Davies. Not surprisingly, he is Welsh. We'll be introducing him shortly.

Haven Falls has a very varied population actually, reflecting the international nature of the authors involved. We have a fair few American writers, of course, but Brits and Australians also feature strongly. Follow the link on the blogroll to check it out.

More Haven Falls news

The date has rolled over at Haven Falls, and my character is getting properly stuck in to his new job as an assistant mortician when he witnesses a bit of a to-do between his boss, Henry Vale, and someone else he recently met at a party...

The plot-lines at HF are terrific, and things are really starting to rock for certain characters. Go have a read. Check out Flynn Archer, Asher Rose and Carter Gillespie for a start. And I will modestly direct you to my own character too, Lyle Ashley Tate. If you click on a tag it will bring up all the entries for the person concerned. They'll be in reverse order chronologically though, so read them from bottom up if you are easily confused !

http://www.havenfalls.blogspot.com/

So many projects, so little brain

Okay, so the Whitby story is on hold whilst I do research to back it up. Other stuff I'm doing at present...

Doing the preparatory work for co-authoring a sci-fi / romance with my bestest friend Jessie Blackwood.

Squeeing over the fact that Jessie is about to have her first novel published by DreamSpinner Press.

Trying to get my head around the mechanics of 'Haven Falls' so that I can play. Looks like a very exciting and interesting project. Check it out at
http://havenfalls.yolasite.com/

Wishing I was better at writing sex scenes. Practising this. (Oh I so love to practise this!).

Getting my head around TG stuff as part of research for writing a new character.

Working on my US english so that I remember to write 'trash can' rather than 'dustbin' and 'sidewalk' instead of 'pavement' when I am writing a US-based story.

Reading lots of m/m romance and quite a bit of non-fiction stuff about gender issues, being bi-sexual, counselling, writing and other topics of interest in my real life.

So, still writing, just spreading myself a bit thin if I want to actually finish anything right now...