Notes from Boston

Rainbow Snippets: A Duet

Happy Saturday! We’re back from vacation, and I’m ready to get down to Camp NaNo. I’m working on the next Notes from Boston novel, Drumbeat. This is Jamie’s story, and…well. I have a feeling, after some recent conversations, that it may not be to everyone’s liking. But it’s the story Jamie wants me to tell, so I will.

My new collection of short stories, Leaps of Faith, is coming out July 12. These are set in the same context as Passing on Faith, and you can pre-order here. I’ll snip from that in the coming weeks. Today’s snippet is the last one from Nightsong. Here, Nate has just fanboyed all over Izzy, but Nate has a more pressing problem—the man who was supposed to sing with him is too sick to show up. Izzy’s about to make him an offer. (In case anyone isn’t familiar, “I’ll Cover You” is from Rent. This novel has numerous references to musical theater and opera.)

Izzy pursed his lips. “You weren’t planning to sing ‘I’ll Cover You,’ by any chance?”

Nate shook his head, but he blushed. “No…well, we would have if anyone had asked for an encore. Why?”

Izzy rose to his feet and drew himself up to his full height, though he still had to angle up a bit to look Nate in the eye. He gestured down at himself then to his beard. “I couldn’t pull off Angel, that’s why.”

The laugh bubbling out of Nate made Izzy a little weak-kneed.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

Rainbow Snippets: Under the Weather, part 2

Books, Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Saturday! It’s recital weekend part 1. Dress rehearsals today, then the big shows tomorrow. Tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop. It’s a long and exhausting weekend, but the shows are always wonderful. Their dance studio does a good job with these shows. There’s a group of littles (maybe age 6-7?) all dressed up as villains and doing a tap dance to Despicable Me. So cute and fun. My 11yo’s class is dancing to Super Mario Brothers. It’s adorable.

And now for this week’s snippet. Last week, Nate was out with Rocco the Jerk. This week, he’s…well. You’ll see. And yes, it’s relevant.

The minute Nate opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. The gritty, sandy feel when he blinked; the headache spreading down from his forehead; the fire under his skin. He was positive he had a fever, though he didn’t own a thermometer to check. It wasn’t surprising he’d picked up a bug, since he’d already sent multiple cast members home with illnesses. Working in close proximity made fertile ground for passing things around. He’d been feeling tired and a little off for a couple of days already. Still, he’d hoped he was wrong and he would escape the germs or at least meet them in weaker form. Apparently, no such luck.

Rainbow Snippets: Under the Weather, part 1

Books, Fiction, Writing

Happy Saturday! I’m running really late posting because we spent yesterday at a nearby amusement park. My 13yo son plays saxophone in his school’s jazz band, and they were there competing yesterday. They won first place, and my son’s BFF got an award for outstanding soloist. He absolutely deserved it; he was incredible.

On to the snippet. I’m still posting bits of Nightsong until I have enough of something else to post. This week, we’re back with Nate. Here, he’s hooked up with an old flame. It’s more than 6 sentences, but it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Nate was almost too blissed-out to notice when Rocco’s phone rang. Through his sleepy haze, Nate felt motion next to him. He rolled over and admired the curve of Rocco’s ass as the sheet slipped to reveal it when he reached over to the nightstand.

“This is Rocco.” Pause. “Yes, that would be fine.” Pause. “I’m with a client right now, but I can set it up after my meeting.” His eyes flicked to Nate. “No, that’s not possible.” He covered the phone with his hand and whispered, “Be right back.”

He rose from the bed and stalked into the bathroom. For a moment, it was quiet, and then he heard Rocco’s muffled voice. He sounded angry, and Nate caught a few words like “let’s not do this now” and “we’ll discuss it later” and “it’s not a good time.”

Rainbow Snippets: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Books, Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Saturday! It’s almost the end of the school year. I can hardly believe that in a matter of weeks, my “baby” will have finished middle school. Since we’re in the final push before summer, this might be my last snippet for a while. I’ll have to see how things go due to a band competition and two recitals.

For today, I’m still snipping from Nightsong. Izzy and Val have now picked up their cargo (the dinosaur skeleton) from the creepy scientists and are on their way to the hospital with it. For some context, a yenta/yente is a busybody. Yente is the matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof. (Nightsong has a lot of references to opera and musical theater.) And yep, Izzy has two moms who are a couple.

“Did you get a seriously weird vibe from those people?”

“Oh, yeah.”

She shuddered. “Should I have stayed in back with our ‘patient’?”

“Nah. I’m sure it’s fine. Long as I drive carefully and don’t go flying over a pothole or something.”

She shrugged. “You’re probably right. So, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah—my skills as a matchmaker.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Yente,” Izzy said with a snort. “You’re worse than my mothers.”

Rainbow Snippets: Spoken For

Books, Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Saturday! My kids are at the Teen Book Festival, getting their books signed by authors. They went with a group from their school. I’m a little envious that they’re meeting a few of my faves today!

Meanwhile, I’m busy plowing through the last of my stack of books for review. I’m taking the summer off to regroup and decide how I want to handle book reviews in the future. Stay tuned.

My snippet today is still from Nightsong. Val and Izzy have been on their way to pick up an unusual patient, and they’re passing the time listening to a Christian radio hit that wasn’t quite about Jesus. Six lines of dialog.

“You learn something new every day,” Val quipped. “I grew up on that shit. I still like some of it, and this song is so great. Made even better after the guy singing it came out.”

“He’s gay?” Not that Izzy wouldn’t have guessed, given that it was a man singing longingly about sucking off another man.

“Nah, he’s bi.” She grinned at Izzy’s arched eyebrow. “And spoken for, unfortunately. Wonder if it’s the guy from the song?”

“Hopefully.” Izzy chuckled. “Why’s it bad he’s taken? Since I know you have no interest, were you planning to call the station in hopes of setting me up with him?”

“Shut up. I’m not that bad. Am I?”

“You are. But I love you anyway.”

WIPpet Wednesday: Class time

Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Wednesday! I seem to have picked up that head cold going around, but I’m finally feeling mostly better today. I need to find my focus again to finish some books for review and a couple of editing jobs.

Last night, my kids sang the national anthem with their school chorus at the local ballpark. If we’re friends on FB, you can see the video. And yep, that’s my 13yo you can hear because he’s loud. The next 5 weeks are the busiest we get aside from production week for the school musical. The rest of the track meets, three concerts, two dance recitals, two school ceremonies, one band competition, the teen book festival, and a partridge in a pear tree. Oy!

On to the WIPpet. I’m snipping some more of Cian (as if anyone needed a reason to like him more). He’s a dance instructor, and here, he’s with his students doing warm-ups. Note: Only girls typically wear ghillies for Irish dance. Boys wear split-sole jazz shoes (unlike in other traditional dances, where men wear ghillies too/instead). I’ve referred to both types collectively as soft shoes here, as the students are of more than one gender.

WIPmath: 5/17 = 17 – 5 = 12 sentences.

Cian Toomey led his students through their warm-ups and stretches. This class was a group of seven-, eight-, and nine-year-old beginners. He counted for them, using a gold-topped cane to visually mark time for the class. In their line, they practiced their steps to the beat he kept. They were all in soft shoes, and their feet landed in muffled thuds. Without his hearing aids in, Cian felt rather than heard the difference against the wood of the studio floor.

“Good, good!” He both spoke and signed to them. This class only had one deaf pupil, unlike his intermediate group. Cian felt that regardless of how many students needed him to sign, he would do it anyway. By the end of their first year, his hearing students picked up not only skill as dancers but a significant amount of ASL as well. He tried to do it in a way which didn’t feel forced, simply a natural consequence of seeing him do it.

Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Witt for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!

Rainbow Snippets: A Duet

Rainbow Snippets: Under the Weather, part 2

Rainbow Snippets: Under the Weather, part 1

Rainbow Snippets: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Rainbow Snippets: Spoken For

WIPpet Wednesday: Class time

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