Our Hotwives

Hey everyone!

I’m working on the next chapter, which doesn’t feature Amy and Gil. So while they’re in the background for a bit, I’m going to try something.

In the past I pitched the idea of suggesting celebrity lookalikes for the characters introduced thus far, but now that we’ve had some ...

Balakirev: "Islamey" or "Oriental Fantasy”
https://youtu.be/53KumVydfM4?si=C519GC0JeQOK_MJq

Chopin: Scherzo #2 in B flat minor
https://youtu.be/OCUSalQf-jY?si=VbYkoJMd2GIFEide

Scriabin: Etude Op. 8 No. 12 in D sharp minor
https://youtu.be/_dP8FMZr2sA?si=aLms02iQMdsDWGMZ

Hey all–

I wrote most of the current chapter together with the one before it--they're meant to work as a pair--hence the quick turnaround this time.

The current chapter prominently features a concert given by Gil, and includes a bunch of music that I tried to weave into the fabric of his psyche ...

“Marie! Oh my goodness, how are you?”

“Oh you know me, Jeanie, I’m making it. How are Andrew and Laura?”

Two women in evening wear, carefully managed hair, and makeup. They chatted happily: just one pair of dozens in the lobby of the base theater located in the mainside complex of Camp LeJeune ...

It was quiet in the car.

The kind of quiet that seems to amplify every subtle shift of body weight. Where the fabric in your pants and the fabric in your seat in the car rub together in a conspicuous hrrrrrrssssssh .

David was suddenly grateful he didn't spring for the leather seat package when he ...

Hi Crushing,

I think that Jordan and Mark are a great fit but I wonder if Mark is looking consciously or maybe subconsciously for someone permanent that he does not have to share with another man and someone that helps provide balance and support in areas where he is damaged.

Also, can Jordan ...

Responding to Dream Weaver’s comment, which he apparently deleted? Anyway, I read it, found it thoughtful and accurate on many points, and thought it merited a response.

I loved the comment, actually. And I wanted to jump in before others feel pressed to defend.

So…first off, you really read this ...

Correct. Sorry if it’s convoluted, I’m trying to layer in formative memories from characters’ past to give context to major breakthroughs in the present. So Mark and Jordan’s present timeline is paired with a flashback to Jordan’s teenage years and Mark’s earlier relationship with Molly. Sorry if it ...

"The mission scores thus far are head and shoulders above A and B companies. And Weapons company could barely find their keys. All in all, the first three training evolutions have been an unmitigated success for the company."

The Charlie Company executive officer, Lieutenant Jenkins, concluded his ...

"David…"

The light was dim–dawn, not yet morning. Enough to see shapes, but without his glasses, the shapes were fuzzy. Through the haze of severe jet lag, the voice was fuzzy.

But angelic.

David felt a sudden pressure on his right thigh. Opening his eyes a little wider he saw Jordan, her button ...

Quick author's note: As you might have noticed by now, I'm doing some experimenting with incorporating elements of music and dance with the Amy and Gil storyline. We'll see if it works, but I think the scenes hit better if you're familiar with the music referenced. For this chapter, it's Chopin's ...

In a weird way, it looked like a treble clef. At least the top half of one. Without the slight flourish at the bottom, of course.

Gil squinted as he looked down.

Yep. Where his body joined with Amy, there was a definite resemblance. A little treble clef when she raised up just enough to barely ...

A crisp autumn day at the park in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

And like every Tuesday night from the first week of August to early November, peewee soccer games were spread out in small, rectangular partitions within larger soccer pitches and baseball diamonds across the country park system ...

Queen sized sheet set.

$19.99 from Walmart.

Comes in navy blue, maroon, or gray.

Jordan squinted.

Okay, obviously this was the low end.

Probably not any better than the sheets they had now.

Jordan scrolled down through the search results, a wide range of options and prices floating quickly ...

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

Dear David,

I hope you know that I miss you already. I know you're building your career, and I'm busy with my dissertation year. With how busy we both are, I wonder if we'd see each other more if you weren't traveling for work? Hard to say, but at least I could fall asleep next to you each night ...

Excellent catch, MBD. That dissonance is actually intentional. Or more accurately, it became intentional when I began to like the characters enough to develop those early vignettes into something more ambitious.

The scene you mention is the very first scene, and the rest of the novel is structured ...

Thank you! Metamorphosis with close attention to the experiences and thought processes that drive it is definitely what I’m trying to explore in this project. Especially when that metamorphosis seems to come in ebbs and flows, progressions and regressions. What happens in the mind is as interesting ...

Hey all,

Just published the latest chapter. Working on the next couple now, but as you know I've been out of the rhythm for a while, and I'm taking some time to reread what I've done in the past and relearn the characters and the narrative shape I had going. Feel free to leave feedback, let me know ...

" Pianissimo , Gil. Draw me in. Make me lean in…
Long, graceful fingers attached to thin hands, extending from delicate wrists, hanging from wiry, venous forearms. All hovered in a perfect, effortless parallel over a polished keyboard.

" E meglio …like that. Now, speed up a little, finish strong ...

"Captain Rein? Sir?"

Mark looked up from the stack of fitness reports on his desk to see the company clerk standing in his door.

"Yes?"

"The battalion commander wants to see you."

Mark stood up briskly. "Where?"

"In his office. HQ."

"Now?"

"Yes sir. His secretary just called."

Mark nodded ...

PART 3

MOM

Three letters flashing on a phone screen.

Amy hesitated, her stomach reverting to knots the way it always did when mom called. Somehow, in some Pavlovian way, even three letters could conjure a certain tone of her mother's voice. She couldn't escape it; although she was half a ...

Tink…tink

Mark stabbed at the grilled carrots on his plate, sitting silently across a sparse oak table from Lieutenant Colonel Chen, who wordlessly but thoughtfully chewed the first bites off his own plate.

The silence was deafening. The remnants of an alcoholic fog still hung about Mark, even ...

The clean cotton sheets draped elegantly in the shape of a lopsided S on the bed as Jordan slept peacefully on her side. The affectionate, naughty foreplay of the night before had quickly migrated into the bedroom, where the passion found quick resolution for David.

…all too quick a resolution for ...