The problem with writing about people who live in the real world is that sometimes the real world throws you a curveball. The new novella is about dealing with just such a curveball. Click image below for product link!
Three key things about TRIPLE X:
This age-gap M/M romance novella was completed in 2019, and then had to be tabled because the storyline is set in 2020 and things happened.
The main characters are Ro Gallo (who lives in L.A.) and Reggie Galant (who lives in London).
Ro Gallo is three things: a butcher, a drag queen, and a salesdiva in a fetish shoe store. Reggie Galant is also three things: a painter, a pornographer, and lonely. They meet in Los Angeles, where Reggie has delivered a portrait to Andy Martin - for whom Ro has recently done some modeling.
Some other important things:
Reggie is ten years older than Ro. This is one reason he’s willing to foot the bill for Ro to come to London so they can take some time to get to know each other: he feels like he’s running out of time to make a real connection.
Ro is diabetic (Type 1). This is one reason he’s willing to travel out of the U.S. to get to know someone: he feels like he’s running out of time, period.
Working two jobs isn’t easy for anybody. It’s even less easy for someone who has a chronic medical condition. TRIPLE X is not about that, specifically, but it’s a consideration for both these men. As it turns out, their biggest challenge is the worldwide pandemic.
I know that’s a big ‘stay away’ flag for a lot of people. But I can’t pretend that nothing happened in the world in 2020; I write contemporary romance, not fantasy. The pandemic is a real thing that’s had real consequences for a lot of real people. My solution was to continue writing about people facing real-world challenges, as respectfully as I can, with the benefit of hindsight. We are now solidly into year two and there is fact, not merely speculation, to support my storylines as the story universe moves forward.
Reggie came to life while I was writing A BRAID OF LOVE, and also pops up in NEVER ENOUGH. I love writing English people. To be able to use that kind of language is a treat. Ro is simply a sweet guy with a lot of challenges. They both want to be in love. Why not let themselves be in love?
The wonderful cover photo is by Brian Kyed @brnkd unsplash.com, with thanks. The subject is just so Ro, my heart clutched a little when I found this one.