{"id":2030,"date":"2016-07-04T14:33:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T22:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog\/?p=2030"},"modified":"2016-07-04T14:33:46","modified_gmt":"2016-07-04T22:33:46","slug":"when-your-art-truly-imitates-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=2030","title":{"rendered":"When Your Art Truly Imitates Life …"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Your Art Truly Imitates Life …<\/span><\/h1>\n

Character creation has never really been an issue for me. Having played so many of them on the stage over my half-century of being on this planet, I have pulled upon so many threads of the people I’ve met and crossed paths with. My high school drama teacher taught me many things about the craft. But there was one he taught that has stuck more than any other.<\/p>\n

Stop and Listen … and observe.<\/em> <\/span><\/h2>\n

The world will reveal itself to you if you just stop singing, stop dancing, stop talking and just … listen and observe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, if you’ve caught me on the podcast<\/strong> I co-host<\/a>, you know that my not <\/em>talking is something of an issue. I love conversation and have little to no filter (yes, I recognize it’s a flaw – but I choose to run with it and hope others can keep up) when it comes into diving in on topics that crop up during the conversation. So it’s no small feat for me to stop, not make a sound, and listen.<\/p>\n

Yet, there are moments in my past that it happened for me with very little input on my part. Magical people and events that would just trigger that stop all action and listen (and watch) what was going on around me. And I’ve always come away the richer for it.<\/p>\n

Always …<\/em><\/p>\n

In writing the Angels of Mercy<\/a><\/strong> series, I have two characters that appear secondary in the story (to the plotline – though, in truth they are very much first level characters for one reason only – I know them both. They exist not only on the page, but also in my books).<\/p>\n

I knew them when I was in grade school through high school. La Presa Elementary right up through La Presa Junior High and then ending at Monte Vista High, before we all went our separate ways. When I crafted Angels of Mercy, I knew that my quiet unassuming gay boy, Elliot, would have only one real friend in school before he becomes involved with the love of his life, Marco Sforza. That guy is Greg Lettau. Greg is drawn from the guy I knew in school who I thought was incredibly brilliant and had the wickedest sense of humor. He was skinny as all fuck, pointdexterish in the extreme – horned rimmed glasses and gawkish looking as can be.<\/p>\n

But here’s the thing: Greg was so honorable as a friend he’s stuck with me, in my mind, long after we went our own ways after high school graduation. The few times I’d spent at their house after school back in my youth provided me with more than enough fertile ground to plunder when I crafted my two snarky brothers as supporting characters for Elliot and Marco. The Lettau boys are solid guys. Obviously, I’ve not known what they’ve gotten up to since we parted ways so long ago, but the memory of who they were in my past had a profound effect on wanting to capture their spirit and their particular brand of living life that I knew I wanted to pay homage to them.<\/p>\n

I know I run the risk of using their actual names in the work, but I think even though it may not be the kind of book either man would read, I think I’ve done right by them. Greg, after all, gets the girl of his dreams in the end. I wanted that for Greg, even back then. He will always be that quick witted, snarky guy with a heart of gold. The banter he had with his brother I recalled was epic. I’ve only barely scratched the surface with them – as in this scene from my soon-to-be released Angels prequel<\/strong><\/span>: Angels of Mercy – Diary of a Quarterback Part One: King of Imperfections<\/em><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"AoM_DoaQb_100dpi_MasterFront500x750\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first scene I had between the brothers had to be key in setting the tone for them. These were two guys who expressed their love by bagging the shit out of the other. The harder you bagged, the more love you expressed. It was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed before \u2013 completely foreign to how my world worked. And I remember loving the shit out of how they did it. They never missed a beat between them.<\/p>\n

That is, until Greg gave me the greatest gift with his next words.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cOh yeah. They live out on Oak Ridge Way out on the south-east part of town, up near the oak forest area \u2013 well, where the oaks and redwoods sorta mingle. Kinda the last house in town, if you know what I mean. You ever been out that way?\u201d He eyed me for a second before turning the station on the TV to the science channel. This kid really was the quintessential geek.<\/span>
\n
\nI shook my head, \u201cNo, not really. Why?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cAh, well you just seemed the athletic type, being a jock and all.\u201d He gave me a snarky roll of his eyes before continuing, \u201cIt\u2019s fairly nice to hike up there sometimes. Hell, if I was half the friend to Elliot that I say I am, I should haul his ass up there for a bit. I know he could use the companionship. I sometimes worry \u2018bout the guy, ya know?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhy? You think he\u2019ll go all postal one day?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cNah, nothing like that. He\u2019s to empathetic to go postal. He\u2019d feel it way too much, ya know? But he\u2019s definitely got a fairly lonely existence. Sometimes I\u2019ve spotted him sitting out along the stands in the stadium \u2013 just drawing a bit in that sketchbook he carries around in his backpack while he eats his lunch. You know, way away from everyone. Serious loner stuff. And he\u2019s a really great guy. I mean, I\u2019m not going all gay for him, but he really is very smart and has a twisted as fuck sense of humor. I enjoy his company when we do get a chance to talk. I think he just is thankful that he has someone at school he can relate to a bit. I just can\u2019t imagine how going to a school that holds nearly seven hundred kids and he\u2019s only got pathetic me to chat up every now and then. Sad, really.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cMaybe I should remedy that, then? I mean, if he\u2019s as cool as you say he is.\u201d <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cYeah, well, Elliot\u2019s right on that score, bud. It\u2019s one thing if the horn-rimmed math geek gets caught chatting him up from time to time. I mean, no one really pays any attention to math geeks unless its the jocks picking on \u2018em because the gay kid ain\u2019t around to bag on, ya know? For you, it\u2019s a whole other thing. He\u2019s right. It wouldn\u2019t work out. Just the way it is.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cYeah, well, they don\u2019t know dick about me.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWell, at the risk of pissing you the fuck off, it wouldn\u2019t matter. This shit\u2019s bigger than the both of us. Always has been, always will be. Ya know?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI had to shrug at that. I knew the playbook about Jocks and inter-class social associations. The shrug was a requisite at this point if I was to maintain any credibility. Nothing but a pure acknowledgment of the rule book we both were playing by.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cI guess.\u201d <\/span>
\n
\nI had more than my fair share of intel on what I wanted on Elliot. Fuck me, when I thought on it, I\u2019d hit the mother lode. I mean, now I knew where he lived. If it was where I thought it was, then I was in fucking hog heaven. I never drove out that way and I was kind of glad that the Impala I had back home wasn\u2019t quite ready for her first run on the road since I\u2019d rebuilt her engine. I still had a few things to fix on her before I got her that official armor of black paint to make her just as bad-assed as the Winchesters\u2019 car on Supernatural<\/strong>. From the time I saw the first episode I was hooked and that car is what did it: full on classic muscle car. I could only hope Elliot would like riding around in it.<\/span>
\n
\nI looked at my watch; it was still early but I should head out anyway, didn\u2019t want to over-stay my welcome. \u2018Sides, I had an itch to scratch that had Elliot\u2019s home address written all over it. I needed to get out there and see if I could sort out where he was. My heart was racing with just the prospect of seeing him this afternoon.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWell, I better get going. I got some errands to run before I get home and hit the homework.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cYou leavin\u2019 already?\u201d Kevin asked as he came back from the kitchen. He had a grin on his face so evidently he was in tight with his latest conquest. And here I was, pining over the gay kid on campus. <\/span>
\n
\nHow fucking upside down is that?<\/em><\/span>
\n
\n\u201cYeah, I think I better. I got some shit I gotta take care of.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cDon\u2019tcha mean, someone to take care of?\u201d Kevin snickered and suggestively mirrored his younger brother\u2019s salacious expression a few moments earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brothers, I got it, more than they knew.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cJesus, Kevin, give it a break. Not everyone in this world thinks with his dick like you do,\u201d Greg moaned.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re teenaged men, dip-shit. Even you think with that pencil sized piece you\u2019re packin\u2019 ,\u201d Kevin retorted.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cStill a heap bigger than the thimble-sized chubby you try to force on your latest conquest,\u201d Greg volleyed right back.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cReally, guys? Is this gonna end with each of you marking your territories by pissing here?\u201d I countered to the both of them.<\/span>
\n
\nThey both looked stunned that I\u2019d insert myself with this very familiar form of brotherly love.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201c\u2018Sides, I\u2019m the one with the monster cock in this room so I got you both trumped,\u201d I said as I started to walk towards the front door.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cYeah, right,\u201d Greg huffed as he slipped back down onto the sofa. I reached the door and Kevin took the knob from me and held door open.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cNo. He\u2019s right, lil\u2019 brother. Even with both our cocks, this guy would still beat us.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI stopped at the door and just wiggled my brows at them both. Kevin chortled a bit. Yeah, I knew he\u2019d seen the python I got going because of the showers. Hell, even Beau stacked up short against the stallion.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cFuck me,\u201d Greg snorted. \u201cHow\u2019s a geeky brother gonna get laid if we got Godzilla dick out there banging around?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWait \u2019til Marco roars. Then you\u2019ll see \u2018em run. That\u2019s when we bag \u2018em, lil\u2019 brother.\u201d We fist bumped as I ducked out hearing Kevin laugh as he started to shut the door.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cLater, Sforza!\u201d <\/span>
\n
\nI just waved a hand without looking back as I got to the family Audi. I had a certain someone I needed to find: a certain boy who had my heart, a certain boy who I was more determined than ever to find my way into his arms. And I knew, I just knew, that I\u2019d gained an invaluable ally in Greg Lettau. He was my key. I only had to find a way to get him to help me out. But I\u2019d get to that later. I had more pressing matters on my mind just now.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet, that love they had for one another had to shine through, as evidenced when Greg moves off to grab his jacket and Kevin has a moment to speak with his teammate Marco giving Greg some Jock attention. Although, even in that, Kevin is clear that Greg can never know how he truly feels about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I said was that there was an opportunity to redeem yourself tonight. A few of us are going to the Hut for some pizza. You should come along. Make up for your serious fuck-up this afternoon.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI scratched the back of my head considering it. I did have some homework to do, but it was a Thursday night. I guess it would keep until the weekend. I looked at Greg for a moment. His eyes kept conveying to me I had no way out on this one.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWho\u2019s all gonna be there?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin shrugged, \u201cBeau, Willem and Mack and their latest squeezes, I guess. Fuck all if I know. I just know the guys specifically asked that you come along for dinner at the Hut.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cHow\u2019d they know I\u2019d be here?\u201d I thought it was a valid question. It seemed to irritate Kevin a bit though.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. Maybe because they\u2019ve seen you becoming besties with Greg here.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nFuck, now I had the geek kid rep to deal with.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cOn one condition.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin stitched his brow, unsure of what was going to come out of my mouth next. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhassthat?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cI want Greg to ride shotgun.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nGreg looked like he was about to shit a brick over that one. \u201cWhat? Hey, you can leave me outta this \u2026\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin chuckled, \u201cIt would be a bit odd to bring my kid brother along. Might make it a bit awkward for him, too. \u2018Sides, I get enough of his lip as it is \u2026\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cNot an option,\u201d I dug my heels in. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cDude \u2026\u201d was all Greg said as he sighed and shook his head. I didn\u2019t care. I needed an ally if I was going to walk into dealing with that suspicious crew.<\/span>
\n
\nI collapsed on the sofa between them both. \u201cSorry, bro.\u201d I mumbled.<\/span>
\n
\nKevin quirked an eyebrow at that. \u201cYou two want to get a room or something? I mean, don\u2019t let me stop you from your budding bromance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg blushed a bit harder than I thought he needed to. Evidently, he was a bit sensitive about the whole being thought of as a fag thing. But I guess when you weren\u2019t a jock, then you might have cause to be a bit sensitive about it. I observed Greg\u2019s eyes darting to me to gauge my reaction. I didn\u2019t have any, not really. I wasn\u2019t one to harbor weird shit like oh don\u2019t say that, it offends me \u2026 <\/span>
\n
\nPlaying football or hell, any team sport, tended to thicken your skin pretty damned quick or you were out on your ass. Tom Hanks said it best, even if the quote was about baseball: There\u2019s no crying, none. Well, maybe if you lost an important game, but even then you cried your ass off silently, under the shower where no one else could see. I knew the drill. A little bromance joke would accomplish nothing to get under my skin. Only Greg couldn\u2019t leave a line like that dangling without a proper sibling response though.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWell, at least I\u2019m smart enough not to go out with the likes of you. Speaking of which, how\u2019s things with Suzy, lately?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin\u2019s smirk faded quickly. His gaze became far more pointed. I still didn\u2019t know what Greg had done but whatever it was, it had\u00a0 to\u2019ve been big.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhatever, little brother.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cUh-huh, that\u2019s what I thought.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI looked at my watch: five fifteen. \u201cSo what time are we supposed to be there?\u201d I looked over at Kevin.<\/span>
\n
\nHe shrugged, \u201cI guess around six or so. No one really said.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI chuckled, \u201cYeah, that figures.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI spared a beat while we all watched Guy Fieri chow down on a sandwich that looked like it would guarantee a heart attack just by inhaling the fumes let alone macking down on it like there was no tomorrow. I slapped Kevin\u2019s leg as I pushed off the sofa.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m gonna go home and get sorted. Meet ya there?\u201d <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cSure thing.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI turned to Greg, \u201cWanna tag along?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nGreg\u2019s eyes darted to his brother\u2019s \u2013 a beat. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m thinking of taking the Impala out for her maiden run.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nGreg face lit up with that. I\u2019d been telling him about it from time to time so he was eager to see what I\u2019d done so far. I already sensed that Greg had a hard-on for the muscle car I was working on. The fact that I\u2019d even suggested that he could ride shotgun on her maiden ride seemed to put him to the edge of cumming all over himself. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cFuck, really?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI nodded, \u201cYeah, no time like the present, right?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cRight on \u2026\u201d He got up and made his way down the hall to his room. \u201cGive me a sec to grab a jacket.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nAfter he\u2019d disappeared Kevin watched me with a greater interest. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cThanks, bro.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cGreg. I bag on his ass a lot but, and I\u2019ll kick your ass if you ever say that I told you this, but I love the little douchebag. It\u2019s sorta cool you giving him some attention. It wouldn\u2019t mean half as much if it came from me. Big brother n\u2019 all.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI stretched, then shrugged, \u201cNah, it\u2019s cool. He\u2019s a great guy. But dude, I so gotta do something about pulling him outta his math geek shell. Dude will never get laid if he keeps going the way he\u2019s goin\u2019.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin chuckled a bit loudly at that as Greg emerged from the hallway.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019d I miss?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cEh, it\u2019s nothin\u2019,\u201d Kevin offered, a smirk still coloring his face. I couldn\u2019t help but smile the tiniest bit as well.<\/span>
\n
\nGreg stopped dead in his tracks. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cOkay, what the fuck? Out with it. Somebody said something about me and now you both are grinnin\u2019 like you just put one over on me. So what gives?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I shook my head and approached Greg. I put a hand on his shoulder and started to guide him out the front door. <\/span>
\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s nothing, bro. Let\u2019s get a move on before the team has another whine session about my blowin\u2019 them off. Say good-bye, Kevin.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nKevin shook his head and grabbed the remote from where Greg had unceremoniously dumped it. \u201cGood-bye, Kevin\u2026\u201d he snorted at the two of us making our way out the door.<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhatever, bro. You both are acting weird,\u201d Greg murmured as I guided him out to the family Audi sitting in front of their house.<\/span>
\n
\nGreg could be like a pit-bull with a thought. As soon as he closed the door to the car he was on me with it. \u201cSo what did that fucktard of a brother really say?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nI chuckled, \u201cThat really does get into your shit, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n\u201cWhat? Kevin? You have no idea.\u201d <\/span>
\n
\nHe shook his head as he put on his seatbelt.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

But it was more than just how they bagged on one another. You had to feel the thread of love that ran through it all. For that I had to stop, close my eyes and shut out the world and just listen to those moments I spent in their house, listening and observing them being themselves.<\/p>\n

Greg told me that he was making a bit of progress with Elliot regarding the jocks on campus. I asked him to work on getting Elliot talked into going out for the tennis team like I\u2019d overheard that one morning. That proved to be a little tougher to work out. Elliot seemed open to the idea of playing. He told Greg he would get into that part of it, even enjoy the tournaments he\u2019d have to go to. All of that seemed okay. Only one thing he couldn\u2019t get around. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a jock. That\u2019s what he can\u2019t wrap his head around,\u201d Greg admitted to me at one of my after school visits at his place.<\/span><\/p>\n

He seemed particularly worried about how I took that update. I had to admit, it didn\u2019t suit my fancy too much. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that mean he\u2019s not going to do it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Without directly answering, Greg flipped to one of the food networks where we watched some blonde chef boozing it up while throwing some cans of soup on a chicken breast and calling it cooking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I want to know is, why is it so important that he go out for the team?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh, jock? Something in common between us? Any of this ringing a bell for ya?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, okay. I getcha there. I thought of it, too, ya know. But I dunno, Marco. Elliot\u2019s got a weird streak when it comes to guys like you. And before you go off half-cocked, you gotta realize he\u2019s been harassed and belittled for several years now by guys who became jocks. It\u2019s a learned response. He sees the danger and rightly goes the other way. It\u2019s how he\u2019s survived. Of course he\u2019s gonna rail against becoming one of you, even if it\u2019s a game he really likes to play. It still involves becoming one. He\u2019s having a real hard time getting around that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I sighed, running my hands down my face. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cForget it. This whole thing is bat-shit crazy\u201d I got up and began to pace around the living room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s bat-shit crazy?\u201d Kevin walked in through the front door. \u201cDude, where the fuck were you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Confused, I looked around me, \u201cUh, I think that\u2019s fairly obvious. Been here, pencil-dick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg snorted at that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I see, but you were supposed to be down at the cliffs with the guys, asswipe. We missed you out there. You know \u2013 some quality bud time? And I find you here, holed up with my geeky kid brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWow, fucktard, way to feel the brotherly love\u2026\u201d Greg deadpanned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not like that, dick scum. I mean that Marco knows what team building is like. We do some social stuff together, too. This was one of our days to blow off some steam and he wasn\u2019t anywhere to be found. So not cool, Sforza. So \u2026\u201d he plopped his massive frame down on the sofa and grabbed the bag of chips Greg had thrown on the table between us, \u201c\u2026what the fuck, bro? How does my brother rate when your teammates are having a rather illegal kegger out along the cliffs?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, that\u2019s a great place to serve alcohol illegally to a bunch of dumb jocks. Let\u2019s give guys who are hormonely challenged and mentally deprived and have them imbibe along a precipice that\u2019s only a hundred forty feet above the ocean. Yeah, sign me the fuck up. Fuckin\u2019 YouTube heaven, that shit is,\u201d Greg tossed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a bunch of dumb jocks,\u201d Kevin groused leaning in toward his brother to press his point.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen your grades; your position in this debate is questionable.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

He grabbed the chips from his elder brother. I sat back down and watch the sibling rivalry play out, thankfully obscuring my social faux pas. Kevin had the right of it though. I should\u2019ve been out with the guys. Only this whole Elliot thing really did a number on me. Even while I listened to Kevin and Greg verbally pound on each other, a small sense of gratitude moved through me that I had a bit of time to sort out my shit. It did give me some concern that I hadn\u2019t handled all of this with any degree of grace. I needed to get my game face on.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s moments like that I tried like hell to capture about these two remarkable boys from my past. Vibrant young men, each of them comfortable in their skin, but they never made me feel less because I was the queer kid. It all just … was. So how do I not run the risk of pissing them the fuck off? Mostly because I did change up quite a few elements about them for the work. My Greg and Kevin Lettau are not the actual Lettaus by a long shot. There are very similar threads, but by and large they are of my own making. As I said, an homage to who they were\/are from my youth.<\/p>\n

So Greg, don’t know what you’re up to. Don’t know where life has taken you and how it’s all panned out for you, but just know, that some small thread of you, some essence I observed and committed to memory, lives on and bears your name. It’s not you. It was never intended to be you. It was simply my way of acknowledging to the world what great guy I thought you were back then. No page can truly capture your dry wit, and plucky bon monts. That part is wholly you. I’m just winking in your direction and saying, “Thanks, for all of it.”<\/p>\n

Until next time …<\/p>\n

– SA C<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Your Art Truly Imitates Life … Character creation has never really been an issue for me. Having played so many of them on the stage over my half-century of being on this planet, I have pulled upon so many threads of the people I’ve met and crossed paths with. My high school drama teacher […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[377,552,94,261,48,229,216,234,199,198,3,693,145,18,325],"tags":[68,269,825,824,67,543,267,823,66,400],"class_list":["post-2030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-authors-voices","category-book-promotion","category-characters-reimagined","category-geeking-out","category-giving-back","category-imitation-as-flattery","category-journey","category-language","category-male-feelings","category-men","category-novel-writing","category-podcast-show","category-words-have-power","category-writing","category-young-adult-realities","tag-angels-of-mercy","tag-art-imitates-life","tag-brotherly-love","tag-diary-of-a-quarterback","tag-elliot-donahey","tag-family","tag-greg-lettau","tag-king-of-imperfections","tag-marco-sforza","tag-secondary-characters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/AoM_DoaQb_100dpi_MasterFront500x750.jpg?fit=500%2C750&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75tPU-wK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":665,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=665","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":0},"title":"My Character’s Meanderings… the road less traveled","author":"S A Collins","date":"August 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Character Meanderings -or- How all the planning in your life can't prepare you for the surprises your main character has in store for you... It goes a little like this... You never really know what surprises are in store when you write a novel (or a series - like I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Characters Reimagined"","block_context":{"text":"Characters Reimagined","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lovely footballers going at it...","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/feature18-300x137.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":350,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=350","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":1},"title":"The Half-Boyfriend… we’ve all been there…","author":"S A Collins","date":"July 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"31 Days of Brannan...\u00a0Day 2 \u00a0 Today's Playlist: \u00a0Half-Boyfriend \u00a0 [embedplusvideo height=\"329\" width=\"400\" editlink=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1obgakr\" standard=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/_7CDT820D7c?fs=1&vq=hd720\" vars=\"ytid=_7CDT820D7c&width=400&height=329&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=1&autoplay=0&react=0&chapters=¬es=&lean=1\" id=\"ep1613\" \/] \u00a0 So here's the song that crystallized it for me. It made me a bonafide Brannan-ite (?), Jay-Fan (??), I'm gonna need help with that one. There's gotta be a marketing moniker\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Inserts Itself"","block_context":{"text":"Life Inserts Itself","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=43"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":533,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=533","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":2},"title":"A gift that keeps on giving… thoughts on writing","author":"S A Collins","date":"July 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"31 Days of Brannan - Day 17 \u00a0 [embedplusvideo height=\"329\" width=\"400\" editlink=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1mZRPjd\" standard=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/VrTWJtibG9s?fs=1&vq=hd720\" vars=\"ytid=VrTWJtibG9s&width=400&height=329&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=1&autoplay=0&react=0&chapters=¬es=\" id=\"ep4081\" \/] \u00a0 Today's Playlist - \u00a0Desert Rose \u00a0(work in progress) \u00a0 I think I am fond of this entry for two reasons. 1) It's a work in progress - writing my own series of novels\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Giving Back"","block_context":{"text":"Giving Back","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=48"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jay's Website - jaybrannan.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/JBbanner-300x249.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1754,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=1754","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":3},"title":"A BIG Heaping Serving of DC #AWESOMESAUCE","author":"S A Collins","date":"May 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A BIG Heaping Serving of DC #AWESOMESAUCE So I am all about DC Comics. Don't get me wrong. Marvel, Dark Horse, etc. \u2014 they're all worthy publishers of great comics. I am a comic geek from way back \u2014 back when TV's were in black and white and the family\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fan art representing the AWESOMENESS of JASON MOMOA as AQUAMAN!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/jason_momoa_as_aquaman_by_vshen-d7yncgx-708x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=2206","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":4},"title":"It’s All Joss Whedon’s Fault …","author":"S A Collins","date":"July 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It's All Joss Whedon's Fault ... \u00a0 Okay, maybe not totally. I can't put the blame on someone because they created something they were passionate about. But what art does, if it's at its best, is to inspire other artists to create. So, in that case, it is totally Whedon's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/BuffyReunion.jpg?fit=840%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/BuffyReunion.jpg?fit=840%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/BuffyReunion.jpg?fit=840%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/BuffyReunion.jpg?fit=840%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2039,"url":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=2039","url_meta":{"origin":2030,"position":5},"title":"Wonder Woman, The JLA and Why Comics Matter To Queers","author":"S A Collins","date":"July 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Wonder Woman, The JLA and Why Comics Matter To Queers \u00a0 San Diego Comic Con JUSTICE LEAGUE Trailer Release [embedplusvideo height=\"367\" width=\"600\" editlink=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/29Y5ZQ4\" standard=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/gglkYMGRYlE?fs=1&vq=hd720\" vars=\"ytid=gglkYMGRYlE&width=600&height=367&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=1&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=\" id=\"ep7655\" \/] \u00a0 So this is an impromptu entry. Just something I felt\u00a0 I had to write about with Comic Con coming to a close\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Characters Reimagined"","block_context":{"text":"Characters Reimagined","link":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wonderwoman-firstposter.jpg?fit=810%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wonderwoman-firstposter.jpg?fit=810%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wonderwoman-firstposter.jpg?fit=810%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wonderwoman-firstposter.jpg?fit=810%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2030"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2037,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030\/revisions\/2037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}