The Third Taking Lance Story (WIP)

Lance Scott - 'Borrowed' From a Review

I am currently working on the still-untitled third story in the Taking Lance series. The first two stories, Taking Lance and Keeping Lance, centered on Rick Preston, a much older man, who wanted - and ultimately fell in love with - his much younger former stepson, Lance Scott. Lance was eighteen in Taking Lance and twenty-one in Keeping Lance. Rick was forty and forty-three.

Rick and Lance got their happily-ever-after at the end of the second story. I refuse to be one of those authors who gives a couple a HEA only to come back later and cause problems simply to continue writing about them. They may be making quick cameos in future stories, but I assure you that these two won't be breaking up and then coming together again. I'm an avid reader and that's a major pet peeve of mine. I want my HEA, and once characters get it, leave them in peace. Please.  

In the third story, there are a couple of things that need to come full circle. I could have let things go but I chose not to. You're saying "But you just said..." Yes, I know what I just said. Rick and Lance are fine as a couple. Really. They are only in the third story for a little while. They don't break up. They don't have problems. You don't have to read the third story to see something major in regards to them. Their story is complete... honestly. They are a happily committed couple and I'm leaving them that way. I love those guys. I won't be hurting them.

However, there are two men in Keeping Lance who demanded their story be told. The first one is Marc Parker, Lance's former boyfriend. If you read Keeping Lance then you know that Marc caused more than a little trouble for Rick and Lance. There were reasons behind that and they are explained in his own story. Then there is Travis Jordan. Travis was only supposed to be a minor character in Keeping Lance. Rick got a little, um, wild one night (Lance was not in the picture at the time) and hooked up with some folks (yes, folks, as in plural). Travis was one of them. That scene was written with Travis only in a few pages and then I went on to finish writing the story. But Travis kept bugging me.

I was at the "send the story to the editor" stage. I had typed "The End" and had done my own self-editing again and again. All I had to do was send the manuscript to my editor. I couldn't do it. There was something about Travis that demanded I give him more page time. So I went back into my already completed manuscript and changed the scene with Rick a bit and showed the readers a small glimpse of Travis the person, not just a random hook-up of Rick Preston. I knew he would have his own story someday but I had no intention of making his love interest Marc Parker.

Marc was not a nice guy in Keeping Lance. He had his reasons but he was still the cause of a lot of conflict and pain. I had to make him a likable character. If you only knew how much I adore Travis, you would know that Marc better be a good guy to be worthy of him. I may have only published two stories so far, but I've written dozens. Travis Jordan is probably my favorite character ever. 

So, I took this sweetheart character (Travis) and put him with a not-so-sweetheart character (Marc). I'm going to hope I do both guys right in the end.

The first two stories in the Taking Lance series can easily be classified as erotica - Bi-Erotica. Rick is bisexual and there was quite a bit of male/female sex going on, on top of the man on man sex. Travis and Marc's story will be strictly M/M. There will be no bi-action going on and the M/M sex will not be on almost every page. The sex is there, and it's more than a little graphic, but this story is more about the two characters involved. Travis has a sad back story and there will be a bit of focus on that. Marc's back story will be told as well, and this leads to why he had to do what he did with Lance before. You can read it as a standalone, as I am hoping to cover the first two stories without being overly wordy, but I do suggest reading Keeping Lance if you want to know more about them, especially Marc.

Want to see my inspirations for Travis and Marc? The blond cutie is Travis (who is twenty-three in the story) and the other is Marc (who is twenty-five). I know Marc's inspiration is much older in the real world, but hello! Look at him. *grin*

I do not own the photos, nor do I own the photo of 'Lance' at the top of this post. 'Travis' was sent to me by my friend when I described him to her and the photo is dead-on for who I see in my head when I write about Travis. He's supposed to look young for his age.  I found 'Marc' by accident and knew that was my man. 'Lance' was on a wonderful review of Taking Lance, and seriously? I couldn't have found a photo that was more Lance than this one.



I am amazed daily by the amount of success my series has had so far. I do next to zero self-promotion (I suck at it) and I've not pushed either very hard. But yet, both stories are doing quite well. Thank you all for that. I promise to try to put myself more out there.

I hope you have enjoyed my stories so far and that you enjoy those I publish in the future. If you are a reviewer and you are okay with the bi and gay thing, by all means, contact me. I'm open to providing review copies as long as the reader/reviewer is open to the types of stories I write. I write what I enjoy writing (gay, bi, hetero - I'm not limited), so if you are anti-anything, my stories won't be for you. 

- Candi