Mentor

Lincoln Tanner is in a rough spot. He’s trying to heal from a recent loss and come to grips with his own sexuality, all at the same time. It feels like too much, until he finds an unlikely mentor in a close family friend - Dominic. Dominic teaches him well, but when he moves away there isn’t anyone to fill the hole in Lincoln’s life. At least, until Nate comes along. Nate reminds Lincoln of himself at that age, and he’s willing to do anything to help the young man in exactly the way that Dominic helped him so long ago. Approximately 16,000 words. For adults only - explicit content. Q&A with the author: Where did you find the inspiration for this story? From my own life, actually. During the summer before college, I had a friend who found himself in Lincoln’s situation. He was somewhat adrift, but his friends – us – were young and working through some of the same things. We could barely figure it all out ourselves, much less help him. (laughs) What made you decide to write about these events? Did it feel like you were telling your friend’s secrets? No – not at all. We still talk and I asked for his permission, just to make sure. I also dramatized it, of course, because real life isn’t always a good narrative and because anonymity is important. As for why…well, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about those days, and just sort of trying to cement the memories, you know? They were good memories, even though it was a tough time. I wanted to honor that time in our lives. It was a crazy time, but it was ours. And the other young men in this story? Based on real people. I know each of them, and we still try to get together now and then. Final thoughts? Hmm. Mostly, I just hope I’ve gotten the atmosphere right. I hope that readers can understand how much we cared for each other, and how special that time was for all of us. And of course, at its heart this is an erotic story, just like it was an erotic time for us as young men.