Blog 1: The Inaugural Babble

When I first sat down to write, I didn't just want to tell a story about two high school boys figuring themselves out. I wanted to write something that felt real—something that echoed my own experiences growing up as a gay kid in a world that didn’t have characters like me.

My name is Beck Lewis, and as an older gay guy writing my first book, I find myself reflecting a lot on what it was like when I was coming of age, without any representation in books, on tv, or in movies to help me understand what I was going through.

In this blog, I’ll share my journey as a writer, the ups and downs of creating this series, and how my own experiences shaped the characters and themes in the book. It's funny, but sometimes I think if I had seen more characters like the ones I’m writing about—one boy fully embracing his identity and the other still figuring it out—I might’ve had an easier time accepting myself back then. Instead, I often felt like I was on my own in that struggle.

So, in this blog, I’ll talk a little of my own story and the lives I created for my characters, but also the inevitable moment of realizing you're different. It’s not always easy but it’s all part of the journey.