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I recently remembered a book about the Revolutionary War that I had read about forty years ago. I wanted to reread it, but didn't remember the title or author. I plugged in a few keywords: older brother dies, stolen cow, father killed, etc. Up it popped on my first try. Only $3 on Kindle.

Wow!
Dirk

My current WIP is a supernatural thriller that revolves around the Catholic Church, and I'm writing it as a Catholic-friendly story. They are my primary target audience. I include some necessary violence (it's about the Apocalypse), very little cursing, and no sex to get the widest possible Catholic audience. A reasonable minimum age for reading this story is probably about fourteen, the same age as the central character.

All that being said, I do include a struggling gay priest, Father Romano, who's trying to live by the rules. For those not aware of it, Catholicism considers homosexual acts to be mortal sins that can lead to hell. Their view is that gays and lesbians are to be treated with the same respect due anyone else, provided they refrain from homosexual acts and relationships. In other words, hate the sin, love the sinner. Based on the Catholic forum I follow, I suspect many Catholics aren't even aware of that the Church draws a distinction.

I have an important scene between Romano and his former lover of ten years. The Church became aware of his relationship and he was forced to choose either the Church or the relationship. He ultimately chose the Church for a number of reasons, including for the sake of his own soul. Book one actually opens with a prayer by Romano asking God to strengthen his resolve, although I don't reveal until later what he was actually praying about.

Eventually, the distraught former lover shows up and tries to convince Romano to resume their relationship. The conversation goes badly and Romano tells him to leave and never come back. The lover then commits suicide, and Romano blames himself. He'll confess all this to a fellow priest and they'll discuss the impact that the suicide will have on the lover's family.

I'm concerned about the impact this scene could have on young closeted homosexuals. Even non-Catholics struggle with this when coming of age. I can only imagine how much harder it is for Catholic teenagers. Along comes my book and tells them that, as Catholics, they have to live a lonely existence (gay men aren't even allowed in seminary schools anymore due to the abuse scandals), and, if they can't handle that existence, one option is suicide.

Aside from discussing the impact of the suicide on the family, is there anything more that I can add that addresses this topic realistically (unfortunately, the suicides do happen) without leading anyone to think that suicide is a reasonable option?

Regrettably, in an unrelated but important scene, a Satanic being reminds a cardinal that the Church teaches that committing suicide out of fear of unbearable suffering does not preclude the victim from heaven.

Thoughts?

Thanks
Dirk

I have a question about how to write the usually involuntary reactions that POV characters have when surprised by something. It includes things like eyes going wide, eyebrows shooting up, eyes popping open, etc. Some writers have told me to write them like so: he widened his eyes, he raised his eyebrows, he opened his eyes. Others, though, recommend: his eyes went wide, his eyebrows shot up, his eyes popped open, etc. I tend to lean toward the latter approach since they are essentially involuntary reactions.

Thoughts?

Thanks.
Dirk