On Orestes Dizon

I've been stuck for the longest time on my current writing project. It's the third volume in my series of young adult novels. Years has passed in real time since the first book was published, but in the timeline of the narrative, it has only been a matter of weeks.

Since I started writing the series, I've got lots of feedback from readers. Most of them positive, some not quite so. Which is just as well.

Anyway, clearly one of the crowd favorites is Orestes Dizon. Orestes Dizon is the son of a senator, and he's gay. He's in the closet because of his particular position among his peers, and he's finding it harder and harder to deal with dealing with public perception and his personal feelings.

What I find problematic about his character is that I'm really not trying to say anything about any LGBT issue. I don't want his story to be an LGBT crusade for acceptance or for gay marriages or whatever. I just want a character torn between his public persona and his private life.

Anyway, one time, I was browsing through the internet, and I saw a meme showing Disney princesses as hipsters. This led me to a link that shows Disney princes as sexy beefcakes (naked, save for the occasional loincloth).

Which got me into thinking, "Hey, the next Disney prince should be gay."

Which I think is a brilliant inspiration for Orestes Dizon.

At the heart of my narrative, Orestes Dizon IS a Disney princess/prince. He's an idealized / idolized person, he lives in his own fairy tale.

Despite JC Penney's initiative to redefine the family, I don't think Disney will be coming up with its own gay Disney prince soon. So, I humbly take on this challenge.

What if the next Disney prince is gay?

I suppose, we'll all have to wait until I'm done writing "DIRT" to find out.

EXCERPT - DIRT - The Not Quite Unreal Finale

[EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT from my next novel, "Dirt: The Not Quite Unreal Finale". DIRT is the third book in a series of novels, and is currently under production. As the final manuscript has yet to be delivered and approved by my publisher, things can still change, scenes can still be deleted and/or rewritten. I'm sharing this particular scene only because I feel like I owe my readers the assurance that the third novel IS definitely coming out anytime soon. All rights belong to me as author. Thanks. Please share your thoughts at the comments section. ]

               The elderly doctor side stepped to let the three other passengers of the elevator out. Odd how they looked to her like they were in a race, trying to overtake the others. Which they sort of were. Astrud would want nothing more than to be the first person Mitch would see to enter her hospital room. She didn’t know why the other two were trying to get there first, though.

                For his part, Orestes had always been Alpha Male. A well meaning but misplaced sense of protectiveness towards his classmate was driving him to half run towards the room Michelle Lim was confined in. If his people were correct, she was still in a coma, really, there was no need for him to hurry. Never the less, once word that the Lims have started to allow visitors, Orestes insisted on being one of the first in the room. No one gets ahead of Orestes in anything, after all, and that was just how things are.

                Jason Lastimosa, of course, was running for an altogether different, more intimate, reason.

                His phone rang while he was in the shower.

                “It’s your phone,” the woman yelled. “Pick it up.” It was her house.

                Jason Lastimosa grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. There was no need for modesty, he had just been fucking the woman on the floor before he went to take a shower. Which was precisely why he needed a shower.

                His pants were under her bed. He kneeled to reach for the ringing phone inside one of the pockets. It was his classmate Astrud.

                “Where are you?”

                “Home,” he lied. “How is she?”

                “They’re letting people in now. Pick me up. Let’s go together.”

                Jason wanted to argue; he didn’t like how bossy Astrud sounded. He never liked how bossy Astrud always sounded. But he’d been dying for any news about Mitch, and people would wonder what he’d be doing there without any of their common friends around.

                “Ok, I’ll pick you up. Text me where you are.”

                Jason dropped the call. The woman came back, and wrapped her arms around him. “Who was that?”

                “I have to go,” Jason answered.

                The woman frowned. She was at that delicate age of narrowly being able to pull it off and looking ridiculous for pouting. “Stay. I’ll make dinner.”

                “I really can’t, ma’am. My mom’s looking for me,” he said. He was getting good at lying.

                The woman detached herself. She flopped on her bed, and crossed her slender legs in the way she knew men want. “Half an hour more, please?”

                “I really can’t.” Jason started putting his pants on.

                “15 minutes?” she asked. He had his socks on.

                May Belle bit her lip seductively, and looked at her student straight in the eye.

                “OK, maybe 10.” Jason unbuttoned his fly.