Ahead of the Curve the story of a retired widower and the fifteen-year old granddaughter of his neighbor. The two are drawn together during a difficult situation, and, growing closer, they struggle against emotions and responsibilities and risks as their relationship grows.

If you, the reader, are unwilling or unable to read about adult-teen sexuality and other controversial and possibly troubling concepts, or you don't feel you wish to challenge some of your thoughts on these subjects, please read no further: You likely won't enjoy this story and there are thousands upon thousands of other stories out there which contain subject matter you'll enjoy much more.

Still here? Great! As the author of these stories, I want to reinforce to the reader that this is all fantasy. Many of the negative and otherwise damaging consequences of the acts herein are never encountered by the characters as they would be in reality. I generally enjoy reading, and writing, stories in which the participants struggle with conflicting emotions about the events within and then find ways to enjoy and grow strong from what they have experienced.

My standard note of caution: Don't mistake this for anyone's reality. In the real world, many of the events that follow would probably lead to physical and mental illnesses, unhealthy fixations and addictions, abuse, trauma, and/or prison time for participants. In this fantasy, however, events are allowed to progress without encountering those vastly more realistic outcomes and tragedies.

Ahead of the Curve is told from Darren's perspective. The story starts with Audrey, the granddaughter of Darren's neighbors, arriving for a spring break visit. A series of interactions leads to a quick and unexpected emotional bond between the two, and that bond is further strengthened when a medical emergency interrupts Audrey's stay.

There are expected to be two acts, of sorts, in this story. Originally, this was intended to be a quick short story, no more than 10,000 words. As usual, the characters decided otherwise, and the result is a much longer treatment that I needed to break into chapters and serialized. As the characters and their world developed, it became clear there would be more than the planned idea. Originally, it was titled One Week with Audrey, but the story grew way beyond those few days to fully tell the tale.

So, the first act will be what I'd generally considered to be that 'one week' and the second will be the generally open-ended following chapters which focus on what comes next and the fallout of the events during those early days.

Don't expect the normal flow of my stories here. While there may seem to be 'opportunities' for incestuous scenes, that is not this tale. There is no incest in this story. Also, there are far fewer sex scenes than most of my works. The story is more about the romance than the sex. It shares the spirit of the story in Semper Fi: a redemptive romance between a man and a teenager, and if you enjoyed that tale's romance and character development, I hope you'll appreciate that here.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the series. Use the contact form below to let me know what you think.