Thanks for your feedback on my last post about possibly starting a blog or book club for discussing BSB fics! It sounds like there are at least a few people interested, so I would love to give this a try.
My working title for this idea is “Flashback Fics.” What I’m thinking is that we could read and discuss one story a month. I only want to include finished stories in this, so we’d be reading mostly older stories, ranging from twenty-year-old classics to more recent stuff. Some months I might just choose a story to feature myself, and other months I might put up a poll and give you guys a choice in what we read. I’m already thinking ahead to themes we could do during different months and getting excited about certain stories I would love to revisit. Eventually I might ask for your story suggestions, too!
I would love your input on how you want this to work. I have two ideas about how this could go:
Option 1: I start the discussion by posting a weekly blog with my thoughts on the story we’re reading that month, and you respond by leaving a comment. Our discussion would take place in the comments section of each post on this site.
Option 2: We use the forum for discussion. I would start a thread for each story we read, and we could all post our thoughts on the story there.
There are pros and cons to each option. The first option may be more convenient because you could stay right on the main site and comment using your site or social media account; you wouldn’t need to create an account on the forum if you don’t already have one. The downside to that option is that it may be harder to follow a discussion in the comment section than it would be in a forum thread. I’m good with either way, but would love to know what would work best for you. Please vote in the poll below and let me know your preference. I’ll go with the majority!
We can start this next month! With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought we could either read a romance or a story involving hearts. I’ve chosen three stories that fit that theme for you to vote on. Read the summaries below and then vote in the poll! You can vote for up to two options.
Cardio by Trinity
Synopsis: When Brian pushes his heart further than it can go, he must face the tragic consequences.
Julie’s notes: This is my favorite of the many Brian heart problem stories I read back in 1999 and 2000. I haven’t read it in years, but I still remember the first time I did… talk about a tearjerker! It’s a short story, only seven chapters – perfect for a short month!
Cover Me With Dreams by Heidi
Synopsis: What happens when your life has been covered with dreams, but your pain is too intense for you to even know it? Will you ever see past the pain and into the dream?
Julie’s notes: This may be my favorite fanfic of all time! It’s a Nick romance with plenty of drama and a great female lead. It’s on the longer side, at around 70 chapters, but absolutely worth the time it takes to read!
Secrets of the Heart by Julie
Synopsis: Brian Littrell and AJ McLean were not the type of men you’d expect to associate with one another. One was a music teacher and a family man; the other made his living in bars and tattoo parlors. Their paths sometimes paralleled, but never crossed… until fate altered the course of their lives. Through tragedy, the two men would meet… to bring justice to a life cut short.
Julie’s notes: This is one of my stories. It’s an alternate universe (AU), meaning Brian and AJ are just regular guys, not Backstreet Boys, and don’t know each other at the beginning. The other guys are featured in small roles, but it’s definitely a Brian/AJ story… and a DRAMA! It’s short compared to most of my “recent” novels, only 25 chapters.
Thanks for your input! Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post!
I would like to read both. I don’t understand the forum concept but like the idea of reading the comments
Would this be like read a chapter and comment? Or read the entire story and comment
You would be able to read and respond to other people’s comments either way, but I think the forum format would be easier than just using the comments section here. Maybe that’s just because I’m more used to doing discussions on forums. It’s easy once you get the hang of it.
I’m thinking if we do one story a month, we would divide the story into sections to read and discuss each week. So if the story was 20 chapters long, we’d talk about the first 5 chapters the first week, then the next 5 the second week, and so on. That’s just my thoughts; we can always do it differently once we try it out and see how it goes.
I’m waiting for your new ER store, Julie!
Thanks! It’s been started, but I haven’t worked on it in awhile. I’ve been writing something else that is also medical-ish. I’m just not far enough on anything to be able to post it with the promise that I’ll actually be update to update it regularly. The ER story will be finished and posted someday; it’s just a side project that I work on when I feel like it.