Dom,

I have been an avid reader of yours for quite some time...since your first uploads on Nifty and the Yahoo Group to be exact (which is crazy to think about, because in a month, I'm going to be turning 20). The evolution of your writing is amazing to read...

Fun Fact: For a book report in highschool, I actually convinced my teacher to allow TOU as my book choice (she absolutely loved it!).

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was THANK YOU. While reading your stories, I have laughed, cried, thrown things out of frustration, shouted, and have even fallen in love with some of the characters. Out of all the authors I have read, only a select few can produce such emotions from my hardened interior, and in a way, reading your stories has been therapeutic.

Through the years I have never given thought to send you a message or email letting you know how much I appreciate your writing. I naively thought that since you were so popular, you probably wouldn't read all the raving and praising emails your many fans have sent. Now, as a starting author, I realize how much those thank you emails mean.

So here I am today...after many years of first reading TLW, directly saying THANK YOU.

My boyfriend and I are currently rereading ITFB together, and it has been an awesome experience for him and me. For an hour a day, we sit down at a table and read your stories. We laugh, argue, analyze, pick favorite characters, and discuss possible plots...it has become an extremely rewarding hobby, and we can't express how much we thank you. It has brought us together in so many ways...

So again, thank you. We truly appreciate your hard work.

'lo Dom,

Long time reader... I found you when you were in the midst of your extended leave in fact. I'd like to say that's why I never emailed but like so many others with anything online we look for instant gratification in all its forms and then drift back away to the 'real' world.

So let me just say your awesome.

Your characters are awesome, your stories are awesome, your blogs awesome.

Seriously I cannot count the hours I have spent reading your work, I must have read the log way, desert dropping and the ordinary us 3x at least and everytime I love them. I love how you did a sequel to the log way and yet made it brand new. I go crazy waiting to see what happens between Taylor and Luke, not just because i see more of myself in Taylor than I want too... but because their world just seems to work somehow.

The Other Side of Me seemed to be very different to me, there were elements of horror and suspense that just blew me away. Whilst I will say I loved other stories more, that one was the one that truly had me on the edge of the seat and actually nervous at times to continue reading.

With Trust I re-read when you released chapter 12 and once again captured me and ate into the hours of my day without me even realising. (Spell check says that should be a z, but im English damn it and patriotism stands for something.)

On a personal level, thank you. I found your stories when I had a lot of shit in my head and they were to an extent an escape, to see Quinn running from, and to, Jude. Rory bitching about EVERYTHING and Owens 'new' family just gave me a break and it really really helped.

For every negative email I guess you get 20x as many positive ones. And for every email from every fan there must be at least a dozen who will never say thanks. They will read and they will go away happy and back to their lives a bit more upbeat, maybe a little bit different and maybe even happier with who they are. That's the greatest reward you could ever give anyone and no email can take that away.

Jb x

p.s. chapter 13 yay

foo foo drinks are sooo sweet and yummy. However, they have way more calories, and the whipped cream on top probably has more saturated fat than a big mac.

I think I read in a book somewhere that as a gay man, you have an obligation to start watching those at some point. Let's see, you're 25, that's like gay 35, so it might be time to switch to beer .

Just kidding! I love my daquiris, margaritas, belinis, etc.

I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that you're one of the most beloved gay fiction writers on the internet. Oh, and about what Vic said... beer has a lot of calories too. The best choice is to go to straight vodka.

Wow, Dom, I hope you feel better. You simply can't satisfy everyone. Some people are satisfied only when they have the last word.

Your writing is great and it is improving. Please keep it up. Ignore the naysayers...literary critics and barmaids alike.

Dom,

Ignore the jealous F**WITS you're writing is the most interesting and enjoyable I can remember in years...so much so that the other day I had some spare time in the city and went to an internet cafe and logged on and was rewarded with the epilogue of itfb and chapter 12 of WT. I was late for lunch with a friend who I adore and unfortunately couldn't tell him why because he would think I'm even weirder than he thinks I am now. Thanks Dom you're the GREATEST.

In the past I've received emails from concerned readers, hoping I'm not as twisted as some of my characters.

I get that too. I wonder if people write to the FBI about Agatha Christi since she seems to know entirely too much about murder.

In some of the stuff I write about people criticize the drugs and the violence and whine because there's not a ball bruising sex scene in every chapter.

Some people have great difficulty separating the content from the author. I guess it's like lame-ass Trekkies that go up to William Shatner and call him Captain Kirk.

You can't please them all but you know they are reading even if they are bitching about it.

PS- I was always a margarita or a dacari guy.

I recently discovered your stories, as recent as last month, and I have to say...they are frelling amazing. I've read only TOU and DD so far and i throughly enjoyed every single chapter. There are really no words which can describe how they affected me. They are really really good pieces of writings and Im really looking forward to start reading the others (I just dont want to start them right now with college just writing ill probably spend waaaay to much time reading this than anything else). Well thats all i really wanted to say and to keep up the good work. Stupid people are everywhere, theres no getting around them

Btw, I hate the taste of beer, so i like the "girly drinks" they taste much better and i have fun with em, so frell anyone who says only girls are allowed the better tasting stuff. Bring on the Fuzzy navel!

Thanks for all you do Dom.. BTW, the offer's still open.

Steve3

I'm european. I could drink make-up remover nobody would care if it was in a stylish glass or pint

Hi Dom,

I have been an avid reader of yours for awhile now. Like you my love of internet fiction started with jfinn. I fell in love with the human condition, and went looking for more stories to fill my exsessive reading addiction. I really mean addiction. I have been known to live on canned soup when I had to choose between food and books. Not much comes between me and reading. jfinn opened up a whole new venue for me. I stumbled onto your writting on nifty. I found The Ordinary me and immediately was addicted. Your characters are real and well developed and your plots are entertaining. Seriously, I have read some mass market books that couldn't compare to your stories. I have never posted on here- just not my thing- but I felt that you need to know that people do love your writing and that they touch something inside of us. You have to or we wouldn't keep coming back for more.

As for girly drinks- I agree that they taste better than beer, but I guess my opinion doesn't count since I happen to be a girl...

Thank you for all the inspiring words. I try to be polite to people whenever I get feedback in any way shape or form. I think every so often someone just rubs me the wrong way, and my reaction is to throw a tantrum, which at least makes me feel better, lol.

As for the foo foo drinks, I just love the way they taste like desert and go straight to my head.

Calorie counting?? Yikes! I