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Posted

Alright, alright.  I've been busy.  And I'll probably stay busy.  But I do have a chapter done.  I'm not sure if I should post it now, or wait and post it with it's companion chapter.  

 

Although I would prefer a new chapter now, it might be better to wait if it one of those serious cliffies.  I just might say something I MIGHT regret.  As much as I love this story you could NEVER satisfy my need for Granger.

Posted

Although I would prefer a new chapter now, it might be better to wait if it one of those serious cliffies.  I just might say something I MIGHT regret.  As much as I love this story you could NEVER satisfy my need for Granger.

 

Jimmy, can you say fickle?

Posted

Jimmy, can you say fickle?

 

I'm not fickle.  No one compares to George.  The only thing I was wavering about was my fear of saying something I shouldn't when we get one of those steep cliffs with no softening or escape in sight for another 3 or 4 weeks.  

Posted

MAN! I can't believe you waited until I'm ten minutes from rehearsals to post it. GAWD! This creates noticeable vacuum!

Posted

An excellent chapter. I was able to listen in pieces between rehearsals. Actually I just couldn't wait.

Now, this is not the first time this has been suggested as I recall. He was asked about this by the ambassador on his trip home I think when war with Spain was eminent.

 

It would have to make you wonder though what would make it worth it to them? There certainly has to be more at stake.  So the question is really what to they stand to gain with such a payout. And will granger be able to parley naval supplies from therein port if he agrees? Granger doesn't know he has one more ship in his little fleet yet either. So there is a third option. Let the prize crew escort the Galleon and allow the Santa Clarita to accompany him on his way to his final destination. Perhaps the col will accompany him and Granger can give him command of the little merchant ship and he won't lose any of his staff.

 

What ever happens, its gonna be good.

Thanks Mark. I really needed this fix.

Posted

It would have to make you wonder though what would make it worth it to them? There certainly has to be more at stake. So the question is really what to they stand to gain with such a payout. And will granger be able to parley naval supplies from therein port if he agrees? Granger doesn't know he has one more ship in his little fleet yet either. So there is a third option. Let the prize crew escort the Galleon and allow the Santa Clarita to accompany him on his way to his final destination. Perhaps the col will accompany him and Granger can give him command of the little merchant ship and he won't lose any of his staff.

The ship Calvert captured is a coastal trader and does not have the fire-power to protect a Galleon. With the San Augustin having been sunk, the only ships capable of protecting a Galleon from pirates. Of course, it is assumed the Viceroy's offer includes both guarantees of the safety of both frigates from the Spanish and resupplying them in Manilla if needed. I hope the Viceroy has the authority to replace the idiot in control of Valdivia, but at last that is not Granger's worry any longer.
  • Like 1
Posted

The ship Calvert captured is a coastal trader and does not have the fire-power to protect a Galleon. With the San Augustin having been sunk, the only ships capable of protecting a Galleon from pirates. Of course, it is assumed the Viceroy's offer includes both guarantees of the safety of both frigates from the Spanish and resupplying them in Manilla if needed. I hope the Viceroy has the authority to replace the idiot in control of Valdivia, but at last that is not Granger's worry any longer.

 

You raise an issue that would probably weigh on the Spaniards.  Simple pirates probably would have a battle to take a galleon, because they're quite stout, with reasonable armaments, but a well-armed privateer may be able to do it.  

Posted

Another great chapter that was well worth the wait, although another Granger fix soon would be appreciated...  I have to say this is just the best series online for me...

 

I can't imagine a reason that Granger would not accept the Viceroy has made.  It would make Granger and the others wealthy beyond what most of them can even imagine...  I would think the Admiralty would treat this as if they captured the ship and the prize money would be divided as such but maybe Westie or someone else can add something about that...

 

I have to wonder if there isn't something else behind the Viceroy's offer???  I wonder if he knows something that Granger doesn't; after all he seems well versed in Granger's mission...  I wonder if other ships are lying in wait between Lima and Manila?  Maybe the ties between Maidstone and the East Indian Co are more extensive and more is going on then Granger or us are aware???  If Granger makes the deal to protect the Spanish ship; you can bet that he won't allow another ship, even a British one to intercept it...

Posted

I can't imagine a reason that Granger would not accept the Viceroy has made.  It would make Granger and the others wealthy beyond what most of them can even imagine...  I would think the Admiralty would treat this as if they captured the ship and the prize money would be divided as such but maybe Westie or someone else can add something about that...

 

I have to wonder if there isn't something else behind the Viceroy's offer???  I wonder if he knows something that Granger doesn't; after all he seems well versed in Granger's mission...  I wonder if other ships are lying in wait between Lima and Manila?  Maybe the ties between Maidstone and the East Indian Co are more extensive and more is going on then Granger or us are aware???  If Granger makes the deal to protect the Spanish ship; you can bet that he won't allow another ship, even a British one to intercept it...

 

The reason I don't think it wise for Lord Granger to take this offer is that it can easily be seen as giving aid to the enemy.  Also since the money is a payment for a service wouldn't got to the government instead of the ship and crew?  Since it is not captured, I don't see the money ever going to the ship/ships.

 

I agree that Granger needs to find out how the Don's know so much about his mission.  Everywhere he goes, Granger is running into the enemy that seems to know virtually everything about his mission.  Let the conspiracy theory begin.

  • Like 1
Posted

I know you are excited about the start of a new story.  I love your writing and I like the CAP series, but I don't care much for some of the people that dominate the forums of the CAP series.  Having said that, I like the series even if I don't comment much.

 

The Granger stories are harder to write and require a lot more effort, I understand that, but I have to ask something and I hope it doesn't get me on the shit list.

 

Can we expect to ever see Granger back on a schedule we look forward to? 

  • Like 1
Posted

9.11 was my Spring Break effort.  I'm going to try to get George back on a regular schedule, but I have some real-life time challenges facing me right now.  I'll see what I can do.

  • Like 2
Posted

9.11 was my Spring Break effort.  I'm going to try to get George back on a regular schedule, but I have some real-life time challenges facing me right now.  I'll see what I can do.

Don't sweat it.

 

You gotta go where the flow takes you, but more importantly, I'd rather have a quality chapter than a rushed one.  It will be all the more pleasant when its done.

Posted

You? Real life challenges? I thought you had it on Easy street Mark. Being the prof and all, that usually means you have someone to give your lectures, someone to grade homework and all you had to do is point and prop your feet up. You mean you have real challenges? Like where will you get your starbucks latte when your intern goes on vacation?

 

Go figure. ;)

Posted

Mark, we always want a Granger fix; a chapter a day wouldn't be enough for me but I do understand real life does sneak in and cause issues.  You have to have your schdedule that fits your needs.  We will bitch and moan but wait faithfully while you get us the next chapter of this amazing story...

  • Like 1
Posted

Hey there's no syndromes going around right now it's all good! George will just have to find a hot guy and hit the beach for a month, and then he can come back to his boat :D

  • Like 1
Posted

I came looking, but again not finding anything new for us Granger freaks.  Those CAP weenies seem to get all the love.  Granger is not even a red-headed step child, he's blond.    :,(

 

I'm being over dramatic, but I just wanted to offer a gentle reminder that some of us love our fearless captain. :hug:

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

In response to similar whining from my Yahoo group :D , I posted this update:

 

 

Here's the deal.  Granger's character and his scenarios require a lot more thought and planning than the CAP series.  The time differential makes it less natural, and simple things that I might say in every day conversation (like 'network') simply  won't work there.  

Ponder this.  I have Granger traversing the Pacific.  If I have him stop at an island, which one (get out map, look)?  Does it have water? (search Wikipedia).  Has it even been discovered yet? (Wikipedia and beyond).  And if he lands there, are the natives going to fuck him, or kill him (like James Cook)?  

It takes time, and this is a hugely busy season for me.  I am pretty much tied up until the end of May, so whatever I can write is something that I've eked out in my spare moments.  

With that being said, what I've found is that by having a new CAP story, it's actually fueled me to focus on Granger more, not less.  It's an interesting paradox, and I'm not sure I've figured it out yet.  In any event, I've roughed out the next two chapters, and those will work their way through editing at various stages.  They'll get posted probably within a week or two, and then we'll go dark until June.  

Edited by Mark Arbour
Posted

Mark, Quality creates its own demand.

We've become a fast food society. Spoiled by instant almost everything. I confess, I never thought about the possibility of an island not yet having been discovered, let alone the possibility of inhabitant hostilities. It sounds like it could easily become a research nightmare. And the Pacific has it own flukes as far as natural ocean currents, storms and hisacanes. You also have the warm waters coming north and the arctic waters coming south and the mess where they meet and go further west like an express current. Now if you get an Easterly wind and a strong westerly current you have undertoes, whirlpools and waves that would swallow you and pull your ship under. The Pacific is a mixed bag, not neat and orderly like the Atlantic where things are pretty much a constant and predictable. The Pacific is also a lot less explored at that point in time too.

 

Add the human factors of the characters and then add in a storyline with a mission and I'm truly amazed at the amount of words you manage to crank out monthly. I too get a little jealous when I see a CAP chapter posted. But I try and put it in perspective and just know that when it does come out it is such that CF Forester's work looks like Curious George and the man with the yellow hat by comparison. And I know it must be irritating for you sometimes. But for us, its just that damn good and that's why we whine. If it wasn't the absolute best out there, you wouldn't have the whiners. (I'm included in that statement.) I know that sometimes I do it too. It can be a fine line between being a fan and being a troll.

 

We just love it and want to squeeze every word we can out of ya. It IS an addiction. So try not to get too frustrated with us. Just smile and know that you've kept it 'that' good. And no matter how long it takes to build a chapter, they are SO good that you'll still have readers. Look at Cosmie, a year and a half to two years between chapters on some of his 60 open stories. But his fan base just keeps growing.

 

Thanks for making them so good.

r

  • Like 1
Posted

I'm really glad that we will be getting some Granger love soon.  I apologize for my whining.  It won't happen again.

 

You are a great author Mark and like Ricky said it is a story that we know is difficult and time consuming to write.  Having said that, I know I am guilty of whining and as I said, it won't happen again.  In my defense, I see the Odyssey forum without any entries and my simple mind thinks that maybe just having something in the forum will help speed a story along.  Again as I said I am sorry.

  • Like 1
Posted

I'm really glad that we will be getting some Granger love soon.  I apologize for my whining.  It won't happen again.

 

You are a great author Mark and like Ricky said it is a story that we know is difficult and time consuming to write.  Having said that, I know I am guilty of whining and as I said, it won't happen again.  In my defense, I see the Odyssey forum without any entries and my simple mind thinks that maybe just having something in the forum will help speed a story along.  Again as I said I am sorry.

Jimmy I didn't mean to imply that you were anything but a hungry fan like the rest of us. And I do the same, make a gentle comment just to let him know we're still here.

 

And yes, I'll be on it like a hungry hooker facing foreclosure doing a hundred dollar bj.

;)

  • Like 2
Posted

And yes, I'll be on it like a hungry hooker facing foreclosure doing a hundred dollar bj.

;)

 

Damn, inflation is a bitch....

Posted

Damn, inflation is a bitch....

Ain't it though? At least its not taxed . . . yet.

Posted

Having all the time in the world (hint) to reread (again / hint) all the books of the series. I noted that Lord Chartley left for Amboyna in a fast Sloop around about the 22/23rd of March.  Sir Tobias also left in a fast Sloop, but on or about the 20/21st of May. Barring a mishap, that should give Bertie about 2 months to wrap up his dealings. Unless you kill him off, he will get to see the Earl again and return home as a really wealthy man. Or be be kept on as Governor and become a really,  really rich man. Question, would not Sir Tobias send Bertie back as soon as possible after he replaced him. George won't get there any time soon.

Posted

Having all the time in the world (hint) to reread (again / hint) all the books of the series. I noted that Lord Chartley left for Amboyna in a fast Sloop around about the 22/23rd of March.  Sir Tobias also left in a fast Sloop, but on or about the 20/21st of May. Barring a mishap, that should give Bertie about 2 months to wrap up his dealings. Unless you kill him off, he will get to see the Earl again and return home as a really wealthy man. Or be be kept on as Governor and become a really,  really rich man. Question, would not Sir Tobias send Bertie back as soon as possible after he replaced him. George won't get there any time soon.

 

Only the King can order Bertie home.  Maidstone left England with a mandate from John Company, and as such may be de jure governor, but until letter's patent catch up with him, he does not yet have the authority of the King.  He cannot order Bertie home; only take over as a Governor with similar authority to a manager.  He has, for example, complete control over the affairs of the Company (effectively 90% of things), but things done in the Kings name - the Judiciary being a prime example - are not within his purview without th Letter's patent with the seal of the Privy Council.

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