Team Recognition Month

[Mark Arbour]

I posted this in the team recognition thread, but I think it is worth repeating here.

 

I was pondering that over the past four and a half years, I've written over 4,000,000 words.  That's a lot of freaking words.  I've also won three GA Reader's Choice awards for best story (Bloodlines, 2009; Millennium, 2010; and Paternity, 2012), a Reader's Choice award for best villain (Neil, Man In Motion, 2009), and a Reader's Choice award for best protagonist (George Granger, Bridgemont, 2011).  Those are pretty big achievements.  This thread gives me the opportunity to point the credit for those not to me, but to my team. Without them, I doubt I would have been able to write a fraction of what I've done, and I'm damn sure I wouldn't have won a single one of those awards.  They are the wind that blows my writing frigate forward:

 

Sharon:  She fixes my grammar and spelling, and while she doesn't say too much, when she does talk, she does so with meaning.  She's reeled me in from some major plot and character disasters.  But she's also a friend, and I know that she's got my back. 

 

Jeremy (Methodwriter):  Jeremy gives me lots of ideas.  I use a few of them.  He keeps an eye on my lingo and the culture of the era, letting me know when I'm being anachronistic.  He's always willing to do research if I need him to, and he does a lot of legwork with the timelines for my stories.  He's also taken over music recs for my stories, which I enjoy, and he's started a thread for faces for my characters, which is one of my favorites. 

 

Adam Phillips, George Richard, Jay (not on GA), and Harry Grace (not on GA) give me a lot of support behind the scenes, sometimes involving details, sometimes just strong encouragement. 

 

Peter A. Nonymous (not on GA) is another key member of my team.  Peter takes my stories and really pores over the details, looking for inconsistencies, and for things that just don't make sense.  He's the guy who calls me on the impossibility of leaving California at 9:00AM and landing in New York for a lunch meeting. 

 

Dr. Peter Anderson, who gives me fantastic medical advice for my characters.  I think the scenario he built for me for Matt in Bloodlines was just amazing.

 

A newer member, Daisy139, has an extensive knowledge of the figure skating world.  She and Jeremy have worked diligently to help me work out a career for one of my characters (JJ Schluter).  She's so pleasant to work with, and she has such good ideas about skaters who are fuckable. 

 

For my last story, JCashell was fantastic, filling in details on Harvard-Westlake.  He's busy with real life, and I don't have a character in that school anymore, but I appreciated the help he gave me. 

 

I think it would also be totally unfair to not mention all the feedback I get from my readers in the forums or reviews.  So many times, they've given me ideas or input that just made a story work.  And so many of them have been willing to help me out, responding quickly to my PM's begging for information.  Whether it was Centexhairysub on kinky shit, or PrivateTim on waterpolo, or Westie on how British aristocrats comport themselves, to many others, they've been incredible. 

 

To all of you who have helped me out, I bow and remove my hat with a George Granger-esque flourish and salute you.
 

Edited April 21, 2013 by Mark Arbour

[methodwriter85]

Jeremy (Methodwriter):  Jeremy gives me lots of ideas.  I use a few of them.  He keeps an eye on my lingo and the culture of the era, letting me know when I'm being anachronistic.  He's always willing to do research if I need him to, and he does a lot of legwork with the timelines for my stories.  He's also taken over music recs for my stories, which I enjoy, and he's started a thread for faces for my characters, which is one of my favorites. 

 

Thanks, Mark. I remember someone made fun of me for obsessing over whether or not something was said by teenagers in 2000, but...well, that's kind of what my part in your team is about. I have this strong sense of change over time, and I'm fascinated by how trends and culture evolve.

 

It's a weird thing with me. Name me a year after about 1954 and I can tell you something about the year off the top of my head, either an event or a song, or some trend.

 

It's been a blast, even when we've butted heads about stuff. As a history guy who bemoans the dearth of good soap operas, I'm glad that I get to read a historical one on nearly weekly(sometimes daily) installment.

 

A newer member, Daisy139, has an extensive knowledge of the figure skating world.  She and Jeremy have worked diligently to help me work out a career for one of my characters (JJ Schluter).  She's so pleasant to work with, and she has such good ideas about skaters who are fuckable.

 

She's been a blast to work with. I loved her input that helped create the Tiffany/Amber Corwin scandal. I'm grinning with delight at what it'll be like when we can start having JJ butt heads with Johnny Weir. Dear god, the fur will fly. LOL.

Edited April 21, 2013 by methodwriter85

[centexhairysub]

Mark,

 

  Your two series are about the only ones that I faithfully follow online anymore for a variety of reasons.  I periodically will say something about those that support you in one of my reviews or post but it is nice to see what each of them do for you on a regular basis...  I love to see Sharon's comments in the forum or on the rare times she does a review; and when she responds to something I write, I float around all day like well a fairy...  LOL...  Jeremy does something that you did mention that I really enjoy and that is the music recommendations for the chapters.  I know this is something that is more his deal than yours per se but it is something that I really enjoy and I know it is time consuming but it is greatly appreciated.  Sometimes the song he selects for a paticular scene will actually change or alter how I view the scene when I go back to re-read the chapter. 

 

To everyone else that helps in whatever capacity a big THANK YOU, without all of the support that each of you gives, Mark would not be able to keep the output level that he does or the level of quality.  You are all the BEST...

[GLH]

Here, here!