Timothy M. Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Maybe I could reproduce the way you see it: first page displays the books of CAP series chronological, when I go to the second page, The land whore appears there. When I then go back to the first page, the books are listed alphabetical. Hey, I think you figured it out. When you first click on the CAP link, the stories are chronological. BW is on page 2, only you can't see it. When you go to page 2, they reorder alphabetically, so TLW ends up on page 2, and it looks like BW isn't on the list and TLW is on twice. What a weird glitch. Thanks! I feel a lot better now. I think it's part of a general GA story list glitch. If you go to Favorite stories and select various criteria (eg Adult, Complete, Romance) you get a list with the stories fufilling those criteria. However, as soon as you try to go to page 2 of this list, it reverts to the full story list. 1
Popular Post centexhairysub Posted February 1, 2016 Popular Post Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) Hi, I know that a couple of you have contacted me individually to see if I had heard anything from Mark and I had not but that changed today... Instead of trying to reply to each of those that contacted me I thought I would put a reply here... Did not get much information other than Mark is doing great but just exceptionally busy. Did not get any hint of when a new chapter would be due. Mark has written quite extensively for several years with very few breaks in posting. I hope that he gets back on schedule but I think we are all going to just have to take a deep breath and have a lovely cup of tea while we wait for him to get back to the stories. If I get any additional communication, I will let everyone know... Edited February 1, 2016 by centexhairysub 7
Headstall Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Hi, I know that a couple of you have contacted me individually to see if I had heard anything from Mark and I had not but that changed today... Instead of trying to reply to each of those that contacted me I thought I would put a reply here... Did not get much information other than Mark is doing great but just exceptionally busy. Did not get any hint of when a new chapter would be due. Mark has written quite extensively for several years with very few breaks in posting. I hope that he gets back on schedule but I think we are all going to just have to take a deep breath and have a lovely cup of tea while we wait for him to get back to the stories. If I get any additional communication, I will let everyone know... Thank you, centex... it's kind of what I figured, but still, an element of worry creeps in... I'll have that tea now... 3
Kitt Posted February 2, 2016 Posted February 2, 2016 Hi, I know that a couple of you have contacted me individually to see if I had heard anything from Mark and I had not but that changed today... Instead of trying to reply to each of those that contacted me I thought I would put a reply here... Did not get much information other than Mark is doing great but just exceptionally busy. Did not get any hint of when a new chapter would be due. Mark has written quite extensively for several years with very few breaks in posting. I hope that he gets back on schedule but I think we are all going to just have to take a deep breath and have a lovely cup of tea while we wait for him to get back to the stories. If I get any additional communication, I will let everyone know... I am sure we can all be patient as long as we know Mark is ok and has not forsaken us. Thank you so much for taking the time to alieve our worries 1
jack.unders Posted February 2, 2016 Posted February 2, 2016 When I began reading this series, I thought, "3 million words? Ha! That is plenty to read!" I thought it would be a while before I reached the latest book and chapter. But I got so sucked into the first story, that before I knew it I was done with it. Realizing how quickly I could go through these books, I decided to slow down... to savor each book, chapter, and word. Alas, even doing that, I am now on Millennium and I can expect to soon reach Black Widow. So in preparation for that day I run out of chapters to read, what ways can y'all suggest so I can cope _______________ What I have been doing is going back to read the chapters again. Sometimes starting with the very first chapter, sometimes others that are my favorites. I am amazed that I discover little things I missed with previous reads. Nevertheless, with each read, my admiration and respect for Mark's writing talent grows exponentially. Jack 1
Popular Post centexhairysub Posted February 3, 2016 Popular Post Posted February 3, 2016 Mark sent this out to his yahoo group this morning... Just wanted to post it here as well, he may do so as well but... Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'm in relatively good spirits, but I've just had some work issues that have absorbed my writing time and motivation. New responsibilities, new semester, new challenges, so all good, but that has sort of left me a burnt out shell in the evening. My mind migrates towards brainless video games or apps, as if it craves something easy and routine to do. I'm sorry to leave you hanging, but I will write when I can, and I actually do have a few chapters in progress. There is hope. :-) Mark Arbour 8
Headstall Posted February 3, 2016 Posted February 3, 2016 Mark sent this out to his yahoo group this morning... Just wanted to post it here as well, he may do so as well but... Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'm in relatively good spirits, but I've just had some work issues that have absorbed my writing time and motivation. New responsibilities, new semester, new challenges, so all good, but that has sort of left me a burnt out shell in the evening. My mind migrates towards brainless video games or apps, as if it craves something easy and routine to do. I'm sorry to leave you hanging, but I will write when I can, and I actually do have a few chapters in progress. There is hope. :-) Mark Arbour Thanks, centex... the man needs a break... he's certainly earned it... 4
Northern Dutch Guy Posted February 8, 2016 Posted February 8, 2016 Mark sent this out to his yahoo group this morning... Just wanted to post it here as well, he may do so as well but... Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'm in relatively good spirits, but I've just had some work issues that have absorbed my writing time and motivation. New responsibilities, new semester, new challenges, so all good, but that has sort of left me a burnt out shell in the evening. My mind migrates towards brainless video games or apps, as if it craves something easy and routine to do. I'm sorry to leave you hanging, but I will write when I can, and I actually do have a few chapters in progress. There is hope. :-) Mark Arbour Hi Mark, Good to hear you're still alive and kicking and that not something real bad happened. Sometimes work and especially workissues can indeed drain you of your energie so you feel like burned out. Dear Mark, doing mindless stuff can be fun but will it help you get you out of this situation ? Mark you are very good in writing characters/stories. So maybe do as your characters in your stories. Get out of your chair, go to the gym, call a friend, go out a (blind) date Do something that gives you new energie and that will lift your spirits. Just for yourself. For you're worth it. Oh and yes, there are some CAP and Bridgemont junks... like me ... who want the 'old Mark Arbour' back ASAP ingood health. 1
Coastguard Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Well, I've decided that all my posturing is to no avail, and therefore have decided to re-read CAP from the very beginning. It truly is amazing how much I missed the first time around. I'm really enjoying it, and willing myself to keep skimming at a minimum! Edited February 16, 2016 by Coastguard 3
Headstall Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 Well, I've decided that all my posturing is to no avail, and therefore have decided to re-read CAP from the very beginning. It truly is amazing how much I missed the first time around. I'm really enjoying it, and willing myself to keep skimming at a minimum! Someday, I would like to do that too... 2
impunity Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 I tried and got stuck halfway through TLW. It's my least favorite book. I will probably pick it up again at some point. Although, I did just reread everything from Bloodlines (minus The Box), so I just have to fill in the gaps. 2
Headstall Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 I tried and got stuck halfway through TLW. It's my least favorite book. I will probably pick it up again at some point. Although, I did just reread everything from Bloodlines (minus The Box), so I just have to fill in the gaps. I read "Bloodlines" twice, and then went back to check something, and ended up reading much of it again... 3
Coastguard Posted February 23, 2016 Posted February 23, 2016 I just finished the first CAP story. Amazing the things I had forgotten: how great and sad to read about Andre; to enjoy Jeff (why don't we hear the snaugh any more?) who, IMHO, I think was JP's true love; and oh yes, of course, there was Stefan (SUCH a little slut!). We were introduced to Tonto, that great lady; and discovered that Bill Hendrickson was JPs biological father. Brad made his debut, JP married Isidore, and adopted Ace. I wonder why, when there was such a fuss made about Ace then, we hear very little about him now. It was also interesting to read some of the reviews, and how disturbed most (including me) were at the couple of chapters depicting torture and forced sex. Interesting also to witness how Mark's writing style has evolved in five years. 3
Headstall Posted February 23, 2016 Posted February 23, 2016 I just finished the first CAP story. Amazing the things I had forgotten: how great and sad to read about Andre; to enjoy Jeff (why don't we hear the snaugh any more?) who, IMHO, I think was JP's true love; and oh yes, of course, there was Stefan (SUCH a little slut!). We were introduced to Tonto, that great lady; and discovered that Bill Hendrickson was JPs biological father. Brad made his debut, JP married Isidore, and adopted Ace. I wonder why, when there was such a fuss made about Ace then, we hear very little about him now. It was also interesting to read some of the reviews, and how disturbed most (including me) were at the couple of chapters depicting torture and forced sex. Interesting also to witness how Mark's writing style has evolved in five years. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I recall all of that now that you posted this, and I remember how sad I thought Jeff's story was.... 1
methodwriter85 Posted February 23, 2016 Posted February 23, 2016 I just finished the first CAP story. Amazing the things I had forgotten: how great and sad to read about Andre; to enjoy Jeff (why don't we hear the snaugh any more?) who, IMHO, I think was JP's true love; and oh yes, of course, there was Stefan (SUCH a little slut!). We were introduced to Tonto, that great lady; and discovered that Bill Hendrickson was JPs biological father. Brad made his debut, JP married Isidore, and adopted Ace. I wonder why, when there was such a fuss made about Ace then, we hear very little about him now. It was also interesting to read some of the reviews, and how disturbed most (including me) were at the couple of chapters depicting torture and forced sex. Interesting also to witness how Mark's writing style has evolved in five years. 1. Andre was a pretty cool character. BTW, Mark wrote that he was supposed to look like Bernardo in West Side Story. 2. I'm pretty sure Mark has kept in the "snaugh" thing. I could've sworn that he wrote people observing Matt Carrswold and Zach Hayes as "snaughing." And it's interesting to think about how the loss of Jeff still reverberates throughout this story. 3. I always thought it was kind of interesting that as a teenager, Stefan was having sex with both sexes, but after he hit his twenties, he pretty much settled into being a flamingly gay guy. Thank god Mark didn't give Stefan some long-lost kid that he conceived in the 1960's when he was still having sex with women. I'm glad he gave that to Robbie instead, because I really did love Bloodlines. 4. Brad's backstory is pretty fucked up right from his birth. It's a wonder he's even functional as a person. LOL. I did enjoy the Alexandera Billings Carmichael storyline from Millennium- her transferring her resentment of Brad's biological father onto him. 5. Simply put, this is a story of gay/bi men, and as a straight guy, Ace right off the bat isn't going to be more than a supporting character. And as a character, the more we got to know him, the less likable he seemed. Superficially, he's like Darius in having been the fun party guy. But he's honestly not a very nice guy, and he's pretty judgmental. And we have both Jack and Darius as the supportive straight male family members/friends. There's just not that much need for Ace in the story, especially as we've shifted perspective to the younger generation. Will seems like he can barely stand the guy. 6. When Mark started writing CAP, he sped through a lot of it. He would get through a lot of it in a few weeks, or a few months. Once we got to about Millennium, Mark started taking his time with a story, and the writing's gotten a lot stronger. 3
Coastguard Posted February 24, 2016 Posted February 24, 2016 1968 is in the can...a short story consisting of fifteen chapters. I sure got it wrong about Jeff being JP's one true love! How could Jeff destroy his and JP's love for each other? I'd forgotten Stefan had fallen in love with Jeff, who subsequently stole $100,000 from Stefan, and blew it all in Paris. JP buys Escorial, and we meet Sam, JP's new lover. Brad is living with JP, after his mother committed suicide. Jeff, (tragically) died of a heroin overdose...it turned out that Sam and Jason Strubbe were secretly with him when he died. I will probably only write comments on these very early stories...hope you're enjoying them. It's fun for me to renew my own love affair with CAP! 2
impunity Posted February 26, 2016 Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) 6. When Mark started writing CAP, he sped through a lot of it. He would get through a lot of it in a few weeks, or a few months. Once we got to about Millennium, Mark started taking his time with a story, and the writing's gotten a lot stronger. I think the tone of the books has changed, too. The earlier books seemed to be primarily a vehicle to showcase certain historical events through the characters' reactions. The later books seem more about character and plot development with history as more of a backdrop (9/11 excepted, of course). Edited February 26, 2016 by impunity 1
Drew Espinosa Posted February 26, 2016 Posted February 26, 2016 1968 is in the can...a short story consisting of fifteen chapters. I sure got it wrong about Jeff being JP's one true love! How could Jeff destroy his and JP's love for each other? I'd forgotten Stefan had fallen in love with Jeff, who subsequently stole $100,000 from Stefan, and blew it all in Paris. JP buys Escorial, and we meet Sam, JP's new lover. Brad is living with JP, after his mother committed suicide. Jeff, (tragically) died of a heroin overdose...it turned out that Sam and Jason Strubbe were secretly with him when he died. I will probably only write comments on these very early stories...hope you're enjoying them. It's fun for me to renew my own love affair with CAP! Without the drugs and his upbringing, I think Jeff would have been JP's one true love, more so than Stef. Alas, he grew up in an abusive environment and turned to drugs. To be honest, Jeff is my favorite of JP's lovers, even after reading about JP's other amazing partners like Roger and Mouse. I think the tone of the books has changed, too. The earlier books seemed to be primarily a vehicle to showcase certain historical events through the characters' reactions. The later books seem more about character and plot development with history as more of a backdrop (9/11 excepted, of course). While I see that trend, I expect it to slightly reverse, especially in the coming years when the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq start. Or am I completely off the mark? I mean I am still only on Paternity, so I could totally be wrong about that.
Coastguard Posted February 27, 2016 Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) I skipped ahead to If it Fits as I couldn't remember how JP and Stef ended up together and this was the story in which it happened. Cody appears on the scene, (adore Cody!) and became involved with Stef. Very poignant when Stef's feelings were hurt when Bruno spurned him, also how hurt Stef was that Marcel took Bruno's side in an argument. I almost cried (again) when Stef discovered that Greg had been cheating on him for six months before he died. So very sad yet sweet to meet Brian...sad because of how he ended up, sweet because of who he was and how and where he'd grown up. Jumping stories like this showed how much Mark's writing style changed, even before Millennium. I haven't yet had reason to think Ace is a jerk...I'll have to keep reading. It's almost as if I haven't read these stories before...I must have skimmed a hell of a lot in my haste to get to the new stuff! Edited February 27, 2016 by Coastguard 3
methodwriter85 Posted February 27, 2016 Posted February 27, 2016 I think the tone of the books has changed, too. The earlier books seemed to be primarily a vehicle to showcase certain historical events through the characters' reactions. The later books seem more about character and plot development with history as more of a backdrop (9/11 excepted, of course). You're pretty much right.The thing to remember is that in the earlier books, years would pass by. CAP (1962-63), 1968 (self-explanatory), The Land Whore (1973), Be Rad (1980), Man In Motion (1985), A Summer Love (1991), If It Fits (1995), and Bloodlines (1998.) (There's a reason why I thought JJ and I would both be in our 20's at least once!) Every book had a very specific historical event going- CAP had Kennedy's assassination, 1968 had too many count as in real life but specifically the Parisian student riots, The Land Whore had the oil embargo, Be Rad had John Lennon's killing, Man in Motion had the AIDS crisis and also the Challenger explosion, A Summer Love had the fall of the Soviet Union (as well as Jeffrey Dahmer), If It Fits had the O.J. Simpson trial going on, and Bloodlines had the Matthew Shepherd murder. But then Mark decided that, with only about 10 or 12 years of history left, he'd slow things way down, and he'd focus more on developing the next generation. Now that we don't seem to skip any years since 1998, it'd get gratuitous if every single story was pinned around a historical event, especially in years that were pretty quiet, like 2000. (Which had three stories.) I think it works better as backdrop, although I do also really like the historical stuff, especially now that we're in the era where I hit my late teens/early 20's. And hey, there's a lot of great upcoming events for the characters to react to that would make sense for them to react to- gay marriage in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, etc etc. One thing I like is how Mark is subtlety showing us how we're moving on from the pared down feeling of the 90's, with Stefan updating his jet and showing that we're headed into a more ostentatious time period, and JJ noting how pastels seem to be "in", fashion-wise. Welcome to the Bush II years, guys! I do think one thing that would really make sense to cover would be the start of the subprime mortgage crisis, because this family does have some dealing in California real estate. (Although the Bay Area doesn't seem like it was hit as hard as the Los Angeles region, specifically the Inland Empire and the O.C.) I also think there's strong chance we'll see Matt deal with the banking crisis of 2008, since it seems like he'll be headed for finance. (He himself will be fine with his Google stock, but his co-workers probably won't be so lucky) 5
impunity Posted February 28, 2016 Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) You're pretty much right.The thing to remember is that in the earlier books, years would pass by. ... Every book had a very specific historical event going- ... But then Mark decided that, with only about 10 or 12 years of history left, he'd slow things way down, and he'd focus more on developing the next generation. Now that we don't seem to skip any years since 1998, it'd get gratuitous if every single story was pinned around a historical event, especially in years that were pretty quiet, like 2000. (Which had three stories.) I think it works better as backdrop, although I do also really like the historical stuff, especially now that we're in the era where I hit my late teens/early 20's. I had pretty much figured that was a big part of the reason for the change. With only a little more than a decade left to work with, Mark can't really afford large gaps of several years or he risks running out of history and having to start predicting the future. I liked the historical showcasing of the earlier books but it sometimes got in the way of plot and character development. I think that's why I don't like TLW as much: on rereading, it seemed like just a series of guys Stef would meet and inevitably fuck. Eventually it got tedious and I couldn't finish it. I think, also, that post-2000 history is fresh enough for current readership that showcasing of historical events is less necessary. This may be why it's working so well as a backdrop to the more well-developed character interactions. Edited February 28, 2016 by impunity 2
PrivateTim Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 One thing I like is how Mark is subtlety showing us how we're moving on from the pared down feeling of the 90's, with Stefan updating his jet and showing that we're headed into a more ostentatious time period, and JJ noting how pastels seem to be "in", fashion-wise. Welcome to the Bush II years, guys! Pared down feelings of the 90's? The 90's were the roaring 20's all over again. The excesses (Tyco, Enron, Adelphia, Qwest, Global Crossings/WorldCom, etc) happened in the 90's. The Dot.com explosion was in the 90's. It wasn't until the recession of 2001 and the market collapse following 9-11 that a lot of these things were exposed. The convictions happened in the 2000's, but the crimes occurred in the 90's.
ancientrichard Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 Btw, has anyone noticed that Black Widow doesn't appear in the list of CAP stories? They're all listed in chronological order until Streak, then The Land Whore appears a second time. Is this part of the conspiracy? I noticed and wondered if 15 is the maximum number of stories that can be linked like that.
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