From the Drawing Board

[JamesSavik]

I've got a couple of projects under development. So far, I'm having a blast with them and they are moving right along.

 

Five Star

The highest rated quarterback prospect in the country pays his own way and walks-on at a fictional SEC University that hasn't seen gridiron glory in decades. He's actually a shy country boy who is mystified by all the hoopla and has to learn fast about the rewards and pitfalls of fame. He told the coaches to use the scholarship to get someone who is really good. Our football hero, is surrounded by his old and new friends who are charmed by his naivety, idealism and plain old common sense. I don't really want to call this a comedy, but it sort of... is.

 

Initiation Weekend

This is a sequel to Boyfriends for Christmas. Set six months after at the end of the school year, RJ, Rowdy, Travis and some new friends go through Initiation Weekend, a local custom created by parents to keep end of school parties under control. The incoming freshmen and senior boys are paired up by their peers and put through exercises to foster teamwork. Their friend David, who will be a junior, has made sure that his friends are paired up with seniors who have something to teach them.

 

This doesn't mean that I'm not still banging away at The Company and Operation Hammerhead. I plan for spring updates to both stories.

[lawfulneutralmage]

How much time do you devote to writing per week?

[JamesSavik]

2 minutes ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

How much time do you devote to writing per week?

A few hours every day, but it depends on what else is going on.

[JamesSavik]

From Five Star:

Quote

Aaron Blake coming to Big Red had been a huge surprise for everyone. Although he was a five-star quarterback prospect, he had shown no interest in the big-name football-factory programs that had talked to him. Some speculated he wasn’t interested in playing college ball. Big Red hadn’t even tried to recruit him. Much to all concerned parties' collective amazement, sports press, coaches, and fans alike, Blake showed up on campus, paid his own tuition, and walked on!

When Big Red offered him a scholarship on the spot, he told them to use it to get somebody “who was really good.” Coaches only have luck that good once in a blue moon, via witchcraft or serious NCAA violations.

With Aaron Blake around, the talk centered around football and the team's chances. This year, Big Red drew Alabama and LSU, whom they hadn’t beaten for decades, Auburn, who they might beat in a good year, from their division, and Florida and Georgia from the East. Thank goodness for Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt. A bowl might just be possible.

One of the Sigmas asked, “Why did you come here? You could have gone anywhere.”

Aaron Blake sighed, “My granddad went here after the Korean War, and my dad went here before he joined the Army. We used to go to games, watch them on TV, or listen to them on the radio. Dad got killed in Afghanistan when I was eleven, so I think he would be pleased I’m here. The way I did it, I got to play for my favorite team.”

One of his Pikes asked, “Will you play any?”

Blake shrugged, “I’m a true freshman. I doubt I’ll see the field for years.”

Someone said, “No way. You’ve got to be better than Crenshaw.”

“Matt’s the starter, and I still have a lot to learn. We open against Georgia a week from Saturday, and I’m just fine with watching. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to try, but ouch! Their defensive line is huge.”

There was laughter, and somebody said, “I think we beat them once a hundred years ago.”

Hunter noticed one of the kids in the crowd was covertly using a cell phone to record the conversation. He unobtrusively moved into his field of view and continued to block him as the conversation continued.

Someone in the crowd asked, “So there’s no way we win?”

Blake replied, “We’ve got to respect the conference royalty, guys. Georgia and Bama are in contention for the national championship almost every year. Oh, sure. They lose a game here and there, but they’re bigger, faster, and stronger than us at almost every position. We’ll sure try, but unless Coach has an unnatural pact with the devil or bought a big industrial-sized can of Voodoo from gypsies, it’s probably not going to happen. We’ll play, do our best, and hope we learn from it and nobody gets clobbered too bad.”

Aaron had his fans rolling with laughter, and the pesky camera guy tried to shove himself into a better position.  Others noticed, and annoyed hands shoved the guy out of the conversational nook, and he took off.

Hunter said, “That’ll probably be on SportsCenter by morning.”

Sure enough, it was.