Cia

LOL! I know, I know - I tend to torture my characters. With this story though, the angst was mostly 'off screen' since they both had issues before they met that created conflict but nothing big happened during their courtship. I'm go glad that it seems like people enjoyed this, it was a lot of fun to write last week.

I echo Nephy's wish for you wife; I've been through recovery of a sorts for a broken hip and helped patients. It's a tough injury but I trust she will be fine with you by her side. I think that hindsight is both clear and a tad deceptive. We know what happens in events but the choices we make in the moment so often have emotions that just don't have the same impact from the distance of time. I often wonder what I'll think of my life when I look back. Your grace in how you do so is definitely an inspiration.

Thanks for the review Percy. I did just want a nice, easy story for my readers. Glad you enjoyed it.

Ughs... that was a spot I put the story down and then came back to it. I changed direction and marked it, or so I thought. Thanks so much for pointing it out. I try to keep all my details together but sometimes they escape me. I really appreciate readers letting me know if I get something mixed up So glad you enjoyed the story and my writing in general, thanks again for the review!

I'm glad you loved it Daddydavek! I was going for sap and love and well, everyone enjoys a good dose of lust when they first meet too. I just really wanted to write a romance in honor of the coming Valentines Day, I guess, lol. Jerret was a very minor character in Hypnotic so he was perfect to give life to. Thanks so much for the review!

Thank you Dark! I focused on the characters in this story, their romance really is the whole story actually. Jerret and Calix were very vivid in my mind along with their families so I'm glad that came through in the details to you as the reader. As always, love getting reviews from you since you're so specific in what you've liked. Lets me know what I'm doing well! thanks hun!

Jerret took a sip of his soda and set it down. He idly slid his fingers over the condensation on the glass as he stared around the restaurant at all of the happy couples. He was seated at a small table in the back, obviously not a prime date location, which was fine because he wasn't on one. Even if it was Valentine’s Day. Especially because it was Valentine’s Day. Instead of being holed up in his apartment where he'd spent the sappiest holiday of the year last year, he was at the closest rest

Jerret lied to his best friend to get out of dressing up in a heinous Cupid costume by saying he had a blind date. Turned out to be more true than he knew when Calix walked in and asked to share his table. But there was something strange about the male and Jerret didn't believe in commitments or love. Right?

I like the little bits of the family history you wove into the story, that was good. I'm glad Luke had Cathy to come take care of him since it seems like they don't have much family otherwise. I would have liked a better visual of what Luke looked like when he played. Good luck on finding an editor and/or beta. I did see a few places with missing words/awkward phrasing that a team could help you with. The other thing to consider is what pov perspective you are using. I know you're using third person, but are you intending omniscient or limited? If you intend to show all the character's thoughts in the story that's fine, but if you plan to just use one characters at a time, or for the whole story you'll need to consider and revise for the head hopping you are doing between Luke and Cathy. I've found it hard to do but I prefer to use one character at a time when writing to showcase their thoughts and emotions, it's less confusing for readers but ends up just being a style choice an author has to make for their story.

Congrats Nephy!! I'm so glad you found a great publisher (thanks for the tip, looking into them soon) and you've made this step. I've always said you should be published and I'm glad to see it finally happening!

Ah well, I have to do something with the voices swirling in my head don't I? Otherwise I might go insane... or is that insaner? Is that a word? Maybe in one of the worlds in my head, I guess, lol! I'm glad you liked the story, this is one of my favorite genres to read too. I love being creative so writing is a lot of fun; its made better by having such great feedback from readers. Thanks so much for the review!

For you From Me

I like the story, you added quite a bit of emotion to the beginning which is a good way to hook readers. I understand the emotional progression in Luke but the aunt thew me. You said that Luke's mom was cheerful woman always humming. Then you said the aunt was just like her and the beginning introduction about her being happy for him playing seemed to support that. But then you said she was hot headed and never lost a pissing content and her actions over the food/drinks supported that personality. It was a hard mix to pin down her character with because most people's personalities don't shift that fast. I'd just keep an eye on that as you continue the story. Thanks for sharing!

Yes, because obviously without the puppy in the picture we would all run screaming from our computers Silly man, it's a good picture.

Ouch... now that's not cool. That's not a simple emotion of jealousy, that's hurt on top of it. I'd probably slap the crap out of anyone from my hubby's past that had approached me like that, simply because I'm a tad possessive. How much worse do you think it would be if you didn't care at all what they said? I think it'd be way worse. At least it shows you care, as long as you don't go all violent or nasty; jealousy can be healthy to an extent.

Congrats on leaving behind lurker status Chibi! Welcome to the fray! I'm one of the folks you can ask if you have any troubles with GA stories. My pm box is always open and I can usually be found in chat at least once a day. Hi Star! Welcome to GA. Good luck on the new story and thanks for joining!

Hi Terry, thanks for reading and commenting. I do hae notes for this. Currently I'm working on finishing up my one ongoing story and revising and completing old ones. So yes, this will be finished but unfortunately I can't give you a specific date. Sorry I can pm you if you like when it gets updated

Awww, I've been known to crash friend's places for their computers when mine has gone down. Thank heavens for having 2 now! Good luck on your forced break

I like that you left it open about what he was going to talk to his parents about. I don't think seeing Matty's story and knowing what happened to him was his fault, that he was abused that bad by those in his life, would make him want to admit to his parents that he was gay. Maybe he wanted to admit to his part in what happened? That'd be a first way to see if his parents would really react the way he thought. I'm not quite sure how the colostomy fits into the abuse you mentioned though. If the beating occured in the lunch room I can't see him getting that damaged. That was only one small part of the story though, so it wasn't a big deal. This was a nice flash piece, one I could see you put some thought into. Overall, nicely done.

Happy Birthday!!

I'm glad. Thanks so much for commenting and letting me know!

Very few of my stories have characters jumping into bed with each other. Sex has its place but this story it wasn't the point, it was the connection and the draw between two people. Unless I'm writing fantasy I try to hold true to real life when it comes to building relationships between my characters. Most couples don't start as one night stands, after all. I'm glad you enjoyed reading Changing Focus, thanks so much for reviewing!

Awww, thanks! I guess I'm not quite mainstream since I'm bi but on the surface I live the straight life. You know, Josh is my hubby's name, lol. I've read different blogs but I'm not active in this sort of medium myself. Sometimes I comment, sometimes I don't. The C.I.A. jokes are pretty common, lol, but Cia actually comes from my real name; it's Alicia. I've had Cia as part of my nickname since I was a baby and it's just stuck for some people. Though don't think we moms don't have our spy-ish ways... It's our job to know everything, lol. So maybe it fits a bit!

LOL! I was wondering if anyone would point that out. That was really fun for me, a whole different take on the theme. I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the story too, thanks for reviewing!!

Several things made me nod, some made me laugh, some made me frown. I felt like we got to know you better but then you said that honesty scared you... so are you frightened by posting these answers or did you BS us? Oh, and dude, you called me a 'them'! Married, kids... check and double check. That makes me a them? *waaaaah* Do I need a cootie shot to rid me of my apparently bothersome pod person normalcy? You know, so I can be better than a 'them'?