Carl Accolla

Leonard in the Prada suit and Elijah suddenly forgetting how phones work... yeah, Jenny saw that correctly. Really enjoying the way this is written.

OK, you've got my attention.

I’m with @Gary L here. I didn’t find it especially sad by the end, more like relief after years of polishing the lie. And @Jeff Burton may have nailed it: if we’re going to live with regrets, they should at least be honest ones.

I’m not sure leaving is the brave choice here. Kent calls it protecting them both, but it also lets him avoid finding out whether they could have built a life beside each other without crossing the line.

@centexhairysub @Daddydavek @Cane23 I might be wrong, but I'm side-eyeing the bank more than the Yoders at this point. Pushing the auction before all the lenders are lined up doesn't sit right with me.

"Go put ice on that, you fucking idiot." That's annoyingly adorable.

"That person is funny." Four years late, but Riley finally got the compliment.

Margot breathing internally made me laugh. And I’m already looking forward to seeing what Ryder considers “something nice.”

Poor Levi. He finally starts feeling attraction and it's attached to exactly the wrong surname.

I’m not sure James is currently in a position to offer anyone the gift of good judgement.

What team are you currently on? Harry is currently on all three and pretending he isn’t. 🐕 #TeamGoldenRetriever 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #TeamMarriedScot 🛋️ #TeamHarryNeedsTherapy I’m not saying there’s a wrong answer, but there definitely is.

I’ve just created The Harryverse, a new shared world. Salt and Stone is Book 1 of a 2 part Harry Ellis series. Then, several major characters will also have shorter books of their own, exploring their lives and backstories.

Oh yes, we have a long way to go, don't worry! Maybe get the hankies though 😉

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Maybe James did. C11 is coming anyway ...

You have picked up on several interesting things. I cannot confirm your theories about Catherine, the marriage or her father, but they are excellent questions, and I enjoyed hearing what you made of it all. Harry ending the call is progress, even if he did spend the rest of the day thinking about it. Your point about James is interesting too.

I think you have Harry in a very interesting place here. Ending the call is progress, although the rest of his day shows that one decisive moment does not change everything. I’m glad Sam is working for you too. She and Emma occupy similar spaces in Harry’s life, but they know different versions of him. The boxes are important, although I’ll leave readers to decide exactly what they say about Harry. Your thoughts about guilt, forgiveness and moving forward are very close to the heart of the story.

Yes, Harry is apparently unaware that telephones work in both directions. In fairness, calling Lewis himself would require him to admit that he wanted to, and avoidance remains one of his more reliable talents.

@Summerabbacat Are you an ABBA fan? My friend who Emma is loosely based on, is a massive fan of ABBA Voyage in London.

Isaac quietly sitting on a pile of photographs feels far too convenient. I don’t trust anyone in this town now.

Harry woke with a dry mouth, a spiteful headache, and the feeling that last night had followed him home. Grey morning light sat across the ceiling, his shirt was on the floor, one shoe had made it under the chair and the other was by the door, and the whole room had the stale feeling of a night gone wrong. He closed his eyes, but the words came back anyway: You’re dangerously close to being my origin story. Not blurred by sleep, not softened by the hangover. He remembered the pavement outsi

This was such a thoughtful read of the characters. I really enjoyed seeing how you connected little details and lines together, especially the "origin story" quote and the "studied carelessness" description. Those are exactly the sort of things I hope people notice. "James is as straight as a curlicue." I'm not saying a word. You're absolutely right that, more than anything else, Harry's biggest obstacle is Harry. Whether or not anything ever happens with Lewis or James, none of it can really matter until he stops defining himself by the worst thing he's ever done. He's been carrying that guilt for a very long time, and it's shaped almost everything about how he sees himself. As for the rest... you'll just have to keep reading.

I love character-driven writing, so this really means a lot. I always hope readers will feel things with the characters so intensely that they almost have to step away for a moment, like waking from a dream. I’m probably explaining that badly, but your comment genuinely got to me. Thank you.

I only went camping once, with the Scouts, and I hated it. I don’t remember sleeping at all. I just lay there for most of the night, staring at my mate in the sleeping bag next to me and wondering how anyone could look so cute while being comfortable sleeping on the ground. He was straight, of course. They always seemed to be back then, and you couldn’t exactly ask. I also managed to lose my grandad’s penknife while I was there. My mum had given it to me to use, and I remember searching everywhere for it, getting more and more desperate as it became obvious I wasn’t going to find it. I felt awful having to tell her. It probably wasn’t worth much, but it had belonged to him, and that made it feel irreplaceable. Forty years later, I still feel guilty whenever I think about it. So perhaps that one camping trip explains more than I realised. A lot of my writing seems to come back to the same things: longing for straight men, wanting what I can’t have, and carrying unresolved guilt around for decades. At least I’ve finally found a use for it all. 😂🤣😩

The Jim Trott/Vicki Pollard comparison has absolutely finished me. Harry would be appalled by it, naturally, while continuing to speak in exactly that fashion whenever a handsome man asks him a direct question. I really enjoyed reading this because you have put your finger on the central problem with Lewis here: whatever is happening in his marriage, he is the one repeatedly creating intimacy with Harry and then retreating from it. Harry is not responsible for untangling Lewis’s sexuality, marriage or courage for him. “Shit or get off the pot” may not be elegant, but neither is straightening someone’s collar while waiting for your wife to collect you. Your point about Catherine is interesting too. Her knowing Harry’s name clearly changes the temperature of the scene, but I’ll stay carefully quiet on what she does or does not understand. I also like your distinction between attraction and suitability. Harry may want Lewis, but that does not automatically mean Lewis is capable of offering the kind of relationship Harry actually needs. James feels safer because his affection is open and easy, though whether Harry is reading him correctly is another question altogether. Harry does have a remarkable talent for misunderstanding men in both hopeful and catastrophic directions. No actual spoilers, but I will say this: several people in this chapter are making assumptions based on incomplete information, and those assumptions are going to matter. Can't wait for your reaction to some upcoming chapters, especially C9 and C21 😉