Canuk

I agree - this is not about imposing some outdated moral standard, but something that I feel went one step too far. Personally I was laughing and enjoying the story up until where the older man took Will's g-string (or whatever) off and the scene became an underage sex act with him coming on stage. At that point it moved from a kid pushing boundaries to just plain icky. If the story had been, in quick succession: naked on stage/see Grandfather/emabarrassment/leave, it would have worked for me, but from the moment he was naked and using the pole you lost me; my only thought was he's 14. Mark , you are still a great writer and I thoroughly enjoy your writings. And perhaps it's good for you press boundaries every now and again - after all if you don't press them how do we know where they are. For me - this was my boundary and I was as surprised to actually feel this boundary as anything else. I am interested in others' points-of-view. I am a little annoyed at the suggestion that if you didn't appreciate this scene therefore you are against pre-marital sex I agree

I have been on a couple of similar era ships and there is no space! However it seems to be a naval thing: I visited a post-cold-war non-nuclear submarine: I have been in bath-houses that smelled better and were less crowded! And it is not a matter of size (of the vessel, not the men!) I was fortunate enough to be given a tour of the US aircraft carrier John C Stennis. It's huge! but stick 6,000+ crew and pilots aboard and it's bloody crowded despite its size. So perhaps that's the nature of naval living through the ages!!

westie, may I disagree wholeheartedly about your assessment of Will.? If Will did or did not decide to sleep with someone HIV+ it would have nothing to do with any perceived "disrespect" for JP, Steph or anyone else. It would be purely about his own feelings and that of his prospective partner. Will is very level headed, (OK his reaction to events in Paris may be delayed, but so far we have seen no out-of-the-ballpark reaction either way). He knows what he likes and he has obviously had drummed into him the "message" re sex. I know you don't like the "generation" thing, but I must admit that Will as written shows all the admirable qualities of the generation that grew up with a much clearer and more rational view of the epidemic that did so much physical and emotional damage to previous generations. So in answer to Mark's question I think Will would take his prospective sexual partner's status into account in determining what if anything he did, but it would not be the overiding consideration, and it would have nothing to do with the undoubted respect he feels for his family.

Great chapter - Steph's warning about the backroom at the strip club fills me with foreboding......

glad the two of them have their respective acts together. I think this will be the calm before the storm, so they may as well enjoy it! still dying to know what is happening back in Florida. Also hoping that the reporter is asleep under some bar somewhere and bloody stays there! Thanks!

request for a delay noted, but respectfully declined..... no slacking - just write - you have fans; your fans have needs!! great chapter. Thoroughly enjoying this. you are a magician and I, but a humble, and bloody impatient, fan

I am confused by your comment "busy with other things (sometimes life gets hectic)".... Why do you even think you are entitled to another life when you have readers that need to be satified??? Enough of this selfishness......

zach is trning into real trouble. I sense that a fuse has been lit there and one day it will go off with a bang! I am not so concerned by Kristin's parents - they seems just to be behaving like a certain class of parent - I have no doubt they will come around, after all it's their daughter's happiness that they are dealing with. re the Italian with a small penis - of course it would be a foreigner, a non-American, that would have the small penis!!!! Americans are all well-endowed!

Wholeheatedly agree. both with the "sex is great" and the comment that America seems more hung-up on the moral questions around sex more than any other country, well any other country I have spent time in (and I've lived and worked in a dozen-plus countries). The recent Supreme Court case on video games is a case in point: it semms to be OK to shoot, strangle, maim, assault a woman in a video game PROVIDE she is dressed, let alone having consensual missionary position hetro sex!! I suppose we all have our quirks!

Great story. Not something I would have usually read, but in this case I not only read it but enjoyed it throughly!

I will state honestly at the outset, the paranormal is not my cup of tea,, but the stoey to managed to weave here is great - all the hallmarks of good writing; character development (major and minor), plot and atmosphere, so I will admit that almost despite myself I enjoyed this immensly. Congrats

Rosicky, I couldn't agree more! Exactly what I do! Great story and the lingering sadness of the death of Travers was a nice end to the chapter. I have this feeling that Calvert is heading for a more than usually sticky end..... sad, but if he if he can't live by the rules, he dies by them. Our hero will have then lost two of his "soulmates"......

I am less worried about who TR ends up with than his mental state before he gets there. Poor bastard has every gay man in town after him, his arse and any other part of his anatomy and all he wants, so it seems, is a quiet life as a vet! Addec to this is that scary woman who knows way too much too soon. I think our hero needs to get out of town before it eats him completely! Great story, enjoying the read. keep it coming!

There is enough leading and misleading information in this chapter to confuse readers and participants alike! CJ, you have no so much directed us towards a cliff, but left us hanging on an island surrounded by cliffs! rarely have I so wanted the next chapter so quickly after the last - roll on 83!

no it doesn't - you said there were cliffhangers. CJ is the author; there are NO cliffhangers.......

late into the discussion, but as an Australian, I have to admit that while I am not a great fan of vegemite, marmite has no redeeming features at all. CJ your earlier comment about almond butter - did you know you can make almond butter - or peanut butter, or , I think, any other nut butter(!) - by pureeing shelled nuts with a little (VERY little) oil. It won't be quite the same as "bought" almond/peanut/whatever butter - less salt, no emulsifyers - but it does work.....

I have to say I have seen less investigative work done on a doctoral thesis! well done. Please just don't ask if I agree or not, as much as I am enjoying CJ's writing, I haven't done anything like this level of analysis! CJ, just keep the story coming!!

oops! you're right, ..... so concentrating on Calvert and Grainger that his other life completely slipped my mind!

late review, but... a review none-the-less Very much a "walk on the wild side" very enjoyable, very funny and written in a way that drags you along... Dannsar, while I understand your comment about the father, I think you may have missed the point about the last sentences. Lu says "there are things about his past that need cleaning up" and I think that's exactly what Lu did "cleaned up" his father ... Look forward to any development....

interesting chapter foreshadowing some trouble for our hero, methinks. That said, sharing Belvidera with Nelson will probably keep Grainger out of trouble at least as other men are concerned. I'll admit that I had hoped he would be sent back to the UK and therefore be able to sort out or at least participate in the family intrigues.... I look forward to his expedition to Elba.....

and (getting a bit ahead of the story) after Grainger? I realise Grainger and Calvert will keep trying, but I somehow doubt there will be any (legitimate) issue....

Mark, Mark, Mark; How much do you think you can put your readers through before they collectively assault you (in the nicest possible way)? you are the veritable devil incarnate (and I'll bet you've been called that many times....) I had to read this ch twice in succession - the first time I read it so quickly that I lost the detail, but I was determined to find out what happened..... great chapter, love the happy ending (as ever!), so looking forward to the chaos that they'll cause in Rome!

back to a comment made by Mark a few entries ago about Graingers knighthood. I would have thought it was exceedingly rare to get a life peerage in the late 18th/early 19th c. As I understood it life peerages before 1860s were generallly given to women. Therefore would not Grainger's knighthood have been a baronetcy? Very low rank in the scheme of things, but still hereditary... Just a thought....

well it took a long time coming.... so to speak, but a great and moreover, plausible, resolution to this situation.... Well odne, Much enjoyed C

happy Birthday, JP.... I didn't realise that he is that same age as my mother (and mother-in-law, for that matter). the comments about age not being what it was, I think is pretty universal to every generation - As I see it "old" is about 10-15 years older than I am now...... and it has ever been thus!