Percy

Indeed! It's an easy recipe to adjust to taste.

I'm a big fan of single skillet recipes. Here's one of my favorites. Not sure of the provenance. Maybe an ex? Chicken Curry and Noodles Ingredients: 1 T sunflower oil 1 onion, sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 inch gingerroot, grated 1 bunch scallions, sliced Approx. 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces 1-2 T curry paste (depending on how hot you like your curry) 2 cups coconut milk 1.25 cups chicken bouillon Preparation: Heat sunflower oil in skillet and add onion, garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir fry until softened. Add chicken and curry paste. Stir fry until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in coconut milk and bouillon. Salt and pepper to taste, mixing well. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Cover, simmer and stir occasionally until noodles are just tender. Serve, adding fresh basil and lime juice, optionally.

:wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: It's your day, Trebs! ~Happy Birthday~

The only fan fiction I’ve read was in X-Files back at the height of the show’s popularity. A story was recommended to me by a friend and it was brilliantly written. The author certainly had a distinct voice but was similar in style to William Gibson. Clever, imaginative, crisp writing. I read everything she wrote for X-Files and also what she wrote for some other show that I wasn’t familiar with and never watched. So with the right writer, it’s certainly possible to produce a story with fully developed, interesting characters that holds the attention of someone who isn’t in the “fandom.” At the time, I tried to read other X-Files fanfic and all I thought of it was “Meh." This writer re-emerged on Livejournal in the early 2000s where she blogged brilliantly and tragically about her life on the streets and in the homeless shelters in the pacific northwest. Many of her fans reached out to her with substantive support. I don’t know how her life ultimately turned out or if it ended. And, being the internet, it all could have been a lie. Either way, she was a writer of tremendous talent. Setting aside the ethical and legal questions of publishing fanfic, I would say this genre of writing is the equivalent of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew mysteries. Same characters in every book but different authors for the individual stories. When I was young and my brothers even younger (and thus under my control), I would write Batman and Robin scripts for us. We would tie beach towels around our necks as capes and I would make my father come shoot us with the movie camera. Sure fire way to make my family laugh until they have tears in their eyes is to watch these now. So yeah, fanfic, great for kids of any age.

Stephen King's Dark Tower books which are strangely the only books by him I've enjoyed. When I was a kid there was The Great Brain series which long remained a favorite. That must have been when I was around 7 years old. Those and the choose your own adventure books are part of what made me love to read.

I hope the new day brings fewer worries, Bob. I hope, too, that these setbacks are temporary and you and your wife are able to return to your home and find respite there. As for the state of the world, I think each generation improves on the one before it. This Is true, I think, when looking at humanity as a whole and over a longer span of time then a few months or years. In fact, this perspective is one of the reasons I enjoy your memoirs so much!

Making cornbread, not paying close attention to what I was doing, I mixed up the measurements for the corn meal and the corn starch. If you ever want your taste buds to go on strike for a week, just suck on a mouthful of corn starch. Needless to say, I ended up bringing store bought corn bread to the party I was going to.

Another strong chapter. You write humorous dialogue really well. It sounds natural, not contrived. I also like that you have one of the guys, Chuck, who's really into the other guy, Dylan but Dylan's feelings aren't as strongly reciprocated. He knows Chuck isn't his "type" and were it not for the mugging, he may still not have noticed Chuck whereas Chuck has been aware of Dylan for a long time. Refreshing to see a dynamic that's true to life. Looking forward to more.

So psyched that you have a new story underway! Great start and your usual high quality writing. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens to Carl.

Strong start here. I'm pulled into the story and am interested in learning more about Dylan and his life. Good pacing and character development. Looking forward to more.

I hope things turn around for you and your family soon, Renee.

I enjoyed this a lot. I don't read a lot of fantasy but this had great flow, strong characterization in a very sweet story.

I am sorry about your cat, Dark. It's a sad story. Cats each have such unique personalities and yours seemed very bonded to you.

I like reading the prompts, Wayne, even when I don't respond. Keep them coming. I've been struggling to focus on my writing too, but it always comes back around. Glad the back is heading in the right direction, even if it's slow going. At least it's recovery. I keep telling myself the same thing. I dislocated my shoulder last fall and feel like I'm still trying to regain full strength and range of motion. The progress is not always linear. -Percy

As an introvert myself, I found this clip pretty much sums up the way I engage with others. GA is a good place for introverts. You can kinda come and go at will and someone's always around if you want to talk. Or not talk.

Very shocking and sad. He was always dependably friendly and a supportive presence. I'm sure he'll be missed by many here at GA and in other realms of his life.

Love reading your blog posts, Yettie, which are always a combination of wisdom and humor.

You're an excellent diarist, Yettie. You take on life with a pragmatism and compassion that is very appealing. Thanks for sharing how things are developing with your mother.

I feel like I should post something since I nominated “Josh’s Blog” for discussion. I wanted to check out a story by a Hosted Author and unlike Cia, I’m a huge fan of epistolary writing. Blogs, I suppose, fall into that category. Reading someone’s letters (or blogs), fictional or not, invites me to identify with a character in a way that feels intimate and immediate. Out of everything that happens in their lives, what we’re being given in the letter or blog is what matters to them, what’s important to them to share and, usually, what they think about what they are sharing. The premise of “Josh’s Blog” is promising. Josh is plunked down in a small town to finish out his last year of high school. Soon Josh learns that he not only has to deal with coming into adulthood in the real world, he must also learn to function in an alternate fantasy world filled with mystical creatures who are part human, part beast and who are teaching him to manage his magical powers. Carl Holiday does a good job at building a fantasy world and weaving that in with the everyday world which we all recognize. Now, however, I’m in a conundrum of what to say. The spirit of GA, and one that I respect, is to leave complimentary public reviews. Criticism is withheld or addressed privately for the most part. That said, the purpose of the CSR group is to discuss a story and discussions of this sort are bound to contain both the positive and the negative. When it comes down to it, we’re not all going to like or dislike the same thing for the same reasons. I read a number of chapters into Josh’s Blog, but the character never resonated with me. I didn’t feel a connection with his life or his trials. If I hadn’t been told Josh was 17, I would have guessed the blog posts were being written by someone no older than 14. The immaturity of the narrative voice threw me off and was, I think, part of the disconnect for me. I couldn’t follow Josh’s reasoning, even allowing for his youth, and that was a source of frustration. For example, Josh’s father is gay and dating a man. Josh is also gay and there’s no sense in the blog that he’s bothered by his sexuality. He is, however, bothered by the fact that his father might be a bottom. Fair enough. No one likes to imagine their parents as sexual creatures. If Josh had a pervasive sort of disdain for a submissive (in his view) sexual role, this discomfort might make more sense but that never comes through elsewhere in his blog. He’s also angry with his father when the man tells his boyfriend that Josh, too, is gay. Huh? That’s what he views as a violation? Yet, Josh shrugs off the mystical, dreamlike nocturnal visits of some half human creature that sodomizes Josh while telling him it’s necessary for Josh to receive his “essence”. Were these encounters real or dreams? Was the sex consensual or not? Why isn’t Josh more concerned about how sore he is after these weird, half remembered nights? I couldn’t follow why he was so nonchalant about his other worldly experiences. After a half dozen chapters, I realized this simply wasn’t a story I was interested in finishing. I dare say that if you like the fantasy genre and are comfortable with the fits and starts of a teen-age brain, then “Josh’s Blog” would be a fun read. Carl Holiday has a strong following and a number of stories offered on GA, but this particular one wasn’t a good match for me.

The Sports Illustrated article is very well written. Not sure how much was Collins and how much was Lidz but it makes for good reading. There's a link to it in the article Tetrefine posted.

You're off to a good start here. The writing shows a lot of confidence. Great job introducing the characters and filling the reader in on their backgrounds. Hope to see you posting future chapters regularly!

Congratulations KC and Michael! I thought you were already in the Promising Author category - you're both such great writers. I need to pay more attention around here.

The 3am one always gets me.

sounds like you landed with the right doctor renee. that's great and great to know you've been doing well.

Great start Renee! I'm interested in the main character already and look forward to seeing what the future holds for him and his son...and the puppy.