Percy

Good start KC. Great to see another story underway from you. Asher is already a better man than me. I would have kept walking. I'll wait until it's complete to read the rest...something to look forward to!

Good for you!

Great review Fishwings! I first read this book a couple years ago and skimmed back through it to review here. It was the first book of Libby Drew’s that I read, and I was immediately hooked as a fan. State of Mind falls solidly in the paranormal action/adventure genre with a nice side of m/m romance. As FW indicated in his review, the primary characters of the book are well rounded and the supporting characters are well-treated too. Drew has a real gift for writing dialogue. What’s more, she writes it convincingly for a variety of characters. It’s crisp, witty and doesn’t slow you down when the action is really moving along and you just want to keep turning the pages. I would classify this as a good summer read (but don't wait until summer). It’s the type of book you want to pick up if you’re sitting on the beach, if you’ve just completed a draining project at work and want to be carried away, or to cap off a demanding semester of study. Great escapist reading. I did have a couple quibbles with the plot as I never fully grasped what the Organization did or how they did it. Who hired them? Or did they arbitrarily decide what the world needed in terms of mission? If that’s the case, how was the organization funded? How did they come to exist? And why the lie about the effect of disassociating the monitors from the gifted? How did they manage to keep that lie from being revealed if all of the monitors knew the truth? I kept reading and thinking that all these things would be answered at the end of the book. Either they weren’t or I missed the explanation (and someone here can clear the questions up for me). Either way, Drew created an interesting alternate world and it would be great to see her come out with a prequel or sequel to State of Mind. Next Month Suggestions: Carl Holiday’s Josh’s Blog Carringtonrj’s Paradise

Geez, sorry Wayne. Mobility issues are frustrating. Be patient with yourself on recovery and persistent with the doctors for diagnosis and treatment. You'll be your own best medical advocate and I encourage you to keep at it until you're satisfied with the answers you're getting.

Good to get the update and hear that everything's in order. Keep taking care of yourself!

I enjoyed this longer piece. Really good writing. I think the pacing of the story was about perfect with good transitions between dialogue and description. The character dialogue was one of the strongest aspects of the story-sounded completely natural, just how you'd expect the characters to talk. The story itself is almost a nod to Schrödinger's cat paradox, isn't it? Callen is both alive and dead, and I liked the way you brought the paradox literally into the story in one of the conversations with Sage. Clever. It made for a great story, Fishwings.

Very sweet! Loved the dramatic responses of the girls to what they both thought would be unrequited love. You really captured that over the top, reactionary intensity of youth. Perfect fit for the anthology theme.

Humph. For some reason my review last night didn't post. Anyway, I'm glad you posted this. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed reading up on flarf poetry which I was unfamiliar with until I saw this. Clever and fun!

What can I say other than I wish I could find a pot of gold buried Civil War era treasures at the end of my rainbow! Glad you made the dreams for your characters come true - you painted them as two decent, hardworking guys who deserved a lucky break.

Good treatment of difficult subject matter and a reminder that we never know what we're capable of facing and overcoming until we're put in the position of having to do so. Thanks for sharing this.

Really different and interesting to read. Love the originality.

Great story! I will admit that I almost groaned at the end when it appeared the Artie/John story was inside another story. I think that set up can be hard to pull off successfully in a short but it turned out really well here. I liked this from beginning to end.

I liked the way you ended this with the suggestion that the purity of love is a redeeming force and can combat darkness (evil) even when it's seemingly entrenched.

Interesting dilemmas for Andy and Teddy too though he's not much in the story. A real exploration of devotion, trust and communication between loved ones under trying circumstances. A nice read Wayne.

Fun! This worked really well for the theme.

Intriguing concept. You provide a lot of backstory about the Angel(s) of Death and how they function and this alternate world. Makes me think a longer story may be lurking here. Very original!

Fun story which lots of little realistic details. Believable dialogue. Well done!

Some very vivid imagery here and a chilling encounter. My teeth would have been chattering talking with that guy and it wouldn't have needed to be a frigid, January night. There's a lot to contemplate in here. You wove the suspense and psychological and intellectual aspects of the encounter together well. I see it's creative non-fiction, so bravo for sharing a real life experience in a very readable and entertaining way.

This was a neat idea for a story. You have a real knack for creating scenes. I could see the suspension bridge, the town, the tavern all perfectly. Glad you posted this!

I liked the dreamy feel of this piece and the flow of the writing. You have something original and imaginative here.

I enjoyed this. The emotion of the narrator was threaded throughout the piece without becoming melodramatic. You hit the right note with the ending too. Well done!

Sharp looking poster. I like!

Thanks for highlighting this Joann. Beautiful and eloquent. carrington, maybe you can write some fanfiction with Chiron as a character. (kidding)

It sounds like you're doing a great job even when it's difficult. I bet there's no one your mom would rather have around at this time than you.

Best wishes for a smooth and full recovery!