CassieQ

Marcus was having a good week. Traveling as a part time stage hand and full time boyfriend of the lead singer in a famous band, he had dealt patiently enough with the long bus rides to city after city after city, either tucked beside Zeke in their little cot, or having crazy sex in the occasional luxury of a hotel room. He had done all the backstage work that he could, and had studied for school and played video games with the rest of the band when they had spare time. But at the en

I'm not sure how much help I can offer, since I am not a doctor, but I do work in healthcare. If I saw a situation like this, I would describe it as: The subject/patient is a (insert age here) year old male demonstrating bruising/ecchymosis in the chest and abdominal region, some appearing several days old, others more acute. (The size and exact location of the bruising could be inserted here if you wanted to get more specific). Patient also demonstrates evidence of recent acute lacerations along his back and posterior thighs. (The broken rib can be seen with evidence of an X-ray and will still be tender to the touch at this time. As a doctor, I would also look for emotional or behavioral symptoms of abuse if that is what the doctor believes is happening). I know this isn't terribly helpful but hopefully it can be a starting point and someone more qualified can give you better advice soon.

I hope this is an appropriate place to ask this question, because it has been driving me mad. My editor has told me that I have a tendency to misuse ellipsis. In particular, I am using them in a situation where an em dash would be more appropriate. The only trouble is trying to figure out when one would be more appropriate than the other. The most helpful information I have come across is that an em dash (or hyphen) is most commonly used for a break in syntax, or in a situation where a parenthesis would not suffice. (When parenthesis would not suffice is whole other can of worms). Ellipsis are more commonly used to show a pause, more often used in a character's dialogue or thoughts or to indicate when there is a piece of text missing (the second reason less commonly used in fiction, I would think). However, some sources also say that you can use both to indicate aposiopesis (whoa, big word)! which is where someone stops mid sentence for a reason other than being interrupted (like they are unable or unwilling to continue speaking). So which one do I use? I would think if it occurs during dialogue it would be okay to use an ellipsis instead of an em dash…is that wrong? I just want to take English grammar, fling it across my lap and give it a solid spanking for being unreasonable! Any tips or advice from the "grammar" mentors would be very helpful.

1. I mostly use third person POV. 2. I typically like to write from the POV of several different characters in my stories and third person is the easiest way to do so. I've read books where there are several narrators using the first person POV, switching back and forth every few chapters and I personally find it a little bizarre and confusing. 3. I have written in first person POV, which is fine if the story focuses on one particular character, but I usually find it too limiting. I like jumping inside everybody's head. I used second person POV once. Just to try it. Never again.

I suffer from SAD, more so now that I have moved from Georgia to Virginia. I tried the light therapy last winter, but had to give it up because it made my migraine headaches more frequent and more painful. I am still looking (and hoping) for a good alternative.

I write because I like to write. I think it's fun! I think about publishing sometimes and if that ever happened, it would be awesome, but that's not my main motivation. I write because it makes me happy.

XIX. Going Home Brandon woke up easily the next morning. Jordan was lying with him, wrapped up around him. Sheah was already up, feeding Ezekial.... and watching them, Brandon noticed, feeling uneasy and embarrassed. He carefully untangled himself from Jordan and approached. "Sleep well?" he asked, kneeling down under the guise of gathering up his cloak, but in honesty, he just wanted to see Ezekial again. Leia's eyes in an alien face. Sheah smiled in understandi

It is bleak subject matter. Thanks for your comments!

Brandon has a tendency to stir things up. Keeps life interesting!

Thank you!

As long as you like it

Wow. That is a lot of reading in such a short amount of time! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you very much for your comments. I hope you enjoy Book 2 as well

Thank you Cia! I'm glad I captured that foreign feeling for you

Thank you. Yes, the boys will be going home fairly soon...I think they are looking forward to it! Glad you like the series!

Holy cow, that is a lot of reading for one day! I'm very glad you liked it!

Thank you! I'm glad you did too

I'm glad you liked it. But no, the figs wouldn't have worked out. That voice wasn't going to be coming out by any natural means Thank you for reviewing and telling me what you thought!

Great story, it was cute and fun! I loved the cool parents! Daniel was a fantastic character, I loved the way he was written. I was a little lost in the beginning, but after that it flowed very well. It was a great read, I really enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!

Creepy and twisted...my favorite I liked it. I like your style...the description in this story was very poetic. I'm not a fan of vampires--however, this type of vampire...monsters willing to kill...I happen to appreciate. The conflict between the two brothers, especially from Asta's point of view, was very intriguing. Felt kind of bad for Jack and Will though...oh well, at least they died happy A good read!

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the story Sorry about the ambiguous ending. I tend to favor those a lot. I, for one, don't like certainty! But I think the two of them had a very happy ending, living together under the sea. Thank you also for the criticism. I like using a lot of description, but I cannot always tell when I am going overboard At the moment, I have no plans for writing a story between Pontus and Toumas, but that doesn't mean it'll never happen! Thanks again for reviewing!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. And I doubt anyone was sorry to see Keith go. And yeah, Elizabeth will not last long. If Sumna and Jassa don't find her, then Keith's death will kill her regardless. And our boys are on their own again (almost)!

Thanks. I'm so glad you liked it!

Frosty! Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked it!

I'm glad you like the story. It is a little bittersweet, but in the end, I see it as a happy ending. Thanks for reviewing!

XVIII. Dangerous Liasons Brandon tried again to remember the labyrinth of halls, each twist and turn they made, but he was too distracted to take much note of anything. The earlier conversation with Rajar had unsettled and confused him. The knife was heavy under Brandon's belt, where he had stored it once Rajar had returned it. Why didn't he use it? Brandon wondered as he walked behind Rajar. Why didn't he just pull it out and shove it right there, in between Rajar's shoulder blades, o