Al Norris

Double that!

Yes... I'm several years late in reading this. The first book was pretty good. This one is shaping up to be as good as the first. I'm simply loving all the speculation everyone is expounding on. Soo... I might as well offer mine! One word: Balance. Al

Well kbois, despite my earlier disappointment, the destruction of the twins and the discovery of Heather and her baby's bodies... This all ended very well. You are a talented writer and you prove with not only this story, but with the shifter stories (of which I'm enthralled)! So I suppose I should read more of your stories, huh?! All the best, Al

I have to say that I will finish reading this story. I've invested too much time not to! I will also say that I am disappointed. Even if this part of the plot was in your story notes, I am still disappointed. Using Deus Ex Machina to solve the dilemma was totally unfair to the writing skills you have.

I've been waiting for that! 🤣

I suspect you might not have realized how appropriate your picture was. “There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” G.K. Chesterton Al CastleRoland webguy.

Since I got into this chapter early enough, I've been able to read all the responses (I normally don't take the time when the chapter posts number in the hundreds). Now I see how the post count gets boosted by Mrsgnomie and kbois!!! Of course, Drpaladin and weinerdog might be mentioned. This is a flippin mad-house! (Right, right, you're bloody well right)

Too Late!

As snarky as the rest of you are... Why was I holding back? So, yes I most certainly do get to do that! Al

I don't understand the confusion some had over how wolf-like (or human-like) the twins were! The description above pretty much told us every thing we needed to know. Yes, there were a lot of clues. Paying attention to what the nefarious Kbois writes as well as the actual story, pays dividends! As for being mates? Most of us had already figured that out (even if we didn't outright admit it). The agitation? Can we just say that since the wolf was more present in the twins, they would react stronger and faster? We should all have already known that the wolf-shifters could tell with a look. The humans took a bit longer to figure it out. Elijah? He's not a "normal" shifter. So why would he react with immediate attraction? He didn't feel that way (the attraction) with Kage right off the bat. I'll shut up now and let y'all get back to twittering with each other. 😇 All in all, Great Chapter! Al.

That's always the problem, where heart and consciousness are concerned. Poor Deke. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. This is one of those cases where you really can't know which set of monsters are the worst. Something tells me that Gideon & crew just might be the worst ones.

Bill, of the Halloween stories you've sent this year, this was truly the best (Scariest?). At just about every turn, I expected some sort of resolution to the missing frat boys. There were two songs that vied for my brains attention... X-Files and Twilight Zone! I got to the end of the story and the monologue for The Outer Limits began running through my brain. All the best, Al

Hmm... Someone is keeping their cards close to their vest. I can see several directions the story-arc could go. Need more input! Grammarly is a good tool. However, it was not designed for fiction writers. The free version does not always "remember" the prompts that you dismissed. It constantly wants you to use less slang, particularly in dialogue (the premium version is even worse). It does not replace beta readers who may have thoughts on how to complete or enhance thoughts and story lines. It does not replace editors who will spot 1st person to 3rd person paragraphs. Once you understand its limitations, it can be a good tool.

"Hello Danny, come and play with us, for ever, and ever, and ever." Don't know why that quote popped into my head... So much vengeance in the world! Al

"It's just a story!" That happens all too often. "It'll never happen to me." sigh... Until it does. I'm also surprised I made it through those years. Al.

After reading the night nurse story and your comment about one more to come, I had to backtrack and begin reading all the others you've uploaded! Great Story. I know I wouldn't have been as nonplussed as Cade was. Al

Nice short story, Bill. I can understand the nonchalant attitude that Royce seems to have but when we went to that stairwell in the janitor's closet... Um... No. Just NO! I can hardly wait to read your next one!!! All the best, Al.

twenty-two... twenty-three... twenty-four... Made my head spin! Good story. Great one-liners. Terrific ending! Who could ask for more?

Had? Past tense??? Wouldn't by chance be a Freudian slip?

Over at Castle Roland, we have 4 active editors for any of our hosted authors. Still some things get through that you just don't see until after a story/chapter is live. Just he nature of the beast. How many books have you read (paper or electronic), that when actually published, still contain errors? I've only read the first page of the comments, so I'm guessing why Trevor only threatened is that "B" and/or Huntington has no clue that the laptop has been found. Both think it is still missing.

Personally, I thought the funniest part of the chapter was: The rejoinder above was (to me) funnier than passing the blunt in a VW.

I remember the first book of Pern I read. It was given to me by a friend, who knew that among all the other Sci-Fi that I read, were the stories by Andre Norton. So I opened up The White Dragon and was immediately enthralled. Even though it was the last book of the original trilogy, it didn't phase me one bit. Of course, I went on to read the other two, then more as they were published. @Mawgrim, your stories bring us those glimpses of the day to day workings of a Wyer and its individual riders, as opposed to the leaders of Pern, both Holder and Wyerleader. Your stories continue in the same light as Anne's, just a shift in focus. They are every bit as noteworthy as the originals. Thank you for the wonderful story telling you do. I hope you get up to par, so you can get back to this world, you write so well of.

Going back over, in my mind, a certain chapter in another story... Those of us that read it, may remember what color dragons Jevikel and Kadin impress. Based on that chapter, there was one dragon where the candidate wasn't named. All the other candidates/dragons were named in that chapter. Oh, not all of them, to be sure. But I wouldn't put it past Mawgrim to have left that lone dragon with the unnamed candidate to be a clue as to what dragon Hortaimin impresses. Boy, that would really stir the pot if Hortaimin... No. not gonna say right now, 'cause I really hope I'm wrong! ... sigh ... Only one more chapter in this tale.

Hortaimin will be seething by the time his Kitchen duty is done. I think that like many arrogant louts, he is harboring his grudge against Jevikel. After all, he will blame Jevikel for the predicament he finds himself in. I admit he is a bully. But it is his arrogance and his mistaken holder belief he is entitled that will be his downfall.

For those of you that are too young to remember those times, I give you Andre Norton. A very prolific writer of young adult science fiction and fantasy. She couldn't have been published under her real name: Alice Mary Norton. She used two other pen names, both of which were male. It's just the way the times were.