Ron

In the last year, I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa, Myiege and Thorn Wilde. Each of these wonderful people have brought their set of skills and unique perspectives to my work and made it better. Thank you so very much.

Thanks, K.C. I look forward to the return of Pour Me Another.

You mention that you might have another supernatural story in you, and that idea wouldn't be amiss, I think. Would that be another ghost story or would you take it in an entirely different direction? If another direction, which way might you be leaning?

Hi, K.C. I mention in my review of the story that I got up and walked around the room trying to decide if I wanted to continue reading when Tanner was killed. The second time, reading it today, did not garner the same response, but it was nonetheless moving, and incredibly sad. When Tanner called out as Ethan and Amanda walked away, it was amazingly poignant even the second time around. How difficult was that scene to write in your original screenplay? And was it tough to revisit again when you turned it into a story? And, one more - How much worry did it cost you when you posted that chapter? I seem to remember there was mention of hiding under the bed after the chapter was posted.

I read K.C.'s story in one setting at the beginning of Aug. last year and again today. After the first chapter, I realized I'd already read it but continued anyway because it's such a good read. I was totally surprised by my five paragraph story review at the end of the epilogue; I hadn't remembered doing that until confronted with my own words. I still agree with them, though my depth of reaction was a tad more subdued as compared to the first time around.

Welcome to participation, alfredfranco. I read for about a year or so before signing up myself and you've got the right idea; every author appreciates encouragement.

At first, I was surprised that the chapters were coming one after the other so quickly, and now, with Jesse and Dylan, what a bigger surprise. The first question that come to mind is, will they become integral to the story as key characters or act in the nature of a supporting role? The story has been interesting and allowed us time to get to know the twins and their abilities. When Oliver arrived, he was a welcome addition, and this led to new discoveries. Now the pace is picking up and we have new additions, and some well known, and the story is getting exciting as well as holding my interest. Good, solid writing, Andrew.

I'm glad you liked my story. Thanks for the note, Slytherin.

Guilty, I think I did this once! Then I had to go and look up scoff when I was corrected. And that was when I realized that my definition of scoff matched what I thought it did, an expression of scornful derision, which meant I needed the Dictionary of British-isms to figure it out.

While I may not agree with all of your assertions - Bacon Truth #7, is spot on in my experience too--and, Bacon Truth #10, cracked me up!

This article is now the cover story for today's, The New York Times Magazine, for anyone who wants a hard copy. I haven't read the article yet but I plan to soon.

Loved it! I almost felt like a fly on the wall experiencing the interaction between the friends. When Tim gasped, I pulled back from the screen. That doesn't happen often.

It took me til somewhere in the midst of chapter three/four to catch on (who writes about those three anymore) but once I did, you received a big chuckle in response. Nice reworking of the tale, Valkyrie.

In three chapters, this is proving to be one of the better, Back to the Future, type of stories. While raising questions and providing answers based on the MC's life experiences, it leaves the reader, this reader, with those very same questions to answer. Just what should be changed, does the butterfly effect hold true, and does it matter if you can't go back to the future? There is also the question of whether it truly is his past that the MC has gone back to. Is it a different dimension created specifically for the event and not his true past, or anyone else's that lived or died at the time of the experiment? If he truly has gone back to his past, what happened to the boy of twelve that he replaced, is his mind gone? Will it come back, unchanged and intact, should his future self return to where his body lies? Or will the timeline cease to exist? There are many possible outcomes for time travel, and since this is my first time reading this well crafted story, I look forward to where you're taking me, and the journey of getting there.

Short answer to your question: they weren't all so protective. Dougie was the only aggressor and the only one of David's group of friends to be unwelcoming. Picture yourself as one of the anonymous friends. You're out having fun and suddenly David shuts down, you witness the altercation with this man you don't know and in the aftermath - you look on, you are with David and his date Robert and Dougie is causing tension. I think that all the reactions of the unnamed friends would be everyday normal and do not indicate that they are privy to intimate facts about David or his life. Dougie on the other hand is aware and he says so to Robert. I cannot include things that Robert doesn't know, has guessed at, or has been told outright in the story, but that does not preclude readers from finding things between the lines. Things that are not said. Thanks for commenting, Bill. I hope I was able to clear some things up for you.

Thank you for the note, Myr. I appreciate your having read one of my stories.

Some tough imagery and you certainly were not easy on your character. One might actually see a silver lining in the aftermath of what Carver relived during his phone conversation though. Perhaps after the initial reminder of his condition before the accident has faded, the out of body experience will have allowed him to realize the triumphs he has made in his recovery, after seeing the wreckage and then himself so damaged, from the different perspective. Quite a powerful short story, Aaron.

Hello, Astro. You're absolutely right. There are some amazing stories with some equally amazing characters to read and discover. The community is one of the great aspects of GA and one that I greatly appreciate as you do. Glad to have you with us.

"Should I call an exorcist?" That, was extremely funny! I laughed and laughed, even before the further explanation of the movie connection. Picturing Derek as the devil and Reagan as some minor twink demon held back by the collar, by Eli, was funny enough, but then you throw in the Exorcist. Perfect!

Boundaries man, it's all about boundaries!

I read all of the anthology stories yesterday and 'liked' them all. I have my first impressions and I will be diving back in to give considered reviews as time allows. Thank you to everyone who read mine.

Miscommunication can be a problem, especially in new relationships. We do learn that there is somewhat of a reasoning behind David's behavior later in the story, but the ensuing argument during that scene does clear some things up for both of them. Mann said it well. There is a psychological underlining reason to David's choice in men which has been detrimental in the past for him. With Robert, I think, we are looking at the best possible outcome. Thank you, Lisa, for the review and everything else.

David is as complicated and full of contrast as anyone else. On the one hand, he has a submissive nature and we see that immediately when he backs down from Robert, though Robert thought that he was the one who was going to be dismissed. On the other hand, he sticks up for himself and we see that when he is most likely reading the riot act to his friend Douglas in the bar. Robert has surmised that some of David’s behavior is learned behavior from interactions with other men, and rightly so, even before Douglas specifically states that David has been hurt by men who, as Douglas infers, are like Robert. David doesn’t know Robert yet, he reacts instinctively (learned?) to someone who is more powerful than him, even though he is terribly attracted to him. Douglas - might there be something more than just a friend looking out for another friend, some meaning that his behavior might be telling us that isn’t said outright for the cause of his antagonism? Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, Aditus.

We only know, that Douglas knows about the scars, not anyone else. We also know that Robert mentions only two, and one of those being from David's father. Why then does Douglas use the plural when telling Robert about them? Might it be that he was led or allowed to believe they were both from past boyfriends as he said to Robert? Could David have been too ashamed to correct his friend? Only Douglas attacked and the victim was Robert. Might he have had a different reason than protection for the aggressiveness? Perhaps, territorial even?

WHY? Leaving aside Douglas’s reactions for the moment, David’s other friend’s entire experience with Robert consist of: David’s submissive reaction to the unseen interaction with Robert and whatever Douglas said at the time, the witness of the altercation began by Douglas or at least the aftermath of it, and Douglas’s continued attitude toward Robert. First person POV as you know has limits and I can’t go hopping around telling what others are thinking. Robert says that during get-togethers, David’s friends seemed cautious but made attempts to be social, and that he assumed that David had said something to them. He also goes on to say that he felt uneasy during these events because of the age differences. Might that uneasiness also have colored his perceptions? Now, as to Douglas, do you think that there might be more going on than just his desire to be protective of David? Is there something more, there? Otherwise, the aggressiveness doesn’t play out. So yes, I was hinting at something with this particular friend. I don’t find a need for everything to be linear but I understand that some require it. It was my hope that the descriptive (flowery) narrative, somewhat—theatrical scenes and a bit of over-the-top dialogue would mix decently well. I hope that you will find something more to your liking during my journey to become the best writer that I can be. Thank you for reading and reviewing, Cia.