Ron

I would like to thank everyone that has replied to my posted topic. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising considering the topic header but I was especially delighted to hear from the authors who replied. There does seem to be some confusion and maybe it's me but I've re-read my original post a few time and I don't see it. What I posted wasn't a demand for authors to finish their stories and the closure I was speaking about wasn't about finishing stories either. I did state that there were many reasons why we may not have heard from these and other authors. And many replies have expanded the reasons that this may be so. I appreciate all of them. The question was and still remains a simple one. What has happened to these three authors? From topic 'Do newbies not read Dom Luka' posted by Private Tim, I've learned that no one knows what has happened to Dom and his absence is much discussed and worried about and not just by me. I've learned through Viv's own profile that she is, as of a year ago, in the midst of an possible divorce and I feel very bad for her. Even in her parting post to us she was eloquent, if sadly so. There still remains, Gabriel Morgan. I hope no one asks me if I'm happy now knowing why Viv isn't writing. I will say that knowing has allowed me to exercise compassion and that's no small thing.

While I don't normally comment on the chapters of a story, I do on the story as a whole when I've been moved enough to do so. I generally run back through and read any comments by other readers and the comments left by authors, if they respond, before doing so. The reviewer, William, brought up a good point though. I also was thinking, 'Ah, crap!', when Justin became involved. I'm glad my interest in the story propelled me to read on though. I think you integrated that plot twist into the story very carefully through following chapters. As to your reply to William, i find your response interesting. I don't think that had I read this story on another site geared more toward the sexual aspect of things that I would have found myself interested for the sex. There is just enough naïveté at the beginning of the story and then too much of an emotional aspect to the sex later to find it titillating. I do admit to glossing over some, but not all, of the descriptive sex scenes to move the story along at a quicker pace. Now, after having exhausted my own creative writing skills on this chapter, I will have to think carefully before responding to the story as a whole. Cheers.

When you take the story as a whole body and not by it's separate parts, it is one of the gloomiest things I've read in quite sometime. Those two boys were frantic and grasping at life from the beginning until the end. Sure there was some happiness but that was pinched from life like it was a miser. Understanding that it was a story about intolerance did not make it any easier to disassociate myself from the tragedy of these boy's lives. Call me disturbed.

This chapter has been a delightful read. '..., always near at hand, cutting yet diminutive proof...', this is one good example of both wit and humor in your writing, I find it so appealing. I found myself laughing many times while reading this. One can believe that a group of characters such as these might have become friends and then family. The fact that blondie is so beautiful, intelligent and insightful is, well...

Well, I just posted the topic of 'Missing Authors' and then this topic popped up. DomLuka was one author I mentioned in it. At least I have somewhat of an answer... No one appears to know. Yes, folks, I used to be what you call 'a lurker' but I suppose since I've registered, I am now a 'newbie'. DomLuka stories are one of the first that I read when coming to the site and I have seriously been wanting a fix since I've finished the posted stories. Is what is posted the extent of the body of work? or is there more on another site somewhere?

I find that I'm missing a few authors that have written and published here on Gay Authors. Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to why they may be here no longer. Dom Luka - nothing published since 2010 Gabriel Morgan - nothing published since 2011 - '52 Panhead, is incomplete viv - nothing published since Jan 2011 - 'Underneath This Big Ol' Sky', this I would buy as a novel if it were complete There are more, I'm sure, but these three so far have stood out among the authors works I have read. I know there are many reasons we may not hear from an author and whether death, illness or just moving on are the culprits, it would be nice to have some closure as a reader. Thanks

Your first attempt here was quite an enjoyable read. The progression from the parental tension and on to Trevor's feelings of freedom and adventure set the tone for the actual journey very nicely. I didn't find a stagnation in the writing for the journey. It was important to the character to create the time and distance needed to separate him from home. The connecting at the beach and the revelation of the facts later was nicely done. The ending left us a promise for the future and was very appropriate for a young man beginning his adult life.

The ending of the story in such a blunt force manner sucked all the enjoyment out of learning about the characters. The adventurous road trip disappeared somewhere along the journey without finishing and then the author slapped the reader in the face with the end. If more of a connection were to have been made between those two points, the ending still wouldn't have been easy to digest but it would have made more sense.

I rather enjoyed the story. It contains some rather too frequent issues facing some youths, gay or otherwise, but it deals with the situation rather even handedly in the context and length of the story. A more lengthy read would be required to explore anything further with greater depth.