As I mentioned above, it took me 3 chapters to cover their Christmas trip, so there'll be a lot of time with the three of them together.
Here's a spoiler, there are great interactions coming with cousin Rod and cousin Randy too.
First Nordstrom and now Nostrom... I'm getting the feeling you guys don't like him.
Part of this chapter was recycled from Cadet. Same for the next two, but I tried to add enough new details to make them interesting.
Hopefully, I took care of all the derailed cars.
And I'm still dealing with the aftermath of that wreck. Flynn, or his kids, may make an appearance some 20 years later.
Without naming names, how often has someone been elected who immediately disappoints those who elected them. We got an inkling of her personality when she asked CJ to run with her, but the real witch is now on display.
CJ does have a way of worming his way into people's hearts. He's not unique, but as you say, people like him are rare. I wanted someone who would act as a kid most of the time but managed to appear older and wiser at times. His personality will continue to unfold in coming chapters and stories.
Friends, and sometimes mere acquaintances, can come in handy when one needs help. This is CJ while in high school, can you imagine what it'll be like when he's in college?
He's not the only one. I've been blessed with multiple readers sticking with me and CJ for years. If you take a look at the chapter reactions, you can tell by the dates who followed the story from the beginning and who came along after. I love tracking binge readers' progress by the likes and comments.
With his fathers' friends around him all the time, CJ will get a crash course on gay relationships among other things. Let's hope he's able to distill those teachings into a positive self-image.
I end up writing a lot about CJ's travels. It gives me a chance to share personal experiences or to plan out trips I would love to take.
As for the saying, it's an old one. Not sure I remember when, where, or how I heard it, but it stuck with me, and was too good not to use.
“Where do you think you’re going, Mr. Abelló?” Arms crossed, Stephen Northman glared at CJ as he walked by the supervisor’s office. “In case you’re too distracted by your social calendar, may I remind you there’s important work to be done?”
The man was a pompous ass. Thankfully, CJ was saved from replying by Jimmy Chen speaking up.
“Good morning to you too, Stephen.” The sarcastic tone fit with Chen’s previously expressed growing dislike for the man. “CJ has a meeting with me and my
Some of those tenses seem to filter the action not making it as direct as possible. While they all have their uses, and I sure as hell have included them all in my writing, I tend to focus on using simple tenses. I think they make the event feel more intimate.
I do have a phobia about using forms of start in conjunction with verbs. I tend to change those while editing. My comment is always let the character do something instead of always saying they started walking, started talking, started thinking.....
Thanks, Myr.
It happens more often than we realize. I know a twenty-something guy who went home with somebody from a bar. He was drugged and raped by the guy and some of his friends.
Considering their ties to South Florida, CJ and his dads will continue visiting Miami. Ritch may get to fly to DC now and then too. They'll see each other frequently.
The story was inspired by an article I read. Although it has multiple chapters, it's a short story and as such certain things are left open for readers to imagine.