Carlos Hazday

LMAO I'm not that evil, am I?

The character has a name and has interacted with CJ and Owen. Otherwise, . Not even @Reader1810knows who it is yet.

I think the story was different after the ending of Summer, Winter, Over the Rainbow, and HTTC... crap, I just realized I've ended a story or two with minor cliffies. Maybe that's why readers were throwing rotten tomatoes at me!

You mean the Tyrannical Twos? When the kid thinks the world revolves around them and nobody esle's opinion matters much? Like CJ? Crap, I'm not sure if I've shown her throwing a tantrum or not. We'll have to wait and see what I wrote. I may have forgotten some of it already. LOL

@dughlas The compliment is in there. I found the nugget after fossicking around for a bit. (@Myr hope I made you proud.) According to my math, CDMX chapters average 3500 words. That means since this one's a bit shorter, some will be longer. Let's hope I can keep the wolves at bay until one of those longer installments shows up.

Ask me about Sgt MacKenzie after you read the Christmas in Vail chapters. Don't forget. Yeah, Austin survives, but one of the new characters introduced won't. Speculation may start now. LMAO

That was true until I folded Phil Martinez and Riley Knight into the extended family. Those two may give Linc a run for his money. Phil and Riley are two of those individuals residing just outside the family and the Squad's orbits. I think I'll keep the sun and planets analogy going. LOL

Have you been peeking at my outlines. I have CJ bemoaning his brother and fathers spoiling the girl with presents at one point. BTW - How's your toddler? We haven't hear about him lately.

What do you mean the OTHER shoe? I haven't even drop the first one yet!

Done! I'll write you into the story as Liebe's preschool tutpr. I mean, we have to make sure she's ready for her kindergarten entrance exam. PS- I'm jealous too! Whenever I'm researching something interesting for them to do or a new place to visit, I get very, very jealous I can't do it too.

@chris191070 You're right this is the first project in Mexico for the foundation. Not sure there'll be anything else this large for a bit. But there will be at least one other contribution that will end up benefiting Ritch too!

I just hope she inherits Ozzie's disposition and not CJ's temper!

Gravitational pull isn't limited to celestial bodies. Ritch, Brett, and Cesar seem to fall in line whenever CJ has a brainstorm. I think it's all part of the close ties the five men have and the unwavering support they give each other. Tatoo? Let's see how that goes. All these people are still too new and have to settle into their own orbits around CJ. LOL

Once again you leave me in a position where I can't delve too deeply into the points you bring up. They're all good ones, and I do explore some of them further. Let's do the math. CJ and Owen have a friend/neighbor who's a reporter. She introduced them to her dear friend who happens to be the Secretary of Education. What are the chances the reporter won't find out what they're planning? LOL Interesting you mention additional funds. I actually describe the cost and who else might be willing to participate in the next chapter.

I agree. Whether she does well in school or not, the real life experiences will be an education by themselves. Glad you like my approach to character introductions. Although at times I have to throw a bunch of them in one chapter, I try to provide a little detail on each so they won't blend into a mess of names.

You're such a size monster. What would be long enough for you? LOL I continue to work on how to present chapters. Reading older series' installments, I'm thrown by how many disparate scenes I included in each chapter. I'm trying to limit the scope of items covered in each one so they're concise and not rambling. Like I'm doing with this response. I'll shut up now.

@dughlas I've tried to stagger character introductions so readers aren't overwhelmed with too many names and people to remember. Calum will be around for a while and Ugo will play a part in a chapter I've wanted to write for a while. Calum's approach to dating isn't to everyone's taste, but I've know people like him. His brashness was something a bit different from how I've written other characters. And yeah, he's drool-worthy. Can you imagine the experiences that girl will have. CJ experienced stuff after moving to DC at 15 she'll encounter much earlier. If she's anything like her father (s) I'd be scared of her. Back in Ranger, I had Liebe say "ashhole" which made CJ and Owen realize they had to clean up their language. Obviously easier for Ozzie than CJ. In this story, and the next one, we'll see the evolution of cussing within the family. LOL I think I spoiled everyone with 4 chapters last week.

CJ has a way of bringing people he meets together when tackling large projects. It's what he did with that documentary and now with a technology center. Let's see who he ropes into being part of the project. As for Sgt Austin MacKenzie, he's named after a real marine even though I sort of demoted him. He's a friend's husband I've gotten to know and like in the past year. He'll be around through the end of the story and I'll probably recycle him in the future.

LMAO - Works for me. I see the two of them as rich brats with good hearts. Owen proposes giving the girl technology, CJ decided to go bigger. It's in his nature to find solutions when presented with challenges. Thank you for the compliment. I do try to make my stories 'fun' reads with maybe a little message hidden in them. Although my characters face problems, I like them to go to battle instead of wimpering in a corner lost in self-doubt.

@Anton_Cloche Liebe's obviously a huge part of CJ and Owen's life, so she'll appear in most episodes. I want to show here development and how much her fathers influence her. Yeah, the diplomatic pouch use was a little something to show the men taking advantage of their position and contacts. They're willing to pay duties, but not be subject to supply chain issues when it comes to their wine.

@Anton_Cloche Thank you for reading, reacting, and commenting, Tony. I hope what I've written tracks with your experience. My goal's to show CJ's continued growth personally and professionally. I mean, the kid's in his early twenties, and as much as he's capable of, I think he hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can accomplish.

Insistent tugging on the bedsheet woke CJ. He opened an eye to find Liebe with a thumb stuck in her mouth, looking like a lost puppy. Her other hand held the small, plush emu her Australian uncle and aunt, Spencer and Tilda, had given her as a present the previous Christmas. It had been her first trip to the Southern Hemisphere organized to attend their wedding and meet her other Australian relatives. Out of the unique menagerie she received, the flightless bird was her favorite, although the ko

Santa's not a big fan of milk and cookies. Bourbon and beef jerky might be better options.

Thanks for the praise, JR. It truly is a treat to hear from readers on older stories. This one sort of completed CJ"s coming of age; next up, adulting.

Pillow talks are back! With new protagonists! LOL Sometimes those late chats are about nothing, but often they give me a chance to discuss details not fit to bring up in the chapter's main sections. They served me well in earlier books and hopefully do the same here. As for rugby, come back tomorrow morning. CJ and Owen stop by the pitch and meet a couple more new cast members.