Carlos Hazday

Excellent observation. The first three chapters were designed to introduce the primary locations and characters, while setting up several story arcs. Aside from the mundane, CJ and Ozzie begin their adventures in chapter 4. I think I'll post it on Sunday so we have a chapter a day for the entire Thanksgiving weekend.

@Clancy59 Very good! All we know about the boss right now is second hand but in the next chapter I'll show him in action. You know, show instead of tell. Funny you mention CJ's jacket. Coming up, Northman actually refers to something in CJ's file. Unfortunately, everything in it is probably factual and does not reflect the level of experience our man has in dealing with big shots. I mean, CJ was shaking hands and kissing babies at 15, some seven years later, he's had a few relationships under his belt. But, but... How am I gonna get CJ behind the wheel of an Aston-Martin with machine guns behind the headlights and an ejector passenger seat if he doesn't agree to some sort of operation? Oh, wait, he would be working for the CIA, not MI6. Never mind.

I know, right? Considering his friend and neighbor's a reporter, it's surprising he hadn't been in the news yet. I see Felicia as a trophy wife with brains. She may look like a tramp, what with her breasts nearly falling out of her dress, but I think there's a good brain there. Yevgeny will be mentioned/discussed in upcoming chapters and he'll make a second appearance soon. Wanna guess when and how? 😜

Exactly right. I kept the actual move and work start dates vague, but Northman's speech came at the start of CJ's tenure at the embassy, while he went through his initial orientation. The cocktail part was on a Saturday, brunch w/Simmone on Sunday. Next chapter takes place on Monday following the party. Let's see if anyone else reacts to their pictures being in the newspaper.

We'll meet Northman and the Ambassador in the next chapter. I Look forward to hearing what you think about him then. LOL

Unfortunately, reader comments taper off after the opening chapter. First and last ones always attract the most comments. Although there have been a few chapters that have sparked additional discussion. I'll follow you to the new chapter; there are comments I must reply to.

You got it. I'm not sure if you saw it, but we had a conversation about those initials in the CDMX discussion thread. You should check it out, My most recent post was a short clip of the park across the street from where CJ and Ozzie live in Mexico.

Because of how several stories fit chronologically, I'll be revisiting certain events from Ranger and Cadet in this one. Most of the Squad will have at least cameos.

What's 20 years among friends? LOL

You REALLY made me LOL last night when I read your comment. There will be a few digs at Orange but there's not that much domestic politics in this book. Stick around long enough and you'll be writing a check to CJ's political action committee.

Nope. It's not so much admiration I'm looking for as a dialogue. I guess I miss the days when stories would be dissected in a forums thread and readers speculated on possible events while the author played coy and tried not to give away too much. It also gave the author the chance to share details developed when creating the story that never made it in.

@dughlas Like most mornings, I'm sipping coffee, waking up while waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in. Once the joints aren't aching, I'll go out for my walk. The days of jumping out of bed ready to go are long over. LOL

“Osh, hungry.” Unable to climb her fathers’ tall bed, Liebe tugged at the sheet covering them. Owen grunted and burrowed his head further under the pillow. “Come over here, Munchkin.” CJ hitched himself into a sitting position. When the girl reached his side of the bed, he leaned over and picked her up. He carefully sniffed the air. “Good, no poop. But your diaper’s heavy. Oz, get up. I did it yesterday morning so it’s your turn.” Toddlers tended to defecate soon after going to sleep,

Maybe you min will meet mine one day. It seems to wander around a lot. Often I'll see/hear/read something and how CJ would deal with it occupies my thoughts.

Give us details sooner better than later. I keep my word. I'll participate.

Good to be back and to have you along for the new ride. I think this might be the last really long book I write. Since I don't like posting before the entire story is written, it leaves me with long gaps in posting. I think I'm going to focus on novellas under 50k words in the near future. Amd to that effect, I'm already working on the next book. I outlined as 9 chapters, but the first one's so long and packed with so much stuff, I may have to split in in 2 or 3. There goes the 9 chapter limit. LOL

You want naked Russians? I'll see what I can come up with. Give me a few chapters. This story was crafted without plot devices. At least obvious ones. Although as somebody commented, I used a cocktail party as a way of introducing a variety of characters. I'll warn you I do something similar with rugby matches and a dinner party. Had this been set in Iraq or Chicago, I would say security would have been a bigger issue. CJ and Owen can afford what most other diplomats can't. We'll discover more about their new digs next chapter, but it's not a typical State Department employee home. State might have had to sign off on it, but I suspect the US places less restrictions on their diplomats than another country might. Remember this is the US with it's exaltation of personal freedoms. Spouses do go through briefings. Not sure Owen's would have been as detailed or in Mexico. Those will be referred to in a future chapter. CJ just found out about Yevgeny in the short time since arrival. And Owen wouldn't be high profile spouse. He's just a lawyer married to a visa clerk. Of course, thatmay change. Lol Does that help?

Thank you my friend. The rest of the USA may be cold and chilly, but here in South Florida it's gorgeous. Sunny and warm (70s F)with cool mornings and nights. I'll be posting on Fridays again, but don't be surprised if I sneak in an extra chapter here and there.

Good, that was my hope since I thought of you when figuring out the posting schedule. Thirty-eight total chapters with an average word count of 3500 but the first three are all under 3k words. I figured you'd think those were too short so I decided to post them on consecutive days.

I'll send you a PM in a minute.

Thank you, it's good to be back. I don't trust Yevgeny either. I mean, an experienced older man hitting on a green, younger, innocent--never mind, I forgot this was CJ we were talking about.

Something to read during lunch time? Should I warn you if there's a tearjerker chapter coming up? LOL We'll start the Friday thing tomorrow.

Hmmm... you're the second person who mentions them not checking on their daughter. Did everyone miss this line? And there's another one in the same conversation where CJ asks Ozzie to go check her diaper while he goes to the kitchen. Are we good?

I wish! So you're even south of Tarragona. My next book opens in Barcelona at the Mandarin Oriental. The characters visit La Sagrada Familia and spend the afternoon at a vermuteria. I was hoping you'd be willing to read a very early draft of that chapter to make sure I didn't muck things up.

You've been an integral part of the CJ series for a while now and deserve credit for helping keep CJ and Owen as popular as they are. Thanks, Wolf.