Carlos Hazday

Harley turned out to be a reader favorite. People think CJ's me, but a talkative, pothead biker's probably more autobiographical.

@JR Tittle At some point while writing Summer, I realized there was more to CJ's story than one season. I see the first five stories as a five-part book. The open endings may be jarring in serial publication, but would be easier to swallow if part of a long tome. Binge readers like you have an advantage over readers who had to wait. You'll figure out why I had the helicopter crash soon enough LOL

LOL Reverend? I'm pretty sure I mentioned it somewhere, but I'll have you know I actually went to services at a local Episcopal church before I wrote this chapter. And while in Australia in 2009, I actually visited the one CJ's at. My complicated relationship with organized religion definitely influenced my writing, but CJ's feelings are not an exact mirror image of my own. I'm glad I was able to surprise you with the sermon. Hopefully pleasantly. You're a man of the cloth? Glad you're enjoying it so far. Keep reading and you'll see CJ grow and some of his attitudes evolve.

@BlueWindBoy Thirty-Seventh Avenue? I think you mean 37th STREET? Ooops... You'd think after walking it a few times, and referencing it several times in the series, I'd not screw it up. Blame senility. It was a chance to grab a drink, use the bathroom, and for Liebe to get a fresh diaper. -- Ah, the quotidian details of existence! LOL I'm not entirely comfortable writing toddlers, but last night Liebe had a tantrum in Mexico City. Let's hope I got it right. I mean, I can't ignore her existence so diaper changing will be a regular occurrance for a bit. You have to realize where you come from is gone and focus on where you’re going. Like that? "[M]y attempt to tell a positive story about gay men is done." -- This is a LIE! A BIG LIE!! It was and it wasn't. Summer's reception by early readers encourage me to expand the story from CJ's move to DC. Once I wrote a second season, I realized I had to finish all four. Each new book brought ideas for further writing, and I simply followed along. Hail to the Chief, written and posted before Ripper Christmas and the one I'm currently working on, was meant as an epilogue in case I don't live long enough to finish everything. It'll be over 2 years CJ hasn't starred in his own story, but I used the time to share ancillary stories. They've been well received and I enjoyed working on them, but I'm ready for CJ to take center stage again. His initial posting will be to Mexico City and coming this fall you should be able to pick on me for how I fictionalize a consular officer's first overseas activities. Remind me again, who is Lincoln? FBI agent. Black, tall, muscular, gay. I was actually more impressed with Brett's speech at Abuelo's than with CJ's at graduation, though it was also well done. Did you at least like CJ's praise of Jesuits? Part of his evolving attitude towards religion.

@WolfM Was that the same author who ended a story with the MC arrested and multiple other cliffies? I'm so proud of you. Keep them guessing!

Thanks for the distraction. Spent the morning dealing with offshore customer service reps I barely understood, and I'm ready to kill somebody. How accurate are the downtime conversations? The sexual banter I assume you expand for the story, but I'm wondering how much really goes on. As for the woman and Brandon being burnt, Ethan better be able to fix him and tell us who she was. My heart rate's going to take a bit to return to normal.

Thanks, JR. You have no idea how much it pleases me you're liking the series. Get ready to spend a few days south of the Equator.

@BlueWindBoy OMG! The kid's one of Q's tricks! You going literal on me? LOL He'll just tell Australia he's with CJ and the country will understand.

Every passing year brings additional items that should be included in school's curriculum. I'm not sure what the saturation point is, but at some point lessons need to be culled. Deciding what to ditch and what to retain can't be easy.

Thanks, bud. Glad you enjoyed it.

@Daddydavek The chapel's magnificent, and I hope one day to see it person. Renovation work's ongoing so I think I'll wait until it reopens. Should happen before Ritch's graduation. I wanted to show Ritch following protocol to a point, then laying down the law. Glad it worked.

Mann did exactly as you did. PIMP! When I described CJ's outfit. (Which I thought was perfect for someone coming from a few days in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Can't wait to write that.) I DIDN'T READ AHEAD When Ed call's him the same. Thanks for all your help, bud.

Thank you... Over 20 stories in the main series and spinoffs, I've tried to mellow CJ's violent tendencies and energize Ritch. Hopefully, as they continue to grow, they'll find the right balance.

I'm not about to stop placing the story in the middle of reality. Hell, I couldn't make up half the crap going on around us. I have friends, New Yorkers, who years after the 9/11 terrorist attack still had difficulty believing it happened. That's me with the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Including such events in the story helps me deal with them. In my mind, CJ equals hope. Hope for a better, fairer future. There are people like him out there, of that, I'm certain. I just hope they put apathy aside and try to help our world. I'm inspired by my youngest niece. She graduated from college last Sunday, turned down a couple of lucrative job offers, and decided to accept a position with Teach America. She wants to make a difference before she worries about accumulating wealth.

At times. particularly with new readers, I can tell when they binge the series because of reactions or comments. I am aware others return to it now and then and you have no idea how flattering that is. Thank you!

If you haven't read @Parker Owens latest story, Double Concerto, I highly recommend it. If nothing else, you should skim the final chapter. Parker introduces a character I referred to as a helicopter mom. He corrected me claiming she's a bulldozer mom. Brett, on more than one occasion, has talked about the value of travel as an educational tool. Of course, that gave me an opening to write travelogues, but I agree with his sentiment. Traveling, even if it's within our home state, province, or whatever, can expand our horizons. One example was a guy in a bus in Albuquerque who chatted me up praising my tattoos. Then he showed me the ones he had gotten in prison. That conversation's still filed away for possible use in a story. My point's traveling can make us interact with people we might not otherwise, and we can learn a bit more about our fellow humans.

It does. Unfortunately fucking evangelical Christians think they own the place. President Abello would have a field day with those suckers.

I'm impressed, Erik. I wonder how many people recall Brett's heritage. I touched on that briefly in a Summer chapter and haven't mentioned it again. We'll be in Mexico City in the next book.

Yesterday at Carnegie Hall and today at the Air Force Academy, damn CJ gets around. Thanks Parker. Considering how he handled the situation with Simon and the insubordinate cadet, I think Ritch's learned how to function within the military structure. He's ready to become an officer.

I think we see some of that in this chapter. At least that was my intent. Cesar & Brett have The Elite, CJ & Owen The Squad, and Ritch The Wing. I repeated the named group of friends on purpose, wanting to show how each generation influences subsequent one. Ritch has seen his fathers and brother support their friends, and he follows in their footsteps.

Thank you! I have a phone app with the constitution and all amendments. When in doubt, I look things up. Instant access to information through technology partially eliminates the need for memorization, but there has to be a basic understanding to begin with.

Thank you.

I think the apathy so many Americans have when it comes to politics may be due to ignorance. And as far as those standardized tests go, they should go. Forcing teachers to mold their lessons simply to increase grades in those things reduces the overall quality of education.

It should but I wonder what topics are stressed in those classes these days. School days and years are limited and certain topics are replace with more current ones. The basics of government deserves to be part of the curriculum no mater what.

CJ strikes again. He has a way of tackling issues that resonate with readers. Too often, educators are underpaid and overworked, CJ brings the private sector into the equation instead of having the government intervene once mor. I thought the approach fit in well with his dislike of mandates and excessive regulations.