Carlos Hazday

If you're curious about what happened with the California beach house, you can find details here:

Sunshine piercing the overcast skies made Will reach for his sunglasses. Clouds had blanketed most of the route from Wyoming to Colorado. “What are you gonna do with it?” In the passenger seat, Ritch bounced the fossil from hand to hand. “I think I’ll give it to my dads as a present. If I kept it in our room, someone’s bound to accuse me of having an unauthorized weapon.” Academy regulations limited the number of memorabilia items cadets could keep in the dorms. C4Cs were allowed two. Anyt

Thank you.

I'm not sure I grasp the meaning of your comment.

Just wait until Win and Sarah Bender meet Brett and Cesar! It's a toss up between Brett and Win for who embarrasses their spouses first.

Thanks, Def. Doesn't every soap opera require a long lost relative showing up? Sorry about the wasted bottle of wine. At least it wasn't a Liston. LOL

Glad it moved you. You may have noticed I did not have CJ fall for the first guy he slept with (even though readers wanted him to be attached quickly. Whenever I introduced a new character, he was quickly married off by some readers. Keep reading, you may come across what you imagined sooner or later.

I learn new stuff every day.😁

You lost me.

This story's turning out to be great for marketing. LOL After I mentioned Thiago's story in the comments to the Prologue, that story got a couple more reactions, which probably means at least double the number of readers. It also sparked interest in someone who had never read any of my stuff and is now binge reading the entire CJ series. Reading over Malibu will also help you when I send Ritch and a couple of fellow cadets to California at some point.

Ritch will act on fears of over commitment again. Reading through Academy related forums, I found it interesting how much graduates and cadet parents emphasize the need for incoming basics to run a lot. The Academy even has nutrition programs for overweight individuals. Those probably never bothered to read what I did. LOL Academics and leadership seminars and forums will play a part in the story. Edrice will even explain some of that to the girls he and... Oops, I've said too much already.

Your experiences are fascinating, thank you for sharing. You'll have to wait a bit, but in chapter 12 I mention both Eielson and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Shemya Island must have been interesting. You were closer to Russia than the rest of the United States. I presume this was at the height of the Cold War, so tensions must have been high. Even if you were there on temporary duty, it must have been a little scary.

Those interesting supporting characters are a curse, I tell you. There's one cadet I created with the intention of killing him a couple of chapters later. I couldn't do it when it came time, he was too damn good to lose. He, along with a couple others, will be recycled into future stories. LOL Ritch had been under his brother's shadow for so long, it felt good to have him spread his wings and fly sol. (See what I did there? LOL) Win, and his politics, will make another appearance before we're finished.

I really enjoy your comments, Dave. You seem to catch and enjoy little details like Sasha's text. I thought that would fit an 18-year-old college freshamn talking to a friend. In a later chapter, I will revisit Ritch's opinion of his parents. And Melissa will stick around. By the way, I got lazy when naming her. I envisioned her looking like Malissa McCarthy, so I borrowed the first name for my character.

Have you been peeking at future chapters and my posting schedule? Glad you're enjoying this one, Jay. From Malibu, we know the dads visit Ritch in February 2021. Before that, our cadet will return to Washington for Christmas. Although CJ, Owen, and Liebe will be out of town for a bit (see Ripper Christmas) we'll get to see the family together when they return from Australia. So you think I should post an extra chapter now and then, eh? Let's see what I can do.

Writing Cadet has forced me to make decisions about what happens to other characters in the future. Since this story runs through May 2024, when Ritch graduates, there are events that affect him. Some I describe in detail, some I mention in passing so I can revisit them in the future. However, as you suggest, a lot of what I've written lately would be tied up by the time we get to Hail to the Chief. More than once, I've left my editor notes about characters or events I haven't fleshed out entirely, letting him know further development would happen in time. I like having characters cross over. I did it with Phil and Riley from New Year's Day, when they showed up in Ranger, and I'll do it again in this story. Some of Ritch's fellow cadets will also live on after Cadet's completed.

You have any idea how often autocorrect tells me when I write about the dads that fathers should be father's? That AI need work. You must, must, must keep reading. Vietnam and Alaska both receive attention. Where were you stationed in Alaska?

Glad you enjoyed it buddy

I thought he handled it well. A tad restrained compared to how his brother would have, I'm sure. LOL Mrs. Bender sounds like a practical woman to me. She avoids discussing certain things with her husband to keep the peace, but she's going to do what she thinks is right.

Will already met Brett and Cesar at the end of August (last chapter) and will spend time with them again the following February (part of that's detailed in Malibu). He'll spend time with a few more of the gang soon enough. Not sure I could handle the entire Abello clan together for my introduction to the family. LOL I've met two Presidents and one vice-president (and by meeting I mean we shook hands and I introduced myself LOL) and it was fine. They were all tall though. Ritchie as an adult has been interesting to write. I did not want to turn him into a CJ clone, but I had to take into account how close that family is and therefore how much the dads and the brother would help shape him. Hopefully you guys can tell he's his own man.

Careful, those things are extremely popular in places like Wyoming, Montana, and such. For some reason, canned green beans always taste metallic. I could survive the Campbell's condensed soup (had plenty of that when I was a poor boy growing up on the other side of the tracks.)

Glad you enjoyed it. I haven't been on a horse in over 50 years so no way I'd recall. I relied on friend's advice. LOL I wanted Win's comment to be matter-of-fact with a little snarkiness; I do not believe he intended it in an insulting way. I also tried to ensure the reasons his wife and son gave for not following family tradition were valid. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Win and Sara discuss their voting record next.

Thanks, Theo. Readers' reactions a d comments fuel my writing. Without them I would write but might not be as keen to publish. I mean, who wants to perform in an empty space. It took me quite a few books and years to introduce her, but it had been in the planning for a while. I still wonder at how my mind co es up with these convoluted scenarios. One reason Will hails from Wyoming was so I could have Melissa within driving distance of the Academy. Thanks for reading and the comment.

You usually notice this type of stuff. Did you start the weekend already? I think it's 5 o'clock somewhere. 😁

Thank you, Parker. For the comment and for your assistance with this project. Did you know the last time Wyoming voted for a Democrat for President was 1964? Lyndon Johnson beat Barry Goldwater. While Hilary Clinton won only one county, Tenton which is home to Jackson and the ski resort, Joe Biden actually won 2. Maybe we'll see a repeat of 1964 in our lifetime. Liz Cheney seems to be a principled Republican unlike so many others. The fact her father was part of both Bush administrations, and the orange man dissed both of them, may have something to do with it.