Carlos Hazday

There are so many parties during and after the Oscars, I had trouble deciding which one they would attend. I actually flipped coins before I settled on the Vanity Fair one.

This was meant to be one of the FUN chapters, so I'm glad that's how it came across. My penchant for weaving in real events, places, and people in the stories has created some timing issues as I write 'in the future.' I sure as hell hope Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, and Bradley Cooper show up at The Oscars in 2022. I've already had a restaurant close, a famous couple split, and a football game rescheduled; don't get me started on how CJ's final semester in college would be affected by the COVID19 panic. I haven't rewritten anything because this is fiction, but the inconsistency annoys me. I'm currently trying to limit 'reality' references. Therefore, the annoying woman is entirely fictional My goal was to showcase how silly political correctness has become. Being respectful is one thing, but chastising someone without being aware of context is stupid.

March 2022 “Yo! Legless!” CJ shouted, waving until Brad noticed. The star of A Home for Warriors had gone in search of a restroom twenty minutes before and was just now looking for his people. The room was extremely crowded, and Brad methodically scanned the occupants. He had no idea where his group was until CJ called out. “That’s disgusting!” The short, dark-skinned woman wearing an emerald sari gave CJ a look lesser men would have run from. “How dare you disrespect a tr

I now have ESPN in the background. Nothing on MLB or NHL. MLS suspended season for 30 days. All collegiate tournaments are now cancelled. Athletes had concerns and a few school presidents banned their students from participating. One guy said he wasn't scared for himself,he was young, but if he caught it and passed it to his grandparents he couldn't forgive himself. Somebody please put that kid in charge.

@Fae Briona The hypocrisy associated with money. Those schools cancel/postpone classes but still send their athletes to play in March Madness. The almighty dollar reigns supreme. I was surprised and impressed the NBA suspended the season. The two players who've tested positive will likely have mild symptoms but fans and staff have plenty of older people. Those of us over 60 and with health conditions are the ones who need to be careful. I cancelled my Dad's Monday doctor's appointment. No need for either one of us to be surrounded by a bunch of older individuals also at risk.

I've ridden with a few Uber drivers who swear by Waze over Google or their own company's app.

Have you considered downloading Waze to your phone? I don't use the app, but I know it provides user generated traffic info.

Everything I've read indicates substance abuse is often a primary cause for homelessness. The reasons behind addiction are as varied as the individuals themselves.

I'm experimenting again. In Singer, I started off with an event 3/4 of the way through the story and flashed back to the beginning, telling the story in chronological order. With Ranger, I started the same way, but future chapters will flip between the past and the present. Relatively speaking since most of the events take place later than the posting date. I skipped the pre-Oscars red carpet hoopla, but next week we peek into one of the post-Oscars party.

Check's in the mail

Excellent! That's the reaction I was hoping for. Hook readers with the opening and reel them in with subsequent chapter.

You didn't. And since I started off with them winning the Oscar, we know that project works. Although this is Brad's story, it's firmly part of the CJverse. Brad's troubles, from high school to now, were really designed to highlight CJ's concern and care for those close to him. And his loyalty to those he calls friend. It's in his nature and probably one of reasons so many look up to him. I'm sure it was highlighted in the commercials during his mayoral and presidential campaigns. LOL In the midst of writing a story about the dads and CJ only appears in the prologue. But his influence in what I'm writing is palpable. I'm trying to flesh the old dudes out, particularly Brett, but there are direct references to CJ, and indirectly we can see where some of the kid's value system and personality come from.

Thanks! New chapter next Friday.

And I gave you credit.

Research, my friend. I've looked up so many damn things since I started writing, my head's full of trivia. I've now used Georgia twice in stories this year. You better be happy!

@travlbug I forgot to mention the car conversation between Carson, Ozzie, CJ, and Brad is an almost verbatim lift from a previous story. I introduced the idea of Brad moving there and the documentary a hell of a long time ago.

Why am I not surprised a fellow author would comment on the repetition. In this case intentional! LOL @Dughlas did mention it when he beta read. I'm kinda proud of it and it did work for introducing 3 new characters even though we met Anne in the prologue.

There are a couple of dark moments coming up, but there's also a lot of playfulness. Hopefully I got the balance right.

Glad you liked it. All three scenes helped introduce the main new characters even though Anne won't play a big role.

No two are alike, but many vets struggle to reintegrate themselves into civilian life.

The piggy comments were inspired by my straight brothers. Funny you mention The Interviews. That's the title of chapter 7! Moi? Trash our President and Commander in Chief. Interesting you bring that up, I'm an equal opportunity trasher. Just you wait for Malibu!

Pssst, the win an Oscar. LOL Actually, the story goes on for a bit after the win. Obviously, CJ and Chipper are no longer the only Squad members in the public eye.

I'm not very tech savvy, but you may want to check what type of notifications you're getting. I know there's an option for getting none, some, or just some.

LOL I've explained it twice but here it is once again. The system failed to send out notifications but it did when I mentioned it in a status update. Y'all have to pay attentiong when I do updates. My main goal is to entertain, if in the process I'm able to share a bit of knowledge, so much the better.

@Butcher56 The system failed to send out notifications when the story, prologue, and chapter were published. However, I did post about it on a status update and in the Ranger forums thread. Anyone following me as an author should have received notice of those. I know they went out. Are you following me as an author?