Carlos Hazday

Straight people sometimes don't realize how personal it is to come out and how difficult it is particularly at that age. Thiago will return and Harley's the type of friend we all should be lucky to have. He's, loyal, fun, and non-judgemental.

Maybe? LOL You and me, Tony. You and me. In today's political climate, finding level-headed individuals is difficult, but I have to hope sooner or later things will calm down. Of course, shenanigans will always be involved. There have been, are, and will be shady characters on both sides of the divide.

CJ can be manipulative and take advantage of circumstances to advance his goals, but I don't think he'd knowingly do anything to hurt anyone else. Unless his family's threatened. Owen's bought into his husband's goal of elected office and will back him all the way to the White House. He'll continue to cultivate individuals he finds interesting (Chef Jose Andres for example) and those people will reward his good deeds.

I rarely use random name generators but did in this case. I wanted something that wouldn't hit at who I originally named. The fact it called to mind the Dred Scott decision didn't bother me. It may have actually influenced the final choice. I love using obscure references; been waiting for the right spot to have someone pull a Judge Carter disappearing act. LOL The Obamas come across as down-to-earth people who know where they came from and haven't forgotten their roots. They're easy to write and I think mesh well with CJ & co.

I like the speculation; it tells me I did something right since people want to know more. I have so many damn threads in the series, it takes time to deal with all of them.

Tom and Doc will be recurring characters throughout the entire series, even if their appearances will diminish as I concentrate on CJ and his crew. I'm actually considering bringing back at least one of the cops in a future story. Nothing even outlined though, just the idea it might be interesting to revisit them.

LOL I think I'm done killing people off for a bit.

Readers clamored for Ritchie to be with CJ from the moment I introduced the kid. It took a while but I had to let it happen naturally instead of forcing it.

I'm sure you've noticed I like using different settings and NYC provides me with a plethora of them. I think it's the location I use most in the series after DC

Among other things I wanted to show how protective those guys are of each other. Ritchie's a little thing compared to Ethan, but it won't stop him from coming to his brother's defense. Brett and Cesar show similar feelings when they discuss the kid even though technically they have no responsibility for him.

I do mention diving the Meso-American Barrier Reef off Belize in two future stories. I've never been there but it sounds and looks impressive.

That hippie commune would be a great place to visit and/or set a story in. Depending on how long ago that was, it could be a period piece if no longer in existence.

BTW The chef's a real person who did two tours of duty at the Ukrainian border during the summer of 2022. I read an article about him that sent me searching for details. Typical me following the rabbit hole. That's how I discovered his tattoos, his love of motorcycles, and of extreme sports.

So glad you like that line; it made me smile when I wrote it since it's such a Brett line. Not sure if you're aware President Obama has a liking for dirty martinis; it's why I mentioned CJ mixing three different batches. And for the record, he likes them stirred, not shaken. Shaking helps met the ice which dilutes the booze. The liquid nitrogen cartridges exist and based on cocktails I had at a restaurant in Miami, they're used to chill glasses and drinks. The ones I had were a glass filled with whatever mixers were used and a frozen vodka lollipop used for stirring it. The vodka chilled the mixture as it melted. A gimmick so they could charge 25+ for a drink.

After two individuals I trust expressed reservations about me 'killing' someone who's still alive, I removed the name of the justice and replaced it with a fictitious one. The shooting will serve as the catalyst for something I first mentioned in Hail to the Chief. LMAO - When have you known me to answer everything right away? However, I think a lot of the confusion will be cleared up in the next chapter. The twins are due in about six months. In Everhope, we got a chance to hear from the surrogate and her husband during another dinner party. During that meal, Brad mentioned an artist who could paint something for Liebe's new room and the surrogate's husband promised to draw something he could make for her bed. In this chapter, Liebe announced the bedroom her grandparents were using would be hers and that she would be getting a new bed. Although not yet written, The District will introduce the artist and his creation for Liebe's new room. We'll also get more details on rearranging the current nursery to house the boys. Patience my friend, patience.

Some 25% of registered voters are Republicans. We've known Brett was one forever and that his father was a big shot Rep in California before he died. Phil's a product of Cuban Miami and Riley hails from a small town in Georgia; both areas are full of conservatives. Although important to some people, party registration's not a great indicator of how most will vote. Trump won in 2016 even though Democrats outnumber Republicans. There will always be a segment of the population who'll never consider voting for a candidate from one or another party, but part of my goal's been to show CJ trying to walk a fine line between liberals and conservatives. Hell, even after trashing Marco Rubio in the previous chapter, he admitted there were areas he and the senator agreed on. I suspect one would be Senator Rubio's recent takedown of Ron Desantis over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, since that takes place in 2023, I can't highlight it in a story set in 2022.

But, but, but... I did mention the names of two of the victims. How's that a cliffie? Oh, you want to know if they survived and how the shooting came about? How about I share those details next week?

LMAO There's a cliffhanger there? I must have missed that.

One of my goals with the nine stories covering the summer of 2022, aside from advancing CJ and Owen's story, was to recycle old characters and provide updates on their lives. I did it in Newport with Paul Parker and here I brought back Riley and Phil. They do live in the hood so they'll be around frequently. The events in CDMX and the time in Key West forced them to modify their timetable, so I've been trying to show them embracing a larger circle of acquaintances.

On Friday, Owen took his parents and Liebe to CityCenterDC. The mixed-use development in downtown Washington housed a public park, condominium buildings, rental apartments, offices, a luxury hotel, upscale dining, and high-end retail. The last time they had gone clothes shopping for Liebe had been during a brief visit to New York City earlier in the year; the girl needed a wardrobe refresh. It was an ongoing endeavor since she outgrew most things quickly. It allowed Pam and Geoff time alone

I'm still writing new adventures LOL Currently I'm working on a Caribbean trip with plenty of sightseeing and a couple of dives. Scuba dives, not raunchy bars. LOL

You're reading @WolfM's current story, right? He has a more detailed and better description of San Diego's trendy section in it. CJ's an explorer and although he'll sometimes venture out without specific plans, it's rare. I mix it up. My first trip to Milwaukee I knew I wanted to do Harley-Davidson stuff and had all that planned out. Then I discovered the Art Museum's building and it was a highlight of the trip. Getting lost on a motorcycle trip has usually led me to interesting discoveries.

It'll take time, but a kid Ritchie's age is resilient. Having CJ as a brother will provide plenty of support. I think most readers were glad I killed Rich and Lourdes. I think I was in a feisty mood when I wrote this story, plenty of fights and a couple of deaths. LOL

As I'm sure you've figured out by now, CJ finds himself at the center of a lot of events. To this day, even in a more open and accepting society, many a gay man feels the need to marry a woman. Family, religion, and society can be powerful influences.

By now you've read the next chapter, so you know what happens.