Carlos Hazday

“Papi! You’re home!” Liebe raised her arms as she ran to the door. “Pick me up, Papi. Pick me up!” In one motion, her father lifted Liebe and twirled her around. His baseball hat fell off when he did. She liked the hat because she had helped write Pete inside it so he would not lose it. That was what everyone called him even though his name was really Pedro. “Wheee!” The blonde tyke squealed in delight. “How’s my favorite, little girl?” Papi asked after stopping and giving h

As an author, it's often hard to read others' work and not do comparisons. How would I have framed the scene? How would I have the character say that? Unfortunately, it often detracts from enjoying what I read. I did exactly that with Mikiesboy's Changes, Again. Our differing styles meant certain sections I found jarring. Louis and Don's story would have been different if I had written it. But different does not mean bad. There's a certain honesty in this tale and others by the author I find captivating. Something I try to convey in my writing. A gay couple that has faced challenges before embark on a new adventure when they decide to help a young man in a wheelchair. This moving story does not need fireworks to shine brightly; it's simplicty's charming enough. Changes, Again is proof we don't need angsty, tortured romance to lure readers in and have them enjoy a story. I suggest you read both the original and the sequel. STRONGLY suggest.

Hi, @Cia I held off replying in hopes some of the newer members would. It seems the same small group of people are the ones who always participate. As a couple others have mentioned, I came to GA following an author who ended up being banned from the site. I came back looking for something to read a few months later and haven't been able to kick the habit since. Cassie has mentioned a few times she found GA when she followed you here, and I know several members have chased me after first finding me on Nifty or CRVboy. @Talo Segura I spent six months or so reading, commenting on stories, and interacting in the forums. When I had the guts to write and post a story for an anthology, I had a built-in audience. My CJ series didn't become popular by chance. It took work to build up a fan base. Myr posted something about this a while back. Paraphrasing: You can build a following by writing outstanding stories or by being a social butterfly so all your 'friends' support you. By doing both, you ensure a larger reading group.

I think I dropped enough hints along the way most readers suspected CJ and Owen would end up living in the White House!

Thanks! I hope you'll give whatever I post next a look. Even if it's not another CJ installment

Actually, ALL authors are featured. Which ones make it to the blog in any particular month depends on which ones I get questions for. Some appear more frequently because more are sent in for them. If you have something you want to ask, send me the question. I forward them to the author anonymously to protect the guilty.

Who says you have to indent paragraphs? I think that practice, along with double spaces after a period, are relics of typesetting days. Our current, crisp, fonts made those obsolete a long time ago.

@Reader1810 A smart bulb can be controlled by an app on my phone. I can turn it on and off, dim it, and change the light color. What CJ wants to do, and it's possible with today's technology, is connect all the light bulbs to an app and use aN AI assistant to control it. Alexa, turn on dining room lights. Alexa change porch light to red. HAL and Big Brother are alive!

Thank you, my friend. There's one more story already up looking at the guys 20 years in the future. Definitely taking a break from CJ for a bit, but he'll be back. I know he has cameos in a couple of upcoming stories. I'm glad you've come to like these guys as much as I have!

@bubby1234 In the entry above this one there's a comment about how I included so many different types of personalities and relationship. He said not all of them were their cup of tea but it was interesting to read how others did it. CJ's no saint, but I probably made him milder that someone like him would probably be. You're read the end so you know what his family life will be like. Even if there are a couple of racy incidents along the way.

LOL - I'm 40 years older than CJ and haven't done a lot of what he has. Maybe if I win the lottery I can cram a few things in. I just bought my first smart bulb last week. Not the top of the line but at 30+ dollars for one fricking bulb it'll do. I can change colors and intensity using my phone but haven't set it up yet so I can control it using Google Assistant. I can just imagine how much fun it would be to have a fully automated house! So, okay, you wanted 25 installments and I've published 13. Guess I owe you an even dozen.

As usual, my thought process was convoluted, but I had fun coming up with those. I figured most people wouldn't get it.

That was yesterday!

It's been interesting reading this thread. Returning to the theme that Adulting is Hard, I'd like to paraphrase Bette Davis: "Growing up/older is not for sissies" Stop bitching, grow a pair, and do something to fix what's wrong.

Nope, I've had it happen to me recently. Pain in the butt! Had a lot of comments to reply to yesterday and today, I would post my comment and it would remain in the 'working' box. I had to manually delete it or exit the page and return. I can't remember if refreshing the page worked. I won't provide links or screenshots since I've not saved an example. HP laptop Windows 10 incorporating the latest updates Most recent version of Firefox with automatic updates enabled.

@danield WOW! The electric company did work on the lines behind my house and I was without power and internet for a few hours. I first read your comment on my phone, got goose bumps, and had to wait until I could get on regular keyboard to reply. The goose bumps returned a few minutes ago when I reread it. That has to be the most comprehensive, moving message I've received for the series. Let's see what I can comment on without looking again. I've been to DC a couple of times since I started writing the series and each time I've visited a few of the locations I used. Some, like The Tombs and the Exorcist stairs, I knew fairly well from my days at Georgetown. Others I plucked from the internet, went out to see them in person for the first time. Dogtag Bakery, Uproar, and the house on Capitol Hill among them. Did you know I worked as a tour guide in Orlando and Miami during college summers? Let's wait and see if the story gets optioned for TV or the movies and we'll organize a trip then. A while back I was taken to task for not providing a full emotional experience during high-drama sections (Liz's death was specifically mentioned) and for not having distinctions between characters. I was told they all sounded the same. I disagreed with the assessment even though I'm always open to constructive criticism. My characters may have similar personalities, but that's normal among friends. Thank you for recognizing their evolution and their individual uniqueness. The same with the emotional content. The fact readers have experienced such a variety of feeling tells me I did something right. I was also taught not to complain about something unless I was willing to work to fix whatever I found wrong. The line attributed to Brett's grandfather came to me a long time ago and I had to wait until it was the right time to use it. But it was always in the back of my mind as a guiding principle for CJ. Whether it was his battles with bullies, his involvement in the 2016 campaign or in Heroes Haven, if he saw a wrong he could right, he did not sit and wait for someone else to fix the problem. Let me end this by thanking you again. For reading, for your comments, and for trusting me enough to join GA. I'll be back with something new in about a month or so.

LMAO!

LMAO! It's been long-awaited by ME! Take a look at the date of my letter in the prologue. This chapter was complete and loaded into GA about 3 months ago. It was written way before that. Hell my editor saw the first draft over a year ago when we were just starting the clean up of the previous book. And if you remember back to the first book, there were mentions of CJ running for office. This is the ending I envisioned when I started writing and worked toward from the start. I didn't know the details, but I knew CJ would be elected President and the final chapter would be him getting sworn in. I'll dribble CJ tidbits here and there, but my next two writing projects are a Christmas story about men in kilts and a shifter story to start next year with. Looking forward to your comments on those.

@Jeff1 You know, Jeff, there's a very fine line between too much and too little. With long series, I've been left quasi-satisfied but open to more at a future date. That was my experience with Harry Potter. But as I approached the end, there was a slight sense of sufficiency. With other series, I've given up because the author either repeated himself or created unbelievable situations. There's been quite a few of those including some on GA. I tried to make each book in the CJ series a little different. While some readers disliked the at times short and quick scenes changes, all that was done on purpose to keep the story moving. I'd much rather leave readers wanting more than walking away. I also tried to introduce new characters and situations all the time, but only if they 'fit.' But I need a break from CJ himself. He'll return here and there--I know he and Owen have cameos in a couple of upcoming stories and one of them isn't even mine! But a full-fledged CJ book, chronicling some of what transpired between graduation and inauguration has to wait at least until after the next election. Politics was obviously an integral part of the story, they play a part in CJ's future, and I don't want to write something about who's elected in 2020 or 2024 and end up being wrong. Thanks for the steadfast support.

Having readers make a strong emotional connection with my characters has been eye opening. It amazes me I was able to elicit such a range of reactions. My goal was to entertain, if in the process I've educated a bit and made readers reflect as you say, I've exceeded my expectations. And I'm sure those of a bunch of doubters. Thank you!

It was tough deciding who would get mentioned in this chapter. We have to assume the Elite and Chicago family branch were there and so were some of the people CJ's met over the years. If the old biker from Florida's still alive in 2041, you bet he was there too. LOL You and @Canuk both mentioned the reporters and I'm glad you noticed. It was the one way I could get away with recapping so many individuals without sounding like I was just listing them for the hell of it. The new characters are all Juniors; I wanted to show that the next generation was in place and that they thought of each other as family. Davenport mentioned having all his 'cousins' over to the White House for Chinese food on Sundays. Some things don't change even if the participants do. Thanks for all your feedback over the years, Jeff!

I had to look at your profile; I'd forgotten you're in NZ. One of the many scenes/sections I outlined but never wrote was a trip there by the Chicago cousins to provide technical assistance with historical reconstruction after an earthquake. It was never used because I switched my approach from multiple points of view to seeing everything through CJ's eyes. But that might one day make for an interesting short story. You never know. Yep, that's exactly how I see them. I even had Owen make a comment about them dealing with good looks, wealth, and popularity well but worried about their personalities. I have a feeling those two racked up a lot of time-outs and may have even received a spanking or two. Thanks, @Buz

@Myr Thank you!

@Canuk One of my favorite comments ever was you mentioning Owen's parents were probably nagging him about a trip home to Australia, looking at the next chapter, and editing what you wrote when you realized it was the trip you were suggesting. I jot down notes about possible settings, actions, and characters all the time. I have a huge list of potential names. Most of those scribbles are for potential CJ stories; there are twenty years I could write about. And although I've thought about a few things that could happen while they're in the White House, I've never written those down. This will be the end of the series always. Even if I write about the intervening time period.

Glad you enjoyed it and glad you followed me to GA, Rick. I see you posting all over the place so I assume joining this site was a good decision.