Carlos Hazday

You've made me a happy man! Not being a father myself, I struggled to imagine the feelings those two would have. Contrary to what some may say, writing about something you don't know can be difficult. Particularly when you're writing about what others have intimate knowledge about. I once sent a comment to someone about their use of tax deductions in their story. I mentioned what he had written was incorrect, the author ignored me, used the same premise a few chapters later, and I stopped reading. I strive to make my writing believable and when authors don't care to do the same it suggest they should give up the writing racket. In social media the hashtag #guncle (for gay uncle) is popular. In this case, I transferred what I experienced to Ritchie and tried to put myself in my brothers' shoes. So happy it worked.

LOL I need to write something with violence in it, CJ's turning into a pussy cat.

LMAO! But... but... I'm pretty sure I've wrapped up every loose end. Not much left to write about these guys. And there will be no cliffies at the end of the last chapter. I know readers don't like those.

I don't mind those. It's sad ones I try to limit.

You're welcome! So glad you've enjoyed it.

It's not over! I've tried to end each book with a significant event; in this case there were two so we get two chapters with high emotional content. Keep the tissues close. If we can all suspend belief to enjoy the antics of a young wizard or a flying man in an iron suit, we can do it here too. In CJ's case wealth and personality place him in situations most of us would never experience. I've tried to ground the story in reality but it's still fiction. I'd rather read about an ideal man than a suffering one so that's what I've written. I'm glad you've enjoyed the ride! Oh, and in a couple of months, I hope to post something you can read the grandson over the next few years.

Thank you! Damien's going to hurt where he cares, his pocketbook.

Thanks, Parker. Good to know I can write sweet in addition to travelogues and cussing! And my apologies for robbing you of the surprise most readers experienced with the gender and name.

I drew on the birth of my first niece and first nephew while writing this chapter. As with Ritchie, I was the first one to hold them after the parents. My nephew's maternal grandmother wasn't thrilled when my brother handed Cooper to me first. LOL

LOL I've been accused of not milking enough drama out of important scenes probably because I don't drag stuff out over multiple chapters. I've done it with Damien and Cristina, and more recently with Brad, but that's because their story arcs evolved over time. I actually had even less involving the surrogate in the first draft. @Reader1810 complained so I gave Gina a bit more air time. Still, I wanted the birth to be all about Liebe and the dads. Callous of me but I wanted the birth mother out of the picture as quickly as possible. Or at least off camera!

LOL That you do. Last time you left me a comment was when Liz died, quite appropriate for you to return when a new life emerges to take her place. I suggest you read the next one too. Trust me. For the record, I don't mind sentimental scenes, heck I write them often enough. What I dislike is the romance stories where a couple constantly tell each other about their love and appreciation. Gag me. An endearing comment now and then is fine, but I prefer my characters show how they feel through action instead of words. Funny considering how much I enjoy writing dialogue.

Thanks, buddy. You ready to become a dad? Aren't you about the same age as CJ and Owen?

That means I did my job! It's quite a compliment for any author to know they emotionally touched readers.

I think your prediction about being spoiled is about to come true! Libe's front and center in the next chapter stealing the limelight from her fathers.

Thanks, Tony... You're not giving up hope, are you? LOL

Funny thing about the girl's name is it drove quite a few things in the series. Although I gave her my eldest nice's birthday, I didn't want to choose between her name and her sister's. Liebe Gadinsky' and her husband are old friends of mine and I decided to use her name instead. So, when I introduced Owen's sister, knowing she would leave behind eggs for the guys to use, I named her Elizabeth. It's also the reason I had CJ take German to satisfy his foreign language requirement at Georgetown. This is a baby born out of love who will be loved by all . Yes, this has been part of the plan from day one even if it's taken a few hundred thousand words to get here. LOL

The Squad looks out for each other. Just like CJ did, Ethan answered Chipper's call for help.

Do I need to send an emergency supply of tissues? So glad you like it!

“Careful, Aba.” Owen steadied Olga by the elbow as she stepped on the temporary treads. Saturday morning visits to check on the Capitol Hill house remodeling progress were a regular occurrence. “The stairs will be back to normal soon. We decided to get new steps to match the new floors.” “The house is so big for just the two of you and a baby. Cleaning’s going to take a lot of time.” Following his grandmother and husband, CJ dismissed her concern. “Something none of us will have to worry

I would not apologize. It's their fault for having a white rug and serving red wine. Sorry but someone has to be a counterpoint to all the nice Canadians. Ooops, did I say sorry? My bad.

You, Puppi, Thorn... who else? I'd wanna do it in the middle of winter so you guys would feel at home in the snow. LOL I actually have a question for you I'll send later today or tomorrow. Of course, this all depends on me getting questions for the authors. HINT, HINT, HINT.

I wouldn't mind more responses like Rigby's. Quite a contrast between his response and a one word one. We do have a varied group of authors.

You gonna play by yourself? A few of us might want to be in the audience...

G’day! Anyone who’s read my CJ series knows I have a thing for Australia. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not due to the tiny bathing suits I saw blokes wear at Bondi Beach. Okay, fine, those may have influenced me a tad. When I realized I had questions for a couple of our Aussie authors, I asked two reliable blog followers for additional ones. The result is the first ever Ask an AUSTRALIAN Author feature. I’ve enjoyed stories from all these authors and suggest you give them a try. @AusGlitterati What are your favourite genres to write? Do you think you may challenge yourself with something different? Hahaha hello! Gosh that's a rough one. I'm not confident I can answer it! So... I have a deep love for drama! I enjoy reading and writing about people who overcome adversity and earn their happily ever after! Give me all that angst and hardship! Romance means a similar thing to me - nothing beats a love story to make the heart sing! Comedy rounds the others out. I enjoy writing with a sense of humour! As far as my work is concerned, these three go hand in hand. As far as challenging myself, ooh I love puzzles and problem solving, so I've always wanted to write a long, convoluted murder mystery! A thriller! That would get the gears in my head spinning like they never have before! Thanks! x have a great day! @quokka Is there a particular author who has inspired you and your own work? Yes, my favourite author is Ms Beatrix Potter. When I first started writing as a teenager, my characters were mostly animals, as I was living on the family farm at the time. Sadly those stories became lost in time. I have always enjoyed reading her stories and the movie about her, and coming from a farming background, I tend to write stories about farms / stations in Australia. @grahamsealby Is your current home, the country where you've always lived? Yes. @Graeme Your latest Leopard's book features an American as a character. What made you decide to expand from an all-Australian cast? It was partly the challenge. I know writing about characters when you're not familiar with their cultural background is difficult and it's often done wrong. When authors include an Australia character, I can often tell if the author is familiar with Australia. Not because of anything big, but because of the small things, such as using the phrase "cell phone". In Australia, that should be "mobile phone". It's now my turn to experience the same thing. Luckily, my beta-readers and my editor are all American -- and I really appreciate the changes they've suggested to make sure Mason doesn't sound Australian! As for what inspired me, the answer is hinted at in the story itself. A former American college basketball player by the name of Mason Cox is beginning to make a name for himself in AFL football. He was already in Australia as part of the Collingwood Football Club (and he's mentioned in the story because of that), but over the last 12 months, he's developed significantly as an Australian Rules Foootball player and is now a regular part of Collingwood's senior team. The Mason in my story is named after Mason Cox, though I avoided making my character a star athlete -- I thought that would be stretching realism a little too much... @Palantir Your stories, even in space, have an Aussie ring to them. Do you make allowances for a worldwide readership or for the predominance of North Americans on GA? I wrestled with this question when I first started writing and decided to use my own voice rather than try and emulate the norm. Time and experience have firmed that decision. In general I think that GA is richer with a diversity of styles, and in particular I have found that the 'Aussie ring' strikes a chord of interest with many readers. Cheers from downunder. @Rigby Taylor What made you want to start writing and have your writing expectations changed since you started? Why did I start writing? I've always been an avid reader – at least a book a week, all genres from the classics to science fiction. My favourites were 1940s and 50s adventure stories with handsome, brave, ostensibly heterosexual heroes. Daring young men with an inseparable best friend for whom they would risk their life. They had other friends – even a chaste girlfriend somewhere waiting patiently, but only one true ‘blood brother’ who would be his mate for life. It’s no wonder that by the age of twelve my life’s aim was to be honest, trustworthy, independent, and have one best friend I would trust with my life, and to whom I would be forever faithful. I started adult life as an actor declaiming other people’s thoughts, when what I really wanted to do was present my own ideas. So I became an Art History Teacher with a captive audience of likeable, impressionable and stimulating adolescents off whom I could bounce ideas while perhaps influencing them positively. In my free time I made paintings that I hoped would convey my philosophies. But even the most realistic painting leaves the viewer with an emotion, rather than a clear understanding of the artist’s intentions. So I needed a more precise medium, and that, I belatedly realised, was ‘words’. With all the words at my disposal, surely I could express myself so clearly I would never be misunderstood? Mmmm… hope springs eternal… but at least my stories are more successful than my paintings. Why do I write the sorts of stories I do? Most people think the decriminalisation of homosexual acts, and marriage equality have normalised homosexuality in society, but they haven't. Nothings changed yet. It may in the future, but for the present it is still an abnormal, even confronting experience for most people to see two men or two women kissing on the street or in the park, or kissing and showing real affection in mainstream media. Instead of being considered normal, movies, shows, TV series, or plays that have gay characters are labelled LGBTQIA; often requiring parental guidance. I’d hoped that when we were finally no longer criminals, mainstream books and films would contain the occasional same-sex-oriented hero to balance the heterosexuals that had dominated. I hoped in vain. There've been loads of ‘Gay’ stories about the perils of ‘coming out’ and ‘finding oneself’, suggesting homosexuality is still a problem to be exorcised. And then it seemed every film, book, play with gays in it was about the Aids crisis. Then with the advent of eBooks, a deluge of MM erotica with simplistic plots and lots of graphic sex that reinforces the stereotype of gay libertines. Where were the thriller/adventure stories with an interesting, decent, believable gay hero? Finding none I decided to redress this gaping hole in gay fiction by writing stories with same-sex-oriented heroes whose exemplary behaviour would counter negative stereotypes and perhaps encourage readers to think seriously about how we should live, and in what sort of society. My ‘heroes’ are believable, normal men whose sexual orientation is not an obstacle in their quest for a good life with a lover and friends, as they courageously stick up for what they value. They enjoy sex, but rather than give a blow-by-blow account, I prefer to create a situation where romantic love and deep emotional bonding arises, then let readers use their imaginations. They may have ideas and opinions that differ from their peers, but live in the real world of avarice, deceit and double standards, valuing what is truly worthwhile—a sustainable planet with clean air, water and soil, and fulfilling, loving relationships with other men. Expectations: When I started writing I arrogantly assumed that my taste was universal. That most gay males were longing to read thrillers with gay heroes. But my experience on GA has taught me a lesson. I've had positive comments, but each story only attracts a dozen or so readers to react or comment, whereas writers of more ‘normal’ stories, deservedly receive hundreds of positive comments and reactions. There are some wonderful stories on the GA site dealing with the reality of life for normal people who happen to be gay and not heroes, just good guys who love and lust and prove that it really is normal to be gay. And that is the beauty of G.A., taking readers as seriously as writers, providing wonderful opportunities for supportive reader feedback, while proving that gays are perfectly normal in their reading tastes as well as everything else. Truly a unique achievement! What is my favourite book? Each of my stories is about something I consider to be important, but I like ‘Mortaumal’ most. It’s about death and dying, seen through the eyes of a young lad as he negotiates a difficult life. As he matures he encounters a variety of ways of dying, and learns to accept the inevitability of death while embracing the present. Far from being a sad book, it is full of the joy of life. Jarek is about how we educate our young men. Fidel is a cautionary tale depicting a dystopian theocratic take-over of Australia. Sebastian is an attempt to increase our tolerance of difference. Rough Justice asks questions about the law and justice. NumbaCruncha is a look at the dystopian probable future of Homo sapiens if we don’t mend our ways. Frankie Fey is deeply critical of the current embrace of laissez-faire capitalism. What do I enjoy most about writing? When I'm writing, time disappears. I am totally engrossed. The characters come to life and take over my head. I feel as if they are writing the book and I am merely the typist, having to wait till the plot progresses to find out what happens. It sounds chaotic, but isn’t; it’s a logical discovery of a character’s individuality. Establishing the plot and characters and completing the first draft is exciting, but the best part for me is editing. I will happily read and reread, rewrite, change, modify, hour upon hour, giving my thesaurus plenty of use in the search for the exact word, phrase, expression… to keep the plot moving at the right pace to make reading a seamless exercise while saying exactly what I want to say in the most accurate and economical manner. Which is my favourite character? “Jarek” the eponymous hero of the novel Jarek, tops the list. He is a ‘natural’ man, excellent teacher, and perfect friend. What has been my favourite scene to write? In my first novel, Rough Justice, when Robert first understands his problems and shares his new knowledge with Bart. What lessons have I learned? Not to be in a hurry to leap into publication. Editing the first draft is but the beginning. When satisfied, I put the book away for a month and then read it again as if for the first time. Then all the oddities leap out and smack me in the eye. The clumsy phrases, wordiness, too many adjectives, repetitions, overwriting, pontificating, embarrassing sentimentality… all the mistakes of enthusiasm and a desire to get published will be exposed to be deleted [usually the best] or rewritten. A writer must not be too precious about his carefully chosen words; most stories during editing would benefit from deleting thousands to tighten up the action and sharpen the atmosphere. Less is More. That last response has to be the most comprehensive one I’ve ever received. Hope you enjoyed our time in the Southern Hemisphere. The pilot has turned on the No Smoking sign. Please return tray tables to their upright position and fasten your seatbelts. Oh, and send me some questions, I’m running low again.

Staying in Florida this summer and exploring the state on the motorcycle. Starting with a few days in Tampa to check out the Department of Defense's Warrior Games. A little research for a future story's involved. Spending a week working my way down the Keys to Key West in July. A little snorkeling, a little fishing, and some carousing once I get to the end of US1. In August. I'm riding to Orlando for a college football game and spending a few days in Central Florida. That month, my collegiate fraternity's holding its convention in Atlanta. I canceled my attendance in protest over Georgia's restrictive abortion law. I'll spend my money elsewhere.