Carlos Hazday

Overcast skies and a nice breeze is what we have. South Florida dodged a catastrophe. I haven't been gone that long! LOL I did post a story last month in case you missed it. This one will run through Thanksgiving and a Christmas onewill go live in December. When we look back at the year, you'll see I posted something every month. I'm pretty sure writer's block isn't an issue with me!

I'm hijacking your comment to give readers a little perspective. For the record, this story owes a lot to you. A little over a year ago I was getting tired of writing one series and looked for a change. Chipper seemed like a good candidate for a stand alone story. I approached Parker asking him to do something for me, and he delivered it at the beginning of this year. You'll find out what I asked for eventually. In the meantime, my DVR worked overtime; I've watched most of the last three seasons of The Voice. Once I had a solid outline of what I wanted to happen, I started writing. Fearing plot holes, I bent over backwards to ensure nothing in this story or the CJ series was in conflict. You'll notice one of the overlapping plot lines in the next chapter. I spent countless hours on iTunes and YouTube picking music. Every song was selected with a purpose even if at times it was just so I could have Chipper dance on stage. And because the story's primarily set in Los Angeles, I had to do a little research about a place I'm not that familiar with. So, it's been over a year from concept to posting. Proof you can't rush a story just to get it out. And that you have to do your homework. I hope everyone enjoys the finished product and talks it up with friends. I'd love to have new readers discover me since familiarity with the characters is not a requirement.

Thanks, Jose! Slowly weaning myself from the CJverse and this was a way of milking one of those characters that sounded interesting, but I never had the chance to flesh out. Hopefully, this will even entice some of those who've never read a CJ story to take a chance on me.

Yeah, but readers don't get to see your comments! Feel free to repeat yourself

Thanks, Tor. I'm posting twice a week with this one, so the story will move along at a fast pace. Hope you like where I take our boy.

You did mention something about a Chipper spinoff before, right?

Thanks, Tony! Hope you liked the prologue too.

You, better than others, know I like to challenge myself when writing. You've commented on it before when I've changed formats. I don't want to stagnate. Writing CJ for so long, I feared I was so I'm slowly weaning myself. The most recent story I wrote has nothing to do with our boy and the one I'm working on now is only slightly connected. So, my style hasn't changed that much but the way I share the story has. I started with the cameos by CJ and Owen so we knew Chipper wasn't competing in a vacuum, we can be certain the Squad was either glued to the TV or their DVRs were recording. The other change with this one is chapter length; I took a cue from @Mann Ramblings and @Cia . Expect 26 chapters all around 1k words.

Chris, the entire story's loaded and set to post twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Thanks, Rick. Hope you like the first chapter too (and the rest of the story!)

Thanks, Mr. McDughlas! I was up at 4 this morning. Worried about Singer posting properly (it didn't, Chapter 1 didn't make it to the new chapter list) and about Dorian. I expected to look outside and see branches and junk all over. Nothing. Poor Bahamians. Coffee's working so I may as well reply to comments as they come in. LOL

First to like and comment again. Thanks, Chris!

“Alexa, play Chipper’s mix. Set volume to background.” CJ leaned the umbrella against the doorjamb and ran a hand through his damp hair. The rain associated with a late September cold front was but one more inconvenience in an already horrible day. He kicked off his shoes and padded toward the back of the house. Looking at the wall clock, he assumed Liebe was napping. The canvas shopping bag and the briefcase he tossed atop the kitchen island before quietly climbing the stairs. The first

Chipper Pereira, a senior at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, has the opportunity to audition for a national talent show. Follow along as he interacts with celebrities and fellow contestants and discovers the music business has good and bad experiences.

I enjoyed this one the first time around and plan to read it again as soon as I have time this week. I highly recommend it.

You won't hear me complain about wrong forecasts. I'm so glad I waited to put up the shutters. But my thoughts are with our Bahamian neighbor's; they're getting pounded. March Harbour's a magical place, I hope damage is not too bad.

Me? Double entendres? No idea what you're talking about! Boy needs practice. Shadow during the day, and Stravor at night?

Damn Dorian keeps getting stronger. Looks like it'll be a cat 4 when it hits Florida's east coast. The grocery store was crowded this morning and there was a line of cars waiting to gas up at the station around the block from my place. If I drown, my next story's already posted.

You romantic softie, you.

Good opening salvo. Pacing is slow enough to allow readers to absorb details of a new world, but not so slow as to put us to sleep with endless detail. Nice one, tim. I look forward to the next installment.

@Bushba Thank you! I don't know If or when those two items may come in handy, but I'll keep them in mind. In my defense, the 11/10 birthday I may not have featured Since I highlighted 11/11 a couple of times instead. But now I'll try to work it in just for you. I'm certain I'll have another Marine as a character again.

I have an old friend named Liebe. Well, her name's Elizabeth, and the nickname was given to her because it's what Queen Elizabeth II was supposedly called. My goal was to honor my friend and give the girl a distinctive moniker. I knew CJ and Owen would have a daughter early in my plotting and planned accordingly. I named Owen's sister Elizabeth so they could name their daughter the same. Georgetown University requires at least a year of a foreign language, so I had CJ pick German even though he could have tested out of the requirement because of his fluency in Spanish. He would know what Liebe means. I speak four but aside from English, they're all Romance languages. Zero knowledge of German here!

In a way, it is a CJ & Owen story. Go take a look at the Story Note. I'll wait to hear your reaction.

Thanks, Dugh. Youngsters won't get the Coppertone reference but those of us of a certain age should remember those ads. I have ideas for a couple more, let's see when I can fit them into the writing schedule. Even though they're short, trying to keep the language at the appropriate age level is a pain!