Carlos Hazday

@Cia Don't hold back, you hear?

LMAO No pay,enter for promoting Florida or for product placement. Heck, I've written about our lousy humidity so it's kinda balanced. My cast for the series is gigantic and as much as I love the large group scenes with overlapping conversations, a small gathering like in this chapter gives me a chance to do a bit more character development. I've tried to do it with most of the Squad since CJ's now fully entrenched as the center of the entire thing. From multiple POVs in one chapter, it's CJ's most of the time now.

Thanks AR. The guys have grown on me too. And they've been with me for so long now I can't imagine ever letting them go. That means even whe I reach the end of what I planned, I may have to revisit them now and then.

Cher hosting a Clinton fundraiser in South Beach really happened. The location, details, and CJ's appearance are my own doing. Cher's comment is based on what I've seen her say in different appearances on TV. Unapologetic and brash is the way I'd describe her.

@Daddydavek I tried to use that speech to summarize CJ's political positions. I've loosely based them on Clinton's. Bill Clinton that is. He was a moderate with progressive-leaning social issues and a more conservative approach to defense and finances. The one thing I'm not letting CJ do is get embroiled in sexual situations which could come back to haunt him. At least not yet! LOL

LMAO - He'll never be as prolific and attention hungry as the Kardashians, but his attitude in regards to publicity does evolve. Balancing a public and private life isn't easy and he'll struggle at times. I'm writing about his 21st b'day right now and his Instagram account plays a part in the story. Thanks, Dave. More next week and the editing process for Georgetown's second section is about to begin. The hiatus between Georgetown: Roar and Georgetown: Over the Rainbow will be short.

@tor200534 Thanks, bud! I always appreciate your feedback.

My junior year in high school two of the books on the English Honors class reading list were 1984 and Brave New World. We were required to read both and write about the differing views of a future society. Georgetown University required some reading over the summer preceding my freshman year, one of the books on the list was Childhood's End. Three science fiction books by three different authors hooked me. Authors like Robert Heinlein, Orson Scott Card, and our own @Myr have successfully promoted/advanced their views using the genre to provide social commentary while entertaining. Childhood's End exposed me to Clarke and afterward, I couldn't read enough of him. Finding at least one reference to same-sex relationships in his stories cemented my love for his work. I believe were he still alive today, his sexuality would have played a larger role in his writing. He saturated his later works with people-of-color and female characters. I find reading his books always makes me think. His is hard science fiction and my non-scientific mind struggles at times to grasp the concepts, but I love the way he uses the settings and science to deal with our humanity. Most of my work in the CJ series attempts to emulate this, using politics as the background for character development. Now, if I could do so even a hundredth as well as he did...

I'm a big believer in giving back and have tried to show some of my characters doing the same. My fervent hope is the actions of my fictional men and my exhortations at the end of some chapters/stories will motivate at least one reader to step out into their community and lend a helping hand.

The rented Mustang convertible roared down the Dolphin Expressway on the way to South Beach. CJ texted his parents and grandparents as soon as Owen slipped behind the wheel and began worming his way through the warren of back streets surrounding the rental agency’s airport location. He adjusted his new Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses and stared upwards, visions of soaring through the air on his mind. The sky’s blue was so deep you might have thought night approached. Yet the sun was high in the

@lilansui Okay, young lady, I'm caught up. Your writing has earned you a stalker who will pester you for updates on a more regular basis as has been the case. You have been warned... Can you tell I've enjoyed it so far?

My confusion about the brother's name has dissipated.

I'm confused. What's Pipa's brother's name? I thought it was Sal.

You've done well with Telia. She's an interesting supporting cast member. The fact she can kick ass is pretty cool.

Sando's exasperating. Please kill him off.

Just came across this and I have to disagree. Mike Schmitt, Eddie Matthews, George Brett, and Brooks Robinson all give Chipper a run for his money. I've seen all but Matthews play in person and Robinson, in particular, was incredible. A fraternity brother once gave me a picture of him with a personalized birthday wish and it's one of my favorite pieces of memorabilia.The human vacuum cleaner helped lead the Orioles to several World Series. He played in countless All-Star games and won several Gold Gloves at his position. Considering how much the game has changed, even in my lifetime, comparisons are tough when they span a hundred years.

Palace intrigue can be such a wonderful thing. Plots, within plots, surrounded by plots.

LOL And I'm the weirdo in the Proms! Four poetry entries and me. No, I'm not joining that bandwagon!

I've put off reading anything by you so far so I thought it was about time I gave you a try lol Definitely an attention grabbing opening chapter. I look forward to more.

@Peter from Perth I once read the road trip was an American invention. I'm not sure how accurate that is but I can tell you I love them and have tried to share some of that appreciation with readers. But don't sell Australia short. Although I've never been out to WA, you've read my descriptions of travel in NSW. I may not have done all CJ did while in Oz, but what I did left me wanting more. Politics can be polarizing in many ways and it's not something everyone wants to read about. I've tried to use real-life situations as a setting for CJ's development, his appearances and speeches are entirely fictional but I think they meld into reality well enough to show his growth. The story's more about that, about his personal philosophy than about actual events but I try to remain faithful to what's happening in the world. I'm forever hopeful one day someone like him will show up and teach us how to better govern ourselves.

Hey, Jeff- You can keep telling me how much you love the characters, I won't mind. I like the fact readers have grown to appreciate my writing and my story, I never get tired of it!

I mention gumbo and you Chinese food. I'm getting hungry. LOL CJ won his first election when he became a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Here's a spoiler, he's running for office again in 2018! But the presidency would be a long way off--he can't be President unless he's 35-- and a lot could happen between now and then. Politics will continue to be a part of the story but to a lesser degree than in Georgetown: Roar. In the next couple of chapters, we'll see his political philosophy continue to develop and he gives a couple of short speeches I really enjoyed writing. I'm sure you've figured out by now I love having him speak in public! He can beat people with fists or words, let's hope he always knows which approach to use.

Yes! You so get CJ. He's creating political gumbo: a bit from the left, a bit from the right, and a lot of common sense. I'd vote for someone like him in a minute!

Owen's quite happy to let CJ have the limelight but he's no slouch. His own convictions have led him to his current position and he won't shy away from pursuing what he believes is right. I think some of it comes from having grown on a farm instead of the city. He's more likely to value nature. Of course, when I wanted a farm boy as a primary character I decided to make the farm a vineyard. Much more interesting than if his family grew corn or soybeans. LOL

Take a look at the comment @Daddydavek left calling CJ a centrist. We've become so polarized with party politics I wanted to create a character who couldn't give a hoot about party affiliation. CJ couldn't care less if the Democratic party calls for strict gun controls or the Republican party calls for banning abortions. He's that rare person sorely missing in our country, he thinks for himself first. I'm glad you find common ground with him, if we could gt more people to think critically instead of following party leaders, we would all benefit.