Carlos Hazday

Lovely story, thank you. Although I had to wipe tears away while reading the last few chapters, few were spilled out of sadness. This feel-good story nips at your emotions and the characters quickly worm their way into your heart. The tale is grounded in the traditions of Australia's first inhabitants which at the time of the story no longer take second place to European influences. Frequent descriptions of the unique flora and fauna of the continent help inmerse the reader in the magical environment the protagonists move around in. A classic nerd/jock relationship is given a fresh twist with both main characters facing challenges due to their disabilities. Their interaction advances the story but what i enjoyed most was watchin them overcome their challenges and triumph against all those aligned agaisnt them. A prequel to Attunga, Mparntwe provides background on the emergence of artificial intelligences and the development oftheir working relationship with humans. Thankfully, the author doesn't overwhelm us with the science behind the technology. Instead, he focuses on relationships and the growing connection between AI # 1 and the two boys who work with it. I like the almost terse prose the author employs. Some of the jumps in time felt abrupt and at times disconcerting. At times it was difficult to figure out who the speaker was and I would suggest better speech tags. The story could also benefit from a final beta reading to eliminate a few typographical errors. All that said, Mparntwe is a nice read which celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. I recommend it for whenever you want an uplifting tale.

Honest answer: Landon was created for a purpose, he served it, and was relegated to the dustbin. I wanted CJ to interact with someone his age while being surrounded most of the time by his dad's' friends. He was also a stepping stone to CJ's practical sex education. Fictional answer: Landon went back home and he and CJ kept in touch for a while. His brother graduated from med school but Landon didn't make it to the ceremony. He eventually told CJ he'd met a guy who was now his boyfriend. Landon and CJ remain friends on Facebook and trade birthday and Christmas greetings.

You asked about Landon in your initial comment, did you mean the guy CJ befriended in Summer?

@Reader1810 Now I'm going to be singing the refrain all day! One of these days I'll return to the outline I have for this story. I like the characters and they deserve a little more air time.

No cliffhanger coming up. I don't do cliffies. Santa Clara vs Santa Monica; Those damn friars had to name each parish they created after some saint? It's a plot to confuse those of us on the east coast! Either that or the senior moments are showing up with increased frequency. Now, about that paranoia...

I've mentioned before I like writing dialogue and having some sort of large group just forces me to pay attention. Mann's a big help letting me know when I fail to tag a speech line and the sequence may confuse readers as to who's speaking. The larger groups help reinforce the basic premise of the book: a gay kid coming of age surrounded by a large family not always blood related. We can make our own family and that has often been the case with gay men rejected by blood relatives.

Thanks, Dave. I'm realizing the 'orange teletubby' nickname's going to be a hard one to top. Springsteen's one of those where my personal affinity to something creeped into the chapter. Cesar and I are both accountants and fans of the Boss. I didn't play Thunder Road when I watched to montage during the Super Bowl but I did feel a pang of sadness seeing Clemons picture on the screen.

Whenever you see the clock icon next to a chapter it means it has been posted but it's set to publish sometime in the future. I try to have chapters go live around 4am every Friday.

Three events in this chapter: dinner double date, Super Bowl party, and a wedding. I'm kinda surprised myself how much I crammed into those three.Obviously the wedding was the big thing but the other two scenes served to offer up bits and pieces which could play a role in the future. Let's see what next chapter brings, it chronicles events on 3 different days in March but I may have squeezed in one or two things. I need to throw in some politics soon to make sure @spikey582 pays attention

Nah, you're not that rare. Brett's a Republican so you're in good company. I guess the teletubby line was well received. The woman didn't have to mention names to get her thoughts across.

Yep, that about sums it up. I wanted a diverse group of gay men who created their own family and I got that with the Elite. The Squad replicates the approach but with a few straight people thrown in to reflect a more inclusive society amongs Millenials. I'm glad it's coming through.

Thanks, bud!

Thanks, Tony! I plan to continue turning wedding traditions on their head. In the first book I had a double ceremony and only one best man for the four grooms. I tinkered with it again here and, have a few more nuptials planned for the next book. Let's see what I come up with.

I like the idea of CJ and Ozzie at The Varsity! Or the squad splashing around at Centennial Park. Or a visit to World of Coca-Cola. Unfortunately there's only one more trip planned and that's already written. Maybe next book?

And he does love to travel! He could turn into the American version of James Bond. A different hot guy each adventure. I will admit Spike returns in a future episode. Poor guy, I created him so I could have a way of steering CJ towards diplomacy as a potential career and then kept him mostly out of the picture until this small cameo. As I said, Spike will make another appearance or two before the series ends.

Thanks! I've been waiting for the right opportunity to mention the dead parents having a positive influence in some areas. I may mention them again in the near future. Although I like distinctive black and white, life and people are full of grays. That's why I've tried to show CJ not being perfect and now showing Lourdes and Rich as not being entirely imperfect.

LMAO! Never thought of that! I may have to rework the scene in the Kremlin.

I decided to cut the final scene short and give the guys a little privacy

“CJ!” “Bloody hell. Again?” Owen smirked before closing his eyes and shaking his head. He and CJ were at The Tombs, having dinner with Levi and Ezra. “Is he in trouble?” Ezra spoke perfect English with what CJ had already described as a sexy accent. The Israeli man was in the United States for a month visiting Levi. “I don’t think so. More like he’s popular.” This was the first time Levi socialized with CJ and Owen outside a large group. “Every time he’s been to our office he seem

@Defiance19 You wanted more about Sean before and now more about Tank. I need to find a collaborator who can take my notes on several of the charaxcters and write their back story. You want the job? LOL Otherwise, it's not going to happen anytime soon. I've toyed with the idea of ancillary tales but I don't have the time right now. Although I've been fleshing some things out in my outlines which may get used in the future.

@Defiance19 Damn 18yo kids and their unintended coming out as romantic fools! I've said before the interactions between the characters are inspired by how my brothers and I deal with eah other and how my close group of biker friends act whenever we go out of town together. Okay, not entirely since the bikers are ALL gay and chasing men is the primary activity after riding.

@Defiance19 I watched the news this weekend and the reporter/anchos was someone I use in later chapters. It was so weird to sit there thinking of the man interviewing CJ durign the presidential campaign. My interview happens off-camera, I'm usung the reporter for another purpose, but it was still eety as heck.

Super Bowl party next chapter. 'Nuff said!

I took me three tries but I thing the 'dating' is finally correct. I changed the year, then the month, and at last deleted the reference to Valentine's Day. The dinner with Chatri and Helen was originally written as part of the February 2016 chapter but ended up crowding it a bit too much so I moved it to the previous month. Hopefully I won't make these mistakes again.