Carlos Hazday

This was a boo boo.

Thanks, Gary. Although a few people may have recognized some of the characters, I treated the story as if they were all new and I had to introduce them. This was written before the queen died and there were indications Harry would be folded back into the family. We were told King William would be at the wedding, and we can assume since Lilibet's in the wedding party, her parents would also be there. I was pushing reconciliation ahead of time.

Thanks, 1810. Can you believe how fat time has gone by? Lol

In the US, 65's no longer retirement age, but it is when we become eligible for Medicare health insurance. And considering how broken our health care delivery system is...

@Clancy59 So... I got a notification someone had reacted to the chapter, couldn't recall what it was about, and---as happens way to often---I wound up reading the chapter and the comments. Guess what I found, ma'am? See? I know shit but my memory sucks at times.

Jesus! I knew that and I go and screw it up. Embarrasing to no end considering I've corrected others when the commit the same faux pas. You may punish me.

Thanks, Tor!!!

Thank you, sir. Yeah, patience's not a virtue around here. LOL I think you now have a better idea of how I go about getting stories ready. I'll write, then tinker until right before publishing. LOL

Don't fear, more's coming. The next story features Liebe at 7 and the twins at 4. And if you follow the link, you'll see what else I have in the works.

This has been fun, Val. If nothing else, the story announcements have generated a ton of funny comments. I had to include some politics because it's me, but I reined myself in and tried to focus on the one anniversary the story was inspired by. Glad it worked for you.

LOL One of the problems I encountered writing Loving Anniversary was how to make the story accessible to non CJ followers. Once I settled on the plot, I had to decide who to include. Of course, I had to do some extrapolation about the characters I did mention. That means mostly that group of Liebe contemporaries. But there's an entire second batch of cousins who didn't make the cut. They're about 10 years younger than the trouble-making sailors. Ritch and Lucy have a boy and a girl (Falcon and Aurora). Harley and Kim had two girls (Lily and Rose). Brad and Cristina at least one girl (Scarlett). Oh, well. It is what it is. Maybe that younger assistant/collaborator can one day write their stories.

I could mention a few things from motorcycle club (all gay men) trips, but I have a feeling that would get me in trouble with the man. CJ and Owen stopped at LL Bean during a motorcycle trip and bought lumberjack shirts. Damn hipsters. I was in Eastern Tennessee one time, stopped at a Harley-Davidson dealership to use the restroom, and bought a t-shirt. Talking to the cashier and another lady, it came out I was from Florida. Somehow helmets and proper attire came up. They were appalled I didn't wear a helmet most of the time (not required in Florida) and often rode in sneakers and shorts without a shirt. I can do the leather drag but sometimes the wind in my hair wins out. Florida means as little as possible most of the time. A jock under the chaps would have been acceptable.

Look at you discussing fashion. I thought your characters were all hairy and ran around naked. I'm writing a June wedding in a resort town, white outfits are de rigueur. Remember Mrs. G's from the Pacific Northwest. Plaid and birkenstocks are the normal outfits. A Canadian tuxedo for formal events.

BTW, in case anyone's wondering... the celebrant in Loving Anniversary was Father Patrick Thomas Kennedy. Uncle Paddy to Liebe while she grew up.

No it didn't. You wanted a long story.

It includes the MC meeting a bunch of Defense Department big shots and the theft of a sailboat. That should turn out well. Right? I just read through the comments on the blog announcing this week's stories and about peed myself. Funny shit.

How sad is it I focused on what she's wearing? I'm so having a character wear a shirt-dress (help, is that what they're called?) Maybe the bride will at the rehearsal dinner. Yes, I'm writing another sappy wedding.

When I first encountered a MrsG story, she tricked me into reading a romance. Her wit, character development, and realistic dialogue drew me in and kept me glued to the page. This story's no different. Well written and light-hearted it was easy to devour it. Even if I needed a break in between due to length. LOL Highly recommend this one.

Excellent story. Had my windows been opened instead of tightly shut to keep the AC in, the neighbors may have wondered why I cracked up several times. Jensen, and to a degree Nolan, would fit perfectly with a group of hooligans I've written about before. Good job, my friend.

Glad you liked it, Adi. Although I consistently re-introduce recurring characters in each story, In this case I felt it was crucial since I recycled many who would be new to readers encountering them for the first time. Why is romantic in a different font color?

380KB LOL That's the size of my Excel file. I've recently deleted a bunch of stuff no longer relevant to current stories, but the cast list and timeline sheets are huge. They do come in handy, though. In the story I'm working on now, I recycle a couple of characters and one of them only had a cameo in one of the Georgetown stories. I wrote that what? 5, 6 years ago. Even back then I knew I'd use Paul again and how. Finally getting to it.

Those might disappear but I bet the ones for pre-planned funerals increase.

Thanks, bud. Although the CJ series has a very diverse cast, the main characters represent a subset of the community not all of us have experience with. The MCs have a couple of dollars in the bank. Summer starts it all. The MC's 15 at that point. I take him through college, take a break for a few spinoffs, and return with his first job as a diplomat in Mexico City. In the next story coming up he'll be almost 30. Hope you enjoy.

No need to apologize, James. I value your continued support and enjoy your feedback. You did not upset me. I am, however, frustrated. And it started with the reactions to the last three stories. Always demands for more, which is impossible. I've always broken up the series in segments, not wanting to emulate CJames and his million-word-plus story. I thought by now readers would realize I return to open plot lines when the time's right. As for character appearances, it's impossible to involve every character in every story. Do you realize I have nearly 500 named characters in the series? Anyway, let's see how you like the next tale. Brett, Cesar, and Ritch are part of the cast and play important roles.

Thank you, Jeff! My goal was to show a strong-willed young woman battling with her savvy father. CJ might take actions important to the country as a whole, but he knows how to maneuver behind the scenes. Can you imagine his first meeting with a head of state from a country where homosexuality is illegal? Liebe's probably following in his footsteps when she stands up to haters.