Valkyrie

Thanks, Def. We'll see what effect Dr. Snowden, the horses, and Josh have on Galen. Thanks for reading!

I knew I should have looked up 'sough' before commenting. I'll add it to my lexicon. I like it.

These are both very powerful pieces. I get the sense of something on the cusp... a looming decision that will be bring both pain and relief. I wonder if Departure is a sequel to Crossroads. That the author leaves that door to venture out to the sea... Anyway... I loved both of them. I really relate to Crossroads, being at a bit of one myself with my career. And the only ranting you will hear from me is if you ever stop posting poetry. A couple of technical comments for Departure: Pale moonlight streams through windows gaping wide, enchanted breezes sough to stir the air, and rippled shadows play on fabrics rare where sensuously skin on skin my glide, Should the bolded words be "sought" and "may"?

This is a great primer on the proper use of dialogue tags. I cringe when I read some of my early writing and see the incorrect dialogue punctuation. Graeme makes a good point about the overuse of tags, but I would caution that the underuse can make dialogue difficult to follow as well. If two characters are having a lengthy discussion, it needs to be broken up somehow, whether through the use of dialogue tags or attributing some action to the character doing the speaking, as Graeme has illustrated. I can't tell you how many times I have read conversational exchanges and gotten lost in the dialogue because there's a half a page or even more of only talking. And please don't let us know who's talking by having the characters say each other's name all the time. I don't know about you, but unless I'm greeting someone, I don't tend to use their name in conversation all that much. For example: "How are you today, George?" "I'm fine, Joe. How are you?" "Doing great, George. I started a new job last week." "Congrats, Joe! I'm happy for you!" Thanks for a great blog, Renee and Graeme. I'm going to bookmark this.

Happy Birthday, Cia! I hope your day is as awesome as you are! Here's something a little different from the usual cakes. Pretty rainbow cookies

Thanks, Albert.

There's a lot riding on Dr. Snowden. We'll see if he lives up to his reputation. Thanks for reading and your support. I really appreciate it!

Agreed. We'll find out next chapter. Thanks for the comment!

Thank you for the comment, glennish. I think hugging Buck shows that there is still some fight left, despite the dark place Galen is in right now. Thanks for reading!

I think at this point we need some hope. Thanks for reading and for the comment.

Pirate costume? I'm hooked! Great review, Addy. I really like Greg's writing, so I will be sure to check this story out.

I don't think you'll ever get any complaints about more Spice Rack poems, Chef. This is hot stuff, indeed. You're on a roll, my friend.

I will admit to understanding the mathematical concepts on a very rudimentary level only, but I certainly understand the cleverness. As always, I'm amazed at how you're able to make something so dry for most sexy. The line Mac quoted stuck out the most to me also. The last stanza of the first poem was another standout to me. Well done, as usual!

And we have a winner!

Thanks I already have the next chapter started.

Joshua I awoke about an hour before my usual time and stumbled into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Galen’s eyes were closed when I passed him, so I let him be, hoping that he was experiencing some relief from his frequent nightmares. I pressed the button to start the coffee machine and poured myself a cup as it was still brewing. The hot, bitter coffee burned my throat as I swallowed it faster than I should have. I desperately needed the caffeine if I had any hope of getting throug

This is a beautiful tribute and sad commentary. And people definitely need to slow down, although sometimes it's unavoidable - like that raccoon I hit in June. It ran right under my tires and there was no way to avoid it. It's heartbreaking to me every time it happens.

I've been a bit lax about my horsey postings, but I saw this on FB and got a good chuckle. I can relate to so much of this from my teaching days! https://eventingconnect.today/2017/05/30/17-reasons-why-riding-instructors-are-way-overpaid/

So thoughts on Episode 4?

Sounds interesting. I'm not familiar with this author's work, so I'll check it out.

Galen is definitely a romantic. I'm glad you see the good in their relationship, but having another talk definitely wouldn't hurt. Thanks for commenting and reading. I love revisiting the first part of the story.

I want to date Ethan. They do go on some pretty fun dates.

When I was in high school I had a substitute teacher call one of the football players a troglodyte. When the guy said he didn't know what that meant, the teacher tossed him a dictionary and told him to look it up. The football was not amused when he found out the meaning. So that word has always stuck with me. Losing Buck would definitely be like losing Tigger. And I agree about the hose... LOL

Ethan is definitely a total sweetheart. We'll see what the future holds Thanks for reading!