C James

Well done! I started off disliking Sam, and ended up really disliking him. What a jerk. He and Jonah are two of a kind. Rob is the sympathetic one on the story; definitly the injured party. I liked the way the final line was done; it just... fit. CJ

I loved it, Graeme!! As someone who lives in a wildfire prone area, this really hit home to me. Wildfires are a real and present danger, and sadly not uncommon, either in the area Graeme wrote about, or here, or in many other places. I made a few notes as I read; I loved the shirtless arrival carrying the billy can! :-) A cliff?? Hrmmm, yes, a cliff in your story... I found the bone-setting well done and believable. I also liked Brian's inventiveness. I love Brian's inner battle with his conscience and fears. Brian's bedside manner could use a bit of work. :-) "You're badly hurt, so just relax". I think it's very appropriate, but it also made me smile. "No, and we couldn't, anyway. It's a Total Fire Ban day." That made me chuckle. Believable because people say odd things under stress, and IMHO it served to highlight their stress. "We go that way and we die. We've got to get to the waterfall." Brilliant! This part struck me as the most clever of all. When the story started, i was wondering how the heck they would get out of the canyon; those become firestorms all too often. Behind the waterfall would be about their only hope. It would still be risky, due to the smoke, but it would be the best chance they had. Loved the bittersweet ending. You didn't go for the clich

I loved the glimpse into a different culture. I also agree, they were smart to skirt the truth.

Very well done Corvus! I loved the subtle humor, the forshadowing. Mrs. Watson was a classic, and poor Leonard kept an even keel when confronted by so much.

Very poignant, and very well done! Definitely not a happy story, but very illustrative. Suicide is no solution to emotional issues, and this shows that well indeed. My impression of James was this was his own doing in so many ways; he couldn't come out to his openly gay best friend?? Seems to me like he was causing much of his own angst and projecting. Very emotional, and very well done, Kevin!

I'll nominate Phoenix.

I wanted to thank everyone who has worked so hard on our Anthology; Graeme, who did most of the HTML work on the unformatted entries, and Steph, for doing all the wizzardry on the tech side. Graeme and Steph also worked on all the behind-the-scenes discussion and decision-making. And of course, a big "Thank You" to all our participating writers! Graeme has been working wonders on the anthologies for quite some time now. He has also agreed to be our Anthology Coordinator! Thank you Graeme, and congratulations! CJ

ROFL!!! Well, okay, I do have 44 back from Bondwriter, but I'm still doing a continuity check. I need to make sure everything syncs with both the past and later chapters. Also, if I posted 44 now, that would result in a gap of up to two weeks between coming chapters. Also, the only big delay here is about 48 hours, maximum, that's not that bad. As for the paragraphs I promised to post... They do actually continue the scene at the house. BTW, please don't think I ended it where I did in order to get the maximum tense ending. I didn't. I can't say more without giving spoilers, but think on this; had I ended it anywhere once Dimitri arrived at the house, it would have been a tense ending, right? CJ

Without You by Myk Even the most difficult times are manageable with the help of someone you love, but without that person, what would you do? :nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

I have no idea what you could possibly be implying.

Awww, but one person voted already!! I think it's unbiased?

Mike (below) has it right; Chase is in the way; Dimitri is using him as a shield, and Brandon's gun is a shotgun (loaded with standard shot). Brandon and Eric can't fire at Dimitri without killing Chase. Now, now, I think blaming you is the idea solution!! Works for me! Yep! Brandon is thus in a dilemma. BTW, There will be a sequel to LTMP; Changing Lanes. in fact, that's what I'm working on right now. The sequel will feature some of the same characters, plus some new ones, and be a very different storyline. LTMP will wrap up the current storyline. CJ

I thought I'd best start an unbiased poll.

No worries! Now we can all just blame you and Tiger. Eric and Brandon are both in a difficult situation. Dimitri is slowly cutting Chase's throat. There just isn't time to think things through, and in a situation like that, one reacts on (no pun intended) instinct. I'm not saying what Eric's motives are, just giving a case of what they might be; he sees his little brother's life on the line, and offers up his own. Dimitri has a Russian accent, but with practice he can say a sentance or two without an accent. Dimitri tapped on the locked door as he said in a calm, rehearsed, unaccented voice,

Awww Steph, but surely you have read Living in Surreality? After that, and the legendary LiS 26, how can the mere mention of a motorcycle be anything other than a cliffhanger?!?!? Besides, try and keep in mind; Shadowgod is EEvil! He's toying with us... So, won't you join me in declaring a Cliffhanger? BTW, one other thought on Ch 6... What makes Saul so understanding? I hope we learn more about him.

ACK!! No one besides me voted against the sacrifice!! Now, now, I don't know why y'all are upset... Eric is just fine and healthy at the end of the chapter... Not a scratch on him!! Besides, aren't we overlooking one major detail here: This is all Shadowgod's fault!!! So, umm, can't we all just get along... and blame Shadowgod? That really would be for the best, I think? CJ

The Caf

Saviour by Beastkid Nakul is running away. From what, and why, is something Karan and Varun intend to discover. :nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

Happy Birthday, Bob!!!

I think Cody definitely seeks out married men, and I think he told the pshrink that he does so as a way of "getting back" at his mother. Totally agreed! Agreed! Especially about Joe and Julie... I think her recent, ah, sleeping arrangements, will be the beginning of the end there. Okay, I think The Cody Liberation Front needs to get involved, ASAP! Please note the following quote from the chapter; CYCLE TRADER? And the later reference to a BIKE?!?! Okay, unless Cody is looking at Tricycles, Houston, we have a problem!!!! Oh, and BTW, due to this, and also the possibility of Jacob and Cody meeting, I am hereby declaring a CLIFFHANGER!

I'm shocked.. Shocked I say, that given the crew in attendance, a bidding war did not break out.

ROFL! Yes, I saw the pic of the check. Did Mason know that Joe was planning on selling him?

A... GOAT SACRIFICE!! ACK! I never knew that when y'all invited me to diner, it was an invite to be the main course!!! And I notice that Shadowgod is carving a very sensitive part of my anatomy! No wonder my vopice went up a few octaves! ROFL! That is hilarious! I had a look at all the pics, and it looks like everyone had a fantastic time! Check out the pics, everyone, both on the page and the site Trebs linked to. Great sets there!!

I'm hoping that the Echidna does not see what I'm about to say and consider it a spoiler... But here goes.. (note to Echidna: HAve mercy; this is covered in the text, I think!!) Dimitri enjoys killing, and enjoys inflicting pain. Entirely sane? IMHO, nope... Let me ask a question; why do most serial killers (many of whom torture before killing) do what they do? Not the best of retirement options. Fear not! The coming chapter is 43, not 44. Oh come on, I'm not Shadowgod! Only he would be so cruel... Besides, I won't make it two weeks; given the anthology tentative schedule, its more likely a week and a half. So, only a three or four day delay. CJ

Thanks Kevin! That's fascinating to me. All in all, it sounds very much like straight clubs and bars, especially with the mix of people and their personalities. But, that makes perfect sense; people are people. Wow, thanks. Writing about shopping was hard for me; I'm not exactly fond of shopping. LoL BTW, Kevin helped on LTMP by giving me some fashion advice. Aaron's reactions felt VERY natural to me, and in my case they fit my own rather well, though he's far more tolerant of shopping than I am. I think you made the right choice; his discomfort was just the perfect touch. I'll also note that writing people who are different from yourself takes skill, and Kevin is not exactly adverse to shopping. Well done! And Kevin, if you do have a cliffhanger at some point, you can count on me to point it out. CJ