C James

Well, I have to admit, the "Roast Goat" was Graeme's. A while back, I was bugging him to send me LTMP 24. This was before I'd sent it to him, actually before I'd finished it. I figured he's always saying he's a day ahead, so why can't he send me a beta back the day before I send it to him!?!?!? Well, he sent back the Roast Goat scene, and I knew I had to have it. I knew I couldn't use it until later in the story, so I kept is, and then adapted it for use in this chapter. Thanks Graeme! So, now we have a clue as to what happened to Joe's Mother; she was garroted. We also, per a prior chapter, know this occured right after she twigged to The Scar's real occupation. Did anyone find it odd that The Scar hit his 5 y/o son for crying, after the kid had found his mother's body? (and a garroting does not leave a particuarly attractive corpse). Is Jerry thus ineligible for the Father of the Year award?? Also, any thoughts on the bomb placement method? Those bombs are heavy, so Jerry really had to struggle. Also, remember how they are made; they have a thermocouple attached to the plutonium, to keep the batteries from running out. The Scar's specs called for a ten-year shelf-life. And now, we also know that Mario is in the US, and in the same city as Instinct.

Indeed, The Scar has stress issues. I worry about him too; he's gotta learn to unwind. At least we got a glimpse of his carefree, fun-loving side in a recent chapter; his delight in the irony of what he intends to do with Helen's donation. However, he's in a high-stress situation, which can't be easy for the poor guy. He's got a critical shipment and has to cope with people snooping around the shipping containers. It's bound to raise his blood pressure a bit. Is anyone else concerned for his health? CJ

But Mike, why glare at poor, sweet, innocent me? This is Shadowgod's story, so surely he deserves the glares for his eeevil machinations? Perhaps we could encourage His Shadowyness to give us a little clue... Like maybe the title of Chapter 5? So, now, I think you may be right... I don't think Joe would cheat on Julie. But how long will Julie strong Joe along? Also, what is it that's driving them apart. I think there's more to it than Julie says. CJ

Actually, His Shadowyness has had cliffhangers in every chapter of DnCW so far. He's evil like that, you know. There's a reason we call it "Dreams & Cliffed Wings." And you know I never use cliffhangers! Hrmmm, okay, I have a new theory... I think Val will be the catalist for a world-changing event. Remember, she knows about Jacob&Cody, but I don't think she knows that this Cody is that Cody! Is Cody in dire danger of having his voice raised a few octaves?!!?!? Also, what about Joe and Julie? Are we about to see a changing of the guard, so to speak?

Yes, I suspect there will be a shoe dropping. Things seem to be going very well for Cody and Joe, and anytime things go well in a story by His Shadowyness, i suspect trouble can't be far behind. Hrmmm, well, we only have six days to wait until DnCW 5... We still don't know how Cody's letter will affect him financially in the short term. Or, hrmmm, what will happen with that pshrink. I suspect trouble, with a capital T. So, hrmmm, we know Joe has feelings for Cody. We know Cody has feelings for Joe. Will there be a kiss in the next chapter?

I'm amazed no one got the title, yet! OK, here's what I said to His Shadowyness when I saw the title, .... The bird, incidentally, does indeed nest in cliffs; its a type of Kingfisher. His Shadowyness has a knack for giving multiple meaning to things. I think all of the above apply, including the calm before the storm aspect, and of course, the cliff-dwelling bird. I have a hunch that things are going to change in the next chapter, somehow. Perhaps Cody will become more secure. Or are we heading for a collision of cosmic proportions here? Only The Shadow knows...

Thanks for starting the thread, and for the heads up on the announcement, BK! I've fixed it.

Benji! Don't you know by now? A goat would never have anything to do with a cliff! Now Jan, why would you want to harm sweet, innocent me? Wildone, that was a great post! I can't comment on any of it or the Echidna will get me, but it's really googd. And Your Shadowyness, I can't imagine why you would be concerned when Jerry is around the band? They just hang out, have a good time, drink a little tequila, and relax! Jerry especially need to relax; he's so darn tense!

Glad to see you are carrying on with this one! As for Lexis... Hrmmm, I still think she's going to be trouble. CJ

Well if that isn't a loaded question then i do not know what is, so in all interest of fairness and not misleading your poor readers ( you cause enough emotional turmoil as it is), I am going to have to abstain from answering the question as it stands. If they want the real answer they can feel free to PM me and I will of course give them all the filthy details (yes I do still have that pdf file ) The truth of the matter, I think, may just surprise them Frustration? Me? Would I ever do such a thing as that? And you are very welcome! I have really become addicted to writing, and I love it. And why would I ask a loaded question? It was such a simple and direct question, needing only a yes or a no. ROFL! That was only a slight exaggeration, I am chagrined to admit! I've been working on that issue, but I do seem to use complex sentences, for some reason, not entirely sure why, but I do, and that means commas, often anyway. Seriously though, I think you will find that the next chapters to appear in your inbox aren't quite as bad in that regard. And Emoe! I have no idea what you could possibly mean by that remark about my perfectly straightforward question! Hi Steve!! Welcome back!! You bring up a very good point; my frequent release schedule is hard on the team. This was even more true when I fell behind due to my 5 week vacation late last year. I'm currently writing a few chapters ahead which helps a little, but it's still a very large volume of text for them to deal with. It's only due to their dedicated work that the frequent release schedule is possible. Bondwriter, as I have oft told him, amazes me. English is not his first language, yet in spite of that he commands a keen eye for grammar and punctuation, as well as spelling. I find this nothing less than astounding.

I'm totally against DST. I find it mainly useless and a considerable annoyance. I also not that the tinkering with the dates this year in the US, another brainchild of a singularly witless congress (please note, that's not political; I'm slamming both sides as both were involved) was intended to save energy, and has proven useless in that regard, though it has caused many glitches with automated DST-changing systems and other headaches as well. I live in a state that, thankfully, does not have DST. Here in Arizona, I'm delighted to say, we get along just fine without it. I'm definitly voting on DST.

Thank Jan! They do a fantastic job. Thanks Sacha! BTW, I've mentioned it on here before, but quite some time ago. So, I'll do so again; My team has much to put up with... I'm Dyslexic, and I'm also a poor typist. Word's spell-check helps, but I'm still bedeviled by look-alike incorrect words. As a dyslexic, I have trouble seeing letter sequences in the right order, so words of similar spelling and length often slip through. For example, my most common errors are be instead of by. out instead of our waived instead of waved. bought instead of brought I do proofread as well as spell-check, but some invarialy get by as I'll often see what I think should be there instead of what is there. I also tend to speak in complex sentences, so I have too much of a tendency to use them in my writing. I also often forget to put things in the text. I envision it and then write it, but often I forget little details that I can "see" but forget to show the reader. For example, I'll forget to show the reaction of one or more of the people present at an event. Thank you Gary!!! And thanks too for the acknowledgment of Shadowgod as our cliffhanger-adder. I think I can clarify the cliffie-adding issue. I hereby challenge Shadowgod to give a one word, yes-or-no answer to the question: "In the course of our beta relationship, have cliffhangers ever been added during beta?" Shadowgod won't lie outright, so he will have to answer "yes". And remember, your shadowyness, you need to give a one word answer. Yes, or No. Thanks Mike! They indeed do a fantastic job. And for this writer, having support and help isn't one of the most important things, it's THE most important thing. Never used an evil cliffhanger? You most certainly have! Several, in fact! CJ

The Shadowy One is very clever at misdirection. Far better than I. And yes, I suspect misdirection too. Things are going just a little too well, which in his shadowynesses stories often means that disaster looms. I think it's far, far too early yet to be sure.... Hrmm, but, my vote was for Eric Carlisle.

This thread is for discussing the problem with viri, trojans, etc. Please keep the Mac Vs. PC wars out of this thread as the subject is important, especially to the first poster who is asking for your help. I think there are Mac vs. PC threads around here, and if not, or not current, they can certainly be started, but please keep this thread on-topic so we can help lesfeuxdemoncoeur, plus any others with similar issues. I'll weigh in with some advice; Ditch Limewire. That is likely one of the sources of the adware, and the adware (Spyware, mallware, I consider it all much the same) is, from the sound of it, causing much of the trouble. There are plenty of other sources, of course, but Limewire is a known route. I've heard some claims that if limewire is obtained directly from the company, it is no longer (which means they once did, and may again) bundled with maulware. Any program that auto-updates is a potential security breech. With an auto-update, the people behind the program can install anything on your system. I don't let any program, including windows, auto-update. Get a decent firewall. These help a great deal. I very much like both Adaware and AVG. Good luck. CJ

This was quite a chapter... We learned a LOT. For one thing, Joe clearly DOES have non-platonic feelings for Cody. That means that Cody + Joe is at least possible. Cody's interest in Joe is also clear. I couldn't help but notice, in spite of the letter and everything, that Saul noticed how happy Cody was. For Cody to be happy, that's a good thing. And what made Cody happy? Joe. Also, I have a hunch that if anyone other than Joe had been found with THE letter, Cody would have had their head. I was relieved that Joe was not in a state of denial once sober, and also that he remembered sleeping next to Cody. Hrmmm, one thing here. Cody has feelings for Joe, and Visa Versa. Yet, neither one knows that it's mutual. Is that a devilish predicament or what? The still don't know, and who knows what will happen in the meantime? What if Cody goes after some other guy before figuring it out? How would Joe instinctively react?? I think Chapter 5 will have some very unexpected twists.

I don't do this often enough, so I'll try and make up for it now I want to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all those who are part of the stories WE write. I say "We" and I mean it. This post is dedicated to Emoe, Shadowgod, Graeme, Bondwriter, and Captain Rick, for all that they do for the stories WE post My sincere thanks to you all. And remember, I often say that the stories that go out under my name are a team effort, and I mean it. The only think I won't share the credit for is any errors; those, as I say in the chapter footers, are mine, and mine alone. CJ

I very, very much agree with thanking team members (Editors, betas, zetas, etc). And thanks Sacha for raising the issue. I've always considered writing a team effort, and each member is vital. I credit y wonderful team in every chapter and every story, and I often make a point of thanking them in the discussion threads too. However, I can't recall doing so in recent threads, so I'll remedy that today. CJ

I wanted to thank everyone who has worked so hard on our Anthology; Graeme, TL The Writing Tiger, BeaStKid, Rose Strailo, Myk, and Joe! Thanks also to the authors, without whom we wouldn

Where to begin? This story runs the gammut of emotions and situations; Complex, well-developed characters fighting against circumstance. In many ways, Father Paul is my favorite character. He's at once irreverent, and caring, tough but kind. Craig's journey is incredibly poignant. It's causation is clear; and sadly far from uncommon. His parents threw him out, like yesterdays' trash, upon learning his secret. Utter coldness, beyond contempt. There is a heavy price to be paid, but Craig is the one who pays it. Forced into a life in the shadows, selling himself to make ends meet, he nonetheless suceeds in retaining his humanity, his caring heart. Events, though, conspire against him, driving him over an edge that was far away. He makes a fateful decision, feeling as though he has no options. Fate though, in her fickle way, deals him both a crueler blow, and yet in the end offers him meaning, of a sort; a way to make the life he has mean something, have value, and in so doing restores his own self worth. Bravo, Graeme. CJ

Review by Myk Justin is a teen with a big secret. He has a tough life but all the bullying is at least bearable as long as he has his best friend Darren. Then his worst nightmare comes true when Darren discovers that he has a crush on Tyler Jamison and outs him to the whole school. Now Justin finds his life worse than miserable. His home life has deteriorated since his parents found out about his secret and school was simply harder than ever to deal with. Just when life couldn

Thanks guys! BTW, I moved this thread out of the Lounge becuase we've had other millennium threads lately, and I didn't want to add mine to the clutter there. This way it leaves the lounge for more important things. I also want to take the emphasis off numbers; there are concerns if it looks like a member is posting in order to just boost their count, and as the one with the highest count I sure didn't want to add to that dynamic, as its my job as an Admin and Moderator to put a halt to anything like that. Thanks!! CJ

Oh really? Well, here's your proof, in Steve's very own words. That was at the end of Chapter 17, where Steve is talking the guys into going rock-climbing. So As for me giving Shadowgod Evil ideas? I can think of no such occasions, sorry nothing to report there. CJ

I've got a question; How did Eric's prank on Brandon and Chase come across? Did anyone wonder just who was sneaking up on them, or what was happening when Brandon felt the first cold stab? This came right after Jerry was last seen strolling around, fingering the knife in his pocket.

Now that's not true! If it was, we'd end up with Cody and Eric in the same chapter, encountering some crazed killer. But, I say again, the rock-climbing thing was Steve's idea and I can prove it.

Review by TL The Writing Tiger The teen years can be so confusing. There