C James

BTW, Now we know why Thaddeus was so upset about his Church; not only was it his showpiece for his ego, but it was self-insured via an illegal scheme. Did this fit ok?

You're right!!!! OK, I'll avoid editing that into the chapter. Maybe I'll allude to his age in some way. ROFL!!! That's a good point! I think I'll need a character named Jerry, too. Hmmmmmm....

Lol... Who, me? Hi Benji!!! Yep, I'd have trouble without my horns... They are so handly when I lose my can opener. Hi Jack!!! It's all Shadowgod's fault. I'm not quite sure how, yet, but it must be. The ending was, I agree, a little tense. However, I had to do it that way, to lead into the next chapter. I was also part of this chapter, in that the sheriff's call took place as they were arriving for their birthday party. CJ

It will be along soon, but it's not back from my editor yet so I can't post. BTW, thanks!!! Hi Benji! That was a prologue, and the "A few months hence" meant it's a few months into the story timeline. It's not Brandon who is wiring the bombs; but that's a good on my part; I should have described the man in the lab gear a little better. I wanted to leave it vague, but not have Brandon as a possibility. I should have said "rubbed his hand across his balding head" or something, to make it clearer. The tech is one of the bad guys, but only a minor player. It's a common technique in mainstream books to have the prologue be different, timewise, than the main story. Either some hisotry, or in some cases (like mine) a peek forward. The reason I did the prologue is that, due to the way the story is written, we don't even get a peek at the bad guys until Chapter 3, and even then it's just a peek. So, I wanted to try and show that, while this is somethign of a band story, there is a lot more going on. As for the geiger counter, he'd need one. I strive for technical accuracy in the derails of my stories, so that bomb assembly is technically accurate, for that type of bomb. Kryton switches, for example, are very real. There is no online definition of these switches, but just doing a google search on the name (click here for search results) give you a good idea of exactly what kind of bombs these are. The sphere of high-explosive shaped-charges is another clue. It's a little vauge, as all i really wanted to convey was that the bad guys are building bombs. :nuke: CJ

Hi Conner! The Piedmont sheriff is indeed desperate. And a cliffie? Me? But I don't use cliffies... Somehow, it must be shadowgod's fault. Hi Steve!!! Thanks!! (and I mean that!) I do indeed like critical feedback. It's how I learn. This is my first serial, so I know I've made loads of errors. Also, what you say ties into a few things I've been thinking. You are right, I did want to tie up the Thaddeus line. The Beelzebub scene at the beginning was just for fun. There are a few things in this chapter that are there for a reason, all of which should be apparent in 37 (and I can't discuss) , but I agree with you in the main; I haven't been happy with quite a few of my chapters since the trip to Hawaii began. The general feel of this chapter was supposed to be "things working out well, it's almost over" while I laid some groundwork for the finale, and then a surprise twist at the end as a lead-in to what happens next. Chris' closing remarks in the last chapter, "We'd won!" were also part of the setup; they went into this chapter thinking it was over. They were, perhaps, mistaken. But back to the chapter problems; too many times since they left for Hawaii, I've felt "that chapter was lacking". I haven't been able to put my finger on why, but my leading guess is too much extranious info; for example, their sojourn in the FBI's safehouse. That could have been condensed, a lot. So could their days on Maui. I guess I got too much into the travellogue mode. The awkward reality is FBI stay wasn't central to the plot. As for this last chapter, my hope is that it makes sense when taken with the next two. There are, however, surely ways I could have made it better, and that's what I need to figure out. Once y'all have seen the two remaining chapters, I'd love any and all advice. You were right; it took a long time to write the chapter; I was never fully happy with it. Perhaps it would have been better trimmed down and added to the end of Ch 35? It will all be tied up in two chapters, plus a small epilogue that will be posted alongside the final. BTW, I think I can make one promise, and hope it's not a spoiler; the remaining chapters won't be dull. Thanks!! CJ

Thanks LC! I'm fine thinks, and I've been working in the mud today to clear my road. Work an hour or two, then take a break at the computer is more like it, but it's getting done. And us goats, well, if we take off our shirts, it's too eat them for lunch. Actually, you're darn right I'm looking forward to blasting that dang rock. It won't be that big a bang, though. Ever used explosives before? The way this will be done is I'll use a pnumatic drill to bore a couple of holes, in with tiny amounts of HE will be placed. The miner has the tools, including the HE, but I'll be doing the work. We'll probably mix less than an ounce of HE (High Explosive) Like most small mining operations, he orders it by mail, as a binary; you have to mix the liquids for it to become HE. (that way it's shipable by mail, seperatly of course). So it won't be a big bang (I've used this method when putting in a foundation) but it will break up the rock, into peices small enough for me to winch out of the way. I should be able to get out of here by Thursday; I have no way of driving off my property at the moment. LoL. What I'm worried about is the roof; right now, plastic is keeping the rain out (had more rain today) but if I get high winds with rain, I'll be in trouble. I've got to find a roofing contractor with 4x4's (without 4-wheel drive, they won't make it up here, even in good weather) or, I have to do it myself and that's a big job, plus I HATE heights. But getting the roof back on is my #1 priority, after getting my road fixed and that dang rock out of the way. Ahh, the joys of rural life. CJ

Yep, no way that I know of to get fresh milk here, though maybe a health store would carry it. I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this thread; I've had a lot of fun, and I'm glad you liked Category 5. Thanks!!!! CJ

Would *I* misdirect? Thanks Conner! Brandon's definitely living on the very edge, barely able to exist. The reasons for that will be told soon.

Thanks Trevor!! Just two more chapters left. Awww, but I'm not evil... And I never use cliffhnagers, so there is only one reasonable explanation; it's all Shadowgod's fault! ROFL! Darth Hornius! I love it! BTW everyone, The ending wasn't easy to write. I grow attached to my characters, so having one in a bad situation wasn't easy.

Poor, misunderstood Beelzebub. For the ending, well, I must admit it's a tad on the tense side. Not a cliffie, though, becuase I never use those.

Don't believe him; it's a trap! He'll come back and see spoilers, then turn us all into pincushions! However, I have a way out of this dilemma; it's not a spoiler once the chapter is posted, and it's just been posted. FTL 36, Sleeping in the Light, is online.

In a normal year, Arizona's Monsoon season (summer thunderstorms) starts in mid-july, and ramps up by mid August, often resulting, here in the high mountians of northern Arizona, thunder daily, but rain once ever few days at most. This year, a years-long drought has broken, and we've had rain daily, over a foot between mid_July and yesterday. Yesterday, I had major damage to my house (wish I was joking on that). A thunderstorm hit, and in the mountains they can be very violent. This one began typically, but seemed to stall out over my area; the rain and hail kept thundering down, for over two hours. We had about a foot of rain (amking two since mid-july), but the hail, whoa. Not huge, just marble-sized, but it kept coming, and I ended up with about five inches of what looked like snow when an hour before it had been in the 80's. The ground is still covered with ice, and it's in the 40's now. There were also hundred-mile-an-hour winds. My roof was asphalt-shingle. I emphasize "was". The hail stripped away all the grit, plus cracked the shingles all over the darn place, allowing some to pull free of the nails when the winds hit. The "zipper effect" took of about a third of my roof shingles, total. But that wasn't the end of it; I've got a wood deck, and wood siding. The hail chewed the hell out of it. it chipped and flaked all the paint, and if I don't get a new coat on soon It will start to peel, and I'll have to sandblast the whole darn house and deck. I've got plastic sheeting covering my roof now, and I had some major water damage inside as well. Insurance will pay for some but not all, and I've got to do a huge amount of work. Oh, to to it off; the dirt road up the mountainside (basically a rough jeep trail at the best of times) to my house is gone in places. Just gone. and in the creekbed that's part of the road, the flash-flood sent what looks to have been a 20ft wall of water through, and I've now got some rocks, one the size of a car, blocking my route. So I've got to fix the road (I can make it passable with a shovel within a day or two) and move the rocks before I can even get out of here. The big rock? it can't be got around. I've got to get rid of it. Fortunately one of my neighbors (about a mile from here, I had to walk it in the mud) is a miner, and can help me blast the sucker Wednesday. So, I should be above to get out of here within a few days, but whoa, I've got a lot of work to do on the rest. Ugh.

I have to agree; things are getting better. The differences between now and twenty years ago are just incredible. I also agree, I'd love to herre more about UTBOS!) That chat convo was profound! Awwww... If you keep saying things like that, Maybe I'll have to stop blaming you for quite so much? Like Global warming?

Sorry to throw a wet blanket (or cold shower) on things, but any nudes are against GA's rules, in a very big way, so no posting them to GA. Thanks! CJ

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sure hope it goes better tomorrow with the tech support run-arround!!! Very true! All things bad are Shadowgod's fault. Heck, today I have major damage to my house (wish I was joking on that). A thunderstorm hit, and in the mountains they can be very violent. This one began typically, but seemed to stall out over my area; the rain and hail kept thundering down, for two hours. We had about a foot of rain, but the hail, whoa. Not huge, just marble-sized, but it kept coming, and I ended up with about five inches of what looked like snow when an hour before it had been in the 80's. The gound is still covered with ice, and it's in the 40's now. There were also hundred-mile-an-hour winds. My roof was asphalt-shingle. I emphasize "was". The hail stripped away all the grit, plus cracked the shingles all over the darn place, allowing some to pull free of the nails when the winds hit. The "zipper effect" took of about a third of my roof shingles, total. But that wasn't the end of it; I've got a wood deck, and wood siding. The hail chewed the hell out of it. it chipped and flaked all the paint, and if I don't get a new coat on soon It will start to peel, and I'll have to sandblast the whole darn house and deck. I've got plastic sheeting covering my roof now, and I had some major water damage inside as well. Insurance will pay for some but not all, and I've got to do a huge amount of work. Oh, to to it off; the dirt road up the mountainside (basically a rough jeep trail at the best of times) to my house is gone in places. Just gone. and in the creekbed that's part of the road, the flash-flood sent what looks to have been a 20ft wall of water through, and I've now got some rocks, one the size of a car, blocking my route. So I've got to fix the road (I can make it passable with a shovel within a day or two) and move the rocks before I can even get out of here. The big rock? it can't be got around. I've got to get rid of it. Fortunately one of my neighbors (about a mile from here, I had to walk it in the mud) is a miner, and can help me blast the sucker Wednesday. So, I should be above to get out of here within a few days, but whoa, I've got a lot of work to do on the rest. Eh, I might cross-post this to my blog. LoL. Oh, regarding blaming shadowgod: of course I do! Thunderstorms feed off water vapor. Global warming could cause increased evaporation, so more water vapor in the atmosphere, so this storm may have been "enhanced" by global warming. And, as we know, Global warming is Shadowgod's fault. Due to, and only due to, wonderful, above-and-beyond and short-notice work by Emoe, Shadowgod, Bondwriter, and Capt. Rick, Ch 36 will indeed be posted Tuesday. Thanks!!!!! I've been falling a bit behind lately, because of Category 5 and Let the Music Play being written alongside FTL. However, the last chapters of FTL are now in beta, so I can concentrate of LTMP, and I'm trying to build up a buffer again. Oh, and Bondwriter, baaad spoilers! The Echidna might get you, if he was looking forward to a pictorial chapter.

Thanks Bob!! I had to go with third person in LTMP: there are a few subplots that remain separate for quite some time, and there was no way I could maneuver anyone into "knowing it all" as I would have to do in 1st person, so I had to go 3rd, and I find 3rd a much more flexible way to write. I'm loving it. I am new to it, with only my short story "The Muse" (fall 2006 anthology) as prior experience, but it's not as hard as I'd thought. Ch 3 should be posted fairly soon. Thanks Rad! That's what I was going for. He's in a fix, for sure. Okay, who leaked the plot? Thanks Camy!!! Thanks Conner!!! BTW, for those unfamiliar with my other stories, I do put clues in my stories, often quite a few. But I give fair warning; there may be misdirections, too. Thanks Jan!!! I can't comment on the plot, but thanks!!! Thanks Trevor!! Thanks!! One of the benefits of 3rd person is being able to do both; one storyline won't impact the other much, until much later on. At least, that what I'm trying to do. Ch 3 will be a good example, as it parts from both, even though mainly focusing on the goings-on with the band.

Garam Masala has lots of uses, I'm fond of it in a lot of things. It makes one heck of a good BBQ marinade when combined with italian dressing. One thing I can't get over here; Ghee butter. Thanks! I had to keep Cody a little mysterious; I wanted the reader to pick up that something was wrong there, but not what.

A few story notes... FTL 36 might be late. I was late getting it to Emoe for editing. My next story, "Let the Music Play" has the prologue and first two chapters online. Thanks!!! CJ

Thanks LC!!!!!!!!!! It is entirely possible that might occur in future chapters. I hope the Echidna will allow what might be a bit of inside information... What we have here are basically two storylines, which will stay largely separate for quite a few chapters. . I can't say anything more without giving too much away. Thanks!!!! CJ

Congratulations on your 500th! I'm celebrating rain! The area I live in has been having a severe drought, but we've had tons of rain in the last two weeks. I'm no longer in danger from wildfires, so I'm absolutely celebrating that!

Thanks Steve! Yes, the old prologue in sneak peeks became Ch 01. There were some issues with the story, mainly that the genre wasn't clear, so I gave us a peek at what some as-yet unseen characters are up to via the prologue. The name "Eric" has nothing to do with the one in FTL, I promise! LoL. There are entirely separate universes. Thanks Jack!!! We do find out why he has it in for Brandon soon. With me as the author? What about a lighthearted comedy where everyone does a gruesome death at the end? Or a cliche mushy romance, that just happens to have nukes? Or maybe the nukes aren't bad... Ever seen "Doctor Strangelove"? Stop worrying and learn to love the bomb... Thanks Graeme!!

Welcome to the "Let the Music Play" Discussion thread. Brandon's dreams had been crushed far too often for him to ever believe, especially in himself. Follow along as he experiances some massive changes in his life, along with a few bumps in the road, and a few high-pressure situations. "Let the Music Play" is an action/adventure, with a touch of romance and humor, set against the background of the rock music industry. Please take a look and let me know what you think. I also want to invite all forms of criticism: Don't be shy. If you feel more comfortable doing so you can PM me, but feel free to criticize in the thread. Thanks! CJ

Lol! I love Tandori! I also love Indian food; I spend a lot of time in the UK, and the Indian food there is superb. Hrmmm, I'm craving a good curry, some Naan bread, and a side of Samosas right about now... Indeed; I couldn't exist without New Mexico chili powder, or Arbol salsa. And why oh why have recipies for goat become so popular around here? Thanks!!! You're right, I did write Cody as he'd appear through Drake's eyes. I kept the descriptions of Cody to a minimum, wording it so that the reader would pick up that something was amiss, but not quite what. The jump into the ocean was based on seeing surfers do just that off a rocky point; timing the waves so the backreflection pulls them clear once they jump in from a height. It wasn't that much of a height and no hurricane, though, but I think it's at lease marginally possible, at least that was my hope.

I've been having thunderstorms every day for the past two weeks, over a foot of rain in the last week alone (but we needed it!) Oh, but Jack, I should point out that this is likly due to global warming; increased sea-surface temps mean more evaporation, hence higher rainfall in some areas. Therefor, it's Shadowgod's fault. (He's to blame for global warming). Good catch. I was worried about that too. This is one of the problems with a 1st person POV: How to cover things the protagonist doesn't see. I couldn't figure out how to get an explanation for this into the narration: The tunnel is a long one; it's a city block from the bookstore to the church. There would be no problem with fire at that distance, just smoke and vapors. The fire found itself an exit in Thaddeus' church. Much like the draft of a chimney, Betty's entrance would haver served as an air intake once the fire broke through into the church, with the air heading towards the fire, so no smoke or vapor issues for her bookstore. LoL! Wow, Steve, that's some thesis! You have a superb memory! I can't comment on whether you are right or not (becuase that would be commenting on the plot, and the Echidna would get me) but wow, that's a detailed set of supporting points, What? Me, Evil? I'm not evil. I'm a sweet, quite, and shy goat! I'm not familiar with Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, what happened? Minor correction: Shadowgod is, more correctly, too blame for everything, rather than gets blamed. (the latter leaves room for him to claim innocence, and we simply can't have that!) Eric could have been trying to help Chris and Steve... The blackmail did get them to come out to each other. The web cameras... Hmmm, he could have thought they'd like being famous? He knew that Steve isn't shy... The Stake-out? Well, hmmm, he knew Steve liked to work on his tan... And he was very polite, he even said "Have a nice day." Maybe he just wanted to give them something to do so they didn't get bored on their camping trip? As for the money stuff, well, he's industrious! Poor, misunderstood Eric...