C James

ACK, just four more chapters? What will we do for our LiS fix!?!?!? Whatever you do next, I have no doubts whatsoever that it will be excellent. Yes, and it sucks. I also have seen people try to do that (make someone else feel lesser) intentionally, and I don't like that at all. The best thing to do IMHO is try and figure out if the person is trying to do that. In some cases, they are trying, but it is due to a feeling of inferiority on their own part. Others are just egotistical. If you are feeling this way regarding several people, then ask why. I used to feel that way around rich people, until I looked at many of their lives: Sure, they had money, but they were usually not happy, so why the heck should I feel inferior to that? What matters most, in my opinion, is how do YOU feel about YOU. Comparing yourself to others is not productive, because you often only see their good points, not their bad, their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Don't let it get to you, or they win. CJ

Kevin, you new place sounds spectacular! I'm really happy for you! I hope you checked out the closets themselves, though; in my first apartment, there was a "walk-in-closet". The first clue that it wasn't quite what one might expect was that the door was only 5' high. The second clue was that is was about 18" wide. I suppose a very small person could have fit in there, but the coathangers touched in the middle if you used both sides, and it was about as deep as a phone booth. Come to think of it, the bathroom was not much bigger.

Hi Jack! All I can say is that the next chapter is titled "Shawn and Chase." Welcome, Ephialtes! Thanks for joining us. Poor Eric, people do seem to suspect him of all sorts of things. That was hilarious... You could post it? I loved it! BTW, Steve (shdowgod, our anonymous Beta reader) gave me some of the idea for the feather scene. I already had the feathers mentioned with something in mind, but Steve's ideas crystallized it. Thanks Steve!! I think Ephilates last three digits fit right in here! (the thread number is 6666) I can't comment on the various theories until the chapter that reveals the matter is posted, because in this thread lurks an Echidna (a spiny marsupial from Australia) who will use those spines to make a pincushion out of me if I blab and give a spoiler... But, I really do love seeing them!! Thanks!!!!

I bought a self-adhesive hook for the side of the shower to hang a washcloth on, but I just leave it there between uses. I just rinse it out after using it. I generally do my laundry every other week, so I just toss the washcloth in with the dirty clothes on laundry day, wet or not (it's all going right into the washer anyway). Most apartment bathrooms will have a medicine chest (right behind a side mirror, usually) so there is plenty of storage space for soap and the other odds and ends such as shavers, shaving cream, etc. on the bottom shelf of it (which is usually a little taller). I find that a shampoo bottle is too big for it (I tend to buy the big generic stuff, as it is cheaper), so I just leave that in the shower. I once lived in an apartment with absolutely no storage space of any kind in the bathroom, and an incredibly tiny shower stall with no room at all for anything, so I had to keep literally everything in a shoebox on top of my toilet tank. those can be covered with wallpaper scraps to look halfway decent if you don't like the look of a shoebox. I've also seen a little basket that you can hang from the showerhead pipe, which could be handy. Best wishes for you on your new place!

And this surprises you how, exactly? I'm guessing that a scene like this was in a movie? Drat! As for us goats thinking alike, well, yes, we do. Herd instinct, ya know. There is a very different culture in rural areas of the American West regarding firearms. But, I wanted to show them being sensible and having training: Without training, a gun is more dangerous to its owner than to anyone else. :-) I was worried about that aspect myself. In fact, i reduced the number twice before putting it back. My reasoning was that they, like I, only get to the big city perhaps once a year, so buying a lot in one day is more understandable. Still, not something I'd do... Anyone have any opinions on this issue? Did I go overboard on the amount? Thanks Conner!!! And eightplay, ROFL! There is never a moderator around when you need one...

Hey now! No putting me on the menu! I can't write if I'm cooked! Well, good guesses, but I'm fariad there has been a slight change of plans regarding the posting of Ch 17, "Fire and Ice. I'd originally planned iut for Tuesday afternoon my time, but, I have an appointment in the morning so I was unlikely to be able to keep that time. I therefor, and I apologize for any inconvenience caused by my non-tardyness, I've decided to post a few hours early. Chapter 17, Fire and Ice, is up!

ARGH!!!!! He was looking for a story with sex in it and, poor guy, the phrase "no sex" was just way beyond his reading comprehension level. /sarcasm. It absolutely stinks that he would send something like that. What a loser, if he has to go to such lengths to make himself feel important.

LoL! Could be! Well, they shall find out soon enough... How true! Not another pool party, but as for the rest, all I can say is , and also that it will be posted within 24 hours.

Hey! You are not a lurker! Lurkers almost never post, and you just posted! And I should know, becuase, unlike you, I am a lurker! BTW, have I mentioned the title of the next chapter yet? It's called "Fire and Ice".

I'm not saying you aren't partially right about Steve, just that he might have other things on his list instead, or as well. And talk about culture shock; I had never heard of the show "medium", but a quick google of that and the name turned it up. Considering you are in France, that is astounding to me! (but, I almost never watch TV, so I'm rather uninformed in that area.) Thanks, I had no idea!! Welcome, ieshwar!!! Thanks, and thank you for reading. I'm having an absolute blast. :-) Thank you Bob! I'm truly flattered, more than I could ever put into words... I had to go looking for that myself (I didn't remember, and I write the darn thing!), as I had a sudden sinking feeling that I'd never mentioned the location of his Church. I only found the one reference, very easy to miss; That was the quote from the flyer in Ch 9, and It doesn't say exactly where the church is, but it does use Lonesome Valley as part of the name, and lists Thaddeus as the pastor of that church. BTW, you aren't the only one to be surprised that Thaddeus' church isn't in Piedmont, which means I probably should have worked it in more recently. Thanks!!!

Hmmmm, "Tip of the Iceberg" would have worked, you are right! The next few chapters do basically expose the "iceberg". Thanks Talonrider! Thanks, Jack, and I can assure you that no one was more surprised than I by those results. The only one I thought I had even a chance at was the "best antagonist" one for "The Muse". But my stories are very much a team effort, so thanks to everyone. Unfortunately, things like that have happened. Also, if you want an example of an outrageous Arizona Sheriff, just google on 'Sheriff Joe' sometime. Some of his antics would seem far-fetched in fiction. As for Cops committing murder, check out this page http://www.copwatch.org/copsascons.html it has a very incomplete list of conspiracies, felonies, and a few murders committed by police officers. Ummm, I know I'm missing something here... But what is the "Medium" reference? I don't get it? Hehehehehe!!!!!!!!!! Well, Steve does have a known fondness for those, 'tis true, but sporting goods stores also carry tank-tops, boardies, running shorts, etc, all of which he is known to be fond of. Incidentally, that local mall was no stretch: I know of a few like that; just a few stores, carrying only really generic stuff, often years out of date, and no other mall for a hundred miles in any direction.

I think there might be a very good practical reason for that: I've been around horses much of my life, and one thought crossed my mind right away: As a purely practical matter, having a horse involved in a state production would be exceedingly difficult. The horse could easily be spooked by the lighting and strange surroundings, and it's actions would be unpredictable. As far as I know, animals are rarely used in stage productions due to the unpredictability factor. Does anyone know of a play where they do use animals, especially large ones?

And a big hand for Matthew for putting this all together! Thanks Matthew!

Thanks!! The old bootlegger's tunnels were based on real ones that exist in some similar Arizona towns. In the old downtown block, they would connect the basements, and often outbuildings as well, for the delivery of both supplies and customers to a "speakeasy" located in the basement of one of the buildings. The buildings adjoin on each side, so this was fairly easy to do, and being a mining area, plenty of people knew how to build tunnels. Thanks!! The title was originally "Prelude", but I picked "Storm Warning" at the last second as I thought it fit better. This definitly was not the storm, but it is a sure sign that the storm is brewing.

Today is Tuesday!!! And, in a further exciting development, it has been determined that tomorrow will most likely be Wednesday! BTW, Chapter 16, "Storm Warning", is up...

What? Me, mislead people? Jack can't tell you the title, because I haven't made up my mind on that yet! LoL! Thanks Graeme! Actually, in all seriousness, I am very proud of what WE have done here, as this is very much a team effort. Emoe, my editor, for tireless and often difficult work, for encouraging me so often, and helping me so much (including thinking of the title, and so much more!). shdowgod, my anonymous beta reader, who is far more than a beta reader, and who has given me help and guidance along the way (and encouraged me to actually put FTL online). For you too Graeme, for help and advice along the way, For my really anonymous adviser on some critical issues, (who will "come out of the closet" sooner or later, never fear). Bondwriter, for catching the final errors that I make, and for his unfailing support, To Everyone, one and all, (and there are far too many to list, and I'd undoubtedly miss out someone) who have posted, PM'd, reviewed, emailed comments and advice, To those who encouraged me to get back into writing, and to the many who have helped me along the way, Thank you all, and a special thanks to Ed Wooton, my late friend, editor, and mentor, who helped me with the early draft of the first four chapters of FTL (and a couple of other stories) several years ago. I miss you, Ed, I always will. CJ

Happy Birthday, Dan! :king: I hope you and Trebs have a great day!

Ch 15 (Homecoming) is up, as of Tuesday, so it looks likely. It's in big print in my sig, but, the fact that you didn't notice proves that either you are a candidate for Veronica's bleach bottle, or, I really am a lurker. I'll let you choose which one. (and I am a lurker.. really I am! )

Shhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Stop spilling the beans!!! Ohhh! I have theories!! I have theories!! But it's probably better that I <eying the spines nervously> keep them to myself. So am I, but it's probably just my multiple personality disorder kicking in again... Wow! Five days? Good grief, for a postaholic like you that's nearly an eternity! Seriously though, sorry you had such a horrible week!

THREE DAY WEEKEND! That was very nearly the title of the last chapter, or should have been. Emoe posted a question a while back: How many Saturdays in a weekend? I couldn't explain at the time without spoilers but now I can! I'd written chapters 14 and 15 as a 3-day weekend of a somewhat unusual sort. The ORIGINAL TIMELINE went like this: pool party was on Saturday. They stayed overnight, and got up the next morning at Veronica's, had breakfast, lounged around until afternoon, went home, had the awkward family dinner, went to bed that night, and got up the NEXT morning to go to Sunday services. Well, Emoe caught it. (THANK YOU EMOE!!!). So I did a quick change of a few paragraphs to change the timeline, and Emoe fixed a few references that I'd missed. Yep, I'd written a 3-day weekend; either two Saturdays, or two Sundays.

Well, I knew about Connor's Avatar, but had to keep my mouth shut (Goat code of silence, ya know...) All I can say on the data stick and Eric is that this whole scenario (the major parts) were planned from the start. Things do change as I write though. For example, the pursuit and shooting in "Race with the devil" plus the letter that triggered it all occurred to me while I was writing one sentence: Veronica telling Steve, at the first pool party, "Don't **** it up this time, Blondie". I had no idea the "this time" would be there, it just appeared, but I thought of the rest of it on the spot. Thanks Connor! Hi Graeme!! All i can say on the above is Thanks!!! Good catch on the footprints issue! Thanks Rick!! I'm with Connor: You sure have a way with metaphores there! BTW, keep an eye on Jack's sig line: See "Life's a Grind" there? Keep an eye on it, it's coming soon, and I know a little about it, and it's going to be GREAT! OK, I just want to say that I love reading what you all have to say on this, and I read every bit of every post in this thread. Thank you all so much for being here, as this is a HUGE motivation for writing and I can't thank you all enough! However, I just wanted to warn everyone: If it looks like I'm ignoring what you had to say about the story, I'm not. I often cannot reply without giving away spoilers. (and with the Echidna lurking about, that could be hazardous to my health). This will be especially true over the next few chapters, as many things that have been hinted at in the story all along develop in full. I'll read asl always, and reply if I can, though. Plus, we can always have fun by plotting on how to catch and sell Jack Frost. (hi, Jack! ) Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone, this means more to me than you can know. And one effect it had is it spurred me to catch up in my writing and get a few chapters ahead, so that now I hope we can avoid any further posting delays (and special thanks go out to Emoe and shdowgod on this!). Thanks again everyone.

:king: Happy Birthday Jack!!!! :king: Have a great day, and happy double ducks! BTW, I hope your cake has plenty of Frosting.

What? But... What else would four gay men have to talk about other than the finer points of auto mechanics? I think you will find that the next episode, which will be posted on time, is very different from this one. And the Easter Bunny might have an Easter egg. BTW, this wasn't just a filler chapter, though I know it may look that way now. There is a lot in it that won't be obvious until Ch 16 and 17, and is critical to them. And don't worry, I won't keep everyone in suspense for long about Eric; the truth will come out, one way or another, in the next couple of chapters. Is Eric on the level or not? Or something in between? Hi Bob! I can guarantee you won't be asking that after the next chapter. Actually, over the next two chapters, you will see why much of Ch 15 was required. Hmmmm, maybe I should have a chapter all about the carburetor rebuilding? Would I do such a thing? Well, that fits very well, because the number of this thread is 6666. BTW, Any one have any thoughts about Eric's coming out?

Get well soon, Emoe!! I HATE colds, so I know just how you must be feeling. I hope you feel better soon! BTW, He's back..... Chapter 15, Homecoming, is up.

Veronica might just do that, too. Be careful what you say about the Reverend Emoe... He's been known to read this thread, whenever he's not busy trying to take all the fun out of Fundamentalism.