C James

Wow, some good predictions here! Kudos to all those who did well! For those who didn't do so well, if it's any consolation I'd probably not have done so well either before writing the recent chapters; my stories tend to change on me as I write. BTW, Joe posted this about an hour before you found it, Bob. Good catch!!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone! It's almost here, just not quite yet: I don't like to "bump" other authors off the top of the announcments list when they've just posted, so I want to delay the announcement for a few hours more. I know y'all have been looking forward to the chapter announcement, and I'm sorry to make you wait, but it's just for a few more hours. To pass the time while you wait for the announcement, you can read the chapter itself, though, which is up here.

I have no idea whom you could be reffering to, though I do know of an author who has one of his main characters about to be chapped to bits in the middle of a park, with woodcutters tools no less! Poor Shadowgod, I'm sure he'll be heartbroken to know that someone is questioning his title of :king: King of the Eeeevil Cliffhanger :king: I mean, I know we blame him for a lot of things, but I think, regarding his title, we can't take it away; it's a very literal case of giving the devil his due.

I think it's a cliffie to have a main character in mortal peril, and make no mistake, The Tree is in peril! I know that with Bobby being assigned the task of cutting it down it's safe for a little while, but its still at risk. Therefor, this is a cliffhanger! Even though i don't use 'em myself, i know 'em when I see 'em! BTW, I'm really looking forward to how Bobby deals with his secret. He's very ethical, so my guess is he takes the promise literally, and lets all his friends hate him for taking the job.

I loved that chapter! Definitly agreed, good to see Bobby meeting someone he has a lot in common with. And Shane seems to be heading in a good direction! Rhys, though, hmmm, interesting that he's no longer avoiding drink. Nothing bad, but to me it signals a slight change, more maturity. I still haven't got a clue what will happen with him. He's still one of my favorite characters, probably even moreso now. Save the Tree! Oh, and BTW, I'm declaring a cliffhanger.

I lost friends that day, and my sincere condolences to those who lost friends and family. My motto: NEVER forget.

Very true about a Cody story... You're right, it won't be a sequel, unless he writes it as a continuation of LiS. But, no pressure; as long as he starts writing four or five stories at the same time and posts at least a chapter of each a week, I'll be happy. How can you possibly doubt Shadowgod's unrivaled excellence at the art of the cliffie? He's the master of the nail-biting cliffie. He even left us with a cliffie over what flavor of lemonade they were drinking at the end of one chapter. And come to think of it, we're still dangling over that one. :pickaxe:

I sure don't envy you having to make so many changes to such a large story. I have trouble enough when I make changes to a prior chapter due to something occurring in the following one. Three Cheers that Myr's back to writing.

Awww, Bob!!! What did I do to deserve such treatment? Yes indeed! Thank you Emoe!!! I'm feeling rather.. hunted. I'm really torn here; I so want to agree that something (anything) is Shadowgod's fault, but I really don't want to be shorn and tarred. As for the sunglasses, I think I look better with them than without them.

ECHIDNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While I fully agree with you on most of this, especially abotu the richness and depth of even the minor characters (though, I think we need to find out more about Cody... Sequel!! Sequel!!) I'm shocked, shocked I say, that you could suggest a paucity of cliffhangers! Please remember, Shadowgod is the acknowledged :king: King of Eeeevil Cliffhangers :king: Granted, you were reading all at once, but who can deny Shadowgod's great skill at leaving his audience dangling from the dizzying precipice? Hrmmm, now, about that sequel featuring Cody...

One other thing to bear in mind; in professional writing, either fiction or non-fiction, this would be utterly frowned upon. If it was part of an English literature assignment, it would be a speedy way to a failing grade. In a casual conversation, such as chat or a forum post, it's certainly acceptable in most cases, and as Bondwriter pointed out, it is acceptable in a comic book. Where you won't find it is in professional literature. I'll also point of that it is against the rules of grammar; if it's not what the character is actually saying, it does not belong withing the quotation marks. If instead it is meant to describe that the character is doing, it is, quite properly, narration. I'll shut up now, LoL after mentioning that like hehe, LoL might be acceptable in a forum post, but not in a published novel.

Hrmmm, well, mine is in my profile and my avatar, and as I recall, Conner's used to be in his.

No offense meant to any author who does this, but I agree with Anthony (and welcome to GA!!). "Hehe" and other online terms (from chat, would be my guess) are things I'd never put in one of my own stories, for the reasons you cite. As Graeme said, the narration is the place for it. After all, how often do people actually say "hehe" in conversation? And if they aren't actually saying it, it has no place in the dialog. Just my opinion...

Happy Birthday, Conner!!!! Hope you have a great one!!! :king:

Yes, it is quite difficult... They just don't make a decent goat-ergonomic keyboard yet. I can't fathom why. But, of course, I do mean Southern California.. Up north, it's a whole different state. For one thing, people are sane in the north, and you have air that is actually breathable. In Southern California, They have to hold their breath from April til October. In the north, you have vinyards, while in the south, they have, well, things that are far too horrible to contemplate. <shudder> I look at it like NYC Vs. upstate new york; they might sometimes get called the same name, but they are totally different.

Hrmmm, I see "innocent Victims" is doing well... I'm surprised that "Masochists" isn't, give the eeeevil cliffies he inflicts upon us at the end of every single chapter, some of which are NEVER resolved... Did he EVER let us know the critical answer to the lemonade question? I don't think so...

Black Magic? Surely I wouldn't dabble in the black arts? Why, oh why is my sweet, quiet, shy, innocent nature so often called into question? I'm just your typical quiet and shy goat, pounding away at a keyboard, I have no knowledge of the dark arts.. Shhhh, that's a secret... OK, who leaked the chapter to Graeme? To aid in the speculation, perhaps I should mention the chapter name? "Going Public" And a teaser question... What is "The Devil's Throat" referred to in the last chapter?

Now where would we find such a beast??? Actually, it's pretty darn close... 13-16.

Let the voting begin!

Venus fly trap? And I see I'm being mentioned here!

OKay, we need to cool things down here just a bit... It's not right to stereotype (and it's against GA's rules, too); There are Muslims who do not support Sharia or the extremists, and who are tolerant. Lumping them all together is unfair, and also counter-productive from our own standpoint. You can't say all Muslims are X any more than you can say all Christians are X or all gays are X, etc. CJ

Conner seems to be hiding... And from his own thread, no less.

I think you're quite right... We were discussing Kingman, as I recall, and yes indeed, that's a big city; 3 offramps, and around 20k people, as I recall. Of course, we do have Phoenix with millions, but for the rest of the state, Kingman is big. It ranks about 5th, as I recall. And what? I don't have complex plots... just simple stories where nothing bad ever happens... Unless Shadowgod (the annonymous beta reader) adds bad stuff during the beta. Ack! I have committed a grievous error; my hoofs must have slipped on the keyboard, for surely I meant to say SOUTHERN California...

Syringes are not a prescription item in the US: You can get them over-the-counter. In many cases, they are prescribed, but that's more for insurance reasons. You can get them from pharmacies, medical supply stores, or even online. Carl is right about the gloves; according to a doctor I know, they are primarily to protect the doctor.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!