C James

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!

Don't think we are going to let you sign off on this thread that easily. It was a very sweet tale, well executed, and you did great.

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.

But he hears the following bits...

Key the paint? Well, yes, but that's sort of way too nice in my book. My first question: Is liquid nitrogen handy? If so, get a couple of cans of shaving cream. Freeze a can of shaving cream and then peel the can away from the cream. Put the cream into the car. The shaving cream will soon defrost, and two cans will fill an entire car. 3 is better, becuase then the cream is coming out of interesting places. Whipped cream is better but it takes more. (this won't work with a freezer or dry ice freezing; nowhere near cold enough) I can think of plenty of other tricks to do both with or without liquid nitrogen, but unfortunately most of them qualify as attempted murder (dang, they just won't let people have any fun these days.... )

My hunch is that Zach should have ended it, BUT, the fact that he didn't is very realistic, unfortunately. But, I absolutely love I love what he did with the guy's clothes! That was perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very imaginative, and great character development. I know I'd have been far more inclined to dump the clothes and keys, after putting sugar in the gas tank, but had Zack done that I think he might have come across as less likable than he does. Jeremy is very intriguing! Sounds darn hot, too! I like the fact that he is being responsible and helping his family. Off to a great start by the look of it! CJ

Absolutely seconded!! The surprise twist in this story really threw me, and the underlying theme is one I very much like. Brilliantly done, I won't say more except for one thing: Go read it!

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...

That is really sad about the two guys. I sure hope things work out for them. Mind control? Hah! No such thing! Now, if you will excuse me, I just realized that it is tuesday so it is imperitive that I go get a chapter ready for posting later today! I'm looking forward to whatever you write next.

I'm with Altimexis! Nooo! GREAT Ch 20 Rick! That graveside scene was truly touching. I'm definitely not liking the new in-laws, at all! Thanks Rick, well done!! CJ

Thank you DK!! Ch 7 was great, and it explains much that I was wondering about. I'm still curious about the whole "Dragons rising" thing though, regarding what is in the previous Pern books. Is it just tradition that the riders sleep with the rider of the dragon their dragon rises with? I seem to remember, and it seeon to indicate in this and previous chapters, that there is a strong impulse there... I'm interegued by the situation with Lileth and B'rell's Dragon. They seem to be getting along awfully well, yet Lileth said "he's not for me". Hmmmm, maybe Lilith just doesn't want to make J'shon nervous? Fascinating story Dan, and Happy Birthday!!!

Just an update to let everyone know that "New Brother" won two awards in the 2006 G.A. Member's Choice awards!

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! )

I'm relieved; I thought you were going to try and crowd me out of my Tuesday posting timeslot. And yes, we do blame you for global warming. I loved Ch 18!!! Richard's reappearance is certainly unwelcome, and I think things are about to get very interesting (not in a good way) for Matt, Jacob, and Val. I'm betting that Jacob's "embarrassing incident" from his past will play a role. That investigator sounds like a nasty piece of work, too.

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!

I hadn't had chance to read Ch 111, so tonight I was able to read Ch 11 & 12 together. Altemexis, there were superbly done. The professionalism shines though, as does the gritty reality of what it is like to be a patient helplessly facing something unexpected and unknown. Bravo.