C James

The next couple of days were a blur, and the shock of our narrow escape at the bookstore weighed heavily on us both. Steve's dad tried to reassure us, telling us that his Sheriff and the county DA had phoned a friend at the State Attorney General's office, and that the AG was looking into it. Further, the Lonesome Valley Sheriff had put the word out among the force about what was happening, and that, unofficially, Piedmont officers were persona non grata in this county, and would be stopped

Steve and I discussed Eric frequently over the following days. Most of his explanations fit, sort of, and he seemed to have changed. Steve and I, however, were not about to let that influence us. Mr. and Mrs. Williams appeared to be softening towards Eric, and he was behaving like the perfect little angel. I would've laughed, but the little creep was getting away with it. Mr. Williams still agreed to go along with our plan to allow Eric to steal the fake Data Stick, so we knew he hadn'

The early morning sun streaming in through the dusty window slowly intruded upon my consciousness, dragging me back to an awareness of unfamiliar surroundings. The one familiar constant was the tan arm draped across my bare chest. Steve liked physical contact while he slept, and that suited me just fine. I looked to my side, and saw him lying next to me, facing me, nestled against my side, and still asleep. I was careful not to wake him, for I loved to watch him sleep. My stomach growl

I stared at Dex in shock, for several seconds before finally finding my voice, "Give the Data Stick back?" I gasped, "It's the only hope we have of figuring this all out." At that point, I noticed Steve's relaxed demeanor, and knew I had to be missing something. Dex quickly filled me in, "Not exactly. Remember I gave you the make and model number so you could order me an identical one to experiment on? Why don't you order two, they are cheap enough. Then I can rig up a convincing copy of th

I haven't copied it to GA stories yet, sorry. I'll get started later today. I've been slow.... In the meantime, it and all my other stories can be found via my site, and here's the URL for For the Love.

Speedos are more common in Australia than the US, especially among athletes (Australia's spectacular surf lifesavers, for one) and are probably roughly as common there as Europe for actual swimming (well, slightly less... boardies are more common for beachwear) from what I've seen. (Caveat: I've been to a few beaches in Europe recently (well, I guess it's been over a year now).., but haven't been to Australia for many years, so for the Aussie side of that equation, I'm guessing, based on what I've read and pics I've seen.) What we need is an Australian to weigh in. Shane wouldn't think anything of Trevor buying speedos. Shane knows that Trevor is a swimmer, and Shane mentioned being a surf lifesaver, and he told Trevor (who was wearing boardshorts) that he'd need to get a swimsuit, and he wants to race Trevor (To see if yanks can swim). The Aussies, bTW, invented the speedo. The Australians do indeed have their own version of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the Royal Australian Mounted Police. Very similar, it's just that they ride kangaroos, not horses. :ranger: Great link for Carnarvon, thanks! BTW, one part of it needs updating: HMAS Sydney. She's been found. No worries on the duplicate posts (I got rid of the duplicates.). It happens sometimes, and might be a software glitch. What be normally do is just blame Wildone.

Thanks!!! And yeah, Carnarvon was hit, bad, especially out towards east Carnarvon, which is lower lying and bordered on the north by the Gascoyone river, but all throughout the area to a degree. I hope they don't get forgotten, overshadowed by the devastation in Queensland. Here's a bit of Carnarvon trivia: the esturay that the yacht basin is on, the Fascine, gets many mentions in the story. It got it's name from a flood in 1915, when bundles of sticks were used to shore or the bank of what would be called the Fascine. The sticks resembled the bundles on the fascist logo, so the local lore is that that's where the Fascine got it's name. I find that hard to buy, because in 1915 fascisim was a minor fringe element, and Italy was an ally in WWI, in it's first year at the time. My own theory is that fasces have been a symbol since at least Roman times, and the Fascine was named for fasces, but not related to a yet-to-be-popularized fascist symbol. That's my guess, anyway. The title, "Knowledge is Power", was picked because it fit in both storylines. In Florida, we see it on serious issue. In Australia, we saw Trevor turn the tables on Shane, when Shane was trying to prank Trevor with Aussie slang. Yep, Bridget and George are getting in ever hotter water, and they don;t know it. Don't worry though, they're resourceful, they'll be okay. Poor Trevor; he has a long history of walking into things when there's a hot guy around. Early in the story, Julie was teasing him, reminding him of the time a hot surfer came on a charter and Trevor kept walking into bulkheads. Then, in Italy, when he met his one night stand, he racked up his nuts on the corner of the pool table.. ouch. There's nothing to worry about... Sanchez is no longer talking about killing Trevor, just making him a few inches shorter. Good point on law and society; law enforcement is designed to punish crime, not prevent it, in most cases. In this case, Gonzalez pretty much knows what George is up to, but without proof, he can;t do anything.

:2thumbs: Ahhh, I can't really say much of anything on a speculative thread, but, I do have to take serious issue above! I can't be blamed for any of the things that have befallen Trevor... Some of it was done by Bridget and George, some by the pirates, etc, so they can be blamed, but not me... I am completely innocent.

Such skepticism! I had made another sandwich today, using a tortilla-style wrap. I spread it with Vegemite, almond butter (I prefer it to peanut butter, when i can get it) then came peperoni slices, pickles, pepper jack cheese, Tabasco sauce, and a few diced back olives. It was great! (I've always been a fan of anything that mixes pickles and peanut butter). I also love vegemite on avacados. That's a great idea! They have a lot of good non-vegemite food too, like Shane's favorite, XXXX beer. But but but... I am a very discerning goat. I am fond of many fine goods, such as fresh garlic butter (awesome on waffles, or pancakes). I make my own chili, including a touch of chocolate. Hrmmm!?!?!? Haggis is strictly prohibited by treaty, so the US has no choice but to deny entry. (The US ratified the Biological weapons convention many years ago, and is thus bound by its terms). And what, budgie smugglers? That means speedos... and if you're prepared to try to defend the position that speedos on hot guys are a bad idea, and do so on a predominantly gay board, good puck with that. :P It's actually very good. Just be careful to spread on a small amount (maybe a gram). I've seen people try to apply it like jam, and get way too much.

Chapter 65, Knowledge is Power, is up. It's a few hours early; I had it set to autopost at 11:55 pm, as a test, but it's up already, so I think I misset it. BTW, if anyone wants to have a closer look at Carnarvon, google Earth has a lot of photos, and street views. For those who don't have google earth, google maps works great, on sat view, and shows photos as well.

Thanks you, and welcome to the forum! We;ll learn more about Bridget's plans very soon, but in the scene you mentioned, she's just brainstorming options, and the drugs and tracker seem to them to be be mutually exclusive; one or the other. You're right, killing someone in an airport would indeed be problematic on many levels. I hope I can say this without it being a spoiler, but we'll definitely be seeing some of the wonderful sights of Western Australia. Great point on Trevor and Atlantis. Trevor would be far safer staying away, but would he leave Atlantis to keep himself safe? Lol, the insurance issue is taken from real life (as are the policy details, which I got by checking real policies commonly issued to charter boat operators) and yep, incomprehensible, but real. I've seen similar things occur, such as in cases of a destroyed RV. The insurance rejected the cheaper option of a hotel. That gives me a chance to address the coincidence issue; unless there's a good explanation for it, having a huge coincidence in a story isn't a good thing to do, it hurts plausibility. For Trevor to just blunder into Ares, there would have to be a reason as to how. Doesn't mean he won't, but there would have to be explanations as to why. *************** I forgot to announce the next chapter, hopefully (internet willing) posting in a few hours, is "Knowledge is Power".

Great topic! There's nothing I can say on it without a spoiler (either they are, or they aren't, would be a spoiler) so I can only say... errr, not much.... nothing, actually... but as this post shows, I'm rather capable of using a lot of words to say nothing. Seriously though, great topic, and some very interesting posts in it!

Chapter 65: Knowledge is Power Henry Wesson was a cautious private investigator, and one of his maxims was ‘avoid needless patterns’. It was a simple, though oft neglected, basic rule of fieldcraft. In this instance, the application of it was straightforward; pick a different location for every meeting with Gonzalez. Henry had been about to suggest a new location, when Gonzalez had done so. For a few minutes after the call, Henry had puzzled over that. It was Henry who had called the meet

I moved my defense of Vegemite to a separate thread. I even added a recipe. Thanks!!! I actually did some rearranging just prior to posting; the part with Bridget and the brainstorming of what to put in Lisa and Joel's suitcase was originally at the end of the chapter, so I moved it up, so it wouldn't cause any tension at the chapter end. Hello and Welcome to the forum!!! Thanks! We'll get to see a good deal of Western Australia. You were right, Shane did start writing about Trevor, and did intend to sell it to the press, but that was before Shane knew that Trevor wanted to keep things quiet. Shane fessed up, even though he still doesn't know why Trevor needs to keep things quiet. Shane's name, "Shane Rhys", was stolen by me (with permission) from two of the characters (their first names) in Graeme's superb "The Heart of the Tree". You're right, Trevor never outed himself to Bridget. Bridget has at least one way of knowing; the tapes from the guesthouse. When she claimed Trevor came out to her, she thought Trevor was dead. The stolen and recovered gear... in many cases, such as the electronics, Trevor would be crazy to want it back; it's possibly damaged, and he'd be taking it in lieu of brand new, more advanced stuff that his insurance is paying for. The insurance .co might prefer the option though... For other stuff, the insurance is paying for new stuff, but much would depend on what was recovered; we don't know what was and wasn't yet. Thanks!! And, um, what crap Trevor's way? It's all been just fun in the sun and smooth sailing - so far. Shane... I can't say much without giving spoilers, but... hrmm, he did volunteer to Trevor that he'd written about him. Will Shane try to be helpful and set Trevor up with the girl?

I'm truly astounded to see the wondrous food from Down Under, Vegemite, besmirched and insulted! So appalled am I that I am replying to these statements in a new thread, to defend this Australian bio-warfare program wonderful tasty treat! It's not limited to a spread for bread... the Aussies use it for all sorts of thing (though many of them are said to be prohibited by the Geneva Convention). About an hour ago, in preparation for making this post, I had a toasted English muffin. On one half, I had Marmite and butter, and on the other, Vegemite and butter. Marmite and Vegemite taste very similar, but there are differences. The first is texture; Marmite is gooey, whereas Vegemite is more the consistency of spreadable peanut butter. There are also subtle differences in taste. I think Marmite is slightly more salty, and Vegemite has a stronger tangy taste of yeast. They are, however, very similar. Vegemite, BTW, is available in a chain of import stores called "Cost Plus World Market" for just over eight dollars. That's the only place in the US, except for online gourmet stores, I've ever found it, and that's where I got my current jar. Marmite is avialable in the US at most UK import stores, though I usually just bring mine back from the UK. That's not true! 16 million Australians can't be wrong. It's edible! I have it often, including an hour ago. Are you sure you had it right? Never put it on thick; just a very, very light touch on buttered toast, maybe a quarter of a teaspoonfull per slice. Slathered on thick, like jam, it's revolting. ************** I saw claims in the chapter thread that Vegemite is evil. This is just not so, and I can prove it by pointing out that ;'it's one of my favorite foods! (and how could I like something evil?) It's great on buttered toast, and the best toast I've ever had is real sourdough bread, butter, a touch of Vegemite, and a touch of Coleman's English Mustard (one of my favorite hot mustards). Awesome!! Vegemite is also superb for cooking, and on sandwiches. One of my favorites (which I just decided I'm having for lunch, because writing about it made me hungry!) is in a peanut butter and pepperoni club; Spread the bread (or sandwich wrap) with Vegemite, then peanut butter. Add pepperoni slices, pickle slices, provolone cheese, and pepper sauce (Tabasco is ideal).

This year, in the GA awards voting, we have a historic opportunity. There has, astonishingly, never been a female recipient of the cliffhanger award. It's time to put this right, to shatter that glass ceiling, and together, we can make history! It's time... Time to have a female Sovereign of the Malevolent Precipices, a tue Queen of Evil Cliffhangers. It's time, time to vote for our very own Cia, who hase proven, again and again and again and again, that she is a master of the precipice, leaving readers dangling by their fingernails, time and time again, over the bottomless abyss. It's time.. :king: Cia for Queen of Cliffhangers!!! :king: It's just the right thing to do.

Singapore is interesting... I hope you stopped by the bar at Raffles for their signature drink? (Singapore Sling)? There's a lot of new stuff there since I was last there... including a swimming pool I'd love to see; on that "wing," 650 feet above the ground, is the swimming pool, running the whole length, right at the edge... I've never seen Ayers Rock (Uluru) or the interior of Australia. That's on my agenda, maybe.. I'm thinking of a driving circumnavigation around Australia, but Ayers Rock and Alice Springs are a long detour if I do. Did you like them? New Zealand is a blast, I loved it. I hope you had a good time... did you get to the South Island? I loved the Southern Alps area, Milford sound, and above all the Franz Josef Glacier, which I've climbed twice, about a decade apart. (no big deal with a guide, many tourists with zero prior climbing experience do it, but one hell of an interesting experience!) The thermal areas at Rotorua, especially Hell's Gate, were also great, as was glowworm grotto. Three months sounds fantastic! :2thumbs: BTW, regarding the voices in my head, I've been assured there's a cure, but it involves decapitation..

ACK!!!!!!!!!! Wildone!! How could you? Now, let's look at this fairly... Assuming you're referring to Circumnavigation 48, "The Hand of Fate" sure, there were a few little problems, and the chapter ended with Trevor feeling a little down, but that's not a cliffhanger! As proof, I will cite the many, many people who publicly declared the chapter cliffhanger-free in the forum, when I offered to post out of the goodness of my heart, chapter 49 early. (I made no representations that Trevor was in 49, not my fault if people assumed that he was...) While Trevor may indeed have had a little problem with pirates, felt a little down, and then had a minor navigational inconvenience, those can hardly be considered cliffies. And, lately, he needs a haircut, and somebody wants to give him one... that's hardly a cliffie! ACK! Hey, ya big toothy feline, and REIGNING KING OF CLIFFHANGERS, not so fast! You do indeed use cliffhangers! Yes indeed... Cia for Queen of Cliffhangers! I'll be making another post on that issue, very shortly. Lugh! Shame on you! If you're going to campaign for yourself, you really should include Cia too, for Queen of Cliffhangers. Hrmm, well, I freely admit to being King of Typos, so you've no worries there. And hey, let's not forget, if you google King of Cliffhangers, you get Wildone, not C James! Cia for Queen of Cliffhangers!!!

Jake's final chapter is up... and I'd love to hear opinions, good or bad. Jake was a huge change in writing style for me, on a lot of levels. The literary and narrative styles were different, and Jake didn't have my usual research and complex technical issues. Jake was also my first character-based story (My others are plot-centric). On the relationship side... the notion that I'd ever even consider doing a story about a three-way relationship, with sex scenes, evoked gales of derisive laughter from people who know my prior works. So, please let me know what you think, good or bad, and what you liked and didn't like. I'm not prone to confidence in my writing at the best of times, and this big a change in style honestly had me on edge. Exit question: would you like to see more of Jake, Brett, Corey, and Chas? In other words, a sequel? Thanks! CJ

Chapter 64 is up. I just caught a goof: I'd originally entered this thread title as Circumnavigation 644: Slips of the Tongue That would be quite a jump. CJ

Chapter 64: Slips of the Toungue “I love being here with you, like this...” Joel murmured, snuggling up to Lisa in the guesthouse bed. It was Thanksgiving week, so school was often out a little early and they’d been spending many hours in that bed. Lisa pulled Joel closer, hugging him tight. “Me too...I’m going to miss you so much when you’re gone... I want you to go – now more than ever, after what happened – but I’m going to miss you so much,” Lisa said, running her fingers through Jo

There will be pictures in the chapters. The pictures from past chapters should be appearing in them now. I avoid the pics of the characters, because many times, I've read a story only to be blindsided by the author's selection of a pic for a character, which looks nothing like what I'd thought. I find that jarring, and I don't want to do that to my readers (who are prone to threatening to burn me alive at the best of times. )

Ack.. Goat jerky? Uhoh.... Well, Trevor did have that little pirate problem, and a few minor after effects (the southern Ocean) but, there are little bumps in the road in every life... and as for Trevor's head, if it's sent to Bridget, would that count as Trevor completing his circumnavigation? <innocent look>

Thanks! I'll bet Trevor sure wouldn't mind.

Thanks! Shane... We'll see soon. And good catch on "print", which means he wasn't sending stuff to Sanchez.