C James

Hi. I'm always uneasy when it comes to writing a sex scene, and avoid them when I can. The one in "Passion in the Dark" surely left a lot to be desired in many ways. For one thing, Eric and Jansen's first time was with Eric on Tequila. Jansen pretty much unleashed the beast. There were also plot reasons why I had to show that scene and not just allude to it the way I did to their lovemaking in the shower. You'll see why, but perhaps not for a while. I can't get into detail because that would entail spoilers, but there were plot reasons for this to happen. I think I can say (looks around nervously for the Echidna) that they deal with the reasons why Eric acts as he sometimes does on Tequila. There are a lot of clues to that in the chapter, and they involve how Eric acts, and why. It's been mentioned to me that what it looks like I'm doing is aiming towards Eric discovering he's only "gay" on tequila, and thus the end of Eric and Jansen as a couple. I would like to take this opportunity to assure people that that's not what is happening. (And I fervently hope that saying what isn't going to happen does not constitute a spoiler.) Please let me know what ya'll think. CJ

It actually hapened nearly two weeks ago, and I was a little steamed at the time (I'd put a fair amount of work into building that shed... I'd built it log-cabin style, thanks to having free timber.) However, I see the humor now, and all that really got totally KO'd was the roof. The logs from the walls can be re-used, all but one. I should have the shed restored in a few days. So, I had to post, as I figured ya'll would like a chuckle. Awww. Poor me. So misunderstood. Hrmmm! Now there's a point... I do often get Eagles and occasionally Condors here (I've seen just two, but they look huge! 10 ft wingspan) so, Talonrider might have been in the area... Jan, dod you crash that tree into my shed? Thanks Graeme!! I'm not overly fond of chainsaws. However, using an axe on a tree is IMHO even more dangerous. I do use an axe to split the timbers into usable firewood, for for the initial felling and segmenting I prefer a long-bladed chainsaw. I've seen the damage those can do when the chain lets go, so it worries me, but I don't see much of an option. GREAT point on automatic safety techniques. I'll share a critical one now. Too many times, people are killed while felling trees. The most common cause is not the tree falling the wrong way (that happens, though it need not be dangerous). The most common cause of death and injury from falling trees is running. Too many times, an inexperienced tree-cutter will see or hear the tree start to move, and then turn and run. That is a great way to die. The reason is simple; with your back turned, you can't see the tree, or where it is going. The best method for felling trees, IMHO, is WATCH them start o move, see which way they are going, and then move accordingly. Moving accordingly means move away from where the tree will fall. If it

Personally, I rank the dangers to Eric in this order: Helen Jane The Scar The Volcano. I really don't see why everyone is so concerned about Keith. Granted, cheese (as in a cheese omlette) has cholesterol, but at his age he doesn't need to worry much about such things. I'm sure Jerry is in a generous, sharing mood and would happily share the omlettes with Keith, and have a friendly chat and then be on his way. Then again, where is Eric?

I heat my house with firewood in winter, and I get the wood by chopping down trees on my property. Most often, they are Ponderosa pines, around 70 ft tall. Sometimes, they die with no help from me, and dead trees are hazardous; they can fall with no warning. One near my house died, and it was close enough to my garage to be a worry, so I decided that it had to go, and was in a very convenient location for firewood. So, I got to work. I notched the thing the way I wanted it to fall, and started cutting on the other side. So far, so good. It started to move, and I jumped back, and turned off my chainsaw, expecting to watch it fall. It leaned over a few feet, and then it stopped. First time I've seen one do that, and I've felled a lot of trees. It's darn dangerous to be near one when it goes (they can kick back at the base) so I had no intention of resuming my cutting. Figuring that it was likely hanging on by a hair, I retreated to the house and got my 30-06 rifle. The idea; blast at the area of the cut. I figured that could tip the scale and let the tree fall by chewing up the remaining wood. Ten rounds later, nada. Did I mention that I'm careful to fell trees in calm winds? OTherwise they can blow over in unexpected directions? Well, a gust of wind came out of nowhere.. The tree didn't fall the way I'd cut, or back. It fell sideways. I now have lots of firewood. The problem is, much of it used to be my workshed, near my garage, where the tree landed. Oh well. coulda been worse, I could have flattened my garage, too.

Dreams are odd things. IMHO, somethings they are meaningful, otherwise, just random. Recurrence is oft meaningful though, so I'd say there is something about your Aunt's house. Sorry I can't resist; but its "Nazis" not Nazi's". The apostrophe makes it possessive.

Please look at this link, for Viv's lounge post about Wildone. Please, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy Birthday, Greg!!

Get well soon, my friend, and here's to a speedy recovery! Viv, thank you for letting us know!

We don't know that Jansen and Keith will be meeting the Scar soon. However, perhaps now would not be a good time to mention that the title of chapter 43 is "Nemesis". Cliffhangers? What cliffhangers??? Jansen and Eric had fun, and we close the chapter with a hungry teen smelling food. I don't think that's unusual; he's 19, and at that age, food is a very high priority at any time. Surely you're not calling it a cliffhanger because you're worried that a cheese omlette is high in cholesterol and Keith shouldn't be eating it? The volcano can't really be called a cliffhanger either.. it looks pretty certain that its about to blow, so no uncertainty there. Poor, misunderstood Scar.

I can't say whether it's a good idea or not in general, but I can say that it's my normal mode. I often write the last part of the last chapter first, but not always (and when I do, it usually ends up requiring a partial re-write, but at least I know where I'm going.) For the rest, I very often write out-of-sequence. This can be entire chapters, or just scenes. I usually write in a "working document" and then just chop chapters out of it when I have enough, and that allows me to work many chapters ahead. My plots are often complex, so sometimes there just isn't any other way for me to proceed other than to write a critical scene to soo how it plays out. As an example from my most recently completed novel, "Let the Music Play", I wrote chapters 36, 37, and most of 38, right after finishing chapter 24. I had to, because 36 and 37 were a major even in the story, and I needed to know exactly what would happen, in detail, to make the preceeding chapters fit. Currently, I'm working on a serial called "Changing Lanes". I have the final chapter completed (that's been done for quite some time) and I'm currently working backwards to reach the last completed in-order chapter. Sometimes, I write paragraphs in reverse order; I'll write one, then move the cursor above it and write the preceding paragraph, etc. Generally speaking, I'll work on whichever part of a story that has my attention at that moment, and often jump from place to place, or even between stories (If I reach an impasse with one, I'll take a break by working on a different one). Personally, I think that the best way to write is whatever works best for you. CJ

Hey now, ya big toothy feline, stop picking on poor little 'ole me.

Thanks!!!! I'm still trying to figure out what comes after Changing Lanes. I want to finish "Jake" so it can be posted all at once in Premium, but I need a new serial for regular posting. One option is a sci-fi I've been working on, called Skyfire. It's hard sci-fi (ok, that's a very bad term to use on a gay board! LoL) in the sense that it's not science-fantasy like Star Trek, with impossible tech. Everything in it will be at least theoretically possible based on current tech and theory. Other than that... I'm not quite sure. I'll get to work on options soon. CJ

Thanks!! Well, I haven't had any alcohol since i wrote that, but I will be going to a party on July 4th, and I'll be walking so I can drink. LoL. Personally, I think it would be very illuminating for politicians to take part in such a mission.

Now you've posted it, I can say who.. it was the wizzardly one himself, Myr. Well, yes, Bondwriter, you can certainly be mercenary at times.

I loved the creativity here; a very unusual angle, but it captured the theme perfectly. Well done!

This was perfect! It made me laugh especially the touch at the end. Well done, BK!! I think my favorite line was "He's going to get whacked, isn't he?" They knew he'd fail, yet they egged him on anyway. Ah, that's what friends are for.

Interesting concept and presentation. Very eloquent. Thanks! CJ

I loved this story. I usually avoid poetry, but it's use in this case was succinct and inspired. It fit beautifully, and made the story richer. Thank you, Dolores Estiban, for a great story.

Kevin, my sincere condolences. Time, they say, heals all wounds. They're wrong in that, but the passing of time lessens the pain, and as you say, cherish the happy memories. Allow yourself to grieve, but remember the good times, of a life well lived. <hug> CJ

Jane is still at the resort. She also, so far, doesn't know about the nukes. Good point on the traffic! Yep, it's all one-way at the moment. The farmer only heard the gunshots... He's not that close, so probably didn't see anything. The area is largely evacuated, due to all the ash. The ambush site was a narrow road between rock-walled feilds, in a hilly area. Very rural and lightly populated even before the ash. The authorities might not be overly responsive in the area; managing the evacuation would be their top priority. Yuri and the bomb weren't seen by Felecia and Brian; the henchmen moved the truck to the henchman's main bivouac point, inland from the airport. I'm going to attach a map of La Palma, made from Google Earth, that shows the relative locations of everything. The volcano, BTW, isn't just where the symbol is; it's a fissure system, running from just south of the tunnel to almost the south tip of the island, over ten miles. If you look close, you can see the string of cones and craters. The volcano symbol, though, is a good indicator of where the ash ventings have been occurring. Or to be more precise, further south, inland from the resort. Most of the activity, so far, has been from a single vent. However, Cumbre Vieja's past behavior often includes more than one vent at a time, and includes eruption from long fissures, up to miles in length. Also, the whole area south of the tunnel and west of the volcano's crest (roughly, that line of cones and craters) is what the geologists have warned is about to slide into the sea. CJ

I forgot that I'd told you about it; that was before you joined our team. (I've had this in the works for a few months). Have fun with you-know-who on the rollercoasters.

Thanks! And Delores Estiban, thank you, I'd often wondered how double entendres would come across to someone whose first language is not English.

I fixed the last paragraph. Thanks! (On my monitor, it didn't show up that way, so I had no idea until you mentioned it.) Could you, or someone, please tell me where the spelling errors are? I can't fix them unless I can find them. Thanks! Thanks! I designed and built my entire site, so adding this was easy from a technical POV. It's not actually hard to do.

I found this very well-wri9tten, and thought provoking. I too felt the narrator went a bit too far, but that, to me, bespeaks of a lesson; if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. I think the narrator learned that the hard way, but the little girl was the victim.

Well done! I loved the humor, and the wit. CJ