C James

Sorry I've been absent for a while... I was unwise enough to aquire a souveneire on my flights home; the flu. I'm still under the weather, but feeling better than I was a couple of days ago. I have no idea if it's swine flu. That's statistically unlikly, so probably just regular flu. On the other hand, if it is swine flu, I can be said to be a pig-headed goat. LoL Yep. Btw, some great speculation in the thread!! Yes, the "Worth a thousand words" chapter, 15, was indeed quite relevant. The scar knew, then, where Eric was staying. He also demonstrated the means to find out (via credit card records) current info. However, we shouldn't assume he has ill intent. Even if he does go to the resort, he might just want to stop by and say "hi". Eric might be in far more danger from Helen, when she finds out just what he's bringing as loan collateral.

I would also like to thank all who participated, and also take this belated opportunity to participate my7self (sorry, I've been away and only just found this). To my wonderful team: Emoe, Graeme, Bondwriter, Captain Rick, and Shadowgod. You guys are the best. Thank you.

Thanks Kevin. I do try, but I'll be the first to say I don't do enough to recognize all that my team does. What I currently do is make sure I try to thank them in the forum threads, and also in every chapter credit at the bottom of each chapter. On my site, every chapter credit is discrete text, so in many cases the credits change from chapter to chapter. This also gives me the ability to add a special "thank you" to someone lending a hand in some way on a specific chapter. An example at the moment is Wildone, who will be added to the credits of chapter 31 of my current story as a way of saying "thank you!" to him for pointing out a typo and also a plot continuity issue (I'll post about that in my forum). My point here is that having each chapter credit be discrete text rather than a PHP include (where one piece of text is echoed to every chapter) gives me added flexibility in recognizing people who help. I do try to include my team whenever I can, because that's what we are, a team, and I consider the stories to be as much theirs as mine. It's a team effort, and I mean that in every sense of the word. One idea that I flagrantly stole (From Mark Arbor, but Shhhh, don't tell him...), modified, and aim to implement, is having a Team Page on my website, with a little about each member, what they do, and a link to their profile, etc. That page will also house the awards the stories have won, because that's where they belong; to the team. CJ

Now, now, no need for legal actions! Mike has dropped out of the storyline Thanks Terpi! No need to worry. As I said in the prior thread, what could possibly go wrong? BTW, here's a thought to ponder: why did The Scar take along JATO packs? Good catch!!! Yep, Horst, with one minor change, was echoing Robespierre. I thought it was an appropriate thing to say to a cook, before giving him some fresh air. BTW, can we have an Amphibious Declaration of Cliffhanger-Free for this chapter? I think it deserves one, don't you?

Who? Me? I suppose we could say that Jansen and Eric's first date is having a few small hiccups? One thing I was worried about RE the first date... I've seen many in gay fiction, and I was concerned that it Jansen and Eric's could come across as a little cliche. I think we managed to avoid that?

But, but, but... It's merely coincidence! And besides, Mike the Cook is not a frog, so I'm in the clear! Also... Michael is indeed a name of great religious significance: Archangel Michael for one. But, angels have wings, no? So nothing to worry about, for Mike. ACK! Now, now, no lawyers! BTW, the name of the chapter posting tomorrow (34) is Miscommunications

I saw this and wondered if it was taken in Mark's backyard.

OOps! The cook is named as "Mike" in chapter 30, not 33. My bad!

OOps!! You're right, I do mean 34! I kind of forgot where we were.

Thanks Emoe!! I might have added the cook's name (Mike) after you saw 33. I can't remember. Ok, just checked, and the name wasn't in the chapter I sent you. Sorry, I guess I added it post-edit. So, Mike is the cook, and The Scar's man on board.

Thanks!! I'm finally over the jetlag, and caught up on work and sleep. BTW, Chapter 35 should be posted Tuesday, as we resume our weekly schedule.

As Graeme mentioned (thanks, Graeme!) My first novel was in first. Also, my yet-to-be-completed fourth novel (got some more of it done on my vacation) is in first. The way I pick a narrative voice (first, second, or third person) is based on the plot. My first novel was in part a mystery, and getting the protagonist into situations where he could discover the needed information was half the fun for me. There was no decision to make for second novel, Let the Music Play; it had to be third person, due to having multiple storylines for the first half. For my short stories, I pick the narrative style the same way I do for novels; I take a guess as to what would fit best. I find that first seems to work better for me for the concise style needed for a short story, but not always. Of the six short stories I have posted, three are first person, one is second person, and one is third person. I do know that adds up to five, lol, but one story ("The Muse") is in first, second, and third person (mostly third with bits in fist and second) though it never changes perspective. I guess I do have a strong preference for first person in short stories, because I have two as-yet unpublished, both in first. Thanks for raising the topic, because I just learned something about myself. Hrmm! This issue never occurred to me. I do, for plot reasons, introduce new characters occasionally, but they by and large tend to be temporary. For example, one might serve their purpose for a couple of chapters, and then their role is done. An example would be the pilot of an aircraft; he might be a minor character (if the plot demands it) for a chapter or two, and then gone. I do try (not always sucesfully) to keep the number of characthers to a bare minimum. Too many, and it gets confusing. I do add major characters slowly in some cases, taking a few chapters to get the "main players" introduced. I find this easier to digest than trying to into them all at once. One large exception would be my introduction of a main character in the second half of Let The Music Play; there was really no way to intro him and have him be a recurring character prior to that point. In Graeme's Heart of the Tree, he did indeed have a large cast of characters. I think the plot he had demanded them, and he added them adroitly, a few at a time. In some cases, they were mentioned in conversations, etc, before "appearing", which I think is a very adept way of doing it. Had he tried to intro them all at once, I think it would have been confusing. With one exception, the characters came across to me as defined and unique, with their own distinct personalities and speaking styles. The one exception was the title character, who came across, to a degree, as rather stiff and wooden. (Sorry, Graeme, couldn't resist. )

I'm baaaack. I'm overtired and lagging, so It'll be tomorrow before I'm arounf more, but just wanted to say "hi". BTW, to those who I owe PM's and e-mail to, I'll be doing them after I sleep. I haven't forgotten.

But... y'all know I never use cliffhangers.. right?

Kirsta! Plotting against sweet, innocent me? Shadowyness has indeed been silent... Hrmmm, perhaps he's off recruiting new minions? Echidna!! Bondwriter has given us a SPOILER! Do your spikey duty! Looking forward to seeing the pics.. (I'm on too slow a connection to load them at the moment.) See y'all soon.

I hope all of you are doing well! I just wanted to say that the nice, relaxing endpoing in chapter 31 was inspired by Emoe, so be sure to thank him. (thanks, Emoe!!) I'll hopefully have more internet access soon. I completed the three week transatlantic cruise yesterday, and I'm presently online via free wifi at a coffee house, enjoying some superb Cappuccino, in the Italian Alps. I'll be in this area for ten days, then on to the UK. CJ

I had five feet on snow over four days a couple of weeks ago. And I live in Arizona (granted, high in the mountains)! The snow compacted pretty quick, but for a while it was five feet deep, and in pl;aces drifting to about eight! I was snowed in for over a week; I live on an old mining trail that isn't plowed. I have a steel "bow plate" for my SUV that I can bolt on, but that'll get me through three foot, not five! Take care and have fun! I'll be logging in from time to time, but I'm powering down my home PC and heading for the airport in an hour. CJ

Red Storm Rising is probably my favorite book, ever. Totally agreed on his characters; your description is perfect; he feeds you what you need, when you need it, and no more. For example, a fighter pilot in an engagement: two or three lines, making the character unique, is all you'll have, but if there was more it would get in the way of the plot. In a fighter engagement I want to read about air combat tactics, not who the pilot took to the prom or what kind of cereal he prefers. LoL. Clancy is, for my tastes, the best. He's not perfect; I've stumbled upon several factual errors in his books, but he's far better than anyone else in that regard. The only literary qualm I have about his works (excepting "Teeth of the Tiger", which I don't like) is the Mountain Man subplot in Executive Orders. They never affected the main plot in any way. It just struck me as extraneous. Clancy did do some very in-depth characther development in "Without Remorse", which is about his character "Mr. Clark". Very well done IMHO, but not amongst my favorites of his books, probably because it is character-centric. Come to think of it, "Rainbow-six" is similar, and that's a book I'm not fond of at all. Incidentally, in case anyone is looking to read some of Clancy's books, please don't pick up anything that says "Tom Clancy's".. Those (such at the Opp center series) are not written by him, it's just a franchise. They are also, OMHO, very poorly written and not worth the time or money. CJ

Thanks Jon!!! Just a fast note: there are three chapters that will be posts during my trip. Two week from today, and every two weeks thereafter. Shadowgod agreed to post them, (thanks Steve!) so I'm not leaving y'all hanging.

Well, I'll throw out a number... how about a negative number? Or an exponential? Actually I don't know the vote totals, so I literally couldn't tell ya.

Interesting topic!! Graeme's mention of JRR Tolkien brought a smile to my face. While I have no doubt that it's true that he's strong in all aspects, I found (no doubt due to my own tastes and no reflection upon the author) "Lord of the Rings" unreadable. I found the movie based upon it, if anything, worse. I made it about 2/3 through the book, but clicked off the movie about a third of the way through. My take on this is that readers have individual preferences, and any attempt to please them all will most likely result in pleasing none, the writer themselves least of all. My own literary tastes run more to good technothrillers (though there have been exceptions) They need to be technically accurate, though. Tom Clancy is my favorite author. I'm not sure how I'd describe his style. Plot driven, certainly. World-builder? I'd say so, though it is reality-based. When it comes to eloquence, I really have no meter by which to judge his work. I can't often tell eloquence when I see it, and thus often can't see it's lack. Some consider Clancy's characters to be thin. I've never felt that way; I feel they have the depth needed to do their jobs. For a published novel, space is finite, so every word of character development is a word not serving the plot. I firmly believe that characters exist to serve the plot, so personally I'd eschew the deep development of a secondary character and instead attend to the plot. My most common work-around is to attempt a scene that develops the character while also serving the plot, but I freely admit, I don't do it well. Clancy, on the other hand, does seem to do that well in my opinion. However, for me, it is his plots that are what I find engaging. I suppose I'd characterize myself as a plot-driven author, which unsurprisingly matches my reading tastes.

ACK!! But... y'all know I never use cliffhangers, right? Don't I say that enough??? Bondwriter, that's a great graphic!!! I love it! I like it a lot better than this year's "official" ones. (I can say that, becuase I made 'em) Here's the "official" one for comparison.

Lol... Yes, I find Google Earth addictive. It's fantastic for "seeing" a place, such as that Iranian military base, or La Palma, or somewhere I'm planning on going. For travel planning, it's invaluable; it can be set to show hotel locations, and that's a fantastic way of finding rural places to stay. Most travel search engines are city-based; you enter the name of the city, and it gives you a list. That's fine, *IF* you want to stay in a city. I don't like cities, so I avoid them where possible. For example, I found my hotel (actually an Agritourisimo, a converted farm) in Italy for next month on google earth. I'm paying half what it would cost to stay in a city. The difference more than pays for my rent-a-car, and I get to see a heck of a lot more of Italy than if I stayed in a city and used public transport. I also get to stay in a rural area, not in a city, so I'm far happier. The same was true of some of the places I stayed on my recent drive to British Columbia and back; I managed to find some hotels that were nowhere near cities. I was able to check the surroundings, etc, too. Another handy feature; the user photos. Not only can I see photos of various things, but I see where they are clusterd, which has twiged me to some interesting stuff to see in the past. I'd say Google Earth is my #1 travel planner as well as being a great general-research tool. I love the thing. And yep, when I'm snowed in, I spend a lot of time on it. LoL! Erk! Now, now, no lynchings or burnings! I do suppose, though that this means I don't need to start a poll regarding whether the first kiss occured too soon in the story, what with it only being chapter 29 and all....

Cliffies, what cliffies? And what future cliffhanger? I can't send the final chapters, as they aren't written yet. Yep, but there will be chapters left for posting before i go. I'm heading for the Caribbean, then the Canary Islands, then West Africa (Morocco), then on to Europe, then home. It's a long trip, but I should have internet from time to time.

The "Farmhouse" listed in the chapter, that was used as a disguze for the main ventalation shaft for the underground base, might seem like a bit of a stretch. Basically, what looks to be a farmhouse, sitting on top of a mountain ridge overlooking a major military facility, nowhere near a farm. If anyone wants to see it (in google earth, google maps, or any satalite mapping program), the coordinates are; 30