C James

I'll be around; I've got a new laptop to take with me, but there will be some internet access gaps, including one for a couple of weeks. I'll still pop in when I can, give updates and such, and of course deny any cliffhangers.

I'm leaving on a long trip on March 10th. Thanks to a superb effort from my team, we have a few chapters to leave for posting. There's aren't enough to maintain the weekly postings for the six weeks I'll be away, bu there are enough so that, at worst, we're looking at a couple of two-week spans instead of a six-week hiatus. I'll be posting 30 before I go, so it'll be a bit early. Actually, I might move it up even more, and then the next chapter will post two weeks after it. BTW, if everything comes together, I'll be on La Palma, taking some pictures for y'all, the day chapter 31 posts. CJ

Helen might have her work cut out for her. There are four members of Instinct; Brandon, Chase, Jon, and Eric. Brandon and Chase are very publicly "out", which as we saw in the Teluride chapter is hurting the band's prospects a bit. So, with Eric at least somewhat Bi, that could be trouble, as that would make 4 out of 3 non-straight. BTW, I tried to set the groundwork for Eric's eventual "change" back in LTMP, when he had that tequila-driven conversation with Chase in San Francisco (At that point, I wasn't sure there would be a sequel, as I thought it might all play out in LTMP). That re-enforced the fact that Eric and Chase are alike in a lot of ways, and also showed that Eric has at least a little interest in guys. I've been trying to show that throughout Changing Lanes as well. Lol... Beginning the scene like that was intentional on my part. ROFL! I admit, I rarely write sex scenes. I find them difficult. However, I do write them when I feel they are important to the plot, such as a first time for a couple, or like in FTL, when the sex scenes was critical to the plot in other ways. Thank you Conner!!!! Thanks Edward! The General does have the issue of a gun to his head, but that might be the least of his concerns, due to the fighters hunting him. At night, flying low through the mountians, he's likely to evade them (ground clutter plays hell with radar) but, over flat desert of, worse, open seas? The fighter radars would work quite well, for most modern fighters. The site described in the story is 6 miles NE of Kerman. Thanks!! If there are any surprises coming, in any way, they will be hinted at in forshadowing many times. Thanks for bringing this up! The timeline is very tricky here. In both storylines, I have to keep the timing at least roughly in sync. In The General's storyline, it's well under 24 hours since he took off from Somalia. It's been several chapters, but, it's still a matter of hours, not days. We did have that LTMP chapter, "the kiss", where he kissed Dimitri in Rome. What we saw there was that he certainly isn';t homophobic, though his background indicates he's straight. Say what you will about The Scar, he might have a few bad points (Nobody's perfect, after all) but he's not homophobic. BTW, the next chapter is Chapter 30. That means that my original estimate, of Changing Lanes totaling 13-15 chapters, is almost certainly off. The chapter is entitled "Feelings". BTW, has anyone noticed that the chapter titles often match both storylines, but in different ways? In 29, Ignition, we had the bomb going off in the General's timeline, and a different sort of an ignition between Eric and Jansen in the other. CJ

Happy Birthday, Dan! Have a GREAT time!!!

Thanks! Old Bob! Me? Use a cliffhanger? Never! Thanks! I've never been able to set a story on just romance. I've tried, it's just not me. I think I could do a short story that was mainly relationship... and come to think of it, my first one, "No Shirt? No Problem!" was. But a novel? I have a feeling that if I tried, I'd end up creating the world's best cure for insomnia. Thanks! I ran into timeline problems. I have to keep the two story timelines synced (roughly speaking, the same day in each) otherwise the rejoin would make little sense. That's why there are some chapters with nothing of the General's storyline, and some with very little of Eric's. The ones that are posting at the moment are, due to timeline constraints, heavy on the General's story, but that won't be the case for long. Hang in there for a couple more chapters. Actually, I just checked, and chapter 30 looks close to half Eric's storyline. Interestingly, I have other readers who would prefer the story without Eric and Instinct. They've said so, via e-mail. Loudly and sometimes profanely. LoL. CJ

Why, oh why, do y'all insist on implying that I use cliffhangers?

LoL!! Well, I often find myself in similar straits. I have to be very careful what I say, because while the team might be a chapter or two ahead, I'm much further than that, especially when it comes to the plot. I often peek at the posted chapters before replying, otherwise I might slip. I've done that before, and then Graeme comes after me with the spines of his. I'm the same way with Graeme's thread: I'm one of his betas, so I'm further ahead than what is posted. So, I glance at the posted chapter before opening my mouth, and perhaps giving away the key to his latest cliffhanger. In Shadowgod's case, it's far easier for me, because I usually don't see his following chapter until well after the prior one is posted, so I'm pretty much dangling from the same cliff as the rest of his readers. Thanks! Interestingly, I have some readers who are reading only the General's storyline, and some who are reading only Eric's. I hope its not a spoiler to say that the storylines rejoin? It's actually not hard to write the two storylines; I tend to write one, then the other, and then figure out where in each chapter to place them. Not true!! Nothing, but nothing, can compare to Shadowgod's unforgettable, immortal, lemonade cliffhanger! Only he could make a cliffhanger out of lemonade! Correct on both. It's actually eight JATO's, four rockets on each side. That reminds me, I should post a link to a vid of one taking off under JATO power; it's quite a sight. , BUT, bear in mind that this is the Blue Angels team transport, and they do a lot of airshows. Long story short, they use de-rated JATO packs: less thrust. That keeps them from accumulating too much strain on the airframe. What the General was thinking (And I covered this poorly) when he wrote out the "insurance" was that Felecia and her team were after Chemical weaponry. As of the end of the posted chapter, he thinks the nukes are just enriched Uranium. He doesn't know they are nukes. As he didn't know about the nukes, we can safely assume that nothing in his plan calls for them. You're right, the four devices Felecia hid are Geiger Counters. Maybe the "Surprise Package" is just a housewarming gift? Graeme helps TREMENDOUSLY. His critical comments help in every chapter. I can't say this loudly enough: Changing Lanes, like all my stories, is very much a TEAM effort. Without our team, there wouldn;t be any stories. So, Emoe, Graeme, Shadowgod, Francois, and Captain Rick, THANK YOU. BTW, The title of the next chapter is "Ignition". Here's , plus showing a bit of the Herc's maneuverability. It's a great plane.

Happy Birthday, Rick!!! CJ

See? I told you that the howitzer shell wasn't a real concern, and thus, no cliffhanger. And I was right! So, could we please have an Amphibious Cerification of Cliffhanger Free? And what of Wilhelm? He's not on the plane. All horst had to say was, "No chance, none at all, sorry" when Felecia asked. Hrmmm, one other thing I should mention... I don't think this is a spoiler, becuase it is merely me relaying factual tactical data. The Iranians now know that their base is under attack. The C-130 is hundreds of mile inside Iran (6 miles northwest of Kerman, to be exact.). Getting out would be a heck of a lot harder than getting in. Also, do bear in mind that the Iranian officers at the base are by now becoming truly desperate (Francois stole the keys to their officers' latrine). I can't comment about that, but, if anyone thinks the "Iranian Nukes" angle is far-fetched, please keep in mind two things. One is that Changing Lanes is set in the future (A few years, but otherwise unspecified). Then, have a look at articles like this, from a few days ago, which describe some of the state of Iran's nuclear program. CJ

Well, true, but, we don't know for sure that the Iranians were shooting at the C-130, do we? So, no cliffhanger. Besides, that 33 pound shell has what, 18 pounds of HE in it? And that's what you're worried about? (and yes, this is a very big hint).

What explosive, unresolved situation? One measly little thirty three pounder does not make for a cliffhanger! Benji... If you were wrong about the blooper, then you were wrong about the chapter not being cliffhanger-free, no? Thank you! You're quite right: I'll change the descriptors in the announcement and on my website. And thank you for noticing the departure from my prior two stories, where, indeed, the romantic entanglement starts very early. I very much wanted to do something different. I have a confession to make... The reason there is a great deal more action in Changing Lanes is self-indulgence on my part: I love writing it, and so I laid out a plot that allowed it. For LTMP, there were three chapters that I was very happy with, and also most enjoyed writing: 36, 37, and part of 38. (Basically, from the detonation of the bomb in Toowoomba through the bomb on the plane, the NORAD reaction to the detonation in Australia, to the scenes at Edwards Air Force Base, where we first meet General Bradson.) So, I decided to have some fun in that regard with Changing Lanes. I have to admit, I'm having a blast. Thank you VERY much for your comments above. I really appreciate it. CJ

It can't hurt to try.

Congratulations to Graeme! "The Price of Friendship" has received GA's Readers' Choice award for Best Non-GA story. Well Done Graeme!!!

Might I mention that the above awards for Graeme and Shadowgod are absolutely true? This is an absolute fact and I can prove it. I just want to see if anyone has the grammar skills to figure out how.

Now, now, Wildone, who are we to argue with the member's choice? But, that's not possible... Sarcasm is based upon irony, and there is nothing in any way ironic in your statements, for they were simply the unvarnished truth... Besides, you don't expect a goat to understand sarcasm, now do ya? But Bondwriter, arizona does indeed have beaches! Why, the western edge of the state is referred to as "arizona's west coast". It's a river, not an ocean, but there are plenty of beaches. And in some cases, the beaches are just very wide. Very, very wide. (sand with water on one side is a beach, right?) And, sorry to dissapoint, but but the Member's Choice for King of Cliffhangers is Graeme and Shadowgod!! Long may their royal personages reign over the malevolent precipices!

But it's just a nice, restful chapter. Filler, really. They were quoting General George S. Patton in an earlier chapter, and his nickname was "Blood and Guts". But Bondwriter... Would I do such a thing as that?

Why don't you join the Cody Liberation Front, and help free Cody from the Dark Deity who so haunts and bedevils him?

Thank you Jan!! It's great to hear that said! I'd put it in my siggy, but the quote from you that I currently use as a siggy is almost identical.

I'm late announcing the title of Chapter 28! It's a nice, relaxing little chapter. It's called Blood and Time. CJ

The main awards post will be in the Lounge tomorrow morning, so we'll see then. However, I will verify that Graeme and Shadowgod are the member's choice for King of Cliffhangers. Long may they reign over their malevolent precipices! It's going to be a very, very good year.

The rest of the awards will be posted tomorrow (they are still being made) but I simply could not wait to post about the truly wonderful results in one category. As you might guess, I've just been dying to reveal this. We had a tie. There are two winners for a GA Member's Choice 2008 King of Cliffhangers! Without further ado, here they are; :worship: :worship: :worship: This is true recognition for their mastery of the Cliffhanger. May they long reign, Sovereigns of the Malevolent Precipices! Congratulations to Graeme And Shadowgod!

Thanks Edward! By sheer coincidence, I will be traveling via cruise ship. Besides, unless I can get another look at Eric's diary and the General's diary, where would the new chapters come from? Cliff climbing goats? Well, umm, goats don't like cliffs. We learn quite a bit more about Felecia soon. All I can say is, there are reasons for many things. Aww, but goat-buddy, misunderstandings happen, and they had one. BTW, Kudos to AFriendlyFace for figuring out what was going on. In the Ch 26 thread, Kevin wrote, Spot-on! This also gives me an opportunity to thank him for his influence. His Story Buy me a Drink (BMad) also features an exotic dancer, who uses "cover" relationships to avoid getting hit on. He also hates the term "stripper" and prefers "exotic dancer". I've been trying to figure out (including talking to Kevin) just how much plagerisim I've done here. Even I don't know. I think, but am not certain, that I envisioned Jansen and Keith's "cover" before I read Bmad. I don't remember and I'm far from sure. The "exotic dancers" part, well, that did enter the story long after I read Bmad, and thus is IMHO most likely subconsciously stolen by me. BTW, I highly recommend reading BMad, it's a great read!! Thank you Kevin!!!

Hi Rush, They can't come after you for the debts of others; the worst they can do is take the property. I'd strongly suggest looking into this, PROVIDED it's not a scam. If there is really property, then it may be very valuable; land in the Canary islands is much sought after by Europeans, mainly for the climate. Anyway, that's just my two cent's worth, though I'm very concerned that they came looking for you; that seems to indicate a scam IMHO, but one never knows. Good luck!! CJ I'm unlikly to climb Cumbre Vieja; you can drive to its long, shallow summit. I do plan on doing that, though. . Nope, it's a couple of other volcanos I plan on climbing, much steeper ones, with no other way up. Agreed abotu the New Madrid quake.. a repeat of that would be a disaster. You didn't think I was making the story up, did ya?

Best eFiction Story by a New Author In Due Time by J. Ross Best Story by a New Anthology Author If No One Notices by AFriendlyFace Best Poem Black Light by Corvus Best Antagonist/Villain (From any 2008 GA story) Travis from In The Fish Bowl by DomLuka Best Protagonist/Hero (From any 2008 GA story) Taylor from Hello Stupid by Dom Luka I would like to add a sincere round of thanks to Sat8997 (Sharon) and Kurt, who did a great deal of work to make these awards possible, and to all the members of the WST who participated in the discussion threads. As a nominee, I had to keep out of the process, so they did all the work. Thanks!!!!!