Headstall

No worries, friend. Happy you might check out the new one.

Well, I do whizz a lot.

I did a lot of research and came up with a brand of western speak that seems to work, one I find myself thinking in now. If you're going to write a western, try mixing up the tenses first of all, use double negatives which appears to have been really common, and research the origins of words you use. You might find out some are inappropriate for the time... same with colloquialisms (y'all) and sayings and cuss words. I know I often find ones that don't fit with the time. Another suggestion is to use the same language in narration that you do in dialogue. It's too jarring if you don't... can't have a character thinking one way and speaking another. Try a short story first maybe. As far as "Sidewinder", yes it is the first one, and "Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale" is the sequel. There is a third loosely tied to the first two called "Bearpaw: An Old West Tale" (and a couple or three shorter stories) and they all have sex in them, again, tied to characters in love. I often make you wait for it, though. "Roping the Moon" started posting 3+ weeks ago. It posts every Monday, and there is a fair ways to go. I've been a vampire fan since I was a kid. Anne Rice, Brian Lumley, and many many others.

Fair enough. We all have our preferences. I love vampires, just for the record. Werewolf stories are often more of a trope to me, so I set out to write something different, and I believe I succeeded. My shifters are more about magic... and just another fascinating form of humanity. Ah... Sidewinder... I don't know what you read, but there is definitely graphic lovemaking scenes. I don't write over the top sex scenes for the sake of it, but I don't shy away from writing sex when it involves love. I've been told many times I have a knack for it. I'm posting a new western myself called "Roping the Moon" (shameless plug). I just posted chapter four, and it, like most all my stories, does not shy away from sex. Cheers!

I like that you capitalized WESTERNS! it's kind of been my thing the last few years. That said, I have to say that though I wasn't a werewolf fan per se, I wrote a shifter story I spent years working on. Why? It came to me out of the blue and I like a challenge, and truly believe it is my best work. It's a mystery, an adventure, a romance, and is one that keeps on giving. If you ever get the urge.... AI makes me sad. I see the point on the horizon where human authors take a back seat to it. I abhor the idea, and hope I'm wrong, but it has already taken away my daughter's livelihood. Cheers!

Greetings from Hogwart.

Just reread this, and it is a stunning story. Parker does an incredible job on this one. Thanks, Parker, and thanks @Cia for featuring it.

Just reread this beautiful story. A masterpiece, Parker, one I never really forgot. Thank you for the tears.

You do you, @Luca E, but just think of all the great stories you might be missing because of this name bias of yours. I read what I like, when I can find the time, and don't mind a bit checking story descriptions, reviews, views, comments from readers... and of course reputation. Does this author have a following? Does this particular story have a following? Have I liked a previous story from this author? Does he or she work hard at their craft. I can usually tell in the first few paragraphs whether that is the case. If I see a lot of mistakes, I might leave the story until the author has had some time to improve. That said, I will read new authors who are trying their best, and I try to offer my encouragement. All of these things, these tools GA provides us, help me decide, not someone's GA handle. There is one more thing I pay attention to now. Does it exhibit signs of being AI assisted? Maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm alone in this, but I have no interest in those whatsoever. Cheers and good luck to you. Gary

Yes it was, a surprising breakthrough where August learned to trust the man he wasn't supposed to trust. That first kiss... imaginge how powerful that was for them, after years and years of mutual attraction. It is pretty awesome to have your very first kiss be with the person you've loved since adolescence. They want a future... can they have it? There is a path, but how perilous would it be? And yeah, from what we know of Gran, she's a heck of an improvement over her son-in-law(past tense). The next chapter just might be a doozy... it is longererer for sure. Cheers, my friend, and thank you for your support. Here's the link in case you want to leave a Story Like and Story Recommendation of the front story page... it would mean a lot to me.

Lol. Sounds like he has a few rattlesnakes working for him. Moving might not be in the cards just yet, but we'll see... time will tell. I will say this. Declaring love early on, in chapter four of a longer multi-chapter story is something I usually don't do, but I wanted to give it a try. There's lots ahead, my friend. Thanks for this, Doc. Speaking of Doc, I miss the other one. Hope he's doing well. Cheers! Gary

Awesome, Kris! I got you in the feels. Yes, Albert is evil, but doesn't it make you wonder why? I mean, we may never know the reason, but at this point we certainly don't know enough. Was he always this way? Fletcher says his pa is a smart man, so let's hope he has some idea how to protect these two young men in love. it's a tall order. We know Augusr wants to write that letter, but will he now? Just between you and me there is a longerer double chapter this coming Monday. I don't think you'll want to miss it. And what literal cliffhanger? I have no idea what you mean. Surprises? Stay tuned. Thanks so much for your support, my friend. Wish this story had a little more interest, but fingers crossed it will build over time. Cheers! Gary

Hello, brother B.

The heart wants what the heart wants.

He wants you to share his cabin.

That actually made sense, Tink. *high five*

Yes, dugh, the air has been cleared enough they can share it. The do have the makings, but they might need a miracle for it to happen. Thanks, bro. Appreciate you.

It is sad, and it comes back to the fact men were hard back then... even expected to be hard in some families. Gotta wonder what Albert's father was like. August comes across to me as being worn down, and maybe the big storm/flood contributed to that. Physical exhaustion can lead very easily to emotional exhaustion.

Nah, we encourage every bit of discourse. I love the interaction between readers, and I believe everyone does.

Who? Me? All we know about her really is she was a great and loving mother. Can we see Albert having a heart?

Exactly right. There are seven Crawley children, but we don't know yet who is the oldest.

Yeah, we might be wise not to ever trust Rob, always eager to do Albert's bidding. I don't believe anything could ruin that first kiss, though, but maybe that's the romantic in me. I agree, knowing your feelings are returned gives us wings. The Crawleys are nothing like August was told repeatedly by his father. In fact, they couldn't be any more different. "the lord's handiwork' says so much about how they love their family, accepting we are all god's children. We haven't met these Crawley folk, but how can we not like them? There has always been enlightened people to advance societies, and these are of that ilk. August has been naive. He knows his father and sees his cruelty, but believing he was capable of so much worse would likely be hard for any son. To this very day, I still stick up for my very imperfect stepfather. Fletcher didn't want to be the one to open his eyes... remember how calling Albert a bastard four days ago went, but he was cornered, and it was something August needed to know for his own safety. Seems to me, Fletcher is exceedingly level headed. He wants and needs August to be cautious of his father and brother. Very interesting point about Gran. I like that you are invested enough to see possibilities. It makes for a better reading experience in my humble opinion. Can Albert fall off his spur scarred horse and break his neck? I see the possibilities too... *writes furiously* Thanks, my lovely friend. You, as always, rock!

Love the alliteration! It's one of my weaknesses as a wordsmith. Three pointer at the buzzer... couldn't ask for more than that, my dear friend. I'm thinking the conversation came across to you as organic, and that's what I hoped for. Is there anything hotter than sharing air? Thank you! We are getting closer to the meat of the story now. Woot!

Thanks, Chris! I hope they are beginning to worm their way into readers' hearts. Appreciate the support, buddy.

Yay! That makes me so happy, Patrick. I feel in love with August and Fletcher as soon as I started writing them. Yes, they were brave, full of fear too, but they managed to see the path they needed to. Here's hoping their wishes will be granted... and that the cloud named Albert will stop darkening August's life. Appreciate the support, my friend. Cheers! G