raven1

He has, it is grand, three chapters left! No cliffhangers OK???

Hello lovely fairy Clo! However, it is Tuesday here.

Aod's best friend just got a all white cat like this yesterday. He just showed me the picture of his new cat today. Wow! What was your cat's name? It is very beautiful!

Green eyed are sooo seductive!

The tree house is great, but the zipline...Wow!

I agree! Get writing...its either going to change Loren's mind, Jay's mind or send them to bed to sleep it off for a week. I would laugh my ass off the whole time, and that wouldn't include the comments anf fights between you and kbois. OMG! I have to stop before I fall on the floor.

Once again, I’m blown away by the new maturity Loren shows. Every day he proves that he’s in this for forever. Every day I love him more, if that’s even possible. “Let’s go home, Loren.” A beautiful ending to a beautiful chapter. In my mind home is the home they will build together in Denver. Loren's apology was almost a soliloquy of love for Jay. They may not be dads together, but their plan to be professional traveling uncle made me gleefull. Aiden and Carson were a bit of heaven. Then the X rate housekeeper added some hellish heat to cover all bases. Great writing!

Doing great! How are you, Morgan and Max?

Hi drpaladin! You are right of course. I guess in my excitement learning Aaron was working on Corvidae, I got carried away with my favorite western birds. Raven would definitely fit the rest of the supernatural idea, since in Pacific Northwest Coast Cultures, the raven is a shifter, creator and prankster. According to Hilda's Book of Beasts and Spirits the Thunderbird might even be included in the list, since the author claims the Thunderbird is a the giant raven. Personally I think the thunderbird looks more like an eagle. Thanks for setting me straig...on the right track!

Dirk and Ingles together make a very entertaining couple. I love their snarky innuendos and hot action. You have created two great character arcs with these guys. The chapter was both fun and beautiful, except for the Second Turning. I hope they have a great time with the group romping and hunting thru the woods. I wonder if they can keep their animals from getting too out of control in the wilds. They had better, or the stories their friends will tell will haunt them forever. Great chapter Aaron!

Or maybe loons? Loons and lunar seem to go together. I also love ravens. 😄

After Ridley I thought going back to an earlier story might be interesting. I like to explore changes in authors' styles over years. It is a great start and immediately caught me.

@Krista has created a brilliant story in five chapters that will be memorable to the reader long after you have finished the story. Ridley is an enigmatic teen who is trapped in a box he created from a promise made to his beloved father. It is his defense to exclude family and friends from the pain he is suffering when his father is injured. The box leaves him alone with only his thoughts as company. This defenses is threatened by a school newspaper trying to highlight Ridley and expose him to his fellow classmates. When Ridley is challenged by a reporter, he starts to re-evaluate what the promise was based on. The results was both explosive and cathartic. Kirsta is an amazing writer who creates characters to whom you will closely bond. She is a master of details that slowly build up both the layered plot and complex characters efficiently without a packaged feel. This is a character driven story that will take you on an emotional ride as you laugh, cry and love with these characters. It is a very uniquely written story that you will love with a happy ending leaving you wanting for more. Definitely memorable!

A great response to the prompt! I loved the humor of this short. Also, it was nice the Grandpa told the kids that their Mom would be the alpha of the pack. I didn't have a clue about the species, until Astone focused on the name. I've been following To the Weyr so it made a lot of sense to me. Fortunately, coming late, I didn't have to wait for the answer long.

Hi Gary! I hope you all had/have a great time together.

Hey Clo! I agree with Gary! It so wonderful that you have given your grandmother such a thoughtful gift. You'll have to update us on the garden, especially when the garden starts to be ready for harvest.

The eyes, the lips, oh my!

@wildone, you have my respect and admiration. I couldn't do what you are doing. I tried the job on for a good friend here in Chiang Mai who was writing an adventure/international intrigue book based on his knowledge and experiences here in Thailand. I fired myself after the first 10 chapters, and became a cheerleader for him instead. Much better, since the beta/editor that replaced me was excellent. I loved Ed's book when he finally published it on Amazon. Betas and editors are rarely acknowledged, but vital to good stories. I am glad you are on the job for Krista.

First I want to assure you this story by itself is beautiful and I loved the ending. I fully understand how you feel about HEA endings. That you didn't give it a HEA actually makes this story more remarkable. Two of my favorite stories, Morningstar: The Malaise and Cards on the Table by @Headstall also ended without a HEA. Both are powerfully written with characters and plots that are very memorable for me. To me the difference between HEA and an ending that is happy, is the closure. Since there is no closure, you will get many, many requests for sequels. I know I hounded poor Gary for them on his books. Of course he resisted my efforts, and I have realized that if there is closure the readers and writer are free to leave the story and character behind. That is sad, because these stories need to be remember. I know I will remember Ridley as well as Gary's books for a very long time, and probably read them many times again.

Here you have stated some of the ways in which you could easily write a sequel. A character driven plot simply can change the main character while updating what is happening to Ridley and Gabe. You don't need a villain to have conflict. The conflict in this story was Ridley and his promise. Ridley's dad could be the main character in a sequel and the conflict is his struggle to establish a new life outside of the military, or PTSD, survivors guilt (maybe he loved James as more than a friend), or even a struggle to accept Ridley and Gabe as a gay couple. These are off the wall ideas and not requests or suggestions. You do have the talent to make a new story like this with a totally different spin. My only hope is that you might continue writing stories like this one, and hopefully include updates on these characters even if they are only marginal in new stories. I did like how this story ends even if it was on a happy note, and not a HEA ending.

This is about a 2 hour drive directly north of Chiang Mai about 70 km through twist mountain roads for half the trip. That's why it takes so long. It is beautiful there.

To me, this is the key moment to the chapter. It occurs after Ridley has read the article. Gabe's and Ridley's conversation repeatedly demonstrates Ridley's ongoing defense against anyone who tries to get to know Ridley. It's a habit he has used in the years since his father's injury. Gabe's response demonstrates that Gabe is aware of Ridley's defensive stance, so Gabe challenges Ridley with the question. “Just tell me if the kiss was for me or the gift I gave you.” Ridley's answer is a three pointer for Gabe. I don't think Gabe will give up now. He will make sure he wins. Ridley is his goal and reward all package together. I am hoping that he gets some support from both of Ridley's parents.

Where did my box of tissues go? Oh yeah... The phone call left me stunned and grabbing tissues as I tried to recover. Next best part was The Kiss. I knew it was coming, I swear. @Krista's well crafter use of details is amazing, and I focused on those a lot. I wasn't expecting the kiss in this chapter, so I was surprised. I don't think there will be any negative reaction to the kiss in the next chapter.

@Krista, I love how you use little details to build your characters. Ridley is a riddle that Gabe is out to solve. Gabe is definitely up to the challenge and has made more progress than anyone else has for many years. Gabe uses all the skills of a reporter to listen, persuade, observe and gather as many details of Ridley as he can. Gabe has a plan and it is focused on Ridley to trust him. I don't think Gabe will betray Ridley by writing a trash article. He wants more from Ridley. Neither Gabe or Mari have anything to lose if they can't get the article, but Gabe maneuvered Mari out of the picture and invited himself to dinner. I also suspect he knows that Ridley is gay and used his walk to the media room as an enticement to Ridley. I also think Gabe thinks Ridley's desire to remain in the shadows is related to Matt. That was one part of the interview that was way out in space for the article, but something Gabe wanted to know. Probably for personal reasons???? I should also praise you for how you developed the physical pictures of Gabe and Ridley without writing a huge report describing all their attributes. A few facts like the color of Gabe's eyes or Gabe is a tennis player, and Ridley focusing on Gabe backside and the way it moves tells a lot of information very efficiently. Well done.

Ridley is a very intriguing character and the start to his story is very expertly set up. His nickname suggests that knowing Ridley and where he is now will be difficult to answer. This and how Ridley look at Gabe's backside walking to the media room, suggests that the problem probably started when Ridley and Matt discovered their sexuality, and it wasn't a match. This together with what happened to Ridley's father might begin to explain Ridley. I am sticking with this story to find out. I admire the controlled, compact and fluid way you have set this up. Great chapter.