MikeL

Jon, some "authors" simply aren't very good. I think the only practical approach is to read a chapter or two of someone's work, and, if you find it unacceptable for any reason, just scratch that author off your reading list. There are plenty of authors at GA who do very well in every aspect of their story telling. If you find an author who seems to have a good story to tell, but has some grammatical issues, you may want to consider offering your services to edit or proofread his work. There are a number of people who do that for GA authors, and it improves the overall quality of the stories. I am totally with you on one thing. I do some proofreading for several authors, but before I volunteer to help anyone, I make sure I am familiar with his earlier writing. If he can't put together two consecutive comprehensible sentences, I'll never offer to help him. Life's too short for that. So, I would suggest that you help the good, new authors you come across, making use of your love for English and encouraging those authors.

Well, now I have a reason to reconsider opening the door for women and it has nothing to do with courtesy. While waiting in a hospital waiting room yesterday. I needed to use my cellphone. It wouldn't work inside the building, so I stepped out onto a terrace to get a signal. I noticed that the door could not be opened from the outside, so I stood in the doorway, holding the door open, to make my call. A little later, a young woman who had stepped outside to make a call, realized she couldn't get back in and started banging on the door. Being the gentleman that I am, and being the person closest to the door, I got up and opened the door for her. I don't know if she is one of those feminists who resents chivalry or if she thought and old guy like me couldn't actually open the door (I can), but she grabbed the handle and jerked the door forcefully out of my hand. She did say "thank you" as she brushed by me but was oblivious to my pained expression. My thumbnail had snagged on the doorpost and been ripped down to the quick when she jerked on the door. If chivalry really is dead, it may be women who have killed it. "The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one." ~ Honore de Balzac

Let all the congregation say "Amen".

You're welcome, but don't let it go to your head.

Goats pay no heed to pouting. In Cliff's convoluted world, what you think characters' "gotta" do doesn't make for the unique plot variations he does so well. At the outset, he said it's going to be quite a ride. Just hold on and enjoy going where the story takes us.

Not a cliffhanger? You actually sound like a certain goat we know. Have you been taking English composition courses online from sume guy named Cliff? You seem to have assumed the story will end with Jake taking Cody away from Brett. Surely there are other possible endings.

A got would not, But a goat would gloat.

I can't say I have a crush on anyone at GA. That shouldn't be a great surprise to anyone...just check my profile. What I can say is that there are a lot of great people here and nearly every one is a joy to associate with. Some have become exceptionally good friends.

Is everyone in the Christmas spirit? Chapter 11 of Jake has been released. I think the premium release schedule isn't what Cliff James anticipated, but here is a chapter titled "Merry Christmas, Jake".

Ares? Probably not. Joel probably thinks he's the luckiest guy on earth. I mean some person less scrupulous than Bridget might have just kept the little trinket she found.

A friend is someone who reaches for your hand but touches your heart.

Happy Birthday, Cia!

Statistically, weather forecasters are correct about 50% of the time.

Love you too, Phana.

Nice pictures, Lacey...as always.

I have several hundred friends. Certainly the degree of friendship varies, but I don't have a particular pet name for different levels of friendship. I tend to call all my friends by their first name only, regardless of their age (I'm old enough now that I can do that). I prefer that my friends call me by my first name. It rankles me a bit when a young adult calls me "sir" or uses some other formal term. That's OK for children. If an adult continues to call me "sir" after I ask them not to, I'm tempted to treat them like a child. The first step in becoming my friend? Pronounce my name correctly. My first and last names seem to invite mispronunciation. If you do mispronounce my name, I will correct you politely. If you pronounce it incorrectly a second time...get lost. And never, ever inform me that I have spelled my name incorrectly. Grrrr...

Cammy! For shame! That's obviously not a real frog. Frogs don't do porn.

You're saying you didn't use your brain to come up with that name? That is clever.

MikeL Mike is a nickname for my real first name. L is the first letter of my last name. How clever is that?

Seriously, to get us back on the topic of C James' writing style, there is one important factor to consider. C James has more than one writing style. Two of his most widely read stories, Let the Music Play and its sequel, Changing Lanes were very similar and include many of the same characters in both stories. But contrast them with Ice Blink or For the Love and you see totally different styles. His two stories in current release, Circumnavigation and Jake, are as different in style as any two different authors could be. The forum on Jake has contained some comments indicating that some readers are disappointed at the pace or lack of action in the story. If you only knew where the story was heading, your only complaint would be that there is not a daily release of chapters. Having proofread all of Jake for C J, I am among the few who know where it is going. I urge you to keep reading; keep up with the story. The action...all you could possibly hope for...is ahead. Jake is a story about relationships. There are no nuclear explosions, no evil monsters out to rule the world, and no boy band roadies out to seduce the main characters. But relationships can be very explosive. Mark my word. One more thing. These are C James stories. There are cliffhangers.

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

I assume it's because you are a newbie. After your fifth post, a whole new world opens up to you on GA. I don't think I exagerate much.

I'm very much with Benji here. All I've said on GA is true. My real name is the only thing I have not revealed along with specific information that would lead someone to uncover my real name. In real life, I'm am probably a little quiter than I appear here.

You might enjoy one of the Bieber parodies at Youtube. Link Just for laughs.