northie

After a glorious weekend, Monday dawned grey and cooler, though there were breaks in the cloud. Claire Watson flung open a window to welcome the reduction in temperature – A Helping Hand's office didn't run to air conditioning. Sat at her battered desk, she opened the laptop and debated what to tackle first out of that day's to-do list. The media attention, together with the videos had resulted in a satisfying trickle of potential volunteers. Should she sort through those, or turn to the much lo

Thank you! Eric's story spans pretty much the entirety of my writing journey so far. @Parker Owens has been my almost constant companion along that same road. We mostly find ourselves similar but different. 🤨😄

I don't conceal things very well, do I? 😉😄 Let's see how thing pan out.

😊 Thank you. You're very kind.

Never tried it. I like pear juice a lot though it's easily swamped by what you eat. Used to be able to get it at NT places in Herefordshire / Shropshire until they decided corporate procurement was the way to go. 🤨

In a city, probably stretching a point. Much less so in a rural county like Herefordshire where LGBTQ individuals willing to help out are going to be thin on the ground.

Very true but for someone who's spent so much of his life being doggedly self-sufficient it's perhaps hard to swallow. I suspect Andy will have to be persistent.

He does. A small, supportive network that appears to be slowly expanding, even if Eric does little to encourage it. 🤨😄

At the start of the weekend, Rob Bairstow took his time. He did so during the week as well, but somehow, the release that Saturday brought when he was younger had never gone away. He strolled from the front room to the kitchen in search of more coffee. An automatic duck of the head avoided each age-blackened ceiling beam along the way. Drink replenished, he sat at the table by the front window and idly noted his neighbours' doings in the street. Reading the weekend edition of the regional d

This was my first attempt at a multi-part story. I don't think I had any idea of how against the norms it was. 😉😄 Old, poor, rural protagonist and yes, not exactly a tonne of action. I'm very glad you're enjoying Eric's story.

Yes, with all the attention on Eric, it's easy to forget the other person in all this. It may well be difficult to feel any sympathy for Tyler but, as you say, he needs help as well.

He is. Change is both possible and can be embraced, whatever your age.

Yes. What kind of pizza though? I'd imagine something small and pretty plain.

Yep, I think people the world over will recognise that.

Yes, indeed! In some way, that's one of this chapter's highlights for me. Right back at the beginning, if Eric had been the same position, he probably would've gone to bed hungry.

Hmm...yes and no. Think of him as he was at the start of Book 1 and he has changed. A lot. However, his essential nature is still present and shows through despite any patina he might've accrued in the meantime. 🤨😄

There are still gaps though - insurance, for example - but Eric's in a much better position than he was.

An email comment from a regular reader:

Yes, we all know Eric's reactions to strangers.

Yes, indeed. A part of the internet Eric doesn't know about at all.

Andy yawned cavernously and stretched as far as he could within the confines of the seatbelt. Sunshine pouring into the car from his side did little to keep him awake. Adam glanced sideways. “Your idea to get up at the crack of dawn. That's pretty damn early at this time of year.” “I know. It's the least we can do though. This way we'll be home about the time Eric'll have finished his breakfast.” “Assuming he's had any sleep.” “The shock will have left him exhausted. Even if

For me, that's all I need to hear. As I said before, I do appreciate the desire to attract the 'right' readers to our stories and for them to find what they want. Otherwise, they might end up going off somewhere else.

👍👍👀

I agree. Most of my stories are about self-discovery, friendship, or other topics which aren't easily fitted within genres. As my readers know, they're almost always that European phenomenon 'a slice of life'. I appreciate the desire to give readers stories which more accurately fit their parameters. Who hasn't had the experience of reading something and wondering how on Earth it got categorised as whatever? But there are stories which cannot be squeezed into genres. What is going to happen to them? If you're rejecting Drama, is there going to be any other general category? I would hate the idea that most of my stories will end up un- (or mis-) categorised because the possibility of a general category has been taken away. PS When this subject first came up, I did advocate for the retention of Drama.

I am always immensely grateful for those people who have given my antho entries a needed final polish. That @Parker Owens manages this along with his myriad other commitments (being my editor / beta reader is but one) is a source of amazement. ❤ I'm sitting this antho out - too much else writing-wise.