Jeff Burton

I somehow missed this comment. The thing about that scene, hell that song is I was drivinghome at night and it came on my playlist. it was part of a playlist I had made for another story but I just saw it in my head, and I damn near cried while living the scene the first time. i was definitely crying when i wrote it, there probably wasn’t a chapter in this whole thing where I wasn’t crying at some point.

Yeah it was a trip for me too. Especially the first part of the chapter. The bit with Cerberus has been the goal I’ve been trying to reach for a while now, and finally seeing it happen was coming full circle because it Josh wasn’t the only thing Encrypted it was the poor misunderstood AI. I can tell you in book 2 the scene I have imaged for Josh’s turn at getting unlocked will be just as interesting.

I’m sure at some point people will be putting tape over laptop webcams and wondering if the infotainment system in the Escalade is going to betray them. 😂

I’m going to try to start storyboarding book 2 probably later this month. By then I should be far enough along with Skylar and Ryan, along with the other begging for my attention. I actually did story board this one but I wasn’t happy with the “who dunnit” that one I had to redo several times because I had key plot points I still wanted to use. Book 2 will probably be as long as this one and that’s a lot of words if not a few more, I just need to be careful with it because I’d like for the sequel to either be as good or better than the original. Give both books a healthy chance at being re-readable favorites. Im actually glad I chose to split them or this would have ended up being a 300k+ word work of “holy crap” that honestly started from snippets of an untitled story starter I wrote 20 years ago.

Glad I was able to trick you into doing otherwise LOL. But seriously for unfinished work you should see my google drive. I’ve got enough going on to keep me busy for a while. And I can definitely understand the the reason why there’s a lot of great stories on this site that may never see the endings they deserve, and I’m guilty of it. Hopefully I can resolve that though.

Yeah I’m going to write the next one in advance. I’m probably going to put out a call for someone to help edit and maybe a couple of beta readers to give feedback (and stroke my ego 😉😂 ). Going back and looking at the stats I managed to write half this story in literally 3 or 4 weeks because I was on fire, it stalled because I got stuck and felt the pressure. So yeah I’ll make sure the next one is handled different.

I really want too. Josh’s continuing communion with Caleb. Back to school tension, the arc with Reed, exploring what he really can do, and the agency fallout from the events of book one and their need for a return on investment. Not to mention Walter’s true loyalties being tested and the big moment when Josh himself learns the truth and gains access to his full potential. It makes my dick twitch just thinking about it.

You know I can’t argue with that logic. It was all in his head like if the internal monologue responded out of the blue.

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Just an update. I've got the chapter nailed down as far as events but I haven't started writing it yet. I've been working on getting the last three Chapters of Encrypted done so I can finally put that one to bed, as soon as it's complete in a couple of days you'll get this one probably by the weekend if something IRL doesn't interrupt me.

Yeah actually it does. And trust me I hate to wrap it up in a privileged conversation but I don't want to risk the sequel not getting done.

Yeah I put that in there just for you lmao. Had to add the electronic creep factor. Like suddenly Cerberus is going to pop out of an iphone and strangle Josh.

One more chapter. That'll post probably day after tomorrow. I'm only halfway through it. Book 2 is going to be a while. I've got so much I'm working on right now I really need a break from this story so it doesn't feel like it's falling on my head. Because when it feels like stuff is falling on my head everything I'm writing suffers because the noise in my head is too loud and I just stop writing.

Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment. I've got a list of works I'm still working on actively, I hope to get my in-progress works done soon so I can start sharing some of the new stuff. Currently I'm working in any genre I can think of just to see what I'm good/not good at because I just write to write. 2026 is going to be a good year for stories.

I appreciate that. And yes, there is one more chapter, the epilogue. It's got some information in it just in case book 2 doesn't happen. While I feel it would be better to let the audience find out this information as Josh does, I don't want to leave people in a perpetual state of hanging, you know, if it doesn't happen. So if required this could stand on it's own as is.

Thank you, it's a job trust me lol.

Man no joke I almost totally did that.

I'm starting to notice that we have a @Topher Lydon Cinematic Universe going on. Because almost all of Topher's characters practically exist in the same universe and they are all from the same town lol.

If Hallmark could produce a movie like this I'd actually watch it. Granny was a schemer, but in the end she knew what was best. This is a great medium sized story that is both funny and well thought out. But I can't give too much away about these cats, (or is it Katz?) you'll have to check it out yourself. You won't be disappointed because it's disgustingly cute.

Faster I get these out, faster I'm done with it lmao. Hope you guys enjoy.

My entry into the void was violent. The memory of the car leaving the road—metal screaming, inertia tearing at bone—followed me in, and the darkness answered in kind. The black didn’t welcome me this time. It slammed shut around me, fog boiling as if under pressure, stretching and recoiling as the memory I had just relived tore free and dragged others with it. Not fragments. Not echoes. Floodwaters. The void fought to contain it. Thunder rolled low and constant, not distant but i

I'm going to miss the disgustingly cute Doily Dungeon updates. Granny's plan worked.

Encrypted was my first touch into thriller/suspense and while I'll admit its taken a lot out of me, the experience has been worth it. I'm going to have to explore adding to these other thriller genres in the future to see what I can get away with. As for what you said about @Topher Lydon? I swear the man has a USB-C port direct into his brain stem that he plugs into a macbook, because the amount of text he types on a daily basis is insane, and all of it is so beautifully well done.

Aww you poor thing. It tends to mess up on me too I haven’t used it since Jacob’s Advocate forever ago. I just need to stop posting unpublished stuff to the site because it sits there waiting taunting me to let the world see its greatness. when the reality is it’s there so I don’t back out of writing it to begin with lol. Plus it helps it have something available should I keel over stone cold dead one day, I’ll leave you guys with *something.*

This was a really good chapter, like finally some violence. You’ve been edging it for a while. I don’t know why we are referring to Kier as Kier right now all I’m seeing is Kieran. He’s the King yet still weak. Ben is right, Kieran hasn’t earned him and seriously? Backing off from a wee bit of pain in his shoulder? Oh the poor baby has a boo-boo. I would have slapped the shit out of Ben then took my damn kiss even if it did mean I died from a ruptured spleen. Kier might be playing the part of a King but Ben is playing the part of a God, and as long as he fears that God he is no King. Case in point as I’m writing this I’m sat a subway shop, daughter of a family friend works there and I pick her up to take her home. There’s a shady guy working the parking lot I’ve had my eye on for the last hour. I always know where he is. She calls me because she needs to take rubbish out to the bins before we leave and she’s scared cos of the shady guy. So I go “Oi! Problems mate?” In the best British accent I can mutter. I’m dressed in crap Riley would wear actually with my hands in my hoody. Dude just walks away far away. Anyway there’s real confidence and theirs the illusion of confidence Kier needs to figure out which he’s actually got.