Jeff Burton

That’s a good question that totally won’t be answered in the first book 😀

Walter is probably already playing with fire as it is. The switch has already been flipped to “damage control.” I think the ‘need to know’ rule is in effect and that need ain’t there yet lol

Yeah, the Eleanor bit was a fan request that I honored, so many people where pissed off I had to make sure something happened to her in some form. 😂 And this was an important chapter. People started talking to each other and comparing notes. Walter just figured it out though.

What the hell is wrong with you? lmfao. Great story though, definitely one for the record book. 😂

Kincaid Residence McLean, VA Claire Kincaid was upset. No—not upset. Absolutely livid. The kitchen was too clean for the moment. Granite counters wiped to a polite shine, the faint citrus sting of cleaner still hanging in the air, as if order itself might hold if she kept everything immaculate enough. Outside the room, the house throbbed with low, constant noise—radios murmuring, boots on hardwood, the muted authority of men who had taken over her home because something unthinkable

So this story hit spot number 4 on most read for General Romance on the latest deep dive. Y'all are crazy because this is total satire trash, but thank you for making it happen I guess. 😂

I can't believe my satire trash piece has 4th place on General Romance. Like seriously? 😂 Well that was unintentional. I don't know if I should be worried or impressed. I'll think about it for a while and get back to you.

Off topic, but... I wonder sometimes how email, and site notifications are going to slightly bend people's xmas plans when I start my posting run on updates for this story. It is by far the most popular one I've got running right now, and some of you are going to be very happy with Chapter 15 lol.

I just want to say 2025 was a really good year for me here. And here's hoping in 2026 I actually get more "In progress" to "Completed" so I can move on with my life. 😂 I just want to thank the staff really quick for everything that you do especially the stuff we don't see because without that, my experiences here in 2025, and those of many others probably wouldn't have happened. I'm really looking forward to the changes, and challenges as we step into the next iteration of GA. If I had one suggestion to offer staff it would be to maybe periodically share what's being consumed on the site as far as statistics. Obviously it's us authors who post content in the form of stories, that helps drive site interactions, and I believe if we got some of those insights a little more often, we might be able to plan our stories to help ride existing waves of 'what's popular' to keep traffic and site interactions moving.

Another disgustingly sweet story. I really do like the character of Finn and if you've got more coming I'm going to have to read it.

That’s actually useful. lol

I love how everybody is so paranoid of Gabriel lmao. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving. Do I need to give yall a story that scratches that itch? Huh I’ll have to give that some thought. I know I hint at Gabe’ motivations but I don’t hint enough to give it away, I will say those motivations become clear on chapter 9. Im still working on the events for chapter 9 because it is the HoCo Shit Show. And I truly want it to be the event of the century. I need to look at dresses now so I can figure out what Sloane is going to wear. This isn’t exactly the Senior Prom but I think she knows this is going to be a dance of “Carrie” proportions and she needs to be prepared 😂

That’s why I write stuff like this. Because it hurts. It hurts in a way that deep, and while it would be nice to not feel the need to be hurt like that well, trauma does weird things. Sometimes the pain becomes a craving because the misery and suffering has lasted so long that it’s just “normal” and to live without it is a strange new world some of us don’t believe in completely. Oh yes we have our good days, maybe for a while things seem to be going in but that learned misery is missed. It’s like trying to separate an addict from a drug or alcohol, that twitch still lives inside you no matter how long you’ve been sober. Pain is like that too. A silent twitch or itch that needs to be scratched. It can cause self sabotage, collapse of self esteem, it can totally upend every bit of progress you’ve made. So you read stuff that hurts you in that special way, it scratches that itch. Lets you feel that pain that seems like only you can feel only you can understand. I do it too for the same reasons. Therapy helps get through the bulk of trauma but when it’s all said and done we’re still only part of who we used to be and there’s no going back. So we just deal with it as we can, consume media that makes us hurt, so we experience the pain until the need is satisfied and we can move on to more “normal” things for a while. I get it dude that’s why this is here.

As an American I wish I could figure rugby out because half of it just makes no sense to me. 😂 If I did I’d probably write about that too.

If I stare at google maps long enough with street view. I might be able to convince people I lived there for a while lol. That’s generally what I do if I’m writing about something I don’t know. I’d have to go back to my PMs with somebody to figure out when that story first came about but it was probably over the summer because the notes file is insane. I mean I’ve also got a sci-fi story im 7 chapters into (an intergalactic love story) that’s probably got the same amount of insane research into real star positions, I’m slowly working on because why not. 🤷🏻‍♂️😂

Yeah exactly. Ryan’s head is really that fucked up. To be honest all of this could have been solved in chapter 6 if Lilly the sole voice of reason hadn’t waited to make an appearance.

Just a heads up on progression. Chapter 9 will probably not be done till after Christmas, and then it’ll be another week or so before 10 shows up. I’m really trying to get some Encrypted chapters written so I can start posting them on the 23rd. My Christmas gift to yall will probably be a daily post on chapters (at least 3 if I can make it happen) then the final 2 chapters before new years. That will complete book 1, knock a project off my list so I can get a good run on already in progress published works. its no secret I’ve got a lot going on and 2026 is going to be “busy” for me if these ideas don’t stop, and book 2 I have to fit in there somewhere too. 😂

Nah Gabe is a saint in all this (hopefully). And that second part, it is a mystery but it does. It’s a very serious thing where I’m from especially at the high school level.

It channeled so so many of them. 😂 Great thing about being the author is I get to pick who gets to win, even though it’s a struggle to go there. I don’t think Ryan could have handled the loss, he’s barely hanging on as it is.

It’s live 😂

Spirit Week arrived like a slap you didn’t see coming from someone you trusted. Not metaphorically—more like bam, suddenly everything hurt and no one was apologizing. One day the halls were their usual beige purgatory, and the next it was as if someone had waved a glitter-soaked wand and unleashed posters, streamers, balloons, and an alarming amount of school spirit clearly purchased in bulk from a dollar store clearance aisle. All of it assembled with one singular purpose: Homecoming. To e

Oops I forgot.

No idea but I keep watching it so I’m probably going to end up with it as a main character and a catchy plot point.

Okay let’s turn it up a little. Colt be like: Yeah. You can’t unsee that now can ya?

Glad you got to finally sit down and give it a read Gary. 😂 it was a little quick and dirty hopefully I’ll have more character development in between the action.