jkwsquirrel

New chapter is up a day early, but a certain "nifty" site put it up today so I felt I should put it here too. Anyway, check it out! It's what the kids call a "humdinger" of a chapter.

I woke up early Saturday morning on my back, naked and spread eagle with Brett’s naked body draped on top of me. He loved being as close to me as possible. His head was resting on my chest. His left arm laid across my belly and his left leg was between my legs. I lay there for a while, just listening to the gentle sound of his breathing and feeling his heart beating against me. I lightly caressed his back, causing him to stir. I never wanted that morning to end. I just wanted to hold my n

Well, I reached a thousand likes. I'm incredibly thankful for the kind support. Most of those likes were from the stories, since I'm not all that active on forums or blogs. I just quietly plug away under the radar and try to write the best story I can, and hope that you like what I write. I love the interaction and discussion about the chapters and characters and appreciate everyone who sends a like and especially those who comment. I'm feeling very grateful tonight! Peace, Jeff

It does look like things might be reaching a point where the boys are going to be able to move into a new era of openness in their relationship and with others. It would be a shame if someone were to come along and yank the rug out from under them just as they're beginning to make progress...

Brett is in a much better place now that he is receiving the help he needs. Now, the relationship with his mom still needs some work, as we'll see. But Brett is much more able to deal with his problems in a healthier way now.

Thanks guys! So much of Rehabilitation was about Brett reaching the point where he was able to accept that he needed help to deal with his emotional problems in a more healthy way. Once he was willing to get help, he was able to grow. I like Brett a lot more now.

Well, this chapter was on Friday, not Saturday, but you're still on the right path.

New chapter is up. Check it out!

The sound of the ATV was getting louder and louder through the storm, and I knew that Brett was getting close. I went to the garage and opened the door. The snow was about knee high as Brett pulled into the driveway and into the garage. I lowered the door as Brett leapt from the tractor. He stomped his feet and shook the snow from his knitted Yankees snow cap. “It’s a blizzard out there!” he exclaimed. Since it was just him and me, I planted a kiss on his frozen lips.

Paula has her own issues to work through. Her confirmation and self esteem have always come from outside of herself. She's a people pleaser, concerned about what others think, and she draws her self-worth from that. The most rebellious thing she ever did was marrying a bad boy like George Roberts. Her focus is on how others perceive her, so she throws a Christmas Ever party because that's what her mom did, or she wants Billy to get along with the social climbing joey, because Billy's friends are a bunch of losers and he'll be guilty by association, and then people will think poorly of her. Her self-centeredness comes from her intense focus on what others think.

Thanks Spikey! I plan to just enter the chapters on the date rather than try to pre-load them again. I plan to update either late Friday or early Saturday morning. So hopefully we'll have a new chapter every weekend for a while!

Everybody reaches their breaking point eventually. The fact that Dustin hasn't snapped and killed everybody is a testament to the strength of his character. I've seen first-hand the "church-shopping" you describe. It's my belief that true religion is meant to challenge one's biases, not confirm them.

Too slow? I'm picturing Huey Lewis with a megaphone in Back to the Future: "I'm afraid you're just too darn slow. Next please!" Yes, the sweet freedom of the open highway awaits! (If Billy can ever pass the test.) Here's the thing about Dustin to remember: He is loyal to a fault. He will continue to defend his family even when it's obvious his family is bad news. Worse, he thinks it's his fault that they abuse him. He's not good enough. He'll never be good enough. He thinks he deserves what they do to him. Totally agree about the "bad apple Christians." I think we tend to focus on the worst elements of people who we do not understand. The same goes for people who think all Muslims are terrorists, or that African American people are lazy or all on welfare. There are bad people in the world, but I still believe that there is good in everyone, and that good will win eventually. While there is definitely a portion of the story that centers on the worst side of Christianity, that kind of hateful rhetoric is destined to fail in the end. And one more thing, Brett is a devout and sincere Catholic himself, and he's very happy with his faith: "I like God and God likes me."

I tried to think of the stupidest way possible to fail a driver's test. Billy, for as smart as he is, is prone to do bone-headed things, including the eponymous "retaliation' yet to come. Oh delicious foreshadowing! I'm hoping that we can explore the difference between good Christian people and the asshole variety. And that growth and hope are possible. It'll just take me a while to get there. And I believe that the asshole variety are that way because they're assholes in general, and they suit their beliefs to their own desires. But we'll explore that later too. As for Dusty, I like him too. He's one of my favorite characters. But I must do what I must do. He is reaching his breaking point. It would be a fairy tale to think that all of the stuff that happened to him could go away without doing a lot of damage. We saw a flash of what Dustin is capable of when Billy confronted him about Mike. This time, it's all about to come crashing down on him, and there will be more of that 'retaliation' from him as well. But I hope you'll stick with me through the darkness. It really will get better eventually. And *SPOILER ALERT* No matter how bad it may look, Dustin come out of his situation stronger than before.

We'll get through it though!

We'll find out soon enough.

It's listed as having been updated on 6/14/17, so it's not on the first page of new stories. Alas...

Well, I think it's all there, but I don't think I'll use that feature of the site anymore. At any rate, I hope you'll read and enjoy the new chapter!

Thanks Jay! Dustin stole my lunch money when I was a kid and now I'm taking it out on him! Mwah hahahahhahahaaaa!!!!!!11

Just as Billy Roberts is beginning to think he might be able to begin revealing his true self to those closest to him, he is finding out that those closest to him have secrets of their own. His parents are growing further apart as his father's health is failing and his mother is falling under the spell of a charismatic homophobe. His boyfriend is hiding something that could destroy someone's life. His best friend is being driven over the edge by his abusive family. And through it all, Billy is being bullied by someone he once considered a friend. Welcome to W.A.R..

Here's my advice. You seem to have too many projects and none of them seem to be advancing. How about this: concentrate on one of them, just one of them, the easiest one you can think of and can get finished, and then get it done. Put aside the others, don't let them pull you away from the first one, no matter how much they try to distract you. Even if it's just one project, you'll get the satisfaction of getting one done and get those good feelings of having accomplished something into your mind. And if it's crap you can always go back later when you've got your momentum back. Once you've finished one, start on the next one, another easy one. and so forth. Build momentum and stack some wins under your belt. As for the other projects, when an idea comes for them, just jot it down somewhere and save it. Then, when you get to writing on the other projects, you'll have a supply of ideas to draw from, which will help your momentum. Hope this is helpful - Jeff

You did? Crap. Maybe I didn't do the advance uploading right?

Well if I did everything right, Chapter 1 of Retaliation is set to publish at 1am on Saturday. Here is the description for Part Five: Just as Billy Roberts is beginning to think he might be able to begin revealing his true self to those closest to him, he is finding out that those closest to him have secrets of their own. His parents are growing further apart as his father's health is failing and his mother is falling under the spell of a charismatic homophobe. His boyfriend is hiding something that could destroy someone's life. His best friend is being driven over the edge by his abusive family. And through it all, Billy is being bullied by someone he once considered a friend. Welcome to W.A.R..

For three years I had been cursed with metal and wires glued to my teeth. But finally, I was going to be freed from their grasp. I’d been poked, prodded, and pulled. I’d had my mouth rearranged by the forces of time and Dr. Martin’s orthodontic expertise. But it was finally over. It was time to say goodbye to my braces! I sat in that chair, that same chair in which I’d had so much work done to me over the last few years. I could remember the day when they’d started. How I’d dr

Well, I'm off to a week long conference for work! Ah, the adventuring life for me! And then after that... More WAR!!!! (Can you tell I'm really excited to get back into the story?) So, to prepare for the upcoming book, Retaliation, I present to you the first 3 paragraphs: Chapter One- Storm on the Horizon For three years I had been cursed with metal and wires glued to my teeth. But finally, I was going to be freed from their grasp. I’d been poked, prodded, and pulled. I’d had my mouth rearranged by the forces of time and Dr. Martin’s orthodontic expertise. But it was finally over. It was time to say goodbye to my braces! I sat in that chair, that same chair in which I’d had so much work done to me over the last few years. I could remember the day when they’d started. How I’d dreaded what was to happen to me! A much smaller, twelve-year-old Billy Roberts had entered that office that autumn day with a big gap between his two front teeth and an overbite and left the office with a mouthful of metal. I didn’t smile for a week afterward. My best friend, Brett Reilly, kept insisting that braces were cool and that he wanted them himself, but he didn’t know what he was talking about. It was a terrible way to start the seventh grade. But all of that was about to be behind me. Now, on a blustery and cold day in March of 2003, my long orthodontic nightmare was finally coming to a close. Dr. Martin sat down beside me and did some exploring inside my mouth. I looked out the window at the darkening sky. We were going to have another winter storm soon. The weathermen had been almost giddy with tales of how much snow we were going to get. The groundhog had been proven right when he said six more weeks of winter. We had been pounded with snow all February, and it looked like March was going to be more of the same... To be continued on June 17th!