jkwsquirrel

That's true, in both life and in the story. When you're young, the adult world isn't all that interesting to you, since you're a kid and all. Your world is mainly concerned with your friends. Your parents and your teachers are there and they impact your life, but their lives aren't all that important to you. They're background characters. But as you get older, you become more a part of the adult world and leave the childhood world behind. Then the kids in your life become the background characters, and so it goes.

Billy Roberts is a good guess and as the protagonist he'll play an important role... lol! I had to do it! I will say that it is said directly to Billy as part of a larger conversation. The man who says it hasn't had much of a role in the story so far, but he will.

Ed Nicholson! Oh, that's a good guess, but Ed won't play much of a role in Retaliation. As for Brett, well, he's the deuteragonist, so you know he'll be involved in things. But he won't say the quote above. Oh this is fun!

A very good guess! George will have a huge role in Retaliation, maybe his most significant role in the entire story. But not the source of the quote!

Good guess, and while Mike will play a pivotal role in Retaliation, he's not the source of the quote!

TWO WEEKS TO GO! Yeah, I'm getting excited. I hope you are too! Here's your Retaliation Quote of the Day: “I guess you’re at that age when you’ve started to realize that people your parents’ age had lives before you were born, eh?" Now who do you suppose said that?

It all comes down to the story. If it helps the story, if it is useful for character development, if it advances the plot, then I don't see a problem with using politics in a story. If it is just the author spouting political views with little connection to the story, then that's not a good use of politics. For instance, if a character has very conservative or liberal parents, those views are worth exploring in regards to how they impact the characters in the story. If a character who is very liberal is being raised by very conservative parents and they clash over the way they each see the world, then that would be an area in which politics would be very useful to the story - or vice versa. A character just spouting off about how awful the current President is, or how great they are, or going on and on about the author's pet issue, is just the author using the character as an excuse to spout off on their political views. It has to connect to the story meaningfully.

I'd be wiling to participate in this. I enjoyed the first one. -Jeff

I guess that beats the "Fuck you - I won't do what you tell me." I used to use way back in the day.

I guess the irony is you can hide yourself so deeply when you're the most exposed and naked. Boy, that's deep! I gotta find a way to use that in a story!

Yep. I stopped drinking Mt. Dew two weeks ago because my kidneys were being cranky and I've had more trouble sleeping than I've had in years. I think impulsive, reckless behavior seems to be the coping mechanism that snags a lot of us. For some, it's drug and alcohol issues. Whatever gives you that high. But then there's the crash. So you go looking for the high again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Wow, that's terrible what happened to you! My ADHD issues are much more subdued, but it's been a life-long thing for me so I developed coping mechanisms to deal with it. The best thing that ever happened to me was my phone calendar that tells me where to be and when to be there. Now I can actually be on time for things and not go into shut-down mode when I'm overwhelmed. You're right about the drug issue in the story. Even Brett smoking pot was pushing the envelope with some readers. Something stronger would have been too much, and really Brett was just experimenting. Even the pain pill he took from Billy was a last resort. Brett's real drug of choice is Mountain Dew, which he says calms him down.

I can relate to that! Sometimes my writing is just me trying to work through my issues in a healthier way. There's a little of me in all of the characters. The whole theme of being one's own worst enemy and making things more difficult for your own self is a lesson I am still learning how to handle more appropriately.

Nope. But then, they weren't officially an official couple until Brett came back from New York. Sad thing is, Billy could have told Brett about the mutual stroking and Brett, while he wouldn't have been happy about it, would have understood. He would have blamed Dustin, not Billy. Billy creates his own problems.

I knew this would come up! And since that storyline is pretty much over, I can tell you exactly what happened! Brett stole them. JUST KIDDING!!!!!!! That would definitely not be the end of the storyline! No, what many people have suggested is exactly what I had in mind; Billy just lost the damn things. Billy is kind of a teenage slob. He leaves clothes on the floor for days and sometimes picks up a shirt and wears it again if it doesn't smell too bad. (As demonstrated in 3.6 - I'm Just a Kid)I'd guess Billy's suitcase sat somewhere in his room for days and days smelling worse and worse until Paula finally emptied it out into the washer. Paula knows her way around Billy's bedroom, even going through his underwear drawer. So, she found the pills and put them in the last place Billy would ever find them - in the medicine cabinet. Of course, the real story of the pills was the whole trust issue between the boys. Billy had to accept and believe Brett's story by trust, not by scientific proof. If Billy had found the pills and then told Brett he believed him, then he wouldn't have grown from it. He needed to believe Brett was telling the truth only because Brett asked him to believe him. That was much harder for him to do. (Okay, I tried the one-space thing between sentences and it lasted about half a paragraph.)

I never said it was a good reason!

Old habits die hard. That was the way they taught me and it stayed with me. Plus, I'm very ancient in internet years. I'll be forty this year. How did that happen?!?!? I started doing internet stuff in 1995 in college! My high school years were in the Stone Ages of the early 90's. That was when "computers class" was really "typing class" with a word processor, and not a class to teach us how to really use a computer. And so "double space after each sentence" just stayed with me, revealing my ancient wizard status!

You've hit on the answer in the small print. She's not as good as she seems, and the cracks in the façade are growing. Brett and Dustin are two sides of the same coin. They're both neglected, just in different ways. Brett doesn't have a mom, he has a roommate. There's a reason the Brett acts the way he does, besides the ADHD. That Brett is as adjusted as he is is a testament to his character and the influence of the Roberts family. But she's rich and successful, so society gives her a pass for her neglectful behavior.

That is so freaky! Cool, but freaky! lol!

He'd like it to be. We'll explore that a bit in parts 5-6. Dustin and Billy wouldn't be a good match. Dustin is too much of a pushover for Billy. Dustin would do literally anything to make Billy happy. That may sound romantic, but it would be very unhealthy for both of them. Billy would run roughshod over someone like that. For all Brett's faults, he's very self-assertive. Billy can't push Brett around because he pushes right back and calls Billy on his crap. Billy needs someone who challenges him, not someone who caves to his every whim.

Thanks Jay! Dustin will eventually find true love, but it'll be a long time. First he has to get over Billy. I have a Dustin story that is set in the college years that I wrote that deals with Dustin finding love. In fact, his true love is mentioned in part five, but Dustin won't meet him until years later.

Well, three weeks to go until Retaliation starts. I'm really excited about this one. I think you'll really like it. It ties together so much of what's been set up in the first books. But in the meantime, I need something to do until June 17th! Something to burn off some energy. I'm planning to read a story or two on the site, and do some reviewing. I like to comment on as many chapters as I can as I read, to give the writer a bit of support. I know I like the comments, so why not give them away? So, to spend a bit of time, how about this: It's time to ask Jeff anything. If there's something you'd like to know about the story, about me, about a character, ANYTHING, just put your question on this forum and I'll answer it to the best of my ability. Absolutely anything. No topic off limits. Nothing is too personal. I'll answer any question you ask. So have at it! What would you like to know?

The Summer of '69 was when I got my first real six-string. I played until my fingers bled. Also, 69!!!!!! Heh heh heh heh heh....

Ha ha! Glad to see the teaser did what it was supposed to do! Just enough info to stir conversation and ideas about the direction in which Retaliation will take us! I can say that the conversation between Billy and his mom is not about Dustin being caught in a sexual situation. That would definitely lead to a different conversation! What I can say is that Retaliation is definitely more intense than the first four books, and the drama will not come from Billy and Brett's relationship. That's about the only thing that's stable in the book! Nobody is safe, and revenge is a dish best served piping hot! Is it June 17th yet? “Oh Billy… Sweet, trusting Billy… Always looking for the good in people who are assholes."- Brett

Thanks for sharing this portion of your life with us, Jay. It's just like everyone has said, we all mourn in our own way. Nothing about your reaction and actions in the last week should give you any cause for shame or guilt. You know all this, but I guess it's nice to hear (or read) someone tell you the things you know inside. You honored your grandfather and your family with your presence, and I would guess that your sense of calm in the midst of grief was a source of comfort in a difficult time, even if nobody is saying it. Sometimes we need someone to show is that it's going to be okay with something more than words, but with actions. As for your cousin, well, chalk it up to being unable to understand subtle humor at a highly emotional and sensitive moment. You might have said, "It's sunny today," and gotten a snippy response. Everybody mourns differently, after all! Perhaps irritation at the slightest thing is your cousin's expression of grief? Or they're just an ass hat in general. Either way... Be well, my friend.