Jack Scribe

Been busy with volunteer work at the Palm Springs Film Festival (yes, I was at the Gala when Mariah did her 'thing') and haven't been on the computer much. However, I wanted to share an email I received recently that touched me: Jack, You have been on a writing streak the last few weeks. It has dawned on me that you write two vignettes in each installment. Neat trick. With so many characters and sub plots that works out quite well. You have lots of character development completed and I am looking forward to what you do with them and how they will interact when they meet. I feel like one of Charles Dickinson's readers, waiting breathlessly for the next installment. Only I don't have to buy the paper. For the last few years money has been tight for us and I stopped taking the Austin Statesman in favor of reading it at our local library. Since my lover has now found gainful employment we are now above the poverty line and I may subscribe to it again. LOL On paper I have no assets. As a result of that the 30,000.00 dollar per year drug bill to treat my AIDS and the side effects of those drugs cost me nothing. Long live socialize medicine. An old friend of mine asked me if I thought I was worth it. I told him that I had to stay alive in order to pay him what I owe him. Jack, please keep writing. Even if you have to slow down your output to keep up the quality. ______ Aside from enjoying feedfack and reader comments, it pleases me that my scribblings give some people a chance to escape, for a short time, from their personal problems. Jack

Here are two new films that are creating a lot of buzz at the Palm Springs Film Festival: I Love You Phillip Morris, staring Jim Carey and Ewan McGregor. Check out the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhjNNI4rs4s The Big Gay Musical looks very campy and fun.

Lou's a bright guy...except in personal relationships...but certainly let's 'little Lou' lead him astray. As Tiger points out, I don't think Davey will be surfacing anywhere. Jack seems to be getting his personal life together. We'll get back to Las Vegas in the next chapter and see what's going on with our crew.

Terrific movie and also makes my honorable mention list (along with Up in the Air). At the top is A Single Man. Along with Brokeback Mountain, the most significant gay-themed movies to ever be released. It's still in limited release. But with Colin Firth bound to be nominated for an Oscar, it'll be moving into more theaters. I saw it for the second time. Others include: The Hurt Locker (saw it twice) Avatar (will see it again, but on an IMAX screen) An Education Precious For those who are interested in how the award season is shaping up, this link is absolutely the best on feeling the pulse: http://www.awardsdaily.com/

I respectfully suggest we're splitting hairs. My stories have plots and story lines where the majority of the characters are gay...however they are in situations and relationships where sexual orientation is not at the core. Well, except in moments of physical desire. But even then, the act of making love or a spontaneous conquest could be interchangable except for...well, you know the dif. I agree with James: I purposely don't get involved with gay stereotypes (Yoo-hoo...Mary, the druggy club scene, hardcore S&M, bitchy queens) because, (1) I'm not that familiar with these groups, (2) I don't want to highlight the worts of a small part of our GLBT community.

The great love of my life (so far) was 5 years younger. Worked just fine!

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." Mae West (1893-1980) "It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it." Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Bob certainly had his radar blipping, picking up Cray's 'spring in his feet.' I like your euphemism concerning the fan about ready to blow. Lou keeps letting his little head lead him astray, Connor. I'm sure this will be Lou's 'cross to bear' as long as he's around. You're right,theschnauzers, Spike is good for Cray and four years dif (at this point) ain't no big deal. Don't worry; Oleg isn't going to go Jack Bauer on us. I suspect, Kevin, that Oleg's involvement in the story as a minor character makes the "Mafia/Detective/Whatever" more palatable for you. This is primarily a romance story and...well, we will be getting back to Jack Gamble very soon. BTW, I'm just starting to collect my thoughts about the new story set in Chicago. Good catch, Kevin.

I cracked up when I came across this.

Thanks, everyone. Boxing Day and a birthday. 24, wildone? Hell, I'd take 44.

Let your fingers do the walking and tweet: http://twitter.com/gaychicago I'm sure you'll get helpful advice. Bars notwithstanding, there are lots of fun shops to check out in Boystown and restaurants, too. If you haven't seen The Blue Man Group, the theater is on Halsted Street just south of Belmont. I visited Chicago in October and loved seeing the sights again. The locals are a friendly group and your gaydar will be going full-blast. There are tons of hot guys everywhere. In addition to Boystown, Michigan Avenue and all the street activity is a hoot. When you visit, be sure and buy and three-day CTA pass. It's $14 and will get you on any bus or train.

Hi, Kevin. Oleg's become my go-to guy when a crisis of this nature occurs. Spike and Cray are just starting to figure out where this expanded friendship will go. BTW, good luck on China's new restrictions concerning the Internet. I hope the GA isn't banned. Splashing in the Desert Sands cracked me up, Puppster. The new story I'm just planning - revisiting Chicago - will continue to have crossover characters. After five years, I've got a neat group of guys that we need big smile. When Henry finds out about his older brother's new friendship, I'm sure everything will be cool. BTW, allow me to wish this group a belated Happy Hanukkuh and a very Merry Christmas!

Intimate relationships between gay/bi men and women certainly isn't my strong suit. :wacko: I have many older gay friends who are dads and grandads. Some married because it was something you did a generation or so ago. Others weren't aware of their sexuality until after marriage. In most cases, my gay male pals continue to be friends with their ex-wifes and are close with their children/grandchildren. One active author at GA has kept his family and relationship intact...with the wife being aware of his sexual orientation. Here's one of the strangest situations: my friend Bill (who has since passed away) met his first boyfriend through his oldest son - who was 15 at the time and straight - when the two boys went out together on a double-date. Dad was the driver; a pretty common experience for teens who don't drive except for the end result. To say that the wife was pissed at Bill is an understatement. After the divorce, Bill and the boy were together for six or seven years. Bill put him through college.

I have a different approach. My chapters are calculated to have approximately 5,500 words. For me, it's a disciplined approach that works. Number of chapters do vary...I ended the last Splash novella and Domes and Teapots at 18 chapters. The current series, Shifting Sands, has 20 chapters. As I recall, my longest stories were 28 chapters.

Unique...but not impossible, MikeL. In fact, I embellished on events that occurred somewhere in this world to a friend.

Welcome to all. I can tell, Emberan, from your gif avatar that you have a wicked sense of humor. Hope you become active in the teen forums. I wish I'd had a great site like GA when I was your age and trying to figure out things. You'll enjoy Hosted Author, Nicholas James. http://nickolasjames.gayauthors.org/ He was your age when he started posting some terrific stories a few years ago. Also, I think you'll love Little Buddha: http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/ Finally, I suggest the perennial crowd pleaser, Dom Luka: http://domluka.gayauthors.org/ These are just a few of a great group of authors you'll find here. Check out my stories in a few years.

Happy Birthday Jan! All the best.

And the question is: who is he deceiving? Maybe himself?

It's like a cartoon where the lightbulb turns on above a character. In this case, it's not Cray's little head (or little brain) that is leading the action. This looks, Tiger, like the real thing. As Enric points out, "Cray has a long-term allergy against Spence's line of work." Spike was being protective as a brother when he thwarted Spence's move...but in the back of his mind there was something more at play. He just didn't get it, at the time...but that certainly changed later in the evening. (double entrendre intended) BTW, Connor, Mario is concerned about those shifty Russians sniffing around. Be on the lookout for my favorite AOI agent in future chapters.

Hi, "Newbie"...great to have you on board. The reference to Chapter 13 is that the cliffhanger from Desert Fantasies will start getting cleared up in this story.

Hi, amBIguoustwo. Welcome to the crew!

Check out this compilation. Yep, I certainly had a few of these. http://www.out.com/exclusives.asp?id=26266 Bette Midler's The Divine Miss M led the list for me. And, of course, Madonna, Elton John, Cher...good memories. Gotta crank out some ABBA on the 'net. Or maybe The Pet Shop Boys?

Happy 49th, Benji! What a creative crowd in this corral. Impressive!

Here's to Wayne's save return! I can't support this war but fervently wish all of the troops well.

Hmmm, I wonder what the Vegas oddsmakers would say? There are no age concerns at this point...but can they be more than best friends.