Jack Scribe

We'll see. As Tiger points out, Cray is 100% legal to follow his heart with anyone...but there'll be a lot of guys out there when the time is right.

It must be a little scary, MikeL, for students coming out of school and finding out that jobs aren't that easy to come by. Memphis pizza is an item on the Metro Pizza place in Las Vegas. Sounded yummy! Yes, Connor, Lou was rather cowardly about the way he broke up...but Spike wasn't too surprised. Lou means well (most of the time) but suffers from a big case of silverspoon-itis. I've always liked Spike and it is good to have him around again. He and Cray have been close friends from the beginning. Hope I didn't depress the readers too much by starting this volume with a series of downers. Tiger proposes a possibility...but don't count his younger brother, Henry, down for the count. And don't forget, amBiguoustwo, that Spike did teach Cray a lot in the love department - verbally - in the previous volume.

Yikes...I'm embarrassed that I'd forgotten about this idea. Three years ago I was having a handful of challenges as caregiver for my mom. Except for that final months of her life that ended shortly thereafter, she enjoyed her 94 years in this world. I will definitely think about an appropriate story down the road that explores Eric and Pete's reunion. Hmmm...

Whoops...my apologies to that city! BTW, it's great to see two more newbies - kitterykid and HappyReader - posting. The economic situation in Vegas and elsewhere is an undercurrent that runs through the story. No reason to think you're off-base, theschnauzers, speculating about Spike's friendship helping Cray work through his angst. They have a very solid relationship and Spike's a big part of Cray's support system. BTW #2. Was at a screening last night of Up In The Air- George Clooney's new film that will be released in December. In the midst of a background that features company downsizings and staff reductions, this will be THE comedy of the year. You heard it first here. It's the latest film from screenwriter/director, Jason Reitman. His last hit was Juno.

"...i cant wait to see what happens when clay runs into his father" We'll get into that, Knightguy82, down the road. There are still some angst issues and - as Tiff mentioned - "awkwardness and tension issues," plus getting up to date with the lives of the other characters. BTW: Tiff, nice to have a fellow Hosted Author on board for this journey!

I figured, Puppster, that Cray reacting that way was out of character. Since the days of his abuse from the evil step-dad, he developed a very cautious and compartmentalized approach in dealing with unpleasant situations. Hi, Sharon. Great to have you back.

Hi, KevinCaucher - another newbie poster. I'm proud that you've taken your first forum leap into mine! Yes, I agree with your growth point. Cray has it some big potholes in the past - like we all do (altho the running away incident was off the chart) and we'll grow along with him in this tale. P.S., MikeL, I'm glad that italics situation cleared up.

Found this fascinating graphic display showing all of the McDonald locations in the United States. Staggering to consider that Mickey D has 32,000 restaurants worldwide. Also, one in eight Americans have worked at a McDonald's during one point in their life.

Welcome, Barazion, to the mix. Great to see a "newbie" starting a first post! I agree, Benji, that Michael didn't handle breaking away very well. I took the approach that his 'little head' had led him astray...a situation that males allow to happen all too often...and was swept away. Cray is torn up in his own way, but his big defense is to emotionally baracade himself from hurt. I'll agree that the ending is a baby cliffhanger. Hey, Conner. Teen angst is one of those 'been there, done that' things for most of us. Two years is a long time in that period of a young life. This chapter, MikeL, was written to set a tone - the angst and personal that was mentioned, the recessionary climate...but also the support group that Cray has in his two foster dads and other high school buddies. Hmmm, I'm not sure what you mean, Hoskins, about my sig and text italics? Michael, I'm sure, does feel bad about the way he handled the breakup...but 'you can't put toothpaste back in the tube'. Good points, Rad. Cray isn't going to be very friendly with Michael...perhaps never again in a close way. I can assure you that Cray has no intentions of meeting Randy. He, along with the help of his dads and friends, needs to work out this hurt and move on. The question is, how long will this take? I didn't mean, MABOI26, to leave the cliffhanger from Volume II dangling. I became wrapped up in reading some mystery/thriller books and decided to take a different approach for the the final Splash book. But now we're back with Cray and have the summer to watch him get his life together without Michael. Welcome back Tiger. I think your thought sums it up well: Michael and his cake...but it may cause him indigestion. mikelivrpl, a big thanks to you, and all, for your support. Emotional pain at that age is part of the growth. However, Cray's a strong guy.

Thanks to all for being patient. I had planned on writing this sooner...the cliffhanger concerning Cray's father wasn't meant to be hanging sooooooooo long. Hope ya'' like it. Jack

Found this silly spoofing flow chart and thought fellow GA'ers would enjoy a few smiles.

CONGRATULATIONS! I just happened to notice that Kevin has reached the lofty heights of 8,000 posts. Is this a record?

It's strange to see this post - originated a couple of years ago by two guys who were banned for some reason - to keep on gathering steam. Here's a picture of moi taken in Chicago last week. It was a little chilly but...WOW...the Windy City is incredible. This shot was by the Shedd Aquarium. I'm sure the trip will feed my imagination for a new volume of tales involving my Chicago characters.

In addition to The Story Cafe here at GA, check out a similar story discussion forum at AD: http://www.awesomedude.com/adboard/index.php?showforum=26 But honestly, a 'good story' is in the mind of the beholder. Cruise through the compilation of GA Authors - Hosted,Promising and new eFiction - and sample stories until you find what's good for you. It also is fruitful to check out the authors' blogs and analyze readers comments. Happy reading.

Here's THE link to find authors or titles on Nifty. It's like a library reference guide: http://www.gaycafe.com/nifty.php Hope this helps in your searches.

Also add fan fiction, thrillers, historical novels, etc. Find your area of interest and dig into GA. There are over 50 terrific authors represented on this site (I restrain myself from shamelessly promoting my Jack Scribe stories). Fellow Hosted Author, Don Hanratty, has one of gay literature's classics - Working It Out - represented on his story page. And Topher Lydon's Carter series is a masterpiece. By all means, check out The Best of Nifty link. I've read David Buffet's Alpha Male twice. And all of Michael Arram's stories are must read material. Another respository of talented authors is at www.awesomedude.com and home of the talented Graeme. Check out Heart of the Tree and Fall Creek Lessons. Over at CRYboy - Tim Mead, Drew Hunt, Brew Maxwell, Draginacht and Sara Bell are just a few stars from this fantastic collection of authors. I could go on and on...but you get the point. Research and enjoy! P.S. I just noticed that this, appropriately, is my one thousandth posting

Here I come in response to Mark pimping his blog...only to find #7000 has been reached! To get to the subject, I still recall director Mike Nichols deadpan reply to this question when he was honored on Actors Studio. He looked at the host, James Lipton, and muttered, "Smegma." Guess I'll choose the same word.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREBS! Can't think of a better way to roll over my posting count. Greetings from the desert...hope you guys are enjoying a nice long weekend up north. Jack

I agree with Mark and Duncan in this discussion. Sex is usually a very important part of a person's life and it's very natural for an author to explore it with the characters in the story. However, sex just for titilation - JO material - is best posted elsewhere. I first started at Nifty because, like Duncan, I didn't know about other sites at the time. I've posted all my stories there and have always mentioned the GA URL to increase traffic at this terrific repository of material. Damn, this has just reminded me that I haven't posted my recent novella at Nifty. Gotta get to work Jack

in the current issue of VF, there's a short interview featuring fashion designer Oscar de la Renta. Here's a small bit when the interviewer touched on his long, successful career: Youve been designing for over 40 years, the interviewer reminded him. My goodness, yes. I remember one time asking Gore Vidal why Truman Capote dried up. He told me that Capote was so successful he forgot to exercise his craft every day. I always say that every day for me is a learning process in the midst of tremendous anxiety about whether I can do it all over again. Yet Oscar seemed so relaxed. I am relaxed, he emphasized, smiling. The anguish is always inside. This can very easily be translated to writers. I also recall some advice passed on by an author in a radio interview. He strongly recommended that authors write for an hour first thing in the morning. It was his belief that we store and wrestle with ideas in our sleep and writing after waking up could be very productive.

It was terrific driving through the gorgeous Colorado passes and mountains. The middle picture was taken to capture a rainbow. My buddy and I were having some tasty Mexican/New Mexican food at a place in Durango called Gazpacho when the sky opened up with a gusher of heavy rain. Fortunately, it tapered off and stopped as we were paying the bill. It was a digital Kodak moment. I notice, jessiflash, that you live in Utah. We were very close to your state.

Check it out: http://www.metacritic.com/ In their words, "Metacritic compiles reviews from respected critics and publications for movies, DVDs, music, television and games. Metascores show the critical consensus at a glance by taking a weighted average of critic grades.

Here are two pictures of me taken last week in Colorado (Durango, Ouray and Telluride). The other picture is my boyfriend (in my dreams )

Two things, James. First is just a bit of nostalgia...in the 70's, the steam room at the West Side Y in Manhattan was Greeeeeeat! In fact, I met my first (and only) great love in the hot, musty mist of that tiled room. Second, I live in a gay man's wet dream of a community. The 'clothing optional' resorts in Palm Springs and Cathedral City are just about as good as it gets if you want to safely and legally cruise for various levels of friendship. For those in the desert area, check out the CCBC for a little trip on the wild side. I do not, for one moment, admit that I have personal knowledge of these enterprises.

Or drinking it, daily by sevenths, in a week is still 300 calories a day! Over a third of the U.S. population are in the obese category AND health-wise at risk.