Krista

Thank you for surprising me with a feature in the CSR Discussion blog. It was fun answering the questions asked of me and thinking back on some of the processes. Ridley isn't and old story, so I could still answer them with confidence and pluck things from memory better. If there's anything else anyone wishes to ask, I don't mind answering.

Aww, thank you. The community is what keeps me going with this writing thing. If y'all decided one day to not like my writing and stop reading it for whatever reason (lack of a posting schedule not included... lol) then I'll start having a net word count of zero.

It still looks interesting; I hope the storyline has the depth it hints at. If it is just an item farming, upgrade grinding type of game it will get old fast. The battle/dueling system looks really good though and the world still looks nice. The Character they chose to use looked limited as far as character creations, but some of the examples they sort of sped through looked decent. A little cartoonish for my liking, coming from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, although ME: Andromeda's character creation and action movements were hilariously awful.

Just to see if they believe me or not.

Thank you for reading this story so far! Maybe it is the calm before the calm? 😮 Maybe I'm not one of these cruel authors that torture their poor characters... lol Dates be expensive these days, hell going through the drive-thru is expensive, so either way Jackson was going to have to open his wallet. Lol. Aww, you're not the only one that thinks the two guys are starting to drift a little bit. I'm not going to lie; the thought is a little bit surprising for me. Also, I don't think I could keep up the romance and sexiness if there was a plush hippo squeaking under my head either... lol. *Grabs her water sprayer* Cool off Steven. Tsk tsk tsk. Right? This comment broke me a little bit when I first read it. It surprised me that more than a few of you are thinking the same thing. I don't know if it is comfort with one another vs. being uncomfortable in their surroundings? Feeling close, but having to be distant at the same time? It would be a weird feeling that I don't think I am doing justice in my writing. Luke did flirt on the boardwalk to the point where Jackson exploded and Luke let himself be kissed in a semi-public setting, for me that was progress. They did have to travel half a state away, seemingly, to get there, but he got there. The next chapter, for the most part, might help solidify their relationship a bit more. They've already said they loved one another and planned a bit of a future together in tentative little steps. Yeah having them at odds about Georgia was beginning to bog me down, so I just ripped the band aid off. Luke didn't specifically say that he would be following Jackson to Georgia though. At least Jackson knows the offer is on the table and he painted a pretty compelling picture - probably. lol. Also tons of detentions, if they're the aftermath of something fun and memorable are totally worth it... maybe? I don't know, I behaved myself in school.. lol I did have friends that were a lot like Jackson, Toby, and Derek though and they were a lot of fun to be around. Trouble or not. Thank you for reading this story so far. I am glad you still seem to like the story. I'm glad you're back, welcome back! I'm glad you chose my story to read when you did, sorry if you're not feeling the pain of everyone else with the delays between posting. My Senior year, I can remember being full of fun and free time as I already had most of my credits and had easy classes and free "study periods." Towards the end, it was bitter sweet though, we were finally at the top of the school, only to leave everything we've known since Kindergarten. I bounced around between colleges when I was going, I didn't like dorm living and I didn't know what I wanted to study. What I ended up with wasn't my first choice, it wasn't a choice I thought I would enjoy at all, but I love it now, mostly. There is a bit of an effort to stay friends with people into adulthood, I have a core friend group that I do try to stay in contact with. A few of them are moving out of state soon though, so that will suck. All the girls that I know have families and children too, some around the same age and we're trying to force some friendships onto our children in hopes they have the experiences together that we did... Is it selfish? Maybe... lol but it gives us an excuse to plan get togethers, so the kids will just have to suck it up. ------------- Also, I do want to apologize that it took me ages to respond. The comments did make me take a step back and think about some things. I know how I want the story to go, but I am thinking these little scenes aren't as impacting as I need them to be. So I do apologize if I have some of you worried about the story and characters in general. The last thing I want anyone to do is DNF because of something I've changed or written. I don't think the story or characters are off-track or derailed, I just need to make an effort to restore some faith in them. Maybe I will, maybe I won't? I don't know, I hope I do.

I also think we need to keep in mind - within this topic - we're not all coming from the same place. Some people are new to feedback, I wasn't the best at taking criticism when I was first starting out. "Public," or not, I don't think we should be off-handedly telling people to toughen up about their writing. It is easy for seasoned authors who have been here, to know how the system works and how to take critical feedback. That is why there is a perfectly fine thought of doing critical assessments and reviews in a more private setting. Especially since it is just easier to be more relaxed when you're not afraid of any sort of backlash from other readers that may not share the critical views being posted. To each their own, but I wouldn't want to dismiss anyone's concerns about feedback here, like I said, we're not all seasoned and used to critical feedback/reviews/star ratings. It is a growing pain that we all must go through and if you say that you have always been okay with critical feedback - then I would think you've told a wee little fib. It wasn't terribly poor manners if done respectfully, for an author to ask that a reader 'not' review something, specifically. It is also okay for the reviewer to walk away from that story on the basis of feeling pushed aside as well. Like I said in my earlier post, it is a good thing to be engaged with the audience that you have. I hope all authors who feel similarly learns how to take criticism better, or at least not be overwhelmed by critical assessments. If you're worried about a less than 5-Star rating, don't be, it is guaranteed to happen. It isn't a perfect system, and it never will be.

I have never been a fan of the 5-star review system in general. Especially here where most authors are considered amateur hobbyist authors. I'm of the mind that most people don't consider the system to be that deep of a critique, but an off-hand/off-shoot of the actual review. I have received some honest low-star reviews for my earlier works, I know they are rough and awkward. (I state that in the story description) So that doesn't truly bother me, I expect people to be critical of them, even with the disclaimer-type description that I provide. What I mean when I say, I feel the Star-Review system is an off-handed tool when leaving a review is, I don't think a lot of people use it in-line with the review they have written. I think it is more of a momentary 'feeling' sort of response to the story. The biggest example being 'glowing' reviews that does not say anything critical of the writing receiving anything less than Five Stars are confusing to authors, especially ones that may just be getting into writing. I'm not going to lie and say that a positive/glowing review of my writing that doesn't receive Five Stars won't bother me, it has in the past. I would much rather my writing be critically assessed and have that match the star rating. People tend to be visual as well, so keep that in mind. When you're shopping for something, or looking for something to read - in a place that has a lot of choice - what do you tend to gravitate towards? It is the stories, products, or whatever with the most five-star or best reviews, if they have that system implemented. If people are of that mind, then I can see where a less than 5-star review would hinder a person who may be writing here. I hope people actually read the body of the review instead of just look at a star rating, but there is no way of knowing if people are or not. I will also advocate that you read and review as you see fit. You are here to read, and I am here to write. It isn't really my place to tell you how to conduct yourself as a reviewer/reader. As long as you're not actively encouraging people to 'not' read something within your tone/review. I do feel that is a disservice to the author who is looking for an audience. To Add as an aside: If you're an author out there that is solely relying on Review ratings to promote your writing, then you're doing yourself an injustice. Actively promote your writing, engage with the community around you, create a story discussion, actually respond to people who leave comments on your chapters, etc. If you're visible and your writing is visible you will find an audience.

The day has come! I'll make sure you get the nurses with the cold hands, Steven.

Luke didn’t seem to fully relax until we were well out of town and already passed through a few more. We were headed away from the setting sun, the orange glow blinding me whenever a curve caused it to reflect perfectly in the rearview mirror. I half wanted to talk or listen to music to fill the silence with something, but I didn’t know what to say. All of this told me that we were too close to the end, something was going to break. We hadn’t been careful enough with what we were doing and I won

I think we all know - or have known.. a person like Cindy once upon at time, unfortunately. I also write stories that I hope are 'real enough' that we can look at it as a whole and think that it could be someone's true story out there somewhere. At least when I am writing within this romance genre anyway. Luke and poor Henry may disagree.

Hi! Welcome back, even if it may just be a short visit. I am glad to hear that you found and kept the love of your life all these years as well. It wasn't too long ago @wildone and I were reminiscing, because he had just had a GA-nniversary himself and we talked about old members. You were one of those people - hope your ears weren't burned in the process. So whatever capacity you return to, I'm glad to see you here.

Thank you for enjoying the story so far, I appreciate every reader/comment I get.

Thank you, I do like answering questions.. or if I feel like maybe the writing isn't clear or something, I feel like I need to. I want everyone who reads my stories to know at least my intention behind some things. I hope I don't press the intention too much though, it is nice reading different points of view as well. I'll never want to be like, "No you're wrong, this is how such and such feels.." or, "No you're wrong, that wasn't what took place.." either. So me talking with y'all over something I've written will never get old for me, if it does I will need to hang it up.

Lol. I don't know, I can name three near me. So maybe it is more prominent in differen regions. And yeah, it was Grace's lie to Henry in the first place, so she went with what their generation would know as safe and fun. They did grow up together and probably went bowling together, I'm sure. Neither Luke or Jackson was any help. Yeah, I don't think Cindy would be in their minds if they're miles away. We'll see how far her reach is. There were some time jumping in the last chapter to get us here. I have some ideas of what they can do on their night out as well. So hopefully it won't come back to bite them in the ass. Times are changing, but @wildone answered a question that I asked once, with - I feel the the world is more in the middle between complete acceptance and the Cindy's of the world. So with this story, she is the general conflict that moves the story. The fear of her finding out, keeps Luke in a constant state of unease. Compound that she is his mother and someone he grew up loving - despite that fear. A lie and secrets is all the arsonal they have. Right now they're stuck in a world where people are finding out - slowly, but surely. So it isn't a lie they make because they're being compliant with the demands of their parents. They are liars because in Luke's mind, that is the only way he can have a loving relationship with his parents. That is their trade off at the moment. I don't want to sound like I'm defending Cindy, lol. But we're only really seeing Cindy painted in Jackson's light.. and the off-hand accounts of her overreaching and overreacting. She may be a lot better at home in her element and she may have a really great relationship with Luke. If they didn't, I doubt Luke would care as much as he does about that fear of being unaccepted. Also, opposites attract? Lol.. maybe happy-go-lucky Henry fell head over heels for Cindy's uptight-controllingness. Or maybe Cindy wasn't like that all the time... or maybe she isn't like that much at home. Lol. Well dogs are more forgiving, if it was a cat then I'd fear for your safety. Arcades and Rollerskating rinks are a thing here too. Roller Disco was never really big here though, so there's that. None of which would hold the attentions of the kids I know, so yeah, Grace might get a crash course on how to keep the next two entertained in the coming years. This is probably the best example of their dynamics. Jackson is optimistic and Luke can't be, for his reasons. So maybe one day Jackson will pull Luke along for that and Luke will let him. Either way Jackson only plans on leaving... Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I like the conflicting mindsets of the two guys. It will be a leap for Luke to take, but he has his own dreams, I just haven't really gotten into those of any sort of length yet. We know what Jackson wants, but not Luke. I don't see Cindy forcing a marriage onto Luke. She might force a girlfriend on him or at least prospects in front of him.. I mean, my mother placed boys in front of me some when I was a teenager. They could have been Ryan Reynolds clones and I would have said no though. I have always loved and enjoyed the way you comment on characters and this story in general. I think you have described Cindy's mind pretty thoroughly. She doesn't know what damage she is causing, that much is painfully obvious to us. Her character has been fun to write, maybe in an obvious stereotypical way. I at least hope she is still a little fresh though. --- @wildone Yes, you caught me. I added your suggestions for a date night for that very reason alone. I was happy to do it and I will do it again. Bowling... Roller skating... movies.. come on now. Sometimes a girl has to do everything all by herself.

After the dick pic sent me scrambling up the stairs, I ended up groaning with the lack of response from Luke after he sent it. So I rolled off the bed and pulled my pants back on, thinking that it was better to save all I had for that, later. I also didn’t know exactly when I was supposed to meet him. Despite my best efforts in the locker room earlier, I still thought I smelled like the school’s cafeteria and the cleaning spray from my first day of detention. So I walked down the hall to th

Lol. I personally have never been pregnant, so I can't imagine what those cravings and such would be like. Thank you for reading and enjoying the story so far. Lol. Yes, I think Cindy overstepping her boundaries should have earned her a detention. I couldn't imagine seeing the two of them in the same classroom together though. Good thing she teaches freshman English and not senior. Luke didn't participate in the food fight either, he was 'nowhere to be seen,' so even though Cindy placed full blame onto Jackson - she couldn't blame her son. So him showing her that, may have prompted her to release him? Also, it was going his 4th week of being grounded. So maybe she just thought it was getting a bit overdone? Henry's influence could have played a part as well. Or like you said, she might have wanted to unground him, because she had a new cause to keep her busy. Well it was about to start Luke's 4th week. So far Luke hadn't been into much trouble at all, he was probably getting tired of being grounded. He also probably cooperated fully with her, knowing he really did scare her half to death. He didn't act up in almost four weeks, so I guess I just figured with that in mind - enough time had passed. Ella and Derek were about to be handed down punishments as well. Jackson is also a repeat offender, he's been in Welker's office numerous times over the years. So I guess I just thought, with a bit of a track record, a week's worth of detention was rather soft for Welker to give. I don't know, I can see where a food fight would have caused a lot more trouble. People could have slipped and fell, gotten hurt/hit in the eye, etc - which would have been a larger issue for a school to handle. It also delayed an entire lunch period and disrupted the flow of the school's system as a whole. I mean, that was my take on it. Another day of Jackson acting on impulse and it backfiring spectacularly. Grace is used to him getting into trouble as well and Welker probably told her that he took the blame and accepted the punishment. So her rushing down there to cause a fuss about no one else being punished, would have just embarassed him. So at least she didn't do that. Lol. Yes, I think him taking the blame definitely saved him with this one. Welker was ready to make it very hard for him with swimming.. and then I think Grace an Craig would get involved. Thank you for the sweet comment about Grace just easily affirming the relationship he has with Luke. It is heart warming when a parent says they like a partner, when Mom told me that she liked my 'future husband at the time' it really made me know I found the right person. So in that sort of situation when she was also asking him about his sexuality in all this - she decided to just accept it, praise Luke and the relationship, then leave Jackson to his business. And yes, I have given it some thought about him getting caught, but I think I recall Jackson and Luke talking about making sure to delete conversations? Maybe I dreamed it.. lol. Sorry for the delays, it is difficult at times to write a story of this size and capacity. Thank you for staying with the story regardless. Lol. Thank you for reading. Jackson getting into trouble and being an issue at school is something he does. He's done it from page 1 and we'll see if that continues. It is part of his entire character arc, he has shown growth outside of that. But being impulsive and willing to toe the line is just who he is, he's done it outside of school as well to varying consequence. I think I've only used him getting detention twice? They were called to the councellor's office once as a group, but they weren't in any sort of trouble. Then I think after the prank they were in detention for a couple of hours, but I didn't really focus much on that as a whole. If anything, my editor tells me I overuse, Bailey 'Fucking' Ashton. @wildone Cindy may not see that she is doing anything wrong. Henry might, but we don't really know that. Other than her blowing up and Luke finding out what she said to Jackson that night aside - she may be warm in other ways. Luke also scared her, so her being restrictive this one time, probably made a lot of sense. It was out of character for Luke to drink, it is far worse that he came home nearly passed out drunk. So for her sake, she might need to calm down, but to her knowlege she may not see the damage she is doing. --- Again, sorry for the delays.

Thank you for reading and liking the chapters and such as you've read through it. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

Not saying your torment might be waiting for you by the end of it. *whistles*

‘He’s still grounded, nice try,’ I read the response from a text from Luke’s phone from a couple of days ago. It was a risk for me to be texting, but it had been three weeks. What sucked worse is that I was sitting on the other side of the cafeteria from him right now, staring at him. I didn’t know why I just didn’t stand up and cross the space between us and sit down at his table. It was full of the Church school castaways now, only Olivia stayed and reminded me, daily, that Cindy was winning,

You'll need that discount, dealing with the likes of that riffraff.

Woops! Totally missed this, I'm not used to my comment section going on to multiple pages. Lol. Thank you for your kind words. I'm not sure my patients would agree. Lol. They don't call us Physical Terrorists for nothing. (Physical Therapy) I'm typically the one that has to get them up and moving after painful surgeries and the like. Making old bones and worn out muscles keep working, and that sort of thing. I do try to be gentle and understanding though.

I read it at a glance and thought you posted Nudenik.. and I wondered just how old I've gotten that I missed another meme that turned into a slang term. That had been around just long enough for official dictionaries to assign definitions to..

It is a mindset that might help people get rid of nagging writer's block. Soldiering on and putting words to paper, even if it ends up as something that will never be seen. You can always pull from those ideas 'laying on the editing room floor.." later on. I already have 3 DNFs for The Best Year, one I posted as a deleted scene. One I scrapped and deleted, but now I'm thinking it would have been interesting to post as a deleted scene as well. I have half a chapter entitled Chapter 40 - DNF.. lol. I've already pulled from it twice to complete chapter 40 the one you will see and I used a portion of it for Chapter 41. It isn't bad to be of that mindset if you take it for what it is, an experiment to see if you find something that works for you and the story. I still like the story, Jackson has been really fun to write. I just find it difficult to wind down stories to a close, it is a challenge I've had since I started writing. I know I can't write Jackson forever, I want to move on eventually.. lol. There's only so much of, 'A year..' to put into The Best Year. I already know 'what' I am going to cover as far as major plot points. I already know how I want to end the story as well. Just the physical labor and the minor filling and fleshing out is the unknown - as those become a lot of the bulk of a story. Those can make or break the scenes that are necessary, if they don't build right, they don't support the major plot points. They're just as important, otherwise readers just feel like they're being jerked around like they're on a carnival ride, only seeing glympses of what should make up an entire picture as they're zoomed around in a cirle. Those scenes I am struggling with now are mostly my own doing, so getting past those will be lovely, for that I will have to soldier on. I just hope I do it in a way that keeps you all engaged. So it isn't a bad mindset really, it is a mindset that could be necessary for a bit. You shouldn't force feed your writing though. If it isn't there and you force it, readers can see it plain as day.

Yeah, for a sequel to work there has to be a sort of conflict that moves it. If it is medical, I could probably do a lot of that off-hand, since I am in that field. I wouldn't need a lot of research material. Something that directly happens to Ridley would also need to take place though, most of you wouldn't read a story about the direct interaction between Ridley and his father. Maybe you would, but I feel there has to be something more to not have that bog things down. Yeah, me and Steve do get into weird sort of discussions and such. The coin flipping was just one of those random moments where I was tired of waffling back and forth on continuing the story or doing a sequel or just tucking my head and soldiering on with TBY. I am finding it a bit of a challenge to fall back into Jackson's character after writing Ridley, I keep thinking I've made Jackson too subdued.. they're not the same type of character at all. Thank you for reading the story and enjoying it! You can hope, hoping for things can be good at times.. optimism is good as well. At least if something did grow from this story, there's only 33k words and 5 parts to reread and become reacclimated in his world.

Thank you again for reading. I have nothing on the table after, "The Best Year," ends. I don't know when that story will end, it is 40 chapters in and close to 260,000.. words?!? I can't remember.. lol. But I also can't promise things, as we've learned from this story, they carry a lot of weight.