Mancunian

Time flies when you're having fun, as the saying goes. For Charlie and Michael Baxter, time did seem to fly. It felt like a lifetime ago they had been struggling to hold things together, living rough, yet the reality was it had only been a matter of weeks since they were whisked off the streets by Max and Stacy. At that time, Michael had been in hospital with pneumonia before joining Charlie, briefly living with Max and Stacy and then moving into Gramp's spare room. Both of them now had jobs tha

An Apology. I owe my readers an apology, Chapter 14 should have been posted today but unfortunately, it hasn't been posted. This is due to an error on my part. When I went to post the chapter I realised that I had sent my editor an earlier edit and the wrong version of the chapter. So that I can keep the high standard that I have set with the story so far I have had to delay posting to allow my editor time to do the final checks. I do not want to post something substandard and disappoint you. The Chapter will now be posted either tomorrow or Thursday.

I'm off to bed now, I've got an appointment tomorrow afternoon and I'm feeling tired after putting some finishing touches to my next chapter. Unfortunately, it means it will be a day or late because It still needs Terry to check it over for editing before I can post it.

I love the pic, I'll bet some of the readers have downloaded it. 😀

I've read all of Gary's western stories, he's made me addicted to them, lol

I love the whole chapter, including the kiss. It was the most emotional chapter of the story bringing tears of sadness and happiness in one chapter from start to finish. I'm eager to read next week's chapter.

I do wear glasses, but it had nothing to do with that, the chapter made me feel emotional is all. It's Gary's writing, he draws me into the story so much.

Albert, when you read today's chapter from @Headstall did you have the same problem as I did, I had something in my eyes blurring my vision and making reading difficult.

Damn! I got something in my eyes just after I started reading this chapter. It made it difficult to read such an emotion filled chapter with that something making my eyes water. But I got to the end of it. I feel for what both men have gone through in their past, especially Jubal. But now they have declared themselves to each other and done so in such a way that it is almost like a marriage. I wish them well for the future and look forward to reading of their adventures in building that relationship. Thank you for a great chapter and on New Year's Day too. I applaud your story telling skills sir. 👏👏👏

Sometimes that's the best thing to do.

The weather is about as unreliable as British weather can be, so I'm staying indoors and relaxing after a busy Christmas.

Hi B, how has your first day of 2024 been?

Hi Terry, I hope you're not too hung-over today , lol.

Aloha Albert. What culinary delights do you have planned for today?

Written by @northie, with what felt like hints of @Carlos Hazday. A great light-hearted tribute to a friend that we all miss.

Written by @northie, with what felt like hints of @Carlos Hazday. A great light-hearted tribute to a friend that we all miss.

A beautiful tribute that helps to imagine what meeting with Carlos would have been like.

Beautifully written. I'm sure I'm not on my own when I say, I would have loved to have met Carlos and chatted over a coffee. I magine we would have had a lot of laughs, fun and serious conversation as we 'put the world to rights'. Maybe that will happen if we get the chance to meet in the next world.

A beautiful and heartfelt tribute to a friend who will always be missed.

What a beautiful tribute that expresses love and feelings that come from the heart. I never met Carlos, we only interacted online, this tribute confirms that Carlos was in real-life as I imagined him from our interactions online. It is also a good reminder that Carlos hasn't left us, he is still with us in his writing and in our hearts.

Hey everybody, I hope you all have a great time celebrating The New Year tonight. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Wow, now that's a legend I'd like to hear. Can...can you tell us that legend?

G'night B, sweet dreams.

I think this is one of those times when a beta reader and/or editor can be a help. A lot of my stories have been written without them and they have turned out to be good stories that in many cases are poorly written. For my latest story, I accepted the offer of an editor/beta reader who has been invaluable. When I've sent them drafts of chapters the feedback, helpful hints, tips and suggestions have helped to improve the flow and continuity, when I've been stuck on how to continue they have been supportive and kept me on track. As a result, some scenes have been fleshed out, and others have been cut back by using alternative words and/or phraseology. The result has been far less lagging and better pacing. I'm not saying this is the answer, but it has helped and worked for me so I'm sure it can work for others too. The key to the way this has worked for me is that my editor/beta reader is as invested in the story as I am and has a good understanding of me and the story I am writing and the direction that I want it to go. I hope this helps and I'd love to read what works for others.

There was a tornado that hit an area called Stalybridge, which is around 6 or 7 miles away from me. Fortunately, the surrounding areas were not affected, but many houses in Stalybridge suffered property damage, leaving some people unable to live in their homes. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries or loss of life, although many people were left shaken by the tornado.