Wayne Gray

It's like nothing I've ever written before. I'm experimenting with style, mechanics, setting, and the incredible complexity of all the relationships possible in this new future I've built. It's pretty fun so far. I do hope people enjoy it, but... I've really enjoyed the challenge of writing it. I've probably got something like three more chapters to go. So... maybe around 12-13 chapters total. Not too long, and the end is in sight.

I love it when I'm writing, and three of the more substantial "floating scenes" I've been saving all land in the same chapter. BAM. Started a chapter yesterday. Done today. Just had to stitch those scenes together in a sensible manner, and it's done. Sometimes I'll write a floating scene and never use it. Sometimes they get wildly adjusted. Then, some I can just drop in. That's how these went. Super satisfying to go from 700 to 3,600 words in... ten minutes. LOL Chapter 8 done. Moving on to 9 after work is over today. I hope everybody else is having a great day.

I... never thought of doing that. Jeez. :-s lol

I still suck with commas. So I need help with those. So... I'll keep using proofreading programs of some kind. I've just gotten a lot more aggressive when it comes to rejecting suggestions. I wish there was a setting of some kind to only see mechanical corrections. THAT would be exactly what I want out of a program like Grammarly. That said, I'm up to chapter seven on my newest one. It's slow going, but it's fun, too. My first attempt at writing a story set in space. It's going all right, overall. And part of writing is enjoying the process. I am, so I guess that's a success already.

Grammarly is doing that too, Brayon. I'm seriously considering cutting my Pro subscription next go around.

You may be right. Time will tell. 🙂

Thank you. It should. I wrote both, and I'm proud of Camp Refuge, so that's a compliment. After all, that's really where I found my "voice" as a writer. I hope you keep reading and that you enjoy this one.

I give a mean backrub. 😈

Instant coffee on meat doesn't taste like coffee once cooked. It adds a bitter dimension that's hard to find another way. Salt, fat, acid, heat, bitterness. Those are the pillars of flavor, and I try to use as many as possible when cooking.

Exactly! mmm good.

There's a technique where icing is applied to a still-warm cake, expressly because it will melt into the cake itself. Then it's iced again. I imagine something similar happened. Just... on a more... impressive? scale.

Medium rare or medium for me. One reason is a simple physical limitation of my throat. Yes, I'm a gay man who has problems swallowing meat. And when put that way, it just sounds sad and funny. Mostly funny... lol But I genuinely enjoy the flavor/texture of medium. A nicely grilled ribeye? There's nothing like it. Though, again... I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the steaks that came out of the oven. Wild stuff.

Ohhh... oh, that'd be bad. Awww. I bet there was a sad boy in the house that day. Maybe more than one! Luckily, mine turned out surprisingly good. It really was luck, though. Well... and my nose. "Those are some meaty-smelling potatoes..."

I can't even eat meat cooked well-done. It's too tough and dry, and my esophagus is constricted. So I literally can't eat it. Finding them medium? A miracle. And damn, the flavor of that rub exploded in that slow roast. It was one of the best things I've made in a long time. Figures it'd have been by accident. hahaha.

Picture this... It's a stunning Sunday afternoon in Eureka. Wayne has prepped three expensive but great-looking steaks. He's planning to grill, you see, and take advantage of the glorious sun. Along with that, he tosses three foil-wrapped potatoes into the oven, awaiting the hour of their ultimate fate. Wayne happily preps everything. The steaks are seasoned with instant coffee, sea salt, and coconut rub (for sweetness). He sets them aside and prepares portobellos to grill with the steaks. With everything prepped, and with an hour before he needs to grill, he relaxes in his room. Playing a video game. About ten minutes in, he goes to the kitchen and turns on the oven. The potatoes will need more cook time, after all. Forty-five minutes go by... and things are smelling great. He notices with a happy sniff that the potatoes must be pretty far along. But... there's something a little odd. Since it's time to grill anyway, he leaves his room. "What smells... meaty?" He frowns and looks for the steaks he'd left on the counter. "Where are my... oh no. NO." He opens the oven. There... on the ceramic plate he'd prepped them on, his three steaks bubbled and sizzled in 350 degrees, and had for the last 45 minutes. "NO!" He hurries to get them out of the oven. Standing there, he stares down at a $50 accident. The husband had put them in the oven to avoid flies, and Wayne didn't know that until FAR too late. As fate would have it, those steaks were absolutely a perfect medium. Not char-grilled, but literally a perfect medium. So... we ate them pretty happily. There were a couple of good lessons: One. With a balanced rub, baked steak can taste great. Two. Check the oven.