Graeme

No, tequila isn't a (known) antidote for cane toad poison, but Eric didn't use his bare hands to handle the toad, so he should be okay. The others also ushered the toad out, rather than trying to pick it up. Some Cane Toad information. Byron Shire, where this information is taken from, is a long way south of the location in the story. Cane toads were first introduced well north of the story location. They've been spreading steadily ever since

The policy of the company I work for is effectively: "We know you're going to do some private surfing. Just keep it under control and be reasonable. It's a company resource and not to be abused." However, when I'm on a customer network, I'm very cautious about what sites I'm accessing.

The earlier chapter definitely gave me the impression that Jerry really is Joe Clump's dad (the Carlisle brothers and Helen knew him when he first appeared in the story). The band looks like they are about to meet Dimitri, so that question is going to be answered, but I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Dimitri is clearly portrayed as Russian with years of experience in... er... certain activities, and with only a degree of good English. Joe was portrayed as younger, with a good command of the English language. I certainly didn't get the impression that he's Russian. The relationship between Joe and Jerry is one that interests me. How much does Joe know of his dad's activities? Does he know anything about them? We'll just have to wait to find out the answer to those questions Jerry said that he was estranged from his son because he's gay. However, the narration says that The Scar is straight, and that Jerry is a persona of his. This means that if Joe and Jerry are estranged, it's not because Jerry's gay. Are they really estranged, and if so, why? There are a lot of unanswered questions....

Happy Birthday! I hope things are going well for you. Good luck and best wishes for the future!

Happy 30th Birthday, Little Buddha! Have a great day!

I was thinking of this yesterday and there's a quick and easy response. Child mortality is a lot higher in Africa than it is in the USA. Does that mean God hates African children? Of course not! It's the circumstance they find themselves -- don't confuse cause and effect. This is reporting a disease that is more prevalent in a small group. The term "gay community" in this situation is not saying "homosexuals", but "that subset of homosexuals that live in a particular area and engage in particular activities". Why do they do those particular activities? Because they are clinging together against what is perceived as a hostile (or not particularly friendly and accepting) general society.

Reading stories is, for a lot of people, an exercise in an assisted fantasy. We like to imagine we're there with the characters. When we know the story is real, it adds to that fantasy, because it adds a strong "and this could happen to me" element. It also helps the suspension of disbelief that is required when reading, because you know that it's true and it doesn't matter how unlikely something is -- it actually happened!

To be fair, Jerry was misunderstood -- no one understood is actually a homicidal international arms dealer is organising the building of nuclear weapons so he can take over a country. I would say he's been definitely misunderstood! This goes back to what Helen threatened Eric with a couple of chapters ago. She told him that she had organised for him to be outed after the Las Vegas concert. She said it could help handle the rumours if one of the band members were to "come out". She suggested it be Eric to keep the attention from Brandon and Chase Eric, needless to say, wasn't happy with the suggestion and this reference is showing that Helen is still keeping the threat hanging over his head

I love skiing, but it's an expensive sport (at least here in Australia). We took the boys skiing for the first time last winter, and they loved it We can't afford to go again this year, but maybe the year after. However, I wouldn't want to ski in the weather you mentioned -- way too cold. I'm a warm weather skier (relatively speaking). It's not often below 0C during the day in the Australian ski fields.

Happy Birthday!

Chapter 22 link. I think that's a little subdued, Colin. Try it like this: OMG, OMG, OMG 22 is up. No cliffhanger, but (at least for me) a surprise of all possible surprises! A surprise of epic proportions! No, way beyond epic!! I think that has more impact Oh, and yes, I knew about it. I had to as one of the beta-readers, to make sure everything was consistent. Congratulations to the ones that picked it. I certainly had no idea until I was told. Oh, and I loved the bit with the cane toad. Eric was lucky with how he did it -- they're an imported pest and cause a lot of damage because (amongst other things), they're poisonous. They have poison glands on their skin that can be really nasty....

Actually, since you have the power to change anything up to the point of posting, I would have to say that only you are capable of giving spoilers for your own story Beta readers can have their tongues cut out, though, if they blab too much -- I think that's reasonable.

Favourite recipes? A short bio, maybe, or something that you have a passion about? Favourite websites (after GA)?

Good luck! I think once you call him and meet him in person again, you'll know if you've been misreading things. I hope you haven't

New Bacteria Strain Is Striking Gay Men (Source: The New York Times) A new, highly drug-resistant strain of the “flesh-eating” MRSA bacteria is being spread among gay men in San Francisco and Boston, researchers reported on Monday. In a study published online by the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the bacteria seemed to be spread most easily through anal intercourse but also through casual skin-to-skin contact and touching contaminated surfaces. The authors warned that unless microbiology laboratories were able to identify the strain and doctors prescribed the proper antibiotic therapy, the infection could soon spread among other groups and become a wider threat. ...

G'day, John! I lived in the West Midlands for a year, but not near you. I was in the heart of the Black Country -- Dudley Welcome and I look forward to your stories when you're ready to post them. Graeme :mace:

:king: :king: Happy 21st Birthday, Robbie! :king: :king: Have an absolutely fantastic day!

Not quite. It's due on Tuesday. It's Tuesday here in Australia, but only Monday in Arizona....

Yep! I'm a 90% guy. I'll get something to 90% of what I want and accept that, because that last 10% is usually too much work. I've just discovered the power-saver setting.... we'll see how the battery goes when I change it and try again. Thanks for the suggestion, though. My main word processor is OpenOffice which I know is available on other O/S's, so if I have any problems, I might give that a go.

I thought about it, but it's not right to do that in an author's forum without their permission. Damn ethics....

The tone of voice, or the context, will tell you if it was meant as an insult or a compliment. Some people love donuts, so it could be an oddball way of saying you're sweet and loveable. When in doubt, take it as a compliment

My personal view is that cliffhangers should be used with care. Early on, they help build reader interest. Near the end, they build tension before the final resolution. In between -- use sparingly. My person view You don't have to admit using them -- your stories speak for themselves I won't imply you're not a lurker -- I'll just blatantly state it C James, you're not a lurker. As an aside, I'm thinking we should keep this thread active at all times in this forum. Having it as one of the top threads in the forum should encourage CJ to provide us with new stories to keep us occupied

Happy 22nd Birthday! I hope you have a great day, and a fantastic year ahead!

That wasn't the intention, even if it worked out that way. Anyway, it's ONE good looking young man, not all of them....

Trawling for compliments? Yes, it's a good picture. It won't hurt everyone else to wait six months, though, before they see it.