Graeme

Actually, I don't want to see it. From what I've read, it could be a very disturbing play. I expect it will be a big hit, but that's because of the Daniel Radcliffe factor, and the nudity. There will probably be a lot of women, and some men, going just for that. Most of them wouldn't be going to see it because of the script....

Thanks, Kevin, but I sincerely doubt that....

That statement makes me think you're mature enough to have kids -- you recognise your short comings and know what impact they'll have. When you DO think you're responsible enough, I would recommend looking into it. You'll find you'll make mistakes (I know I have) but you'll learn from those mistakes and by listening to others, you'll know what mistakes you should try to avoid. However, parenting is not for everyone (I know some straights who should never have become parents) so don't ever feel pressured into thinking you should have kids. Graeme

Happy Birthday, Justin! I hope you have a great year ahead

I'd love to do a sequel, but I've learnt my lesson -- I won't start a new story until I know how it will end. So far I haven't managed to come up with a decent plot and finish that would allow me to do a good sequel.

This advertisment is completely unpaid and spontaneous. ... if the keyboard off? ... okay. Thanks, James. The usual payment, I presume?

A good chapter We're beginning to see some of our suspicions confirmed, and some of the previous oddities explained. Given that the genre seems confirmed as action/adventure, this chapter fits well. If I have to give a negative I think it is because the characters are TOO quick to come up with answers to what is happening. If those answers are correct, then that's a little unbelievable. I'm hoping there are some things they have misunderstood, because it'll make the story that much better when the truth is revealed. Well done!

Bite your tongue! I agree that you're too young for kids, but my boys are the centre of my life I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have them.

Falls Creek Lessons was my second novel (though it was the first one I completed). New Brother was my first....

Happy 21st Birthday! May this be a year filled with love, happiness and prosperity.

Thanks, Jack! I read the article and it's just the sort of thing I like to read There are enough stories out there about the pain and suffering some people go through, so to read an article about a gay couple with kids and how the community around them is so supportive -- I think it's fantastic. Thanks again.

Very true. I tend to be reactive rather than proactive, so I need others to say something first. C James is very good at that. Just as a side point, while my first 1000 was slightly faster than CJ's first 1000 posts, his second 1000 were a lot faster (he reached 2000 in less than 10 months) and while he may not make 3000 in his first year, he won't be far off it. However, thanks everyone! I didn't join GA to reach 1000 posts, but once I became a member I felt I had an obligation to join in. I'd like to thank everyone here for making this a great place, and in particular Myr and the administration team for providing us with the opportunity to participate and make new friends.

100% agree. I know I lost readers with the first chapter of my first story because it just wasn't interesting enough (okay -- it was boring). When other people encouraged them to go back and keep reading they realised it picked up and improved from that point.

I should point out that the only reason C James is so happy is because he was the previous record holder, which didn't suit his image of 'lurker' very well... Thanks, CJ, Drewbie and Kurt!

Happy Birthday (even if it's a day late) I hope you enjoyed your birthday weekend.

Everyone has their favourite genres. What I can't work out is why I tend to write romances when what I prefer to read is Science Fiction and Fantasy, with the odd adventure story thrown in....

And just in case you were wondering if you could escape to Australia, I have a friend who works for the Australian Tax Office -- you can run, but you can't hide....

Congratulations, Drewbie! I'm sure I could add something witty, but I'm too drunk to do so

Thanks I wasn't trying to complain -- I was just curious and you've explained it. Cheers! Graeme

I'm curious -- why does it have to be a slow paced story if you don't find out who is gay until chapter 6+? In my current novel, Heart of The Tree there is no confirmation of who is gay and who isn't until well after that point, but I've not had anyone say that the story was slow-paced.... I think the difference for me is that I read a story as a story -- not as a gay story. I will expect that certain authors will include gay characters, but if the story itself isn't any good it doesn't matter if they have gay characters in chapter one. On the other hand, if the story is well-written, they can include the gay characters in chapter 20 and I'll still enjoy it.

You haven't said what you mean by a 'Straight scene', so I'm assuming you mean a sex scene. I heard someone describe a lot of the stories at Nifty as 'text-porn', and if you look at it from that context, I'm no more interested in reading a straight-sex scene than I would in watching straight porn. On the other hand, I'm very happy to read stories about relationships, regardless of whether they are are gay or straight. So, a 'straight scene' that showed the love of two people, who just happened to be of opposite sexes, is something that I have no problems reading. So, the answer depends on what it is you think you're reading. If you are reading gay 'text-porn', then a straight sex-scene is inappropriate. If you are reading a romance where the lead couple happen to be gay, then I don't think a straight romance in the same story is out of place. I personally tend to skip sex-scenes anyway, so it doesn't bother me if they are straight or gay. Love scenes, on the other hand, I'm quite happy to read, regardless of the sexes involved -- I'm reading for the emotion, not the mechanics.

Welcome, Viper! Feel free to join in if you want to. If not, just settle back and enjoy yourself.

I've been thinking a bit and I'm afraid I have to offer what I consider to be a small criticism (and a correction to my earlier post). I'm sure other readers will disagree with me. The ending is not really a cliff-hanger. To me, a cliff-hanger is a build-up to a situation that is then left unresolved. In this case, all CJ has done is to effectively say 'wait, there's more!' For a cliff-hanger, you could speculate on what is going to happen or wonder about different scenarios that would explain things. The ending he's done here, while mildly amusing because of the repetition of the phrase, gives absolutely no clues as to what is about to happen. It is just a statement that there is more bad news to come. As such, I have to admit that I found it annoying. It doesn't do the job of building up tension (which is, I believe, one the purposes of using a cliff-hanger) but is simply a hook to request that the readers stay tuned for more -- something that only works for a serialised story. My personal view is if a writer does this too often, I get turned off. It makes me feel that the author things I'm an idiot and that I need this petty trick to keep reading. C James is NOT at that stage yet, but I'm hoping he doesn't do this too many more times, or too often, because it WILL turn me off the story and make me wait until the story is finished before I read the rest. What do others think? Am I out on a limb by myself on this one? (It wouldn't be the first time )

The bullet-riddled body wasn't the jeep like I thought! It was C James's for ending with YET ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!!! There is no evidence to suggest that it was an echidna that pulled trigger