Graeme

Doug has a good side. Even Clarissa sees that: Clarissa pulled a face. “Much as I hate to say it, Doug can be a good guy, too. He’s got a lot of rough edges and a particularly severe nasty streak, but he’s extremely loyal. He makes a good friend and a formidable enemy.” The problem is how to make him your friend. If you manage that trick, you've got a very loyal friend on your side. Then the problem becomes one of how to make sure he doesn't go overboard in protecting you....

I can categorically state that he hasn't fallen off a cliff. He has this aversion to cliffs...at least that's what he claims. He's one of the beta readers for my current novel and he's still doing that, so I know he's still around.

Thank you! To be honest, I think I'm downplaying the politics of the AFL business, but then the business itself is still evolving. The way things were done twenty years ago is very different in many respects to the way they're done today. As part of the research for this story, I read the Nathan Buckley biography and the machinations of the clubs before he started playing in the AFL were incredible. I'm guess that those sort of things still occur, but are much more closely scrutinised now than they were then. Essentially, all the clubs are constantly looking for a way to get an edge over the other clubs. If being sneaky to pick up a highly-talented player is required, then they'll be sneaky...as long as they don't violate any explicit AFL regulations. Of course, that doesn't stop them stretching and distorting those regulations until they're on the verge of breaking, but as long as they don't break the regulations....

Thank you! I'm not sure what else I can say without potentially giving out spoilers...

Sometimes, two parents talking about an issue can help. Other times, it just makes thinks worse. We'll have to wait and see which is the case here.

No, Ty can't refuse the draft. Part of the processing of nominating for the draft is to agree to accept a two year contract with whatever club drafts you. The players don't get much say in the matter, apart from making their preferences known beforehand. Only the really strong prospects will do that, though, and they'll only do it rarely, because it's a big risk -- the other clubs may decide that they're not worth picking, and if the club they wanted doesn't select from for any reason, they miss out. I don't know why you're waiting anxiously for Neil's visit to his parents. What could possibly go wrong?

Clarissa smiled at Evelyn. It was just before school on Monday morning. “Given that the response to my text on Sunday morning was ‘Fuck off, I’m busy’, I’m guessing you had a good time at the party.” Evelyn laughed. “Yeah, I did. I’d’ve liked it to go further, but he thought I was a bit young. I persuaded him otherwise Saturday night, but he still wanted to end it when we finished Sunday afternoon.” She shrugged. “It was fun, but he’s probably too old for me. You know these older guys – no stam

Based on what they've said in the article, the thrust would be insufficient to be able to push a craft out of Earth's gravitational field. Just like an ion or photon rocket engine, this would be a low but sustained thrust. As I was reading it, I couldn't help think of another 'propellentless' engine from a science fiction short story (I can't remember the author, but I believe it was either Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke). In that story, a smart scientist on an orbital satellite worked out that they could produce electricity from the electrical potential difference between two extremes of the satellite (low and high orbit portions). Someone pointed out that they didn't need electricity because solar panels produced a lot more, anyway, and that the energy produced would be as a result of passing through Earth's magnetic field, and draining power this way would result in an increased orbital decay (a problem for the satellite). It was as if they was a very, very large electric generator with a rotor that turned once per orbit. However, that second person realised that the only difference between a traditional electric generator and an electric motor was the direction of flow. What they did was instead of using Earth's magnetic field to produce electricity, they feed the electricity from the solar panels back the other way and used Earth's magnetic field as an electric motor that allowed them to manoeuvre in space and maintain their orbit without the use of propellants (similar to what was proposed in the article). I couldn't help wonder if the effect that they're seeing is somehow related to a similar thing -- an interaction with Earth's magnetic/electrical field. If so, it wouldn't work in deep space to anywhere the same degree (as it would have to use the Sun's magnetic/electrical field, which would be weaker).

Welcome! You know not what you're asking when you request great stories... A lot will depend on the type of stories you like, but you can't go wrong if you start with Dom Luka's stories (especially Desert Dropping). Indeed, just browse through the Classic Author, Signature Author, and Promising Author lists -- that will keep you busy for days, if not weeks. And that only touches the surface, as there are many great stories outside those lists, too. If you'd like to keep yourself busy with short stories, try the various anthologies as there are many, many great stories there that won't take long to read. Just...enjoy! Browse through the story collection, using the story tags to find things you're interested in, or maybe the advanced search feature. And, there's also the advanced options to allow you to find stories by other means, too. Have fun!

Good news about Navigator I remember reading your very first short story that was posted at AwesomeDude. I loved that one and while I haven't read Rumours of War yet (way too many things on my plate), I fully intend to if I can ever find the time....

My 80's wardrobe wouldn't fit me any more... I'm not exactly the same shape I was then

Regarding Neil's parents, my view is that homophobia always has a reason. Most of the time it's either ignorance or fear, though there are other root causes, too. In Phil's case, it appears to have been ignorance, and he's been forced to learn more about what being gay means. He's still confused, but he's no longer as ignorant as he once was.

One of the challenges with a welfare system is how to wean people off it. A remember a report back in the 90s here in Australia that stated that the effective tax rate for some people on welfare was over 90%. That is, as they earned more, their welfare payments were reduced to reflect their increased income (which is reasonable). The problem was that the reduction in welfare was close to being equal to the amount their after-tax income increased, so the person was working for more, but not seeing much out of it. That was acknowledged as a problem and disincentive to improve, and there was a lot of work done to reduce that issue. I believe welfare is needed. There will always be those who take advantage of the situation, but there are many more who need the assistance. Working out the best way to give that assistance without it becoming a permanent crutch is the problem.

I didn't come up with the nickname -- Doug did! It's a contraction of 'Four-Eyed Dork' from the short period of time that Neil wore glasses instead of contact lenses. Paul is equal-third largest Leopard. He's 195cm/6'5" and 94kg/207lb. That's from the dramatis personae from Leopard Skin Cover. The two bigger guys are Zach at 200cm/6'7" and Roger at 196cm/6'5". Jai is the other equal third, also at 195cm.

Yes, Liam's parents are human. Have they made a mistake? Possibly.... If so, what is Liam going to do about it?

Parents are human, too. They make mistakes, and sometimes they try to cover up those mistakes rather than confess. Liam and Neil will finish school in November (in the story it's current the end of May/start of June). Around that time they will apply for university courses and will then have to wait until January to find out which universities will offer them places. This is very different to the way things are done in the USA, where (as I understand it), the process takes place much, much earlier.

Yes, you're right. Liam's parents are over-reacting. They're not thinking things through properly. How much of that is an initial bad response, and then trying to be consistent by following through on an initially wrong decision? Not good parenting, but it's definitely a very human reaction.

Thanks, Maarten! Liam is smart enough to know what he can and cannot do when it comes to Neil. Whether that's enough, we'll have to wait and see. What happens next year will be critical -- will Neil go to Sydney or stay in Melbourne? If Neil goes to Sydney, can Liam follow him?

After racing up the grandstand steps, Liam paused a few paces from Neil. He hesitated, wondering if he should make the first move or if it was time to let Neil take the lead. Neil slowly rose to his feet. “Liam, I...” “It’s okay.” The shadows meant that Liam couldn’t make out Neil’s expression, but he sensed that Neil was still ready to flee. He had to proceed slowly, though he took strength from knowing that Neil had invited him. Neil’s head dropped. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” Liam swallowed

That is...wonderful! Thank you!

Finished! Now I should get back to doing what I'm supposed to be doing....

If the UK is anything like Australia, welfare payments are not tied to particular expenditure. The person gets essentially a regular paycheck that should be enough to live on, but with minimal available for luxuries. One of the problems is that it's not cost-productive to tailor the welfare for individual situations, so the person who has to fully support themselves receives essentially the same as someone who receives support from other family members. This allows some people to abuse the system. I think that's a fact of life: there are always people who will scam/manipulate things to gain an advantage. And, of course, it makes great news headlines to point out those people, while the multitudes for which welfare is actually helping them are not considered newsworthy. I remember being told of a charity food store for the disadvantaged. The people who work there often have to help those who attend by placing items in their shopping baskets for them because they're too embarrassed/proud to take the charity, even though they need it. They're the sort of people that welfare helps. The person in the original story is the sort who would wander in and take everything they can. Happily, they appear to be a minority.

Australia's warmer, and we also have a generally more tolerant police force. There are always exceptions (especially in isolated areas), but the police here participate in our gay pride marches, so.... (A few years ago, a conservative radio personality tried to kick up a stink because the police were given time off to march. He didn't think that was right. As far as I know, nothing came of that).

Thank you! In the lead up to writing this chapter, I spent a lot of time listening to an 'easy listening' radio station. Those two songs seemed to fit what I wanted, so that's what I used. I would've liked to have included the lyrics, but then I'd get into lots of copyright complications.... Yes, it was cute. I make no apologies for that

Thank you!