Bill W

How does the old song by Neil Sedaka go? "Breaking Up is Hard to Do". That says it all. Jace faced on of those uncomfortable situations when Chad left, but luckily he had Gary there to help him through it. If only we all had a friend like that.

With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all in rapid succession - it sounds like the trifecta from hell!

If I'd been diagnosed with diabetes, I'd probably have never survived. It's not so much the sweets, but giving up potatoes and pasta would have been nearly impossible. I'm glad I never had to face that situation and I can empathized with those who have. Thanks, Val, for another interesting and educational story.

Another story/chapter I enjoyed. And I know at one time you could have lured me in with a sweet man!

When I got to the end of the story, I had two thoughts. Is Cousin Russ the aforementioned Russell Tovey - possibly using a different last name for his acting gigs, or was the aunt the lady on the bus that he screamed at? Either way, it could make Christmas dinner very interesting. Thanks for a very entertaining story.

Another homerun, Val. Being a good Samaritan turns into a date. I wonder where it will go from there. Another great story for the holiday season, even if I'm coming to it late.

What a lovely story with a touching ending, Adi. I'm glad everything worked out. Val, I'd come to your party, but I'm afraid I'd go home 100 pounds (45 kg) heavier. 😲

If fruitcakes are that heavy to pick up, think about what they do to your body? It was an interesting story and I hope the mail carrier that gave him the fruit cake to delivers has to do both routes for a while. 🤪

what a cute and heartwarming story. I loved it. Thanks for sharing, Val.

I absolutely love these characters and was happy to see Hagan loosen up a bit. I can't wait to see if this improbably couple will actually get together. Thank you, Val, for given me another glimpse into this world.

Trust me, I know what it's like to start something and put it away, or sometimes even after it's posted, and then you come back and revise it. That totally happened with my Castaway Hotel series, and there were other stories like that as well. Thank you for the update.

How do I describe this wonderful story? It's supernatural if you think of the characters, and at times it's a horror story that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. When you finish reading this short story, you will probably have strong emotions about the various characters, in that you'll either love them or think their mindless dicks. And when you finish this stand alone story, it will leave you wanting more, and the author seems agreeable to making the readers happy by writing more. If I could have, I would have given this story a 6th star. Take a chance and read this story, I believe you'll find it an interesting as I did.

Val, as always, I'm late - 6 years late in this case, but I loved this story. I love the characters, I love the premise, and I love your writing style. As others pointed out, your characters achieve strong reactions from the readers, on polar opposites of the love-hate scale. That's a good sign and it brings readers back to see if their side will be victorious. I now how to go to your library to see your follow-up on this story. When I find it, I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me! Thank you for this wonderful story.

In the distant future, the residents of earth have all joined together to form the Terran Confederation, and they’re venturing into outer space and creating and expanding colonies in different worlds. In this new world, the old rules no longer apply and life is very different from the way it used to be, although conditions still aren’t perfect. The Terran Confederation now has to contend with an alien species from outside the solar system, and they’re creating problems and upsetting the calm that people have come to expect and enjoy. If you’re interested and wish to discover more about this new world for yourself, just click on the link and read this intriguing short story for yourself, so you can learn about what is going on, I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I did.

What? 😲 No comment from Steve before he gives a rundown of the week's events. Someone better take him to see a doctor immediately, 🩺 because Steve must be ill. Everyone please pray for him to get well soon! 🙏

I have no idea what you mean by picine, but if you mean piscine and want to put it on your fish, that's probably not a good idea either.

The first known use of the word piscine as an adjective was in 1670, as written by S. Gott. The first known use of piscine as a noun may have been in the 14th century, in the Northumbrian poem Cursor Mundi. In the ecclesiastical sense of the word piscine, the variation piscina is used to describe the "stone basin in a church placed close to the altar and used to receive the water in which the priest washed his hands before the celebration of the eucharist" and comes from late 15c.

Place it on your chest and the vapors will mask the other odor.

This is my favorite line in the story: “Mr. O’Kelly, society has grown up and moved past victimology. Everybody is judged on their own merits and the content of their character. Not upon the color of their skin, the religion they worship, who they love, how they look, how much government they think is enough or their adherence to doomed sports teams. It’s rather pleasant to embrace true diversity and work together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. That’s the ideal of Terran Confederation life. Embrace it. Even though I love the world you've created, I have to agree with Carlos. IMHO, unless you find a way to brainwash everyone, bigotry will eventually rear its ugly head. It may start out as something simple, such as someone having a dispute with several individuals that happen to have hazel eyes, so now he hates everyone with hazel eyes and tells everyone around him to hate people with hazel eyes, and eventually he'll convince others that he's right, although maybe for different reasons. Or possibly several left-handed individuals got the type of assignment that another person wanted and didn't get, so now he starts badmouthing and hating all left-handed individuals and his constant tirades eventually convinces others to start hating left-handed people as well, but for a variety of different reasons. No matter what you do, eventually people will start finding fault and hating a specific group of individuals with a common characteristic, and even if it's not race, skin color, religion, or sexual orientation, they'll eventually latch onto something that causes them to hate a specific group of individuals.

Do you mean the authors' names are Leo or that is their Zodiac sign?

If you love magical stories and believe in love then you'll want to read this enchanting story. The world could use a few people like Martin Pop that could bring a little magic into our lives and correct situations that might end badly. Take a moment to read this charming short story that will bring a little magic into your day.

What a wonderfully enchanting tale. I just wish that I'd read this sooner and Wayne was still around to read my comment and the review I'm going to give. Hopefully, he will still realize how much I truly enjoy his stories.

Sorry, my comment repeated.

Sorry, I missed that, but did you know that he was succeeded by Pope Hilarius. I wonder if he was also hilarious?

An interesting and sensitively written story about a once loving relationship that has gone bad. The author includes flashbacks that show how the relationship began and the warm and loving moments from the past, and this creates the sadness you feel when the relationship finally ends. Although we all realize that not all relationships will last forever, at least this one doesn't end with those involved constantly arguing and hating each other. Even though this short story has a sad ending, it's worth the time it takes to read it, and it may shed some insight into your own relationship.