Bondwriter

CJames, if you do 11, then 11 bis and then go straight to 13, we'll know you're really in league with the forces of evil.

As I said above: I don't know what I would think if I read the story in one stretch, but as a fixture in a serial, if it happens three or four times, it's rather funny. Maybe CJames will have to rewrite a few transition lines once he has the thing posted for people to read as a whole, but it doesn't bother me at the moment since he's posting it as a weekly serial. I love pulp and serials, and part of the charm (to me) lies in the clich

One can't be praising all the time. I agree: she adds some extra info, but to me it sounded a bit like "The Show So Far", and this could be an opportunity to have Veronica's voice heard louder. Yeah, the whole "Dex has to wait before he goes to California and figure it out" gets me rather nervous.

Yes, another cliff-hanger, and the phrase Chris has grown to dread... Even the police is baffled, so thereaders don't fare much better. Still as exciting to read as always. One comment: why does the author have the full tale of events by Veronica, which is basically a summary of what we already know, and could have been summed up a bit, with the little extra info added as Chris' story does? Killer cops on the loose... Darn! Darn! I hope they don't harm our heroes, I'm starting to grow quite fond of Steve, Chris and their friends...

Long training, low margins, high risk... We'd have a better chance at starting a publishing house. We can still make spiffy uniforms and have people speaking in the intercom, if this is what appeals to you.

That would be awful if it was in reference to Steve's actual body. Like Steve gets shot by the Sheriff and Chris investigates with his lover in a coma, only to have him wake up at the end of chapter 28, just in time for the epilogue. No, too melodramatic... (sidenote: CJames is a marketing mastermind. He gave me hints a couple weeks ago -- through PM-- of scenes to come "but not before quite a few chapters yet", or something like this as I'm not quoting him verbatim. And the more I see the story, the more I wonder how this will all fit in...)

They are villains! Imagine the Joker shoplifting... Or Hannibal Lecter jaywalking! If they deal drugs, it's on a grand scale, and if they embezzle, they have tens of accounts scattered from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland! A crime that's no longer as fashionable in fiction as it used to be is treason of one's country. Well the end of the USSR put an end to this, but if they could sell military secrets to Iran this would be good too. The Al Qaeda connection seems quite unlikely as I think about it. Getting back closer to Michael's original suggestion, they could smuggle in illegal immigrant they would sell as slave labor. Trading in human beings is pretty disgusting. If they push drugs, they need to also do drugs with women of ill virtue. For the pastor, there should be some sex-related problem. Or will CJames avoid this easy clich

The only reason I didn't post the band I'm in's address all over the places I hang out for stories is that it's the band's site. Others are OK with it, but I'm not officially out to all of them. But usually we keep each other informed of the "official" advertising. So I gave it in PM to lots of people, but never formally posted it. But now you've got me wondering. I mean I should really make sure the coming out is official so I can give the address. It wouldn't hurt if more people heard us. We'd even get new friends on MySpace, I bet. So, same as Graeme.

Platypus eggs will give them a distinct Australian flavor. But maybe you could tell us about the size and weight of these?

Just noticed it today. From my own experience, for the professional side of it, I'd say you should check with American people also, because I don't want to say Camy's wrong, but having hung out with bands from all over the world, I noticed a lot of business aspects are really different between the US and Europe. Though there are more similarities between the UK and the US than between the UK and France. Otherwise, it's promising. Otherwise, I remember that when I toured, the biggest activity in the back of the van was reading. Not going to say anything about hotel rooms, though.

I've been quite bothered by this cop's antiques. At first I thought it was the way cops in Arizona behaved, and I decided not to go spend my next vacations over there. I did a little research that proved what everybody said: shooting people is wrong, even for cops in rural Arizona. That's why I decided to go to psychicswhoknowwhat'sgonnahappennext.com. Their services are rather costly, but I couldn't live in anguish for another week. Here's what they said (they like to make it sound a bit weird): Thou shalst be patient and in chapter 11 and a little bit in chapter 12 thou shalst find out a motive there is for the sheriff's crazy behaviour. And in Chapter 13 and chapter 14 thou shalst discover Steve and Chris into more problems run. But CJames a wise man is. He knows what he's doing. Of course, saying CJames is a wise man as he discusses goats at great length makes me doubt a bit the veracity of the information. (Plus the whole Yoda meets King James babble doesn't make it sound very serious...) But two weeks from now I'll know if I should get a refund. 15 chapters to go? These two boys have already been: blackmailed, robbed, vilified and slandered by fundies, shot at. There are still tons of perils they can encounter: giant porcupines from the southern hemisphere, feathers and tar, a whole range of weapons that haven't been used (from the bazooka to the basic rifle), they may be thrown into water so they drown (but they won't), kidnapped and sold to work in a salt mine, if not in a mid-eastern harem, forced to listen to the complete recordings of Billy Graham played backwards... I trust the author to be even more imaginative than that.

I got extremely frustrated, as always when I watch a movie or read a book, to experience once again the fact that however loud I shout to the character: "No, don't do this! Don't drive there! Don't use precious fuel for BS reasons!", as many before him (some of whom ending up victims of vicious killers or of dreadful perils), Chris didn't listen to me either. I agree with Rick. The Piedmont Sheriff is a f**king b... :mace: I have a hard time understanding why Veronica also tells Chris to run away from him in the first place. I mean, I'm pretty sure this sheriff has ulterior motives and stuff, but I'd understand better if Chris had come to pick up a quarter of an ounce of weed to forget his BF's "unfaithfulness" than coming for a quick and friendly chat. At the same time, it makes me hate the guy, understand there is a conspiracy of uptight neurotic criminal minds and hope for a very happy ending when all these people will be thrown in the slammer. Chris is really nice: he longs for his lover when he's being chased at full speed and shot at. He's a hell of a kid. (If I may without risking to infuriate Thaddeus) Well, CJames, you've set your readers's expectations pretty high! There are questions to be answered! I hope you can still sleep at night!

Huh? CJames? Are you waiting for something in particular or are you just building up some tension so people taunt you ruthlessly into posting the new chapter? Or... do you like being ruthlessly taunted? :wacko:

Did I miss something or what? This whole page #10 is only about animals' breeding habits! This is getting silly! *enters a policeman eager to put an end to all the silliness*

I got outside wearing just a shirt last night and it didn't feel cold! But if the weather truly gets screwed up, within a few decades northern France could have much colder winters if the Gulf Stream no longer brings warm water from the south in the winter. Let's enjoy while it's still enjoyable. And make the right choices so we stop making it worse!

I had not used an adjective, had I? Now I'll have to think of a serious one. Brace up for the worst! :2hands: I think he's just fighting the urge, and if you look a bit, there seems to be somewhat of a pattern: CJames waits (or tries to) for two posts of others before he replies. This is step 4 of the therapy at P.A. "Group, I'd like to share with you last week's achievement: I managed to let FOUR people post in my story thread before I replied!" cheers "Way to go Brother CJames!" And notice how your taunts prompted a reply, Jack. Not very good for next week's meeting! This is incredible! It took me several minutes to realize this was for real! I'll pay even more attention to the disclaimers in the coming chapters. If we're asked to be the judge, I'd say it sounds more as a disguised sign of affection than as real malevolence. You know, the rugged-cowboy-who-mumbles-a-lot-but-deep-down-is-a-nice-guy type of thing. Especially since it was all so subtly pointed out afterwards so we'd notice.

So Jack, you're basically trying to antagonize everyone? You won't succeed, my man. I bet CJames will remain very serene. Still, I'm posting a second message so the author may reply without being taunted for his heavy posting habits. The Echidnas' circus: a circus from down there is touring Arizona with its Southern porcupines doing numerous numbers that amaze the young and the old. The cage is not locked, the echidnas' herd escapes and find a really nice shelter in Steve and Chris' bedrooms that they invade at dusk. Is it any weirder than the parade CJames witnessed in person?

They might also have tons of them on the road that they drive over. But a responsible author will now try to build up some healthy competition in his team and then he might also make up some clever trick to boost one of his editors' ego, to have others strive in order to achieve the same thing in the following chapter. That's HRM 101.

"Race with the Devil"? So the sinister Thaddeus J. Emoe (now I understand why you praised your team of beta readers and editors last week... Didn't want to alienate them before you started making fun of them...) is in fact the leader of some cult in which the followers revel in glorifying pain in the hope of a better future. A bunch of sickos, if I may. Is Eric in league with these evildoers, or is he himself the victim of some blackmail forcing him to act as he did? Hopefully Dex won't be delayed much longer and we'll know ASAP what the mysterious data stick conceals. Nobody seems really worried about the possible problem in the relationship, but could there be some other truth besides what we know from Veronica? Or did the conspirators forge some document to try to pull Steve and Chris apart? Will more of Cjames' team be lampooned as they're cast as villains in the story? Wait, wait patiently... The answers of these questions will come in the next 16 chapters!

I write illustrated fiction working with an artist. It is tons of fun to do, if only for the team work; it does also bring the problems of teamwork, but the pros outweigh the cons. And yes, it is aimed at a young audience too. It is quite different from a novel with just words. Otherwise a nice photograph (on the cover) of the setting does improve the reading experience if it matches the atmosphere of the book closely.

Can you actually eat goat meat? I mean, it can certainly be eaten but is it a delicacy as lamb or mutton? The only foods goats provide us with are dairy products, and milk comes from she-goats... (Rereading my innocent question. Please refrain from any improper comment that could arise from the above lines...)

I read lots of hard-boiled fiction and it often deals with people who have streaks of bad luck, and who eventually die. This usually makes sense as the whole plot leads to this climax. But if you get some sentimental fiction with loveable characters and one of them dies in the end just to have the audience shed a tear, ME NOT LIKE IT!

I think Cjames answered about the fundies. I'm very glad it seems as exotic to me as tropical storms, yellow buses or the Rose Bowl, but I lived in a born-again family for a year when I was 17, and some things were really scary, even though I got along with and loved those people. I didn't feel there was so much of a jump in the story as the week is described briefly, but it seems Chris is just too happy with what's happening to him to bring up the problems Steve may have. And nothing relevant to the plot happens. I just saw it as a "getting back into a normal life" moment. Maybe some extra spacing to give the fast reader the feel of time going by?