Libby Drew

Oh my goodness! Look at this! Nobody as scatter-brained as me should be allowed a forum. I've let these lovely comments languish far too long. I'm so sorry! Happy Near Year, everyone! And thanks for reading. I like your idea of a happy ending. *wink* Thanks for the feedback. Will has a long way to go, but I think Jon will be there to help him. Thanks again and take care. Thank you, Steve. Too right about the lies. Both Will and Bran are beginning to see through them, but that's not where the danger lies...er, so to speak. Thanks again for reading! Thank you, Sandra. No, this is not the end. This story is outlined to be twenty chapters long. My life just hasn't cooperated, and I've had little time to devote to writing these past months. My New Year's resolution is to get back to this story and get it finished. Thanks very much for your kind words. Have a wonderful New Year! Happy New Year, J! Hope you're doing well. Thanks for such a thoughtful and insightful comment. Yeah, it's instinctive, I think, to want to hate Will's ex, but it wasn't an easy situation for anyone. Sophie really is a cutie, and much smarter than she lets on. She's very protective of Nate. Now if only I can carve out some time to get this darn thing finished! Thanks again and take care. I like to think of Will as holding on to his professional ethics, even if it's by a thread. And I believe this is what will help him crawl his way out of the pit his life has become. It won't be easy, you're right, but at least this time he's got people there to help him along. As for Bran, he knows more than he's letting on -- I can tell you that. Thanks, as always, for reading and for the feedback, and sorry this reply has been so long in coming. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Thanks very much, and you have every right to nudge me -- I've been seriously remiss in keeping up with my writing this month. I cam promise you that getting caught up on this story is my New Year's resolution. Another chapter of Beween Lives will be the next thing on my agenda. ;D Thanks for the encouragement and kind words.

LOL It was all I had time for that evening, BUT... I just posted chapter 3. Happy New Year, my dear! I hope it's a great one. Thanks for all the encouragement and feedback this past year.

Congratulations to you all!

You're looking at the situation from the right angle, J. Especially as it sounds the attack was directed at you personally. For me, those are the easiest "flames" to dismiss.

Thank you so much! I'm thrilled you're enjoying it. I hope to have the next chapter back from my betas tonight. If they send it back, I'll get it posted. Again, thanks for the kind words and feedback.

Shadow of the Templar by M. Chandler I have a good friend to thank for turning me on to these. The series currently consists of three novels (with the fourth on schedule for release early next near) and several short stories. The premise is this: There is Simon Drake (codename:Templar), the young hotshot FBI agent, whose job is to catch thieves. And there is Jeremy Archer, the infamous, international criminal wonder whose job is to steal things. They meet and ::cough:: fall in love ::cough:: try to kill each other. I adore the instant chemistry between the two, and it's a tension that never loses its edge, but by far the best part of the novels is, for me, the author's gift for writing banter. Simon's team very nearly steals the show, and I spent a good bit of time laughing over their antics and slick one-liners. Don't expect character studies

You know what, dear, I wasn't aware that you'd commented here, and I'm sorry. I thought I'd set it up to be notified if there was a reply...hmmm. Anyway, thanks. I'm glad you gave it a try. Zahra finished the story at the end of the summer, and it was quite a ride.

I was floored to see Indiana go to Obama. Floored and thrilled. Good luck with the job. Hopefully things will get better soon. ~Libby

This is such a fantastic comment and really goes right to the heart of so many of the issues. Thank you for taking the time to pen it. Yes, Sophie is very interested in protecting Nate, and I do try to show that, even though we'll never get a true look inside her head (via narrative voice). She does the best she can with the tools at her disposal. As for Will's daughter, what makes you think you should have picked up on it sooner? I didn't expect many would. I only very obliquely hinted at the possibility, and so much of his life is still a mystery -- however, the next chapter will be Will-centric, so expect to learn a bit more very soon. I've written a few shorter pieces in present tense. One, as you know, was "Lamp in the Cooling Room", but mostly I fall back on past tense. I had (still have) reservations about tackling such a long story in present tense, but I can't argue with the brain, and the words were coming out that way, so I didn't fight it. So, as time has gone on, it's been a challenge to keep the story "immediate", which present tense needs, in my opinion. Between Lives is written in 3rd person limited, but alternates chapters between Will and Nate's POV. It's two stories, really. One is Nate and Sophie's, and one is Will's (and Jon's), but they do intertwine rather intimately before it's all said and done. Finally, thanks again for the feedback and kind words. They mean so much to me. It's a pleasure to know that I'm creating something other people enjoy.

Thank you! Oh, I don't think Marc's going to be able to resist Sawyer forever. I do feel, though, that he still has much to come to terms wtih before that happens. Thanks again for reading and for the feedback. Thanks, corvus. You're absolutely right; there's going to be quite a lot of Marc making peace with what it means to be happy and true to himself. Expect unapologetic UST along the way. Thank you again for reading and for your usual thoughtful and insightful feedback.

Congratulations, Tiff! As everyone else has already said, it's very well-deserved.

I got ten out of thirteen as well. And I was shocked to find it never came down to guessing. I either knew it, or had absolutely no clue. What does that say? I came across an online quiz a few weeks ago that tested people's knowlegde on the second lines of famous novels. For example, what sentance followed, "All children, except one, grow up?" Now that was hard. I think I got two out of ten correct. :wacko: Thanks for the bit of fun!

Over-developing two-dimensional characters can be problematic. Some characters should remain as "fillers" -- created simply to move the plot forward or help the main character through his growth/transformation. The danger in giving these types of characters too much depth is that readers begin to care about them. They want to know more of their story. You [the author] oblige. Before you know it, your once tight and focused plot-line is going in directions you never imagined. Suddenly, character C has a subplot, and it's detracting attention from your protagonist. Yet another reason why an outline, even very loosely sketched, can help the writer keep a longer story moving in the direction originally intended.

Thank you, Kit, for taking the time to let us know about your experiences on Authonomy. You've made it abundantly clear to me, and quite objectively, I might add (thank you), that the site is not what I'm looking for. I'd joined when prompted, but never uploaded anything, which is for the best, as it turns out. I find the 'author as reviewer' issue rather disturbing, actually. Thanks again for the info.

Agreed. Especially when the tension in the scene revolves around what's being said, the less interruption the better. To a point. As you say, the occasional dialog tag helps the reader stay on track and can actually help diffuse a bit of tension if it's rising too quickly.

Thanks, Tiff. It's good to get back to doing what I enjoy. Nate made a small breakthrough at the end of chapter 5 -- enough of one that he started to let his guard down. Bran has sensed that, and is doing what he does best. Yeah, you and I have talked before about Will. In many ways, his tragedies are as great -- if not greater -- than Nate's. But they're (mostly) in the past, though he hasn't moved beyond them yet. A stable relationship would be nice for him, yes? I'm really just a romantic at heart. Pathetic, I know. Thanks again for reading and your continued feedback. *whistles innocently* Yes, you have it. It's time for some of the secrets to be revealed, which, as you say, is the only way to build real trust between people, especially those like Nate and Will. Don't worry about Sophie. Thanks so much for your continued interest. Yes, he is. He's rather persistent that way. Thanks for reading and commenting. There will be plenty more. Promise. It's neat how some readers have picked one character/couple as their "favorite". I'm not immune, but I've found I switch back and forth depending on where I am in the writing process. I am loving Nate and Bran right now. Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback. I'm thrilled you're enjoying the story so far.

I had no idea! It's a small world, isn't it? I was a bit overwhelmed with the reception to my WC fic, so apologies if I missed your rec. I'll thank you very much now for it. In Due Time is shaping up beautifully, and I'm always looking for updates when I refresh my f-list. Now I know where to come to find them.

Thanks, Benji! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Yep, I don't think the "secret" is going to be a secret much longer -- you'll know soon. It really is too much for one child to handle, even one as mature as Nate. Thanks again!

Yeah, I think we've turned the corner for just about everybody. Finally, some light on the horizon. Of course, there's still Nate's father to deal with -- eventually. First things first. Thanks very much for the feedback. I just posted Chapter 7, by the way. Enjoy!

Thanks for sticking with it. I was ready for some hopefullness myself. I really appreciate everyone who has soldiered through the bleak beginning of this story, and also my unexpected hiatus. My summer of DRAMA put a serious kink in my writing plans, but I never stopped thinking about this story. In fact, I'll be posting the next chapter later today. It's a good feeling to have things back on track the way I'd originally planned. Thanks again for your kind words and support.

Oh! I've been following this over on LJ. What a pleasure to see it posted here! It's a wonderful story, and each subsequent chapter is a treat. Keep up the great work!

Happy Birthday, Corvus, and many happy returns!

I kind of rely on Graeme's method. I enlist the help of a small group of people to read the story/chapter and judge it with fresh/unbiased eyes. I don't know about anybody else, but part of writing is getting inside a story, being so immersed in what's going on that should a "cameo" happen, I'm often too close to see it. As with most things, experience comes wtih time. But I believe this still happens even with the most experienced writers. And sometimes, I'll add, what may jump out at one reader, may be invisible to another -- and vice versa. Like the writer, a reader brings a set of experiences and expectations to a story. Having one character talk about how unhealthy smoking is, for instance, may resonate differently with a non-smoker than it does with a smoker.

Yes, yes, yes. And traditional publishers are seeing the change coming, they just don't like it. Also agreed on your point about gay fiction. The best of it, by far, in my opinion, is now (mostly) free and available on the net. But that's changing, too, as Internet publishers begin to pop up, so really...just a whole lot of change on the horizon.