Michael H

Hi Bob, I'll PM you, but to answer in part, no I have not had a problem with a bi person. No I'm not upset with anyone. Michael

Yes, it sounds like you have a shot at getting this guy into bed. Are you hoping for more, as in luv or even LTR? If your hope is for the latter two you'd better ask this fellow exactly what he means by bisexual. If you do ask, and if he answers, be sure to listen with the head on your shoulders. A lot of people claim to be bi. Being able to get it up with either a guy or gal isn't bisexuality, it's sexual greed, and that, is a heart breaker. Good luck! Michael Visit My Website

Rose, this is a sword that cuts two ways. When I review a work I definitely hold back if I know the author is new at this. Also I don't like to review WIPs unless asked to do so. That said, I prefer to comment privately rather than in a forum. Some "reviewers, not all mind you, seem to grandstand a bit. I also believe that not all readers make good reviewers. Some readers miss the author's message in the work and so come away loudly declaring that the story was ca ca. Some readers can't write worth spit and their reviews show it. I also believe a review should be just that, a review, not a book report. Some authors are just now learning to write well. Their spirits are often smothered under a barrage of criticism. And in fact authors who do not grow into their work suffer most with the critics. I also find that writers say they want feed back what they really want is praise--and who among us does not? Many writers when they get feedback (again not a review) they push back, discouraging any further discourse. I think it appropriate to say too that a review need not be a critique. I can tell you about a book with out critiquing it. Michael

TL, F. Scott Fitzgerald said that what people are ashamed of usually makes a good story. Thus the journal is a handy way to get at the character's inner thoughts. As an author, I use certain devices to move my story. It's one of the tools all use with legitimacy. Michael

James! There's your story. God I wish I wrote that line! Michael Visit My Website

Steph, For me the answer is no. I've read some excellent stories offered free and I've paid hard cash for some that I haven't even bothered to finish. It's been my experience that the poorly written stories suffer most from a lack of style rather than plot. Most of these fall into the category of "he / she did this" and "he /she did that" without much in the way of why, or worse yet, how he / she felt. So much is left out. I know several people who come up with these marvelous plots and themes but haven't any idea how to put the elements together. One was a woman who wanted desperately to be a published novelist. She asked herself, what if Jack, Kouriac, Anais Nin, James Balwin, W.H. Auden and Cyril Connolly were stuck in a tavern in Provincetown, Massachusetts during a hurricane. What would they talk about? Would they be afraid, etc. Well, this a pretty odd mix for sure. My guess Old Bob would be one of the few in this forum who even recognizes Connolly's name. My friend asked me to help her write this tale. I said I'd write the first 500 words and she should write the next 500 and so we would dovetail our chapters until we finished. Folks, I wrote the first and last 500 words. My friend couldn't add a word AND she an author of some pretty awesome poetry. My point is, money doesn't make a writer or even one that writes well. As I see the enthusiasm the readers here in GA have for the writers, I hesitate to even bring this subject up but since I didn't, I feel I can add something without seeming to be peeing in the stew. On the point of cash, way back in 2004 I was at a gay writer's conference in Washington DC. A well respected, and now well paid, writer addressed a standing room only audience. She said something that struck me. She said that she used to be so hungry for approbation that she posted she stories on line at no charge. Then she offered this advice, "Don't throw your talent away." In essence she was telling that packed room of writers that if you're good enough to be read, you're good enough to get paid for it. There have been authors who have posted their stories on line and have gone on to broader avenues. Some here will do that too, others, for a variety of reasons, will not. The thing is, as long as this site and others like it survive, those who post their stories in them will live. "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~ Cyril Connolly Michael Visit My Website

C, I agree. As long as people read there will always be new takes on old themes. These are the stories that will succeed and define a new breed of work. Michael

D, Thanks for the input. This is a continuing series so the Mundus reference is fully explained in the first book and in the sequel's prologue. As for Jan being 18yo virgin. Well we write what we know. Jan in many respects is my story e.g although surrounded with family he feels somehow unwelcome. He's highly educated at an academy geared to students headed for a religious life. He's is fluent in Latin. Later in the story when he is grown and an attorney, he adopts the motto Facere iudicium. Diligere misericordiam Do Justice. Love mercy. He is a Catholic and he's devout. Note, I do not say he's a devout Catholic. He's fatherless at age 12. He's sexually untested and socially naive. He has few friends and thus he's perfect for Tim Morris' plans for a protege. It all flows from that. Michael Visit My Website

Because I like to read adventure and intrigue, I write it, but with a gay MC. I believe my three books have what I would call unusual scenarios. Some people like them other pan them unmercifully but that's the chance we all take when we put out art on display. I have no idea if these back cover blurbs encourage or discourage readers. Certainly those looking for stock romance will avoid them but others who want an adventure story with a flawed hero just might read them. One thing my publishers can't provide is a list of people who bought my books. I'd love to hear what they have to say. Reading these blurbs would anyone here consider them? No I won't take responses personally. Although I can't speak for Mrs Caliba who lives next door. She makes the loveliest Voodoo dolls! LOL Eighteen year old Jan Phillips is on his own and heading into Philadelphia hoping to survive on money he can make from johns who frequent the city's "Tenderloin District". Still a virgin and not even that sure about his own sexuality, he has no idea of how to go about the business of prostitution and what impact it may have on his life. Tim Morris is waiting--waiting for Jan. From his thirteenth floor apartment in the elegant Saint Roi apartment building, Tim watches Jan on the street below. He decides that they will meet. Their meeting takes them on an adventure through the dark realms of international politics and their relationship--a relationship, formed from a devil's bargain and based on desperation and fear. Or this: 4:00am. The phone rings. Waking from an uneasy sleep, Jan Phillips answers the call and in doing so brings two strangers into his life. One is a victim; the other is a deadly enemy. This phone call will propel Jan on a journey to a world where the darkest shadows of Humanity trade lives for money. It will set into motion a series of events leading to murder and intrigue, the first conflict Jan must face as the secret Mundus Society's newest Master and his discovery of the phantoms haunting his soul. Or this: What do three sons, One murdered by Iraqi terrorists, one who lost his mother in a fire, and one involved with underworld crime have to do with Jan Phillips? Two threaten fear and death, forcing Jan to wield the awsome power of his office as North American head of Mundus, a sub rosa organization with roots imbedded in the ancient order of the Templars. The other threatens Jan's life and teh world he shares with Michael Lin, his partner of twelve years. The love of fathers for their sons is the only constant in this story of shattered lives and despoiled devotion.

There is an old saying in carpentry that I believe applies to any serious decision. Before you do anything, you measure twice and cut once. Michael Visit My Website

Europe is a big place. Where are you off too? Be safe. Never give your credit card to anyone. My sister ate a place and gave her credit card to the waiter. All seemed fine until she got home and found her account bare. Her card was copied and sold all over the place. There were charges in Spain for soccer tickets. Of course that can happen anywhere. I've been many times and never had a problem. Have a good time. Take lots of pictures! Michael

Rose I was in a hurry when I posted B-day greetings. What a mess I made. Anyway, have a wonderful day and many more! Michael

Folks this is an essay I wrote shortly after Ted Haggard's confirmation that he had sex with a man. Note: This is not an apology for hypocrisy. ECLIPSE Notes on a Fallen Icon A personal view by Michael Halfhill All rights reserved @2006 In a letter to his congregation Pastor Ted Haggard admitted he had sexual contact with a man. Haggard resigned all his ministerial duties and has submitted to a

Free will allows for the choice over good and evil not over our natures. Which are the result of a divine spark. Later today I'm posting my essay on the fall of Ted Haggard: ECLIPSE Notes on a Fallen Icon A personal view M