Mark Arbour

Right. Just goes to show what you know. That's why I have the most read story on the site. As far as boosting readership, I posted something like that in one of the threads, and hit on four things. I'll repeat myself. it's a snotty bitch thing. I think that it's less about the mechanics of announcements and banners, but more about the following: 1. Your stories have to be interesting. You're asking readers to take their time (which is valuable to them) to read what you write, so it better be worth the effort. If it really sparks a reaction, they'll comment in the forums or they'll review. 2. The grammar has to be good. The first one draws people in, but this one can drive them out. 3. You should be active on the site, and not just in your own forums or threads. If people know who you are, they're more likely to read your story. 4. Volume. You have to post consistently, at least until a story is done. Readers don't like being left hanging, and if they're trusting you enough to invest in your story, don't let them down by not producing chapters for them to read.

I think you're being really unfair to Will. He was a little caustic with Gathan and Wade, but they are effectively his peers, and based on the way guys sometimes interact, I don't think it was out of line. But I think he really gets kudos for how he handled Zach's deal with unsafe sex. He was more gracious about it than I probably could have been. Ethan isn't ready to be interesting yet. :-)

This will definitely change the environment at Escorial, without Isidore there to add some feminine grace, but I think it will be good for both Frank and Zach.

I liked the Uncle Kracker song: it was something different.

I think that Zach's success at football elevates him in Gathan's eyes, and that increased respect helps balance them out, so Gathan isn't the older brother looking down on his younger sibling with disdain. As for Ethan, I think he's just struggling to cope with all the changes in his life, and he keeps a low and inconspicuous profile as a result. Wade probably gets that, and doesn't push him too much.

I read your first sentence and thought "what's he going to bitch about now?" LOL. I use the term "Walnut Creek" as a generic area reference, because I can't bring myself to use Concord in that context. Moraga is too far toward the Bay for them, but Lafayette would be one prime option, while the other would be Alamo, in the foothills around Mt. Diablo.

I loved your observations in the last two paragraphs, but I'll focus on the more mundane issue you raised: speed of posting. I think that at this point, it's a good idea to keep things posting quickly, since we're basically dealing with clean-up/denouement. That means things have to be interesting, but they really can't be incredibly intense. In that situation, dragging it out just becomes tedious. Does that make sense?

Yep. That old smack upside the head deal with these people is sometimes what you have to do. This isn't the note the story will end on, but Matt and Wade's drama probably won't absorb much more of the storyline.

Sibling relationships are complex things, and I'm not convinced it's fair to lay all the blame on Wally's lap. Some of it, certainly, but not all of it. Clara dotes on Zach, so what influence she's had on things is another issue. Flash back to "Poor Man's Son" and the scene where Gathan leaves Claremont: you'll see that there was more to their relationship than there may have initially appeared to be.

I am sure that Zach knows the drill on birth control. Knowledge is not the issue here: behavior is. I'm one of those people who thinks that teens know the risk when they have sex without protection, but they just think they're invincible, and that it (pregnancy, etc) won't happen to them.

I think that Will is actually handling this thing just like Zach is: don't ask, don't tell. Neither one of them really wants to envision the other with someone else, even though they know it's part of the deal. Zach admitting he wasn't safe, whatever that means, was a great way to seal his relationship with Will. I think that we have to give Matt credit for being bright, and resilient. Just because he didn't pull his head out of his ass fast enough to save his relationship with Wade doesn't mean he won't get there in the end.

Well, I think the deal with Zach leaving New Jersey is pretty much as it's laid out. That's one of the problems with a billet family (which is what the Piehls are), in that if they have major changes in their situation, the kid they host may end up out on his ear. Zach looked at the situation and probably figured that with the coach's kid coming online next season, it was time to make a move. Frank and Isidore don't really have any major ties to keep them from moving a mere hour away for the school year. I'm sure Wally and Clara wanted to reel Zach back in, drag him back to Claremont, but Zach is already too independent for that.

Thanks for the review. I'm a man of mystery. ;-) I'm not seeing hope for Wade and Matt at this point. They are both too different, they've endured too much, and put each other through too much for them to just shrug things off and go on like nothing happened.

I didn't say that Will would be narrating the next story, but I imagine he'll make an appearance as one of the narrators. He won't be as big of a driver of that story as he has been of this one.

Thanks Kevin! Ethan isn't a big part of this story, but we did get to meet him. We'll probably see more of him later.

Thanks Miles. It seems like Frank has taken Zach under his wing, so it makes sense.

November 21, 2001 In the air, over Utah I walked out of the lavatory and surveyed the plane and its passengers. In the back, Tiffany sat with the nurses, one each for Riley and Maddy, while the babies were in the bedroom sleeping. In the middle of the plane, Ethan lay on a couch, softly snoring. I headed to the front where Wade and Gathan were sitting, and took my seat in the chair on the right side, the captain’s chair, since it was my father’s plane. Wade was reading

Thanks for coming out of the readership closet and posting a review! I really do appreciate them. I like the way you characterize Will. Growing up is not an easy process, and he does tend to learn from his mistakes. I don't see him demanding more from those he loves than he is willing to do himself, and that is a key indicator of development. The Gathan-Zach situation seems so cut-and-dried, but fraternal relationships are rarely that simple, and this one most certainly isn't. Contemplate that Gathan is headstrong and not a little stubborn, but he's also a fair person.

The bond between reader and author can be pretty intense. I think that what we, as authors, owe to our readers, is an explanation when we plan to be absent for a period of time. I'm not throwing rocks at Dom, because I love his writing. In fact, he's the reason I'm at GA. But having him vanish like this made me realize that if life deals me a hand such that I can't write anymore, I owe it to my readers to tell them that.

Is that a nice way of calling me an asshole?

Thanks Kitt. Some of the reviews are easier to reply to than others. The honor for most read is still held by Paternity, and it's unlikely that 9-11 will pass it up, which is just fine with me. LOL. Well, if you get to it, I hope you like it, and thanks for the congrats! Thanks Joann. I'm just appreciative of the effort the readers took to leave them. Maybe not, but I know you appreciate reviews as much as I do. They are our fuel. Thanks!

Jason, I think that's one of the best analyses I've seen. You did a great job of standing miles above them and their relationship, and looked down and evaluated it with amazing accuracy.

Good to hear from you! Thanks for the review! I think their conversation (Wade and Matt) was really indicative of their different levels of maturity/focus. Wade, who is normally a gossip hound, was completely disinterested in what was happening at the club. Matt was trying to connect with him like he had when they were freshmen.

Thanks for the review, Kitt! I think that Will not losing it is a sign that our young man is indeed growing up, and is learning that flying off the handle at every moment is not always the best reaction.

I love your dog analogy. Wade is such an old soul, and so serious, while Matt is still young and playful. There's nothing wrong with being exuberant like Matt, unless that spills over so you neglect the people who are important in your life. That's Matt's big flaw here. I'm not willing to write Matt off as that kind of guy, because I'm willing to make allowances for his 9-11 trauma. Matt is living in the present, Wade is focused on the future.