Mark Arbour

This one is fun to write, but a lot of work with research.

Why thank you!!!

You may be right, and that's probably my fault for not taking more time to let him express himself. My experience is that someone who is his age gets there, but in a much more roundabout fashion.

If Will can keep his natural early-teen angst and rebellion in check, I think he can learn a lot from his father's mistakes and successes. LOL. I'm glad you liked that one. I agree, and it seems to be a consensus. I think that it was more realistic for Brad to attend public school in the 1980s, because not many kids went to private schools then (unless they were religious). It's a sign of changing times that the kids would end up at more elite institutions. And Brad's role model for good relationships with his mother would be? I think that's what we're seeing. Brad had a horrible relationship with his real mother, and a cyclical one with Isidore. I'm not sure he knows how to coach Will on this one. Robbie's probably not much help either.

Thanks! And it really makes me happy that you put your coursework first.

Thanks for the info! I didn't even think about that, that the word for acid would change, although now that you mention it, 'hydrochloric' does seem a bit anachronistic.

Alright, I have a confession to make. The signalling abilities we're seeing in this series may not actually be possible until the release of Home Popham's Signal Book in 1803. Prior to that, signals were designed for transmitting orders, not information. I've allowed myself this bit of anachronism.

July 12, 2000 Dallas, TX Will As soon as we were in the limo, I pulled out my cell phone to call John. “Who are you calling?” Dad asked. “John.” “I’d like to spend a couple of hours with you when we get to Escorial,” he said firmly. “If you want to hang out with John after that, that’s fine.” This was the conversation I’d described to Robbie, the one I’d have to have with him. There was nothing to be gained by being a dick about it. “No problem.” He

You are so hot, can you blame the poor guy? You probably blew out all his straight circuits.

Actually, I'm wondering if it wouldn't work the other way. One could argue that with evolution, men evolved to appreciate both sexes as part of their discovery that sex was as much for pleasure as for procreation. If you are a creationist, then the mere existence of homosexuality would tend to discount the biblical arguments against it, unless you view it as some tasty sin God placed in front of man.

Yep. They're just flies in the ointment.

God, getting dumped by someone you love that first time has got to be one of the most agonizing of life experiences.

For the record, soccer is for pussies. I absolutely love how you captured the early pubescent locker room scene here.

I love this chapter. What an epiphany!

You know, this is just as powerful the second (or third, etc.) time around as it was the first. You put your heart and soul in everything you do.

When GA launched the new GA Stories system and started posting rankings and such along the right columns of the forum page, I was humorously dismayed that my favorite indicator wasn't on there. (The cynic in me will repress his views on why that is). Even back in the day when I was an e-fiction writer, the most important thing to me, the most important statistic of all, was the number of reads. I look at it this way. You can stack up your reviews if you want. I know if I asked you all to try and blow out the number of reviews on a story you would. I can publish 150 short stories and make the prolific list (but why?). But what really matters is whether or not people read what you write. Before GA stories came out, hosted and promising authors couldn't track their reads. With the new system, we can, and I try to pay attention to that. That, combined with the excellent comments I get in my forum, help me make sure that what I'm writing maintains interest and resonates. And that's why I'm writing this post. In the "most read stories" section, Millennium is #2, Poor Man's Son is #6, St. Vincent is #11, and HMS Belvidera is #12. I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read what I write. GA Stories is still new, and the big heavyweight hasn't really published a new story on the system to eclipse us all, but I'm sure Dom will eventually do just that. Like most of the authors here, I would gladly yield the floor to our own handsome, young genius. Comsie is the same way....most of his stories are continuing, so don't have that huge number of reads they deserve. dkstories would be another. But in my world, and with what I'm looking at, you all made me feel very appreciated. Thank you very much!

This study is anecdotal at best. Nothing to hang your hat on...more of a curiosity.

I agree. I think you have a pregnant woman who lost her lover and is lost and hormonal all at the same time.

Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks West, for a well-thought-out review. It's tough not to think of war as futile, especially WWI.

We have our moments.

Always the editor. Thanks.

I can see where you're coming from, but in my experience, if you tell an intelligent child "you have to do this because I said so," they naturally rebel. If you give them a reason, and it's sound, you'll get cooperation. You may argue that children should learn to obey their parents regardless, as their time on earth presumably gives them more wisdom. I'm not an adherent of that theory (think Brenda Hayes). I think that if you reason with kids, tell them why you want them to do things, they learn from that, and learn to respect your authority. Brad's permissiveness probably stems from the fact that he understands Will (since they are a lot alike) and knows how to deal with him (and how not to deal with him). Visualize this scene: Jeanine tells Brad that he can't go to Escorial (a few chapter back) and he freaks out. Instead of issuing a mandate, she tells him that Tiffany left, she's really upset, and she needs his support. What do you think his reaction would have been?

I think the iron would largely be alright as long as the water is fresh, but I don't know. Introducing them here, at this timeframe, is really a stretch. They were originally tested on two prototype sloops in 1796, so they existed. They didn't find widespread use in the RN until the War of 1812 and afterwards. One of the biggest benefits came from the ability of the tanks to be crafted to conform to the bottom of the ship, and to create their own stable platform to pile stores on top of. Prior to that (as it is in Granger's time), the casks had to have a base, so they used iron shingles for ballast. Imagine what that must have been like: iron shingles at the bottom of the ship, with bilge water mixed in. Must have reeked! After the iron tanks were fitted, no more iron shingles were needed, and ships became a lot cleaner. Boat davits were another stretch, but less so. The Admiralty actually issued directives banning them from the stern in fear that the stress of the weight would damage the stern of the ship. By the early 1800's, they were standard fare. Cochrane was one of their pioneers, and had special boats built for all of his cutting out and raiding escapades. For an example of this, wander over to my other saga and read "Poor Man's Son."

I think Brad's having a hard time coming to grips with how much he owes Gathan. If we walked into his brain, he'd probably be ranting at himself, all pissed off that he didn't think about a possible gunman, etc. He's doing what he always does: Instead of expressing his emotions honestly, he's running around and solving problems (getting the attorney, taking care of things behind the scenes, etc).