Mark Arbour

Thanks! There will be more, but it may take me a bit as real life co-opts my time.

Not sure how I'm going to do that. Frigates were usually not involved in fleet actions.

I hope you and your family are safe. My thoughts are with you.

This reminds me of one of those intros on the old Carol Burnett Show for "As the Stomach Turns." LOL!

Thanks for posting a review for The Land Whore! The reason I don't have many reviews is that these stories were published here long before the review system was set up. At least that's my story. :-)

Thanks Ricky. The working title for the next one is "St. Vincent," because it will encompass that famous battle.

I liked this exchange:

CS Forester's Hornblower series is what inspired me to write this one. It's always been my favorite of the genre. The books are SO MUCH BETTER than the movie or miniseries.

They're not worried about votes on the Board, they're frustrated because they left him in place as Chairman, and he has the right to call a meeting. Those rights vary by corporation. Hang in there..it gets clearer in the next chapters.

March 13, 2000 “Hello, I’m Brad Schluter. I’m here to see Elizabeth Danfield,” I told the receptionist. “I’m sorry sir, but Mrs. Danfield isn’t receiving any visitors,” the nice young lady said. She was giving me the same brush-off that she’d use if I were a reporter. “Would you please check her visitation list? I should be on it.” “One moment,” she said. “You said your name is Brad Schluter?” “That’s correct.” “Oh, there you are. I see you now,” she

I'm betting that the guy in the video runs into this answer a lot. Guy in video: "Are you straight, gay, or bi?" He snaps fingers and does head move thing a few times. Dude who is his victim: "Um, I don't believe in labels." Guy in video: "What? You don't believe in labels? What are you, a can of soup...a box of crackers? What..." Dude who is his victim cuts him off: "Well actually I was just trying to be polite and not hurt your feelings. I just don't like you."

I think Sir George will continue to be a busy boy.

I'm glad you liked it! I'm still thinking the next story through, but it will come along eventually.

If you have any insights on how things should have been different at the investiture, let me know. I scoured the net looking for resources on that, and couldn't really find anything order-specific or era-specific. I found a huge void between the medieval ceremonies and the modern rituals. The only thing that was apparent was that by the late 1700s most of the old medieval rituals had been abandoned (like the bath the night before, which is a shame. Granger would have loved that!). I can always edit! Thanks! I've got ideas on the next story, but I'll need to take some time to flesh them out. It will arrive, though, so don't lose patience.

Very insightful. I think you got the gist of it better than I did. As far as the stock goes, I haven't made it real clear on how that ultimately was structured and who was left with what during the Land Whore buy outs. If Crampton Construction is a public company, though, and it is, that means that anyone can buy shares at any time they want. It would not be unreasonable for someone like Stef or JP to decide to add or expand their holdings if they thought the company would be a good long-term investment, especially when they plan so much urban revitalization. They would know that those building projects would ultimately spell big money for the hometown construction behemoth. What's really stunning is that Jim and Rich don't seem to see that, or at least they didn't. They should be the guys leading the charge on re-building Claremont, since they have the most to gain, yet they aren't. NIce summation! I'm not sure that I see Brad needing to be THE social king; I think he was more interested in having and wielding power on campus to defend his interests, much as he would do in the business world. Still, I really like the way you succinctly laid your points out here. Grad school is obviously sinking in.

August, 1796 Granger sat in the launch as the men labored with the oars, rowing the cumbersome craft upriver. He almost sighed with frustration at royal orders that did not take into account the tides. Those orders had compelled him to revise his schedules so they’d have enough time to fight against the tide on their way to the Whitehall stairs. The sweating oarsmen undoubtedly shared his irritation. In the center of the launch, secured in its own limber made by the carpenter

You are so confident that things will unfold that way?

Glad you liked it! More will be on the way soon!

Will is still maturing, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him yet.

I agree with you. Nothing like a loose cannon to liven up a story.

LMAO!

I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who have posted reviews of my stories. I've even gotten a few on the older ones. It's great that you guys did that, because I think it makes the story appear more appealing to those who haven't read them yet. That, and I really enjoy reading what you have to say.

He did act awfully "straight", stereotypically speaking. :-)

I'd have hit squads after me if I did that.

That is correct. It was in The Land Whore