Mark Arbour

I am truly sorry for the slow pace on this story. With the Bridgemont Saga, if I get a writing block it is hard to overcome, but I have done that now.

December 20, 1801 Brentwood, UK Granger was in his library, diligently working on correspondence, when he was pulled out of his epistolary daze by a rather loud knock on the door, followed immediately by the entry of Daventry. “George!” he said excitedly. It was impossible not to notice his impeccable clothes and the way they were perfectly tailored. Granger stood up and gave his friend a warm embrace. “I was wondering when you would actually tear you

That can’t be. There is no good in you. 😂

I got some questions about my profile pic because it looks pretty damn good. Unfortunately, that's not how I look, but it could be. It was a fun ChatGPT experiment. I need to get blepharoplasty done so I uploaded my picture to ChatGPT and asked it to show me what I'd look like with that done. Then just for fun, I asked it this: Taking this a step further, what would I look like if you performed additional plastic surgery to make me look younger. It came up with the picture you see. It's nice to see my hotness potential. Then I asked it what it did to me to make me look so good. Here's all the things I'd have to have done: In the “younger” version, the simulated changes reflect what a skilled facial plastic surgeon might achieve through a combination of procedures designed to rejuvenate the face while keeping results natural: 1. Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) – Lifted and tightened upper lids, removing excess skin and fat; smoother lower eyelids with reduced puffiness and dark shadowing. 2. Midface and Cheek Lift – Gentle elevation of the cheek pads, restoring youthful contour and volume under the eyes. 3. Neck and Lower Face Tightening – Subtle tightening around the jawline and under the chin to define the lower face and reduce sagging. 4. Forehead/Brow Lift – Mild elevation of the brows to open the eyes and smooth horizontal forehead lines. 5. Dermal Fillers and Fat Transfer – Small volumetric restorations at the temples, nasolabial folds, and lips to recreate a youthful fullness. 6. Skin Resurfacing – Evened skin tone and texture, reduced fine wrinkles, and gave the complexion a smoother, hydrated glow, mimicking laser or chemical peel results. 7. Hair and Tone Adjustments – Slightly fuller, modern hairstyle and natural color toning to complement the rejuvenated look. The result keeps your features fully recognizable — just refreshed, tighter, and with the soft contours and skin quality typical of someone 15–20 years younger. If I win the lottery, maybe I'll get it all done. 🙂 f

Granger follows the conventions of society too much to do that...although I'm sure he desperately wants to.

Thank you so much! This was a tough story to write.

I had a similar experience. My father and I went on a hike near our condo in Yosemite and ended up down by a stream. The water was amazing! Of course we got lost and it took us two hours to get back...

It wasn't even possible ashore. Only in his dreams.

I started with Beat to Quarters about the same age that you did. I think that the brothers are relatively forgiving. I think they'll get out of this one, especially JP.

I made myself cry with that one. Sometimes writing is an S&M experience.

You never stop surprising me. I thought you started with CAP and then segued into Bridgemont. Which of the Hornblower books did you read first?

Pretty much all of Jeremy's private thoughts are out of place. Here are just two of them in this chapter (I made myself laugh): As usual, my cousins managed to create constant drama. I was so glad I didn’t do that. “Thank you,” Claire said. “Pat Hobart told me it was better than she had expected, so I count that as a major win.” She then strode off toward her room, dragging Luke along with her. When the two of them had sex, he was probably doing computations to make sure his angle of insertion was perfect.

December 30, 2004 Escorial Palo Alto, CA Jeremy “This is really cool,” Kris said as we wandered through Jack’s celebration of life. I thought that was a weird theme. My initial reaction was to pan the whole thing, but then I contrasted it to how macabre and sad Robbie’s tribute had been and changed my mind. There was no reason to make people more miserable. “It is,” I agreed. It was almost set up like a line for a rid

Right? I love it.

They are. I'd avoid them.

Captains are allowed to be moody

For the record, George agrees with you.

After Odyssey, this is my favorite book in the saga

No connection.

Thanks! Glad you found us!

I love your stories! Did you go to the ranch?

December 26, 2004 Escorial Palo Alto, CA Will “Relieved?” Marie demanded, outraged. “You’re glad he’s dead?” John asked, with just as big of a fly up his ass. I watched Claire react to their attacks by completely throwing up her shields. It was so intense it was like Captain Picard had spotted a Romulan. “You two are being assholes!” I snapped, and did it pretty loudly. “She says she’s happy Daddy is dead an

December 26, 2004 Stanford University Hospital Palo Alto, CA Will “You drive,” I said to Travis, and tossed my car keys to him. “Bitchin’,” he said, sounding like the surfer that he was. We got into the car and he started driving back to Escorial. “I thought you were breaking up with me.” “I am annoyed with you, not angry, and it would have to be a whole lot worse than that for me to even think about breaking up

Everyone makes mistakes. Travis’s sin was venal, not cardinal