Mark Arbour

August 14, 2003 New York, NY Brad Stef and I sat in the elevator, and even though it was getting warmer, it wasn’t overly unpleasant. “Have you talked to Buzz about Triton yet?” he asked. “I laid out the situation for him briefly over the phone,” I explained. “I think he understood the gist of what was going on, and he seemed more than willing to help out.” “That is a good thing,” Stef said. “He’s going to me

Jeremy sent me a whiny email asking me to post something to the forum, letting you all know what was going on with me, and that sparked a considerable amount of guilt, prompting me to do just that. Or this. I haven't checked the forums for posts, because I figured it would be better to share my point of view in an uninfluenced way. I've had some life challenges, but nothing that is dire. It's more that my real life has absorbed an increasing proportion of my time, which is probably as it should be in a normal state of things. The thing that has baffled me, and what has made me avoid this place for awhile, is that I've faced these challenges before, and my writing has never suffered as a result. Yet now it is. I'm not sure why. I constantly think about the two serials I'm working on (CAP and Bridgemont) and extensively plan out what I want to happen with the characters, at least in my mind. But when it comes to sit down and actually write, I find myself unwilling or unable to actually do it. In the past, I've been stymied by plots where I've written myself into a corner, or characters who didn't turn out like I wanted them to, but that's not the case this time. In this situation, I know what I want to write, I just don't want to \. That bothers me, because it's so different than what I'm used to, and because I know it bothers you. Conventional wisdom suggests to me that the writing bug will bite me again, that it's only a matter of time. I can't imagine abandoning the characters and the world that I've built. At the same time, it's just no fun if I have to force it, and that's going to impact the quality of what I'm putting out. And I'm not willing to do a half-assed job. On a positive note, I have three chapters of Black Widow in various stages of editing, and half a chapter of Valiant written. There has been some activity, just not much. So the bottom line is that, as an update, I need to let you know that for the foreseeable future my productivity will probably be seriously diminished. At the same time, I want to reassure you all that I'm fine, just a bit busy, and that I remain committed to continuing the stories I've been working on for such a long time. And that my head is partially shoved up my ass. That should surprise no one.

You realize, of course, that I'm just setting this up to be a big slap in the face, since we find out later that the Blackout came from flaws in Ohio. I remember being in Toronto when that happened, and when the accusations first flew at Canada. The Canadians I talked to were pretty indignant about that. I left the next day, though, so I didn't get to enjoy their "I told you so" moment.

Thanks for the review! I think that Zach and Will could ultimately make it, but I think it's going to be really hard to do so without a break up along the way. Those early college years are pretty challenging. The only CAP characters to make it through that unscathed are Jack and Claire, and that was back in the 80s. Not that that matters. I think JJ is developing almost a Talleyrand-esque characteristic: he's busy in his mind, and behind the scenes, but he doesn't want it to appear that way. I don't think he minds doing things, but I think ongoing responsibilities chafe at him.

True points. Of course I'd include the Blackout. I got stuck in it when I was in Toronto on vacation.

And the same to you!

That's a very good point, although I think Zach has a lot of encouragement to continue playing football(from his team and school), while JJ has largely been ejected from the figure skating world because of the scandal he's caused with Alex.

Thanks! You know, I think that this gift to the Prince of Wales may ultimately prove to be one of Granger's less intelligent moves. I'm not trying to set up a spoiler here...certainly it will be appreciated, but the POW had a reputation as being something of a fair weather friend. His loyalty wasn't something you could count on. I suspect that it would be easy for the POW to 'forget' the gesture down the road, especially when he become Regent, and then George IV. Or maybe not.

That is a well-put sentiment. He's getting some practice in London, but his fellow officers of the Channel Fleet are probably no better.

I certainly haven't planned to end the series anytime soon. It may be slow going, but I intend to slog on. I honestly haven't decided where I'm going to end this story. I could do it here, but it seems too abrupt. Probably a few more chapters still.

April 2, 1800 London, England “May I offer you a ride?” Granger asked Daventry, even as he saw his footmen fighting to make a path for them through the crowd. “That would seem to be my only option, unless I want to join the mob of your admirers,” Daventry said. “I thought you had already joined them,” Granger replied, making Daventry chuckle. They got into the carriage, while Granger raised his hat to thank the crowd for annoying him with their

August 11, 2003 Malibu, CA Will Zach lay on his back, still panting after one amazing orgasm. I was lying on my side, smiling at him. He smiled, and then frowned. “How much do you know?” he asked. That question annoyed me, since it was just the kind of shit my father liked to pull. It was like he was trying to figure out how much of his story he could keep hidden. “The smart thing for you to do is assume that I know everything,” I said firmly. “I flew out to C

Pitt was a very enigmatic man. One of the best speakers in the House of Commons, but incredibly unhealthy, and with a pretty nasty alcohol habit. I see his actions here as merely acknowledging the reality of the situation and then finding a way out that does not damage his position politically.

RE JJ and Buzz: maybe.

Well, we're building up to some excitement. This isn't like one of those nasty encounters where there's no foreplay and it's over in 30 seconds. I'm making literature love to you guys. (SMILE).

I had to go back and re-read Millennium too. It was fun to remember that story, and how much fun it was to write.

I never thought of Stef as a senile old man, but that really could be hilarious some day.

Thanks for the nice words, Jason! I'm doing well. Just busy. I understand exactly what you're saying. I live in a city that is all but run by the "good old boy" network. It's not a little scary.

Thanks Miles. Notice that as the issues move away from JP and his influence, they get much more intense.

That's one of the major problems Brad faces. He doesn't know (in advance) what evidence Elizabeth even has. That's a hell of a contingency to plan for.

Thanks for the review. I'll apologize here for the late responses. It stems from me having a really nice but busy holiday. You mentioned that this is a peripheral business, but it is also very important to Stef and Brad. They could be using this to test Buzz. I'm not sure that Elizabeth is entirely serious about the molestation threat, and it's quite possible she didn't even make the threat.

I thought George handled that part especially well.

August 11, 2003 Tribeca, NY Brad “They have dirt on you?” Claire asked, with real concern in her voice. “Potentially,” I said. I probably seemed evasive, but my mind was processing the implications of this whole situation. Amazingly enough, they all waited for me to go on without pelting me with questions. “Elizabeth claims to have a way to blame me for events around our acquisition of Triton, and to pin the crimes Alexandra Carmichael was convicted of onto me.”

March, 1800 The Isle of Wight, England Granger rode across the pasture, pushing the horse to go ever faster, reveling in the speed and the thrill of it as much as the stallion seemed to. He smiled, and even laughed as he went, but as he came to the edge of the wooded area, he reined the horse in and retraced his path at a much more relaxed trot. He had been admonished to take footmen with him when he went riding, but here on the Isle of Wight, it seemed to be an unnecessary

August 10, 2003 Los Angeles, CA Will I must have dozed off, because I woke up lying next to Zach, while I heard someone pounding on the door. “Zachary, are you alright?” Clara called. I nudged him. “Your mom is banging on the door.” “Fuck,” he said, and yawned. “Mom, I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning.” “Don’t strain yourself,” she said, and then we heard her walk away. “Dude, she has got to go home,” I said to him. “No shi