W_L

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29543426-touch-the-sky I have very eccentric reading list, but at the heart of it, I think my preference for reading material is primarily character driven narratives. While I do like fantasy and science fiction concepts, a vast majority of these novels I am reviewing are character-driven by their circumstances and experiences. Due to that, I think Nyrae Dawn and Christina Lee’s Touch the Sky captured my attention with its simple concept of a 2nd chance r

A little cliffhanger, but I did give you guys a revelation about where I might be heading I am glad you enjoyed this book and the plot lines. A lot of conflicts were settled during the story (Brad's psychological betrayal issues from Gary, Beau's fear to accept love, and the various issues involving the residents of Keller Hall), but somethings lingered, just like real life.

Thanks for the vote of confidence

Thanks for the show of support

Thanks for the vote of confidence

Thanks @Okiegrad, I really hope others feel the same way

@Cris L I've been around for a while now as well and my writing quality has changed over the years. If you are talking about quality like editing: I'm not inexperienced as a writer, I know where my weaknesses are like grammar. I try to seek editors when I write, but it's not always easy. I've started using Grammarly, but that's not as good as a dedicated editor would be. That's the thing about amateur writers, we may have great ideas and stories to tell, but it's hard to polish them without a dedicated writing support team. All our editors are volunteers and I can't ask them to do this for me out of their valuable time and schedules, just like my own. ------------ In terms of story plot quality: As an older writer, I have actively volunteered to help others with story concepts and plotting. As a beta reader, I focus on the story and how it should progress. As an avid reader, I can feel out how plots are supposed to move and what characters motivations are leading them towards based on an author's plot, so I endeavor to help them move along logically to their goals. You don't have to have read over several hundred books like me to do this, just be willing to absorb and release what ideas you gathered from life is enough as a prerequisite. I highly advise other readers and writers to consider being beta-readers for authors, even if you are not great at grammar like me, the experience of having unique life experiences and understanding character motivations help writers improve their stories. ------ In the end, GA's quality control to me is based on the willingness of the community to support one another and desire to read new stories, poetry, or reference material. We should try our best to support each other, do what we can with what we are able to offer, and make the final story something engaging.

The Epilogue is now live, here are some notes: Thanks again for all the readers -Not everything is perfect in the world, good people have to continually struggle, but I wanted to leave a sense of progression -We met Mr. and Mrs. Brooks for the first time, they are very down-to-earth people with personal touches. I wanted them to act as foils to Gaston family -Gary Gaston isn't the only member of his family with a cruel streak, remember the sister I mentioned from Chapter 9, I said I would explore all the named characters at some point in my story. She's a piece of work, too. -Mrs. Potter may be gone, but she at least gave Gary some extreme damage -Warren wants to join the military, it's going to be an uphill battle for a gay transgender male. -Time for the big reveal: Yes for all the players at home, if and when I do write a sequel to this story, it would be a reinterpretation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist I've been hinting at it for a very long time Chip's full name is Christopher "Oliver" Potter- revealed in chapter 10 Sikes, the titular villain of Oliver Twist, is the name of the Dean, who is husband to Melinda- Chapter 15 Brownlow, another important character in Oliver Twist, is the name of Brad's lawyer- Chapter 15 Nancy, a minor villain in Oliver Twist, is mentioned among the mob as University Office Admin- Chapter 19 Three more names added in Epilogue Dr. Losberne, a minor character in Oliver Twist, Brad's new doctor Mrs. Mann, an early villain in Oliver Twist, Chip's Paternal Aunt Jack, I am hinting at the name of the famed "Artful Dodger"

It’s been a year since that awful night. We tried our best to return to life as it was, but many things have changed in a year. Initially, Brad’s withdrawal symptoms got progressively worse on Friday. Cook had warned me this could happen, but Brad held himself in check better than I had seen him initially last week despite receiving additional wounds. He was lucid enough to unlock and give me his phone. I used it to contact Peter Brownlow, his lawyer. I told Mr. Brownlow the entire story a

She had a lot of great stories under her pen One thing I didn't note, few writers get right about the Greek world, but Mary Renault did, was that in many ways the ancient Greeks were insular in their thought processes, despite being the home of philosophy, drama, and political thought. People place the Greeks on a pedestal, but in reality, they were human and their philosophies were deeply flawed in concept, including the very basis of democracy. Mary Renault does a great subversive critique of democracy in her book regarding how easily swayed people can be by certain voices, she undermines Plato-Aristotle's ideal of popular wisdom. However, she doesn't replace it. Since Alexander was no better as an autocrat, especially with his ill-advised crossing of the desert killing many of his soldiers on his way back from India. People can be riled into bad actions and leaders can make fatal mistakes, it's a multi-faceted story due to these aspects. That helps make history come alive

Glad I got you inspired to re-read it again

I was completely captivated by this book, too. I couldn't sleep until I finished it. Bagoas is such a sympathetic character and Alexander is so bigger than life that it feels perfect. I also loved seeing the interaction between all 3 of them: Bagoas, Hephaestion, and Alexander. There's jealousy, hate, and envy, but in the end, there was respect between them. Love is complicated and relationship aren't always binary, Mary Renault portrayed this aspect better than a lot of modern gay fiction writers trying to capture it. The history was also fun. I minored in history, but I do know quite a bit about this period having read a lot of Latin and Greek in high school. Alexander's triumphs made men like Julius Caesar and Napoleon despair. He's the 1st cultural icon, 1st LGBT icon, and a lot of what we take for granted today came from his ambitious desire to unite the world.

I know not all the stories I read is for everyone, or even my own taste, but I am glad to explore them with the world and bring them to light for others to read or consider. This book is one of Mary Renault's greatest novels. It's scale and epic nature is contrasted with its "all too human" truths about people, lovers, and relationships. I don't know if Alexander would have thought he was in a Poly relationship, between his partner and hi boyfriend, but the novel's exploration of "if" he was puts a lot of history into context to the point, where I am not sure if the events of the story are just theoretical or actual fact based on how things progressed. I know some readers prefer her book "The Charioteers" as the epitome of her gay fiction novels, but I think this books outdoes that earlier work by astronomical units. It is a time commitment to read it through, but I was completely captivated by Bagoas plight and Alexander's story to the point I forgot to sleep reading this book and had to keep going with it until a late Sunday.afternoon, then slept for 16 hours to make up for it. That's how you know a book it truly "Great"

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/67700 Among all the books that I have reviewed, all the classics and the modern epics, Mary Renault’s classic The Persian Boy is my favorite. Why do I love this book above the 1st or 3rd books in the series? Why do I love this book more than other classics written by gay fiction writers of renown? First, it’s a historical gay romance, which is unique especially for a book published in 1972. Second, it’s a 1st person narrative versus the other 2 books i

Good points about Chip, I don't think there is any doubt about the physical harm done to him, but a legal defense team would point out the following to undermine the evidence "specifically against Gary". 1. The student said that Gary was entertaining a friend, another "student" at the University, for the last 2 hours. They rescued this "student" at the scene of the violence, but he did not indicate where (Writer and readers know they kidnapped Chip, thinking he was Beau, from within the house with keys left in the Blue Rosebush). Who is to say another student wasn't present. 2. Mrs. Potter was not acting in her role as a University staff member, she was acting in her role as a mother. She kept a gun in her possession, unknown to everyone, and used her key card to open Gary's door, leading up to his admission of guilt and her shooting him. 3. Additionally, the lawyers can argue the video recording of Gary's at the moment of forced entry violated his 4th amendment right against unwarranted search as the student. (Here's some law on that if you're interested) Of course, all these points like you said are moot, if Chip testifies and says something like "He hurt me" in a victim testimony. By doing that, all these circumstantial points of evidence become supporting evidence for the victim. --------------- I think you can all tell, I've considered what Gary's defense team could come up with to protect their client. Been reading a few John Grisham novels

Very good idea about Chip getting adopted, but... she only met Beau a week ago to that day. I know my story may seem like it's been a lifetime between all the characters, but a week is not enough time to grant guardianship. Brad was still undergoing therapy with a potential for aggressive behavior. You are right that she did address this issue, but there's a catch here. Technically I never explicitly said Chip was sexually abused. I also did not actually have a scene of him being victimized by Gary either. The reader from Beau's perspective only saw Chip injured, disoriented, mostly naked, and wearing a collar tied to the wall. As readers, you guys have to read between the lines and the fresh blood to interpret what happened between Gary and Chip. Showing how cruel Gary's underlings were even towards innocent cats, I wanted readers to imagine how much worse Gary could be towards Chip. Chip is going to have a lot of stuff to deal with if I pursue a sequel, in which he would be the protagonist. We'll see what readers feel like at the end of this story.

Sad fact about Epstein, his sweet deal with Florida DA in 2006, who later became the Trump Administration Secretary of Labor, Andrew Acosta, allowed him to get away with child trafficking and sexual assault of a minor in exchange for 18 months of what is equivalent to house arrest, where the cops who were guarding him in Palm Beach Florida were actually paid by him (and as a stipulation of their compensation had to wear suits, so essentially he spent half a million dollars for a police escort) and he was walking around a golf course leisurely according several records from that time. Seriously, the asshole didn't get put into a proper federal prison until July 2019 (10 years later of him doing god knows what), so he got away with it for a long time. If it wasn't because of politicking and document reviews, people stopped caring about a guy who was actively trafficking kids. Money can buy silence sadly, as long as it doesn't become too public he was able to do what always did. Tell me that doesn't piss you off 😠 ----------- I don't doubt that Gary has implicated himself and his words probably are a smoking gun, so to speak, but there's a lot here dependent on one key thing, Beau's body cam footage. The argument won't be resolved easily or quickly if the guy has a strong legal defense. -------- Mrs. Potter's case has been tried before several times. I think most people remember a movie called A Time to Kill from 1996 or John Grisham's original book with the same name, which highlights the arguments about vigilante justice against a system of justice that might set guilty people free. However in that case, the parent murdered rapists, rather than what Mrs. Potter did and there's no racial component here (though, Gary has shown racist tendencies). Real world cases where a parent take justice in their own hand are less clear cut and the jurors don't have Frank Capra-styled consciences. Many have been found guilty on the "letter of the law" rather than the social reality and the victims who had been abusers. The ruling on her case and Gary's case will of course be intertwined as the two events are intersecting.

There have been a few stories about people actually doing that with cats for decades now, including fraternity and student organization initiation rituals. It's a very sadistic practice. However, if Gary is trying to create a like-minded circle of sociopaths, cat killing would just be step 1. Society doesn't care sadly and the pounds would automatically kill cats, they deem "feral" in any regard, so how they die is not even taken into account. As an animal lover, too, I just want people to know some of these things are happening and sadly no one cares as things escalate, until torturing cats become torturing people. It's not completely dark, it was a victory for the good guys at a high cost. Gary, whether he gets sentenced or not, will be marked for life. With Cook's death, Mrs. Potter's arrest, and Chip's breakdown, there are things I can't resolve easily with just an epilogue. I'll see what readers want or not, it will determine if I write a sequel to this story.

Cook's death was a consequence of the attack, he was a medical professional and knew his chance of survival. A lot of fictional stories will play those lines off to just add false tension, but I feel like the reality is that severe blood loss can lead to death. His death wasn't expanded on, nor was there any dramatic moment to draw it in, it just happened as death usually does in our real world. People, who knew the dead, are left to face the loss. As for Mrs. Potter, she did violate a few laws: 1. Possession of a firearm, 2. Discharge of firearm with intent, and 3. Assault with intent. Gary isn't dead, nor are members of his family going to settle for the neutering of their scion. Gary and his minions will face justice for the myriad of crimes they committed, but how much is a matter for the law. At the heart of the entire prosecution against Gary Gaston is Beau's body cam footage. There's a reason why video is important in the modern world.

Thanks, @chris191070, I know this chapter was hard and very dark. One of the things that fairy tales often neglect is the consequences of the villain's actions. Disney movies often glorify heroism, but don't show the consequences or the costs that must come with a victory at the end of a story. Cook's story arc was subtle, but his actions mattered to the residents of Keller Hall. His objective was fulfilled with Brad's heart and mind returning. He did what he thought was right and made miscalculations, underestimating the severity of Gary Gaston's reprisal, but he made a noble sacrifice. As for Chip, it was hard to write this chapter. He's such an awesome and bright character; it's horrible to learn what Gary did to him. I didn't want to get too graphic, but 2 hours with a sadistic guy like that is going leave more than just cuts and bruises. For the cats, there are some really sick people out there, who do that. A few reports have surfaced over the years about college students torturing cats as initiation rituals for frats and groups. There are a few survivors in the cages at the end of this, they also need as much healing as Gary's victims as much as everyone else.

Chapter 20 is now live, here are some author's notes -I left a bunch of Easter eggs throughout the story, the lack of cameras at handicapped entrances, the trip to New Hampshire, and so on. Well, it all pays off in the chapter -Some readers will be asking, "Cats? Why are they torturing cats?", there was a few news articles about college kid torturing cats and I saw the Netflix documentary "Don't Mess with Cats", so I went there. Also, it is quite true that cats are killed by pounds, especially if they are labelled as "feral cats" by animal control. Are any of these felines going to come back in the future? Yes -Legal argument, "Fruit from the poisonous tree" is a real concept. If you as a police officer discover something during the course of an illegal search, the evidence found cannot be used against those you are charging. However, child protection laws could outweigh this and Officer Halloran was given access to the dorm by Morris a resident of the dorm. -Gary Gaston is a tricky bastard, no one would risk handcuffing themselves in order to provide reasonable doubt, except for him. -Mrs. Potter's shot was to me the best way to punish Gary, killing him would have been too final, punching or beating him up would be illegal and unrealistic to the story, but having a character shoot at his crotch, neutering him, seems proper. -Cook's death was just a reality, there was just not enough time for Lt. Abrams to bring him to the hospital and stem the bleeding. I know most writers would usually write those kinds of lines and save a character in the end, but I think actions should have consequences even from the bad guys side. Cook died due to violent ignorant assholes. -

We were running to my former dormitory building. I led the way with Brad by my side. Brad’s wounds were acting up and I could see him wince in pain as we ran. I wished he would have gone to the hospital with the others, but I knew he couldn’t abandon someone he had a deep emotional connection with. If I insisted, he might have gone to the hospital, but I was clear-minded enough to recognize that Brad also had trace amounts of Methadone in his system and he did not have a prescription, he would h

Thanks for reading and I know the cliffhanger is hard. Chip's current condition is unknown. Being taken away by force from his bed in the middle of the night like that is going to be traumatic, plus Gary Gaston had hunted for Beau and failed before on Tuesday in the library. In that instance he and his friends settled for a female work-study student in the library. Gary vented his frustration at not getting Beau on that poor woman; imagine what he would do with Chip. If he has enough time alone with Chip...shudders Min and Sammy are an interesting future "What-if" scenario, I might explore their story one day.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/32877046 An appropriate gay fiction story for this time of year. I’ve always found this genre of hurt/comfort type story very appealing to me, both as a reader and writer. Maybe it’s due to the fact that these kinds of stories usually stress the importance of characters rather than plot, so I gain an interest in the outcome of these characters. Eli Easton is one of those authors that I have grown to appreciate as a topical author. She’s exploring issu

Thanks for picking up that point, I have known a few police officers, state and local, over the years. I've read about arrests of corrupt city officials and high-ranking local police leadership (bribes and kickbacks). Also, very few people realize there's a difference between the levels of law enforcement that go into the different types of police forces. Municipal and town police are more tied into local politics due to direct funding with a lot of things getting played around by government officials and their top brass throwing their weight, but there's another police force outside the local system organized by the State, beyond just the highway patrol and border check troopers. The State police forces are quite useful in specialized functions (Search and Rescue, Air support, and Tactical aka SWAT function are handled by State Police, not local). In my humble opinion, these guys deserve recognition and should be highlighted as distinct from local law enforcement. @Geemeedeehad a good point about how I structured the exposition. I would still keep the bombastic language of John Abrams though because his character is capable and willing to jump into a fight. His rank and team description could have been written in better, maybe I should have introduced it earlier, but it has to precede the car ride. I think @bottomguy you understood why I highlighted two aspects in his speech. Police officers, who make it into State's Tactical team are proud of that honor, it's like an Army guy making it into the Army Rangers or Navy guys into the Navy Seals. These are the special forces in the scope of law enforcement. Police ranking is also important, too.