Jump to content

Trebs

Archived Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,151

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Trebs

  1. Trebs
    Revisiting "On-Hold" Stories
    By Renee Stevens
    As a writer, many of us may find times when we get stuck. Maybe we push a story to the back-burner and think, ‘oh, I’ll go back to it later.’ Then the time comes and we realize that we have no idea exactly where we want the story to go. Here’s just a few tips that might just help you get past the block and finish up some of those on-hold stories.
    Tip #1:
    When you finish a story and are trying to decide what to work on next, go back to all those "on hold" stories. Read through them or at least skim them. See if, by chance, one of them jumps out at you to the point that the story comes alive again in your head.
    Tip #2:
    You have a story that is in “on hold” status that you just really want to finish, but you’re not sure where to take it. Get help. Send the story to a trusted beta who is willing to look it over. Let them read through what you have and then discuss it. You can re-read it during this time too. Maybe you, or your beta reader, will get an idea of where the story could go. Talk it out with them and take note of their ideas. You might not use them all, but one or two of those might jump out at you.
    These two tips are no guarantee that your “on hold” story will get finished, but it’s a good first step to take.
    Authors - Do you have any other tips that help you in this situation? Let the community know!
  2. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #118 & #119

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    Happy Friday everyone... And since it's Friday, that means it we've got some writing prompts for you, as well as a great piece of writing that last Friday's prompts generated.
     
    Today's writing prompts are brought to you by Comicfan:
    Prompt 118 – Creative
    Cue – Myths and Legends
    No matter what part of the world you are from there are myths and legends associated with it. From the leprechauns of Ireland, to the Gods of Norway, the dragons of China, or Paul Bunyan and his ox in the United States, myths and legends abound around us. Your task is to take one of these creatures from your part of the world and create something new .
     
    Prompt 119 – Creative
    Cue – Library
    Sometimes a location can be limiting and sometimes it can open a world of new ideas. Your task is to create a tale about a library. What kind and where are up to you, so try not to limit yourself and see where this takes you.
     
    Play with these great prompts, see where you can go and share them in the Writing Prompts forum.
    This week's feature is in response to Prompt 116 and comes from Rndmrunner. I loved how he first sketched out how he was responding to the prompt before writing this - you can see the outline at his post here.
     
    And here is his story:
     
    The Gift
    One of my selfish pleasures is to not book anything or anyone on my birthday. I have reached an age when I am simply embarrassed when friends and family fuss with celebrations. I was reclining on the couch writing when the chimes sounded setting the dogs into Howler Monkey mode. Annoyed at the disturbance, I snapped at hem to for God’s sake be quiet and heaved myself around them to the entrance to turn away whoever was soliciting at the door.
    Carly jumped back as I snatched the door open still harping at the dogs who crowding around the entrance. At the sight of her startled frown, I softened, smiled, and swung the door open to let her in. The dogs, soothed by a familiar face and happy that they had done their duty, swarmed around her knees, and rubbed their heads lazily against her leg. Carly’s face was flushed as from the cold, her glasses fogging as she hit the warmer air. Carly was dressed in typical college fashion, an eclectic mix of comfort and fashion, well worn at the edges. Amidst a tangle of boots and dogs I took her coat and invited her in.
    “Sorry to bother you, I know you keep your birthday to yourself but I needed to talk to you and I knew you would be on your own tonight. “
    “What’s up” I smiled; “you know that you are always welcome” Carly sat down as I proceeded to pour another glass. “It wasn’t so long ago that this would have been juice and Oreos. Carly looked flushed and a little nervous so I gave her a few moments while I put away my journal and settled back in on the couch. I wondered at how that timid tearful child I first met had grown to be this confident young woman who was uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
    Carly looked up and gathered herself. “Eric, you remember the day I met you. It was my 9th birthday, I was in such a state. I was feeling forgotten cuz Mum was strapped for cash and time, you know the whole single parent thing, so there was no fuss or party. As only a nine year can feel I was feeling neglected and I so wanted to celebrate a special day. You found me sitting on your stoop in tears with a runny nose. Well I always wondered why you sat down and talked to me, really talked to me, instead of just asking where I lived and taking me home. Even then I knew it was okay to talk to you. And when you took me into the book store and bought me that hand puppet I knew I had found a friend. You didn’t rush me and then walked with me back home. I remember I was afraid when I showed it to Mum , you know, talking to strangers and all that and I was surprised when she just shook her head a little sadly and hugged me and offered you a coffee. You started coming around after that; Mum was never really surprised to see you, and you became Uncle Eric.”
    Carly paused and looked up at me directly and took a breath. “Mum has always been open and told me as soon as I could understand that she had me using a sperm bank. She said that when I was older I might be able to get some info on my biological father. I had always been curious as to who my biological father was. Mum and I were enough though and I didn’t need some stranger to make us whole. Mum raised me on her own and while I know she struggled sometimes she did a great job. And you know, over the years, you became the one I talked to for things that Mum just couldn’t answer, so I didn’t want to meet a stranger and feel that I should have some special connection to him. Anyway… ” Carly paused again looking down at her hands absentmindedly peting the dogs who were resting their noses in her lap.
    Looking up, Carly began again “Last summer, shortly after my birthday, Mum sat down and had a chat with me, she said she needed to clear the air. She told me that she always felt badly that I never had a chance to know my dad and her decision to have me by herself had cost me that chance. We talked and I tried to explain to her that even if I didn’t have a dad I had a Mum all to myself, one who was always there for me.” And I meant it, she went on. “I remember looking at my friends and their families. Some of them had two parents but they might as well have been alone most of the time. Besides Eric you have become part of the family too. I told Mum not to worry. The scars that I bear are pretty normal for a nineteen year old. I even told Mum that she hardly ever embarrasses me anymore. She laughed and agreed that she’s slipping and promised to try harder. We talked some more and I think Mum understands that I get it”
    “So what I really came here to say was thanks for being there for us.” Carly slipped an envelope out from behind her and passed it over. “Happy Birthday”.
    I smiled and opened the card. It was one of those gauzy drugstore cards that kids buy and emblazoned on the cover was HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I felt a tightening in my gut and looked up.
    Carly smiled and said “Well Mum and I might have talked a little more that I let on. I don’t think I will ever know how hard it must have been for you not to say anything all these years and just be there as a friend. You were a real friend to Mum, honouring the deal to be anonymous, but I am much happier to have you as a Dad.” I barely heard that last part as I pulled Carly into my arms.
  3. Trebs

    Featured Story: The Centurion Cycle

    By Trebs,


    Featured Stories
    As always, we couldn't do this without help. Thank you Wicked Witch for this great review of Promising Author JMH's "The Centurion Cycle" - much appreciated! If you have a story that hasn't been reviewed yet and want to write a review for us, let us know!
     
    Trebs and Renee Stevens
     



    The Centurion Cycle


    by



    JMH


     
    Reviewer: Wicked Witch
    Status: In Process
    Current Word Count: 698,166
     
    Some authors awe you with the way they managed to build vast, complex cohesive plots that make perfect sense. JMH has achieved this with the massive Centurion Cycle, some nearly 700,000 words of the life of Jason Argot, Legatio of Qul Tos and his expansive group of true friends and loves.
     
    An amazing mix of medieval, fantasy and science fiction that defies genres, Centurion Cycle hooked me and then wound me right in and I spent nearly a week not stop reading it from beginning to end.
     
    Centurion Cycle isn't so much a romance as an epic novel covering war and death, struggle and ultimate sacrifice and the fate of an entire world, with romance included for good measure. Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the way JMH builds Centurion Cycle as something that is the history of the world as we know it.
     
    In the end I felt delighted I had read this masterpiece, it left me feeling much benefited by the read. An amazing portrayal of human emotion will dance across the pages as you read this, with delightful characters. Jason is just a young boy when the story begins, and you will watch him mature, grow and developed mentally and physically as the story unfolds.
     
    But he is not perfect, and not everyone can be saved.
     
    If you are looking for something with a plot that you can really sink your teeth into, you'll enjoy Centurion Cycle.
  4. Trebs
    It's with great sadness that we report that one of our most notable members, NaperVic, passed away recently.
     
    As many of you know, Vic was an active guy who enjoyed working out and running with his dog Mina. He had been warming up for a race when he suffered a major heart attack. After being rushed to the hospital, he remained unconscious until he slipped into a coma. Though he put up an amazing fight to survive, he finally succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
     
    Vic has been active on GA for over 8 years and has touched the lives of so many people here. He's always been that friend you could lean on when times were tough. His personality is matched by none, and he will be greatly missed. The hole many of us will feel in our heart where Vic once was may never be filled, but our loving memories of him will live on forever.
     
    Here's to you, Vic. May you rest in peace knowing you made the world a better place. We invite those who experienced this wonderful man to leave your thoughts here or in the thread we've started in DomLuka's forum.
  5. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    First a reminder - today is the LAST day to offer your suggestions for the 2015 Anthology Themes! Visit the thread to offer your suggestions for the 2015 Anthology Themes! Thread will close at 11:59 PM (US Mountain Time) on July 20th
     
    This was a great week with men all over the place - err, I mean Mann Ramblings all over. We started the week with a great review by Joann414 of Mann's The Luxorian Fugitive. A slightly dark sultry tale set on the spacecraft The Santa Claus - tied together as only Mann can.
     
    Our Premium Feature story of the week is Boy Called Slave by Nephylim. This is one I haven't read yet, but based on the blurb and some of the comments, adding it to my reading list!
     
    So, with Mann being the feature of the week (as well as the month of July), we get some great insight via an interview Cia did with this hunk author, giving Mann Ramblings thoughts on The Luxorian Fugative. Go check it out and see what he likes to swirl!
     
    All good weeks come to an end, and this one ended on a bang with two great new Writing Prompts, including starting with "There is no way I am going in there!" and mysterious rings. Stretch your writing muscles as well as comfort zone by giving one of them a try, and then sharing with the community. Last week, Joann414 shared her use of a pregnant woman and jock strap, to very humorous results.
     
    So - how was your week?
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors this week:
     
    Standing in Shadows by Krista
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    The Secret Life of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality, Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Finding Alex by Nephylim
     
    Lost Inside by Cia, Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    The Strange Life of Jonas Marks by comicfan
     
    Shelter by Comicality, Book 1 of Shelter
     
    Pilots II by David McLeod
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    Curse of the Fallen by JMH, Book 2 of Fallen
     
    Button by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  6. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #340 & #341

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    One of the great aspects of GayAuthors is the variety of ways that members can improve their writing, from various writing tips to the availability of editors and beta readers, to these - writing prompts that encourage authors to take a chance and see where a prompt may lead them. Based on the responses we've had in the past, these prompts have a tendency to take on a life of their own and really capture the imagination of both our fledgling as well as veteran authors.
     
    This week, we've got two new prompts courtesy of PromptGuru comicfan - try one (or both) out and see what you may make of it, especially if you've never tried one before. But to get the full experience, share what you do create with the rest of the community by posting in the Writing Prompts forum or in Stories.
     
    Prompt 340 – Creative
    Tag – First Line
    “There is no way I am going in there!”
     
    Prompt 341 – Creative
    Tag – Rings
    With the passing of your last relative, a collection of rings has been handed down to you. At first you look at the old rings and figure you might be able to sell them. As you begin going through them you notice there is something different about them. What is it?
     
    Last week, one of the prompts (#338), asked to write using the following words/phrases: "pregnant woman, hammer, blue jock strap, yellow flowers, and an apple". And oh my, will Wonders Never Cease...
     

    If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know it doesn't just end there So check out the rest of this great prompt response from Joann414!
  7. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    First, congratulations to Renee who is relaxing on a family trip. This gives me the chance to <bwah ah ha> TAKE OVER! And it is a great week that I get to look back on, starting with our look at July's CSR Book Club selection of Advent by Promising Author Cole Matthews. Be sure to stop back on Monday, July 28th when we'll discuss this great story.
     
    Our Premium Tuesday blog entry for this week was Waiting for the Sign by dkstories, continuing our look at the great stories available as thanks for our Premium Content supporters.
     
    Cia gave us a great writing tip on Overcoming the Obstacles.
     
    Finally, we got two wonderful new writing prompts, one with an amusing set of words and the other with a sci/fi'ish scenario. To cap it off, we got a look at Cole Matthew's response to Prompt 336, starting off with "Oh God. This isn't what it looks like!"
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2015 Theme Suggestions - Visit the thread to offer your suggestions for the 2015 Anthology Themes! Thread will close at 11:59 PM (US Mountain Time) on July 20th

    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors this week:
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Leopard Spots by Graeme, Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Cataclysmic Evolution by Cia
     
    Agenda 21 by Comicality
     
    The Secret Life of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality, Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Global Explorer by David McLeod
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton
     
    Dream Lover - Extended by Comicality
     
    Translator III: Dragon Warrior by David McLeod
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicales
     
    A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan
     
    Vintage by carringtonrj
     
    Curse of the Fallen by JMH, Book 2 of Fallen
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews
     
    Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan
     
    Gaia-Town by Cole Matthews
     
    Button by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  8. Trebs
    Promising Author no more - please join us in congratulating our newest Signature Author, Andy78! Between his 34 different published stories, tons of reviews written about others stories as well as responding to over 93% of the reviews of his own stories, and all of his forum posts and works as a site moderator, you wonder if he's somehow manipulating time to be able to do it all
     
    Andy78 has a few longer stories, but it is his wonderful short stories that truly capture the imagination and make you smile. Fantasy, thrillers, westerns - something for everyone.
     
    Check out Andy78's stories here, then please join me in welcoming Andy78 to the Signature Author group!




  9. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Peek-a-boo! Ya, Renee was kind enough to allow me to do another Weekly Wrap Up while she is out of town. So let's look back on our week then. We started by looking at our Featured Story: Leopard Skin Cover by Signature Author Graeme. I was privileged to have been a beta reader for this great story and Wildone's review wonderfully captures the interest of this story.
     
    Premium Tuesday gave us a look at Incomplete Recollections by Johnathan Colourfield, a part of the Summer Premium Anthology. You can read the description in the blog post as well as find out more about how to purchase a premium subscription so that you can access all of GA's Premium Content.
     
    Tying in with Monday's review, we continued our Signature week with an interview with Signature Author Graeme, wherein we learned the controversial fact that at 6:30am, Graeme is already up and fully dressed
     
    And da-da-da-DUM - the 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan is now live! Nine great new anthology stories for your reading. I know that most of you are probably ignoring this blog right now as you're nose-deep into reading these great new stories, but we'll be still here when you're done.
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors this week:
     
    Savage Moon 06 - The New Breed by Comicality, Book 6 of Savage Moon
     
    Pilots II by David McLeod
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Weaving Their Way by Cia, Book 2 of A Maze For Three
     
    Last Call by K. C.
     
    Consolation Parents by Bill W
     
    Anything For My Brother by comicfan
     
    Space Pioneer by Dolores Esteban
     
    Pour Me Another by K.C.
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Jessie-101: Online Celebrity by Comicality
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Dream Lover - Extended by Comicality
     
    Translator III: Dragon Warrior by David McLeod
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    The Bachelor Farmer by Cole Matthews
     
    Magic in the Air by Andy78
     
    Sole Scion by JMH, Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicals
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    The English Year by Jwolf
     
    Not My Brother by Sasha Distan
     
    Button by Cole Matthews
     
    Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight by Cole Matthews
     
    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  10. Trebs
    So in addition to a very hearty Happy Birthday to Cole, we'd also like to Congratulate Cole Matthews on joining the ranks of Promising Authors for GA!
     
    Cole Matthews is new to fiction writing. He likes to compose stories about gay and bisexual men who face great personal adversities after coming of age. Cole hopes to create a body of work that blends philosophy, psychology, and history to discover how these disciplines can speak to our lives. His characters tend to be ordinary people hoping to find happiness and love. While his writing usually centers on romantic encounters, he hopes to explore other genres of writing as well.
     
    So before you head off to check out his great stories, please join us in wishing him a very sincerely and well disserved:
     





  11. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Oh my you people are lucky - you get to have me for two weeks in a row now! I gotta thank Renee for letting me help out, though it also helps her have some extra time to do some other things. And when you look at how busy it is here at the GayAuthors.org News Blog, you can see how the extra time can help. I mean, we started this week with the CSR Discussion Day for Your Alpha, My Mate by Wolfwriter. To kick off the discussion, Cia had a great interview with Wolfwriter about a variety of topics and then quite a few readers asked questions and Wolfwriter was there to answer them.
     
    Renee started a new feature - a Tuesday blog article devoted to Premium Stories. Each Tuesday, we'll either feature a new Premium Story or, if the currently posting story has already been featured, we'll feature an existing Premium Story. For this week, as it just started posting, we got a look at Renee's No More Hiding!
     
    For Wednesday, we had a feature about the Author Promotion Team (APT), what they do and how they need help. A great behind the scenes look at this team and their work!
     
    Then with the change of months and the start of May, we have our new May Signature Author Background - Andrew Q Gordon's Second Shot. Take a look at these wonderful backgrounds for this story!
     
    And while we had no prompts this week (they will return next Friday) - dah dah da DUMMMM - the 2014 Poetry Anthology: A Storm is Coming is NOW LIVE!. Enjoy baker's dozen of poems.
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Proof Team is June 5th*

    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens
     
    By our Signature Authors this week:
     
    Leopard Skin Cover by Graeme
     
    Pilots II by David McLeod
     
    Enforcer by Rob Colton, Book 2 of Timber Pack Chronicles
     
    My One True Weakness by Comicality
     
    Veil of Shadow by Stellar, Book 2 of unnamed
     
    I Am Fire by Krista
     
    A Storm is Brewing by Bill W
     
    The Rage of the Storm by Dolores Esteban
     
    A Storm of Problems by comicfan
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality, Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    Finding Alex by Nephylim
     
    Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon
     
    What Do I Say? by Graeme
     
    Waiting Outside The Lines" by Comicality
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    Born Wolf by Sasha Distan
     
    Runner-Up by FrenchCanadian
     
    Shadows on the Ocean by layla
     
    Temptestuous by carringtonrj
     
    What Mountains Breed by layla
     

    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  12. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    This is my last chance to play with the GayAuthors News Blog before Renee comes back and takes over again - so, let's make it good. We were saddened to start our week learning of the passing of GhostRyder15, one of GayAuthors' original Hosted Authors. In honor of his memory, we took a look at a recent story review that had been done of his Kombat Kids story.
     
    Wednesday, we had the humorously titled, but VERY informative Cia's Torturing Me! This was a great look at GayAuthors' posting system, and how to correctly navigate it. There have been sometimes where an author make a mistake that causes Cia to have to alert them to some issue - and thus the title of the blog article. Based on the comments - and this one generated a TON of comments - most authors really appreciate all the time and effort that Cia puts in to help them out and I couldn't agree more.
     
    And as we do every Friday, we got to enjoy and see two new prompts from our great prompt-guru comicfan! Additionally, we took at a great response to one of last week's prompts. Ron took a first line prompt, and used it to continue exploring a character he created in a previous prompt response. I highly recommend the read of these.
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Proof Team is June 5th*

    2014 Fall Anthology: Scars - Due Sept 3rd *Note: Deadline is for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    No More Hiding by Renee Stevens - ***NEW***
     
    By our Signature Authors this week:
     
    Flux by Mark Arbour; Book 14 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Leopard Skin Cover by Graeme
     
    Belovéd by Don H
     
    HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont
     
    Geeks by CassieQ
     
    Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales
     
    0300 Book 3 by David McLeod
     
    Purpose - A New Beginning by Andrew_Q_Gordon
     
    A prompt a week by comicfan
     
    Standing in Shadows by Krista
     
    The Strange Life of Jonas Marks by comicfan
     
    Pilots II by David McLeod
     
    Finding Alex by Nephylim
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    Born Wolf by Sasha Distan
     
    What Mountains Breed by layla
     
    Thorny Poetry by Thorn Wilde
     
    Nanowars: Rebirth by JMH, Book 1 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicals
     

    Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!!
  13. Trebs

    Writing Prompts #320 & #321

    By Trebs,


    Prompts
    I'm back! Well, just for a couple of guest posts to allow Renee to enjoy herself. So we're at the end of the week, and that means we get a chance to explore two new writing prompts, courtesy of our prompt-guru Comicfan. I think you'll like these - I know I can't wait to see what people come up with. But when you do - share it with the rest of the community in the Writing Prompt forum!
     
    Prompt 320 – Creative
    Tag – The Drought
    Your town is suffering through the worst drought that it has ever known. It is going on two years without a single drop and nothing is growing. The once lush lawns and forests are dry kindling. The businesses have slowly closed and the town is looking like it might soon just vanish beneath the blowing dust. You might know a way to finally make it rain, but you know it will come at a cost. What do you have to do?
     
    Prompt 321 – Creative
    Tag – List of Words
    Use the following words in a story – a cactus, a hedgehog, a broken clock, a Band-Aid, and a computer.
     
    One really interesting use of last week's prompts came from Ron, who took Prompt 318 (first line) and came up with The Goodbye Garden:
     

    Here you can see the rest of this response, as well as a link to an earlier prompt response involving Tommy.
    Enjoy!
  14. Trebs

    Great trip

    By Trebs,

    Got back last night - very tired but also with a ton of great memories.
     
    I didn't bring my nice camera on this trip and looking back, I'm glad. A lot of things were first time experiences, and I was able to use my iPhone to capture a few, without feeling obligated to lug the bigger camera around and seeing too much through the camera lens rather than in person.
     
    We made a late start of Friday but it helped avoid traffic so - meh. We ate in Sacramento before heading down and got into San Francisco about 9:30, going over the new Bay Bridge. The east span is a beautiful piece of architecture, but the best part of the bridge was actually when we got to our hotel. We stayed in the Harbor Court Hotel, and I didn't know that Jack spent extra to get a bridge view room. If you don't know, last year (in honor of the 75th anniversary), an artist installed what's called the Bay Lights. It's a light show on the bridge and we just stood in our window and watched for about 10 minutes when we first got in. There were geometric patterns as well as it looking at one point like clouds were traveling across the lights. Our hotel was right on the Embarcadero, with nothing between us and the bay (nor between us and the bridge). After unpacking a little, we headed out to walk along the Embarcadero. It was a little chilly but still a great walk, looking at the Ferry building, reading various historical plaques and just people watching. There were a couple of piers open to the public, and we walked all the way to the end, just looking into the bay and seeing all of the various lights from Berkeley, Treasure Island and the like.
     
    Headed back to the hotel and zonked out fast. We were only staying the one night there so packed up and got checked out. I grabbed a cup of coffee while Jack checked out, and saw that in addition, the hotel had a wonderful hot chocolate setup - a big pump carafe of cocoa, but also a lot of things to add like chili powder, marshmellows, chocolate and caramel syrup, and cinnamon sticks. I ended up making my coffee a mocha :-)
     
    We had planned on doing a Red and White fleet cruise under the Golden Gate then come back and do the Exploratorium - I had won two tickets to each at a fundraiser at the kids' school. We moved the truck to be near the Exploratorium and used the historic F line street car to get to Pier 43 for the cruise. After we moved the truck, we saw a diner, the Pier 23 cafe, so we stopped for food before heading to the cruise. OMG - the food was great and the view of the bay, with all of the various traffic, was just such a pleasant way to start the day. There were huge cargo ships heading to and from the Port of Oakland, various size sailing ships and even a windsurfer or two.
     
    So after getting a late start and lingering over breakfast, by the time we got to the cruise area we had just missed the 11:45 ship and had to wait for the 1:10. Not too bad - we exchanged the fundraiser voucher for two tickets and explored while we waited. Next to the Red and White office is Pier 45, home to the Musee Mecanique, a submarine and the SS Jeremiah O'Brien. The Musee has a ton of old mechanical dioramas and other machines - usually takes a quarter (though the bigger ones require $1 to run) and admission to the place is free. I love going and showing it to people - I remember when it all used to be housed at the Cliff House. Jack loved seeing all of the old machines.
     
    He also wanted to go out and explore the ships. Each cost $12 admission and I was feeling a little tired and said for him to go on without me. But then I started thinking about the Jeremiah O'Brien and asked him to get me a few souvenirs. Since I had no idea what their on-ship store would have, the more I thought about it, I just gave in, paid the admission and went up on the ship with him. The ship is one of the Liberty ships - merchant ships made quickly in World War 2 for supply and other shipping needs. When the US fully geared up, the shipyards took just 60 days to produce a Liberty ship and we ended up producing over 2,700 of them. One thing I didn't know, was that the Jeremiah O'Brien was one of only two still fully functioning Liberty ships. It even went back for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, since it was also one of the ships that was originally AT D-Day.
     
    I had a personal connection to the ship though (which is why I wanted some souvenir), and that is that my dad was the Administrative Officer at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. This was a civilian position (after he retired from the military in 1967). Growing up, I went on the liberty ships and others in the reserve fleet - which is where they keep some ships and constantly maintain them, so if they are needed in an emergency, they are ready to go. I remember him constantly talking about the O'Brien as they got the ship ready to go to an overhaul place, prior to becoming a museum ship at Pier 45. The ship stays functioning, and goes for cruises of the bay as well. I got a few things such as a nice white hoody but more importantly, I learned so much just wandering around the ship and looking at the plaques and other information.
     
    It was about time for the bay cruise, so we headed to the gate and boarded. SUCH a great experience. I've been on the bay before, but I didn't realize that the cruise would have a running commentary. When you've boarded, you're given a small audio device with headset and can turn it to your language of choice. As we went out to the Golden Gate bridge, the commentary let us know about tons of things that we were passing, their history, things to look out for - I loved this. After passing out and then back under the bridge, we passed by the north side of Alcatraz island then back to the pier. We had gotten the short one-hour cruise and I look forward to trying one of their longer cruises next time.
     
    I figured by the time got to the Exploratorium it would be about 3pm and we would have only two hours, so instead we headed into the Castro to look around and have a late lunch. Found a great Japanese restaurant (with a waiter with incredible blue eyes) and then wandered around, picking up a few items such as some cool coffee mugs and magnets (Jack collects fridge magnets).
     
    We didn't want to leave, but didn't want to get to our camping cabin too late so we headed out. The truck was still by Pier 23 so took the Muni train from the Castro back to the Embarcadero. We could have then gotten on the F line streetcar again (and for free as once you use your Clipper fare card, other transfers within 90 minutes are included). But it was a nice night, and there were some street vendors so we just walked back along the Embarcadero. Then - about 3 blocks before we got to the car...
     
    Well, to "set the scene" - I've had a lot of problems with my right leg. Some of it isn't new, but part of my back issues dating back to 1985 when I first ruptured a vertebrae. When I developed neuropathy for the first time last year due to Velcade, it was primarily in my right foot and leg. And with the new round of neuropathy and other issues, I've stumbled and shuffled a bit due to weakness in my right leg. So, we're walking down the Embarcadero and I have a bag in my left hand containing three new coffee mugs and some other things. Then out of the blue, my right leg gave way a bit but for the first time, rather than just stumbling and putting more weight on my left and staying standing, oh - I went down... Luckily the mugs just clinked on the sidewalk a little and there was no damage there. I ended up falling backwards (which was good as there was no scrape or other marks that could have happened. The major damage, apart from my ankle, was my ego as a few bystanders saw and came over to see if they could help.
     
    Jack grabbed the bag and let me just rest for a minute, then I slowly saw up, tightened the laces on my shoes to give more support and we slowly got back to the car. He checked out the ankle and it wasn't swollen or broken so we took off for Santa Cruz/Watsonville and our campground. We left San Francisco about 7:30 and got to the KOA campground about 9pm. The cabin was simple but just such a great choice. We didn't expect much, but there were not only two electrical outlets in the cabin, but there was also a small portable space heater so we walked into a nice WARM cabin! When I booked, I had thought we'd get just a campsite, but those were $40 and the small one room cabin was $55 so got the cabin for two nights instead. Inside is just a full bed (thick foam mattress but no linens) and a bunk bed with two twin mattresses (that we used to store our stuff). Spread the sleeping bags out and the bed was really comfortable. The bathroom was just three cabins away and we were set.
     
    Again, the plan was to use Sunday to check out Santa Cruz, hike around in the redwoods there as well as see the Pacific Garden Mall and then on Monday, check out Monterey, both the Aquarium, Cannery Row and the beaches nearby. And - ya, it didn't happen that way. Woke up Sunday morning to a VERY steady rain overhead. Jack is a heavy sleeper but I tend to wake up between 7 and 7:30, just because the dogs have trained me to do so (if Mila doesn't get fed by 8am, she'll waste away to nothing). So I woke up and just enjoyed the sound of the rain on the roof, while checking on email, Facebook and other news. I had looked at the weather in advance (on Tuesday) and Sunday/Monday were supposed to be clear, but I should have checked later in the week I guess. Jack finally woke up about 9am.
     
    It worked out in the end as we just flipped our days and did Monterey on Sunday. After checking my ankle again and wrapping it really well, we headed down and on the way found a great place to eat in Moss Landing, and then continued into Monterey. I'd been to the Aquarium once before but it had been a few years. We both had a great time, looking at all of the exhibits and talking to the various volunteers throughout who helped give additional information about the place. After the aquarium closed, we wandered the rest of Cannery Row before heading back. We were stuffed still from the brunch we had earlier so didn't end up getting hungry until about 8. The KOA brochure had a number of ads, so we ended up going to the local Straw Hat pizza in Watsonville.
     
    We cleaned up and checked out of the cabin Monday morning and then headed to Santa Cruz. Lunch this time was an italian deli on Pacific Garden Mall where we both got the soup and half sandwich combo. I went to UC Santa Cruz in 83'-85' but had only been back once since Loma Prieta and at that time, there was still some rebuilding going on. Now there is nary a sign of the earthquake damage although there seem to be a lot more "corporate" stores than when I went there. Still there are a ton of unique local-owned shops too. We wandered up and down the Mall, spending a lot of time in Logo's (a great bookstore with a huge used section) and just having a great time.
     
    We drove up to the UCSC campus at that point, and I showed him some of the places around campus but mainly just soaked in the atmosphere. If you ever have a chance, go visit the campus as it is only about 1/3 developed, and the various buildings are placed to coexist with the magnificent trees and wildlife. We came across two does eating grass at one point, just about 15 feet from the road. It was getting late, so we drove off for home, taking a scenic route through the Henry Cowell State Redwood park and passing through Felton before heading back over the hill. Once in Los Gatos, stopped for a quick bite and then on to Sacramento.
     
    Really fun trip - both of us SO needed to just get out of town for a bit. Now it's off to do laundry, figure out beginning of the month bills and spoil the dogs ;-) My ankle is doing pretty well - looks like I just bruised it a bit so it's a little tender, but overall I can walk and use it without problems. Now if this next round of Revlimid deals with the lymphoma while leaving me alone as far as side-effects, I will be very happy. We'll see :-)
  15. Trebs

    Overall better

    By Trebs,

    So - still really looking forward to the trip this weekend (San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Monterey). Every thing is set - I've got a friend staying at the house to watch the dogs, reservations are made and kinda packed. Ok, I have to do a couple of loads of laundry today and tomorrow, not only clothes for the trip but also clean sheets for the guest bed. The friend is the only one that's used it, but I figure fresh sheets are the least I can do. He loves coming over, both because he is a big dog lover but also because of my 50" TV that he can hook his XBox to or just watch TV on.
     
    Medically I got my PET scan results today. Well, I talked to my doctor who summarized them, and later today I'll stop by and get the physical printout. He thinks things are going well, considering the timing of when the last PET scan was done as well as where I am with the Revlimid (chemo drug). I'm still waiting for the lower dose of Revlimid to be filled, but part of me is so glad for the respite. I also was supposed to get an infusion of immunoglobin as outpatient over two days - yesterday and today. I went in yesterday, and at after about 1/4 of the first dose, I started getting rigor again. This is what happened on Dec 23 when I had this drug. Then they waited for things to calm down, and continued at a very slow rate and I was able to handle the rest of the dose. This time since it was outpatient and not inpatient, they stopped and just waited for things to calm down. They then continued to observe me for a couple of hours and then let me go home. The rigor (shaking due to feeling VERY cold) wasn't as bad as last time, but it still just totally drains you of energy.
     
    We talked about this as well after he gave me the PET scan results, and he is going to have me do another round, but with immunoglobin from a different manufacturer, as the reactions are usually due to the additives the particular company uses. I got home, barely ate and fed the dogs, and then pretty much crashed asleep. Of course, this meant the dogs had to get up twice during the night, rather than their standard once, since we went to bed so early. But this morning, I woke up feeling pretty good so very happy. If I just keep pushing myself a little today and tomorrow (pushing means skipping naps), then I should be all set for this weekend's trip.
     
    Timing of the trip works out not only on my stamina and drug status issues, but also, for the first time in over 50 days, northern California finally is getting some rain today and tomorrow. Long range looks like the camping part (Sat night through Monday) will be clear so that's great. We SO need water - our reservoirs and snowpacks are both under 20%. But at the same time, I am glad for the break being at the right time. Once I'm back home, let the rain come again and again.
  16. Trebs

    Mainly medical update

    By Trebs,

    As I mentioned, I've been having pain and numbness in my right side and pretty much just dealing with it. Wednesday, my left hand started feeling numb so I got a concerned and called my doctor's office to make an appointment. I saw him yesterday and he agreed that the neuropathy was getting a bit much.
     
    When I started on the latest chemo drug, Revlimid, we decided to have me do the full strength of the pills, 25mg per day. A bit part of this is that I'm only 48 and should be able to tolerate it better, and the stronger the chemo that I can take and tolerate, the more effective (ie quicker) the treatment. The pills are taken for 21 days, then I have a 7 day break before starting again. As of yesterday, I'd done two full rounds and had taken the 14th pill of the third round.
     
    So with the problems I've been having, he is having me stop the Revlimid temporarily and is putting in an order for Revlimid 15mg pills. I don't know yet when I'll be able to get the pills - his office is working with insurance and the specialty mail-order pharmacy and will let me know when I'll get them. They may delay since in their records, I still have a week left of pills before a reorder is available but who knows... The good thing is my doctor's office is doing all of the legwork on this.
     
    So between the break in not taking the pills, and then the lower dose when the new pills come in - my doctor hopes that this combination will help me and that I'll get over the worst of the neuropathy issues. The other thing we're both looking forward to is that on Monday I get a new PET scan. This is the test, kind of like a MRI or CT, but before they put me in the machine, they inject radioactive sugar and have me rest for an hour. The scan then shows all of the outlines of the soft tissue from my head to groin, and we can see if the lymph nodes have decreased in size. Also, cancer cells tend to draw sugar faster so very active lymph nodes will show more "heat" and this would be bad (and was how my PET scan in October 2013 indicated that I had relapsed again).
     
    So I'll do the test on Monday and by Wednesday of next week, we should get the results and see how effective 2 1/2 months of Revlimid have been. There is a term that I and other cancer patients use at this point - "scanxiety" - which is the nervousness of having to wait and wonder over test results. At least it isn't as bad as when I have to wonder if the lymphoma is back or not - those waits are much worse. This one, I know I have it, the question is how well my treatment is fighting it and getting me back to the remission state.
     
    Mentally I'm doing well right now. I have a trip planned for next weekend that I'm looking forward to - going into San Francisco, exploring Castro with a friend (Jack) Friday night. Then Saturday, we have tickets to a one hour bay cruise under the Golden Gate and when we're done with that, checking out the Exploratorium at its new home on Pier 15. We then head down to the Santa Cruz area where we have a camping cabin for two nights. We'll use that as a base to explore the area. I went to UC Santa Cruz for a year and a half and can't want to show Jack the redwoods of Henry Cowell state park, downtown Santa Cruz (Kelly's, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Saturn Cafe) as well as checking out Monterey and possibly the aquarium there. We'll then head back late Monday night.
     
    I'm also excited over a project I've been working on since late November, of putting together the Hanami Line proposal for our local North Natomas Regional Park. We've been making great progress on the proposal and had a meeting last night to review where we are at. This included a first look at how many trees we would plant and where they would be in the park. We have one more week to get it all ready but I think it will be a very solid proposal when we get to submit it.
     
    So - I guess overall, things are really great right now. I still can't wait until things get better so that I can go back to work, but in the meantime, at least I have been able to keep my mind busy and hopefully I'm getting the lymphoma under control.
  17. Trebs

    It's the little things

    By Trebs,

    So, thankfully today and yesterday have been "good" days. I'm up, able to do simple things around the house and the pain is at a reasonable level. Really happy, especially as Saturday and Sunday were horrible days - where the pain was so bad, I basically spent almost all of the day in bed. I'd get up, let the dogs out, feed them, have a bowl of cereal and take my meds (including pain pills) and then head back to bed. Only time I'd get up is if I had to pee or to let the dogs out. One of the sources of pain has been on the right side of my head, from the shoulder up the neck and around the right ear - so wearing glasses was painful. I put in contacts on Sunday and that helped a bit but in the overall scheme of things, going from a 7 to a 6 in pain levels isn't that big of a difference, but at least it was one change that I could easily make.
     
    So yesterday, I woke up, took all the necessary pills around 6:30am and around 8am was feeling decent. I did a load of dishes (and they needed it - they'd been piling up for quite a few days). I also did some minor chores around the house and felt good about things.
     
    Now the pain isn't just pain - most of it is neuropathy, which is nerve pain and numbness. So the gabapentin helps to minimize the nerve pain and I've been augmenting it with an occasional norco (part hydrocodone and part Tylenol). But the numbness, which is mainly on the right side of my body, is still there and has some odd unexpected consequences.
     
    Over Thanksgiving at my brother's, we were geeking out about various things and at one point, I went to do the vulcan sign with both of my hands. Normally, I do it without thinking (cause ya, I'm a geek like that). My left hand had no problem, but my right hand was going through spasms and wouldn't stay in the right position. I even tried using my left hand to help it, mold the right hand in the correct form, and the ring and pinky fingers would just limply fall away. No big deal but just discouraging,
     
    Then Saturday night, since I wasn't able to do much (like cook), a friend went out to my favorite chinese restaurant and got me two orders of Wor Won Ton soup, so I'd have dinner that night and a meal for the next day as well. The soup was fantastic as usual, but my hand kept shaking as I was trying to eat it. I'd try to switch to my left hand - lol, that was worse. I had no physical problems with my left hand, I just am not used to trying to use it to eat. I made it through the meal, but again, meh.
     
    So again last night, I was feeling so much better, so I went myself to Panda Express to get dinner for myself. First time I drove in five days and it felt good. I got home, got out the food and I felt like an amateur trying to use chopsticks for the first time. The chopsticks kept slipping and it took a lot of concentration to eat. Realize, growing up with a Japanese mother, I don't even remember learning how to use chopsticks, they were always just something that my hand grabbed to eat certain foods.
     
    I'm still learning to deal with the weakness in my right hand and sometimes forget - as evidenced by the two dishes that are now in the landfill after I dropped them and had to sweep them into the garbage.
     
    But in the overall picture, it's not that bad of an adjustment and I am still able to do most things that I need to, both around the house and otherwise. Now if I could just reliably have a run of "good" days so I could get back to my job but that will happen one day (soon?).
  18. Trebs
    Today was a pretty mixed bag, and meh, that's not too bad overall.
     
    Healthwise, it started off really poorly. I've been having nerve pain, likely caused by the current chemo drug I'm on (technical term is neuropathy). I've had it in various forms before, but in the past it has been in my feet and ankles. Now one of the worst parts is in my right neck/shoulder, the back of my head and worst of all, my right ear. It got so bad yesterday that I kept taking my glasses off (the arm of the glasses hurts when it rests on the right ear) so I finally just put in a pair of contacts. Taking some norco (similar to vicodin but only 350mg tylenol per pill rather than 500mg) helps. Before bed, I took my normal pills as well as two norco.
     
    Woke up about 4am and was in a ton of pain on my right ear and that whole side of my head. I immediately took two more norco as well as a lot of water (felt dehydrated). Sat up for a bit and about 40 minutes later, the norco had kicked in enough to head back to sleep. So first thing this morning, I called my doctor's office and after the receptionist talked to the doctor, she called me back that he was doubling my nerve pain medicine (gabapentin). So - good... I'm still not taking as much as I had at one time, so I know I can handle this higher amount. The downside is that I'm going to be continuing to take the chemo drug for some time, so who knows how bad the neuropathy will get. But at least I got immediate response to my problems, which is one reason I love my oncologist (and all of his staff as well).
     
    Spent the morning looking through various healthcare options for the point when I am no longer using sick-time hours to get a partial paycheck from work. At that point, I either do COBRA to continue my current healthcare, or some other coverage. I looked at what Medicare B and Covered California (California's health exchange under the Affordable Care Act) can do - and overall, it looks like doing COBRA is still my best bet. I'm going to try to go to the local Social Security office to double-check that I'm understanding my Medicare/Medigap options correctly.
     
    I haven't mentioned it, but I am involved in a REALLY cool project. Since moving to the North Natomas part of Sacramento in late 2010, I've been involved with our "Friends of the North Natomas Regional Park." The NNRP is a 220 acre park that is just about a mile from the house. It is mainly undeveloped - just a dog park when we moved here and then this past November, we had the grand opening of a sports complex that included three ballfields, a playground, water spray area, picnic/grilling area, parking lot and amphitheater area. There is already funding and plans for the next stage which will add two more ballfields, a stage for the amphitheater, additional parking and a permanent farmer's market. Seeing the changes and having input to the planning of the Regional Park has been very fulfilling.
     
    So at our November meeting, we heard about an effort by the Sacramento Tree Foundation to create a "Hanami Line" somewhere in the city. Hanami is the Japanese custom of enjoying the cherry blossoms and this effort is looking to put 200+ cherry trees somewhere, and requesting proposals on the best place to put them. Both since I'm half-Japanese but also because I adore the cherry trees around the DC Tidal Basin - as soon as I heard about this, I was very excited. Our Friends of the NNRP group was also thrilled, thinking of how the Hanami Line could fit into the regional park, and so we're moving forward with putting together a proposal. There is a steering group organized by the Tree foundation that is overall working on the Hanami Line, and I've been going to those meetings as well as both a representative of the Friends group, as well as just myself as, while I think our proposal will be one of the strongest, no matter what, I am excited about this concept and happy to work on bringing it to Sacramento.
     
    So I bring this up because this afternoon I had a follow-up meeting with the leader of our Friends group to go over our proposal. We made a few changes that will make the proposal even better. I also briefly met and spoke with our local City Councilmember (and current Vice Mayor) who is very excited about our proposal and strongly supports our efforts. I have met her a few times in the past and have always just been so impressed with her. Once in a while I may disagree on policy items, but her enthusiasm for our area, her energy and her openness have just been so refreshing and wonderful. To cap it off, I get home and SHE is posting on my Facebook thanking ME for my efforts. :-)
     
    Lastly (as if this wasn't enough) - I made Korokke tonight from my Mom's recipe (mainly). Before my Mom passed away in Feb 2010, I had tried to document a few of the recipes of hers. I love making her turkey and stuffing (and then turkey soup) as well as a few other items. To document her recipes, it usually took at least two or three times to get it all down right. For the other recipes, I had them down to the point where I would use the recipe in front of her and make corrections and finalize the recipe. With Korokke, I had just a first draft of sketchy notes, so I hadn't tried to make it since. I finally gave in (since I was craving it) and browsed some other recipes on the internet to fill in some gaps (like cooking temperature) and gave it a try. It WORKED! So now I have one more recipe to add to the files of my "Mom's recipes" AND I have a nice batch of made korokke, which by the way is a beef/curry/potato croquette.
     
    So mixed bag, busy but at the end of the day (which this is), just in a really good mood (with a very stuffed belly).
     
     
    PS - the previous blog title was due to me listening to the soundtrack of "Book of Mormon" at the time.
  19. Trebs
    As many have noted, I do pretty well with my outlook, all things considered. And I do try - sometimes it is a little bit of a facade to get through the day, but overall I do try to look on the more positive side of things when possible. I mean, the alternatives are figure out a way to get through this or just give up - and I don't like the implications of that latter choice. There are too many things that I still want to do, places to see and most importantly, friends to spend more time with.
     
    Still - I do go through bad days, where if it weren't for the girls (ie, my dogs), I wouldn't get out of bed at all. At least they force me into a bit of a routine as they need to get up to go to the bathroom and then have breakfast in the morning (and somehow "20 more minutes" doesn't translate into dog that easily). So they keep me at least from just staying curled in a ball when the pain or depression get bad. And right now, the depression is more of a little "d" variety - just spells of down moods rather than anything clinical currently. I've had the "D" variety - and if gets that bad, I'll talk to the doctor about going back on prozac and start going back to a therapist (both help me though I know it will vary with other people). Just so many stress factors and things that I have to deal with, that are causing my mood to flip all over the place.
     
    The biggest one is when I physically feel great, and this past week, there were a couple of days when that happened, but not being able to go back to work, nor knowing when I'll be able to do so. I just got the letter two days ago that Social Security approved my claim for SSDI (disability insurance). When I first went on disability last March (3/1/13), it was because of the bone marrow transplant and the expectation was that I'd be able to go back to work around the end of the year. As that date approached and I was dealing with this relapse and the effects of the new chemo drug, my doctor's office submitted the amended paperwork to place me on permanent disability.
     
    I'm not even fifty years old. But considering the way mantle cell lymphoma acts and the uncertainty of what I'm in for, it was the best way to handle this. If the chemo puts me into remission and I'm free of both the lymphoma as well as the chemo side-effects, then changing that designation and returning to work is an easy thing. I've already gone through two cycles/months of the Revlimid and yesterday started round 3. I have a PET Scan set up at the end of January so we can see how effective the Revlimid is working. If I do six rounds total (which for some reason, six seems to be the magic number of rounds of treatment), then I should be done by the end of April. Not too far away - assuming that the PET Scan and other tests show me going into remission by then. If the Revlimid doesn't do the trick, there is always the newer Ibrutinib to try.
     
    So lots of hope and prospects. But I have to plan for the "what if's" too - like, what if I can't get back to work. Right now, money is ok, between disability and savings. If I work it out right, things will continue to be fine until summer but I am already planning that if I can't go back to work by June, then I have to put the house up for sale. I bought at the right time and when I sell, I'll get a good chunk of equity out of it, that I can use to either put a large down-payment on a much smaller/cheaper place, or just bank and rent a small dog-friendly place. Still, I love my house, so even considering the potential of having to sell is hard... well, frustrating.
     
    I get frustrated that I can't do things I used to, I don't have the stamina that I "should". And frustrated that the chemo isn't working faster, isn't showing more immediate results. Frustrated that my leg gives out when I walk, or is really stiff when I first stand up after sitting for a while, and that makes my friends worry that I need help (or a wheelchair) - but it does loosen up after a bit as the leg warms up. Frustrated I can't do more for my girls - they should be getting daily (or more) walks instead of once or twice a week, when I can get someone to come over and give them a walk.
     
    But all of those are just small little "meh"s... The real frustration, is not being able to go back to work. I feel so useless, both that I should be doing "more" with my days, but also I hear of things at work where I could be useful, but I'm on the sidelines just watching. Rationally, I know it is what I have to do and why I can't push myself and take the risk of making things worse. But knowing and feeling - well, that's just frustrating...
     

  20. Trebs
    Doing a lot better today, physically, mentally and most importantly, emotionally. Woke up feeling good, and actually did some minor housework that I'd been needing to do (put away dishes, start new load, strip bed and put sheets and comforter in the wash). I was talking on the phone and told a friend that I didn't know what was different, it was almost like I was on prednisone (great steroid - when I do have to take it, the house gets really clean). I think it is just a lull in the hit from the chemo - the past round is leaving my body and the new round hasn't really built up enough to hit me yet.
     
    Ate lunch and then out of the blue, I got hit with needing to take a nap about 2pm. Nothing too unusual about that, just I had made a list of other things I wanted to get done so was hoping to be able to continue. Since the bed wasn't made, the girls and I took a nap in the spare room. Got up groggy, but after playing with them for a little bit, started feeling good again so was able to tackle vacuuming the top floor. I just fed the girls, made the bed with the second set of sheets and made myself some dinner (roast beef sandwich, cherry yogurt and apple cider).
     
    Even though today is another example of just not knowing what I'll be up to, getting the small things done help offset that concern. It also helps to have some comical music playing in the background (bonus points to anyone who can guess what I'm listening to).
     
    Hope everyone's day is going well!
  21. Trebs

    Utah and SCOTUS

    By Trebs,

    If you don't know, SCOTUS is shorthand for Supreme Court Of The United States. Utah officials had appealed the recent Federal Court rulings mandating that Utah process and recognize same-sex marriages, and pending appeal, requested a stay of the lower court rulings. This stay was denied first by the lower court, then by the 10th Circuit but this morning, SCOTUS granted the stay.
     
    In my opinion, Utah (and a court challenge in Virginia that AFER is working on) may be the tipping point that forces SCOTUS to broaden their rulings from last year, and bring marriage equality to all 50 states. The Windsor DOMA decision and the overturning of Prop 8 were fantastic, but narrow. Utah officials may have made a mistake in pushing this appeal as it makes it more difficult for SCOTUS to ignore the broader constitutional questions, especially those of equal protection and "full faith and credit."
     
    But aside from the legal - I know there are many who are blase about marriage equality in general. I still see arguments that the effort to win marriage equality has no bearing in their lives, and ENDA (employment non-discrimination) is where the fight should have been. I have to totally disagree.
     
    First, efforts on ENDA have been made at the same time. More states (and localities) have been passing and enforcing their local versions of non-discrimination in employment and housing. On a national scale, the US Senate passed ENDA in November with 64 votes - every Democrat and 10 Republicans. It is being held up in the House by Speaker John Boehner, who won't even let it come up for a vote.
     
    The other aspect of marriage equality and ENDA - I don't think that ENDA would have had the same strong support had it not been for marriage equality efforts. Marriage equality is flashy, it makes news and the imaging has been great. Every time a new state has started granting same-sex marriage licenses, the front page pictures have been of couples who have been together 10/20/30 or more years, finally getting married. The personal stories of how they didn't think it would change anything, until they heard the words and just realize the recognition, not only of their family and friends, but finally of their state - how that changed their outlook. This very public face has been constantly eroding the support of those who would demonize the LGBT community.
     
    I've always been a romantic - my parents met, got married, had three children and remained married until the day my dad passed away. I knew children of divorced parents growing up - but I was fortunate to live in a traditional "nuclear" family. This was my expectation for myself, and one of the reasons why I've always been a strong marriage equality supporter. Even back in the early 90's when "Domestic Partnerships" were what were being promoted and passed, I grudgingly helped work on the effort all of the while insisting that it was a mistake, that full marriage should be what we should fight for.
     
    And now - it's happening. 18 states and the District of Columbia... and soon to be nationwide. And I SO hope that we'll look back and say it was because of Utah. After what the LDS Church did in California, it would just be the fitting capstone on this fight!
     
     
    PS Personal irony is that now that same-sex marriage is finally legal in California, and soon nationwide, I'm single with nothing on the horizon that looks to change that. Meh
  22. Trebs

    End of the Year Thoughts

    By Trebs,

    In the last few days, I've had a few conversations that caused me to reflect about various songs and their lyrics. After hearing "St Elmo's Fire" on the radio, I talked with a new friend about how it and Breakfast Club were the movies that defined my high school/early college generation. I graduated high school in 1983 so both movies were very topical for me. The rebellion of Breakfast Club, and the tight friendship circle of St Elmo's Fire were reflections of what I was living. Originally after high school, I went to UC Santa Cruz and there, a group of seven of us did everything together. I'm thankful that due to Facebook, I'm still in touch with most of these friends and love seeing how their lives how unfolded over the years.
     
    Music has been a good influence at major times in my life.
     
    Another influence in more of a long term, a very positive but subtle way, was another main topic of recent conversation. The musical Rent came out in 1996 and when it did, I made a tape (ya - like in cassette) from the CD's and played that on an endless loop in my car, over and over. The music was fantastic - but the message was even better although I think that it more helped me in the background of my mind, rather than as a sudden overt change. "Forget regret, or life is yours to miss"; "There is no future, there is no past, I live this moment as my last"; and "There's only now, there's only here, give in to love or live in fear."
     
    Why all this nostalgia revolving around songs in my life?
     
    At the beginning of 2013, I was planning a trip to DC with Dan and the kids to see the second inauguration of President Obama. I was approaching the end of my chemo from my relapse of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (the first bout was a diagnosis in September 2008 and remission in March 2009, followed by an auto-bone marrow transplant which held until my relapse in July 2012). The DC trip was fantastic although very cold. It was the kids first trip to DC and they had a blast, getting to see so many of the Smithsonians and the various monuments, not to mention being in a great section for the Inauguration itself. February came and with it, tests that showed I had gotten the lymphoma back into remission, so planning began on a allo-bone marrow transplant, which is from a donor. I was very fortunate that my sister was a perfect match and she was able to come out to have her bone marrow cells harvested. I went on disability on March 1 and started the preparation, and on March 15th I had the transplant. There were some rough periods of recovery, but overall I fared well. Originally the plan was that I would have to stay out of work for a year as I recovered, but my progress was so good that we started looking at mid-October as a return date. With a bone-marrow transplant, it's not the disease anymore that you're combating, but a deliberate suppression of your immune system, so that it doesn't reject the donated cells. That immune suppression also means staying away from crowds, strong sunlight (so you don't get a sunburn that triggers an immune response) and stress (as much as possible).
     
    Throughout my struggle, I kept hearing "Oh you're so positive" or other well-meaning comments about how I'm holding up. But the flip is there were so many times I just broke down and cried, or saw a therapist and vented. In addition to my health, I was also dealing with the dissolution of my domestic partnership with Dan and the emptiness of the house after the kids moved back in with their mother (Dan's sister - who originally had some major issues which is why we had custody but who thankfully got her act together). The kids are still a part of my life and vice versa as they live close by and we frequently see each other. I was out at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with them a couple of days ago as I had gotten both kids and their mom season passes for 2014, so all of us went and got our passes processed (ie - pictures taken) and the kids had a blast going around to the various rides.
     
    So a lot going on, but October was going to be the turning point - the transplant wasn't having any negative reactions and we kept reducing the level of the immune suppression successfully (and ahead of schedule). I got the sign-off from my bone-marrow doctor and my work, and was going to return to work on October 16. We ran one last PET scan, which can show the size and activity of lymph nodes, mainly to use as a baseline for the future follow-up visits.
     
    Most of the previous I've talked about freely in the past. What happened next - um, not so much, in part because at first I just couldn't deal with it. The PET scan that I didn't think about twice - showed enlarged and overactive lymph nodes. But I had also had this PET scan around the same time I was coming down with a cold. To know for sure what the PET scan meant, they did a biopsy of one of the lymph nodes. And just as I think I'm going back to work, instead I'm getting the biopsy results that for the third time, I had active Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Even now typing this, it hurts. My oncologist summed it up with the irony of the auto-transplant in 2009 kept me in remission for three years, but the allo-transplant, which is supposed to be more effective, only kept me in remission for 7 months.
     
    My oncologist immediately got me started on a new chemo drug - one that is a pill (as most chemo is done via IV). I would take Revlimid for 21 days, then 7 off (one cycle), then repeat. Tomorrow, New Year's day will actually be the 21st day of my second cycle. I'll then see my oncologist on Monday and we'll see how we want to proceed. Since starting Revlimid, an even newer drug, Ibrutinib was approved by the FDA and I was able to get it. I haven't used it yet as we don't want to have to wonder what side effects are happening because of the Revlimid and/or the Ibrutinib, but that will be part of Monday's discussion.
     
    Since relapsing, I've also been hospitalized twice. The first - I was doing well, taking the chemo drug and feeling pretty good. I had a good week (sometimes, I just have a good day or two, but at that point, I was on what I thought was an upswing). Got up as usual around 7am and then around 10am, started having some discomfort (for those that understand the 10 point pain scale, I was at a 2). By 11am, pain was at a 6 and I noticed a distinct swelling. Called my oncologist who was able to get me in for an ultrasound at 2:15pm which worked because I had an appointment with my bone-marrow specialist doctor at 3pm. The ultrasound technician saw the pain I was in, and as soon as the procedure was done, said they would immediately process and fax to my doctor the results. I get to the doctor at 3 and by 3:10, we had the results - I had a number of lesions and some water mass causing the swelling, and it was hitting the nerves as well. While I was seeing this doctor, my regular oncologist set up me getting admitted to the hospital, via the ER. I got to the ER about 4PM (and pain was about an 8) and by the time they had an IV in me and started a morphine shot, it was 5pm and pain was a solid 10. I had never felt pain that bad for that long. The morphine took about 20 minutes before it kicked in and the pain lowered to around a 4.
     
    Thankfully, after four days in the hospital, with a ton of meds, I was able to manage the pain and be discharged. I had been worried because the following week, I had plans to fly to my brother's in Dallas for Thanksgiving then after 3 days there, fly to my sister's in Missouri for six more days. One thing that all of the recent quick changes in my health had driven home, was that I needed to spend time doing things that are important to me. I wouldn't say "bucket list" - but when you consider that concept, why wait and put off things that you are able to readily achieve? I may die next year, I may die in 50 years - but even if I was guaranteed 20 more years, why wait for 15 of them to pass before traveling to places I want to see, or doing things that I want to do?
     
    Spending time with my family was fantastic. I got to see all of my brother's kids, who I am pretty close to, as well as really get to spend time and get to know my sister's two kids. Since the trip, I've spoken on the phone more with my sister's eldest (daughter) than I've spoken to her in the previous 5 years.
     
    More recently, on Dec 22 I went from having a mild low grade fever (99.3F/37.4C) to spiking at 102.0F/38.9C. I got admitted to the hospital again and after many rounds of antibiotics and fluids, finally released on the 26th. These sudden hospitalizations just re-emphasize that how uncertain my life is, and how I'm not going to be able to return to work anytime soon.
     
    So - live in regret? Or (a la Rent), "forget regret, or life is yours to miss"...
     
    I'd like to say that I remain positive day by day, living life to the fullest under the circumstances. Um, ya - right. But overall? It takes too much effort to obsess about how bad my life is. When I feel good, I want to take that time and enjoy it - like going to Six Flags with the kids. And when I'm dragging and just need to sleep - well, take a nap, and then see what I can get done, even if that is just sitting up long enough to catch up on a tv show, emails or the latest pet pictures on Facebook.
     
    Live each moment as if it were your last. Then every new future moment will be a gift to be enjoyed and lived as well...
     
    My thoughts.
     
    Happy New Year everyone! I am always so happy to be a part of this community and I wish you all the best!
     
    Trebs/Robert
  23. Trebs

    A lighter entry

    By Trebs,

    Thanks for the comments and support on my last entry. It really helped to get it all out - so many times, I start drafting copy of information like this in my mind, over and over (occupational hazard I guess). It doesn't always see the light of day which just makes it easier to obsess about and continue to mentally revise and review, so getting it out - it's done, time to move on.
     
    The year is actually starting out really well. I love musicals and saw a great performance of Cabaret last night put on by a local theater company (Davis Musical Theatre Company). Just a small stage and no bad seats since there are only 218 seats) and last night's performance had 17 actors, all local. Back in August I bought a LivingSocial deal of two season ticket (6 shows) for the price of one (normally $90 for the six show set, got two tickets to each for $89).
     
    I am so glad I bought them. While Broadway or even big touring company shows are so polished and spectacular, small theater has so many of its own charms. The sets are minimal (and reused show to show) but the enthusiasm of the actors is such a joy to watch. Occassionally there is one that doesn't have the strength to project their performance enough, or is obviously awkward during a dance number, but it doesn't disrupt the overall charm (heck - it sometimes adds to the charm). Then, and it happened last night, you see an actor that seems to mainly be in a comedic non-singing part, and then they have a solo and their voice blows you away.
     
    I hadn't seen Cabaret in a while, so I remembered the basics but not the detail. The part of Frauline Kost was of the prostitute living in the same boarding house as the main characters, and frequently sneaking out sailors who, when caught by the landlandy, she explains off as relatives "this is my nephew". At the end of act 1, she starts the reprise of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" and this actress had a great set of pipes - I was very surprised and pleased and it reminded me of the role of Petra in A Little Night Music.
     
    Speaking of that song - with just the minimal costuming, staging and right lighting, they really created a chill in me with the first rendition of the song in the middle of Act 1. The lead tenor's voice is great (and I'd loved him in previous shows like Oliver). It was so hard to clap at the end of the song though due to the chill and foreshadowing.
     
    So - 2014 is starting well... Well, it is for me at least. The theater had was about 1/3 empty, even though the online seat selection showed last night's show as almost sold one. I think that the flu and weather caused a lot of people to not be able to go. In my group of five, we actually only had three attend as one had the flu and another had thrown his back out. I heard people talk about friends who were stuck back east and hadn't made it back to town yet from the holidays.
     
    So - so far I've seen half the shows, Spamalot, Oliver and Cabaret and have three more to go (South Pacific, Chorus Line and Les Mis). At the end of the season, definitely planning on renewing and getting two more season tickets even at full price. Just too good to not support and go to.
  24. Trebs

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Trebs,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Didya miss me? Well - I missed all of you, so I begged Renee to let me do the Wrap Up for this week and she said yes And it was a great week here at the GA News Blog.
    For Wacky Wednesday, we had an Interview with Stellar, done by Myiege. This is especially timely as Stellar was recently promoted to Promising Author here at GA. As a bonus, Stellar did an author chat this week that was announced in this interview article. If you missed the chat, you can see a lot of questions and answers from Stellar in the comments to the Wednesday blog article. I love that he cites Tolkien as one of his favorite authors (being a fellow Tolkien geek myself).
     
    With these articles as a start, what better way to end the week than with two new Writing Prompts from comicfan! And in keeping with the season, both prompts are holiday related. Try your hand at one (or both) and be sure to share with the community by posting them in the Writing Prompts forum!
     
    So - how was YOUR week?
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath - Due Mar 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is March 5th* 2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan - Due June 8th *Note: Deadline is for submission into GA Stories. Deadline for Submission to the Anthology Editing Team is June 5th*

    NEW READING
     
    In Premium this week:
     
    Boy Called Slave by Nephylim
     
    Do Over by dkstories, Book 1 of Do Over Series (reposting)
     
    By our Hosted Authors this week:
     
    Belovéd by Don H
     
    Prometheus Wakens by David McLeod
     
    Geeks by CassieQ
     
    The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality Book 8 of The Secret Life Of Billy Chase
     
    GFD Bloodbank: Nightfall by Comicality Book 3 of Gone From Daylight Spin-offs
     
    9.11 by Mark Arbour Book 13 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP)
     
    Dribbles by Cia
     
    Odyssey by Mark Arbour Book 6 of Bridgemont
     
    By our Sponsored Authors this week:
     
    Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton
     
    By our Promising Authors this week:
     
    Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan
     
    The Shunning by JMH
     
    So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings
     
    Veil of Shadow by Stellar, Book 2 of unnamed
     
    And on a final note, a reminder from Renee: I'm starting to run low on reviews. If you are interested in reviewing, please send me a PM! As always... Read, Write, REVIEW!!!
  25. Trebs

    Featured Story: For The Heart Of Phillip

    By Trebs,


    Featured Stories
    We sent out a call for reviews and you responded! Thank you. Louis (LJH) gave us this wonderful review of Author stephanie l danielson's For the Heart of Phillip - enjoy! And if you want to write a review for the blog, just let Renee Stevens or myself know.


    For The Heart of Phillip


    by stephanie l danielson


    Reviewer: LJH
    Status: Completed Free PDF Ebook
    Size: 1.34 MB
     
    “Deepening”.
     
    Some stories have it, many don’t. It’s not easy to define. It’s certainly easy to identify a story that doesn’t have it. For the Heart of Phillip has it, in buckets.
     
    (The following is taken from Stephanie Danielson's blurb describing her novel. I have made some changes to the blurb)


    Phillip Marnier is a shy, loving boy and he meets Andrew, a similarly shy boy at school. The two regard themselves as best friends. As they grow older, the feelings deepen and surface. Andrew has fallen for Phillip, but keeps it a secret.
     
    However, all is not well. Phillip has found another friend, Robert. Devastated by this turn of events, Andrew dismisses the friendship and stays away. Phillip and Robert remain together until college, even talk about marriage! Then Andrew shows up. He has forgiven Phillip and wants him back in his life. Of course Phillip wants Andrew. It's been Andrew all the time. But fate intervenes one stormy night and shakes up everything. Suddenly Robert is out of Phillip's life, and Andrew is in!
     
    But infidelity, once personified, is an ignominious leveller. Andrew is a top photographic model. His job takes him away from Phillip more often than not and one night he meets someone else. Phillip is mortified and they decide to break their commitment to each other. He makes one last attempt for Robert, but cannot get Andrew out of his mind.
     
    Is it too late? Can the love between Phillip and Andrew be resurrected?  
    The story engaged me on a level that is more than surface experience.
     
    Look at novels like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, thrillers like Lost Light by Michael Connelly and The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, The Hunger Games and yes, even the Harry Potter series, there is much more going on in these books than their counterparts.
     
    In deep storytelling, as in For the Heart of Phillip, there is a resonance. The pleasing last note that lingers. Keeps readers coming back for more.
     
    None of it is easy, if it were, first drafts would be all we needed to write and typing would be the most important aspect of the craft. The story digs far deeper. Flourishes below the surface.
     
    Questions. I imagined the author asking the plot questions. She has made a complicated situation virtually free of complication. I imagined she hounded the characters and forced them to give answers. Hundreds of them, and allowed her imagination provide the answers. I imagined her looking for the next answer.
     
    So many times writers settle for the first thing that comes to mind, or the familiar. It’s the unfamiliar we are looking for. The deepening.
     
    Two people tied up in each other’s lives looking for one thing only. The LOVE and affection of one man, Phillip Marnier. The emotional rollercoaster in this story is overwhelming.
     
    I was gripped by what was going on inside the heads of Andy and Rob and Phillip. The insecurities within each of them. Ms Danielson's ability to transfer emotional intensity to almost every scene in the story, is perfect. The action from scene to scene, chapter to chapter, is not the same, but the feeling is replicated with justifications in each character.
     
    Three people who love and then LOSE love. LOSS. The intensity of each of them losing the person they love, moved me beyond words. Stephanie Danielson writes about FEAR.
     
    In all the characters there is this deepening: “THAT”S NOT JUST WHO I AM…THAT”S WHO THE HELL I AM” This is a line from the Broadway musical, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, maybe you remember it. Phillip knows who he is and what he’s about. Same with Andy. Same with Rob. They know what they want and have a hard time getting it, but in the end they get it. Maybe with the exception of Rob and David. The author writes about the consequences of one’s actions. Like a death in the family; it affects the whole family. Sometimes the effects are short lived, other times the effects are permanent.
     
    Another deepening that flustered me (a good fluster) is the conflict. Conflict fear. Conflict love. Conflict joy. Conflict sadness. Conflict passion. Three people who love and lose love, and all FEAR becoming a GHOST to each other. Neither Phillip nor Andy will allow this haunting.
     
    They simply need each other. Nothing will kill that. They are unable to live without each other. They have become one unit. Like Siamese twins, an attempt to separate them might end in tragedy. Although we are all products of an infinitely complex web of experiences, in fiction one can simplify for a purpose. And the purpose is a deeper connection to the main characters.
     
    I identified and was moved to tears of joy when Phillip and Andy came together for the first time, tears of sadness when they broke up, and in the end,tears of joy when they came together once again. I was paralysed by the fear of these two characters not getting it together.
     
    This story would be complete without sex thrown in. However, I did enjoy the eroticism that both Phillip and Andy resurrected in their lovemaking. I was filled with joy when they laughed together. I was filled with angst whenever Rob was in a scene. In fact, I hated Rob for his “better than thou attitude” which the author did not overdo. Andy’s attitude is in retaliation of Rob’s attitude. The conflict screamed.
     
    This is a story that I will celebrate by reading repeatedly in the years to come. The reason is simple. It is passionately, and compassionately written.
     
    And
     
    there is deepening.
×
×
  • Create New...