Trebs

Sharon - it's a date! :-)

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

I know not everyone reads our GayAuthors.org News Blog (the thingy at the top of the main forum page), so I thought I'd put out the call here as well. We're always looking for story reviews for the blog and if this is something you'd be interested in doing send a PM to Renee Stevens. The News Blog thrives off of contributions from the members here and we'd love to have more reviewers. Thanks! PS - for more information on how to do a review for the blog, we (of course) have a blog entry on it. Take a look :-)

I like it if the guys face lets him pull it off. I like hair - there are guys who I think are very hot mainly due to their hair, whether it is a great redhead, or someone who's hair is the right shade of brown that it pulls in the sun when they're outdoors. But then there are many guys who tend to go for very short haircuts that just seems a shame. At least with this, they get the shortness on the sides that they want, and I get the beauty of seeing great hair that I want :-) The pic posted - I think it looks great, and is an example of what I mean by hair that pulls in the sun. In two/ten years, will we all look back and laugh at this haircut? Possibly. But if you like it, go for it. There is so much variety in haircuts that I don't think for the past couple of decades there really has been a style that defines the generation like previous generations, and that's a good thing. Maybe because of more information on styles of the past, but I go out and see tons of different styles on a daily basis.

The only other amnesia story, and it is here but does not have a police officer, is Nephylim's Memories of Forgotten Love: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/nephylim/memoriesofforgottenlove

Mama's lines towards the end of the chapter and how she came to her realization - never fail to make me tear up. That scene is wonderful - but then again, so many scenes in this story are. I have read and re-read this story so many times and always find it fresh, even if I just finished reading it two weeks ago. This is one of the stories that I keep going back to when I need a good emotional boost. Thanks Graeme!

Did You Say My Husband by boyxboy on Wattpad looks like it fits the description

What a way to end (well, almost end) the year. We had a great week here at the GayAuthors.org News Blog. The week started with a wonderful project that Renee initiated - a round of reviews of the stories that made up our past 2004 Winter Anthology: Christmas. These now classic stories - seeing these reviews make these stories shine with new life. Daithi, aditus, podiumdavis, crazyfish, Lisa, LJH and Ron were the reviewers and we thank them so much for their time and efforts in completing this great project! We had a great Christmas with a new Tech Blog 2 - What's Coming, where Myr gave us a new update on upcoming new features, notably "Reading Lists". Based on the comments, I am not the only one to be excited about this upcoming change. We ended the week on a great note with two new Prompts from comicfan. I can see a lot of great "New Years" stories being generated from either of these two prompts and look forward to seeing what comes from the community. Please be sure to share what you have written in the Writing Prompts forum so the rest of us can see! 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: Do Over by dkstories, Book 1 of Do Over Series (reposting) By our Hosted Authors this week: GFD Bloodbank: Nightfall by Comicality Book 3 of Gone From Daylight Spin-offs Take Flight by Cia 9.11 by Mark Arbour Book 13 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) The Portal by Dolores Esteban My Only Escape by Comicality GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban Thwarted by Renee Stevens By our Sponsored Authors this week: Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton, Book 1 of Timber Pack Chronicles Noah's New Plan by Rob Colton By our Promising Authors this week: Direct Confusion by Sasha Distan Confounded: Part II by Andr0gene, Book 2 of Confounded Born Wolf by Sasha Distan So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings Holiday Story Event 2013 - No Place Like Home For The Holidays: Running Home by Sasha Distan And on a final note, yet ANOTHER reminder from Renee: I'm starting to run low on reviews. If you are interested in reviewing, please send me a PM! THIS MEANS YOU!!! Please think about helping :-) As always... Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

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!!!

So - had a 30% off coupon for Barnes and Nobel and got the books today... the trailer looks great and have heard from my niece that the books are good so going to give them a try

Great job! In the US, the term "Illegal immigrant" is thrown around a lot. I grew up knowing my father, though born in New York City, had parents that immigrated from Ireland (grandfather from Sligo and Grandmother from Dundalk - opposite sides of Ireland and met and married in NYC). My mom is Japanese - my dad met her when he was in the military working on reparations. My mom's dad was an architect and worked with the military in rebuilding bridges and the like and introduced my parents. Though my mom wasn't in the US when we had internment camps, that history was something that was very powerful to me as were the asian exclusion acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The chinese and japanese were here - and just like so many other immigrants in California, drawn with a hope for a better life. "Illegal" just means that those who have power created laws that discriminated to keep their own kind in power. The laws usually were not in place to deport the chinese or japanese - why bother when they provided tons of needed and cheap labor. But if any asian thought to protest their lot - then the laws were there to say "Hey - you don't belong". The same laws are still used to deport latino's who step out of line. it is easy to say immigrants are ruining the country, or don't belong or some other claptrap. It is ironic that in come cases, the families of those minorities may have been here before the families of those complaining.... Sorry for soapboxing in your blog - but I am so proud of you and ... well - I just started typing and this all flowed out.

Well - since the play is going to focus on Harry's life pre-Hogwarts, not sure Radcliff would be the right actor to play a 10 year old anymore :-) I am looking forward to this, although who knows how long it will be before I'd be able to see it. Figure starts in West End, year later maybe on Broadway and then another two before any type of tour. Unlike musicals, tours of plays don't tend to lend themselves to touring companies, but this may be the exception. Of course, could finally be the push I need to get off my duff and travel to London.

Only if they all jump at the same time ;-)

If nothing else, the use of a defense that the parents treatment of the son contributed to his actions (or lack of culpability) may help the victims in a civil suit against the parents...

I'm in: Politics/campaigns (US based), Japanese-American culture, Disneyland

I picked up a Wii U a couple of weeks back, due to Nintendo's Zelda and Pokemon lines. I also have a PS3 - but mainly use it as a Blu-Ray player (only games I have for it are Disney Infinity and Civilization Revolution). No interest in getting a PS4 or XBox One

It's a good story - read it when I found it on the Best of Nifty list

Hmm - maybe C James is just waiting for Circumnavigation to get to the top before coming back and teasing us with what he's looking to do next?

Great idea to feature the stories that have flowed from prompts - i LOVE Layla's Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes as well as Renee's Line of Sight. Looks like I have three more for my reading list tho :-)

So your interesting day will be next month, on December 11, at slightly after 10 in the morning: 13 12 11 10:09:08 am

I agree with Dark on the 405 but thankfully I live in NorCal. Up here are two of note for me: Highway 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz (which in the mid-80's was renamed to be an extension of the 880). So windy and turning through those mountains - you see tons of skid marks going UP the middle embankment. A local ice cream shop in Santa Cruz used to sell a chocolate, marshmellow and almond ice cream named Highway 17 (ie, Rocky Road for those that don't like ice cream). The other road - um, I only have a problem with it in one direction. I-50 between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, especially the Placerville to Stateline section. But going there, it's great, beautiful and though a little stressful, not too bad. But then take that same road on the way back, the stress is still there BUT you are also LEAVING one of the most beautiful places and (for me) likely sleep deprived due to too many hours of losing at gambling. PS Ashi - thanks for your entry. I grew up in Fairfield and hit the Maze often, but for some reason, always just thought of the tollbridge to the bridge part as the "Maze" - with 30 lanes dropping quickly to 5. Didn't realize the whole area had the name...

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.

How many days is your trip going to be? I love DC and you can take Amtrak (train) down there - the Smithsonians, especially the National Archives, are fantastic BUT if you only have a few days (say, a week or less), you may just want to concentrate on NYC itself. There is SO much to do there, between the usual tourist stops like the Statue of Liberty, UN Building complex, TImes Square, Broadway plays, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center - but also major gay spots like the site of the Stonewall Inn and Greenwich Village.

First off - cold's suck! Thanks to those who asked how I'm doing - much better now, just a slight cough lingering. And BIG thanks to Renee Stevens for covering this week in her usual fantastic way. Renee started this week off with a review on Reviewing, as we need YOUR help for continue great content on this blog, both in terms of wonderful articles but also in the reviews that are submitted. Think you're interested in writing a review but not sure how - check out Monday's blog article for all the tips on reviewing for the blog. Since we missed out on a Monday Featured Story - we flipped the week around and brought you a Featured Story review of Porcupines by Author Cole Matthews. Joann414 reviewed Cole's story and now it is on many of our to-read lists! Check it out. We ended the week in glorious fashion with two more of comicfan's Writing Prompts and oh my, these are so intriguing this week. I can't wait to read some of the responses to Prompt 270 - using a first line of "Because, I'm leaving you" but Prompt 271 with the scenario of a mystery murder sounds like a ton of fun as well. What? You think you can write something? Well - GO for it! Just be sure to share it with the community in the Writing Prompts forum. So - how was your week? Anthology Announcements: Winter Anthology: Recipe for Disaster - Due Dec 8th 2014 Spring Anthology: Nature's Wrath - Due Mar 8th NEW READING In Premium this week: The Cassini Mission by Rob Colton, Book 2 of Galactic Conspiracies Do Over by dkstories, Book 1 of Do Over Series (reposting) By our Hosted Authors this week: Durch Ferne Welten und Zeiten by David McLeod Odyssey by Mark Arbour, Book 6 of Bridgemont The Secret Live of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality, Book 8 of The Secret Life of Billy Chase Take Flight by Cia 9.11 by Mark Arbour, Book 13 of Chronicles of An Academic Predator (CAP) Arthur in Eblis by David McLeod Thwarted by Renee Stevens In The Arms of an Angel by Nephylim, Book 1 of Wednesday Briefs Life Changes by comicfan By our Promising Authors this week: The Shunning by JMH Broken Prince and Mismatched Eyes by layla So Little Magic Left by Mann Ramblings Pour Me Another by K.C. PS - looks like Mann's challenge last week worked! :-) Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!

Huh?!? Wut? Wacky Wednesday AND Featured Story? YES! Because we used this Monday's blog for a review of reviews (um - ya, I think I said that right) - we didn't want to miss featuring a story this week. Joann414 was gracious enough to lend her reviewing talents to give us a look at Porcupines by Author Cole Matthews. As we mentioned Monday, we always need more reviews as well as good informative articles, such as writing tips or author interviews. If you have an idea you want to work on, contact Trebs or Renee Stevens - we always appreciate the help. And now - joann's fantastic review: Porcupines by Cole Matthews Reviewed by: joann414 Status: In Process Word Count: 78,351 The title alone caught my interest, and being the curious,reader that I am, I had to check it out, and see what in the world porcupines were doing in a story. lol Well, this authors two lead characters were indeed, skillfully portrayed as two very prickly porcupines at the beginning of a wonderfully entertaining tale!. Dylan, is a twenty-four year old, good looking waiter at a restaurant called Sweet Noras,in the town mall. It is owned by Lynora, who considers her young employees her children, more than just workers. She wants Dylan to find a sweet guy and settle down. After leaving the restaurant one night, Dylan is mugged on the way to his car. When he comes to his senses, he sees the mall cop leaning over him, to see if he is ok. Dylan rudely tells the guy he is fine, and to just leave him alone. Realizing that he can't stand alone, he lets the mall cop help him to his feet. Needless to say, after being mugged, Dylan has to rely on the mall cop to drive him home. (Did I tell you that Dylan had been rude to the mall cop, just being an ass on more than one occasion? Yeah, he had, and now, the cop is his rescuer.) Chuck,the mall cop, thinks Dylan is a beautiful man, but well out of his league. He takes the young man home, and stays the night with him, making sure he doesn't have a concussion. Chuck loses his job, because he doesn't go back to work for over three hours,because he doesn't want to leave Dylan. I'm not going to spoil things by telling what transpired that night and the next morning. It's a key part of the story. There's a lot going on with these two, Chuck is manic depressive at times, and Dylan is still dealing with the loss of a loved one. Mix all of that together, and you've got an odd, opposites attract couple. Chuck grew up in a trailer park, and Dylan comes from money. But, there's a definite attraction between the gorgeous Dylan, and the pale, sad eyed Chuck, and Cole Matthews turns it into a beautiful love story. One of the pleasant surprises in this story is Chuck's culinary expertise, and it's greatly appreciated by Dylan, who encourages the shy mall cop to utilize his cooking talent. The authors mixes in Chuck's sister Kellie and her son, that Chuck presently lives with, and also Dylan's brother Kelly, and his little girl Susie. Yeah, both of their names are Kelly(Kelli), and they both try to look after their siblings the best that they can. Oh, and did I mention the prissy little antagonist Isaac, who loves to needle Dylan every chance he gets. Isaac's aunt is Lynora, the owner of Sweet Noras, but Lynora pulls no punches when it comes to dealing with her mouthy young nephew. The authors throws in a couple of other characters, and gives each of them their own little part to play in this crazy tale of these two guys lives, and how they become woven together. As he introduces each character, the reader just as well add another dot to a piece of paper, because the author begins to connect the dots, as the story progresses in a surprising way. If you haven't read Dylan and Chuck's tale of finding real love, you're missing out on a "feel good" story. Go check it out, and let the author know you like it, and leave a review. I'm going to go a little ahead here, and give the author a plug on his upcoming story for the holidays, Advent. I've already given it a read for him, and it's not to be missed. I love it!