Literary Fiction - Stories

It is January 2004 and the United States and its “allies” have just completed the successful invasion of Iraq and Saddam Hussein has been captured. US Presidential Elections are on the horizon. Howard Dean is the frontrunner to be the Democratic candidate to take on George W. Bush.

These events weigh lightly on the mind of Will Schluter. He just graduated from high school a semester early and is looking forward to spending the next eight months in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure and mind broadening experiences.

Neither Will nor his country had any idea about the challenges that lurked ahead.

9.11 is the thirteenth story in the CAP Saga. The story takes place in 2001, and will ultimately encompass the horrible events that happened on 9-11-01. Many of the characters in this story were introduced in “Chronicles of an Academic Predator,” “1968,” “The Land Whore,” “Be Rad,” “Man in Motion,” “A Summer Love,” “If It Fits,” “Bloodlines,” “The Box,” "Millennium," "Poor Man's Son," and "Paternity."

Paternity is the twelfth story in the CAP Saga. The story takes place in 2000, with Wade Danfield and Will Schluter as our primary narrators. Many of the characters in this story were introduced in “Chronicles of an Academic Predator,” “1968,” “The Land Whore,” “Be Rad,” “Man in Motion,” “A Summer Love,” “If It Fits,” “Bloodlines,” “The Box,” "Millennium," and "Poor Man's Son."

It is August of 2004, the month that the Olympics were held in Athens. Will Schluter will be there, then he'll start his freshman year at Harvard with his cousin Marie. It's a bittersweet event because the man he loves, Travis Buck, has to remain in Hollywood to work on his acting career, and they'll have to deal with being separated by thousands of miles.

Meanwhile, Will's brother JJ is firmly established in New York City, trying to deal with the inevitable challenges life throws at him, while his father Brad will face a crisis that could ruin his marriage.

This story starts in June of 2003. The invasion of Iraq is over, George Bush has landed on the aircraft carrier and proclaimed "Mission Accomplished", and the insurgency has yet to begin. Some may think America is at the height of its power.

Meanwhile, in the CAP world:

JJ and Will, both in doomed relationships that seem to be working. Will they unravel, and if they do, who is behind it?

George Granger has been separated from his command, and how finds himself in limbo, waiting for Valiant to return. In the meantime, the Admiralty has found other things for him to do. Little does Granger know that when his ship finally does return, he'll be given an entirely different challenge, one that will take him to entirely new waters.

It is April, 1797, and England is still celebrating the victory at the Battle of St. Vincent. Sir George Granger is given orders to set off on a voyage to the East Indies, but there are several challenges that await him before he can even sail.

14-year-old Bryan Padilla is caught between worlds he doesn't feel connected to. Having been abandoned by their birth parents at a young age, Bryan and his younger brother, Caleb, were adopted by a family friend, Diego Padilla, and raised in a culture not of their own. Though it is the only life Caleb has ever known, Bryan inwardly struggles with his feelings about life, death, race and sexuality. Things escalate shortly after the death of his birth mother. Can Bryan come to terms with his situation as a figure from his past tries to upend his entire life?

The CAP saga continues...J
J and Zach: Two competitive sports, two athletes, both locked in the closet.
Wade: Rebuilding his life with Matt
Brad: Learning to be a single guy.
Will: Being Will.

Flux continues the CAP series in 2002, where everyone is still trying to cope with the horrible aftermath of 9-11, and is trying to move on with their lives. Many of the characters in this story were introduced in prior stories.