Stroking the Flame 2. The Croxburgh Chronicles

Hi all, I've changed this storyline because there was so much unfinished in KTD. Hope you don't mind. The story is already plotted out but I still need to fill in many of the gaps.

I've added a Prologue and amended the first chapter.

Brian

6 minutes ago, Reader1810 said:

I really enjoyed this story, Brian, so it's good to hear there will be more to read.

 

Somewhat soon, I hope...

Thanks Reader1810. 

I've been working on this for the past six months but didn't want to post until I had some chapters to post.

So here goes....

I'm gonna come across as hypersexed, but I'm bummed the story retained its "Everyone" rating. The sex scenes in the first book were yummy. But I'll read this one, anyway. LOL

4 hours ago, Geemeedee said:

I'm gonna come across as hypersexed, but I'm bummed the story retained its "Everyone" rating. The sex scenes in the first book were yummy. But I'll read this one, anyway. LOL

Oops, that's my mistake actually. Thanks for pointing it out. Changed to mature now. Although the first book set up the relationship, there's still going to be some heated moments in this one.

Hi! Just wondering — do you plan to finish this story?

7 minutes ago, Geemeedee said:

Hi! Just wondering — do you plan to finish this story?

Hey @Geemeedee - absolutely. I'm pinning everything on The Croxburgh Chronicles. 

I employed (paid for) an editor for Kissing the Dragon and had some very 'constructive' but frighteningly honest and lengthy criticisms that I really needed to take on board. I decided a while ago that this is going to be a three-parter and, like the other things I've written, wanted to have the whole thing make complete sense and be mapped out before I continued posting (I read a very fair comment in a post here recently where someone was complaining about 'in process' stories being annoying). I was in two minds whether to take this down, but it's also a dangling carrot for me, a constant reminder to keep writing. 

Second Half and Twelve Gays were already pretty much mapped at the time of initial posting, and both are standalone stories (although watch out for a link-up between the two). Stoking the Flame (KTD2) and Chasing the Demon (KTD3) being linked crime stories need to be carefully managed for sense-checks and originality, and will be slower coming together, but I promise to dive back into them and give them more air time early next year.

From a personal perspective, a lot of challenging life events have happened to me this year, and if there's one thing positive that's come out of that, it's that I really enjoy creating stories and that I need to spend more time doing exactly that. At the moment, I'm trying to work out how that's going to happen.

All I know is that it will.

Brian

Dear all,

I'm opening up the second book in the Kissing the Dragon series again and, at the good advice of @Timothy M., will be resurrecting this story of Colin and Ben.

It may be slow going, because the story is deeper and less whimsical than my recent stories, but I'm going to persevere.

Thanks for being patient.

Brian

There have been years since your last posting @lomax61 but I sincerely hope that you will find inspiration and time to continue and conclude this story. Colin is such a great character - witty, inelegant, detective (Sherloc, Morse, Poirot...) discase in history teacher (or vice versa). In future, I can imagine developing his and Ben's love story, Colins's rose on some significant position, his friendship with Darek and Hugh putting head out of his own ass (ass saved by the very same Colin btw) and, of course, appearance and final confrontation with his nemesis (you have written such a special connection between them that I would enjoy reading this resolution). Cheers and good luck.

Cane