9.11 - 79. Author's Comments

Mark, my thanks (everyone's thanks) again to you and your team for how you handled all the aspects of 9/11. With these notes we finally begin to see the immense effort that it took to write this story and the emotional toll that came along with it. It has been tough to see these characters go and to see the lingering aftershocks, but the story, as always, was incredibly enjoyable--oh so much more enjoyable than War and Peace. May whatever muse or spirit that inhabits your heart and mind continue to give you the inspiration and awesome writing capabilities for the next installment of CAP. We can only wonder what you have up your sleeve for that one....

Your work as well as the work of your team is very much appreciated. This is a challenging topic and while I am sad by those lost, I understand and more importantly respect your choices as master of this universe. Thank you Mark and team (maybe I can catch up on some of my delinquent reviews while you gear up for the next installment ).

Congratulations on a job well done.

Wow, realising I joined the CAP series in 2008 with Be-Rad means I've been reading your work for like six years. (Holy crap)

These story are just pure gold in my mind. However some authors I read kill of characters left right and centre.

I believe the creator of "Game of Thrones" (The Author) has the record for most introduced and killed main characters. I have not read his work but I do watch the show.

And alas he is gone and has not returned I will mention Vlista here also as one of the most descriptive brutalish writers I have read.

But in Also Seriousness, Mark. I Rank you in one of my favourite authors of all time.

My Top favourites are: Terry Goodkind(Sword of truth series), Christopher Paloni (Eragon Quadrilogy), Stephanie Meyer (Twilight Series), Margret Peterson Hadix (Shadow children Series), Gordon Korman (Several small middle level reading series), Orson Scott Card (despite his views on Homosexuality, Enders game/Enders Shadow Series), and I Happily add the Name "Mark Arbour" with the Chronicles of an Academic Predator Series (CAP) and His Bridgemont Series.

Now I also realise that these are big names with my generation (i'm 23) so maybe being with them is not a good thing. Sadly I am not an Academic in the sense and have read Les Mis, and Tolstoy. Maybe one day, but they are not in my repertoire yet.

I Hope seeing me include your name in with published and well known authors shows how much of an influence and joy it has been to read your series. I probably check G.A daily to see what your up to, and I await for whenever, and whatever you have planned for us next.

LOVE

~MM

It is just not possible to fully express in words how much I appreciate the work and love you and your team poured into delivering this particular story as part of the overall CAP Chronicles...

Nonetheless, thank you and million times over…

Thank you Mark

and also to your deadercated Team

I do not know when I first stumbled across your work's and some where after that you requested me to be a friend and I acceped

What a poor friend I have been just been eagerly sitting and waiting for your next posting and enjoying that without giving you any feedback or encouragement

I was at a birthday party in a remote part of Australia (where I live) and watch live on TV the destruction of the two Towers

My thoughts at the time were "Shit we are going to have Veitnam on a globel scale"

I did not think of the trauma desolation or heatache the surviours reataitves or friends of this drama went through

This book 911 gave me that perspective

Thank you Mark and your team

Bob

Simply put, your two series are the best work on this or any other story website. Your writing is virtually flawless (Dormitat et Homerus). Your ability to maintain a compelling plot week after week is nothing short of amazing. And it appears that you do it all just for the pleasure of your readers. I can only say that I am deeply appreciative and sincerely grateful. -Oz

Thank you so much to you, Mark, and to your team for this brilliant book in the CAP saga. It was the one that spoke to me the most, particularly as far as the grief process was concerned. I think it helped me to put at rest some painful issues I've been through in my young age.

Needless to say that I very much hope that there'll be a new book to CAP so that I can see the lives of these endearing characters take on a happy path. But I know that's maybe a bit selfish.

Kind regards

Christian

Here is something to consider-as much as anything else, these last few decades can be seen as the clash between entrenched ideologies and people looking for a different way to see the world. What makes this iteration of that age old conflict unique is the degree to which both sides make use of a global information infrastructure for which there is no real historical analogue. Given that this new world is driven by information, it should be no surprise that so many of the events which have shaped it, and continue to shape it, are planned and executed with the greatest amount of secrecy their organizers can manage.

As long as you are going to divide people up (and if there is any basic idea upon which the information age is based, it is the idea that you can divide people up according to your purpose-e.g. marketing, managing elections, pharmaceutical research, etc… are all based on this fundamental idea), then there is no category of people with more at stake than us, gay people (and those who care about us.) There are not many old line ideologies where we are welcome as full and equal members of society. In that context, it is amazing how much we have accomplished, how deeply tied we are to this current period of time.

All of this I bring up to get to this point-we have very little infrastructure, as a community. There is no Gay Church. There is no Gay political party. There is no Gay newspaper. There is no Gay university. There is no Department of Gay in the government. There is no Gay aristocracy. It is not that those things don’t exist on a small scale, or that there are not people in larger institutions who are not friends and allies. My point is that there is no Official Gay, no one who reaches all, or even most, of us. No one who speaks for all, or even most of us. Thus, when future generations look back, they will not have the traditional arrangement which accompanies most communities and movements-someone who produces the “mainstream” view, and then others who challenge that view. Given that, everyone who contributes, every historian and journalist, every academic, and, yes, every artist, is making a vital contribution to the vibrant mosaic which is going to be the record of this critical period in our history. At some point people will look back and ask, not only what happened, but what were people reading, what were they saying to each other about what was happening. In that regard what you are doing is so much more than just entertainment.

All of that may be a long-winded way to say thank you for all that you have done, so I will say that as well: Thank You, Mark, for all that you have done. I personally can't wait to see what the future holds for CAP.

All the Best,

Jason

There's not a lot left to say here other than thanks. And keep writing! I'm looking forward to the next installment of both series.

Cheers,

Nicky.

Impunity is right - there isn't much to say beyond what the others have already covered, but to not add my thanks would be remiss.

I followed another author here just about a year ago. After catching up on that story, the chapter of Paternity that had just been posted at the time was the first thing I read on GA. I then went back to book one and read through to the point of waiting for the next chapter to be published. The reason I actually joined GA was to be able to leave comments on your work.

Thank you, and your team, for the huge amount of hard work you have all put into providing us with some truly great reading. You all deserve every single word of praise I have seen, less than a fraction of the criticism, and all of our love.

My comments and reviews are usually very short. But the way I read each chapter takes a long time. I speed read first to get the gist of the new posting, then go back and read each line and word. I marvel at the construction of each sentence and each paragraph.

I have gone back and read all your work from the beginning and I do see a maturing evolution of your writing style, in a good way. Brevity and clarity place you in the Pantheon of great writers.

Thank you Mark for taking us thru the 911 era of our recent tragic history in such a masterful way.

'Please, sir, I want some more.'

Mark, to out-Tolstoy Tolstoy in volume is an achievement in itself, but to fill all the words with the love and care you do is simply awe inspiring. I look forward to more of both series, but will understand if there is some R & R in your schedule. I remain your grateful, humble fan.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your author's views on 9/11.

I felt the full range of emotions 9/11 encompassed again, reading your summary. A magnificent work of art.

I had a hard time relating to Will in this book, and hope that we'll get an adult POV for the next book. I said before that I feel post-9/11 America seems like a great 14th installment of the CAP saga.

Looking forward to the next book. Any idea when it'll kick off?

Loving cuddles,

Maarten

Mark - You continue to be my favorite author to read on this website. I have read and re-read all of your stories. I want to thank you for all that you have written and I hope you continue to write even more.

Mark

I just wanted to add my thanks to you and the team you have assembled for this story and all the stories you have provided. Your output is astonishing and the fact that your team is able to keep up is a testament to their devotion to you and your product. You all can be justifiably proud of the millions of words posted in your stories.

Of course I am looking forward to new books in both of your sagas.

Dave

Bravo

Brava

to you and your team...

Mark:

You deserve the thanks for writing such a compelling series. It's always a pleasure to read your stories because they are so well written and so well thought out. Like in life, we lose people so we have to lose characters, as well. I look forward to the next adventure and wonder what will happen when you catch up to the present time.

Lee

This whole series of stories have been outstanding. Thank you Mark for your and your team's efforts in bringing these stories to us.

One positive thing that came despite the sorrow and lot is that the rift between Brad and Will seems to be greatly reduced.

I can't wait to see where you take this in the next book, hopefully, there will be a next book.

Though this story covered a short amount of time, I’m glad you didn’t rush through it – I’m glad that you were meticulous about the facts. From the build up to the aftermath, it all worked together to highlight the importance of family relationships. With our beloved Robbie meeting his demise (and the others), it felt necessary that you take us through the grief process of surviving characters – I felt like I was going through it with them and came out of it feeling at peace. Having read all the books in the CAP series several times, I trust your writing – I trust that if you present a situation that rips my emotions to shreds, that somehow, you’ll provide a soothing salve.

Kudos to you and your team for your hard work. I eagerly look forward to what you have in store for the next story.

Mark,

what you have done wasn't easy but you wrote a superb story. You managed not to become flat or trite in writting about 9/11 instead you found just the right balance of reporting the events and being emotional. The way you made me reconsider and review how I experienced 9/11 and what consequences it had on our all lives and not only my life may have been upsetting and depressing but in equal measures it has been cleansing and enlightening. Thank you.

I remain waiting with bated breath about what will happen next.

Tanya

On 02/26/2014 03:09 PM, GWood said:

Mark, my thanks (everyone's thanks) again to you and your team for how you handled all the aspects of 9/11. With these notes we finally begin to see the immense effort that it took to write this story and the emotional toll that came along with it. It has been tough to see these characters go and to see the lingering aftershocks, but the story, as always, was incredibly enjoyable--oh so much more enjoyable than War and Peace. May whatever muse or spirit that inhabits your heart and mind continue to give you the inspiration and awesome writing capabilities for the next installment of CAP. We can only wonder what you have up your sleeve for that one....

On 02/26/2014 03:21 PM, Miles Long said:

Your work as well as the work of your team is very much appreciated. This is a challenging topic and while I am sad by those lost, I understand and more importantly respect your choices as master of this universe. Thank you Mark and team (maybe I can catch up on some of my delinquent reviews while you gear up for the next installment ).

 

Congratulations on a job well done.

On 02/26/2014 03:40 PM, rjo said:

I am not sure if it is proper to review your comments, however, as you revealed the process of writing, I begin to understand how important these characters are to you, Over the whole saga, I can so many times see them , as if I where a guest at dinner, To see them grow, change. makes them more real. Many of us grieve along side the family. They are real to us we relate to them. It is not the normal family but it is a family for all its faults works. Never in a thousand years would JP ever thought he would have would up where he is. A story who can makes us cry one moment and laugh the next all in one chapter. I have used the words brave, courageous about you taking on this subject. All that is true and much more. You brought us into the towers, standing there covered with dust. You made us feel the loss and showed us the pain which had to follow and made it so real. And when we argue about the characters is it because they are real to us too. 911 is completed, a masterpiece in my mind All because of you, with the help of your team. As that horrible day changed us, our country and the world, this story changed us to, I believe it gives us the comfort that we can survive and there is hope for the future.

On 02/26/2014 03:51 PM, Mark M said:

Wow, realising I joined the CAP series in 2008 with Be-Rad means I've been reading your work for like six years. (Holy crap)

These story are just pure gold in my mind. However some authors I read kill of characters left right and centre.

I believe the creator of "Game of Thrones" (The Author) has the record for most introduced and killed main characters. I have not read his work but I do watch the show.

And alas he is gone and has not returned I will mention Vlista here also as one of the most descriptive brutalish writers I have read.

But in Also Seriousness, Mark. I Rank you in one of my favourite authors of all time.

My Top favourites are: Terry Goodkind(Sword of truth series), Christopher Paloni (Eragon Quadrilogy), Stephanie Meyer (Twilight Series), Margret Peterson Hadix (Shadow children Series), Gordon Korman (Several small middle level reading series), Orson Scott Card (despite his views on Homosexuality, Enders game/Enders Shadow Series), and I Happily add the Name "Mark Arbour" with the Chronicles of an Academic Predator Series (CAP) and His Bridgemont Series.

Now I also realise that these are big names with my generation (i'm 23) so maybe being with them is not a good thing. Sadly I am not an Academic in the sense and have read Les Mis, and Tolstoy. Maybe one day, but they are not in my repertoire yet.

I Hope seeing me include your name in with published and well known authors shows how much of an influence and joy it has been to read your series. I probably check G.A daily to see what your up to, and I await for whenever, and whatever you have planned for us next.

LOVE

~MM

And a confession: I've never read either War and Peace or Les Mis in their entireties. That's way too much for my ADD to handle. ;-)

You have to wait a few more days for what's next.

LOVE, ma