JamesSavik

I have finally caught up with this story and it rocks. Mystery, intrigue, politics, class struggle-- jeez Ube! What are you gonna pull out next?

Cam and Nathan, both being relatively new to the area, agreed to follow along with anything the others decided. Jerry, knowing that he was lucky just to be able to hang out with the older kids, would have gone along with them even if they had said "Hey! Let's go throw rocks at beehives and rob the liqueur store!" Lucky for him, the liqueur store was too far away to get to on foot, and the bee hives were all well hidden this year. :smt046 A hidden gem in this story is Jerry-- 10 year old tag-a-long to Clint and Cam. Hat's off to EleCivil- I loved this passage because it is so true. To the younger kids there is nothing cooler than hanging with the older kids. Of couse they take a little hazing for it... ok a lot of hazing but what the hell. That's the price of cool.

You've been reading those deconstructionist websites haven't you? Sigh. OK. One more time. This is your brain: :smt041 This is your brain on de-constructionism: :smt096 Any questions? Just say no! ( :smt110 )

I agree with you completely TR! Abuse is abuse regardless of the target. I won't excuse it AT ALL. Kids perceived as gay do have a rough ride of it. Usually they are just small or have a voice or mannerism that labels them gay. They are usually so mortified by the abuse that they are very, very unlikely to ask for help. I remember a kid from my school named Foster who was a real little guy that looked "queer as a football bat" according to his tormenters. They picked on him because he was an easy target and they could. He wasn't gay, he wasn't even particulary effeminate. He was just a very sensitive person and ended up being a gifted artist. The Foster incident is in Broken. He's one of the recurring characters.

I really liked this chapter Graeme. Randy (Giant) is having a rough go of it. Having been there, I feel for him. The forgotten victims of homophobia are kids percieved to be gay. I want to give you props for handling Randy's emotional states. It's very accurate.

Driver has been gone for a while. While he hasn't been posting anything new, CRVBOY maintains his stories at: http://storiesbydriver.netfirms.com/

Today I heard that Grasshopper (Just Hit Send) is leaving the net. :( After Driver, the Eggman and Comicality's upcoming departure, BAWL! :smt010 :smt010 :smt010 :smt010 You get to know these guys through their work. Nothing exposes a little chunk of your soul like writing. I sure miss them when they're gone. The masters of the genre have set the bar high for the rest of us.

Yes you are! I would be absollutely lost, LOST I tell you, without my editor talonrider (Jan). Editors are critical! Without them, the pace of our stories progress and posting would slow down and the quality would suffer. Aaron knows how much I respect a good editor-- I sent him congrats for his work with New Brother along with the note that I sent to Graeme. Aaron, Blue and AJ are excellent editors and I don't think you guys are lazy. I happen to know that all three of you are talented writers TOO. I challenge ALL three of you to come up with a story over the summer! Oh come on-- just one. Pretty pleeze? -James

And was very impressed. TR has created a "period piece" in which you can almost smell the salt air. He has done an excellent job of capturing the spirit, langauge and flavor of 1941. -James

Just got it the other day.

:D I'm very pleased that you found us! Welcome, and tell us a story. -James

Jamie- I'm absolutely addicted to TSOI and check the site everyday for new postings. It's great fun and I love it! I keep hoping that Cody (the angel from the story, not the one from this site) will find a pal. :smt059 As I have a story of my own in progress, I know what a chore it is. I am on a break from my own story while I spin up my new PC. After 20 something chapters, the readers will just have to forgive me. :smt100 -James

SOuthners drinking tea has nothing to do with gay-ness in any form. The really good old southern families are of British origin and are very heavily influenced by them culturally. In the past the Southern aristocraacy was educated almost exclusively in England and are Episcipols. Some of the sur-names even retain their British spelling: eg. Whyte. These are not the hicks and rednecks that you see on tv and movies nor are you likely to run into them at the mall. Rednecks are Scoth-Irish protestants and tend to be Baptist/Methodist and alcoholic.

I can't stand coffee- wretched stuff. How can you stand it? If it tastes anything like it smells, ick. Tea on the other hand is my perfured method of getting caffine.

Here's a book for those authors working with symbols and imagry: Man and His Symbols- edited by Carl Jung. I saw it at Borders the other day but I've had a copy since the Reagen years.

Imagine being a fly on the wall listening to the conversation between Gabe the poet and the Wizard of Icaria.

WOW- that's like... Yeats or Shelly. Real art: poetic impressionism. Powerful but gentle, with just the right imagry.

Actually, I have a very different perspective on New Brother. I grew up in an environment that makes New Borther's setting look like kindergarden. Sure, there is drama and conflict but the central characters better nature is shining through. It's hopeful with characters growing and changing before your eyes.

EleCivil- The more I write, the more critical of my own product I have become. I re-did chapter 19 of Broken 5 times and I'm having the same fits with chapter 20. I think that I'm feeling the pressure of keeping the quality high but the funny part is that the pressure is coming from me. This isn't really writers block. It's more like writers fear of letdown.

Ah hummm... I always notice the wabbit. Although... I have been lost in Icaria this week. :smt054

Blue: to the story. I agree Blue. I'm really pleased that Oz has signed on to our round-robin.

Ah- you can't go wrong Graeme. I've been hooked on New Brother myself for a long time and hang on every chapter. There so much good stuff on this site it's unreal. I like Dude's new Pick of the Week section. I'm currently reading Tristan's Redemption and enjoying the heck out of it. Great idea Dude! I have to avoid Sequoyah though. Everytime I start one of his books, I'm worthless till I'm done.

Urrr... i think you need deweywriters online spelling checker for the phonics impaired like me.

I'm not all that sure about posting this one - it went in a direction I wasn't planning to go. The words, though, they wanted to be said, and who am I to refuse them? Those Muses are really something aren't they? I just wish they would leave me alone at 3am BUT if that's my regular stop on their route, who am I to complain.