Chris James

​My sympathy to Nigel, stuck in the Midlands so far from the ocean. In this case a beach story has less meaning, but as an author perhaps he can use his imagination to conjure up surf and sand. ​Years ago I met a couple and their two young children on the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They had driven all the way from Flint, Michigan just so their kids could have a beach experience. That's 900 miles one way for those of you who don't know. I don't imagine it was an easy trip stuck in a car with such young kids (six and eight as I recall), but they had a purpose in showing their children the ocean. ​Farnham may not be real but it is a compendium of all the beach resorts up and down the Eastern seaboard. Now that I have posted two chapters of imagery we can get on with the plot.

​"Y-M-C-A" by the Village People? Naw...wow, I am sure dating myself.

​We have only two chapters, far too soon to make specific statements about what I am reading. But what we have so far is becoming a wonderful character study of family life...after it has fallen apart. ​The divorce rate in this country is astronomical, and the fallout from broken marriages always seems to affect the kids. Since these are elements in Cole's story it leaves me wondering where he is going to take this? From a shocker of an opening Cole has backed off to tell the story at a modest pace which leaves me to believe that he has a lot to tell us in the following chapters. ​Leaving the readers with a lot to think about is Cole's specialty and this story will not disappoint. Nice going, Cole. You have me hooked.

​Managed to look through the highlights of the Democratic Convention last evening and Michelle Obama gave a wonderful speech. You know it had to be tough for Bernie Sanders but he did the right thing and didn't pull a Ted Cruz on Hillary. ​A glimpse also revealed only one article on Trump who said that Bernie gave up, a wasted effort. Let's hope come November that Bernie gets to return the favor and smack down Trump as a loser. ​It might be interesting to see Bernie take a post in Hillary's administration.

​When Tony Schwartz, the ghost writer of Trump's Art of the Deal, came forward this past week it gave us an interesting insight as to the mental composition of Donald Trump, and it was not a good assessment. Schwartz says he had to follow The Donald around for 18 months just to get the information he needed to write the book. Trump could not sit down and discuss aspects of his life for more that five minutes without losing his temper. The interview I heard on NPR has Schwartz describing what seems to me to be a classic case of ADHD. I am sure we have all seen interviews of The Donald and he cannot sit still long enough to get serious with the interviewer. Imagine President Trump who cannot sit through a National Security briefing or a budget meeting for more than five minutes. The man is unfit for the office of President, and should he get elected that will be proven within the first days he hold that post. This is the greatest menace to the American people in this century. Watch him threaten NATO allies, then read about how Putin is drooling at the prospect of an American meltdown. The sense of doom is HUGE...and we are doing it to ourselves. Vote Hillary.

​Sorry, Richard, but I think your topic will languish here. I don' think anyone wants to comment on the Republican Hatefest. silly isn't it? But after months of Donald Trump's ego driven insanity the convention reminded me of lemmings all washing up on the shore together. Why anyone would listen to this man is beyond my comprehension. Of course I can probably say that old Vlad Putin is enjoying himself listening to Donald talk about shutting down NATO. Time for him to make plans to invade somewhere else. The Donald is starting to look fatter these days and my only hope is that he will have a heart attack before November.

Yes...I was only going to read one chapter and then get on with my daily chores. Needless to say that didn't happen. Once again Mihangel has given us a wonderful tale of love wrapped in his beautiful description of the Welsh landscape. The characters are uniquely compelling and varied which gives the accompanying artwork more meaning. I thought perhaps I would find myself lost in trying to understand the Welsh language but Mihangel took care of that as well. It is so hard to express the amazement I felt while reading this story...and yes, I read all the chapters this morning. Wish there was more I could say without spoiling the plot for others so all of you must read this amazing work, and then we can talk about it.

From the state that gave you Trayvon Martin...what did you expect? Senile citizens with guns or behind the wheel is our worst nightmare. This will all end when someone playing this game dies and the Pokémon people are sued for 25 billion dollars.

​I look forward to reading the new Mihangel story, and like many readers I appreciate seeing it posted all at once. That gives me the book experience where I can read as many chapters as I want or have time for. ​Cole will probably serialize, as will I, since both of us love engaging the readers and dragging them back to the story pages week after week. Just one note, Nigel...I try to keep my plethora in my pants at all times (snark)

​Has it been long enough? I think perhaps it has been a year since I last posted a story, but family issues have occupied my mind and kept me away from the keyboard. ​This story wants you to remember the feel of hot sand between your toes, hear the cries of seagulls wheeling in the sky over your head, and smell the French fries cooking at food vendors along the boardwalk. What boy wouldn't love to spend a summer working at the beach? Our hero has spent many a summer day at the beach with his family, but now he is there alone searching for an answer to the biggest question in his life...am I gay? In real life that answer doesn't come easy...thank goodness for fiction. ​I recall my youthful days at the beach staring at the scenery from behind a pair of sunglasses. Now it's your turn to see if this story brings back any fond memories or just inspires new ones...either way you win.

​Perhaps someone can give us a few comments on Boris Johnson, the new Foreign Secretary. In some ways he sounds like the English version of Donald Trump, who it seems he despises. Doesn't like the competition for fool of the year? ​Scandals...check, television personality...check, bad hair day every day...check. This has become quite the political season on both sides of the pond.

​Here at AD we always try to speak to the young people who visit this site. Perhaps they are seeking to understand that their gay feelings are a normal part of living and the stories help them put that in perspective. But the youth of today is so much more, they have a deeper understanding about the world in which we live. And if the elder generation does not reach out to meet their needs then we will fail as human beings. I give you a site to visit: www.earthguardians.org Their spokesperson is a 16 year old young man named Xiuhtexcatl Martinez with a broad agenda to save the planet who speaks so well for his peers I was astounded. Check him out.

​I wasn't sure John Oliver was going to succeed with his show, but since I have been watching his work over these many months I have had some great laughs, and learned some things.

​I scoff at Donald Trump who says he warned us this would happen...well, perhaps not. His favorite term is radical Islamic terrorist, but who are they? ​There are over a billion and a half Muslims in this world, does he think they are all terrorists? Rather than sucking the air out of rational conversation on the subject, where are his solutions to the problem? Ban all Muslims from the U.S...I think not. Since Islam is rapidly spreading, and predicted to surpass Christianity within fifty years, is this a religious scare tactic to keep this country a Christian nation? Islam is a runaway train with no one at the throttle. The religion has no single leader, just dozens if not hundreds of Imams who cannot control the direction of the faithful. Trump, and others of his ilk, want to blame the American government for these terrorists when it is the religion they espouse which started the whole thing. There is no solution, Mr. Trump, unless you plan to kill them all. Now really? He is nothing but a petulant schoolboy, and his attitude would make us the bully in any situation. Islam needs to be changed from within by those who understand it best, that is how Christianity was reformed centuries ago...look how well that worked. Groan.

​50 dead, the largest massacre in American history. No matter how large the celebration for this horrible act will be in the terrorist world it will only serve to bring the gay community closer together. ​It matters not if the man was Muslim, this was a personal decision to kill innocent people. Any fool who martyrs himself for the promise of rewards in heaven deserves our scorn. The comments by his family that have followed this event where they say he was upset when he saw two men kissing is just a smoke screen for their son's bigotry and perhaps their own. All of this only serves to support Donald Trumps anti-Muslim statements. This crap is going to happen in our society where guns are available to any mentally deranged person. Religious views may only be the excuse and it is hardly a good one. Omar Mateen, the identified killer, will probably be responsible for the purge of other Muslims who have so far been responsible members of our society. His legacy will not be a positive influence, but then lunatics rarely have any good influences.

​What wonderful talent these boys display. ​I am not a fan of rap music and was surprised to see Hamilton using this style, but it seems to be popular. At least Broadway is not afraid to try something new to keep from self-destructing. ​These three boys will probably be in the future of the stage musical for some years to come and I wish them well.

​These men would have been prized singers in Italy a few hundred years ago when castrati were given a stage to sing. These days I imagine the high range of these voices is not caused by a medical procedure too ugly to contemplate. No matter how lovely the young voice of a boy, to surgically alter his testicles is tantamount to child abuse. Eh, but when did the Italians ever worry about something like that. Each of these three young men is a caricature, the first two more so than the last boy. I doubt if a young man with the singing ability of a female soprano would ever be considered normal in society today. No doubt they are talented, but the oddity of that talent may not serve them well as performers. Society is so judgmental, what a shame.

​Oh yes. For those of you who have read Holiday Renewal, Addym's short story here at AD, and think this author only writes warm and fuzzy stories about young companions...I have some news for you. Mind Over What Matters is an aggressive science fiction piece where the good guys shoot straight and the bad guys don't survive. Addym has built a complete world around his characters and given them powers you might find only in a gaming context, but it works so well. His use of futuristic technology takes the reader into a mythical place that I cannot reveal without spoiling the plot. Let's say his characters are just as happy battling with the enemy as they are cooking a five course dinner. I don't suppose he would be unhappy if I revealed that he is working on a sequel for this book. When you have a valiant bunch of warriors to thrill the readers it is almost a given that they need to make a comeback. Amazon is a good source for this reasonably priced book although the Kindle version has the best price. Enjoy!

I do understand that many of our stories are aimed at the younger demographics, and that it is probably harder to capture that audience on a regular basis. Formatting the stories for smaller devices is perhaps the best move the site has made as I am sure an IPad or an IPhone is where most people come in contact with us. Years ago I wandered my way through various writer's sites in search of a home base. The tiny forums I found didn't keep me attracted but I have begun to seek them out once again just to boost the knowledge of the AD site. Those of you who have considered self publishing must have read that the only sure way to get a book read is to advertise. I think many of us could reach out to the hundreds of blogs and websites to share the literature available on the AD site. Talk yourself up, share snippets from the stories, and describe the wealth of other authors since this is not a solo venture. I have mentioned the pleasant formatting, easy on the eyes, and how simple it is to find authors/stories. Mike may not run a counter on how many hits we get on the site but we can certainly run up the numbers with a little effort.

Thank you, Colin...how wonderful to know that Patrick has continued his career in dance...and the ABT, can't get much better than that.

​The dancers in ballet, the really good ones, express themselves much like this young man. It takes incredible stamina and determination to get where he is and make the dance look effortless when it is often grueling and painful. He has the right attitude, I wish him luck...and since this video is years old I would be curious to see if he made a career in dance. ​

​You have but to think of those middle and high school bathrooms where the doors on the toilets were removed. I found that especially true in Catholic schools where they were trying to remove any chance that a student might sit down and masturbate....what a sin, as if removing the doors wasn't a grave sin in itself. Of course I doubt if a transgender student would attend Catholic schools, who would be foolish enough to put up with the dogma of the world's most perverse church? Bathrooms would be safer if priests were not allowed in them.

What a great idea...this is kinda like visiting the Oval Office at the Dude's House. ​I have no suggestions or requests for changes except to say the AwesomeDude Team provides a wonderful service to our community of writers and readers. My thanks to all of you and our fearless leader.

​His voice has become rich which bodes well for his career. Maturity has made him handsome, but for goodness sake, someone shoot his producer. The production values in this video stink making Ronan sound like he's singing from the bottom of a well. Otherwise, I have great hopes for his future.

​Okay, so far so good with Muppets. But just this week it seems Newt Gingrich wants to be Trump's Vice President...is there a rat like Muppet to act as his stand in? Trump and Newt...adulterers of a feather flock together. Then today the most idiotic elected official in American history comes out in support of Trump. There certainly must be a Muppet for Dan Quayle.