Merkin

I am stunned by the outcome.

Unh oh. How do I know I'm reading a Cole Parker story? By realizing I'm muttering 'unh oh' every few paragraphs.

Cole, your stories have kept me up late at night, you hack, worrying and seething and trying to figure out what happens next. I've lost sleep and my anxieties are usually out of control before you provide the solutions in the final chapter. Even then you make me long for even more story about characters I've committed myself to. You've played with my emotions enough, you lowlife scum, and I'm suing you big time for mental cruelty. You'll be hearing from my attorney. Don't try to leave the country.

YES!!

We old geezers with little enough to do besides worry that arthritis will seize up our mouse fingers tend to forget the stresses and strains of the workaday world. I'm all for giving Colin a little slack. Personally, I'm enjoying "Life Can Be Lonely" as a very long leadup to Hallowe'en.

It’s the birthday of Edward L. Stratemeyer, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (1862), who created the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and Nancy Drew. After writing about 150 books of his own, he created a company called the Stratemeyer Syndicate with a team of ghostwriters to write books based on his outlines. He swore everyone to secrecy and even invented fictional biographies for the imaginary authors. The Stratemeyer Syndicate went on to publish about 700 titles under more than 65 pseudonyms. It still sells about 6 million books each year. --from The Writer's Almanac for Friday, October 4. Hey, Cole, would you be interested in taking this over ?

It's nearly impossible, when visiting Cole's home page, to single out any of his stories and novels as better than any of the others; each one has been my favorite at one time or another. This month's Featured Author list comes as close as any list could in showcasing the breadth of Cole's imagination and his masterful ability to write tale after tale that just pulls you in and won't let you go until the very last word. We're so glad to have you, Cole. James Merkin

I can't believe that Colin would have spent all this time making Kevin a sympathetic character only to reveal him as a murderer. What really baffles me is that Kevin has been left on his own all this time, living in a murder scene and apparently ignored by law enforcement conducting what I presume is an active investigation. Even more bizarre is setting an appointment weeks in advance to discuss the case.

The sense of place and its timelessness as evoked by Carnarvon is exquisite.

Amen to that.

Camy, just lie back and think of England.

While you guys thresh out the publication schedule, I just want to say how delightful this story is so far. So many interesting threads! Weaving them together should be a treat.

How interesting! Thanks for the tip-off, TomC. I hadn't heard about the Cathy Crimmins book but it's got a great title so I'll check it out. James

John Adams said we should observe Independence Day on July 2nd, when the Continental Congress actually voted for independence. Three American Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, all died on July 4. President Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th. Today, Nathan’s, on the boardwalk in Coney Island, holds its annual Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th. Donald Trump appears to have confused our Independence Day celebration with Russia's May Day observance.

Jiminy! Just give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide...

I would beware of any government or controlling authority that distributes quick release pills. I think immediately of Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid. Assisted dying on a one-to-one basis under regulated circumstances is quite different.

Your stories are loaded with great information, Colin.

Thank you, gents. I thought it would help us kick off Pride Month.

Trab: Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/ ) offers over 59,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. They state 'You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.' There is no charge. A number of other sites offer free ebooks, although many have very specialized lists. Google ‘free ebooks’ and you will find quite a few choices to explore.

I welcome regularity in all its forms. As a kid, I depended upon it. Fortunately for me my school day, in elementary, middle, and high school all started at the same time every day. All classes met on the hour for 50 minutes. If it was 8 or 9 or ten or eleven or noon or one or two or three, you knew that a class would be starting at those times. I would have gone nuts if every day I had to remember a different schedule. Of course, since we were a small school all grades from first through 12 were housed within the same building. The bells that rang rang for everyone. Elementary students stayed in the same room all day. Beginning in seventh grade we changed classes (10 minutes) and had lockers in the hall. In high school classes with labs met for a double period twice or three times a week. The hour for lunch was long enough for some of us to walk home and back. School buses all ran at the same time, arriving and departing, and the passengers were mixed first graders through seniors, although many seniors had cars. We all took care of the younger kids and bullies were soon identified and dealt with. School size had a lot to do with the success of this approach. It was sort of the flip side of economy of scale. Another reason that it worked was because elective courses were few and far between. Instead we were tracked: the academic track knew what they would be taking for the four years of high school, as did the commercial track kids and the Future Farmers of America. Education was way less enlightened than it is today. Yet, in its own way, the educational system enabled small town America to exist. Believe me, I am not trying to romanticize this experience. I believe I got a good education, but I was a privileged child. I knew I was headed out of town and toward higher education by the time I was in "junior high" (grades 7 and 8). Others were not so fortunate, but many of the graduates of that high school--we had very few dropouts--remained in that small region to make homes and families and rewarding lives. We were still, as a nation, a couple of decades away from the loss of innocence of the vietnam era and the great migrations of youth following the Summer of Love.

Lyndon Baines Johnson was our 36th president. But even better, we must not overlook the late unlamented wingnut Lyndon LaRouche. DeMarcus Cousins was set to go down in sports history as a failed superstar until his 28 minute appearance for the Golden State Warriors this past Sunday evening saved their asses for another futile try at defeating Toronto.

Thanks, Neep. I appreciate your continued interest, and share your enthusiasm for tales from Sanitaria Springs. Although I've lost count (and comprehension). James

How Homosexuals Can Save Civilization Perpetual rut: oh what a mixed blessing; Once it begins it grows without lessening! It somehow controls us beyond understanding, Thanks to its urging and constant demanding. Originally intended to prolong our fine race, It seems to have increased since we've fallen from grace. Now we can barely remember our aim To control our own destiny, once sex is our game. When inserting Part A to another's Part B Our pleasure takes over without referee, And instead of tending to selective breeding We become only intent on continual seeding. Thus it behooves us, in saving the race To identify B Parts that breed no disgrace. Boy to boy bonding, girl to girl love Will insure our redemption by heaven above, And guarantee food enough, plus adequate space So our descendants (more properly paced) Will have room to grow and to find their true pair: Though this time around breeders get the ten percent share. Merkin

Clean cut, studly, and he can sing! Oooo!

I’m torn between rudely pushing past the animal love fest going on here or starting a new thread but I do want to comment on The Barn now that Cole has wrapped it up. Cole’s story, as we have come to expect, is wonderfully well written with compelling characters and a plot that never fails to keep us on the edge of some cliff. In addition he has given us an authentic depiction of the way it was for boys experiencing self-discovery and the hopelessness of being gay in small towns across this land only a few decades ago, a situation that still exists in too many places. Add to this the accuracy of his presentation of the real constraints on gay boys and men imposed by sports at every level, constraints that still apply and make sports so much less that what they are capable of achieving. The reader cannot help but feel the weight of every risk Dave, Chip, and boys like them take as they make their way through the minefield of small town high school life, its team sports, and beyond. Thanks, Cole, for a great read and an important statement.