Sad Day

[JamesSavik]

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.

[blue]

A careful reading of the post at http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/grasshopper/ leads me to believe that Grasshopper may return later, when things have settled down again.

Personally, I would prefer and would love to see him at another site, with more options for himself.

I fully understand how life can completely change for a person.

I wish Grasshopper all the best in his future. He is one of the most talented and heartfelt writers around, in any genre, web, gay, or otherwise. He is also a great guy, from what I know of him.

Grasshopper, you are always welcome to contact me via email.

One other little thing: I happened onto Just Hit Send: The High School Years right when I needed it. I am sincerely, for always, grateful to Grasshopper for writing something that I needed to hear then.

[aj]

It would be difficult to overstate the talent that this boy has shown for writing. At a very young age, he has written one of the classics of the genre. With one novel, he has positively impacted so many lives.

For those who don't frequent IOMFATS, Grasshopper and his family are heading out west from florida to help his Uncle on his ranch--partly to escape the hurricanes that have a way of ravaging florida every year, and partly in consideration of his father's poor health. So young Grasshopper is off to ride the range in the high desert, and hopefully to experience more life, which will result in a richening and deepening of his already considerable writing expertise.

I wish he and his family only the best in the future, and i hope like hell that he eventually gets back on the net and continues to enertain and edify all of us with his tales.

cheers!

aj

[Codey]

Driver is leaving the net too?

Codey

[JamesSavik]

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

http://storiesbydriver.netfirms.com/

[Codey]

Are they just releasing a chapter at a time for him? A Horse Named Phil is updated every couple weeks with a new chapter.

Codey

[blue]

Probably, the site has the completed story and it is gradually being released. Some authors prefer to complete a story before they submit it. So that might be the last story from Driver, unfortunately, in my opinion.

[E.J.]

Timmy emailed me and asked that I post a copy of the letter. It's basically the same as he posted on his site.

I received this letter from Grasshopper last night, on the 12th May 2005. I was too surprised, then, to do what he asked and post it yesterday, so here it is now. It is sad but happy to say that Grasshopper is leaving us. I have been honoured and thrilled to have been a confidant, adviser, and friend. He has decided to leave us his stories and I invite you to join with me in wishing him well and a happy journey. Regrettably there will be no e-mail or other way to contact him, but I'd think he will enjoy seeing nice remarks on the message board from time to time. I'm going to miss him a lot. - IOMfAtS

He says (and it was addressed to me, but I have changed it to be to you all):

Dear Friends,

I have the BIGGEST news !! I am really excited right now. You know how everybody always kids me about being a real cowboy? Well, I think I'm gonna be one now :)  

My uncle has asked my daddy to come help him run the ranch out west. I've been there and it's wonderful, but I never dreamed I'd get to live there  :) Daddy said that he has asked him before, but until the storms last year, we were doing okay. Now, it seems like the perfect plan. Mama and Daddy were worried that I'd be upset, but I really am excited. We have been talking about this for months and after Daddy's illness we decided to go and so now we are. This is the last time I'll see you here for a long while cause we leave next week. Our farm finally sold.

I'm feeling all kinds of ways; happy, excited, and a little sad. My uncle needs my daddy's help and Daddy says he needs mine  :) We have so much to do when we get out there. The house we will have is kinda old, but Mama says it will be cool. I get the attic  :) Grandmom will get to be with her other grandkids too.

I'll be sorry that I have to leave here, but I must help my family, and it will be such a great adventure; new animals, new country, lots of things to do and see. We sure don't want to wait to see what the hurricanes do this summer, right?

I want to thank all of my friends and people who have loved my stories and for all their kind words. It has meant a lot to me. I know there's been some yuck too and with everything going on with me I need to go badly okay? Even though I won't be here anymore my stories will and that makes me smile.

Super {{hugs}}

Grasshopper

Jamie's (Grasshopper's) farm was hit by 3 out of the 4 hurricanes that struck Florida last year. I don't blame them at all for not waiting around another season.

[Rad]

We all lament the leaving of great authors. Myself had exchanged several personal mails with Grasshopper and I found him a very likeable person. His stories are beautifully written and always so full of love, care and compassion.

It did caught me by surprise! I always assume he'd continue writing once the emergency concerning his dad has passed. Just Hit Send and Dreamchasers are great! I'd hate to see JHS unfinished. Though I do agree with Blue that it seemed he'll be gone for a long while and I HOPE he'll return.

Jamessavik is right . The standard is VERY high! Heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories. But Broken is both too. Yourself fulfill the standard James!

Rad

[Rigel]

I'm sad to see Jamie's letter, though a more careful reading of it makes it seem more like a hiatus than a forever goodbye; at least we can hope so.

"Just HIt Send" may well be my favorite net fiction (certainly of authors not resident here at Awesome Dude)--a story which is not only well written, interestingly plotted, and motivationally consistent, but also filled with insights about the nature of love and the human condition. Other tales have entertained me, but "Just Hit Send" moved me and affected me profoundly. While not "finished" in the sense that Jamie reserves the right to revisit his characters, the story has reached a stasis; most of the plot uncertainties have been resolved, and we're left with no great unresolved issues. It's just that the characters are so well developed that we want to check in on them occasionally and find out what's happening in their lives, the way we do with old friends in the real world.

The displaced youth is one of the mainstays of coming-of-age fiction. A teenager comes to grips with a new set of friends in a strange place (or an existing group must deal with a new teenager placed into their midst). Jamie now gets to live out the displacement in his real life. Fortunately, he seems excited by the opportunity, and we can only imagine that since he goes into the move with a positive attitude, he will store up his ideas and feelings, and on the day he finds time to write again, he will distill all the insights gained through actual experience into new and wonderful writings.

We can wish him the best, and hope that he finds happiness on the ranch. And with some selfishness, we can hope he reports back from time to time to let us know things are going, and perhaps even, one day, have time to write about it in a story. ("Happy trails to you until we meet again, etc.")

--Rigel

[Rad]

I'm sad to see Jamie's letter, though a more careful reading of it makes it seem more like a hiatus than a forever goodbye; at least we can hope so.

"Just HIt Send" may well be my favorite net fiction (certainly of authors not resident here at Awesome Dude)--a story which is not only well written, interestingly plotted, and motivationally consistent, but also filled with insights about the nature of love and the human condition. Other tales have entertained me, but "Just Hit Send" moved me and affected me profoundly. While not "finished" in the sense that Jamie reserves the right to revisit his characters, the story has reached a stasis; most of the plot uncertainties have been resolved, and we're left with no great unresolved issues. It's just that the characters are so well developed that we want to check in on them occasionally and find out what's happening in their lives, the way we do with old friends in the real world.

The displaced youth is one of the mainstays of coming-of-age fiction. A teenager comes to grips with a new set of friends in a strange place (or an existing group must deal with a new teenager placed into their midst). Jamie now gets to live out the displacement in his real life. Fortunately, he seems excited by the opportunity, and we can only imagine that since he goes into the move with a positive attitude, he will store up his ideas and feelings, and on the day he finds time to write again, he will distill all the insights gained through actual experience into new and wonderful writings.

We can wish him the best, and hope that he finds happiness on the ranch. And with some selfishness, we can hope he reports back from time to time to let us know things are going, and perhaps even, one day, have time to write about it in a story. ("Happy trails to you until we meet again, etc.")

--Rigel

Hey Rigel,

I like your tribute here for Jamie. I noticed his jubilant tone too. I do hope he will find time to write again and, perhaps, resume the correspondence.

Cheers!

Rad