Jashley13

Hey everyone. First of all, Chapter 52 is just about finished. Should have some more news on progress in the next day or so. Second, I don't know if any of my readers are in the Orlando area but if you are, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. What happened was horrible and it breaks my heart every time something this senseless and horrible happens. I was actually born in Orlando and my wife and I had our honeymoon there. I can't claim to have a super deep connection with it, but that won't stop me from wishing the best for everyone affected by it.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lateness on this but here's the Reality Check: .............................................................................. I got nothing. That's not to say that individual bits weren't borrowed from real life or real life reactions, but major events? None in this chapter. Everything was kind of grown out of a situation that was only based on something that actually happened, ergo all of that had to be invented. So no Reality Check this time. However, I am plugging away at the next chapter, the final chapter in the Voyeur Saga, and boy am I ready to be moving on, as I'm sure you all are. As I'm sure the characters are as well. Look for updates and I hope you're all well

Chapter 51 is up One chapter left in this Saga.

Next chapter should be out by tomorrow

Hey everyone! Closing in on the end so only a couple more days and the next chapter should be out

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check: - Jack's audition and his subsequent excitement about being cast is exactly the same as mine when I was cast for the same play the same year of high school. I couldn't sing either but when I was told there was a major speaking role with no singing, I was so excited. - Jessica and Craig's campaigns against each other are very similar to a campaign for the same position my Junior year. It was a tough time for me, since they were both my friends and neither was, honestly, a great fit for the position. I made it a little easier on Jack. - I wish I could say I saw Shannon and Binyam's real life counterparts again but, sadly, I never did. Recently looked them up on Facebook and they seem to be doing quite well. - The first Philosophy class and the subsequent paper Jack wrote are exactly the same as the one I wrote for the same class. I doubt I can plagiarize myself but if I can, I shall sue myself to the fullest extent of the law. - Jack's beating is identical to one that I myself received in school. It was actually in elementary school and the damage was not as extensive, but it was still pretty brutal. I have a hard time around brick these days, just because I keep expecting someone to slam my face against it. Sorry about the delay on this but I've actually been writing up a storm on the next chapter and its more than halfway done. Hopefully it should be done soon! In other business, I completely agree with Joe Long when he said the 'exposition dump' may have been a little much. I was trying to goof on the whole thing a bit (hence the, "Just imagine it as a Star Wars text crawl" thing) but it was a joke that probably went on a bit too long. I apologize for that and will attempt to rework it in the future. Two more chapters left in the Saga and then we can move on. This one's been draining, not gonna lie, but the end is in sight and its giving me strength. As is your continued support so thank you all so much for that and I hope to be back with good news soon

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been silent for a bit but I'll be posting the Reality Check and an update soon!

Chapter 50 is finally up. Fifty chapters...Cripes. Hard to believe I'd get this far from when I started. Not gonna lie, this one took more than a little out of me. Once you read, you'll understand why. But rest assured, I will be starting work on the next story as soon as I get a little rest and I'll be working as fast as I can for you all.. Hope you enjoy

Chapter 50 should be up either Sunday or Monday

Closing in on the end guys

Hey everyone! Reached the halfway point of the chapter I wanted to post this a day or so ago but we were only a couple of posts away from the 3000th post and I didn't want to be the one to take that. Congrats to Chester57 for the 3000th post on this forum! I'll be back soon with another update. Second half of this chapter should be much more of a breeze.

Hey everyone! Busy busy time for me so sorry about the lateness of the Reality Check but here it is: - Arthur is very similar to my real-life cousin's current boyfriend. She's had about the same amount of luck with guys as Tara but I'm hoping this one will last. - Alan and Amanda's reaction is based around my brother's real-life reaction to a joke me and my theater buddies once made about having to 'act' like we were broken up with the girls we were dating. We weren't serious but he took it as such, telling us that our relationships aren't something to just toy with. Rhona's reaction was also based off this a little. - Despite the fact that I've always held that Jack is who I am and Joe (the goofball) is how I act, Craig's refusal to leave Jack and Kayla's 'breakup' alone is very much something that I do in real life. It's something I've had to work on since, more often than not, people seem more hesitant to get back together when I'm pestering them like that. - My Junior year musical really was Guys and Dolls and I also went to my teacher, asking if there were any major non-singing roles, as my voice had not developed yet. She said the exact same thing Mrs. Karlow did. The rest of the chapter, as before, is purely fiction. There might be bits and pieces of truth in there but nothing major enough to be worth noting. On a side note, I just want to say that it really warms my heart to be able to come on this forum and see serious, thoughtful discussions about my story. I mean, obviously I'm glad that something I write facilitates such discussions, but I just love reading the stuff you guys talk about. It's so much more interesting than endless comments of 'This is so hot!' or 'Make one of them pregnant!' So thank you for that. It really means a lot to me. I'm seeing maybe three more chapters or so in the Voyeur Saga and, not to give away too much, but this last chapter was just the beginning. Chapter 50 coming up so some big stuff has to happen. Hope you're doing well and I'll be back soon with an update

Chapter 49 is finally posted. Sick and tired and going to lie down. Hope you guys enjoy it. I shall be back as soon as I feel better.

Next chapter should be out tomorrow I apologize for the wait

@guest_diabound Maybe I do get swept up a little in the drama. One of the things Bashful_Scribe and I talk about quite a bit is how differently our stories are structured: his is very episodic, while mine flows more fluidly, one chapter to the next. I think if I were to publish these as books, the drama would be a little bit less. I've gone over previous chapters and found just how often Jack seems to be in over his head. Then again, drama is the essence of a teenagers' life so what you gonna do? I reiterate my promise that there will be lighter times ahead. And as for your wish about Jack, well...keep reading

@guest_diabound I completely understand what you are saying and I agree. I promise to do my best to make more light chapters in the future. However, for this particular story arc, the 'dark and depressing' stuff does have a point, I promise. And believe me, I truly see what you are saying about Jack's personal angst; I'm basing a lot of it on how I was at the time. I can't promise that the next couple of chapters will be completely above the stuff that might be a turnoff for you but I promise to do my best to get some more levity involved

Two more big scenes to write, one of which will be fairly painful. Should be out soon

Hey everyone! Sorry about the dour mood in the forum the past couple of days. Let's add some cheer, shall we? The next chapter is almost done and should be out in the next few days

Quick follow up to the previous message: this was not meant to be an attack on anyone. The message was sent to me privately, not here on the forum. I welcome any and all suggestions (seriously, the stuff you guys come up with is AMAZING) but just that particular subject...that's my one big 'no'. You guys are the best and I love and respect you all. Thank you all so much for being the best fans ever.

Hey everyone! Quick little message, a bit more serious than you're probably used to, but it's something I just wanted to say. A few days ago, I received a private message excitedly asking me when I was going to put rape in my story. I'll just answer them here so everyone else can see the answer: I'm not going to. This is not because I think rape doesn't exist or that it shouldn't be include in stories...it just won't be in mine. I could list of many reasons (one of the main ones being that it brings back some very painful memories I'd prefer not to delve into) but I think chief among them, just in terms of the story, is that there is no purpose for it. I once read an author who stated that rape is something that 'happens to women'. It's a plot device to amp up tension and drama, usually with a female, so they can go through a tough time and come out stronger on the other end. To me, there are a billion better ways to do that than to have them go through something so awful. Again, I'm not trying to demean writers who put it in but I feel like there is no place for it in my story and to put it in would go against moral principles I hold myself to, as well as the respect I have for my characters. They are not technically real...but the issue is. And I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my characters through that just for 'character growth' and 'plot development'. It's just something I've never enjoyed reading. Even with great writers, like BashfulScribe, my least favorite parts of their stories are when rape comes in. It's just a personal thing for me, not anyone else. Sorry to be so dramatic but it's just a personal thing. More positive news soon!

I'm working as fast as I can on the new chapter, I promise This is going to be another 'big' chapter, with lots of major plot points. I'm trying to get as much writing in per day as I can and I want to have it done by the end of this week (though that is kind of wishful thinking). Also...not to spoil anything, but writing this more dark, depressing side of Jack and company takes a lot out of me so I have to work slowly so I don't end up burning myself out. It's an emotional thing but I promise that I am going as fast as I can

Realize I'm very late on this but congratulations for the child and I'm sorry about the other medical issues I hope everything is going well for you guys. My wife and I keep you in our prayers

For those wondering, yes...Tara is the same age as Jack and Kayla. I thought I stated that before but if it was unclear, I apologize.

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check: - Jack and Kayla's argument about how to help Belle at the beginning of the chapter is very similar to one my wife and I had regarding a friend of ours. Not the same circumstances, of course, but the same sort of idea about how to approach it. - I mentioned before that I'd known several guys who gave their girlfriends promise rings, but Craig's obsession with it is based around one close friend of mine, who I had to shake on more than one occasion just so he would shut up about it. - Jack's conversation with Belle is almost identical to one I had with an ex-friend. The context is changed a little bit (I didn't think my friend was legitimately in danger) but a lot of the words are lifted from real life. - The meeting with Ms. Jens was identical to the one I had with my guidance counselor, sans the whole friend-in-trouble thing of course. Not a whole lot this time around but since this is where the story takes quite a bit of a deviation from real life in terms of what happened, that might be the norm for a little bit. Also, just a warning for you guys...the next few chapters are not going to be happy ones. I don't mean this as a spoiler or a mood-killer but I know how much you guys are invested in the story so I figured it was only fair to give you a little bit of a warning beforehand. It's gonna be a rough ride. See you soon!

For those of you wondering if Jack has gone down on Kayla, check back to Chapter 17