jc1138

Joe Long? Johnny Banana? I'm pretty sure I've seen BOTH of those in the "credits" for 80's porn movies....complete with "the stache"!

Chapter 39 is up!
This is another milestone chapter, not because of what's in the chapter necessarily, but more because...well, it's my last chapter I'm posting from where I live now. I've been posting chapters while living in this apartment for over a year now but, thankfully, the wife and I are moving to a house so, now, hopefully I'll get a bit more inspiration from being able to sit on the back deck with a beer and some nibbles and not have to deal with shrieking pot-smokers two feet away. Ah, the joys of life.
We hope to be moved in by Friday so you probably won't hear anything from me until then, but I'll still be starting work on Chapter 40 (holy crap...Chapter 40! And I didn't think I'd make it to Chapter 4!)
See you all soon!

@thismy
Having read that whole thing, I am now conferring on you the power to continue the story should something happen to me, death or otherwise. It may not be the story I had originally planned but I'll be damned if it won't end up being an entertaining one.

Chapter 33 is up!
Also, this is my 100th posting on this forum! Two milestones at once! Not bad.
Again, I apologize that this chapter took a bit longer to come out. You all have been so wonderful and supportive about it, but I still owe it to you to get new chapters out as soon as possible, if only so you aren't left dangling. This was a tough one to write, I'm not gonna lie. It ended up turning out very different than I originally intended but, well...that's how it goes with writing. I just found my original idea wasn't working out and followed this path. It might not be the happiest, but...well, you'll see when you read. No spoilers at this point.
I'm gonna take some days off to recover and then I'll be plowing ahead. Hopefully, the next chapter will be back on schedule. Fingers crossed
Thank you all so much for your support. It really does mean the world to me. Hope you enjoy reading!
-Joe

Chapter 32 is finally up
Sorry for the delay. I wanted to wait until the forums were done being upgraded and, by the time they were, I was busy helping my neighbors move so that took up a few more hours. However, all is well, and the chapter is up for you to enjoy
And, since I will be out of town and unable to post tomorrow, I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day. Whether you're serving in the armed forces, have a relative who does, or are a civilian, I hope that you spend the day with the ones you love and remember the bravery and sacrifice of those who've passed in service of our country. My family is almost entirely military (I have a family member in every branch of the military) so it means a lot to us but I don't think you're required to be a military-child or anything else to fully appreciate it. To all those who serve or who have served, thank you so much for your courage and know that I keep you in my thoughts and prayers every day that I'm able to live happy and free.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you again soon

Hey everyone!
Sorry the forum's been so quiet, especially in regards to updates. I've been plowing away at the chapter and I hope to get it out by this weekend. I've just found myself so exhausted recently (maybe overnight shift is finally catching up to me). My days have literally been writing, eating, sleeping, and working, not necessarily always in that order. I'm shooting for Sunday at the latest but it's hard for me to tell at this point. The end of the chapter is in sight, but the path to it may be longer than I think; often what I think may take only a page or two to describe ends up needing a bit more. Still, it's progressing smoothly and hopefully you will all be able to enjoy it this weekend
Updates to follow!

Halfway point!
And in regards to how Jack, Alan, and Amanda came to be...all I can say is that I am not ignoring how odd something like that is. Not to give anything away but the logistics of how it works will be addressed in the future. Much like the pipe bomb, Chinese Water Torture, and the drunken tumble.

Hey everyone!
So, back from my mini vacation and caught up on rest so it's Reality Check Time:
- Actually, this one is a complete coincidence: Kayla's surprise for Jack was something I had written literally a day before my wife did the exact same thing. I didn't even tell her about the chapter. How about that?
- My buddies and I have a Dude's Day once a month, where we do, in fact, get together at a bar for drinks and wings and general tom-boyishness. The one Jack and his friends went on is very reminiscent of the first one we had, where we were basically asking ourselves, "So what the hell do we do on one of these?
- Rhona's attitude is heavily based on the work attitudes and ethics of several people I've worked with, one in particular. I now count them as one of my closest friends so don't be too annoyed with her; trust me, we've just begun to get to know her.
- Frank's attitude towards Rhona and holding her spot is also based off the same friend; I don't know how legal it is but there you go.
- The tension between the Hannigans is very heavily based on tension I've seen between my parents and my wife's parents. Never a good experience.
Now, because we're getting so far in and the story has gone through so many twists and turns, I figure it would be interesting to take a look back on some of the bad ideas I've had regarding the story. Many people wonder at what's going on behind the scene in the story and others wonder what happened and when to make what happen, etc. Obviously, I can't reveal spoilers or stuff that needs to be highlighted for future installments for fear of spoilers (Rhona's brother, for example), but it would be interesting for you and kind of cathartic for me to share the bad ideas that, thankfully, I scrapped before putting them in the story.
I'll probably do one per Reality Check, since there aren't as many of them and it's based on past chapters, not the ones that just came out. Occasionally I might put more than one, like if the Reality Check is especially short, but for now it'll be just one. Let's call this segment...Bad Idea Confessional.
So, here we go. First Bad Idea Confessional:
- It was originally my intention to have Jack force a kiss on Kayla in the first chapter. Well, 'force' may be a bit strong. He was going to surprise her with it. I was planning on having Kayla come home late while he was still up and have him run over to her to check on how she was. She'd reply that she was fine, that the date went great, and that she thinks Craig is a swell guy and all that. Jack, jealous, would then plant a kiss on her so he could claim to have kissed her before Craig did. For obvious reasons, I scrapped it pretty quickly: it made Jack seem like a stalker and would not really lead to a romantic connection, at least not in the way the story needed; not without making it very contrived and rapey. So, yeah, thank God I saw that as the bad idea that it was before it was too late.
Have started work on Chapter 32 so hopefully it will be out soon. See you guys soon!

Excellent news!
Also.. here's hoping for a speedy recovery, Chester57!

Hey guys!
Halfway update Sorry I've been kind of absent from the forums but I've been basically bed-ridden whenever I'm not at work. No clue what it is but I've just been so sore and exhausted that I can barely force myself to move. I'm kind of hoping it's just a change-of-weather bug but it kinda cranked me over the head out of nowhere and laid me out. Even at work I've been having to almost stab myself with pens to keep myself focused. Just a weird time.
Anyway, halfway through the chapter so hopefully should have it out within the next week

@Guest_brokenforever
She still wears them. I've just stopped mentioning them as much.
Also, almost finished hopefully, should be up by this weekend

Yeah, just finished PT for the day. I'm aching and sweaty but learning how to put one foot in front of the other. One thing these places show you is that there are any number of people far worse off than you are. If you don't give all your effort, then you only shame yourself.

Hey everyone!
First of all, Chester57...I'm sorry for all your difficulties and I wish you a speedy recovery. Would that the dollar amount of the points I see at the bottom of my posts were real and I'd shoot some over to you to help with bills and such. Sorry, man.
Halfway though Chapter 29. This one's gonna be a low-key chapter, just kinda of a nice, relaxing chapter with Jack and everyone to recover from the events of the last saga and transition into the rest of the current one. Won't say whether or not the rest of the saga is gonna be as relaxing but it will certainly be shorter than the other ones (maybe only four or five chapters). Subject to change, of course, but that's the plan for now.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and I'll hopefully be getting the next chapter up soon.

Hey guys! Reality Check time:
- The 'Seussical' sequence is pretty much how I remembered it when I saw it my Sophomore year, though I went with my girlfriend at the time. No, that says nothing about the relationship between Jack and Sam, I just wanted Sam there so he and Jack could have their talk.
- Running the mile in muggy, ungodly weather is exactly how I remember it. Years later, I still shudder at the thought.
- Had to have a chat like Jack had with Nick with a few guys. Not just guys who harassed my wife but guys who harassed my female friends. Never seemed to be in short supply.
- All the classes Jack chose were the same ones I chose for my Junior year.
- My parents often threatened to lock my brother and I in our bedroom until we learned to get along.
- I got my PS3 in college but more than once I bumped into my dad carrying away my PS2 for some sin or other. Always had that 'I'm doing this for your own good' look on his face.
I've seen some comments about how 'selfish' or 'annoying' Jack was in this last chapter. All I can say is...please don't judge him too harshly. Trust me, after my friend committed suicide, I was much the same way. In fact, I was worse. I constantly was all up in my friends' business, trying to make sure they were happy and not thinking suicidal thoughts. They weren't but I continuously checked to see whether they were or not. And if a couple I knew was having trouble...let's just say I had more than one person say, "Joe, I love you, but back off." Eventually I started to calm down and accept things but it was quite a while.
So, yeah, this whole Saga's been pretty emotional (coming right off the heels of the Tara Saga, just as emotional) so I'm feeling just a tad drained. Don't worry, I've already started the next chapter, first in the Summer Saga, which I promise is going to be a bit lighter and more...not necessarily carefree but relaxing. I need it and I think the characters need it. Not to say there won't be emotions and stuff in the upcoming chapters but it's not going to be the dangling-over-the-precipice level of 'feels' that these past couple of Sagas have been. I think we've all earned a bit of a breather.
See you soon!

Hey guys!
So, checking on the story boards, I noted that we've hit a marker. She is the One officially has reached 200000 views! Wow! Can't believe it got there as quickly as it did.
And you know what? It's all because of readers like you, readers who support and encourage and critique and suggest and analyze and basically do everything to make my work so much more rewarding and fulfilling. You guys seriously are the best readers and followers an author could ask for and I promise I will continue to do my best so future chapters can be just as good

Pfft.. not everyone cheats. I've had a few close calls, but never took the final step towards anything that could be considered cheating... and of course, there's the thoughts of "Damn... the things I'd do to that girl" that I'm sure most of us guys have had over the years. Never acted on them though. Keep on doing what you're doing, Joe.. it's pretty obvious that there's enough of us here that enjoy your writing style. F the haters

Pfft.. not everyone cheats. I've had a few close calls, but never took the final step towards anything that could be considered cheating... and of course, there's the thoughts of "Damn... the things I'd do to that girl" that I'm sure most of us guys have had over the years. Never acted on them though. Keep on doing what you're doing, Joe.. it's pretty obvious that there's enough of us here that enjoy your writing style. F the haters

Pfft.. not everyone cheats. I've had a few close calls, but never took the final step towards anything that could be considered cheating... and of course, there's the thoughts of "Damn... the things I'd do to that girl" that I'm sure most of us guys have had over the years. Never acted on them though. Keep on doing what you're doing, Joe.. it's pretty obvious that there's enough of us here that enjoy your writing style. F the haters

Pfft.. not everyone cheats. I've had a few close calls, but never took the final step towards anything that could be considered cheating... and of course, there's the thoughts of "Damn... the things I'd do to that girl" that I'm sure most of us guys have had over the years. Never acted on them though. Keep on doing what you're doing, Joe.. it's pretty obvious that there's enough of us here that enjoy your writing style. F the haters

Damn.. had it been today, it woulda been a Birthday present
More than good with a late present, though. Can't wait to read it, Joe!

Happy birthday jc1138!!!
So sorry it won't be ready on your birthday but, like you said, it can be a belated birthday gift

So.. any guesses on why Dad's so against it? I know we'll find out when the new Chapter's released... but let's toss out some ideas. I'm thinking maybe his dad had something going on with his sister or the like..... Might be why we really haven't heard much about grandparents.. especially around Christmas.

A third of the way through Chapter 24.
Sorry this isn't as quick as the last one but I've been exhausted this whole week. I'm basically running on ten hours of sleep the entire week so far. The problem is, once I'm awake, I'm awake for the day; it's really hard for me to take naps since I'm always thinking about the stuff I have to take care of. Weird OCD like that.
Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for the posts of your favorite parts of the story so far. Honestly, I figured it would be specific chapters or something like that (which it was in some cases) but I was stunned by how many posts there were about individual favorite parts. That honestly surprised me. I usually enjoy the parts as much as the whole (sometimes more) and to hear that I was able to create individual moments that stuck out to you guys...makes me feel good and lets me know I'm doing a good job. At least to you guys...wouldn't do to start giving myself a big head.
I'm writing right now and hopefully I should be able to get Chapter 24 out next week

A very happy new year to everyone!
Halfway point! Should be up soon. Hope everyone enjoys a wonderful new year and I can promise more adventures with Jack and Kayla

Hey everyone!
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
It's been a huge year for me: taking a new job, setting up for my and my wife's future and, of course, starting this story. However, since Christmas is a time to be thankful, I'm not going to toot my own horn. Instead, I'm going to thank all of you.
You're all been such fantastic, loyal readers, far more than I ever expected or deserve. You've helped transform this little story I wrote one day into something greater than I could have ever imagined it would be. I am so honored and humbled to have your support and I can tell you that it means the world to me every time I come on the forum and see a new comment, whether it is praise or not, because I know someone at least took something from my story that they felt was worth commenting on.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and spend it with your loved ones.
Love, Joe