Like my protagonist and his buddy in LiaB, I am no expert in the field of auto mechanics. A wise reader pointed this out to me, and I've submitted a slightly revised version of chapter 72 where I corrected some pretty serious inaccuracies in my depiction of how to change a leaky radiator hose. I really should have put out a request for help before attempting to write that part.
On another note, you may recall that a while back, I mentioned that I have another story on SOL under a different pen name. I also said that I would be giving cameo appearances in LiaB to a few characters from that story. Well, that happened in chapter 72. Did anyone out there catch it? I've been closely monitoring the download totals for the other story since chapter 72 went up, and there was indeed a small spike in downloads. Looks like a few readers caught it, although no one wrote to me directly about it.
Since anyone with a knack for using the Advanced Search function can plug in the characters' names and bring up the story right away, there's no point in me continuing to be mysterious about it. The scene in question is the August 4, 2000 passage which contains the same auto repair part I referenced above. The Angela, Darcy and Katie characters all play a major role in my other story, which is (drum roll) "Song of Adelita," under the pen name Van Gunnison.
Be forwarned, though: SoA is incomplete, has been in that state for several years, and is a very different story from LiaB. It's a much darker tale with deeply flawed characters (for the most part, they do have their redeeming qualities). It was written in 2003-04, and posted in 2005. As time went by, I grew uncomfortable with the subject matter, which caused me to shelve it. That's also why I posted LiaB under a different pen name.
Might I revisit SoA, and pick it up again and perhaps finish it? It's possible. It depends on whether I can get back in the right frame of mind. Bringing those characters briefly into LiaB has given me some encouragement in that regard. It won't happen until LiaB is complete, however.
That 8/4/2000 snippet, by the way, was pretty much a ships-passing-in-the-night thing. I have no intention of giving Angela, Darcy or Katie major roles in LiaB going forward. I'll say this, however: you'll see one of them briefly re-appear a short while down the road, along with another minor character from SoA.
Switching gears again ... it should be obvious that I'm on the verge of dealing with the 9/11 tragedy. I've gotten a lot of email about it, and I feel compelled to make a few points. 9/11 is a very difficult topic to address, and I know it's very likely that there are a few readers out there who suffered personal losses on 9/11. The thing is, in this kind of a story, you can't just gloss over 9/11, especially with the New Jersey connections of Pat and friends.
So, I'll say this up front. Chapter 73 will deal with 9/11 and only 9/11. In chapter 74, I'll move onward, and won't mention 9/11 again. If there are any readers who don't want to revisit 9/11 (and you have my sincere sympathies), just skip over 73, move on to 74 when I post it, and you won't miss anything.
Thanks for reading!