Kenn Ghannon: Blog

A chapter in 'Fairly CAPable' made someone physically ill because it reminded them of their own rape experiences. I didn't consider Chapter 22 'rape' because, while unwilling, the concubines in Swarm stories are slaves ... but, thinking it through, you can definitely rape slaves so...

I NEVER wanted to be 'that guy'. I never wanted to write something that made someone physically ill. The e-mail has been weighing on my since I read it. I got very little sleep last night.

I was of three minds late last night. Part of me just wanted to throw all of the rest of 'Fairly CAPable' up and let it be judged in whole instead of in pieces. In the full context, Chapter 22 becomes a part of the whole story.

Another part wanted to do away with Chapter 22 and just show the aftermath in Chapter 23. As I read it over, looking at it in a new light, Chapter 22 was gratuitous and unnecessary. I thought it would be visceral and induce a sense of disgust. I thought it was important to show the depths of Leo's soul. I thought wrong. I could have done similar work - without such disgust - by just showing the results of his actions and kept the torture off-screen.

The final part of my mind is the one I think I'm going to follow. Chapter 22 is out there and the internet remembers everything. No one is going to forget that I wrote it. Besides, I don't think I have it in me to get inside Leo's head again to re-write Chapter 23.

So, I'm going to take a hiatus - not from posting, the story is set to autopost for the next week or so and I'll stop in to make sure the whole thing gets out there. I'm going to take a hiatus from reading - possibly until the whole of the story is posted so it can stand or fall on it's own, complete merits.

If you write me e-mail, I promise to read and respond when I return. If you post comments to the story, I'll read those when I return.

I've always said I write for myself. That is true.

However, I enjoy the comments - even the negative ones so this is NOT an indictment of those who couldn't palate the story; I am thankful for every comment and e-mail I receive (even those that intimate I was born illegitimately as a piece of dung). They will all make me a better writer, something to which, even at my age, I aspire. So, I'm certainly not avoiding critique - I just need to step away from it for a few moments.

I really am not 'THAT' guy. Hurting others with my imagination is certainly not something I ever considered.

My computer is broken. I custom built my computer with a water-cooling loop (instead of the AIO I used on my last build). I changed the water and added a temperature gauge Friday night - it shouldn't have been a big deal. It wouldn't have been a big deal - except I didn't tighten the fittings as well as I thought I had. I tested the loop without powering the device and I didn't see a leak. When I started the computer however.

Sizzling sounds and the acrid burning smell are NOT something you want to hear from your computer.

I went and got a new motherboard. It wouldn't boot. I took it back and got another. Still wouldn't boot. I replaced the processor. Now it would boot - but I couldn't get a picture. Replaced the video card. Still no video - and now the motherboard stopped booting. I think I know their error codes by heart now.

I took the motherboard, processor and video card back. I'm having them delivered from an online store ...

Did you know there was a Covid-induced backlog on computer components? Me either.

Needless to say, I'm using an ancient laptop right now which I had in the dustbin to be recycled. We'll see how long it lasts...

You may have noticed I've yet to post Chapter 22 of Fairly CAPable. I apologize for the delay - I'm having some computer issues. I'll post the chapter as soon as I'm able - but it might not be today ...

Yeah. I know. I missed the posting deadline this morning. It's fairly late, but I've submitted it in the queue - as well as Saturday's and next Tuesday's chapters. I've been on stay-cation and - well - I've done a whole lot of NOTHING (except spend some time with my lovely wife in a local national park - which was EPIC).

Anyway, I'm off for a few more weeks ... hence the 'posting in advance' of the next few chapters. I hope to also post next Saturday's tomorrow but I might not. If not, I'll get to it eventually. If it DOESN'T post (for whatever reason), I'll catch up as quickly as I can.

Thank you for reading!
--Kenn Ghannon

Every year, my family and I set aside a few weeks around the 4th of July to return to where my wife and I grew up for her family's family reunion. Since my time off needs to be scheduled 6 months in advance at work, I took this time off back in December (to be sure no one scheduled it before me).

Enter Covid-19, the Wuhan Flu or whatever they're calling it this week. The reunion was cancelled about a month ago and my wife's parents would rather we not visit this year, for obvious reasons (they're in their mid-80s and my father-in-law has had health problems the last few years). So, our trip was cancelled.

All is not lost, however. We've decided to spend a few days just travelling. It won't cover my entire vacation - but it should be fun.

We were also planning a trip to Disney World in May. Once again, enter the flu. Disney World closed. At the time, I was lucky enough to get that time off back and we rescheduled our Disney trip to later in July. We were very lucky, we didn't know if they were going to be open and we'd have to reschedule again (I have school age kids, so going much later in the year was pretty much out) but it turns out Disney World is re-opening.

All of that just to say - I won't be around much for the next month or so. I know I owe quite a few people some return correspondence (I work hard to reply to every e-mail sent to me, even if it's just a thank you for writing) so I'll try to get those answered. SOL has their amazing delayed posting capabilities, so I'll try to make sure the 'well never runs dry' for the story - but mistakes might happen. Finally, I'm hoping to get some more work done in 'Runesward, Tome 2' and maybe a bit more in on 'Incapable'. Somewhere in there, I'd also like to get started on the 'Ring of Command' re-write and conclusion.

Damn. I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation.