aroslav: Blog

I'm talking about a story here, not a person. Today endeth the reading of Things I Never Told My Wife. I hope you've enjoyed this tidbit that I wrote to pass the time back in December and January. You know, back before we were forced to stay put instead of staying put like always!

I'm working on another story I hope to be of similar length, but I have to say I've not been overwhelmingly motivated to write. Usually, the words are bursting to get out and this week, nothing. I try to blame part of that on the two client projects that I have in that will account for about fifty hours of editing time. But, then there is also my personal project of editing and formatting the Model Student series for display on my website. At the moment, I'm about half way through the published version of Triptych, which is the first half of the story by that name here at SOL. When I published that work, it was so long that I divided it in two, Triptych and Odalisque. I'm debating whether I should re-do the SOL version. I've a feeling there were a number of changes between what is now "finished" and what is still on SOL. I'd have to take down the series and then repost the new books. Should I do that?

Because, of course, that would give me something else to do while I procrastinate on my other projects.

By the way, thanks to Allen, who recently re-read the series and sent me a hundred errors he spotted while reading. I'm getting those all corrected, too!

I hope you all enjoyed Things I Never Told My Wife. It seems strange to only have one story posting on SOL right now. Tomorrow, "The Transmogrification of Jacob Hopkins" chapter 151, which is book 4, Double Twist, second chapter, will post. Whatever will happen next??? BTW, Double Twist is mostly not a tear-jerker.

At the moment, I'm thinking of losing the weight I've gained while sitting on my ass the past month plus as another project I could procrastinate.

Be well, friends!

As promised, the first chapter of Double Twist was posted this morning, Chapter 150 of "The Transmogrification of Jacob Hopkins." I've just finished uploading the other 45 chapters of this story and have them in the queue to post every three days. While I was at it, I slated the first chapter (#196) of Double Team (Book 5) to post three days after this one ends.

I inadvertently left comments turned off when I posted the story and have corrected that now. Comment away! Voting will come online on April 14.

I've also been busy this week, preparing the first three books of the "Model Student" Series for online reading on my website. I'm attaching the appropriate links on the site now and they should be ready in an hour or so by looking at "Free Stories" at devonlayne. The first three books are a bit different than the version here on SOL. I split up the former first story of the series here on SOL (Model Student) into three shorter stories. I've done some other editing and correcting files as well. The new titles in the series are Mural, Rhapsody Suite, and Diva. They each have a colorful cover page as well.

Things are going good here. Be well, my friends.

So far the rain here in South Texas today has served to keep both the temperature and humidity in a comfort zone. I know there are many folks who have little or no comfort being stuck in their homes with no entertainment. Except the internet and books.

So, I've been trying to do my part. I've completely remodeled both my websites, devonlayne and nathaneverett. I'm in the process of transferring the remainder of my books that aren't already on them so they can be accessed for free online reading. Between the two, I currently have 24 books available and a few short stories. And it's pretty easy to navigate and update, so I'll be digging through my files for new stuff as well.

It's not much, but it's what I've got.

And that brings me to beginnings and endings. I looked at my submission log and was surprised to find only four pending releases on SOL. Double Tears concludes tomorrow. Things I Never Told My Wife concludes on Saturday. Fortunately, Book 4 in The Transmogrification of Jacob Hopkins, Double Twist, begins on Thursday and as soon as it posts, I'll upload the other 46 chapters of it. There won't be a break cycling from Double Tears to Double Twist. It gives an opportunity for people to bail out of the story, though, if they don't like what I've been doing with it.

Writing work on my current two projects, Adams' Apple and Pussy Pirates, has been slow. I hope to get more accomplished on them this week unless I get waylaid by another project. I'm now in the process of editing and releasing the entire Model Student Series on my website. I won't be updating the story here, though.

I guess that's it for now. I'm working on converting Wayzgoose's YA novel for posting, but it has its own difficulties. We'll see.

Be well, my friends.
Devon

Really. I'm sorry my sister died. I'm sorry my mother and father died. I'm sorry my girlfriend died. I'm sorry my marriage died. I'm sorry my friends died. They were all old, so it's not so bad then, right?

I rewrote them into fun lively characters in a happier world. Many times.

But they still die.

It is seldom a jubilant, long-awaited, and expected death. Even when it is, death is still a surprise. And in fiction, I'm supposed to mitigate that. Let them live unharmed. Recover from illness or disaster.

But I don't. It wouldn't be true.

And I promise you this: There is not one reader who is angrier about it than I. There is not one reader who loathes me for it more than I. There is not one reader who has shed more tears over each death in any of my books or screamed louder in rage at a deaf ocean than I have. Not one person who has been lonelier after than I have been.

And here is the dilemma. I am often told (often = more than once) that the reason a reader likes my stories is because the characters are so real and well developed. Even when they are in absurd situations-like an old man going back to his teenage body and collecting a vast harem-the characters become real and are loved. They are three-dimensional. But when they encounter a real-world situation-a situation that develops or reveals character-I've somehow broken faith with my readers. I'm loathed.

So, I think I have two choices going forward if I were to change what I currently do. 1) Write less complex and realistic two-dimensional characters so when one is afflicted, it's not that difficult to deal with. Or 2) write apparently realistic characters who have all the traits people love but don't experience anything that would develop or reveal those traits.

Or quit writing, I guess. Fat chance of that. When the day comes that I am no longer writing and posting stories, you can assume that it's me who died.

With the big Coronavirus (COVID19) concern, I've noted the shutdown of Western Washington. Businesses are closing. Employees are working from home. The university closed its doors. And as of this morning there have been 14 deaths in the state from the virus. I don't take that lightly as my daughter and family live just a couple of miles from ground zero and I'll be headed back to the area in just six weeks.

VPOTUS visited the state this week to assure leaders that his thoughts and prayers are with us.

I've personally been doing some research while holed up down here in Corpus Christi, Texas. And I have good news. There has been exactly zero transmission of the virus through reading internet porn while masturbating. That's right. You are safe here at SOL. The time you would normally use in classes, at work, riding public transportation, shopping, raving, and bumping uglies can now be safely used to read the massive library of stories here on SOL.

VPOTUS indicates, however, that one side-effect is that you will burn in hell.

Small price to pay if you ask me.

Oh, yes. Here's what's funny.

Just before this thing hit the headlines, I started writing a new story called Adam's Apple. I'm not terribly far into the story yet as it seems the headlines have stolen and overtaken a big portion of my plot. In the story, an unknown virus rips through the atmosphere, infecting every male human on earth. Without knowing they had been infected, every man has become sterile in a period of just a couple of months.

All but one. Jack Adams was orbiting the earth doing maintenance on failing satellites when the virus struck. When he finally returned to earth, the virus had run its course and died out alla the Andromeda Strain, leaving him the only virile man in a population of nearly eight billion people. You can imagine the hilarity as roughly 2.5 billion fertile women vie to become impregnated by poor Adams.

People are blaming the virus on everything from aliens to eugenics programs gone awry. It's Ramsey Smith, newspaper reporter, who uncovers the sperm die-off as being the result of satellite weapons having been triggered when Jack Adams did a tune-up on a black satellite that was failing. He boosted it back to a stable orbit and set its beacon not realizing it was a trigger. The resulting orbital war was fought with no humans involved and no winners declared.

Until Ramsey's muckraking report.

Well, the stage is set for a bunch of political tension, minor wars, and major sexcapades. Ramsey and Adams end up right in the middle of it all!

So, relax. COVID19 can only kill you. Think how much worse it could be.

Remember to wash your hands before and after you masturbate.