Coaster2: Blog

As several of you have already noticed, there is a problem with my first posting of my latest story, The Reluctant Sultan. Recently, I upgraded my now out-of-date Office Suite to Office 365 and have discovered that Microsoft have once again changed the look, format, and nomenclature of their programs, specifically, Word.
As a consequence, I've run into two problems. One, I haven't gotten control of the story breaks (those useful or annoying lines between scenes). When I try to remove them, they simply move to another location.
The second problem is I'm getting edit comments from my editors showing up in the text, even though they aren't there in my word copy.
With the help of Lazeez, I'm trying to work my way through these irritations, but I won't know how successful I am until I post some more work. Please be patient with me. I'll do my best.
Damn you, Bill Gates!
Coaster2 (Steve)

I didn't expect an overwhelming response to my latest story (Kristiana), but although the score is very respectable, I've had very little feedback on it. Was it that boring? I'm beginning to think so. I'm also beginning to think my stories are becoming a bit predictable. I may change the names of the characters and the locations of the action(?), but a romance story is a romance story and I've fallen into a repeating format that I've got to shake myself from. The Contractor was an attempt at just that. Time for a rethink about which direction I should travel.
cheers,

When I first read Ian Fleming's James Bond books fifty years ago, I was struck by how different his hero was. In today's terms, he was a misogynistic sociopath, chain smoking French cigarettes and killing off whomever his "handlers" thought appropriate.
Rik Vermeulen (Rick Miller)is the new age version of that man, using women without a thought other than to satisfy his lusts. He has no domestic dreams of picket fences and little kids running around. Sally and the deceased Elizabeth are the closest he's ever come to having a legitimate relationship and Sally has left him twice ... perhaps three times. Is he destined to live out the rest of his life avenging real and imagined wrongs? Could he ever really retire? Will those who he has harmed or interfered with come looking for revenge? That's yet to be determined.
Cheers,
Coaster2

I'm posting a new story before I finish with the last story in Quartet (Eleanor). There's nothing radically different in it from my typical yarns. I hope you enjoy it.
Coaster2

This week I began posting an edited version of Julie, the third of four stories in Quartet, my very first attempt at writing in 2007. Neither of these last two stories were posted on SOL. As usual, I will be posting a chapter each day. Both Julie and Eleanor are six chapters in length and will complete the quartet. All four in chronological order are: Ingrid, Jenny, Julie & Eleanor. I don't pretend they are perfect, but I'm reasonably happy they still tell a good story in a readable form. I hope you enjoy them.