Jody Daniel: Blog

Hi all!

Slowly summer is rolling in, but the warm weather is just an illusion, a few stray cold fronts are still coming out of the Arctic south and Cape Town gets hit hard. There will still be some really icy weather install for us here in the north.

But that aside. The first big thing hits the Red Dragon Display team! NO SPOILERS! Read for yourself.

Happy reading, dear friends!

Thank you for all the comments and the emails. It is appreciated. Although the votes don’t always reflect the excellent email feedback and comments, those emails and comments do inspire me to keep on writing. Thank you!

Until next week.

Bye 4 now!

Hi all!

Now that you have met Alex Meyer, Leon Little, And Georginia Harper (The red head news journalist on the TV.) in chapter one, the time has come to introduce another main character, Leon’s daughter, Ally. Fourteen years old. Blond. Sharp as a shaving blade, and full of energy like only a fourteen-year-old can be.

Also, the sad story of Ally’s mother is told. Sorry, but it had to be told. All can’t be laughs and giggles in a Jody Daniel story.

Also, the plot start to thicken, and the suspense is mounting in chapter two. NO SPOILERS! Read for yourself.

Happy reading, dear friends!

Thank you for all the comments and the emails. Also, that link that was given by sieylianna. That was nice close-ups of the L-39. Thank you for sharing it.

Until next week.

Bye 4 now!

Hi all!
Right! Right! I’m convinced. With all the emails asking: “Where is the new story?”

Well, here is “Smoke on, GO!” chapter one.

I was not really ready yet, but like my Editor said: “Well, I expect to have C6 back to you soon, and you have 5 chapters in the can. Not like some authors that publish 1 chapter every eight months, I could set my clock to you!”

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoy this one. AND, there is no cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. The chaos is still to come. (Evil Laugh)

Happy reading, dear friends!

Until next week.

Bye 4 now!

Hi everyone!

As I prepare to post the final chapter of 'iSigodi' today, my heart is filled with immense gratitude and appreciation for each one of you. This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, and it’s all thanks to your unwavering support and enthusiasm.

From the very first chapter to this concluding one, your votes have been a tremendous source of encouragement. Knowing that my story resonated with so many of you and seeing your votes climb has been incredibly motivating. Thank you for believing in 'iSigodi' and helping it reach new heights.

Your comments have been a beacon of inspiration, and your emails have provided invaluable feedback and heartfelt messages that have deeply touched me. Reading your thoughts, theories, and reflections on the story, and the sharing of some personal experiences in your lives, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of this journey. Your engagement has truly made 'iSigodi' a collaborative creation, and I am forever grateful for the time you’ve taken to share your insights and support.

As we reach the end of 'iSigodi', I want to say a special thank you for being such an amazing community. Your passion for the story has been the driving force behind its success, and I am incredibly fortunate to have readers like you.

I would also like to thank my Editors for putting up with my ramblings and correcting my limited English. Without their input and corrections on grammar and spelling, iSigodi would not have attracted so many readers. I must admit that I did learn a lot during this time on SOL, from “Return to Sender” up to “iSigodi.” I see that my editors are doing not so much editing these days as my vocabulary has improved and so my spelling. (I can spell “Mississippi” now. LOL!)

I look forward to sharing more stories and adventures with you in the future. Until then, let’s celebrate the journey we’ve had with 'iSigodi' and the wonderful community we’ve built together.

With the 8,9, and 10 votes at 350 and only 32 votes less than 7, iSigodi reached a raw score of 9, with a weighted score of 8.31. This makes me happy. It was bookmarked by 472 premium members and authors. The downloads reached 46595 and is still climbing. So, thank you!

Yes, my sums are correct. 350 +32 = 382 votes that counted. 425 – 382 = 43 wasted votes, because of the way that SOL calculate the score. LOL. 89.88% of those that voted enjoyed iSigodi and rated it as excellent! It humbles me.

As I said before: The voting and scoring just gives me an indication as to how you guys and girls enjoy the story. I write for fun because I love to write. The score matters only as to show me how you like or dislike it.

With heartfelt thanks, here is the final chapter, have fun and enjoy it.

Until next time, stay safe and be good.

Bye 4 now!

Hi everyone!

Another week went by with the speed of light. And I thought they said that when one retire you will get so bored, you just get… well, what does the Collins English Dictionary say: “If you are bored, you feel tired and impatient because you have lost interest in something or because you have nothing to do.” Huh? Not this Dude! I got so much to do and so little time to do it in. LOL.

It’s like one of my ex-colleagues said to me: “I am now busier than ever!” Yeah, that is true. When he retired, he decided to paint his house. This led to a friend asking him to paint the friend's house, and another house, and another house… He ended up starting a house painting business with eight employees. Just painting houses… and HIS house never got finished!

Now, that reminds me… I must paint my house as well. Not only the house outside, but inside as well. Oh, well, I’ll put it on the “to-do” list.

So, here we are with chapter 17 of iSigodi. When I started writing on chapter 17, I planned on ending the saga right there. Until I found that there were a few loose ends to tie up. This boiled down to chapter 17 running into about 6400 words with 6 pictures!

Chapter 18 is already at the 1200-word mark, so… let’s see where it goes? Also, the next story, chapter 001 is also in the oven and about 1000 words in. (Oops! Ignore what I said there.)

A comment from gothkitten (and some others) had prompted me to remind you that in order to have a continues flow of chapters, I need to build up a reserve of chapters before I start to post. This is to compensate for my three Editors to get to do the editing. Sometimes people get ill and can’t work on editing. I know that my Canadian Editor is getting married around August. Now with the honeymoon on the cards, he might not be able to do any editing. If I have reserve chapters in hand, I can post them weekly, giving me time to write and the editors to edit my ramblings at their leisure. (Seeing that they get this astronomical pay from me… Zero Dollars!)

Now just to be throwing a spanner into the works: There was a comment that “Nikita” is a Russian male name. Yes, true.

BUT Nikita is a girl’s name, and a boy’s name. Nikita thus belongs to the gender-neutral unisex names. Nikita means “victory” and “winner.” Nikita is of Greek origin and is derived from the Greek word ‘Nik’ which means ‘victorious’ or ‘winner.’ The name has roots in different regions.

It is used as a unisex name in Russia and means ‘unconquered’ or ‘not humbled.’ It is also associated with the Greek name Niketas, which means ‘victorious.’
Regardless of its origin, the name carries strong overtones of victory, power, and resilience.

Nikita is a popular name used for boys and girls worldwide. To portray Melanie as a fighter on the edge, and her attitude, I chose her second name as Nikita. Examples of that the name Nikita could be either male or female and can be found everywhere.

1. Russian male figure skater Nikita Katsalapov (born 1991) has won the bronze and the gold medal in 2014.

2. The Australian female water-polo-player Nikita Cuffe (born 1979) won bronze with the Australian national team in 2008 in Peking.

3. Female American actress Nikita Ager (born 1969) is known for roles in TV shows such as “Navy CIS” and “Star Trek: Enterprise”.

4. Former Miss Universe 2003 Nikita Anand (born 1983) is an Indian model and actress.

That is only four examples. Else I could make this a story on its own!

Nicknames as for Nikita as a boy’s name are Nik, Nick, Nicky, and Kit. For a girl, nicknames would be Nicky, Kita, Kiti, Nika and Kitja.

SO! Elton John was playing the name! LOL! (And not many noticed…)

Here is iSigodi chapter 17. Have fun and enjoy!

Until next week, stay safe and be good.

Bye for now!