Omachuck: Blog

I appreciate the responses to my question about character lists for my stories. As you can imagine, the suggestions were both varied and conflicting.

It is interesting. I've had suggestions to place a list just about everywhere possible in a story.


I responded recently to all received, but had a bounce back from William whose provider told me his email address did not exist. If that was an error, you might want to check. I don't like not being able to respond when someone takes the trouble to write.

You, know - I'm not so worried about the characters introduced in the new story because they are explained as they appear, but the ones that are a carryover from the last or even earlier stories may need memory refreshed - and I for one - hate the rehash in the middle of the action. I've been adding a character list at the end of a story that folks can refer back to for the next story, but as the relationships get more complex, I don't think that works as well as I'd like. At least with my not posting until the story is complete, folks don't have to wait forever and need to re-read to know where they are.

Anyway, I'll figure out an improvement over what I do now.

I still have characters whispering in my ear, taking me places I had no idea that I would go...

Whenever I think the fourth story, We Gotta Get Outta This Place! is getting close to finished, Michael or one of the harem whispers in my ear, and we're off and running again. It also doesn't help my writing that the Swarm authors are working on some seriously good stories - distracting me - that I hope you'll see soon. Sooo - Gotta's coming - I promise.


My contest attempt for readers to identify the Heinlein references in my stories was a huge thud. No attempts to to play. One generous reader offered his own name for a villian - a very good name for a bad guy - but it didn't fit any of the bad guys in this story. Maybe another.


However, the toying with names leads me to another question. Several of you asked for, and I try to accommodate, a character list for each story. I'm concerned that too detailed a list within the story might be a spoiler, and at the end of the story it is too late. How would you folks feel about a separate posting of only a character list, organized by story? Any thoughts? Let me know.

Thanks for the kind words and warm reception for Katie (and the rest of my stories.)

Several of you have noted my tributes to Robert Anson Heinlein with the inclusion of some of his character names (some modified slightly) in my stories. This will continue in Harem 4, tentatively titled We Gotta Get Outta This Place.

There was enough interest in RAH's names, that I thought I'd offer a contest/challenge: Anyone listing all the RAH names that I've used in my five posted stories, along with the name of my story, can name a character in Harem 4. If no one finds them all, the first person submitting the most will win.

Name rules are: Can't be a living person (or someone that will get us sued) and must fit the story (I need a bad guy and a bad gal and others.) I'll be open minded, but let's not get too obvious - like 'Spock' or 'Buck Rogers.' Oh, and one hint - Michael is NOT Michael Valentine Smith.

I hope you think this is a fun idea.

The final two chapters of this short tale are scheduled to post tomorrow. Rachel and Cathleen want to marry Katie. How is that going to work with a concubine?

My thanks to you folks who asked questions and gave me detailed feedback and suggestions.

I think you know that I don't post until a story is finished, so any suggestions that I use will likely show up in the next story of the series. But, do keep them coming.

Friday evening -


In chapter 3 Scud makes his move - so does Katie. This ain't chess folks. When two locomotives collide, can anyone survive? What if one is a locomotive and the other is The Little Engine That Could?


And readers ask - "Where is the AI in all of this?"


Someone asked if the story title and plot is related to Maybe Katie by the Barenaked Ladies. Not much. I like the Ladies a lot, and I really like the song, and the line from the song sorta sparked the story. No plot resemblance though.