Omachuck: Blog

Chapter 16 Should be up early today. I found a typo (darned auto correction!) and put the corrected version in the queue. No point in letting an error go up when it can be corrected.

The rescued captives arrive at Hannah's home and are greeted by Baby. Relief sets in, an extended slumber party ensues, and we are introduced to some very resilient ladies.

Let me thank you all for the thoughtful responses to my earlier request. It is gratifying to know how closely you folks follow these stories. My particular thanks to Douglas, who at my request, supplied detailed reactions both to Times and to the short story that will upload tomorrow. Another shout out to Fred, who in addition to responding with his own reactions, had his wife read the cited passage and included her opinion. Most valuable indeed!

I don't think I've told you folks this: In addition to these three stories being my first posted to SOL, they are the first three fiction stories that I've ever written. I'm experimenting with styles to see if I can communicate what I intend. Your feedback is very valuable. Sometimes you provoke ideas for future stories. For me, more important, your feedback tells me how I need to write in order to communicate what I intend. This is much like firing a rifle - I know where I aimed, but if I can't see the target, there is no knowing where or even if I hit it. This is the same for all the SOL authors.

In short, you folks have the potential to be far better teachers than found in any English literature class.

Again - My thanks!

I just placed fixes to Chapters 13 & 15 in the submission queue.

Thirteen corrects a minor typo.

Fifteen addresses two issue:

1) Three attentive readers pointed out the short time frame from Michael's phone calls to Marshal Pope and Sheriff Naile to his return and finding Pope had already called Hannah. I changed the wording slightly to more closely match my intent. Let me know if you feel it still doesn't work.

2) One reader pointed out that my usage of "fellows" could be viewed as both archaic and sexist. I don't necessarily agree, but if it is a problem - I want to fix it.

Please give me your opinion on the change from - "I want you to know that nothing that has happened during your captivity is your fault. Your job was to survive and to help your fellows to survive." to "Your job was to survive and to help your fellow captives to survive."

I take this very seriously, both in real life and as pertains to my stories.

Further, If anyone can suggest an alternative phrasing that I think is better, I'll send them an advance copy of the sequel when it is ready for uploading. To do that, I will need your email address when you reply.

Much thanks, folks, your interest and feedback is warming.

Chapters 14 & 15 are in the queue for uploading this evening. I suspect I'd be lynched if I left you hanging after the short chapter 14.

The family sets off to the Yahoos' hideout and gets help from an unexpected source.

The short-short story The Sunshine Of Your Smile is getting its final tweaks and should be posted sometime this weekend. It is another stand-alone Swarm Cycle story and not a sequel.

I've enjoyed your feedback and the discussions to date for both of my current stories.

Chapters 12 & 13 are sitting on 'go' as is a fix to a typo in chapter 11 that a reader kindly pointed out.

It seems you folks like our Pixie. In these two chapters, you'll learn a little more about her as the team prepares for trouble, then learns of a place where it's lurking. Hannah is no superwoman, but she's pretty damned close.....

Chapter 11 is in the queue for tomorrow (Friday)evening. Sometime after 7PM Central time, but that's as close as I can predict.

Hannah decides that she wants to join the family, but there is a complication. Oh well...

My thanks to DB for pointing out my failure to follow through on a plot point. It is fixed in the one posted chapter, and I fixed future chapters and placed them in the queue. While I was at it, I changed the posting dates on some short chapters so that two will post on the same day. The first pair will post on Sunday.

I'm still learning the SOL system, so making changes concerns me somewhat. If anything looks screwy, please let me know.