So its been a year.. but here it is, A Shot of Bourbon 5 : 9 months.

More, camping...

More, Bikeriding...

More, yeah ...

Plus... Spiders, snakes, and clowns Oh MY!

Enjoy!

All I can say is, WoW... This is my favorite of the SoB chapters so far, and that's a pretty darn high standard!

It's too early for me to give any spoilers, but I sure will be back once more people have read it.

Thank you Steve!!!

Sure CJ... post that you've read it before it's even up on the site

Steve... STEVE... going and looking back at that poll for evil cliffhangers... does this one get more weight because the pattern suggests it might be October of 2008 before we get chapter 6? I mean... WOWZER!

:sigh: Chapter 6? whatyatalkinbout Bob?

Well, Steve, I guess maybe you shudda put "The End" at the end of the chapter because the closing paragraph definitely leaves room for more story. As things are, we're all ready for the next "nine months" (in the story).

That's what fans do, Steve. We always want more.

Great story! Thanks for that.

Conner

!!!!!

I'll go and read it now!

Camy

Read it: love it!

I won't waffle on about content yet, 'cause I don't want to spoil it for others.

Bourbon Rocks!

I'll be vague here becuase so many haven't read it yet, but I'll say again, Wow!

The whole clown thing had me rolling, and what happened with the fire was just classic!!

There was so much laughter and joy; so much camaraderie. Jeff is, well, just great! So is D...

And once again, you earn your title!

I guess it's not too much of a spoiler to say that The Beast makes an appearance, and once again, you put the reader on the bike, making it feel real.

I too won't make any spoilers of just yet, I think we should let it age a day or two before we start discussing in less discrete ways.

What I will say, is that this chapter made me remember why I enjoy reading your writing so much. The descriptiveness, the imagery, the way that you write that leaves no doubt as to what the characters are feeling, seeing and thinking is truly a gift of yours.

Actually I read the chapter twice.

All I can say is Thank You Steve!!

Okay, I think we're far enough into the thread that spoilers aren't too much of a concern, but just in case:

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Okay! Wow... I think my favorite parts were the interplay between Bourb and Jeff. That was hilarious, and I laughed many, many times. "you're so dead"

And clowns... OMG, clowns.. that was perfect.

Bourb is a devil; playing Rusty off on Jeff like that with the lips comment; that's a perfect one!

The swimming hole scene was a classic, and the can of chili, OMG, now that was good. And ouch, that would smart against bare skin (they were shirtless, and though this may come as a shock to many of you, I like a good shirtless scene in a story )

However, now it comes time to get down to brass tacks, and assume my official duties... The ending... Well, what can I say? Rusty didn't tell his mother he was going. She is NOT going to be pleased. We have that looming time-bomb a-ticking... And with a looming calamity like that at the end of a chapter, we all know what this is, don't we? Yess folks, it is my solemn duty to declare A CLIFFHANGER!

This is not surprise, of course, considering that Shadowgod is the undisputed and perpetual :king: King of Eeeeevil Cliffhangers

Now, the big question is, what will happen next? What, exactly, will the MAd Cow do? That's a looming disaster, right there!
Add to this precipice-dangler the fact that Shadowgod has been hinting that this is the last chapter of Bourb... If so, that means he's ending the series on a cliffhanger, too!!! Surely even he wouldn't do that?

So, what is the answer? What are future plans? Only the shadow knows...

But the Shadow has spoken and suggested that there is no more story... thinking back.. that makes a bit of sense since he said he was working on a sequel to Bourbon already... Hmmm...

Bob D.

One question,

In Steve's announcement of the chapter, he invited others to join in the forum to herass (what were you thinking when you typed that, hmmm ) him with myself, CJ and Bob D. Can we start now? Pretty Please!!!

Beh I typed up the announcement and posted via cell phone early in the morning... I also spelled anniversary wrong

I'll take that as a "yes", so let the harassment begin.

as opposed to herass... most certinly

So... Mr. Slackergod... Is chapter 6 gonna be ready by Oct 1, 2008?

Bob D.

Okay, let me start....

Steve, I loved the chapter from start to finish. It is amazing how quickly I got back into it after the first chapter. As I mentioned before, I truly appreciate your writing style.

The hi jinx between Bourbon and Jeff was hilarious. The was that Rusty picked up on it and joined in too was amazing. I would have loved to be Jan, high above looking down at Rusty buck naked in Jeff's arms. Too funny.

Now for the more serious part. Steve, I voted for you as using cliffhangers, and I have to admit that LiS26 was a big one. But, to your defence, I also said the CJ uses more cliffies than you do, and they are usually bigger than that.

So, the answer to this question is going to determine if I rank the cliffhanger with the "Mad Cow" as a 10 or maybe a 6 on the cliffhanger scale. Answer carefully, as I might have to join CJ and the tens of others in declaring that unwanted title upon you.

Will there be a SoB 6, or is SoB over????

Steve

Just a little note on Shadowgod's writing style;
For anyone who has read both LiS and Bourb, the style (to me at least) looks very, very different, and not just limited to the difference between 1st (bourb) and 3rd (LiS) person. Bourb has a very different feel to me, and being able to write in a very different manner is far from easy; most writers can't, but his Shadowyness can, and does so very well indeed.

Bourb was perhaps (I can't quite remember) the first gay fiction I stumbled across that I really liked. I'd only just discovered Gay Fiction, and had seen a few stories on Nifty (which had nearly convinced me that the genre wasn't worth my time) but I found a link to a site called Justin's Bookcase, and one of their hosted authors was a guy by the name of Blackheart, with a story called Shot of Bourbon, which was just a short story at the time. (Now, if anyone is recognizing the name "Blackheart" as the eeeevil, murderous, motorcycle-riding hacker in my story FTL, I'm sure that was just a coincidence )

I don't usually like short stories in any genre, but I had a peek at Bourb and was blown away; it was the first story I ever bothered to save to my hard drive, and in fact, I used it last year when trying to figure out how to write dialog for my own first-to-be-posted story.

The fact that Shadowgod has been involved in writing for so long (I spotted Bourb many years ago) is how he came to be known as "The Fossil".

Now, regarding the cliffhangers; Are you saying that is Bourb5 is the final chapter, then it's a 10 on the cliffhanger scale? I'd be inclined to agree.

However, you can't be serious? LiS 26 was the mother of all cliffhangers! I've never even approached a cliffie of that magnitude (noth that I am admitting every using them, of course).

Quick question i read LiS and i didn't think that the end was a cliffhanger at all, but alot of people im seeing think differently. Why do you guys feel that it ended in a cliffhanger?

Now if he were end shot of bourbon here then that would be one hell of a cliffhanger

Justin, I guess the best way to explain this is that the number one rule in CJ's and Shadowgod's forums is that anything evil is Shadowgod's fault.

Second, CJ is in denial about ever using cliffhangers, which you can see is not the truth if you read For The Love or in Let The Music Play it will be painfully obvious that CJ has a flair for the cliffhanger. One of the sure signs of his denial is that he will deflect blame to anyone and try to distract them by claiming others are guilty of using cliffhangers, not him.

We have been trying to get CJ support, but he obviously hasn't hit rock bottom quite yet.

But lastly, we all are a bit nuts in here, so we try to find things that aren't really there. In the final chapter, there was a reference of a flying saucer and an ark, which led to the speculation that Shadowgod had indeed left the story in a cliffhanger.

Like I said, we are all kinda nuts .

But feel free to join us, the more the merrier

Steve

I don't feel that LiS ended in a cliffhanger (well, we were teasing about a couple of very smal points) but there were some major ones in the chapters, especially chapter 26.

I certainly do agree with you 100% though: If Shadowgod ends SoB at Ch 5, he's ending the story with one lulu of a cliffhanger!

And BTW, Welcome!



Hrmmm, I'm thinking that we need to set up some kind of a FAQ for newbies... Something nice and informative, that explains things like this, and the infamous lemonaide cliffhanger, and how Shadowgod got his title, etc, etc.

That would be so useful to have...

Hmmmmm... I'm left wondering if and when this story is going to continue. I want more.

.........Ending at Chapter 5, well I vote Cliffhanger!!

I agree. Okay Steve, is there going to be a sequel? I noticed it says final shot, so I guess that's supposed to mean the end, but it could use a sequel some day.

It would seem to me there's not going to be any more Bourbon. If so that's a shame because there are too many issues that haven't been dealt with. This is the first of Steve's stories that I've read and in all honesty I was very disappointed to discover that it's apparently an unfinished piece of work. Is there any chance that you'll ever continue this series Steve?

.......Not wishing to speak for his Shadowyness, but I think he is tooooooooo busy, we are lucky he is still (putting out ) D&CW!!

Well, I know one solution, but it does mean it takes a bit longer before we see anything at all, and that's to finish a story completely before starting to post any of it. Now, it's too late for me to do that with both of the stories I'm working on now, but I intend to do so in the future. I just know that several notable authors, including Dan Kirk and Jack Scribe, do so.

hrmm... yes and no... sorta. Nice answer huh? I say yes and no, because the style Bourbon is written in lends its self to "vignettes". I could renumber parts in any sort of haphazard fashion and the over all story would still make sense. That is mostly because Bourbon was originally supposed to be a one off. He, however, proved to popular to just make one appearance. That is why i say no, there will be no more "Shot of" series.

caveat: Of course what I say and what happens are two different things.

I do plan on writing more Bourbon though. he's got many more stories to tell, so yes there will be more Bourbon, I'm just not sure of the name yet. "Another Round" holds possibilities though.

My future Plans for Bourbon includes a serial, but as I sit here typing this out, it would be plausible as the vignettes I described above. So, maybe it will make its appearance as "Shot of" after all. Whatever it ends up being, there will be more Bourbon.




Yes Benji I've been busier then a working girl in New York during Fleet week however that isn't really much of an excuse when I have been looking for any reason as of late not to write, but as soon as I post this I am back into it.



Ya know tiger, that is a great Idea, I truly admire those that can do it. I am not one of those people. Perhaps one day I will be comfortable enough with my writing and the opinions of a small cadre of beta readers. I have yet to see that day may it come soon!!

Anyhow, thanks guys for reading (still!) and loving Bourbon, I do believe the original is probably one of the oldest stories being hosted at GA. It made its original debut in the Nifty Archives way back in March of 2003.

HoLY BeJeSuS!!!! that was an entire 4 months before Myr registered at GA!

damn, time flies when you are otherwise less occupied.

Steve

I somewhat disagree about being to reorder the vignettes without any noticeable difference. At the place you left us hanging it's my opinion we need some resolution to the, Mad Cow, problem. What happens to Rusty when he gets home from the camping trip he didn't tell his mother he was going on?

Thanks for at least considering letting us have some more Bourbon. He's a great character and you do the 1st person style so well it's hard to believe it's the only story (I've seen) that's not in 3rd person.

Well, I think 1st person can be good. I do believe ASOB was one of his first stories. Authors often use 1st for their first story. I am included. I think we discussed in another thread about that particular issue. I think Steve does a wonderful job in either, but I think he's actually more comfortable with 3rd.

okay, I'll give there may be some continuity issues, especially with 4 and 5, I still don't think 1-3 need to be read in any particular order though. As for other first person stuff.

Vegas Sun




Close Tiger, but actually Bourbon was rather late in my writing. I had started Failure of the Heart (Living in Surreality), Destiny of Time, and Gator Bayou long before Bourbon ever came knocking on my door. He was however, the most popular

I am vastly more comfortable writing in the 3rd person. I love first for some things, but I dislike the limitations it imposes on me. I have to stay in the head of one character and speculate the reactions of everyone else. I find such an arrangement limiting.

The fact that you are more comfortable with 3rd person is not surprising. I liked ASOB, but LiS remains my favorite. You increased interest in LiS is quite obvious to me. As for me, I like them both in different ways, but I trying to improve my 3rd person. I seem to be better at writing first for some reason. It may be a genre issue though.

Cool. Thanks, Steve. Now I have my reading material for this morning. I needed something relatively short for what's left of the morning before I start editing another story.

Tim, there's no doubt in my mind that DE needs to be told from Julian's point of view. It just wouldn't be the same any other way. I think that's why you struggle with it sometimes. As Steve mentioned it can be difficult and limiting to see things through the eyes of one character. You have to be in the right mood to do it. You're doing a fine job. Second Chances would work well either way, but I like it the way it is.

Enjoyed this story as well, like tiger my favorite is Lis.

Well, I want to know (I love this story) that will be more Bourbon, sequels or what??

Steve, how can you ignore the pleas of so many fans?

Maybe I should start a poll asking if people want to see more of Bourb.

If enough people do would that give you the needed incentive to get back into the mind of this wonderful character and produce some more short stories?

It's not that I need incentive, I have incentive enough writing him. Bourbon is a fun character to write in many ways. The big problem is i only see one way to go with he and Rusty's relationship. I pretty much know that, that way isn't going to be popular at all.

............It's not like the members will roast you or something!!

That depends upon just how evil it is. Though not expressely stated, I think it means tragedy. It could be tragedy in the sense of love lost or it could be loss of life. I could be wrong though.

..............Compared to ....How evil could Steve be??

tragedy? I would never expose a reader to open tragedy.... thats not my style at all However, something new may take place a little further in the future then where the A shot of Series left off.

Ahem! Most of us do remember LiS Chapter 26, and even if we forgot, it would not be for long. Also, it is my understanding that Jacob originally died, so you are not above creating tragic circumstances.

.......Originally Jacob died???????? IDKT, the balance between the goat and his Shadowyness is renewed.

yes in the original version Jacob died in the first chapter. Using that tactic his fate was known well early, so the eventual mishap was a far less tragedy then had I left it go to 26 chapters only to kill him. however, i got rather attached to Jacob and pissed at myself for doing what I had.... hence the rewrite

See? Now y'all know what a truly diabolical cliffhanger LiS 26 was... And thus, why Shadowgod has well and truly earned the right to be, once again, known as the King of Evil Cliffhangers.

As for Shot of Bourbon, it's a magnificent story in a unique and engaging style, one of my all time favorites, though I will point out that again we had a character injured on a motorcycle.

Of course you're going to say that. LiS 26 was quite intense, but you have plenty of examples of your own evil cliffhangers, and that is why the title now belongs to you.

I agree with CJ, A shot of Bourbon is one of my favorites to read, I know you don't want to keep writing it because the same type over and over again became unpopular, we can help you rethink the style of the story, the sequels or whatever!

Rakuten, beware! Saying those four words in any context is likely te get you teased unmercifully around these parts!

I think I know what Shadowgod is referring to, and I think this is a case where we just have to trust the author.

"Shot of Bourbon" was one of the very first peices of gay fiction I stumbled upon online, and it was the only short story (It was just chapter 1, posted as a short story at that point) I'd seen, up to that point, that I really liked. It was certainly the only one I liked enough to save to my hard drive. Unless the file creation date is messed up on my system, it was saved on Friday, April 18th, 2003, though as I recall I had it as just a bookmard for a long time before.
CJ

I understand there may be some more Bourbon in the near future, and I'll be ready to drink it all.