A New Life

Awkward! whew, what a rush for poor Blake. It seemed like I was right there with him. Cutie Haze just doesn't know what to do, does he? It's interesting how their friendship is being built, the exchange of secrets and all.

Wonderfully done. I don't dive, but you did a very good job of telling me what it is like without boring me with too much detail.

 

But what continues to impress me most is the way you give us their emotions. Haze is so much more than he projects. The recognition that Blake needed to be distracted and the ability to do it, without Blake knowing he is doing it, shows a deep wisdom and compassion. Whatever else Haze is, he is a beautiful person, one who Blake can be friends with.

 

Just a great story - hopefully you are no where close to the end

On 01/14/2011 02:32 PM, Andrew_Q_Gordon said:

Wonderfully done. I don't dive, but you did a very good job of telling me what it is like without boring me with too much detail.

 

But what continues to impress me most is the way you give us their emotions. Haze is so much more than he projects. The recognition that Blake needed to be distracted and the ability to do it, without Blake knowing he is doing it, shows a deep wisdom and compassion. Whatever else Haze is, he is a beautiful person, one who Blake can be friends with.

 

Just a great story - hopefully you are no where close to the end

Thanks heaps for your continuing support!Yeah there is more to Haze than he makes out :-)rest assured I am no where close to the end yet!

Oh heck, I just have to respond to that "maybe". Normally, I love the word maybe. I of course will read eleven tomorrow so maybe I should wait, and maybe I will stick my tongue out at you.

On 03/10/2011 04:37 PM, Foster said:

Oh heck, I just have to respond to that "maybe". Normally, I love the word maybe. I of course will read eleven tomorrow so maybe I should wait, and maybe I will stick my tongue out at you.

Awwww ... well you used your story review so that only works once as i understand it. next time i annoy you you'll have to post somewhere else. Maybe.

WOW. This story just keeps getting more and more complex. And amazing. And GOD, the writing is fantastic. You are so talented. So excited to see what will happen next.

On 03/15/2011 08:23 AM, adamo said:

WOW. This story just keeps getting more and more complex. And amazing. And GOD, the writing is fantastic. You are so talented. So excited to see what will happen next.

Shucks adamo ... You are too kind ... Making me blush. Hehe glad you like and I promise more soon ... when I write it!

Blake's character is very refreshing to read because he's not simply another gay character who is insecure, but actually has a mental condition. Your plot in the story is going great. I love the development between Black and Haze, and I can't wait to read the following chapters. I love long stories and this is one of the best I've read.

On 03/23/2011 04:58 PM, readingismytherapy said:

Blake's character is very refreshing to read because he's not simply another gay character who is insecure, but actually has a mental condition. Your plot in the story is going great. I love the development between Black and Haze, and I can't wait to read the following chapters. I love long stories and this is one of the best I've read.

Hey dude, thanks for your review. I'm glad you like my story and you like long stories cause I am taking forever to get somewhere with mine hey ... just posted a new chapter so hope you enjoy!

I am not reviewing this work, since I am a reader and would only be able to compare your work to other author's I have read.

 

I will say this. I like your work, I like your character development...the characters Blake and Haze are fleshing out nicely.

 

Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading further adventures in A New Life.

 

RC

On 03/24/2011 12:15 PM, Swhouston44 said:

I am not reviewing this work, since I am a reader and would only be able to compare your work to other author's I have read.

 

I will say this. I like your work, I like your character development...the characters Blake and Haze are fleshing out nicely.

 

Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading further adventures in A New Life.

 

RC

Hey RC thanks for the review glad you like my character development which is a little slow I know so glad for your patience ... I will keep it up and hope u continue to read

Ace, I dearly dislike The Girlfriend and Other Guy in every story ... that´s because I´m like a mom who wants everything as smooth as possible for her two favorite boys. Of course there would be no plot if everything went my way. :DAt the end, when everyone´s happily ever after, I´ll make peace with all the intruders ....

 

Clara

On 03/28/2011 06:44 PM, acht-acht said:

Ace, I dearly dislike The Girlfriend and Other Guy in every story ... that´s because I´m like a mom who wants everything as smooth as possible for her two favorite boys. Of course there would be no plot if everything went my way. :DAt the end, when everyone´s happily ever after, I´ll make peace with all the intruders ....

 

Clara

Haha! Okay well you should approve of this story line and where I am going with these characters. Eventually ... Probably.

Just read chapters 1 - 16 in one sitting. This is a most interesting story that has captured my attention from the start.

 

But OMG. This cliffhanger at the end of Ch. 16 is so evil!!! AAAAAH!!

 

Time for Blake to go into hero mode?

On 04/23/2011 08:23 AM, thephoenix said:

Just read chapters 1 - 16 in one sitting. This is a most interesting story that has captured my attention from the start.

 

But OMG. This cliffhanger at the end of Ch. 16 is so evil!!! AAAAAH!!

 

Time for Blake to go into hero mode?

Man even I haven't read it in one setting ... I can even remember what happened back at the start(whispers: ps does it make sense?) ... anyway, what a time to join hey, you woulda come across the other cliffhangers and thought: phew at least the story isnt ending here ... only to get the worse one ... i think maybe. Anyway, really glad you like my story and thanks for reviewing.

This better mean it's not going to take so long to update.

Because, honestly, I don't think I can wait so long next time.

 

Perfectly written, of course. Still mad at you.

On 05/08/2011 10:05 AM, Monster33 said:

This better mean it's not going to take so long to update.

Because, honestly, I don't think I can wait so long next time.

 

Perfectly written, of course. Still mad at you.

I dunno how long it will take to write ... so hard to predict sometimes I write heaps in a short time sometimes nothing comes I will try to get it out sooner, last time was too slow huh. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Dont be mad at me there are still so many more cliffhangers in my story plan ... save some getting mad space for those

Stumbled along your story yesterday and ended up reading all 17 chapters in a row: I was hooked! The sad part is that because of that, I was only able to get 3hrs of sleep and ended up being almost an hour late to work... Now I'm just sad that I'm stuck in the real world rather than the beautiful setting you created in your writing. Hopefully more chapters are coming for me to escape to!

On 05/08/2011 10:20 PM, semaj565 said:

Stumbled along your story yesterday and ended up reading all 17 chapters in a row: I was hooked! The sad part is that because of that, I was only able to get 3hrs of sleep and ended up being almost an hour late to work... Now I'm just sad that I'm stuck in the real world rather than the beautiful setting you created in your writing. Hopefully more chapters are coming for me to escape to!

Oh dear! I've done that before myself ... nothing worse than being cranky and tired with a full day of work ahead of ya. I suppose it doesn't help either that the story is a bit tense at the moment too! I am super glad you liked it though. Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me more soon!

Amazing story I love the amount of emotional detail you go into in your story...most of the time when i read these stories its like the character does something but you think he's stupid or childish, that it could have gone an another way...but with A New Life i understand why Blake acts the way he does...I even understand Haze even though i love the amount of mystery surrounding him and his family...im rambling.

 

Keep em Coming!!!

On 08/02/2011 09:25 AM, *B* said:

Amazing story I love the amount of emotional detail you go into in your story...most of the time when i read these stories its like the character does something but you think he's stupid or childish, that it could have gone an another way...but with A New Life i understand why Blake acts the way he does...I even understand Haze even though i love the amount of mystery surrounding him and his family...im rambling.

 

Keep em Coming!!!

Hey there b glad you liked ... Enough to have u rambling even huh? yeah haze is still a mystery, but more to be revealed when they hang out tomorrow no doubt. Thanks for the review!

This was fantastically written and i have to be honest the wait was worth it please do not rush any of your stories because they are amazing. Well written, passionate and addictive. you have built up a wonderful web of intrigue and expectation and the way your chapters link to one another is truly brilliant. You shouldnt be surprised that i follow your work breathlessly in anticipation. WELL DONE

On 08/03/2011 02:13 AM, Checkmate said:

This was fantastically written and i have to be honest the wait was worth it please do not rush any of your stories because they are amazing. Well written, passionate and addictive. you have built up a wonderful web of intrigue and expectation and the way your chapters link to one another is truly brilliant. You shouldnt be surprised that i follow your work breathlessly in anticipation. WELL DONE

Awww ... now u got me all embarrassed. Thanks Checkmate, you say such nice things, I am glad you like. While I will try to get another chapter out soon I wont rush ... I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and take forever!

I bookmarked your story on my computer a couple of weeks ago when I first discovered GA, with the thought I would read it when it was complete. Then this Monday evening I was browsing through my story-bookmarks, test-reading the beginnings of different stories, and I really wasn´t supposed to read your story, I only wanted a little sneak peak, to see what I had to look forward to. Well, it only took a couple of paragraphs and I was completely hooked. This story is brilliant, and I´m totally in love with it.

 

I liked how you introduced Blake in the very first chapter, not giving away too much information but leaving me with the feeling of wanting to know more about him and his situation. Your description of Blake as well as of the minor characters, including the female taxi-driver, and further into the story the co-workers and Mrs Herrington feels, to me, genuine and believable. And quite a few of them are most intriguing, making it hard to stop reading.

 

The language is easy-flowing and easy understandable (important for me as English isn´t my first language) and I appreciated the explanation of BC at the end of one of the chapters. Though I must confess I´m a little hesitant about the use of variations of "the blue-eyed boy" and "blue orbs" . And the pacing, I really like the pacing of this story, no unnecessary hurry and no unnecessary scenes. The rotation between outer action and inner dialogue is well performed and even though you give the reader heaps of information about diving as well as Blake´s psychological problems, his self-help methods and medications I read it without any feeling of being thought or lectured. It just feels like a natural integrated part of the story´s progress, and I feel as if I get to know more about things I didn´t know much about before I started reading.

 

Then there are the moments of relating to Blake´s experiences and thoughts. I especially liked Blake´s description of why he don´t like the "beer hall" setting. Being a somewhat social awkward person myself (though not of Blake´s proportions) I can only agree with him - it is easy to be left out when seated like that.

 

The subject itself - mental health (can you say that without sounding rude? sorry if it´s not an appropriate expression to use) - is also something I can relate to, again not like the main character, but living with a person struggling with depression the story gives me something I can relate to. Health problems of this kind is not something you talk openly about most of the time, but if you do it soon becomes apparent it is more common than one could ever have imagined.

 

Maybe Blake´s many short-coming, his weirdness, his insecurity, is why I like him so much. I actually thought I would tire of him, but so far I haven´t, and I doubt i will. He´s not your average main character and that´s refreshing to read. Haze having his own problems adds to that uniqueness as well in my opinion.

 

Then there are the thrillingly exciting parts like chapter 17, when I was literally going "oh, no, no, no!", and the growing sexual/emotional tension between Blake and Haze and how that, now that I´ve finished the 20 chapters, is bound to create more complications than it has solved (that´s what i think , and that´s how I like it) what with Patty and Haze´s mother.

 

Hmm, I just wanted to express my liking for your story, but it turned out more like a love declaration. I feel like apologizing for this wordy review, but then I probably would sound like Blake, so I don´t.

 

Anyway, great story and great writing. And now I just have to patiently wait for the rest of the story ... hopefully you can find the time and inspiration to continue writing, despite health and work issues.

On 09/02/2011 06:00 AM, sorgbarn said:

I bookmarked your story on my computer a couple of weeks ago when I first discovered GA, with the thought I would read it when it was complete. Then this Monday evening I was browsing through my story-bookmarks, test-reading the beginnings of different stories, and I really wasn´t supposed to read your story, I only wanted a little sneak peak, to see what I had to look forward to. Well, it only took a couple of paragraphs and I was completely hooked. This story is brilliant, and I´m totally in love with it.

 

I liked how you introduced Blake in the very first chapter, not giving away too much information but leaving me with the feeling of wanting to know more about him and his situation. Your description of Blake as well as of the minor characters, including the female taxi-driver, and further into the story the co-workers and Mrs Herrington feels, to me, genuine and believable. And quite a few of them are most intriguing, making it hard to stop reading.

 

The language is easy-flowing and easy understandable (important for me as English isn´t my first language) and I appreciated the explanation of BC at the end of one of the chapters. Though I must confess I´m a little hesitant about the use of variations of "the blue-eyed boy" and "blue orbs" . And the pacing, I really like the pacing of this story, no unnecessary hurry and no unnecessary scenes. The rotation between outer action and inner dialogue is well performed and even though you give the reader heaps of information about diving as well as Blake´s psychological problems, his self-help methods and medications I read it without any feeling of being thought or lectured. It just feels like a natural integrated part of the story´s progress, and I feel as if I get to know more about things I didn´t know much about before I started reading.

 

Then there are the moments of relating to Blake´s experiences and thoughts. I especially liked Blake´s description of why he don´t like the "beer hall" setting. Being a somewhat social awkward person myself (though not of Blake´s proportions) I can only agree with him - it is easy to be left out when seated like that.

 

The subject itself - mental health (can you say that without sounding rude? sorry if it´s not an appropriate expression to use) - is also something I can relate to, again not like the main character, but living with a person struggling with depression the story gives me something I can relate to. Health problems of this kind is not something you talk openly about most of the time, but if you do it soon becomes apparent it is more common than one could ever have imagined.

 

Maybe Blake´s many short-coming, his weirdness, his insecurity, is why I like him so much. I actually thought I would tire of him, but so far I haven´t, and I doubt i will. He´s not your average main character and that´s refreshing to read. Haze having his own problems adds to that uniqueness as well in my opinion.

 

Then there are the thrillingly exciting parts like chapter 17, when I was literally going "oh, no, no, no!", and the growing sexual/emotional tension between Blake and Haze and how that, now that I´ve finished the 20 chapters, is bound to create more complications than it has solved (that´s what i think , and that´s how I like it) what with Patty and Haze´s mother.

 

Hmm, I just wanted to express my liking for your story, but it turned out more like a love declaration. I feel like apologizing for this wordy review, but then I probably would sound like Blake, so I don´t.

 

Anyway, great story and great writing. And now I just have to patiently wait for the rest of the story ... hopefully you can find the time and inspiration to continue writing, despite health and work issues.

Wow, I think that is the longest and most thoroughly positive review I've got yet! You like everything about my story! Awesome (except blue-eyed boy huh? hmmm I do start to run out of ways to refer to each of the boys. Straight romance writing must be sooooo much easier with the 'she' and the 'he' etc ... writing gay romance is tricky ... so many 'he, his hims' you have no idea how long I spent re-writing those kissing scenes so it didn't sound like: then Haze did this and then Blake did that) ... hmmm look at me. You write a 1000 positive words and I hone in on the one 'hesitation' - Blake would do that too wouldnt he ... Anyway I am super happy you liked it so much, that you can relate to bits and that you find my characters and story genuine and interesting. Now after all that I would think the least I could do is post another chapter soon hey? It is coming along, just a lot slower lately. Work's been a pain and my own health (mental health actually and no that is not rude) is a bit rough at the moment so its been harder to write. But I am still at it and should have the next chappy out soon. NEway thanks for taking the time to write me ... it helps massively with motivation.