Thanks Mon, it’s truly a blessing to be able to enjoy such fine entertainment.

Jim

If you like these, don’t overlook South Coast. : )

I really liked the addition of significant conflict in FS and it looks like DS is taking that to the next level… can’t wait.

I’m not sure what to say. If you knew me, you’d know how odd it is for me to be at a loss of words. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get much sleep last night. I started FS at about 7:00 last night and finished about 4:00 this morning. (If you do the math, I have to explain that I listened to some a bit earlier.) I just read a majority of the comments, and, although I appreciate how well you take criticism, I’m sad that there is even one person who doesn’t appreciate your talent, or effort. I agree with the majority of people who are (patiently?) waiting for DS and the other 40 books still brewing in your brain.

I absorbed Heinlein SciFi in high school/college, and while I recognize the similarities, you do *not* have the chauvinistic bent that Mr. Heinlein had. Thank goodness. You do, however, have a firm grip on that different universe where bad things happen for a reason, the good guys are justly rewarded for their behavior, and the “regular guy” is doing things we all wish we had a chance at.

Yeah, yeah, there’s a little gratuitous ass-grabbing, but it’s funny. And Sarah’s response to life on the ship makes it plain that it really is a different way of living. I related to her as well as to Ish, maybe more so. I’m not as adaptable or lucky as Ish, I hope I’m not as stubborn as Pip. And I would probably be up in the bunk, crocheting, if I were Sarah, too. Too bad I’m not a shaman.

I know this is a bit long, especially so far after the release of FS, and so close to DS (oh goody, another excuse to avoid the TV!) Sorry. Apparently I got over being speechless… I just felt the need to address the comments that I so sincerely disagree with. There seems to be an over-abundance of people who want everything right now, free, and it had better be perfect and just what they expected. I’m getting tired of them.

I have enjoyed the interesting assortment of names, personalities, and events in this story. It has been a wonderful distraction from my own Real Life, and I’m looking forward to South Coast. That will keep my fingernails safe until DS.

I’m so pleased with the way you ended FS. You didn’t really close the door, but you sure opened a dozen more! Thanks. Whatever your RL is, I hope it will accommodate all the stories you can think up.

PS. The “audio glitch” is a short, sharp patch of white noise between the intro guy and where _your_ audio actually begins. “The following is a Podiobooks presentation.” crrrk! (intro music begins). It is quite obvious in #16 of FS, but I noticed it on several episodes. Ah! Memory sets in. It sounds like a needle skipping across a record. You know, vinyl. In the Dark Ages.

“audio glitch”?

what? like some kinda pop or click between the plugged in stuff and the actual file?

There is something about this series that leaves me feeling happy for the whole day when I listen on my morning commute.

When I get home from work I find myself volounteering to do the dishes just so that I get a little more listening time while engaged in manual labor.

My only problem has been pacing myself, I wanted to listen to them back to back, but forced myself to listen to other books in between so that I would have more from this series to look forward to.

A technical complaint: The audio glitch between the podiobooks.com intro and the beginning of the intro music can be quite painful. I commute on a motorcycle, so I have to have my iPod turned up quite loud. Can anything be done to smooth the transition? I think this is probably a podiobooks.com problem, and not unique to this title.

And while you wait, check out South Coast to learn more about the world of the South Coast shaman and get some backstory on a name which might be familiar.

I’m glad you like it and I’m looking forward with as much anticipation as everybody else, I think. It’s been a while since I put up a new project and I’m REALLY anxious to get on with it.

And there werent any women on my ships either. And most people were really crappy, too. But I didn’t wanna write it TOO real. Life underway was generally boring when it wasn’t terrifying.

Thanks for the kind words. I’m hearing from a LOT of sailors

As an ex-submarine sailor, I can relate to the shipboard life that you describe. Except that on the submarine there were no hot women, and people really weren’t very nice at all, and it smelled funny all the time, and we were always having to clean the ship (no maid service), and we had drills just about every day. Other than that, it was alot like shipboard life on the Lois. Thanks again for some great Sci fi.

Hm. Interesting idea.

I think you’re gonna like where this one goes.