rlfj: Blog

Some interesting comments on the M-14 I brought up in the last chapter. Some readers swore by it, and some swore at it. I think there were good arguments on both sides. I think it probably comes down to personal preference and how well it is maintained, which could be said for any weapon.

When I was first writing this story, one of my loyal readers commented about never speaking English in front of the Iraqis, which I had already mentioned in an earlier chapter. I gather he or somebody he knew had pointed out the trust issue as well. Thank you.

At least one other reader was worried that I had written Riley Fox out of the story. He’s a favorite. Well, Grim was only on a two week leave. Riley is back.

A few comments about my moral fiber, or lack thereof, with the cliffhanger in chapter 28. I never really considered it that much of a cliffhanger, which has a usual connotation of drama. In any case, this chapter resolves that issue. Enjoy!

One of my readers commented that I had managed to showcase one of the issues of combat – 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror. We actually get to see that in Chapter 28. It extends for eight months through what Grim has begun to understand is now routine nightmare. Enjoy!

Another long chapter. So far the response to the story has been quite good. I’ve had a few veterans say it reminded them of their service. In a lot of ways, I say two things; thank you for your service and it must have really sucked. My descriptions of what Grim went through are probably not as bad as what it was really like.