NiteOwl13 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 I don't know why but Damm am I hungry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I don't know why but Damm am I hungry NiteOwl, Ha ha! That menu sure does sound good, doesn't it...grin. I had many requests for the recipes, all of which can be found on www.foodnetwork.com and the website for Whole Foods. I've made a broccoli salad, but none of the other items, myself. I had only one person complain that is was boring, with too much detail about the food prep, but everybody else loved the chapter - at least the one's that wrote me...grin. Speaking of cooking, in the next chapter things start heating up...grin. Stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Herald Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Chapter 15 read at http://www.castleroland.net/library/author/jack_schaeffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Herald Posted March 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Chapter 16 presented at http://www.castleroland.net/library/author/jack_schaeffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynaira Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Each week we receive these emails from Castle Roland and one of the stories I look for in each email is "Forever". You caught my attention with the very first chapter and I look forward to seeing "Forever" in the email. Don't ask me why, but I save it for last! We all look for that forever love and I find myself rooting for Jack and Sam! You have a way with words and I can picture the scenes. Thank you for sharing parts of you with all of us! Jack Schaeffer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 We all look for that forever love and I find myself rooting for Jack and Sam! You have a way with words and I can picture the scenes. Thank you for sharing parts of you with all of us! Cynaira, Thank you very much for letting me know you are enjoying the story. We all want a forever love, and I do hope Jack and Sam will have it. We've reached the part of the story that was a long time coming. Now that they have pledged their love to each other, it remains to be seen how they will weather the challenges that life always seems to bring to young love (and old love, too...grin). I am a firm believer in the truth that love never fails - especially unconditional love. If they can maintain that kind of love, they just might make it to Forever. Have a wonderful week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Herald Posted March 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 Chapter 17 presented at http://www.castleroland.net/library/author/jack_schaeffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denis_p Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Chapter 18 presented at http://www.castlerol.../jack_schaeffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiteOwl13 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Book 1 Good Read Better than just a love story a love,sex,food and helping story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Book 1 Good Read Better than just a love story a love,sex,food and helping story NiteOwl, Thank you. I think you captured the essence of Forever in one line - love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Book 1 of Forever draws to a close with Chapter 18. Jack has come a long way from the frightened, lonely guy he once was. He has a new hope and a new purpose - and a new love. Will this love be able to survive the winds of change that are brewing all around them? Check out Forever II - Changes coming to CastleRoland starting next week! More of the romance, the drama, and the action that made Forever 1 - Beginnings a great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemedic15 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I just discovered this and read it in a couple days. Great story and I can't wait for the next adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Firemedic15, Be looking for Book 2, which should start later this week! More action, more drama, and more the romance that is Forever. Glad you are along for the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rigel Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I've been following this story starting on Nifty, and discovered Castle Roland looking for the works of a different author. It's wonderful to find "Forever" here, and a place to leave comments, and to find other good stories. When I first read Forever, I became enamored of the descriptions of Hawaii and even followed Jack's journeys around Oahu using GoogleMaps and street view, and thought it was wonderfully accurate. It brought back memories of my trip to Oahu. The only complaint of inaccuracy I have so far deals with hot tubs. You obviously don't frequent them or maintain them. (I've got one on my back deck.) You have a woman saying the hot tub should due set for 110 degrees at least, and when Sam and Jack leave, they note that the hot tub has been set to 112 degrees. Not in real life! Their pool maintenance company would be sued for negligence! A hot tub that felt coolish would be in the 90s (Fahrenheit), and the maximum setting for a hot tub is 104 degrees. Anything hotter could create scalding, and moreover, would gradually heat the occupants of the very hot tub into a fatal fever. When you enter a hot tub, your body cannot cool itself to less than the ambient surroundings, and your body temperature rises from 98.6 toward 104 degrees. Such a fever level is dangerous for any prolonged period, which is why you are always advised to soak for no longer than 15 minutes at a time--to get out of the tub and allow your body to return to normal temperature. And any commercial outfit setting a hot tub higher than 104 is practicing negligence. An analogy: you can bump up the output on your own hot water heater so that the water comes out scalding hot unless it's mixed with cold water, but your plumber may not set it above 120 degrees. Otherwise, he's legally responsible for anyone who gets scalded. Likewise, the maximum temp for a hot tub is going to be 104--and having been in lots of hot tubs and hot springs, 104 is plenty hot. Other than that bit of nitpicking, I am really enjoying the story. --Rigel Zach Caldwell and Jack Schaeffer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Norris Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Welcome to the forums, Rigel. We hope that you enjoy your time here. Granted that I don't own a hot tub either, but I'm sure that Jack will want me to change that part of the story, as soon as he sees this and OK's the changes. Thanks for the real-life perspective. Jack Schaeffer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Other than that bit of nitpicking, I am really enjoying the story. Rigel, It's not nitpicking when you help an author make his or her story as accurate as possible. I will make the changes you suggested immediately, and I'll send an updated file to Al this afternoon. He can update the site when he gets a chance. That being said, it might be a fitting justice if Mrs. Richardson was boiled like a lobster in her own hot tub....grin. I try to do plenty of research to make things accurate. It's funny...I studied how to clean a swimming pool, simplifying the process slightly to make it more readable. I even had a reader who was a professional pool cleaner himself write me and tell me I was pretty spot on with my descriptions. He went on to give me much more detail, so I might actually be able to clean a pool myself someday for real. But I just made an assumption about the temperature of a hot tub. I figured it had to be hotter than 98 and I somehow knew 120 was too hot, so I split the difference. Just goes to show there is no detail too unimportant, even in fiction. I really appreciate your kind and encouraging words about the story as a whole, too. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with me - and the forum readers, as well. It's one of the best parts of having my story hosted on CastleRoland - being able to interact with readers. Have a great weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rigel Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks Jack. It's such a great story you're writing, and it's good not be jarred from the plot line by fretting about an inaccurate detail. I love the theme of Jack *you're character) coming out of his shell and learning to enjoy life with Sam. --Rigel Jack Schaeffer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve T. Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Jack, I've just finished reading this amazing first book of your story. Very, very well done! I read elsewhere that this is your first time attempting to write a long story like this, but if this is the way you start, you need to keep doing it. That was fantastic! I generally like to read stories that feature teen characters. Subconsciously, perhaps it's because I want to live vicariously through them what I didn't get to experience...namely a loving, caring relationship as they are first awakening as sexual creatures. Even though Jack and Sam are a little older than I usually read about, you created characters that were both believable and enjoyable to read about. I was impressed with the way you developed the characters, especially Jack. He went from a timid young guy, afraid of who he was, to a more confident gay man, capable of making a statement like this:"Sam. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. You're stuck with me now, big guy. You've seen me naked. You open the package, you own it." He chuckled, now fully awake, his momentary insecurity chased away. I loved that line, and there were many others that showed the characters depth, honor, or even a sense of humor. I'd bet that Jack still has some growing to do, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride as he does. I think my favorite aspect of this tale has to be the recurring theme of "do it afraid" that was first introduced in the letter from Jack's birth mother. That is sage advice and I sometimes wish I had had someone tell me that when I was a much younger man. Those words come back periodically throughout the story to reinforce them. Well done! I'm about to start on book 2 and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. Thanks for a monumentally fine first effort! Steve Jack Schaeffer and Wyatt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Schaeffer Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Steve Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate your thoughtful response. You captured EXACTLY what I had hoped to convey in this story, so I guess I succeeded...grin. The theme of "do it afraid" was something I heard about fifteen years ago, and it has served as great advice for me in so many situations. We all face scary things, and sometimes we simply have to forge ahead and do what we need to do, even if we "feel" afraid. In the end, fear is only a feeling. It's not real, and yet too many times we let the feelings of fear keep us from discovering and doing what we need to. Jack had to face his fear and step forward time and time again, and each time he does it, it gets easier. I hope you enjoy Book Two. It's a bit different - there's more drama and intrigue, but the same romance is there between Jack and Sam, as well as the character development process. Let me know. It's a work in progress - Chapter 10 is nearing completion. Have a wonderful day! Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Posted February 9, 2018 Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 On 6/23/2015 at 11:41 AM, Steve T. said: "Sam. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. You're stuck with me now, big guy. You've seen me naked. You open the package, you own it." He chuckled, now fully awake, his momentary insecurity chased away. I loved that line, and there were many others that showed the characters depth, honor, or even a sense of humor. I'd bet that Jack still has some growing to do, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride as he does. Absolutely! Actually, I could have quoted Steve's entire post; it fits my view of Forever Book 1 almost exactly. Reading an adult gay romance story, filled with hope, humor, engaging characters, and even some wisdom -- well I didn't see it coming, but I'm awfully glad to have read it. The depth of location, full of actual towns, restaurants, gardens, whatever, was an impressive addition. Jack, as a new author you seem to have done everything right, which is pretty damn impressive. Mark C., your editor, even posted his pleasure at that task because of your inherent skills. I believe it! Normally at Castle Roland I expect stories with elements of fantasy or science fiction. I was halfway through this one before comprehending it was a "real world" story, and I didn't mind a bit. Then I became afraid for a while that it would end with the tragic death of Sam. With the title Forever, I thought maybe at the end it would turn into a Gothic ghost romance. I mean, waiting near Denver is even a mysterious mansion in the mountains. Nope, you kept everything centered, even closing this story with not just a wrap-up, but a build-up and basis for what we might see in Forever Book 2. I take it back. Maybe there is an element of fantasy here. I mean which is more likely -- inheriting over half a billion dollars from someone you never heard of, or meeting up with with some elves and dragons? Both are so statistically unlikely, I cannot say if one is more likely than the other. Al Norris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Norris Posted February 9, 2018 Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 Wyatt, which one is which? You have to admit, that getting such a large sum of money, would scare most anyone... assuming you were smart enough to know that you didn't know how to deal with it. Let's face it, most Lotto winners are in Jacks shoes, without the benefit of good sound financial advice!... which is why they are so often broke within a year of winning such sums. For me, that's the take-away that Jacks' story is telling us, should we ever find ourselves in that position. And this, despite the fact that the love story is top notch to begin with! As a mostly SciFi-Fantasy type of guy, I never thought a romance novel would capture my attention... But here we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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