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Welcome to the DrakeTales message board for the stories written by Drake. Please feel free to add your comments, but try to keep it respectful.

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Subject: Web Site Update: TLW Chapter 10 is Now Posted


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 23:09:56 12/19/02 Thu

Greetings Everyone:

Chapter 10 of The Last Word is posted.

You got lucky this week with two chapter postings.

This probably does not need to be said, but expect a slow down of chapter postings during the holidays. I will try to finish chapters 11 and 12 before Christmas. Then, who knows until after New Years.

Drake

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Subject: Stevie! The Captain! A God!


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 00:32:49 12/22/02 Sun

The Captain of the Detroit Red Wings, #19... Steve Yzerman!




He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo handsome! Stevie still looks good after nearly 20 years playing professional hockey! Those dark eyes! That brooding game look of his! That mouth, scars and all! Ack! I am making myself crazy here!

Drake

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Subject: Holiday Spirits and Good Cheer


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 18:13:31 12/22/02 Sun

Hello All:

Just got back from giving myself the best present I give myself each year.

A group of friends and I work with a local restaurant to collect toys for the homeless. Today was wrapping day. We spent a couple of hours wrapping a tremendous number of gifts from many a kind friend and stranger. One of our number will be playing Santa for a shelter on Christmas morning. Fortunately, I dodged the bullet this year at having to play Santa's Little Helper (D'Oh!). The elf costume is very embarrassing and a touch too revealing for my tastes. Besides, I'm kind of chunky (HEY, I'M GETTING OLD! I GET TO GET FAT!) and I think a porcine elf would scare the kids senseless. A rotund Santa is one thing, but...

While our modest efforts don't answer the problems directly, it at leasts gives some people a warmer feeling at this time of year knowing that there are strangers out there who, in some small way, thought of them and their plight. On Christmas morning while I sit with my family and friends, I will stop for a minute and think of what is transpiring at a shelter. MC will be ho-ho-hoing it up with AW standing there looking like an idiot in the elf costume. However, a group of kids will have some toys. The parents will get some clothes. Some will quietly say thank you. For one moment I will know that I am connnected to my fellow humans. It is at this time when I know with complete certainty that it is better to give than to receive... because there are times when I receive something that comes without bows, ribbon or wrapping. I receive a feeling. It is the most priceless gift in the world.

This is one of the high points of the holiday for me. Thus, I would encourage all of you to step outside your daily lives and give something back to those who are less fortunate.

Happy Holidays.

Drake

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Subject: Web Site Update: TLW Has New Chapters


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 19:35:15 12/12/02 Thu

For those of you who are following along with the adventures of Rory Samson, please be advised that chapters 6, 7 & 8 of The Last Word are now posted.

Also be advised that chapter 8 is very intense. Please read the warning at the top of the page.

Thanks,

Drake

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Subject: Web Site Update: TLW Chapter 9 is Posted


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 18:13:49 12/17/02 Tue

Hey All:

Chapter 9 of The Last Word is posted.

Enjoy.

Drake

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Subject: Doing Something I Have Never Done Before (and did not think I ever would)


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 08:35:10 12/10/02 Tue

Hello All:

First, I just want to say how great it feels to be writing again. I think my brain got messed up from being away from it for so long. I know a lot of you want to me to work on APTL, but this TLW story really has my attention right now. Don't worry, APTL is not dead... just growing inside my head. Anyway...

This is about TLW. I have hit a bit of a quandary, and I would like some input from those of you who have been following the story.

The original concept for TLW has mutated. I now have two completely different second halves for the story in my head. I only want to write one of them. Thus, this is an all-purpose general question that won't go into specifics:
Do I follow through with the first idea(s), or do I follow the new thread that has been opening up as I write?

I will say this: One idea is very, very weird, and the other is is less so.

I will accept and think about any general recommendations. This first half of the story is still a ways from completion, so I wanted to bring this up early.

Thanks,

Drake

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Subject: you are evil dragon boy! evil!


Author:
crvboy
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Date Posted: 15:23:27 12/03/02 Tue

your new story is awesome! you put the rest of us to shame with your characters and your description.

i've only got one thing to say to you bro,

MORE!



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Subject: OK, this is my personal rant about TLW


Author:
EMoe57
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Date Posted: 15:17:13 12/10/02 Tue

First let me say that I LOVE the story so far. Your story writing has never failed to please me.

But please! (and I'm on my knees beggin' here!) pick a name for each character and stick with it. This switching between first & last name of a character is driving me batty! Maybe it is just me. Maybe I'm just getting senile. I probably should just make up a cheat sheet with each character's name and stats. Hey! I could turn them into trading cards and offer 'm to the other reader!

Coolio!
E

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Subject: An Answer to a Question...


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 19:42:18 12/06/02 Fri

I got an email today from a reader I have never heard from before, but a request was made that I respond publicly to the question on this message board. Here goes...

Question: "I like your stories. Why dont the guys act gay when I read them? Why do you write people like this?"

Answer:

The short answer is that all authors write from thier personal frame of reference. I don't live in an area where there are a lot of gay people, and it is a rather homophobic town. Thus, those few gay individuals I have met tend to be indistinguishable from everyone else.

The long answer is that I know, both from my own personal experience and emails I have received, that it is not uncommon for gay people (males in particular) to simply adopt the lifestyle mannerisms around them. Yes, there are those who are "flamboyant", but I am not well acquainted with anyone who is like that. I can only write what I know and/or am willing to explore. However, there are other reasons why I design my characters as I do.

I believe that there are a lot of gay teenagers and young adults out there who sit back and wonder if they have to be "flaming" (and this is not meant to be demeaning) to be actively gay. I don't think so. Moreover, I think that coming out is a ridiculously hard process when you live in areas that are similar to mine. Hence, there are probably a lot of "closet" cases out there... just like me. Thus, I tend to create characters who are, for lack of a better term, typical of the teenagers and young adults that I grew up with and see around me every day. Moreover, I hate to reinforce stereotypes: e.g. limp wristed, swishing hips, the famous lisp, overtly feminine characteristics, etc. I think it does a disservice to the gay community to present ourselves as these stereotypes. Our world is filled with all sorts of people who are as different from one another as in any other community. There are still a lot of walls to be broken down, and I don't want to provide any ammunition to those who want to point fingers and say, "See, more fags."

Sexuality must be represented in the multitude of forms that it takes. It is as diverse as any other aspect of human nature. In this respect, I am providing one facet of what it is to be gay and young in America. There are few who would look at me and think that I am gay. I am a rabid hockey fan, I have the mouth of a trucker, and a sense of humor that borders on the derranged (ask Dewey about the cans of Off, lighters and duct tape fixation I have). As a kid, I grew thinking that gasoline was the best toy in the world. The only thing that separated me from the other boys in my neighborhood was my sexuality, and I did not display it openly. I am one of those people who jams the fabled "gaydar". I often wonder why people assume a gay person has to act a certain way. Is it a sociological need to be able to immediately label and pigeonhole someone?

I think it is safe to say that I am trying to expose the fact that it is very difficult to look around and identify someone's sexuality on the spot. I also seek to craft stories that put the heterosexual world, especially the homophobic element, on notice that you never know who around you is gay. I want to explore a world in which we get to see what is going on in the life of someone who is hesistant about stepping forward. At the same time, I want to help diminish the myth that all gay people are after is sex. I have received my fair share of complaints that there is not enough sex in my stories. Well, there is enough wanking material out there to satisfy anyone's need. I want to tell stories about people. I want my work to reflect something a bit more real... even when it does tend to drift into strange storylines. I want the gay youth to know that they are not alone in harboring these thoughts about romance, about the deep need for human contact, and that every male (or female) they see does not have to be an object of lust. The sex is only a trivial (okay, maybe minor) part of what it means to be a human being. There are thoughts and feelings that encompass much more than just hormonally driven wants.

These are the primary reasons why I craft the characters that I do. Granted, there are other reasons as well, but I think this answers the heart of the question that was posed to me. To the person who sent me the email, I hope this satisfies what I think is a good question.

Drake

PS: I posted chapter 3 of TLW.

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Subject: From One Home to Another, I Have Returned to Michigan


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 20:02:32 12/02/02 Mon

Greetings All:

First, my time spent with Dewey and his family was nothing short of amazing. The spirit of generosity and love that was extended to me is beyond my ability to describe. They are, without a doubt, some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure to know. They are part of my family, and it was hard leaving that home.

Second, it snowed like a mofo today! YAY! We picked up around four inches of that beautiful white gift from the skies. It is also around 20 degress, so it is still a tad bit warm for my tastes. However, the promise of a nice, long, cold winter perked my hopes. I love Michigan.

Third, work did not deluge me with new projects. I actually got quite a bit of programming done in the office, and took nothing home with me. Moreover, I got home at a very decent hour. A touch of jet lag assailed me by mid-afternoon, but I battled that by stepping outside and allowing the snow to pile up on my shoulders.

Finally, it is time to start writing again. There are many things in my head that want to see the outside world, and who am I to stand in the way? This time it looks as if my schedule really will accommodate serious writing time. I know many of you are looking forward to new material, but it can't be anywhere close to what I am feeling. Time to let the words spill out.

My thanks to you all for your patience (not like you had much choice, but I am acknowledging it).

Drake

PS: Snouts, I know I still owe you a reply. It is on its way.

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Subject: Happy Thanksgiving to all us Yanks, and Happy Day to all our international friends.


Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 23:36:41 11/28/02 Thu

Greetings All:

On this day I give thanks that I have fallen into a such a wonderful community of people. We are spread throughout the globe, yet we are bound to one another in thought and hope.

May this and every day find you and yours happy and safe.

Drake

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Subject: HEY DRAKE!


Author:
crvboy
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Date Posted: 07:45:24 11/18/02 Mon

TAG! YOU'RE IT!

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