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Date Posted: 05:06:29 10/27/25 Mon
Author: Curious
Author Host/IP: 49.196.179.28
Subject: Re: Gretchen Reaps The Seeds She Sows (HagenMrk) - A Review (Corrected)
In reply to: Curious 's message, "Gretchen Reaps The Seeds She Sows (HagenMrk) - A Review" on 02:22:59 10/27/25 Mon
Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers
Gretchen Reaps The Seeds She Sows (HagenMrk) - A Review
Part One - The Author
HagenMrk is a veteran smoking fetish fiction author who's in addition runs a 'sightings blog' that this reviewer is surprised has not been used as a source of inspiration by other writers. He has created several series of smoking fetish stories.(1)
Part Two - Gretchen Reaps The Seeds She Sows
The story which is the eleventh story in the Gretchen Series was as far as I know first published in Vol. 122 of the Noble Leaf Library and republished in 'The Gretchen Chronicles'. In this story Gretchen, having caused a renaissance of American smoking culture must now join with her protege to protect their gains.
Part Three - Comments
The authors title choice puts this reviewer in mind of the biblical phrase 'Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind' and the actions of the protagonist and her protege can be seen in the light of shoring up the walls ahead of the coming storm as the plot ultimately revolves around ensuring an ongoing supply of tobacco. That said, there are a number of scenes showing what Gretchen's tenure at Phillip Morris has wrought, which provides an alternative interpretation of the title.
The story opens with two interludes, one covering Gretchen and Sophia's journey, with their daughters to the tobacco plantation they plan to negotiate a new contract with. The second interlude features Gretchen's husband, a fictionalised version of the author with Brayden, their son at a Minnesota Twins game, this is a scene clearly derived from the material on the authors smoking fetish blog(2) and which features a key moment in Brayden's evolution into an anti-smoker which flowers in the subsequent stories.
The second interlude and the meeting of Gretchen's party with the Evans family who own the tobacco plantation emphasise not only the changes in American smoking culture Gretchen wrought as head of Phillip Morris, but that changes have not spread universally and as with Mitch's grandmother in the previous story not all people are happy about them. During that initial meeting, Gretchen's skills as a negotiator are demonstrated when Sophia apparently having become used to "...unlimited smoking freedom..." as part of her job as Gretchen's successor at Phillip Morris makes moves to light up without first asking the hosts if it's OK to do so. Shortly after this point the plantation owners son Matt enters the story and with Kaitlyn's decision to help with the planting of the next crop under Matt's supervision, the storyline bifurcates with one line following Gretchen and Sophia as they try to get Matt's parent's to renew their contract with Phillip Morris, the other line follows Kaitlyn and Matt as Kaitlyn both pursues Matt and learns where the thing she has grown to love comes from.
Matt Evans, as a character is interesting, he's a non-smoker, but not a full blooded anti-smoker, he's also smart enough to realise the importance of not offending guests. However once he gets to know Kaitlyn better he does make a mistake, when he playfully turns a hose on her bringing about a flashback to the events of the previous story(3). Ultimately though it leads to Kaitlyn having her first full sexual experience(4) and in the characters mind finally coming into the title(5) she believes is hers since the day her mother included her in her acceptance speech when she took control of Phillip Morris.
Matt's parents prove a tougher nut to crack, and the author does a good job both in conveying why that is so, and how they feel about ultimately accepting.
There are a few misspellings of the kind that suggest the author was using a spellchecker as a proof-reader (6), but for the most part it's possible to work out the correct word from the context.
This again is a story that I can recommend, but I advise that readers start from the beginning of the series both to see where the characters came from and how the authors increasing skill as a writer has improved upon those earlier visions.
Notes:
1. The authors major series of stories are the: Trevor Series (20 stories), Gretchen Series (13 stories) and Breanna Series (7 Stories)
2. I continue to be amazed that he's the only person I know of to have made use of that material, it's a goldmine for character/story ideas.
3. 'Gretchen’s Sister Ties The Knot' which can be found in 'The Gretchen Chronicles', the story has been reviewed.
4. She has indulged in 'heavy petting' in earlier stories in the series.
5. The Princess of Big Tobacco.
6. For example in the line "...city girl sitting next to him had the vaguest hint of the kind of hard work that [lied] ahead for her.", the bracketed word was probably intended to be 'lay'.
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