This is a brief excerpt from an upcoming story:


‘My city is Paradiopolis. From the balcony, it looks like a work of art. Victorian townhouses, spiraling towers, concrete domes and corporate office-blocks speak of a city that was built over hundreds of years and different eras of human philosophy. Streets snake through this labyrinthine beast like cracks on a dry-bed; Cars idle restlessly at stoplights. Their headlights dull as the sun rises. Its pink and orange colors melt seamlessly into the rush-hour pollution. Under the polluted ultra-violet haze, I see a man point a gun towards one of the idling cars. There is a boom like a cannon and the pigeon next to me flies away, its orange eye wide with terror. This city is like a Monet painting; beautiful from afar and ugly up close. This is Paradiopolis; The city where I was born and the city where one day, I suppose I will die. I am as much a part of it, as it is of me. We are both alive. We both breathe. And we both struggle every day between what is right and what is wrong.’

The man runs and dives off his balcony, his trench-coat billowing in the rushing wind...

‘My name is Messenger. I have been gone a long time, but this city needs me... And I ... need it!’



It's been many years, but this December, the gun-toting vigilante Messenger will return for one last adventure against a brand new villain named Abyss. Catch the full story this December 1st...

The story is only half done. If I can't gin up some interest, I don't think I'll be motivated to finish.

I think we're suffering the progressive death of nobody replying to anything. The motivation you refer to that comes from board support is quite diminished at the moment.

I've always held that we need at least eight enthusiastic posters supporting the work of others and any four of them turning out regular stories at any given time to maintain a thriving board. At the moment we're down to maybe six regulars and two or so writing as well as replying.

I know some folks have pressing personal issues that inhibit their patrticipation; others have just gone into cover because there's not much happening to inspire them. The answer is for folks to write good stories and for other folks to read them and comment on them. It's a formula that's served us well for over a decade.

I'd love to do something to re-engage people but I'm wary of committing to something I don't know if I can follow through. My "real" life is difficult just now, as a single parent caring for a terminally ill mother, and it ebbs my capacity to write regularly; I'm also writing for publication these days so the deadlines for people who are paying me have to come first. I keep telling myself that in a few weeks I'll clear some time to try and encourage some more PV activity; I hope I can.

All of that said, I hope you can do your projected storyline. It's a strong start and I'd love to see how it all pans out. I can guarantee you at least one enthusiastic reader and respondent - seven to go!

Sorry to hear about your current difficulties. Hang in there. But that's good news about the publication you're writing for. It's a great feeling to know lots of people are reading and appreciating something you have worked so hard on.

While it is sad to see this place decline in traffic, who would have thought it would have lasted over a decade? That's some accomplishment. And like me, I think others will drift back eventually.

I also hope my current work reflects my own writing style's maturation. I will definitely post the story now that I've received a reply from you. Now I just gotta get Finny, Nats, Bry, Greg and spiffy back here.

This year I've had a short story in "Alternate Visions", an anthology superhero fiction book and the aforementioned novella in the Holmes volume. Next year it's Robin Hood, a story in the "Gideon Cain, Demon Hunter" first anthology, and more Holmes. Since all of that's written and submitted those are the things I can cite with some fair confidence.







Yes, I'm interested to see what you can do now with concepts you created so long back. I think sometimes the distance allows us to distil the essence of what we once did and bring techniques to bear that have been honed with practice.




Proceed. The key would probably be to get everybody to show up at once so as to generate some buzz.

That said both Nats and spiffy have responded to stories I've written in the last few months.

Other MIA to track down would be Donar and Hatty.

I don't mind if they're simply not checking often because of low participation.

The possibilities that worry me are if people have decided they've grown up and don't want to come back, or the people who have settled in at Facebook or Blogspot and feel posting here would take away from their audience, or the people who washed their hands of this place because they believe it deserves to die already. That worries me because those people won't come back even if they're begged to, because they've put the PVB behind them forever, and because once it's known a few people did that, a few more will follow.

I'm hoping it's nothing so drastic, but I'm worried it could be.

First, as I said previously, you and your family have my deepest sympathies about your mother's condition. I hope she is living with as little pain and as much dignity as the situation allows.

Second, congratulations on your continued foray in the publishing field. Hurry up and become a big enough success so you can rescue the Avengers franchise from its widening death spiral.

Lastly, barring the return of several posters, and increased activity among the few that remain, my participation with the PVB isn't going to be much more than replying to the efforts of those who've consistently bothered to read what I wrote in the past.