Hi Everyone!

It's Jeff this year asking for your help to keep our sites up and running. You may well know our sites are run almost entirely on your generous donations! When your donations do not cover all of the cost, the difference comes out of our pockets. We have no ADs on our sites and no Premium Tiers and No Pay Walls! There is no charge to our authors for hosting their stories nor any charge for you the readers to read them. That was the original agreement in the beginning and we work hard to keep our promise to keep it that way. Of course we would appreciate it if you could find a way to donate any amount to help us in our mission keep our sites AD-free and running. So please check between your couch cushions and under your car seats any amount will be gratefully accepted. No amount is too small. Seriously!

We thank you very much for all of your help over the years.

So you know, our last offer is still on the table. We are still running the following promotion, simply put, make at least a $10 USD donation and say that you are interested, you'll get a random autographed copy of one of the soft cover Joel Books directly from Ted Luis himself. I don't know how many copies are left but while he has them, he's happy to send them to you all as a thank you. Mine is on a shelf here in my room and it's probably one of my favorite keepsakes.

The Original Offer - Repost:

Have you considered helping to keep these sites up and running? Are you also a fan of Ted Louis' "Joel" series? Well, Ted has informed us that he found a case of assorted Joel books. Yeah, "actual" in print books! He decided that for anyone willing to make a $10 or larger donation within the US to the hosting service paying the bills for the Fort Family Community of sites, he is willing to send you your very own copy of a random book in the "Joel" series, autographed by Ted Louis himself as a thank you! An amazing keepsake from an amazing author!

What to do:

1. Click on https://dsshosting.net/donations/donation-form/ and click on "Donate Now".

2. Make a qualifying donation of $10 or more.

3,. Email your name and mailing address to joel-offer@fortfamilyforums.com (Yes, a P.O. box, relative's address, next-door neighbor, total stranger's address... is fine. As long as you are able to intercept the mail ;)

4. Once the donation has been confirmed, Ted Louis will send a random autographed copy of one of his books to you directly.

(One book per donation. This offer will be withdrawn once the limited number of books has been sent. The early bird gets the worm! Unfortunately, only US residents due to expensive international shipping :( We'll take down the offer as soon as we confirm that no copies remain.)

Chapter 2 of the story with the title I don't like is now live. Art Imitates Life Imitates Art progresses and hopefully in this chapter you start seeing more of what I was thinking when I picked the title I did.

I hate naming things. I really do. I don't like picking names for my characters, and I especially dislike naming the stories they are in. That said, the first chapter of a new story has been posted. If you agree with me that the title stinks, please send me an email to give me an idea or two for a better title. Please read and enjoy the opening chapter of Art Imitates Life Imitates Art.

Chapter 40 of Dear Diary is alive and the Time Wizards from Twists of Time have made it home at last. Special cameo appearance by my favorite G-Cat ever, Georges, also make way for this universe's very first lovesick dragon.

Greetings Friends and Fort Family! I am in the process of attempting to improve my living conditions so I can continue the work I do for our online reader community and I do need to ask for help. I need to relocate to Massachusetts in approximately a month or so. I am moving because I am being priced out of where I am living now. I am also moving for health reasons as the air where I am living is not safe for me to breathe for too many months of the year. This is because of the wildfires around me that cause poor air quality for too many months of the year. The poor air quality wreaks havoc on my Asthma. Where I am moving has much cleaner air and no wildfires to concern me. The Medical System there is far better than where I live now.

I am asking for funds to rent a truck, gas for the truck and lodgings for the trip. Jeff P. will be flying out here to help drive me to Massachusetts. Jeff has arranged a place for me to live that is substantially cheaper than where I am now as well as to have friends nearby to help with some of the daily tasks that are simply becoming more difficult than they should be due to the declining condition of my current environment.

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help defer the cost of moving. Any amount would be awesome!

Thanks for caring,

TSL

Help TSL Move To Massachussetts

I don't know if you will be as soft and mushy as I was and cry through this chapter, but I sure did while writing it. You see, May and June are the two most difficult months for me to handle emotionally, for a lot of reasons, and the loss of Comicality and Str8mayb definitely didn't make that any better this year. So yeah, this chapter is a bit emotional. You have been warned.

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I have to inform you that one of our own has left this plane of existence. However, don't be too sad because Str8mayb is going to Heaven to be with his wonderful wife Robyn. They both have left us too soon. How do I know that he is going to heaven? That is an easy question to answer, he is a Presbyterian and according to one of his favourite songs Heaven Is For Presbyterians. Str8mayb passed away Sunday,  June 2, 2024, he had been battling a severe version of Colitis, the same version that had hit him before. However, this time he couldn't recover.  Str8mayb was not only an author but he was an editor as well. Str8mayb like Comicality helped several authors become better writers, he even convinced several skeptical people to write. Str8mayb was also a former Admin of The Fort Family of sites until personal and work issues took away his time. As you maybe could tell Str8mayb had a very warped sense of humour, especially when it came to music. I am not sure whether Darryl The Radio Rancher corrupted him or vice versa. They were both diehard fans of the Frantics, Boot to the Head was another favourite of his. However, the thing that most of us will remember Str8mayb for is that he was the Evilest Author, and I can personally attest that he was evil. He took the slightly used Cliffhanger and elevated it to new heights. In fact, he raised the bar so high that I couldn't beat him with five Cliffhangers in one chapter. He was also a Master of Deception, he would lead you down the Primrose Path and then suddenly you are looking at the edge of a cliff with no way back. He would a lot of times end the chapter there. He was also known for carrying a Cliffhanger for several chapters. I learned a lot about misdirection and cliffhanger from him. Before I forget, Arli J. was one of the authors that Str8mayb convinced to write. While I will miss reading new words from him, what I will miss the most is writing collaborations by voice on Skype. Str8mayb, Darryl, Darryl and I had a lot of fun seeing which character we could cause to have the most trouble or cause the most trouble. Str8may gave me one of the highest compliments an author can give to another author; I had edited a chapter of his and I had added over fifteen hundred words. When Str8mayb got his chapter back he couldn't find the words I added. He told me that he didn't know where his words ended and mine began. He told Darryl the same thing several times as well. Str8may also created a character that had two nicknames the first one was "The Bengay Kid", and the second one was "The Modern Major General," a character from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan. I have many amazing memories of a wonderful human being, and he will be sorely missed.

The Story Lover

It would mean so much if you could take a look at our GoFundMe, “Support for Comicality's Mother in a Very Difficult Time”. Comicality's unexpected passing has hit us all very hard but his mother is now being overwhelmed with his final expenses while at the same time dealing with the loss of his income. Please donate or share with others—any help gets her closer to getting her head back above water. Thanks in advance for your kindness and support as we look out for the person who to Comicality was a rock through some very rough times.

Here’s the link: https://gofund.me/372364c6

There is an update to The Creator's Intent. Yeah, you know, that story I've been writing since 1986. That one. Try not to let the shock upset you too much. It briefly mentions a non consensual act that could be a trigger, but I hope I've kept it nondescript enough to be ok. It's why this chapter took so long to write since the last one. I rewrote it... a bunch of times. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter overall as I believe it is much more uplifting than depressing.

Boudreaux

In every chat and website I've had to make this announcement, I've struggled. This isn't going to be any different. Earlier this evening I received a phone call from one of Comicality’s relatives. As many of you may know, he has been very sick on and off for over a year now which was the result of a failing liver. I was informed that on Tuesday, 04/16 he lost his battle and quietly passed away, taking a piece of all of our hearts with him. He leaves many of us with the amazing work that he has shared throughout the decades that he has been “COMICALITY” to us and much like that work, I know my heart along with many others, is now forever incomplete.

We are going to have a discussion in the office and figure out what we can/should do to keep all of the projects we've worked on with him alive like this site. Almost 6 years ago I got to see firsthand how much work he put into everything he did to entertain us all when we aided in reviving his IMAGINE Magazine. His persistence and level of dedication re-lit that flame for myself and even though the magazine was supposed to simply be hosted by us, I’ve had my hand on the wheel and followed along as he pointed. It’s hard to imagine moving forward without him, but we do want to move forward for him. Myself and the entire team (real and 3D) are all brokenhearted and need our vision to clear so we can do his work justice.

– Rest in Peace Coms, We’ll continue safeguard all that you created until we join you on the other side.

Hello Readers,

It's TSL again with hat in hand, yes it is that time of year again when we ask you our loyal readers to help keep our sites up and running. You may well know our sites are run almost entirely on your generous donations! When your donations do not cover all of the cost, the difference comes out of our pockets. We have no ADs on our sites and no Premium Tiers! There is no charge to our authors for hosting their stories nor any charge for you the readers to read them. We would appreciate it if you could find a way to donate any amount to keep our sites AD-free and running. So please check between your couch cushions and under your car seats any amount will be gratefully accepted. No amount is too small. We thank you very much for all of your help over the years.To sweeten the pot a bit, we are running the following promotion again, simply put, make a $10 USD donation get a free Joel Book.

Have you considered helping to keep these sites up and running? Are you also a fan of Ted Louis' "Joel" series? Well, Ted has informed us that he found a case of assorted Joel books. Yeah, "actual" in print books! He decided that anyone willing to make a $10 or larger donation within the US to the hosting service paying the bills for the Fort Family Community of sites, he is willing to send you your very own copy of a random book in the series, autographed by Ted Louis himself as a thank you!

What to do:

1. Click on https://dsshosting.net/donations/donation-form/ and click on "Donate Now".

2. Make a qualifying donation of $10 or more.

3,. Email your name and mailing address to joel-offer@fortfamilyforums.com

4. Once the donation has been confirmed, Ted Louis will send a random autographed copy of one of his books to you directly.

(One book per donation. This offer will be withdrawn once the limited number of books has been sent. The early bird gets the worm! Unfortunately, only US residents due to expensive international shipping :( We'll take down the offer as soon as we confirm that no copies remain.)

Real Email: "Jeff, do you know how long it's been since you posted anything for the public? Do you ever plan to post anything else? It's like you've given up or something."

Response: "Oh, if you only knew... My stories are a very small piece of what I've contributed to our community over the years; and I will get back to it. Seriously. Believe me when I say, if I stopped everything I do in the background for the public, you would notice. That is the way I contribute and have for decades at this point. The couple of decent stories I got out along the way for me are just a bonus."

I thought about not making a post, but I wanted to make sure that you all noticed that Lagniappe is now done.  The characters all told me it was quitting time, so this is it.  You get the multiple year wrap up at the end, though, so you know the whole story.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Boudreaux

Well, actually I'm not sure about that top of the morning thing.  It's currently 3:30 am for me, so I'm not sure that really counts as the top of anything, but it's close to St. Pat's day, so the greeting stands, or sits, or whatever greetings do.  Anyway, I'm a bit loopy because I haven't slept and I may regret this rambling post later on, but whatever....

So I have just posted the first chapters of two new stories which I hope will bring you all some pleasure as you read them.  I will let you know now that one of them, Hurricane Temple is already complete (I think, but what do I know, I'm just the writer), therefore there will only be a few chapters of it.  It's a short story, but it's long enough page wise to break into chapters, so that's what I did.  I'm only long winded when I'm talking to you in person.   It's a Southern US thing.  It's a curse, really, but I'm rambling again.  Go read Hurricane Temple and Living in a Small Town, and I hope you chuckle where I laughed and feel something where I cried, because I'm a mushy old Cajun geezer when I write.

Goodnight, or good morning, or whatever.  I go sleepies now. 

Boudreaux

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Hi Gang,

A real quick note to update you on our neighboring community "Awesome Dude" which many of our sites are linked to. As we all know, they recently suffered the untimely passing of their founder and leader. They are still working hard to regain control of their community and we all offer our best wishes to its team.

Today I learned that the site was offline as they were transitioning to a new domain. May be temporary but either way, I was provided this statement from their administration:

"As the acting Admin of AD, on behalf of the team of members and their work, the story site is now back online. You can find it here, https://awesomedude.org"

So for the time being at least, be sure to update your bookmarks and if your site links back to their community, give them a hand and redirect that link to the .org so their visitors can still find their way in.

Thanks Everyone!

Hi everyone, just a quick note to let you all know that https://garysgarden.us is experiencing some trouble and is temporarily closed until the issue can be resolved. If you were in the middle of a read, I apologize for the hold-up. There's nothing worse than upsetting the reading schedule! Well, almost nothing... well, to me anyway ;)

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

The newest chapter of Lagniappe has been added.  I would have posted it with the previous update, but I forgot that I had sent this chapter to TSL for editing, and I made changes, so he had to look this one over twice, poor man.  Life changing events in this chapter for everyone in the story, so may the reader beware.  Some of the changes are not wholly pleasant ones.  Read on and....

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

There is a new chapter of Gifts with some family bonding going on, and there is a new chapter of Dear Diary.  The DD chapter gives you a description not only of the layout of the Intel Field Services division, but detailed descriptions of their houses as well.  Be prepared to learn a bit about American architecture from a non-American source.  Enjoy and...

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

I've been on the fence about this for a little while. Not so much what to post about this as I was considering "if" to post this. Why?

Back in 2004, we had been contacted by a concerned author/reader regarding a free forum we were using that was laced with ads and crap to gather and talk to a small handful of fairly well-known authors of the time. The "community" was considered back then, some form of author support. LOL! That concerned author/reader purchased a parent domain and the software to build an internally supported forum to move the conversation to and gifted it to us. You see the name August Christopher come up for us, this is why. That was the official birth of what we now know as the Fort Family. We all came from small beginnings, the oldest of us were developed in a relatively young internet and needed to change with the times. Our forum is gone now but because of the interconnectivity of the modern internet, the forum became obsolete. So now we focus on hosting the sites that keep online authors' work available to the world. Are we alone in this task, heck no.

On September 9, Dude (IRL - Vale Mike Wengert) founder of the online community "AwesomeDude" that is as old as we are, passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 79 years old. Just shy of his 80th birthday :(

All of our communities face issues that unless managed could knock us off the internet. This is why there are so few of the "Old Guard" (as ACFan put it to me earlier) left out there. The death of the founding member is bad, when that founding member was also the person managing all the bills and accounts, it is more than a speed bump, it's a mountain to overcome. When August Christopher passed, we were in danger of losing all that had been built so, we have seen that mountain, and feel for the AwesomeDude community.

If you have time, please reach out to them and offer them some positive energy and support. Not only are they facing a difficult battle but they are mourning the loss of a close friend. That mourning has to take a back seat when dealing with trying to save their creation and I can say from experience, that part sucks! Our community was only a year old when we dealt with this loss and fought to get our hands on the wheel of what felt like an out-of-control bus. Their community was established almost 20 years ago, around the same time our community became something we could also call a community. So it is more the size of a freight train compared to the bus we needed to learn how to drive.

Even though over the years all these "competing" communities had fences between themselves and others of its kind, I've always considered us in competition with no one. Just another group or gathering supporting independent authors and offering a hand to get them exposure. That's all any of these sites ever offered. Dude was one of those people who felt the same way, and his absence will be felt by us all.

RIP Dude and best wishes to the community you created and those within.

https://awesomedude.com/

Hi Everyone!

Once in a while, someone really special reaches out to us because they find something in our archive that resonates for them. Rich reached out with a very heartfelt poem that touches on the very sensitive subject of suicide, which happens far too often in society.

Be sure to check out "The Note" by Rich DiStefano and know that we have opened the door to him should he decide to add to his collection and share it with us. "Welcome to the Fort Family Rich!"

Hey Everyone,

If you are reading this on the Community site this may not make any sense and don't worry, it shouldn't.

If you are on the site reading this, hehehe. Yeah, I got in a mood and needed to see the "Old" jeffsfort.com so, I flipped the switch and now the current site looks a little more like its predecessor. I'll leave it like this probably for the remainder of July because, this month is my birthday as well as the original jeffsfort.com (kinda) and 'cause I just wanna! LOL!

Send all comments or complaints to jeff@jeffsfort.com and "past me" will respond eventually ;)

Have A Great Day!

Hi Everyone!

Yup, you read that title right, we are attaching a brand new/old site to our Community Network and I personally think it's a bit of a big deal. As many of you may be aware, the online author 'Ted Louis' from tedlouis.com is hanging up his quill. He has given us decades of some of the most amazing stories ever read by so many of us. In retiring, his plan was to give warning so people could grab copies and then let the website simply retire itself. Now, not wanting to see that happen, we put a ton of work into creating a family site that was capable of maintaining a home for his works and those of his hosted authors and I'm happy to say, it's ready for the big unveiling.

Now for the catch, I need to adjust friendship links between any other sites already co-hosting Ted's work as it is coming from the temporary domain; and where we have already obtained the correct domain name, it needs to be adjusted and then wait until DNS servers recognize that change. It could happen instantly or it could take a couple of days. There's no way of telling. So, if you are here to read a story by Ted Louis or the story from an author that is hosted on his original site, you may want to go to tedlouis.com as there will always be a version of all this work on the source site or outgoing classic site while co-hossted copies may fail until the internet catches up with the change.

I'd say please welcome Ted to the family but, hosted by us or not, he's always been family to us and it is our honor to be able to make his retirement that much more pleasant.

*HUGZ* - Jeff

Hi everyone!

I wanted to reach out to regular readers here at True's Fandom as well as those who circulate throughout the Fort Family of hosting sites. One exceptionally difficult job is finding someone willing to take over the work started by a community/family member who we all miss. We all know that TrueFan (Lenny) put a lot of himself into his own work as an author as well as in growing his site. In the few years that True's Fandom has existed, he has amassed an impressive library that signifies the personality of those hosted on the site as well as give many newer authors a jumping-off point or even a home base. When we lose a site owner, we can maintain the hosting so the work isn't lost and active authors can still contribute but, we need to find someone who is willing to carry the torch lit by its creator. Today I am very happy to announce someone who not only is willing to take the wheel but, if given the opportunity, someone I believe Lenny would have chosen himself as his successor.

For those of you who are readers both at True's Fandom as well as many of our other hosting sites, author "Garret D. M." who has been a very close friend of many of us, including Lenny, has accepted our request for him to take over his online "Dad's" site and I know for a fact, this would make TrueFan himself both very happy as well as very proud. Garret brings with him new ideas & new direction as well as the ability to pay tribute to a man who quite literally was his online Dad, which is awesome!

So please join us all in welcoming Garret D.M. as one of our newest site owners and let's all support him as he learns to drive the vehicle Lenny and his hosted authors have built! 

- Jeff

The last chapter of The Touch has been posted! I hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks to each of you that have supported me and helped me out over the past few years as Zyan and his story took shape!  You're all awesome!

Hey all!

As I'm sure all of you are aware, I've been bouncing around between stories to get everything up to the current spot in the timeline - which sometimes means jumping around to ensure continuity across the Universe is maintained.

When Dave of D&B passed on, B turned the characters and stories over to myself and TheEggman to allow the characters to be part of future storylines. Unfortunately, at that point in time they were in front of all of us! Before Dave passed, he did manage to merge two of his stories into a third one. Both Jigsaw and Be Careful What You Ask For run alongside each other, and were merged into Dawn's Early Light to cover the BOE storyline.

This has allowed a unique opportunity; in most cases, when an author passes, their storyline stalls. In this case, we've had the permission to continue the storyline, but needed things to be caught up to allow that to happen. Once we finally were satisfied that it was safe, the next part was deciding how to pull it off. While various plot points that had been planned were included in other CSU stories, to move forward the storylines from D&B really needed closure. After serious thought, and quite a few discussions, it was decided that the best way to honor what he was doing would be to write a multi-chapter Epilogue to Dawns Early Light, resolving some of the major storylines and preparing the characters to move forward in future CSU stories.

Over the next week, I plan to finalize a method to re-direct you to Dawns Early Light after the last chapters of both Jigsaw and Be Careful. The first chapter of the Epilogue is over 2/3 done, and will be posted as a continuation of Dawn's Early Light. Upon the conclusion of the Epilogue, all three stories are expected to be wrapped up and the characters poised to be able to be easily integrated into future CSU stories without major questions left hanging.

So, now that you've been warned, you'll have time to refresh your memory on all three stories, and will be ready to move forward with us as we once again get to see Jonas, Harry, Kurt's family, and other characters actively moving ahead!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we are writing it! This will be appearing on all Fort Family Sites which currently host D&B's stories!

Hugzz;

AC

Hi family! I wanted to make an announcement to let everyone know that ACFan and I had discussed the CSU author D&B who we lost a few years back. His work is being continued and expanded in the Clan Short Universe so, I want to help spread the news. So, after being informed that I had an open invite to bring D&Bs work to our menu I decided it was time to open that door for those of you who are Native Fort Readers. 

Be sure to join us in paying tribute to an author who was taken from us too soon. May the work put in do the body of what he created justice.

A new chapter of Lagniappe has arrived, and with it come changes for the bakery and the lives of the people in it.  Hope you enjoy it.

Boudreaux

Dear Authors and Readers,

It is that time of year again. Yes, it is time for our Annual Pledge Drive to keep the lights on and our Fort Family of sites servers running.

So please give us a helping hand to keep our sites alive. No donation is too big or too small, all donations are greatly accepted and appreciated.

Remember none of our sites have ads or Premium Fees!

Please help us keep our founder August Christopher's dream alive.

To Donate just click on the Donate Button in the left side panel on any site.

Thank you for your help over the years,

The Fort Family Admins

Hi Everyone!

Dear Mister Jeffsfort,

I have been a reader of storylover.us for a few months and decided to look at the other sites networked in what is called the Fort Family. I was wondering why of all the sites in the network that have unique names and themes that you decided to simply steal the name for your site from the community. Im not trying to be rude or anything but it does seem a little lazy.

- Name Not Being Shared

Hi there ##########,

I'm so glad you decided to branch out from one of the community sites as they all have unique material, comprised of so many amazing authors. Hopefully you are following fortfamilyforums.com which is the hub for the entire network and lets you know what's new and what news is being shared by all. You may ask yourself why "fortfamilyforums.com" as it isn't a forum. The quick answer is, it used to be a forum, one that was originally set up and used for jeffsfort.com before it started to become a gathering place for authors and readers simply because it was something I wanted to do at the time; show appreciation for a few authors that I really admired. And over the years it grew to be larger than any of us could have ever imagined. So the short answer to your concerned email is I didn't steal "JeffsFort" from the community, the community stole my site's name and grew large enough to cut my name off of it. Maybe if you are lucky enough, something just as special will steal your name and give you just as much joy as "The Fort Family" has given me over the years.

Happy Holidays,
The OG JeffsFort ;)

You know, it's been a long time since Christmas was a holiday that I would get all geared up for. Decorating, planning, gift buying... For me it is a wonderful time which has simply passed. It's a holiday to help build the wonderous imagination of a child and put a strain on the bank accounts of those who love them; and that's perfectly okay. However you celebrate or reminisce over the holidays, have a safe and healthy holiday and keep in mind if you are alone over the holidays, we are never completely alone because of this community. Families built of friendships have always been the foundation of how this community has endured for almost 19 years and continues to do so even today.

Here's to a New Year of fun and friendship for us all!

- Jeff 

Over the years we have lost quite a few of our own. Two of the men who are directly responsible for our community, many authors, site owners, and friends. Unfortunately, today we are saddened as have lost another. 

Known to many as "A True Fan", "True Fan", or simply as "Lenny", he has left an indullable mark on this community as well as many others. We will do everything we can to make sure that all that he created will remain as it is today. We all offer our condolences to his family and to all the true fans of A True Fan.

Rest In Peace Lenny, we'll watch over your fandom for you.

Unfortunately, not click bait...

Hi Everyone!

As some of you may have noticed, we have been experiencing intermittent outages with a small handful of our story siites as recently as earlier today. These outages are a result of a service that we utilize being hacked, which is affecting some functionality of the sites and triggering malware scanners within our service. It is being addressed but as with any attack of this nature, we can't offer a timeframe of when we are "in the clear" as we are simply reacting when trouble pops up as software needs to be developed to address this new issue moving forward.

For now, be sure you keep copies of everything that is newly posted on your site as an attack could force a site to restore from a recent backup, which 'could' reverse the addition of new material. Site owners, you will be contacted if this action is performed on your site. Get in touch with one of us if you have any questions or concerns.

Together we built The Fort Family and together we defend it!
- Jeff

Hi DSS Hosting Clients / Fort Family Site Owners / Community Members,

Be on the lookout for emails claiming that your email address, domain name, or even your hosting service have been compromised, are in need of being renewed, or are in the process of being discontinued unless you respond. These are phishing attempts designed to trick you into responding to their request and in the process doing one of two things. One: tricking you into exposing personal information that can be exploited and Two: verifying that you are a live contact that can possibly be further exploited in the future.

These attempts have become more persistent in the last couple of years and from what I am reading, people are falling for it and clicking on those enclosed links or providing credentials when trying to log in to these fake sites, handing these people the ability to hijack your site or email. It happens far too often.

Be sure to flag these emails as spam, if we are providing your hosting let us know when you receive them so we can follow up, and if they claim to represent a real organization like Google, Yahoo, or even DSS Hosting, be sure to let that organization know what happened and be sure to forward a copy of the email in question.

If you ever believe your credentials could have been compromised, log in to your site/cPanel and change your password as soon as humanly possible. The sooner you act, the more likely you are to be able to prevent losing all your hard work or even more personal information. If you need assistance in securing your website, our clients can go to https://dsshosting.net/request-support/ and fill out a request form. This will notify our staff and get you the quickest possible response. Other service providers have similar steps to gain assistance so be sure to check their main website for information.

Spread the word!
- Jeff

This sample is an actual email received by one of our clients. Blue text shows where I replaced information with a generic representation. Red indicates information that should raise red flags! All clickable links have been stripped for your protection:

Subject: dsshosting.net [1] has initiated Removal of Your
webmaster@dsshosting.net
Date: 2022-10-02 22:11
From: dsshosting.net [1] Notification <noreply@xm7.zxne.live>
To: webmaster@yourdomainname.com
Hi webmaster, (Simply using your email "name". We know your name and would use it.)
webmaster@dsshosting.net removal from dsshosting.net [1]
server has
been approved and initiated,
Due to ignorance of last verification warning. (We don't talk to our clients like this, EVER!  Big red flag!)
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Attention All CSU Readers:

As Archivist of the Clan Short Universe, I hereby declare and confirm that the author known as SamIam has successfully completed the necessary requirements to be awarded the title Clan Short Universe Author and confer upon him all the rights and responsibilities which are consistent with the title.

On this day, September Fourteenth, in the year Two Thousand and Twenty-Two, let it be known that the story Oh Can You See has been reviewed and accepted as a Clan Short Universe Core Timeline story, and is considered a canonical part of the main storyline.

TSL Clan Short Archivist

Welcome to the CSU SamIam, as usual, all of CSU Stories will be co-hosted on the CSUhub as well. This is the only place for all the CSU Stories, Images, and Resources.

This post has been approved by The Clan Short Archivist.

Portions of the post have been contributed by ACFan Creator of The Clan Short Universe.

(PS: Temporal Tranquilizers are in the third drawer on the left!)

Each of us at The Fort Fammily of sites are saddened to hear of the passing of Her Magesty Queen Elizabeth II.

We offer our kind sympathy to a family and nation in mourning and look back at her 7 decades of Sovereignty and Service that has touched us all world wide. She will be greatly missed by millions of people around the world. May God watch over the Royal family during this difficult time and may she rest in peace.

~ JeffsFort ~

Since my last update was a back to school special, I'm calling this one a Labor Day gift.  Don't get too excited though, no one is in labor.  We do get some new faces in this chapter, one completely new and some that are only new to Dear Diary.  I had always planned to post the end of Twists of Time as close as possible to the posting of the chapter of Dear Diary where the characters crossover, and thanks to TSL for helping me make that happen.  Oh and here's a spoiler for you... intoxicated Vulcan.

So for your homework, I have given you, with TSL's help as editor, two new chapters to read.  The first is a new chapter of Lagniappe.  The Dixie Magic has returned their men folk to our blond boys in New Orleans, but they haven't come alone.  The other new chapter is the final chapter Twists of Time.  Yes you read that right, final chapter of the story, but not the last we will see of the characters.  Keep your eyes open for an upcoming update of Dear Diary to find out what happens next to the Time Wizard family.  Hope you enjoy the reading.  If you have my offline problem you need something to do that doesn't involve wading in flood waters or getting drenched by continuing rainfall, so reading should help you not be bored while you try to stay dry.

Hi Fort Family!

As many of you may be unaware, on Thursday evening our service provider was one of many who experienced a complete outage that took our entire community down for a short period of time. I won't go into any details but we are not complaining about the speed in which this issue was addressed. The reason for this post is to request that any major site updates or important chapter postings should be postponed to allow for temporary fixes to receive permanent repairs. Where the work continues, I would consider all of our sites "Read Only" for a day or two. I will attempt a current backup as a "Just Incase" but, if we experience DNS issues resulting from the outage, new work could be lost.

So please join us in thanking those involved in such a speedy recovery but to be safe, do some reading and let your readers angrily stare at your newest cliffhanger one or two more days. 🤣

*HUGZ*

Anyone who has been around the Fort Family Community for more than a few years knows that we love our quirks. Sometimes the best memories come from our goofiest moments. In the beginning, some really funny moments became ingrained in our stories, our sites, and even in the community in general. Sometimes something we clowned about in chat one day, would become an actual "Thing" that we would work to keep alive. One such event was born in a late night Shack Outback chat as a goof, and the next day Comicality sent out an email making a declaration that we were all to celebrate a Random Cake Holiday. 16 years later, I see to it that email goes out again. I'm off to the store now to get mine ;)

---

May 28, 2006

*Random Cake Holiday* Emailed By Comicality!

That's right dammit! I said 'Random Cake Holiday'! Hehehe! Don't ask any questions, don't worry about the rhyme or reason WHY you should do it...just DO IT! We had a conversation in the chat tonight, and this lack of cake is just unforgivable. So today, Sunday, I want each and every single person reading this, to go out somewhere and find yourself a piece of cake to eat! I don't care HOW you get it, or WHAT kind of cake it is! But there are just way too many people who have gone TOO long without having a piece of cake!

You can laugh all you want! Feel silly doing it! I don't care! Whatever! Just go out, find some cake, and enjoy it for the simple fact that you CAN! And I'm not talking about some moldy old store bought sliver of cake that you can buy for a quarter at the counter of your local gas station! I mean actual *CAKE*! Go to a bakery, go to a neighbor's house, hit up the old lady that does volunteer work at the resource center in your area, bake your own and give half of it away to someone else who doesn't have cake, play your Cake cd on your car radio..whatever...but don't you DARE let the sun set without getting a taste of that sweet sweet cake goodness! C'mon...don't you want some CAKE??? I do!

The only time we get to have cake is at weddings, birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs, bachelor parties, and occassionally during some kinky sex fetish game with a stripper who doesn't mind getting covered in frosting. And that's just wrong! So if you needed a reason to eat cake, then here it is. It's cake day. GO! Get some! Enjoy it! Do it for the simple fact that you have absolutely NO reason to do it other than I told you so! Hehehe! Savor it! 

Shit....I'm going to get mine as soon as I get up tomorrow! Believe me! Mmmm cake...

Spread the word! 

And when you bite down into that soft delicious bread....you scream out to the world, "I've got CAKE bitches!!!!!!" 

I managed to get a chapter of another story ready to post within a month of the last one.  I know it's a shock to the system for me to update two stories in a month.  I'll try to slow back down after this again, I promise.  Enjoy the new chapter of Gifts as you recover, though.

Boudreaux

The final chapter of Flea Market Sausage is now live on the sites and ready to be read.  I would like to say I never dreamed it would take me so many years to finish this story, but given that I have another story that I first started work on in 1987, I will leave that erroneous judgement call silent.   I can't say there will or won't be a sequel to this story at this point.  I had ideas, but they are not falling into place as I would like, so at this point it really is completely undecided.  Feel free to contact me and let me know your thoughts on this possibility if you have any to give me.  In the meantime, enjoy this final chapter of this segment of the story at any rate.

boudreaux@storylover.us

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

Chapter 9 of The Lost Souls is finally available! I hope everyone enjoys it! 

It took way longer than I expected but, I finally got Chapter 5 of "Commander Kid" finished, sent off to the editor, and posted. I can't believe how many people have emailed asking about the next chapter of this one. I'll try to do better getting Chapter 6 done ;) 

Hope you enjoy! As Jack would say: "Safe travels!" 

So for to celebrate some proper, I done brought you de new serving from Lagniappe on account I can't send you all the King Cake.  Bon appétit!   What that means is, since the carnival season in New Orleans started on January 6th this year, I have, with TSL's help, brought you a new chapter of Lagniappe, but since the chapter isn't set at the same time of year as we are, there is a Lebanese celebration in the chapter instead.  Be prepared for funnies and feasting, and a good bit more back story of our favorite pastry chef extraordinaire.  Enjoy the reading and the season and as always....

Laissez les bon temp roullez!!!!

Boudreaux

Orignally Posted by Fred DeElve

To mark the ending of the worst year of my life, and welcome a new and better one, I hope, I present you all with a present.  It's three chapters, one the newest chapter of Flea Market Sausage, and a double dose of Fantasy Faire.  All three chapters deal with celebrations, so it's appropriate for this time of year.  All three chapters are set in the summer as well, though, so maybe this can help warm you up if you live in a currently cold climate.  Enjoy them and may we all have a better year in 2022 than we ever have before.  We sure need it at this point.

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

I just heard that another of my heroes passed away today. Not heroes in the sense of "Up, up and away..." but someone I truly admired. Michael Nesmith, an amazing singer/songwriter passed away earlier today at home surrounded by family and friends. He and Mickey Dolenz finished a 55th anniversary farewell tour just a month ago, something I would have killed to go to. Just another piece of my childhood, forever gone. My best wishes to his family and friends and sincere admiration to all four members of The Monkees...

I wanna go listen to "What am I doing hangin' 'round" now :'(

Here's a really nice write up: Rolling Stone Magazine - Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

After some poking and prodding, I have finally managed to get Chapter 8 of Lost Souls posted! Hopefully, Chapter 9 won't take nearly as long :-)

Due to the ongoing Pandemic, a lot of us have gone through financial difficulties. The Fort Family of Sites has been affected by those financial difficulties as well. In fact, for the last eighteen months, we have been running in the red. Due to quite a few of our sites coming up for renewal over the next couple of months, we will go far enough in the red that it will be untenable.

So, please donate to support our Author Hosting and keep all of our sites online. All donations large or small will be greatly appreciated. Anything you can give to support The Fort Family of Sites will go a long way to keep the sites online and Ad-Free.

Thank you for your generosity.

TSL for the Fort Family of Sites.

That's right there is a new chapter from the resident blonde Cajun.  Chapter 37 of my CSU story "Dear Diary" is up for your perusal.  I hope you all enjoy it. 

Boudreaux

Well, for some. The rest of us have to work. :(

Anyway, before I go in I thought I'd post my latest chapter since a few of you have been so patiently waiting. (Yes I've gotten the emails and yes, I don't plan to reply. You know who you are... LOL!)

Chapter 4 of Commander Kid is now live and I'll do my best to not let so much time pass before we see Chapter 5... So... No more emails threatening to book me on a Space-X flight. Even if it would be cool ;)

* HUGZ *

The All-Powerful and All-Knowing Jeff has started getting festive with the site. Now, we just need him to take a vacation from work so he can give us more Commander Kid!

Happy Pride, Everyone!

I hate these posts.

Today we lost one of our youngest authors. Juju on "The Story Lover's Home", also known to us as Jbird or Julian, passed away today. As relayed to us by "Jarquafelmu", What should have been a minor head injury from a fall in the locker room at school turned into a Subarachnoid hemorrhage near his brain stem and by the time the doctors were able to stop the bleeding pretty much all brain activity was gone.

Our sincerest condolences go out to Julian's family and thank them for letting us know what happened.

We've lost many friends over the years and we have honored each and every one of them by keeping their work alive within our community, Juju's work will live on among them. Julian will be missed terribly by us all. He was taken much too soon :(

Rest in Peace Juju...

How Y'all Are?   I'm back with a new chapter of Lagniappe, that yes, includes a food fight and other fun fluffy stuff, but also a moment or two of serious conversation as well.  Hope you have as much fun reading this one as I did writing it. 

Boudreaux

Expanding Horizons is complete.  The final chapter has been posted at last.  Been a long journey on this one, and while in a way I'm sad to see it end, the characters tell me it's time, and they're the ones in charge.  Thanks to all the people that have read and enjoyed this one.  

Laissez les bon temps roullez! (even if is officially Lent and that phrase is out of season. :P )

Volume One of "The Legends of Blood" is now complete! Chapter 28 is live! I hope you all enjoy the epic conclusion to the opening story of this saga! Now, it's time to focus on everything else that I have in process! Huge hugs to all of you! Stay safe, Stay Healthy! Wear a Mask!

-Myke d

Three hundred and seventeen days since my job said "Yup, go home. Don't come back." and we're still not using the building. But they are beginning to discuss how the building will be used again and we should soon see some pretty antique equipment getting yanked out of a bunch of cubicles. Fun stuff!

It has been a couple of months since my last quarantine posting so I figured I better do one soon before they won't be valid anymore. I mean I am getting busier and busier as the days move on but still, over 90% of what I do is accomplished sitting in this chair. Bah!

This also means computer distractions happen often. Some free time can easily lead to an hour or two watching "...just one more video..." a little too often. Sometimes that really isn't all too satisfying unless one of my subscriptions drops a new video. Today is one of the good days! This video by Feng E. (who is a musical prodigy in all respects) is absolutely amazing.

For those of you not familiar with Feng E., he plays the ukelele but not in a traditional manner. Often playing compositions that he works out himself that most would need multiple tracks to play on their own. I watch all his videos in absolute awe and this one is no exception. Playing a song in this one that always gives me goosebumps, he absolutely nailed it. If you aren't a fan of this kid, you haven't heard him play yet ;) Be ready to like and subscribe... Yeah, he's that good!

Hi Everyone!

I bet you came in here and had one of two reactions. If you have been around the fort family since around the time of the forum first introducing itself to readers on the web, then you may recognize what I did here. If you are new to the community, then an explanation might be nice. (If you are reading this on the community site, you may want to go to the site to see what I mean ;)

Right now, the fort is displaying a theme that uses actual elements and styles from my personal website back at the time when we were building the services you enjoy today. So why would I change the look of our current site? Because today, our story hosting site still resides on the URL that I have managed since spring of 1996. Yeah, 1996. 25 years ago! The site hosted family and friends back then and in its own way helped us to pave the road for what we have today.

So for jeffsfort.com's 25th anniversary, I updated the theme that I once created with nostalgia in mind and for as long as I can look at it (LOL!) we pay tribute to a theme that once upon a time was a very large part of my life online.

So for a short time as we all look back, I'll remind you all:

The "Fort" may be virtual, but the "Family" is real!

Thanks for being a part of our family! *HUGZ*

Congratulations, Jeff's Fort!

So whichever holiday you decided yesterday's chapter was an early present for, Chapter 16 of Expanding Horizons can be for the other occasion.  Have fun, but stay safe out there.  I've lost one family member to Covid; I do not want to lose you, whoever you are.

Whether you want to call it an early Valentine's present or an early celebration for Fat Tuesday, I gladly share with you the newest chapter of Gifts.  A lot is going on in this chapter, so I hope it is well received.  Enjoy.

Boudreaux

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick message to introduce readers of "The Fort" to a family hosted author from our sister site "AC's Corner Cafe" who is now hosting his work on our site as well. Darkhuntsman is the author of the stories "Project New Dawn" and "Project New Horizon" which we are excited to make available for you all! So welcome Darkhuntsman and be sure to show him some love for his work at toyarcher1993@aim.com which goes a long way for any author! 

I hope each and every one of you have a safe holiday! Stay healthy! Stay safe! 

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Make sure you guys stop over at the Annex, and check out how Brynmor has spiced up the place for the holidays!

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Sometimes it amazes me how youtube works. Some people post videos of themselves doing everyday stuff and it takes off. Thousands of likes and subscriptions and lots of comments and praise. This can be for everyday stuff. Just doing something funny or stupid or funny because it's stupid... you get it.

Then I'll come across a video featuring someone demonstrating a real talent, maybe in it's rawest stage, yet it doesn't get as noticed. Today I hit one that really impressed me but didn't seem to be getting the traffic I think it deserves. So, of course, it becomes a part of my quarantine. 

Meet "Led Sebastian" who has gotten really good with the electronic drum pads and even though it was his cover of "Shine" by Collective Soul a month ago that I stopped on and took notice, it is his cover of "Swee Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses from a couple of years back that really demonstrated that he had some raw talent just waiting to be shown. If you enjoy this and his other videos, help him get noticed. Give him a like, subscribe, and spread the word. I wanna see what else he has planned :)

There's Code Blues being called out across the CSU! Can the members of Clan Short come together, once again, to save the lives of those in need, or will lessons have to be learned, first?

AC Fan and myself, are releasing new chapters into the CSU this week! Lost Souls - Chapter 4 is now available, and Life Renewed - Chapter 7 is available, too! Prepare yourself for the rollercoaster ride of emotions that you are about to undertake!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the Feast!

P.S.

The authors take full responsibility for you (the reader) deciding to hate us for this.

Yup, it does happen from time to time. Someone thinks they can pull one over on unsuspecting users. This one is almost official-looking and if you aren't the suspicious type, might even trick you into into clicking on the link within it. Here's an example of it's content:

***

re: Your e-mail account has exceeded its storage limit.

Hi [[-Email-]] ,

Your E-mail account ( [[-Email-]] ) with us is outdated and will be closed.

We strongly recommend you to upgrade your mail quota and avoid unwanted interruptions

For your safety we will temporary suspend your account after 24 hours of receiving this message if the verification is not yet completed

[[-Domain-]] will always Help you fight against scam and spam mails

Case Details: 888284930 

[[-Domain-]] (c) 2020 

***

If you receive an email that looks similar to this example DO NOT click on the link it provides. The link is not official as it is a spoof of a google address and is commonly used to install malware or to fish for live email addresses to sell to disreputable organizations.

If your address is provided to you by us as a part of your hosting, not only are you not exceeding your limit but, your account will NEVER be considered outdated forcing a reply from you as an action. If there is ever an issue, we will contact you directly. (Tip: When the subject does not match the issue listed in the body of the email; that's a good sign someone is trying to give you a broad enough reason to be concerned.)

We are discussing in the background taking action against this particular spamming attempt as it is coming from an identifiable domain. That rarely leads to a single entity but, could help to eliminate whatever list is being worked right now. Keep yourself safe. If you ever receive an unexpected email, always be suspicious.

Happy Birthday, Boudreaux!

Also, Challenge Accepted!

I hope you had a great day, and I hope you have a safe Holiday! Are you old enough yet to have to count the rings in order to see how old you are?

Check out Boudreaux's newest chapter here - Lagniappe

I've got a few surprises for everyone, but we're going to start with the newest addition to the Dragon Earl Universe: Myka's Quest!

Finally, check out the newest chapter of Commander Kid written by our illustrious site owner Jeff P!

Make sure all of you send Bourdreaux birthday wishes!

Not only is he celebrating his Birthday right before the upcoming holiday, but he brought us a present! So I think it's only fair to take that as a Birthday Challenge!

For Boudreaux's Birthday, I will put a present on the pile and release Chapter Three of my newest story "Commander Kid" a day earlier than planned. I was gonna post it as "Turkey Day Dressing" but this is way cooler!

So Happy Birthday to one of "Jeff's Fort's" longest-running authors. Anyone else like to accept the challenge? I mean, he did kinda throw down the gauntlet here... LOL!

It's my birthday today, but I'm giving you all the present: a new chapter of Lagniappe.  There is a big surprise for Baker Sugarman in this chapter, and we learn a bit about his past as well.  Hope you enjoy this chapter.  

Oh my god... If you are anything like me, this has become hell at this point. I stay up way too late, can't get to sleep when I need to, oversleep, and then try to come up with any reason I can to eliminate, shorten, or even put off working. Sure, it doesn't work but I dread work now way more than I did when I had to get up, get dressed, and commute to a workplace. I can slack off right up to the last minute, and I do, but it's getting out of control. I've been getting all my news now from Seth Myers and his "Closer Look" segment simply because I can't stomach the actual news anymore and let's face it, he has no reason to exaggerate what's going on so, may as well skip the careful news media and just listen to someone willing to throw it out there.

Anyway, I work in a few minutes and was wasting time on YouTube and just listened to a two part quarantine parody from Penn Holderness... This is the second part to the set but, the beginning made me laugh out loud so, it's my highlight today:

Originally posted by Fred DeElve

Happy Birthday to the designer of the code that makes The Fort Family work! Hope you have a great day Akeentia!

We ended October with a slew of treats, and started November off with the makings of a feast! The psycho, demented, crazy, weird; whatever word you use to describe the authors that call Jeff's Fort 'Home'; (though we prefer to be called your favorite) have put out a nice amount of updates to keep some of you entertained for a few days, at least.

The end of October we had...

Shawn and Joey: A New Life - Chapter Four by Gary Q

Gifts - Chapter 6 by Boudreaux

Fantasy Faire - Chapter 16 by Boudreaux

The Creator's Intent - Chapter 3 by Boudreaux

When I Learned - Chapter 1 by Boudreaux

Societal Commentaries - A 3-Way Knockout Punch by The Story Lover

The Lost Souls - Chapter 1 by Myke D

Now onto the beginning of November...

Mending Wounded Hearts - Chapter Twenty-Eight by Jules Porter

Be the One - Chapter 6 by Myke D

Shawn and Joey: A New Life - Chapter Five by Gary Q

ACE-Artificial Intelligence - Chapter 6 by Myke D

The Legends of Blood - Chapter 23 by Myke D

Lost Souls - Chapter 2 by Myke D

As always, Stay Safe! Stay Healthy! Take care of each other!

Chapter 28 of Mending wounded hearts is available for reading. Sorry for the delay, my editor has had some brush fire related difficulties.

J.P.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I've sort of got awesome news! I just joined the Clan Short Universe, and released a new story!

Check out "Lost Souls"!

Am I crazy? I think that the verdict came back positive on that subject!

A huge Thank You to everyone that has helped me out over the past two weeks in bringing this chapter together! Also, another Thank You to ACFan for letting me sacrifice my sanity to the CSU! 

I hope everyone enjoys this new story! It's going to be a fun ride! Just wait! There's a new dance move coming! 

So to celebrate the spooky, scary night when we can't give out candy because seriously, kids are dangerous this year.  We already knew they catch and carry every germ out there, so let's invite them all over to get candy and share those germs with us.... How about, no.  Not happening this year, sorry children.  Anyway, while you're sitting at home bored and eating the candy you got for the kids have a new short story and three new chapters from me.  I mean it's not like you wouldn't eat most of the candy you got for the kids anyway, right?  Or is that just me?  I digress.  The new story is called When I Learned.  It's just something thrown together while I had no Internet after that nasty Sally came for a visit.  The new chapters are in Gifts, where we meet four new characters that are going to have a big impact on that story, Fantasy Faire where it might not be Halloween but there are costumes, and The Creator's Intent.  That last chapter I mentioned might be the most Halloween appropriate because the story takes a very dark turn in this chapter.  It won't stay this dark permanently, but there is going to be a long lasting influence from these events.

Hope you enjoy them all and have a very safe, Covid free holiday.

Yes, it is that time of year. The one holiday that has always been known as the one to wear a mask. As fate would have it, not this year! I have no reason to wear one, I'm not going anywhere. Every other day though, mask up man! I do plan to eat a ton of candy though, that's a given!

So, as one or two of you may know, In my early 20's I played drums in a garage/basement band that we called "Paradox"... until we found out the name had been used, then it became "Defective Equipment" which was way more accurate. I'd like to say we made it big but, we didn't make it anywhere. LOL! We were all just "okay" and had fun playing something that sounded a little like the songs we were trying to cover. Oh yeah, tens of people rushed to our performances. Probably because there was normally alcohol involved. You know. I bring this up because this quarantine video is from one of my all-time favorite YouTubers, a drummer named Avery Molek who made my skills on the drums in my 20's sound like an 8-year-old beating on the drums...when he was actually 8! Now he's a teen and I sit and watch on in amazement. Watch this and get just a little taste of what he is all about. If you aren't impressed, you haven't watched him play yet :)

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Deah Foaht Family! Hehehe!

I normally don't post anything political. Like ever. But, this is it; today is the LAST day you can register to vote. I know most of our friends and family here in this community have done so already and know how important this election is if we want to have a fighting chance to save this dumpster fire we call home. I'm not writing to influence your vote, but to encourage you to make your voice heard. No one is happy with how this year is turning out (well, unless you're a gamer. Then you are laughing at the rest of us for climbing the walls) and you have an opinion. Express that opinion in a way that it will help to impact the country.

If you haven't registered to vote, go to vote411.org and see what options are available to you. It's not too late but, tomorrow it will be.

*HUGZ* 

Let's do this!

This message has been brought to you by some idiot with a web site and is not endorsed by anyone with any political clout of any kind. * The views expressed in this message are not necessarily the views of The Fort Family Reader's Community, it's administration, ownership, authors, or readers, or anyone really, and does not imply that they feel that gamers have even noticed that there has been a problem this year at all or, that it matters who the current president is since they are spending their time in a post-apocalyptic future, fighting zombie-like adversaries on a daily basis. I mean come on, what are we crying about. * The term "Dumpster Fire" is in no way an accusation or expression of the actual condition of any part of the electoral process. It is used to imply the perceived results of the last time this process was employed to put the last president in power leading to a political downward spiral resulting in the creation of way more memes than should be allowed to represent one single calendar year in any given presidential term, overlooking the three preceding years leading us to this particular year which appears to be in an extremely bad mood, and can you blame it? * This message is not endorsed by any candidate or candidate's committee and is the sole action of said idiot with a website and should be taken with a grain of salt, or a shot of something really strong. (The latter being the preferred course of action.) * I'm known as JeffsFort, and I approve of this message, kinda, sorta, no... I do. Please vote this year :)

There are times That I am really productive. Site work, production work, work work, story work... I just work myself out until I get to a point where my brain just flips me the middle finger and I can no longer accomplish anything productive. What goes on in my brain when that happens?

Here's an example: 11 minutes, 58 seconds of absolutely nonsensical, hilarious in a lonely brain cell kinda way, completely stupefied, surfed YouTube for three hours, and have this to show for it...video.

Enjoy:

I would have posted these two new chapters much sooner, but a minor little disagreement with Mother Nature by the name of Sally blew into town and knocked me back to the dark ages, literally for four days, and Internet didn't get restored for three weeks.  It's back now, though, which means so am I.  To celebrate that return, have new chapters of Lagniappe and Fantasy Faire.  Hope you enjoy them.

Well, since Myke called me out on it, let's focus on this again. LOL! One hundred and fifty-eight frickin days! Since Day one I have taken over the spare room in the house like I was some sort of pirate, run a network line to run two computers up here, had an old dumpy windows machine shipped from Ohio and a semi-decent monitor shipped from Colorado to run next to an 8-year-old MacBook Pro and a couple of iPads making the desk look like a frickin cockpit where I do my job and build websites, maintain our servers and finally start writing again. Then I bought a brand new MacBook Pro and pay much bigger bills because of it and with it. I've restored a couple of antiques that are worth absolutely nothing to anyone but me and, I post ridiculous things I find that give me a cheap laugh.

For 158 days. I may phone it in tomorrow now :)

Here's some awe-inspiring stuff from Ryan Reynolds... Enjoy!

Hi Everyone!

So, I've heard some sidelines chatter about how busy I've been and how little I write. Yeah, I caught some of it and I point no fingers but, if you bet that I was done writing then you may have lost some money.

Yes, I have been struggling to get a couple of unfinished projects going again. It happens to us all at some point or another. I was always told that if you want to get over a case of writer's block, you need to do something else. Start another idea, work on another project, just switch gears. As some of you know, I have a file loaded with "Ideas" for stories that I read through every once in a while when I just get stuck to see if anything starts to push me forward. Well, one of the ideas gave me a violent shove and the keyboard is cursing me out again. The new story is called "Commander Kid" and begins following a small kid named Jack who is not in an ideal situation in a place where it seems pretty much hopeless if you need help...unless you get lucky. I hope you all enjoy it :)

*HUGZ*

Since Jeff has vanished and hasn't given anybody an update on his quarantine life, I'm going to give you all a quick update on the latest story updates! 

First, Black Paper has posted multiple chapters to "The Book Which Has No Beginning", and six chapters posted to his story "Rotten Apples".

Second, Jules Porter posted Chapter Twenty-Seven of "Mending Wounded Hearts".

Finally, I also have posted a few chapters, lately.  Chapter 21-Ultimatums, from "The Legends of Blood"; Chapter 2-Myka's Love, from "Myka's Quest"; and Chapter 14-Time, from "The Touch".

On a side note, ignore the Cast Lists I posted if you want.  I really did not mean for them to show up on the new update screen.  Just blame Jeff, it's what I do!  :-)  

Is everybody ready for Halloween?  Did anybody submit any scary stories to Comicality for Imagine Magazine?  There might still be time!

Remember to stay healthy, everyone!  

-Myke

It's September 9th, and I've got a brief update for you!  The past couple of weeks have been filled with a brainstorm of activity as I've spent plenty of hours coming up with ideas for all of the new chapters to my stories! 

First, 'The Touch', the story about Zyan, a boy who has spent a decade of his life under the assumption that he was someone else - never knowing his true potential.  In Chapter 13 - 'Growing', Zyan continues to grow closer to his family and learns how much he is truly worth.

Second, we've a brand new chapter of my new story universe 'The Association of Colonization and Exploration', or 'ACE' for short where our first story; 'Artificial Intelligence, takes us through the depths of space we join Pilot Lieutenant Getty Roberts as he is forced to keep the Tesik Family safe by out-flying Bounty Hunters and befriending the one creation he hates - Androids.  Chapter 4 - 'The Android' - tells the story of the AH-57 program, and how the first subject became a part of the program.

Next, we've got the final chapter of 'The Legends of Blood - Part Two', is the story about a vampire that struggles to deal with becoming the first vampire of a species that many don't believe should exist.  Chapter 19 - 'The Lucky Ones' - continues to follow Evan Bentley and David Hunter as they take Jenna to a safe place.  Jenna continues to go through the Change while the Vampire and Hunter deal with an unexpected situation back at 'Lulu's Hideaway'. 

Finally, we have the newest chapter of 'Be the One', the story about a teenager that is surrounded by mystery, secrets, and magic.  In Chapter 4 - 'Awakening' - Elijah Baker begins to get some of the answers he's been seeking, even as he learns his true potential.

I hope everyone is enjoying the newest additions to my stories!

Thanks again to everyone that donated to my gofundme and helped me continue writing the stories that I get to share with all of you!  Thank you also for the emails of encouragement and support that make it worthwhile for me to continue writing and sharing my ideas!  

As always, Stay Safe & Healthy!

-Myke

Oh yeah, still stuck at home. I borderline hate my job now and if it weren't for Netflix, I probably would have snapped by now. I still spend way too much time watching videos. Not all of them just for entertainment either. The DIY stuff or, Apple product reviews, or software hacks... I do learn from many of them, except for when I'm just looking to burn time. And let's face it, most of us do have time to burn. But in my case, I'm too lazy to be productive enough to come out of the other side of this nightmare with huge accomplishments on the COVID-19 scorecard. A few but, not enough to brag about. Whatever. I mean I'm even too lazy to create the graphics for these Quarantine Posts now. Yeah, lazy!

This video I had to watch a couple of times because, it's real entertainment. Finally something worth watching from the Trump archives. Some back story though, I've recently gotten introduced to a cover of the Billie Eilish song "Bad Guy" that was recorded by the "Interrupters" when watching a really cool fight scene in the second season of the Netflix Original Series "The Umbrella Academy". (No, I'm not paid for these mentions... Just a fan.) The cover has a little more punch than the original and it just got stuck in my head. So a couple weeks after searching YouTube to watch their video, I see another cover... Yeah, a spoof. And now I inflict it on all of you! Enjoy!

See, too lazy to create the graphic for it!

Hey, Guys!  

First, huge Thank You to everyone who helped me buy my new Mac by donating to my GoFundMe!  Also, I would like to let everyone know that I've got a new story available "ACE-Artificial Intelligence".  There are also new chapters posted for "The Touch" and for "The Legends of Blood"!  Hope you all enjoy them!  

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Here's some new chapters to read while you hide from the heat. Assuming you're from the Northern Hemisphere, that is.  Hope you enjoy them.  Lots of family bonding in Gifts, Lagniappe, Fantasy Faire, and Flea Market Sausage.

One hundred and four frickin' days!

Yeah, I'm really beginning to have trouble registering the passage of time at this point. Each day just bleeds into the next. Maintaining a normal sleep schedule is difficult and apparently pointless. I mean I wake up late and...I'm late for what exactly? Right, late to be awake for a few hours before logging in and working for a few hours. You know, at the same desk I spend the rest of my time at when I'm not working. I've been dying for the weekend to come so I won't have to work but, it's not like I was planning to actually do anything. Whatever, lol!

Today, I was looking through the long list of things in my watch later list that I keep passing over. You may have these in your list if you are like me. Things that you intend to watch later but, keep passing over because they are too long and you don't want to spend that much time watching a YouTube video; so instead you watch 10 five minute videos instead of that 1 twenty minute video. The logic can't be argued! Anyway, I have a ton of stuff that has been collecting dust in "watch later" and I just decided I'm watching the oldest one RIGHT NOW! It is the continuation of a really stupid video from YouTube's pre-Google days when stupid was new. LMAO, as if there was ever a time. Make a coffee and watch this one. I promise you will laugh and feel so much dumber afterward ;)

Note: Evidently there is a two-part finalé on their channel for this "Gem", don't want to miss that. :D

Please join us and the entire Fort Family as we celebrate ACFan's 105th birthday. Um... No, his 15th birthday, ...that can't be right... LOL!

As you all know, ACFan has been one of the pillars that has supported the Fort Family and makes it all possible for these sites to continue hosting all the stories that we all love. Without him, we wouldn't have one of the biggest, longest, and wildest collaborations on the net and we would definitely be way more bored right now :)

So Happy Birthday ACFan! May you enjoy 105 more... or um... yeah. LOL!

Since this is Myke D.'s home site I am posting this message here:

Myke has had a catastrophic computer failure, and needs some help purchasing a Mac, in order for him to keep writing and posting his stories. He has created a GoFundMe Account and is close to his goal. Any amount that you can spare will be very helpful. Here is the link to his GoFundMe Page - https://gf.me/u/ygsugn

Please stay safe and healthy,

TSL

So, this room that has temporarily become my bedroom/office as many of you know is a seldom-used attic room that is generally a spare bedroom the landlord uses when he is in the area or if we have someone stay for a few days. Took me about a week to clean and dust and whatever as it's usually just closed up. Well, as an attic room with no AC, it gets hot in here. Like, black box in the sun hot and yesterday tipped the scales. I've gotten used to sitting in here late in the day when it is at it's hottest, sweating while trying to get through my shift but when we hit the mid 90's, the room got well above 100 and even with fans was intolerable, both for me and the work PC. Luckily, a housemate stuck his head in the door and after realizing just how hot it had gotten, offered an AC unit that he had been storing. 24 hours later and the unit has finally gotten the room dry and cool, now I feel sick. LOL!

I decided after overdoing it in the heat, I was going to take the day off and get acclimated to the new environment and relax. This is when I start digging through things I normally wouldn't, like old Voy forum posts, and I found what I would consider one of my favorite short videos that I had almost completely forgotten about. "Cootie Contagion" which is probably the cutest short film overall, tackles the Cootie epidemic that has plagued schoolyard for generations. We can consider this Quarantine post my PSA announcement for the year. Because in the age of COVID-19, Cooties could very well go forgotten and THAT is when it will get you!

Groan! No seriously, GROAN!!!

Today was one of those days when YouTube is just not something that can fit into the schedule. Site work for the couple of sites that I manage, work to pay the rent and all that stuff, more site work followed but software updates for my own site, and finally email in need of being addressed... So, there is no quarantine YouTube video to share. As a matter of fact, I'm not happy with YouTube right now as their "YouTube Music" service is replacing "Google Play Music" which I've been using for quite a few years now. It better keep my "Thumbs Up" playlists between videos and music separate or I may pull a nutty! I mean, my daily playlist is all that keeps me sane most of the time and if they mess with it... Who am I kidding, like they give a damn :/

So, with no YouTube surfing time logged, what do I have to share? I get comics emailed to me that I read when having my coffee when I first get up in the late morning :) Yup, I address nothing until I have at least one cup of coffee in my system except for a bunch of comic strips. This one made me smile because for years I used to get picked on for using "Comic Sans" as a font on my site. Even more so for finding other times to use it and driving people nuts with it. (I'm looking at you Akeentia! LOL!) Enjoy!

BC by Mastroianni and Hart

That's right! Day 70! Who would have guessed at the beginning of all this that summer would need to be canceled? Seriously, this is idiotic. The worst part of all this is the fact that our president who has been in power for almost 4 years, and ironically acts as if that is his age as well, his administration (room full of monkeys), and his supporters (monkeys who have gotten loose), have done everything absolutely right when it comes to containing and controlling the COVID -19 outbreak. No seriously, they did. By right, I mean against all odds they have taken the absolute best path to have the absolute worst outcome. We literally are unable to flatten the curve (a little late for that term now though) making us the only part of the world who is still riding the first wave. And still, with all-time record high outbreak numbers, our leaders are trying to convince us that it's more important to look good than to be safe. Reduce testing, the numbers will come down, all will be right with the world. What's wrong with these people? People protesting the shelter at home orders are protesting to protect their rights to spread the virus. Last time I looked, at the very least that is wreckless endangerment at best. Grrrr....

So, day 70 with no sign of an end at this point when other parts of the world are actually getting back to some form of normalcy. In our online family, those of us not being forced to endanger ourselves and continue to work with the public (Our thoughts and prayers are with you BTW), most of us have returned to work from the comfort of our own homes. Yes, the desk where I pay my bills and waste time online is now where I make my paycheck now. For a lot of us, that is just odd and feels like mixing business with pleasure...kinda.

So as usual, I find myself on YouTube not really wanting to accomplish anything as I have been doing that all week long already in this same chair. Today, I want to share some "Internet History" to give some of the older guys a smile. The late 90's early 2000's was a strange and awesome time for an internet that was struggling to define itself. Thankfully, some of the most creative minds of the time shared art of a new form with us. While working with our coding wizard "Akeentia" we mentioned one of the videos that helped define the term "Viral" and for those of us who were building young communities online back then, it screams at us to remind of how we learned to lose entire days getting lost in flash animation sites of the time and a pre-Google owned YouTube. That video is saved in many places on the web but I found this copy on a YouTube account that appears to specialize in collecting those lost gems. Today, I inflict...share that video with you all! WARNING This one has adult language. Don't go if you would get slapped using most four-letter words in your home, otherwise... it's all good.

Yes. Even though I am still working from home and probably will be for the foreseeable future, I still have time that I just need to kill when I would normally be commuting to work. You would think I would have figured out more productive things to do with these "dead" windows in the schedule. No... I still go brain dead jumping from video to video on YouTube, as I have been doing for way too many years.

Recently, there has been a focus on the "pandemic easing" posts from one of my favorite YouTube Families. "The Holderness Family", which has gotten a very widespread public acknowledgment with so many of us just looking for a reason to smile. They have actually been making videos for quite some time so, as newer videos focusing on the current lockdown take the spotlight, I'd like to take the path less traveled and jump a couple of years back. Remember, they were crazy before the pandemic, which is why I love them. 

I have posted three chapters today, well technically two chapters and one short story.  I had to fight a modem that was going off and on like a strobe light to get it done, but I persevered for you my friends and readers, cause I'm that kind of guy.   Ok, so it was more of a personal vendetta against the p.o.s. modem.  Anyway.... Updates to Twists of Time and Fantasy Faire have been made and I have added a new short story complete in one chapter called The Parselmage Necromancer.  It's not quite what you think from that title, though.  I'm sure my older readers will appreciate it more than the younger ones, but that is sort of the point of that particular story.  Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the reading. 

Boudreaux

As many of you know, I went back to work about a month ago. You know, that job that I got excited to get ready for all week long and even had a hard time waiting to get back to after every torturous weekend. (Yeah, that's a lie.) Well now, I get to do it from my cell here in solitary confinement. So, the lower end of the job, that I worked hard to get promoted from... that part of the job, in the room I sleep in, in the worst desk chair ever designed... EVER!

Excitement has kept me from making my Quarantine News Posts but yes, I remembered. Maybe I knew right along that I was forgetting something? Maybe I held off to build suspense? Maybe I considered adding a miserable section into the part of the day that I would just stare at a screen and hapily let brain cells die as I spent hours watching old Numa Numa videos on YouTube... Go ahead. Go Google it. I'll wait. -_-

Anyway, this video is from someone I've been subscribed to for quite some time. He's a very talented musician and has an odd sense of humor, which of course earns points in my scorebook. This video demonstrates exactly where my brain is, right now. Maybe yours too. ENJOY!

Celebrating Pride Month where everyone dresses up in their rainbow finest, let's check in on the Lagniappe boys who are getting dressed up for their "business date" with their split aparts.  Emotional fluffiness warning.  Brothers are bonding here.  Hope you enjoy it.

Boudreaux

Hi Gang!

Yup, this is the last shopping day before the 14th Annual Random Cake Holiday celebration begins. That's right! It's time to go out and get that cake, or the ingredients for that cake before it's too late!

Why you ask? Because just as in years past, who doesn't need an excuse to have cake? It's fun, we all need a smile, especially with things as messed up as they are right now. What more reason do you need? It is a part of our online culture! Well, not really. I mean by definition "laziness" is also a part of our online... you get it. LOL!

So take that run out to the local bakery, grocery store, 7-Eleven, or gas station and get you some cake! Doesn't matter what time you have your cake, as long as it's between Midnight and 11:59pm on the 28th it counts. Then why not make it official and hop into the Shack Discord Chat at https://discordapp.com/invite/5rVAUj9 and tell us what kind of cake you had. For a real smile, tell the chat admin, "Reverand_Doctor_Dude" that you are visiting for Comicality's random Cake day. He'll want to know what kind of cake you had. (Well, he may want to know why you didn't bring him cake but, it's not on you to provide him with cake, I mean, the nerve of that guy ;)

So get ready before it's too late. The cake selection at my local Grocery Store was picked pretty dry and I had to decorate it myself... Hey, I tried! LOL! Have Fun!

Hi Again!

It looks like we survived the server torture test so we won't be needing the disaster survival kit I put together yesterday. (I just may keep the tin-foil hat though because... alien mind probes!)

The reason I am once again invading your news feed is to let you know I just assisted Black Paper in the posting of a brand new story entitled Rotten Apples of which he has posted 2 chapters for you all to check out. Please remember to let him know what you think, it really does help Black Paper and all of our hard-working authors know how they are doing. Besides, there is no better paycheck than the knowledge that someone likes your work, seriously.

Enjoy the new read!

Between 2am EST and 6am EST on May 26, the wizards who provide our hosting will be casting a new integrity spell on the rack-mounted totem that contains all of our characters. This is done to ensure not too many of them escape or cause too much havoc on our realm. It may be difficult to reach the sites with your computer as they perform this ritual but if you are able to peer into ethereal realms, you shouldn’t have a problem. If not, I'd suggest you use your own wizardry and save a few chapters locally to get you through.

This ritual should take about 30 minutes for most of our sites. Maybe about a DAY for The Story Lover's Home as Dragons are much more difficult to contain and really do like messing with the wizards. <snicker> 

We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, both in lost reading time and should you become overrun with the group who plans out this time of year to escape normally. Our hopes and gratitude go out to the wizards tasked with this responsibility!

I have done some tweaking to my story titled The Creator's Intent, and have reposted new versions of the prologue, Chapter 1, and I added Chapter 2.  These changes and the new chapter have not been edited by TSL because I didn't want to bother him when he hasn't been feeling well lately.  I hope that's all right and that all of you readers will be gentle when you criticize me both for doing that, and for any of the errors he would normally catch for me.  Hope you enjoy the reading as you all continue to stay safe and healthy in the crazy, crazy world we live in.

Hi everyone!

Wanted to take a moment to introduce you all to a brand new author on the site. Myke D. Is an established author who was recently featured on The Shack's own Imagine Magazine with his story "The Legends of Blood" and a full interview, you really should check it out! Well, at the moment Myke is in the process of claiming his spot in our community and I'm excited to invite you all to check out his hard work. He is still moving in so keep an eye out as more of his work becomes available and as always; please be sure to drop him a line and let him know how he's doing. It really is the only paycheck any hosted author on any site gets and it does mean an awful lot.

- Jeff

Happy Shut-In Sunday :7

Actually, that's not totally true. I did pull my mountain bike out of the basement to de-winterize and tune it up. After pumping the tires back up, inspecting and adjusting the brakes and derailers, and cleaning the basement crud off of it, I took it out for a quick mile to run to make sure everything was good. It was, the bike wintered like a champ... It was me that didn't do so well. LOL! I've decided to vow once again to eat better and know there is a pint of ice cream in my freezer that I need to get rid of to start on my quest to better physical fitness. Now once I find a spoon I'll get right on it ;)

My YouTube pick is one of my favorite YouTubers. Her name is Simone Giertz and she builds some really wild and imaginative things, just because she can. Today's project made me smile and I think it will make you smile too. Remember: stay safe, stay healthy!

Just got word today that my employer finally figured out how to get us up and running from our homes. This is great, except I don't have a computer that meets the requirements that they need so I have to wait for them to send me a computer. The last time I waited on them to do anything... Well, I'm still waiting X(

So, to share some of my boredom, I decided to give you a link to a video that has some very important information that will probably help no one. Enjoy!

Groan... So after struggling for days to get up and running at home for work, without success, as usual I decided to hit YouTube for something entertaining, uplifting... okay, anything to keep me from screaming in boredom. It usually works. I know I'm not the only one who is baffled by the huge amount of time available to those of us stuck at home but suffering from a crippling lack of enthusiasm to actually accomplish the things we normally don't have time for. It's almost as if the fact that we shouldn't have time to do it means that it's wrong... whatever.

Anyway, I decided to share with you the first video today that made me smile, genuinely. Not because it's stupid, funny, or even stupid funny.

I've been subscribed to Kent for months as this king of playing is just so amazing to me. How someone learns to play the harmony, percussion and vocal parts of a song at the same time is beyond me and he does it with such ease. I actually stumbled on his work while watching the videos of Feng E. who is so good at just that, it is scary.

Hope this gives you something more to burn some of this free time. Stay Healthy : Stay Safe! - Jeff

Happy April Fools Day!!!

From the management team and hosted authors of JeffsFort!

Hi Everyone!

I know most of us are having a tough time dealing with being out of work/school, dealing with social distancing, and the boredom that can creep up on you. I mean, I enjoyed an extra night off as I was able to catch up with site work and some friends in chat like I used to do all the time but... It gets to a point where you just feel like you're supposed to be doing something. Well, something other than avoiding other people, washing and sanitizing your hands almost constantly, and simply being bored and alone. So, as a fun suggestion, meet the Lyon Bros.:

These guys always make me smile with their unique band and the songs they choose. Definitely check them out and "BE" there with them! Remember, 6 feet!

I'd also like to invite you to a Discord chat that has been one of my favorites ever since it was first created on an IRC server back when those were the best way to gather. Just click on the link and it will bring you to the official "Comicality's Shack Outback Discord Chat" and come make some new friends, or just simply not be alone:

https://discordapp.com/invite/5rVAUj9

Reading is one of my favorite pass-times. Sure, as time has passed, I have found it hard to find the time to read but, with more free time than I know what to do with right now, I've found the time. To take advantage of it, you could do what I have been doing and looking for new works on all of our family sites. I mean we've spent quite a few years meeting and adopting authors from all over the internet. I use our community site to see what is new on all of the Fort Family sites, or I'll go to its link page and pick a site to go through. Sure, there are quite a few authors who are on multiple sites but, there are even more who call only one site their home. Go take a look and see just how big our family really is!

The Entire Fort Family Community

The last thing I can think of to help pass some of this abundance of free time we are finding ourselves with is to try your hand at storytelling. I learned a long time ago that most people who love to read have very good imaginations and have an idea or two brewing that they could build into the next hit on a story site. Why not give it a shot and share your imagination with other people with similar imaginations. It was an author who gave me the incentive to give it a shot and look at what it all turned into from there. If you come up with something you'd like to share, look for our "Posting Guidelines" on most Fort Family sites in the "Features" section in the top menu for help contacting the site owner to possibly give you a home for your work. 

In the end, don't let boredom consume you and if you are alone, don't be. Come out to our virtual hangout and find a new favorite story, write my next new favorite story or, just come goof off with us over in Comicality's Discord Chat! Even he has been on waaaaaay more than ever. Be safe, stay healthy, and remember that we can't wait to meet you!

- Jeff - (aka JeffsFort) 

Hi everyone!

I am so excited tonight. I knew that our sister site https://storylover.us was hosting the author of a story that I have really fallen in love with so, of course, I gave the site owner a hard time about it. Well, where he is inside our family network, we got permission to co-host right here on The Fort! So, I am so thrilled to introduce you all to Black Paper and the work that is now making its way into the Fort Family for the first time. I have been really taken with what he has written and hope you will be as well. Be sure to give him a wave and let him know what you think. A kind word is sometimes the best paycheck an online author could ever hope for :)

*HUGZ*

You won't need to look for your Cajun English translator this time.   The new chapters are in Expanding Horizons, and Fantasy Faire.  Ok, so there may be some Yiddish in that one, but it isn't Cajun so there.    Anyway, I hope you enjoy the updates and there are more on the way.

Boudreaux

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note so everyone knows that the next chapter of "The Robot With Human Hair" - Chapter Two: Derek (Part 1) By "Frostbite Seth" just went live. This first-time author is really fleshing out these characters and just a warning, it may be a little too real for some people. I got to the end of the chapter myself and muttered about the fact that there wasn't more. LOL!

Please, take a moment to encourage our new authors! They choose to share with us and the only payment they get is feedback that helps them grow as authors. That's the economy we deal with here. Textual Paychecks! :)

I know I normally never do this, but this once I'm drawing attention to a commentary that has been posted.

You may have noticed that TSL posted a repost of something I found in my Facebook feed. Nobody is sure who wrote it, but any of us who have been there can identify with it and the lesson it teaches.

Please, no matter if you have been abused or not, read the "Monsters are Real" in The Story Lover's Societal Commentaries, and share it with everyone you can. Unfortunately, it mirrors reality all too well.

Thank you, and please say a prayer tonight for the young ones to get help escaping the monsters.

AC

It's short and fluffy, but there are some interesting revelations for the crew of the Intel Field Services Division.  Hope you enjoy it.

Boudreaux

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

There is a new chapter of Lagniappe, and a new chapter of Expanding Horizons live and ready to read. 

Laissez les bon temp roullez!  And if you don't hear from me again before then, Joyeaux Noel!

Boudreaux

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Share this wherever you can. It's a message that needs to be heard.

https://youtu.be/AM_hKCMXJ0o

-Jeff -

To our men and women in uniform who served in the past or are presently serving, we honor you today and every day. This truly is the home of the free because of the brave. To all who have put their lives on the line in defense of our nation, thank you. Love to you all! GOD bless.

Finding My Way Home is finally finished.  Chapter 12 of Home Life marks the end of this saga.  It's been a long run, but the characters tell me it's time for them to retire now.  This series started as a one chapter story twenty years ago.  I appreciate all the support and love for this story over the years.  Enjoy the final chapter which I hope will settle all the characters for you.

As for the story that goes on, that would be Lagniappe.  Chapter 7 is now live and brings some massive changes to Keagan's life due to some surprises for his adoptive families.  I hope you like it.

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Dear Readers,

We are aware of there being network issues in the US from Ohio east that are causing timeout issues accessing multiple sites in the Fort Family. This is an Internet issue, not a server issue, so there is nothing that we can do but wait it out. If you are having issues, please be patient while the Internet fixes itself. Thanks,

Take care,

TSL

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

I won't go there, even though it is tempting when I am posting Chapter 11 of one story and Chapter 13 of another.  Before I give in to that temptation, though, I will just say that Expanding Horizons and Finding My Way Home Book 3 have both been updated.  Hope you enjoy them. 

Boudreaux

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

I just got an awesome email from an author I have really enjoyed for quite some time. He is hosted on a couple of our other family sites and has just given us permission to cohost his work right here on our site!!! I know, right? :D

For those of you who haven't read his work before, take a look at the works of Paul Schroder and please, let him know what you think! I'll be busy re-reading myself! Hehehe!

There is a new chapter of Fantasy Faire as Elijah gets to know his new family better, and there is a new chapter of Lagniappe where there are family surprises and secrets revealed for Keagan as well as some others.  Hope you enjoy the chapters.  It's kind of ironic that I get to post two chapters focused on family today, when I am hoping this weekend to have a mini family reunion of my own, with my dearest of cousins whom I have not seen in person in twenty years. 

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

Hi guys!

So I've been working some really insane hours as most of you know. If it weren't for Boudreaux's hand on the wheel and the help of our community we'd be dusting off HTML again ;) Anyway, that's not the case and today I've got some really cool news:

Today we get to welcome another new author to our site as well as welcome him into the Fort Family! Dark Magician is the author of an adventure story that is very unique as well as fun to read. He is also sharing his poetry with us and I can tell you right now, it's very impactful and I know many of you will agree. His poetry is already available on the site and his story is being prepared to move into its new home.

So join me in welcoming Dark Magician to the site and as always, if you enjoy his work please hit his contact email address to let him know what you think. It's really the only reward an online author has to look forward to so why not make his day?

'til the next update!
*HUGZ*
Jeff P. - JeffsFort@gmail.com

The word lagniappe, roughly translated, means 'a little something extra.'  So here's a little something extra; a new chapter of Lagniappe which tells a bit more of Keagan's history and sets up some interesting and unexpected things in his future as well.  Enjoy and laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

That's right, it's a double dose from your resident Ragin' Cajun.  So apparently I need to buy stock in Tylenol and give them all to TSL for these chapters.  I'm sorry, TSL, but even three year olds do have slightly different ways of speaking.... especially three year olds that hang out with Cajuns.  As for what happens in ToT 9, all will be sorted out soon.  Hope everyone enjoys the chapters.

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to step out of character for a moment as a friend who has a very young son who is battling Leukemia (and winning!!!) is having a really rough time. You can get a small picture of what the situation is here: gf.me/u/twyhm3

Now you guys all know that if we ask for help, something is either horribly wrong or we are concerned a great deal about someone. I’m concerned for Jacob’s Father at the moment. His last job was less than understanding about the situation with his son. They ended out firing him in the tail end of the worst of their struggles. I went to the Go Fund Me page and donated a few bucks to try and take even a fraction of the weight off of them, as did a few others. Now he is starting a new job, and Jacob is beating this!!! I can’t imagine what this has taken out of the family but I wanted to help again. I gave what I could and I’m introducing you to one of the toughest kids I know at the moment:

_{Click Image To Enlarge}
 

You all know that something has to be horribly wrong or extremely important for any of us to reach out to the community for help. I was able to give a little and hope others would be willing to do the same. May not seem like an awful lot but it would help a rough situation as well as show a very tired but strong family that there are people out here who care. Besides, read the stories that we write. I’d like to give the world another happy ending and we can all help make that happen in this case.

*HUGZ* Til the next update!

Hey gang!

Just a quickie to remind everyone that there are quite a few things to celebrate in the month of June! Barring birthdays and site anniversaries, here’s a short list with info on Wikipedia for you all. Hope you are all in the mood to celebrate!

• African-American Music Appreciation Month
• ALS Awareness Month (Canada)
• LGBT Pride Month
• National Safety Month
• National Smile Month (United Kingdom, May and June)

There are some traditions that were started as a laugh that we refuse to let die. This is one started by our favorite role model and yes, The Fort Family celebrates it to this day...

- Jeff -

Originally Posted on the Fort Family Forum: May 28, 2006 (Edited for General Audiences :P~ )

*Random Cake Holiday* Emailed By Comicality!

That's right! I said 'Random Cake Holiday'! Hehehe! Don't ask any questions, don't worry about the rhyme or reason WHY you should do it...just DO IT! We had a conversation in the chat tonight, and this lack of cake is just unforgivable. So today, I want each and every single person reading this, to go out somewhere and find yourself a piece of cake to eat! I don't care HOW you get it, or WHAT kind of cake it is! But there are just way too many people who have gone TOO long without having a piece of cake!

You can laugh all you want! Feel silly doing it! I don't care! Whatever! Just go out, find some cake, and enjoy it for the simple fact that you CAN! And I'm not talking about some moldy old store bought sliver of cake that you can buy for a quarter at the counter of your local gas station! I mean actual *CAKE*! Go to a bakery, go to a neighbor's house, hit up the old lady that does volunteer work at the resource center in your area, bake your own and give half of it away to someone else who doesn't have cake, play your Cake cd on your car radio..whatever...but don't you DARE let the sun set without getting a taste of that sweet sweet cake goodness! C'mon...don't you want some CAKE??? I do!

The only time we get to have cake is at weddings, birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs, and bachelor parties. And that's just wrong! So if you needed a reason to eat cake, then here it is. It's cake day. GO! Get some! Enjoy it! Do it for the simple fact that you have absolutely NO reason to do it other than I told you so! Hehehe! Savor it!

That's right....I'm going to get mine as soon as I get up tomorrow! Believe me! Mmmm cake...

Spread the word!

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

So to celebrate my two year anniversary of freedom, I am giving all of you the present, four presents actually: new chapters of Expanding Horizons, Fantasy Faire, Flea Market Sausage and Gifts.  I hope you all enjoy them.  Thanks for reading!

Boudreaux

Yeah, it may be a good idea to have a seat for this one. I've been keeping a secret from you all! Muahahaha!!!

Tonight, we launch a brand new story that I really am proud to launch. What is it? Wow, you still have no patience after all these years. OMG! Hehehe!

To start with, let's show you where we have been setting the stage to launch this new work. Recently, readers of The Fort have just been introduced to Lindon Weztser and his story "Lincoln, The Family I Never Expected". Well, he had an idea for a collaboration that none of us would have come up with on our own. Live tonight under the name of "unBroken Authors" is a brand new story that is a three-way collaboration between Lindon Weztser, ACFan and myself titled unBroken.  We all hope you enjoy this tale but be warned, it will touch on some sensitive subjects and focus on an abusive and toxic household where three young boys are trying to survive. Just writing it had us running the gambit of emotions and we hope it will have a meaningful impact when it has all been said and done.

As always, be sure to let us know what you think by sending an email to the unBroken Authors. It's the only paycheck we receive as online authors. Yes, this means we are all demanding a raise. LOL!

Until the next update!
*HUGZ*

Actually it might still be the ides of May, since I think that means it is the middle of the month, but anyway. there is a new chapter of FMWH Book 3: Home Life.  There might be some tears involved in this chapter as several major events take place.  For a nice change of pace, none of them are inherently bad events, so no one has to come after me with weapons.  At least I don't think you do.  Read the chapter and find out for yourselves.

Hey Gang!

Just a quickie to let you know that an author who really shook our community not too long ago with his first ever work, has expressed interest in having that story hosted right here in The Fort! Now, I know most of our family knows of this story but, there may be one or two of you who have been intently reading here and have missed all the noise on a couple of the other sites. If Mohammed won't go to the mountain... You know the rest ;)

Lindon Weztser's "Lincoln, The Family I never Expected" Is now available right here on The Fort!!! If you haven't read it yet, check it out. You won't regret it. 100% Money Back Guarantee if not completely satisfied ;)

** Hugz **

Originally Posted by Fred DeElve

Fred asked me to post this reminder:

Posted by Fred DeElve

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note from myself and all of the hosted authors at https://jeffsfort.com / https://jeffsfort.net to wish you all a Happy and Safe Easter, Passover, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year. I personally celebrate the beginning of the spring season and the accompanying weather cause even though I'm not a huge fan of the summer heat, I do love it when the world visibly comes back to life.

< psa > I see from other sites within the Fort Family that we are focussing on the traditional chocolate bunny. I do have one tip for our younger readers. Be sure you NEVER eat any eggs that come out of a rabbit. In spite of what your older brother/sister may tell you they are NOT chocolate!  < /psa >

Hehehe...

Yes, another chapter is now available for your perusal.   It's finally time for sweet Frodo to get a new wardrobe.  Nothing could happen while going shopping for a few pairs of jeans, right?  Ahh who am I kidding?  This is one of my stories.  ANYTHING could happen while shopping.  Hope you enjoy this one.  Oh fair warning.... I have added yet another language that is not exactly English, but I'm hoping most people won't have any trouble with this one.  Let me know if you do. 

Laissez les bon temps roullez

Boudreaux

Well I've taken the plunge and posted the first chapter of "Mending Wounded Hearts" I wasn't expecting the kind of feed back I received for  my last story. And frankly I thought that it would be my only story.  So thanks to Guys like Jeff, TSL and an author called Juju I took another shot.

Please let me know if you like it or don't like it.  I look forward to hearing from readers and authors alike. 

Posted by Fred DeElve

Hi Family!

As one of our favorite holidays is right on top of us, I'm afraid our plans for it have been unavoidably put off. We got an announcement from our hosting service that there will be some much-needed maintenance being performed on the machines that we rely on for hosting. Which means we can expect intermittent outages throughout the day. Now at first, we thought "Hmmm... Maybe THIS was intended as an April Fool's joke..." before we considered how serious our hosting service takes their job. So, even though all year long we have been planning something a bit out there to make up for missing past April Fool's opportunities, we regretfully need to let it go this year. For those of us who think THIS is an April Fool's joke, we have trained you well but, this year that training will not serve you as well as it should. <giggle>

I also want to remind you all that tomorrow, our hosted author "Garrett D.M." ships out to boot camp with the United States Army. I hope you all were able to send him off with good wishes and I personally can't wait to hear some of the stories he comes home with. Those of you who would like to send him a quick message to wish him luck, you can reach him at his listed email: garret.d.m98@gmail.com. I'm sure he would appreciate knowing that we are all with him in spirit.

Til the next update,
*HUGZ*
- Jeff P. -

Today at 1200 hours PST, our own hosted author and adopted little brother "Garret D.M."  was sworn in to the United States Army where his aim is to become a Technology Informations Specialist. We are so proud of him and all that he is accomplishing after overcoming a difficult past and never giving up on himself and those who care about him deeply. Standing on his own two feet and reaching for the stars, we couldn't be happier for him.

 So from all of our site owners, hosted authors, and even your readers Garret; "Good Luck" in boot camp and remember... When you have the time, we expect you to "...DROP AND GIVE US 20 CHAPTERS, PRIVATE!!!" Hehehe!

*HUGZ*
Jeff P. and all of us in the Fort Family

I peeked in at the Community's newest chapter's listing and saw that Jules Porter has been very busy!

Over the past couple of days, Let Me Tell You About Bob - The Salvation of a Gay Teen Chapters 3 & 4 have been posted for us all to enjoy. Be sure to let him know that you are reading and I'm sure he'd love to hear what you think.

Don't sell the veterans short though, Boudreaux has been posting like mad as well and on some stories that we have all been eagerly waiting for. Even I have been working on a little surprise for you all once I get all the rust sanded off my keyboard ;)

Keep an eye on the site, someone poked the sleeping bear and I believe these guys are pushing to keep it awake. "YAY!"

* HUGZ * 

Other than King Cake and parades involving lots of beads, what better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than with a new chapter of Lagniappe?  It's live and ready for you so let the good times roll, and if you feel like it, throw me some emails, mister!

Boudreaux

I have another double feature for my readers.  This time it's one new chapter of Fantasy Faire, and one new chapter of Gifts.  There will be more chapters of other stories soon I hope.  In the meantime, enjoy these two.  

Don't forget Mardi Gras season is here, so add a little purple, green, and gold to your life.

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

Hi Everyone!

After Boudreaux and I finally hacked through the ropes *glares at ACFan*, an author that was recently featured in Comicality's Imagine-Magazine had a meeting with us and after much deliberation... um... hours of discussion... er... a few minutes of interrogation... We asked he said cool. So much less dramatic though ;)

Tonight / This Morning The Fort welcomes Jules Porter and his story "Let Me Tell You About Bob - The Salvation Of A Gay Teen" which can also be found in Issue 42 of Imagine-Magazine as well as The Story Lover's Home where his work will be co-hosted. We all hope that you all enjoy his work as much as we do ourselves.

I'd also like to personally welcome Frostbite Seth to the site. His story "The Robot With Human Hair" is a fresh new take by a brand new author that dives into a topic that has fascinated me ever since my first Sci-Fi love surfaced. ACFan was kind enough to help him get settled in while work was abusing their privileges when it came to how many hours they can hold me captive. I'd like to say that it is an isolated situation but, as long as I have rent to pay, they own me. XO (That and as long as I'm stuck at work, ACFan can't get at me with the rope again. Boudreaux and I will be planning to get even.) 

Be sure to give both authors some kind words. Often, that's the only reward we receive from you all and a few kind words can fuel many chapters. It made us stick with it for *ahem* so many years. :P~

Til the next update!
*HUGZ*

Dear Readers and Authors,

This year's Valentine's Day Short Story Event is titled ~ Cupid's Arrows ~ 2019 ~ Cupid Won't Give Up! 

The event starts now and runs through January 31, 2018, for unedited stories and February 7th for edited stories. I will post all stories on Valentine's Day February 14th.

Please send all your submissions (yes multiple submissions are allowed) to  Elfmail <elfmail@events.csuproductions.com> with the subject of Cupid's Arrows ~ 2019.

If you need an idea of what this event is about check out this really cute Short Video In A Heartbeat it just may spark your muse.

 Happy Reading,

Just in case you thought things were quiet, I've been invited to remind you that the Fort is unpredictable! 

As the two people who usually cause mayhem around here are tied up (Honestly, I have no idea where the rope came from...) I get the pleasure of announcing the newest Fort author...

Ladies and Gentlemen Readers of all ages - I give you: Frostbite Seth!

Frostbite Seth's new story, "Chapter One: Riley" from The Robot with Human Hair by Frostbite Seth is now LIVE on Jeff's Fort. Please welcome Frostbite Seth to his new home!

I really hope you enjoy the story, and don't worry... I gave JeffP and Boudreaux a box of plastic butter knives to cut those ropes!

ACFan

Hi Guys!

Just wanted to let you know that The Story Lover and I have finally restored our Fort Newsletter to keep you all up to date with behind the scenes announcements, inside info, or just well wishing from our gang. The link to it is in the "Features" drop-down menu on the site itself or you can just go to:

https://jeffsfort.com/phplist/?p=subscribe

For those of you on a tight schedule, it should be a good way to be reminded what events happen, stories are updated, or new stuff is released. I'll even try to get our active authors to use it. (or at least let me know when they need to give you all a heads up :)

HUGZ
- Jeff -

Dear Readers and Authors,

This year's Valentine's Day Short Story Event is titled ~ Cupid's Arrows ~ 2019 ~ Cupid Won't Give Up! 

The event starts now and runs through January 31, 2018, for unedited stories and February 7th for edited stories. I will post all stories on Valentine's Day February 14th.
The Rules:

1. The short stories must be between 500 words and 15,000 words
   
   
2. The Short Story should be about how Cupid Won't Give Up, as he keeps shooting arrows at someone in the closet.
   
   
3. Many of us have been in this position. Suddenly, your heart reaches out for the one person who you simply can’t risk telling how you feel. When your heart betrays you, can you build up the courage to follow it or do you continue to fight?
   
   
4. This event is open to all readers and authors.
   
   
5. Authors must authorize the Fort Family of Sites, by written permission to host their stories.

So put on your writing caps and get writing, more details to follow.

Happy Reading,

You know, we often love to sit around and toss memories of the past back and forth. We often bring up how little we knew about what we were doing back when we started out and how much we are really blown away that 15 years later, we not only are still here but these sites are thriving beyond anything we could have imagined. Looking back is a great way to put today in perspective but looking forward reminds us that no matter how we think we may be handicapped in one situation or another, the sky is still the limit.

It's been years since I have bothered with a new years resolution but if I were to make a wish for 2019, it would be for the health and happiness for each and every reader and author who has ever interacted with the Fort Family and its neighbors. A wish to ensure that we continue to have this virtual family that has been anything but virtual to me for many years. I would also wish for family members who are no longer with us. I would wish for them to see where we are today and to know that a piece of them lives on through us. My life is richer today because of the kindness of a hand full of people who believed that we were able to build a home worth protecting and I will never feel as if I was able to adequately convey that appreciation.

15 years now. The Fort Family first sprouted from our efforts back in 2004. We always hoped it would find its place amongst the other communities on the web and when it did, we couldn't have been any more proud or amazed.

Thank you for 15 years of fun and friendship from us all here in The Fort and here's to a happy 2019! May it bring many more memories for us to look back on someday...

*HUGZ*
Jeffsfort

Dear Readers,

All Nineteen Twenty of this year's Christmas Short Story Event Submissions are now live here on The Fort Readers Event District!

Santa & I owe our author NCNesturfer our most abject and humblest of apologies, I made his story invisible while I checked on some special formatting and in my rush to get all of the chapters posted, I forgot to switch the status to Publish, before I clicked the Save Button.

So please enjoy this latest addition to our Christmas Short Story Event.  This has been our most successful event yet, thank you, authors!

All of these stories will be appearing on their author's Home Site as soon as we get a slight crosslinking issue resolved.

Enjoy all of these amazing stories that the authors have worked hard creating for you, please take a few moments to say thank you by sending them an email.

Happy Reading,

Dear Readers,

All Nineteen of this year's Christmas Short Story Event Submissions are now live here on The Fort Readers Event District!

All of these stories will be appearing on their author's Home Site as soon as we get a slight crosslinking issue resolved.

Enjoy all of these amazing stories that the authors have worked hard creating for you, please take a few moments to say thank you by sending them an email.

Happy Reading,

P.S. Thanks to TSL for twisting so many authors arms to get their Short Stories.

Dear Readers,

Next Saturday is the 'official' submission deadline, all of your wonderful Christmas Short Stories 'should' be submitted by Midnight that night.

*** News Flash ***

My nice assistant 'Goos' says that he will fly any late entries directly to my inbox here at the North Pole so if you are close to finishing or even just getting started he will make sure that I get your submission in time to post.

*** End News Flash***

The theme for this years Christmas Short Event is A True Spirit of Christmas, What The Christmas Experience Truly Should Be.  The guidelines are simple all Short Stories should fit the theme or at least be in the neighbourhood. All stories must meet the standard Submissions Guidelines located HERE. The word count should be between 500 and 15,000 words give or take three or four (um...thousand? < giggle >). If in doubt Fred takes 'Cinmon Crumbles' as bribes.  Don't forget to give the Fort Family of Sites permission to host your Short Story, also make sure that your Author name & Copyright Date is in your Short Story as well.

All submissions should be submitted by Midnite PST, December 22, 2018, All submissions will be posted on Christmas Eve, December 24^th, 2018. Send your submissions to Christmas Short Story Event Submissions. Give or take an hour or so.

Happy Writing,

P.S. Thanks to TSL for twisting so many authors arms to get their Short Stories.

Continuing the farewell to Elijah's mother, Fantasy Faire 7 is ready for you to read.  There are some highs and lows to this chapter so the emotional roller coaster ride has not come to an end quite yet.  You have been warned.

Once again, we will be doing upgrades to our services! (I know, this is becoming a bad habit!) Our server host has offered us an upgrade that is too good to pass up, so on Wednesday, December 5th the sites are going to be undergoing maintenance.

The first real chapter of The Creator's Intent is now live.  Yes this is the real first chapter, because the first chapter posted was a prelude to introduce the characters.  This new first chapter takes readers back to K'Laad the priest's childhood and starts the tale of how he got to the point where he will be named as the new High Priest of the Temple.   I hope you enjoy it.

Fantasy Faire Chapter is posted and is dedicated to the wonderful, funny, and caring gentleman who ran the funeral home in my family's home town for many years.  I'm not sure if the man was actually related or not, since everyone in town called him Cuz.  It was he that told me as I was sitting and grieving for a recently departed relative and feeling QUITE uncomfortable in his place of business, that he loved being an undertaker because everyone in town was dying to meet him.  And on that note, I will let you read the chapter while I hide from the mobs with pitchforks coming after for me for that bad joke.  Enjoy.

Dear Readers,

The theme for this years Christmas Short Event is A True Spirit of Christmas, What The Christmas Experience Truly Should Be.  The guidelines are simple all Short Stories should fit the theme or at least be in the neighbourhood. All stories must meet the standard Submissions Guidelines located HERE. The word count should be between 500 and 15,000 words give or take three or four (um...thousand? < giggle >). If in doubt Fred takes 'Cinmon Crumbles' as bribes.  Don't forget to give the Fort Family of Sites permission to host your Short Story, also make sure that your Author name & Copyright Date is in your Short Story as well.

All submissions should be submitted by Midnite PST, December 22, 2018, All submissions will be posted on Christmas Eve, December 24^th, 2018. Send your submissions to Christmas Short Story Event Submissions.

Happy Writing,

Dear Readers,

All of the Fall Short Story Event ~ A Thanksgiving Surprise Stories ~ Are now live and available for your reading pleasure.

To read all of the stories please visit the Fort Readers Event District AKA F.R.E.D.

For those of you that don't celebrate Thanksgiving, you still will find some great reading. To our Canadian readers sorry we are a month and change late for you.

Please let all of our authors know that you have read their stories. This is NCNetsurfer's second Short Story Event and Juju's First, thanks for being part of the event!

Happy Reading,

Dear Readers,

Saturday, November 17, 2018, Midnight PST, has come and passed and all eight submissions have been added to the processing queue and will be posted on the morning of Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018

If you haven't quite finished writing your story, however, you are close please submit it as soon as possible, please include a bribe of 'Cinmon Crumbles'.

Happy Reading,

Dear Readers,

There is less than a week left to get your submission for the Fall Short Story Event Submission submitted. Next Saturday at Midnight PST.

The theme for this years Christmas Short Event is A True Spirit of Christmas, What The Christmas Experience Truly Should Be.  The guidelines are simple all Short Stories should fit the theme or at least be in the neighbourhood. All stories must meet the standard Submissions Guidelines located HERE. The word count should be between 500 and 15,000 words give or take three or four (um...thousand? < giggle >). If in doubt Fred takes 'Cinmon Crumbles' as bribes.  Don't forget to give the Fort Family of Sites permission to host your Short Story, also make sure that your Author name & Copyright Date is in your Short Story as well.

Happy Reading,

Dear Readers,

Just in time for Halloween all of the Death's Day Off Short Story Event submissions have now been posted. So visit F.R.E.D. and read them all.

Don't forget to say thank you to our awesome authors by dropping them a short email.

Happy Reading,

Happy Halloween, Y'all!  I hope you're ready for a pile of Cajun treats, because I have just posted 5 new chapters for you to read in between sugarbuzzing the trick or treaters at your house, or sneaking the candy for yourself when no one is looking.  Dear Diary Chapter 34 is up and you can now read the Intel Field Services point of view of the double wedding in Orlando.  Twists of Time Chapter 8 is live and has some very special guests.  Chapter 3 of Lagniappe is up and a certain fraternity is about to learn what happens when you mess with Chipper the Sunshine Boy.  Last, but not least is a double feature of Finding My Way Home Book 3.  Chapters 8 and 9 are both released and it seems that not only is Cameron not out of the ninja hero business yet, but apparently the CSU Add-A-Kid disease is contagious.

Hope you enjoy them all.

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Dear Readers,

We now have seven confirmed submissions for this years Fall Short Story Event, A Thanksgiving Surprise, keep those submissions rolling in. Send your Submissions to A Thanksgiving Surprise.

Thanks to all of you that have sent in your submissions, especially the new authors.

We have also resumed posting the submissions for the Death's Day Off Short Story Event from years past.

Don't forget all of our Short Story Events are open to readers as well as authors to contribute.

We will be announcing the Christmas Event shortly.

Happy Reading,

In honor of the 16th anniversary of Memories first posting, I have a new chapter of Dear Diary for you all.  This chapter brings a LOT of changes for Dixon and the Intel Field Services Division.  I want to say a HUMONGOUS thank you to TrueFan for his awesome assistance with this chapter.  He has even more to do with Dear Diary 34 which is still in progress and will overlap with his CSU story FCS:LV.    The best thing about the CSU for me has been the camaraderie and friendship and the willingness to help each other out when we need it.  I love that we can 'visit' each other's stories and it was the collaboration with Jeff and Sentenced to Life that brought Dear Diary into the CSU to begin with.  So while I'm thanking folks, thanks very very much to Jeff for bringing me into this madhouse of fun, and most of all thank you to AC for starting the whole thing in the first place.  I started out as a writer taking part in a group of stories, and quickly realized that I was the only one that thought of me that way.  Jeff and AC seemed almost immediately to adopt me as a brother as did and have several others, and I am quite happy to call them brothers as well.  Here's to many more years, guys!

I hope its ok to make a toast with coffee cause I haven't been awake very long.

Dear Readers & Authors,

We have received our first entry and it was perfect, it hit the nail right on the head for the theme. So the rest of you get out your keyboards, pen, and or pencils and get writing.

The 2018 Fort Family of Sites Fall Short Story Event's theme is: A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise! ~ You and your family (who do not know you're gay) decide this year to go out for their Thanksgiving Feast. Mid-way through the meal, someone stops by your table. You are horrified to find out it was a guy you just started dating, who doesn't know you're not out to your family...

As usual, this event is open to all readers and authors of the Fort Family Sites, however, if anyone knows of an author from another site that would like to enter this even just ask them to click on the following link Story Submissions. My staff and I would love to see lots of new authors entering this year.

The rules/guidelines are as follows: Must be theme related should be a minimum of 500 words and no longer than 15,000 words. These are not carved in stone, so please submit away. Submissions are due no later than Midnight PDT on November 17, 2018. All submissions will be posted on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018. Please include the theme title: A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise! in the title of your story. In case you forgot the email address for submissions is A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise!

Some pretty amazing stories have come out of the Short Story Events and some wonderful New Authors as well. My Staff and I will be busy posting the previous Fall Short Story Events over the next few weeks. 2007 has been completed and 2008 will be posted shortly.

Happy writing,

Fred The Elf

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to send out a quick notice to let you all know that as a part of our attempt to keep our hosted sites on fast, reliable, and up to date servers, we will be migrating our sites to brand new equipment with up to date software, including an upgraded operating system. We anticipate no operational downtime for our visitors but where we are physically moving, there may be a very short time where DNS servers may be pointing to the old server even after the new servers are brought online.

If you were planning to do a marathon reading session, go right ahead as the only change that may be noticeable would be sites responding slightly faster than usual. By Thursday if you hear nothing from us then it will be back to business as usual for us behind the scenes and you will see progress return to normal.

We will advise if this schedule changes as the request to greenlight the move is being placed tonight.

Here's to as many reliable years on newer equipment.

-Jeff P-
On behalf of DSS Hosting, CSU Productions

So because I'm not crazy enough from all the stories and all the characters I already have going currently, one of my very oldest stories, started way back in 1987 originally is finally ready to post and has been.   This is another fantasy setting story, which is the main reason it took so long to get it ready to post.  There are completely made up by me words in this story so a bootbox really won't help much.  Sorry about that.  Context should help you figure out meaning at least.

Keep Calm and Keep Reading!

A new chapter of Lagniappe is now available.  This chapter does include a scene that is mildly traumatic to the main character, so it may not be suitable for all readers.  My apologies for this if you are one of those people, but I assure the scene is not violent nor does it last nor will it be repeated in this story.  Hopefully you can still enjoy the chapter and the story.

A new chapter of Expanding Horizons is now live and ready for your reading pleasure.  I hope you enjoy it as much as the boys in it enjoy their cookies.  I know this story hasn't been updated in a while, so feel free to go back and re-read if you need to do so.  Be aware that there will be more updates to my writing soon.

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Dear Readers & Authors,

The 2018 Fort Family of Sites Fall Short Story Event's theme is: A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise! ~ You and your family (who do not know you're gay) decide this year to go out for their Thanksgiving Feast. Mid-way through the meal, someone stops by your table. You are horrified to find out it was a guy you just started dating, who doesn't know you're not out to your family...

As usual, this event is open to all readers and authors of the Fort Family Sites, however, if anyone knows of an author from another site that would like to enter this even just ask them to click on the following link Story Submissions. My staff and I would love to see lots of new authors entering this year.

The rules/guidelines are as follows: Must be theme related should be a minimum of 500 words and no longer than 15,000 words. These are not carved in stone, so please submit away. Submissions are due no later than Midnight PDT on November 17, 2018. All submissions will be posted on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018. Please include the theme title: A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise! in the title of your story. In case you forgot the email address for submissions is A Thanksgiving Dinner Surprise!

Some pretty amazing stories have come out of the Short Story Events and some wonderful New Authors as well. My Staff and I will be busy posting the previous Fall Short Story Events over the next few weeks.

Happy writing,

Fred The Elf

Based on the storylines within Twists of Time, and because certain characters both mine and others won't get out of my head and leave me alone, Twists of Time has been revealed to be a part of the CSU.  This was not intentional on my part, but as my fellow authors in the CSU will tell you, it is the characters that write our stories, not us.  No plotlines have or will be changed to reflect this status.  It is simply that I didn't know I was writing another CSU story until now.  Kyle, you can go home now.

I have just posted a short story.  It is not connected to any other of my works and is only one chapter.  Hope this gives you a little something to do while you wait for more new chapters coming soon.

Boudreaux

Dear Readers,

The Midsomer Shory Event with the theme of A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object has arrived and the submissions are now live. The Authors and their stories will be listed in alphabetical order, that is except for the very first story, and you will see why that is.

We have a New Author today with his first entry, so please welcome NCNetsurfer and his story about a well-polished object,  A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object: A Pet Rock.

Art West has brought us two stories, one with a British feel and one with a twist in the name,  first, we have A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object: Being Close, and second A Day In The Life Of Matt.

Beldro Mercier brings us a bit of fantasy with, A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object: Through the Looking Glass.

DouglasDD has decided to tickle your fancy with his story, A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object: Keying In.

The Story Lover also has brought us two entries, his first is a whimsical look into the wild and woolly world of punctuation surprisingly enough titled, A Day In The Life Of Ugo The Umlaut, followed by a foray into the bountiful word of a nature travelogue with, A Day In The Life Of 'Cap'.

Don't forget to thank the authors for the hard work by dropping them a short email, and please extend a warm welcome to our Newest Author NCNetsurfer.

Happy reading,

Fred The Elf

So I was going through my files and looking over past chapters of Dear Diary as I work on chapter 33 and I found that there were inconsistencies in the spelling of several names.  Jessie was sometimes Jesse and Philip was sometimes Phillip, that sort of thing.  So I started from the beginning and revised the entire posted work to correct that.  While I was at it, I included bootbox translations for almost all of the Cajun dialect dialogue, since I had the time and opportunity.  Along the way, however, the characters informed me that some tidbits of scenes had been left out the first time around.  Therefore I am making the suggestion that you all go back and reread Dear Diary to get the benefit of those little bonuses.  If you don't want to start completely over, the significant revision stuff did not start until chapter 20.  I hope this helps you all enjoy this story more.  I know it has helped me like it more than I already did.  Am I allowed to say that without being too vain?

At any rate, Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Boudreaux

It's time to start letting some of these secret projects be not so secret! So, from the official announcement:

Yesterday was the 15th!!! And that means that a brand new issue of the Comicality's Shack Out Back's very own, Imagine Magazine, is back online! After a catastrophic server shutdown that affected not only Imagine Magazine, but other parts of the Shack, a well as many other websites online as a whole. So it took some time to recover and rebuild...but, thanks to the tireless dedication and extremely hard work by JeffsFort and others...we are back online and better than ever! So be sure to drop by the Imagine online magazine at: https://imagine-magazine.org

And check out all of the new stories and articles that are waiting for you! An interview with author, JeffsFort, and his story "The Mezzanine"! Chapter 2 of "Predators: 2-14-9x"! An article on female writers of gay erotica, and 'Music Mash Up' joins the Imagine articles for the first time! Also, stuff about actor Noah Schnapp, and more! Including the new short story, "I Wasn't Asleep Yet"! So go be a party of the party!

The best part, this is just the beginning! Keep an eye out because someone who has always been considered family is bridging the gap between the Fort and the Shack! What does that look like? Just wait and see!

HUGZ!!!

jeffsfort@gmail.com

Dear Authors & Readers,

There is a little over two weeks left for you to get your entries written and submitted. The last day for submissions to be received is Saturday, August 25, 2018, not the 23rd! Posting will begin on Friday, August 31st giving you a four-day reading weekend. At least for the yanks.

Submissions are due by Midnight on the 25th PDT or UTC -7.

Submissions should be between 500 and 15,000 words more or less and the theme is  A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object, we have quite a few submissions already and there is always room for more. This event is open to all Fort Family Site Authors and Readers, you don't have to be an established author to submit an entry. There are quite a few Fort Family Authors that got their start with a Short Story Event. If you need your submission edited just let us know and we will see that your submission gets edited. First-time submitters, please give the Fort Family Sites permission to host your story. As always all submissions remain the property of the submitting author. Always include the appropriate Copyright © Info with all Submissions.

Happy writing,

Fred The Elf

Dear Readers,

Our latest Short Story Event is called A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object.

The rules are the usual Minimum 500 Words, Maximum 15,000 Words. 

End Submission Date August 23, 2018.

Posting Date August 29, 2018, for the Labour Day Weekend for the Yanks.

All submissions should be sent to elfmail at events.csuproductions.com with A Day In The Life Of An Inanimate Object as the subject. Substitute the @ sign for at and remove the spaces.

Happy writing,

In Memory of Trevor

For those of you who weren't aware, my grandson Trevor was abducted on May 1 of this year. The end of this saga was tragic for our family. I wanted to create something in his memory to help in some way for others to possibly avoid this happening to them or someone they love.

I went to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's site and set up a fundraiser campaign in Trevor's Name.... Here's the link.

https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/1527577

All donations go directly to the Centers. All donations go directly to the NCMEC.

Thank You,

TrueFan

The middle aged (I am not old) blond Cajun forgot that some people have trouble reading the voices in my head, so I have gone back through and added bootboxes to all of the Cajun dialect and Georges speak dialogue.  Hope this helps y'all.  Laissez les bon temps roullez.  That one you can just look up if you don't already know. 

That's right, I have started another new story, and yes it is not only connected to Louisiana, it is set in New Orleans.  I will try my best to limit the dialect affecting the dialogue however.  I hope you all enjoy this new work.  This one is really special to me.  For those that don't know, the title can be roughly translated to mean "a little something extra."

Yes, Dear Diary has been updated.  This is a humdinger of a chapter though, so be forewarned.  There are lines of dialogue from all of the wildest, craziest characters in my division.  I'm not sure if our esteemed Clan Archivist (aka my editor) will recover.  He seemed to indicate in the negative when he sent the chapter back to me for posting, so in case I need a new editor the position now requires a prescription for valium.  If I don't need a new editor, he may need donations to help pay for his valium.  Anyway, you have been warned.  Read at your own risk.

Dear Readers,

Happy Fourth of July to the Yanks.

In the Summer Short Story Parody Event, we have Major Family Parody by The Story Lover, and Sir Garret and Lincoln by True Fan.

For the Summer Short Story Fill In The Blank Event, we have TSL's Fill In The Blank by The Story Lover,  Brynmor - Fill In The Blanks by Brynmor, and Fill In The Blanks Family Secret by Art West.

Don't Forget to let the authors know what you think of their hard work.

Happy reading,

 

Sigh... The good news is, at midnight I plan to back the forum up completely before making any changes. that will give you a little more time to look around. It also appears that ACFan has lost power at his house so, The Treehouse will hang in there for a little while as well, maybe even into tomorrow, who knows.

I did get to spend a little time poking through the posts on the old girl... She's seen some rough times over the years but, also has recorded some of the most fun I've ever had online with so many people who mean an awful lot. I even poked through the copies of the forum on old archives and found one that was snapped when August was actually logged in... Kinda choked me up to see it: 

At any rate, it's time to turn the page. I hope the new network that will become the heart of our community will see as much fun and friendship and love... and much less rocky roads. No more of that.

Thank you August, Thank you for absolutely everything. Bet you're gonna love what Akeentia designed for us. *HUGZ*

Don't forget that the deadline for submitting your short stories for the Summer Short Story Event is tonight at MIDNITE Pacific Daylight Time for you East Coaster that would be Three AM EDT.

So get your stories written and your requests for Fill In The Blanks in NOW.

All submissions and requests should be mailed to Summer Short Story Parody Event, or Summer Short Story Fill In The Blank Event

All Stories will be posted on July 4, 2018, not July 1 as previously stated!

Happy writing,

Fred

P.S. As usual the deadline isn't carved in stone, however, stories will be posted on the morning of July 4th, 2018

Dear Readers,

Thanks to all of your generous donations I have purchased the Mac Pro and it will be delivered Wednesday. The GoFundMe Account will remain active for a little bit longer, as there is still some software to be purchased. I will be purchasing Scrivener, Coda, and Affinity Photo, eventually, I will probably purchase Pathfinder as well.

Thanks again for all of your help, it is greatly appreciated.

Happy Reading,

TSL

P.S. ' Goos', Jonah, Joth, Just', A'exii, S'ean, and Alex say thanks as well. 

Hi guys!

Yup, I said it. PARTY TIME!!! With cake and burgers and candy and soda and hotdogs...

So this Tuesday is a big day for someone who has been like family longer than there was a Fort Family so, he just is Fort Family and always will be... Why the party? You mean besides "why not"? Hehehe. The reason is a big one and one that is making us realize just how long we've been at it out here. :O

On Tuesday, June 19th, "Comicality's Shack Out Back" turns 20 years old!  

Twenty years of friendship and foolishness, and I'm one of the many who followed the lead of a man who would teach us all to share who we are with the world; to demonstrate that when you feel the loneliest, sadly enough, there are many more who feel the same. When you feel beaten down, you are in good company. When you need a smile, it may be easier to find than you think and regardless of who you feel that you are, we wouldn't have you any other way. So what does he have in store? I have no clue! (I do but, I'm not tellin :P)

All I can say is keep an eye on the Shack for announcements. Poke through the forums over there and look at the many projects he has set up. There are big things happening and I for one, am excited that our family and his has always intertwined and with this celebration, that intertwining continues in all its dysfunctional glory, as it should be. Hehehe... More news to come but remember to mark the calendar and don't forget to show off your "C". (For those of you who know why my hat is off to you brother :)

Happy Anniversary Comicality!!! (20 years... You show off! *HUGZ*)

-JeffsFort-

Folks,

The deadline for the Summer Short Story Event is getting closer June 30th is only fourteen days away. 

So get your stories written and your requests for Fill In The Blanks in soon.

All submissions and requests should be mailed to Summer Short Story Parody Event, or Summer Short Story Fill In The Blank Event

All Stories will be posted on July 4, 2018, not July 1 as previously stated!

Happy writing,

Fred

I feel really old as I write this, but this new chapter of Finding My Way Home: Book 3 Home Life marks eighteen years since the first chapter of this tale was first posted online at another site.  That site of course is now long gone, but the story goes on and I hope you all enjoy it.   Incidentally, the other anniversary this chapter brings up is that I have now been writing for forty years.  That makes me feel incredibly old, yet a little proud, because I hope that my skills have improved a bit since that first short story written when I was in sixth grade.  Anyway, go read and enjoy.  More chapters of more stories coming soon.

As most of you know, The Story lover has been the driving force behind the works of a very large percentage of our stories. Be it as head editor, continuity manager or as host. He is the glue that holds us all together. Well, today he does need our assistance. I know how badly he's been struggling to do the same level of work on some really outdated equipment. If you're able to help him out, you would be helping us all. This is what he posted on his own site. *HUGZ* Thanks for any help you can offer!

-Jeff-

Dear Readers,

After a lot of mental deliberations, I have come to the conclusion that is time to switch from a Windows PC to a Mac PC. Since the majority of the Fort Family Admins use Macs this will allow me to use the same software that they are using. This will also allow me to avoid any of the issues associated with Windows Ten. The new Mac will give me many more years of writing and update this site. 

If you would like to help just click on the following link ~ Get A Mac For The Story Lover

Thanks,

TSL

Yup, this isn't your typical "come in and read stuff" news post. That's right! Every now and then I just like to toss out the "off the wall" stuff that people may let slide as the posting schedule succeeds in monopolizing the news feed. Not today!!!

So, I'd like to begin by reminding everyone that Friday, May 25th is the official "Towel Day" which is celebrated every year as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams by his fans. On this day, fans openly carry a towel with them, as described in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; to demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author. The commemoration was first held on May 25, 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on May 11. I plan on going out and buying a brand new one this year as no one wants to be seen in public with a Tatty Towel!

I also need to remind people to mark their calendars as we have a Fort Family Favorite coming up real soon. Monday, May 28 marks the 17th anniversary of the "Shack Out Back - Random Cake Holiday" as declared by Comicality himself following a long discussion the night before in chat (and we all know what good comes from those <grin>):

Posted FFForums: Sunday, 28 May 2006 - 01:36 AM

That's right dammit! I said 'Random Cake Holiday'! Hehehe! Don't ask any questions, don't worry about the rhyme or reason WHY you should do it...just DO IT! We had a conversation in the chat tonight, and this lack of cake is just unforgivable. So today, Sunday, I want each and every single person reading this, to go out somewhere and find yourself a piece of cake to eat! I don't care HOW you get it, or WHAT kind of cake it is! But there are just way too many people who have gone TOO long without having a piece of cake!

You can laugh all you want! Feel silly doing it! I don't care! Whatever! Just go out, find some cake, and enjoy it for the simple fact that you CAN! And I'm not talking about some moldy old store bought sliver of cake that you can buy for a quarter at the counter of your local gas station! I mean actual CAKE! Go to a bakery, go to a neighbor's house, hit up the old lady that does volunteer work at the resource center in your area, bake your own and give half of it away to someone else who doesn't have cake, play your Cake cd on your car radio..whatever...but don't you DARE let the sun set without getting a taste of that sweet sweet cake goodness! C'mon...don't you want some CAKE??? I do!

The only time we get to have cake is at weddings, birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs, bachelor parties, and occasionally during some kinky sex fetish game with a stripper who doesn't mind getting covered in frosting. And that's just wrong! So if you needed a reason to eat cake, then here it is. It's cake day. GO! Get some! Enjoy it! Do it for the simple fact that you have absolutely NO reason to do it other than I told you so! Hehehe! Savor it! 

I'm going to get mine as soon as I get up tomorrow! Believe me! Mmmm cake...

Spread the word! 

So, we will be expecting to hear what cake you had in chat! It's ok to start planning now, I know I am!

*HUGZ*

Twists of Time chapter 7 is live and ready, and comes with a few extra twists, and this is only the beginning.  I hope you enjoy it.

Two new chapters have been posted for your reading leisure.  Fantasy Faire chapter 5 and Gifts chapter 2 are both now live and waiting for you.  Hope you enjoy them and don't get too mad at me for such a depressing common theme in both chapters this close to Mother's Day.

We knew this day was eventually going to come.

Back in 2004, bulletin boards and forums just like the one we used for years at https://fortfamilyforums.com, were the hubs of some pretty awesome communities. Some communities still remain active as there are few replacements for the kind of interaction that they allowed but in our case, we're evolving. Unfortunately, that has rendered the gift that August Christopher gave us obsolete. News has been carried in from our new website RSS feeds, and once in a while, there will still be a wave of old skool foolishness from our fictional characters. So, what's going on now and how is that going to change?

Sadly, the lifetime license that was purchased for our forums is no longer being honored by Invision Power Services. For a community that relies solely on the generosity of it's supporting family, that became a game changer. In response to this situation, the websites got completely overhauled. The ability to communicate with each other was programmed into the custom Content Management System (CMS) that our own Akeentia designed and thanks to one of our newest site owner "TrueFan" we now interact on a Discord server in real time. Email comes in just as it once did and even though we didn't want to admit it to ourselves, the forum's have simply become a huge archive of a time that has passed us by. Now that the software is no longer supported, we needed to make a change. So, change is on the way.

In development right now is a new hub for the Fort Family Community. You can take a look at it here: https://community.fortfamilyforums.com News announcements and links to your favorite sites and stories will be available in one stop. Newest chapter postings are already being displayed in one convenient location giving you a place to keep up with all the current releases, just like you could from the old forum. In the near future, Akeentia will be releasing more features that will give us other ways to share feedback and interact as we once did in posts. This time, it will be on software that isn't going to suddenly become unsupported. What were they thinking anyway? <grin>

So where does that leave the old forum? Very soon we will need to perform an upgrade on our server. It's an upgrade that will make it impossible for us to continue running the forum. So, late spring, early summer; the Fort Family Community's face will become that of our custom designed community that is tied into all of our sites with all the additions that are in development now. We'll do our best to keep all of you up to date with our final upgrade schedule but, it will most likely all happen pretty quickly once the trigger has been pulled.

For now, take a wander through the topics that have collected over the years. Take screen captures, copy text from posts, take a really good look around. Soon the old girl will be archived with all the old versions of our websites and old projects that once in a while we like to dust off and poke through like an old photo album. (By request, the new community will be male. Some of the owners think that will mean we won't have as many problems with it :7) May the new community meet with everyone's approval. (It kinda has too though.. LOL! Our hands are tied on this decision...)

Thank you August! For 14 years that old forum did exactly what you had hoped it would. May the new community that Akeentia is designing meet with your approval.

*HUGZ*

JeffsFort
ACFan
Akeentia
The Story Lover
...and each and every person who has ever served our family as a moderator, staff or even as an admin. 

Photos in the Mall 2 is up so any of you wondering what I was talking about in the Intro as to how the story will be presented can get a better idea now, I hope.  Please feel free to give me feedback on this one since it is a new concept.

That's right folks.  While trying to get the next chapter of Dear Diary worked out, I have gotten another new story dredged up from my ancient files.  Thanks to to a bit of polish from TrueFan and TSL, I present Photos in the Mall, which is a new concept of story from me.  I hope you all figure out what is going on and like this story which is based on an actual event I witnessed sometime around 2001.

That's right, folks.  The newest chapter is now live.  This chapter is dedicated to a very nice reader whose interest in "the sausage story" got the characters talking to me again when I was thinking of shutting this story down.  Thank you, Trevor.

Folks we are excited to announce our latest Short Story Events! Yes, you read that right I said Events, plural.

The First Event is the Parody Event, you can parody any published story on any of the Fort Family Sites. The standard rules apply, with one additional MANDATORY Rule, you must have written permission from the author whose story you want to parody and that permission must be submitted along with your Short Story. No Permission, No Story!

The Second Event is the Fill In The Blanks Event. You will get the opening paragraph and a middle paragraph and you fill in the rest. The opening paragraph will revolve around the first day as a Senior in High School or a Freshman in College. The middle Paragraph revolves around a party that the main character went to and the morning after when he/she wakes up in their bed in someone else's clothes. The rest of the story is up to you, I will supply the paragraphs to any author that wants to enter this event.

Both Events will end at Midnight PDT on June 30, 2018. All entries will be posted on July 1, 2018, here on F.R.E.D.
The short stories must be between 500 words and 15,000 words,
This event is open to all readers and authors.
Authors must authorize the Fort Family of Sites, by written permission to host their stories.

All submissions and requests should be mailed to Summer Short Story Parody Event, or Summer Short Story Fill In The Blank Event

Happy writing,

Fred

Ok, so the chapter didn't cover everything I wanted it to, but I need more time for what is coming up.  Plus maybe I will get ideas for the fight scene from any angry readers that come after me when they finish reading.  runs and hides in my shack in the bayous

Boudreaux

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

Hi everyone!

Wanted to give a shout because we have a special announcement for the Fort Family. We have just added a new family site! I know, it's been a loooooooong time since that has happened. Our own "True Fan" has thrown his hat in the ring and has become our newest site owner. You can take a look at the new site at http://truesfandom.com and see that he's already been busy recruiting new authors as well as some of our veterans to keep you busy for quite some time. His most recent addition is one who has been considered "Extended Family" for many, many years. See if you can figure out who that author might be... (See, I didn't mention Comicality by name... oh... oops. < grin >)

Til' the next update...
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

It's a great day to keep our chairs warm!

Over at our sister site (http://storylover.us), one of our little brothers began posting his poetry. Well, today "Garret D. M." was approved to be co-hosted on our site so you all get to check out the work of a brand new author! Be sure to check out his poems: Chosen & Insomnia as well as the first chapter of his brand new story: Boise ID which looks like it's going to be awesome! Be sure to let him know what you think of his work, okay?

We also have a brand new story from one of our veteran authors! Boudreaux posted the first chapter of his brand new story Gifts today as well. (I know he posted a news report already but, I wanted to add that I just read it and this looks like it is going to be a story to watch!) Don't forget to fire off a quick email to him as well as you all know, reader feedback is the only paycheck any online author can hope for. Blow up their inboxes, you have my permission ;)

Til' the next update...
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Ok, so this is a brand new story for me.  It is called Gifts, thanks to TrueFan helping me think of a title for it.  ( I am so crap at naming stories. ) I'm a little nervous abut this one, so I hope you all enjoy it.  If so please let me know, because I am not too ashamed to beg for feedback this time.

So apparently a few folks seem to really like this story.  I'm really glad of that, and I hope you all enjoy chapter 4 as much as I did.

Dear Readers,

Beldro the Magnificent will be giving the second scheduled Ask The Author Interview on the FFS Asylum Discord Channel. This interview will be hosted by The Story Lover with the assistance of the other FFS Admins.

The first interview with True Fan went really well, so get your questions ready for Beldro The Magnificant next Saturday, February 24, 2018, at 18:00 EST, 15:00 PST, or 23:00 UTC. 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM UTC.

To participate just click on the following link ~ FFS Asylum Discord Discord Accounts are free and only take a few minutes to set up.

We are looking forward to seeing lots of readers and authors next Saturday, so come and join the fun.

TSL

For those of you who are not aware, the Fort Family of Sites has a Discord Server. It's called the FFS Asylum. Come join in on the insanity!

As of now we have over 30 members, many of them are Authors of your favorite stories. ACFan, JeffP, Lindon Wezter, Beldro the Magnificent, TSL...

If you wish to join, follow this link: FFS Asylum Discord

Also...

On Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 3pm Eastern, we will host the first ever "Ask the Author" interview.

It will start at 3pm EST (noon, PST, assuming the author is awake by then) and will last until it ends, but not later than 5pm EST.

The Guest for this week will be yours truly. TrueFan.

Get your questions ready and join us... it's sure to be a blast!

True

Dear Readers,

 We have an incredulous collection of Cupid missing with his arrows they range from the Romantic to the I Can't believe you wrote that. They are all a lot of fun to read. They have arrived in alphabetical order:

• It Came From Denny's: From Coffee With Love by Akeentia ~ Yes folks he is back writing!
• Stupid Cupid 's Bent Arrows by Art West
• Was It Cupid or Was It Morphine? by Boudreaux
• Cupid Lets One Rip by Brynmor
• Cupid Steps In by Jeff's Fort aka Jeff P.
• Don't Screw With My Family by Maxieplus
• Cupid's Arrows ~ 2018 by Silver Wolf
• The Twisted Princess or is it Prince? by The Story Lover
• Cupid Missed by True Fan
• Cupid's Arrows ~ 2018 by Zarek Dragon

Thanks to all of the wonderful authors for their entries, please don't forget to write to the authors and let them know that you read their stories.

Fred The Elf

All of the stories are available at the following link = https://events.csuproductions.com/?t=ENW4jjAe

TSL

Although the 'Carved in Stone Official Deadline' has passed Fred the Elf is still accepting entries of the Cupid's Arrows ~ 2018 Short Story Event. He has graciously extended the deadline until 11:59 PM PST February 12, 2018. Please submit all entries to Fred The Elf.

For more information, please checkout F.R.E.D.

TSL for Fred the Elf

Tonight I was approached by an author who has been storming the Fort Family sites with quite a few awesome stories that he would like to share with us. His most recent being the newest addition to the "Clan Short Universe":  "Prologue: Abducted" from FCS: Las Vegas by True Fan which is in the long list of stories that he has on his resume and now, co-hosted right here on our site. He also brings a collaborative work along with him: "Voyagers" has also been posted for you all to have some real fun with. I know it has quite a following on our other sites so we hope you all will enjoy it as well.

Don't forget to let True Fan and the rest of the Voyagers authors know what you think! 

*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Chapter 6 is ready to go.  Hope you all enjoy it.  Be ready for master level sarcasm.  Just saying.

Fantasy Faire 3 is alive and well, even if it is in the hospital.  You'll understand that when you read it, but it will still be a bad joke.  Sorry, I'm at that bad joke/dad joke stage of life.  Anyway the chapter is up; hope you enjoy it.  No translation boxes were harmed, or even used, in the production of this chapter.

It's finally here!  Dear Diary survived the edit process and more importantly, the editor survived as well.   Hope you all enjoy it!

Folks if you want something done right or just even done at all ya just got to do it yourself  So without further ado here is the overdue announcement:

This year's Valentines Day Themed Event is titled Cupid's Arrows. The event starts now and runs through January 31, 2018, for unedited stories and February 7th for edited stories. All stories will be posted on Valentine's Day February 14th.
The Rules:

1. The short stories must be between 500 words and 15,000 words
   
   
2. The Short Story should concern Cupid's Arrows missing and hitting the wrong person.
   
   
3. Someone setting the cap for someone and ending up with someone completely opposite or different. 
   
   
4. This event is open to all readers and authors.
5. Authors must authorize the Fort Family of Sites, by written permission to host their stories.

I hope that we have as many entries for Cupid's Arrows as we did for the Christmas Extravaganza. All stories will be available on F.R.E.D. and then on their hosted site.

We really want to see lots of entries by our readers, an entry will automatically get you added to the Good List.

Please submit all stories to the following address ~ elfmail at events.csuproductions.com Substitute the 'at' with the @ symbol and delete the spaces. 

Let's see if we can snow cupid under with stories, 

The Story Lover for Fred DeElve

P.S. if you finish your story after the deadline but before Valentine's Day please submit it. Just don't tell anyone.

I just put up a small update and realized that Boudreaux had posted "Twists Of Time - Chapter 6" but didn't make noise in the news about it. (Those are the rules, you post stuff, you make noise. I believe it's on page 27 of the of "The Obnoxious Author's Guide to posting stuff"... (or something like that.)

For those of you who knew I was working on it, the "Afterword" for "Sentenced to Life" just went live and the story has finally been marked as completed. This post gives a little backstory and explains some of the decisions that were made along the way. I hope it answers some of the questions a few of you had :)

 *HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Hi everyone!

Well, 2018 is well underway and I felt it was time to post something new on the site for you all. In doing so, I chose to revive an old project and now that I have some free time again, get back to work on it. There is a full explanation posted with the story but in short, back in 2006, I was involved in a project that I wanted to see be successful but, also wanted to keep separate from the work I was doing at the time. I decided to jump feet first into the construction of the original "Comicality's: Gone From Daylight: BloodBank" by designing the site and acting as it's archivist; under the pseudonym "Uriel", a vampire who ended out in the "GFD" neighborhood who is showing respect to Comicality (The Vampire) and the street gang who look up to him as an elder.  In doing so, I started a story based within the Chicago area "GFD" was based within that same realm but, never finished it. I hope to submit further work on the story to the new "GFD BloodBank" as the "Recovered Works of Uriel" and finally give the story a well-deserved conclusion. The three existing chapters are now live on this site, hope you enjoy them.

*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

It is now the end of the year and as good as 2017 has been to our sites, it is now time to say goodbye. What a better way to do so with a chapter of a CSU story that will finally allow us to also say goodbye to quite a few loose ends (as the subtitle suggests).

With the help of one of the best editing teams cookies can buy, "Sentenced to Life: Chapter 18 - Loose Ends" is now live on the sites and is just in time to claim the "Final CSU Posting of the Year 2017"! So if you were planning to watch the ball drop on TV or go to a local event or even go to bed early to ring in the new year, change your plans now and start reading (no, I'm not serious, unless you want to start reading now. Who am I to stop you?). 

So, from all of us at the Fort Family of Sites, Happy New Year! Let's make it one of the best ever!
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

It is Christmas Eve and we have had a busy couple of days. There are three major announcements and I'm late on the first two. (In my defense, "The Story Lover" worked me like a dog last night and I forgot to pay some attention to my newly updated  website!)

First: Thanks to Akeentia, the creator of the Content Management System for all of the Fort Family Sites, Our site received a major version upgrade last night. You will notice some subtle changes in the appearance of some pages and buttons, etc... Where you won't see the major changes is in the management part of the software that makes it possible for us to do the work that we are doing. The Fort, as well as all the Fort Family Story Sites, have become so much more intuitive and make our jobs as webmasters and authors so much easier that we will actually look forward to posting. That means content will be less of a chore to post and as a bonus, you all get chapters faster! Say it with me: Yay Akeentia!!! _{(You didn't say it, did you? Yeah, I mean you... Geez!)}

Second: The reason we got the upgrades last night was that "The Story Lover" was in the process of bringing our events site back to life. As we were already slated to receive upgrades, to make the new site compatible with the rest of the family, we needed to be running the same version. So, Akeentia upgraded "ALL" of our sites so we could launch the new site at http://events.csuproductions.com which is now doing business as F.R.E.D. _{(Fort Readers Event District)} and will even be run by "Fred DeElve" who is a character that has been on our forum for quite some time. Which leads me to...

Third: This is a two-parter actually. A very long time ago, I came up with this half-baked idea to do a round robin story that would break the rules. A story that we would take turns authoring and have lots of fun with. Well, "The Most Amazing Story Ever Written" as we had named it, became homeless after the site got upgraded originally. This meant that it needed the event site that didn't exist yet... you get it. Well, not only is it live on F.R.E.D. but, because we upgraded, it is now available on our site again! Tonight, a new chapter got written by some familiar names that generally don't write stories too. Sean Short of "Memories" and Danny Page of "Sentenced to Life" got to try their hand at writing a chapter. I think I'm going to leave you with this thought. Two characters from two stories posting a chapter of an event-driven work. Oh, no literary rules were broken there... No way!

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Sometime Saturday morning December 23^rd all Fort Family Sites will be going down for some important maintenance.  We will have all sites back up and be running better than before as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience,

TSL for The Fort Family Admins and Webmasters

Your authors need your help. As many people are aware, a certain chat service that specialized in advanced conference features has finally been overworked to the point of actually being unusable for our team. Since 2004, The Fort Family Authors Group, and all contributing authors to the "Clan Short Universe" series have heavily relied on this chat client and recent developments have made work behind the scenes difficult and even impossible in some cases. This means work being released can be severely delayed in some cases, which is already something that we try to avoid whenever possible.

In researching possible replacements, "Discord" is an absolute front-runner, with one glaring exception. There is a character limit placed on all servers that make it difficult to work with larger bodies of text. (That's a huge issue actually.) So, why am I posting this tonight? We need your help.

The feature change is possible but, the way Discord prioritizes its growth is through a request and upvote system. (Actually, a really cool process.) So we need to ask for your help. If you are a Discord user, please click the link below and upvote this topic. If you aren't a user, check out the chat client, it was designed with gamers in mind but is awesome for collaborating, congregating or even just hanging out. Maybe create a login and when you do, maybe give this feature an upvote...maybe < GRIN >

Suggest Character Limit Change on Discord

Thank you for your help,
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Attention everyone,
I am proud to announce the Fort Family of Sites 2017 Christmas Short Story Event. While this event is mostly for our hosted authors any author may enter. Non-hosted authors need to check out the following link ~ Hosting and Story Submissions for submission guidelines. This event is called The 2017 Christmas Extravaganza. The rules are short and sweet, The Short Story must be:

1. Written this year
2. Be between 500 and 15,000 words (Not etched in stone)
3. Have Christmas and 2017 in the title, somewhere anywhere. (My Story ~ Christmas 2017 for example)
4. Edited entries due by December 22, 2017
5. Unedited entries due by December 18, 2017
6. No Guarantee that late entries will be posted. (Don't tell anyone, but we have posted stories right up to 11:59 PM PST.)
7. Submit all entries to submissions.storylover.us'at'gmail.com - Subject= Christmas Story 2017 replace the 'at' with @
8. Give permission for the Fort Family of Sites to host and or co-host your story. Copyright remains with the author!

Authors that are hosted on other Fort Family Sites will have their story hosted on their host site and co-hosted on The Story Lover's Christmas Extravaganza Page. The 2017 in the story title will show the year the story joined the page.

Let's have an awesome event with lots and lots of stories. We have one story already and another possible one in the wings.

Take care,

TSL

Chapter 5 of Finding My Way Home: Book 3 is now live.   It's so cool actually being able to write again when I am in the mood for it.  Hope you guys like it.

Boudreaux

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

Back on October 22, 2002, The very first chapter of a story that would soon become the foundation of what the Fort Family now know as "The Clan Short Universe" (CSU). ACFan Unknowingly launched one of the largest amateur collaborative works on the web which in time, would involve multiple authors and birth many alternate realities, fan fiction and a slew of original content created by fans and official authors alike.

My story, "Sentenced to Life" was not intended to be CSU at its original conception. The original idea was to give Danny the opportunity to tell Marc (his savior of sorts) his sorrowful story that would eventually lead him to want to take his life, following his telling, Marc was supposed to aid him in finding the rest and peace he so desperately wanted. Which is where the outline was supposed to take us. While writing chapter 5, ACFan saw that I was having difficulty following the original outline as it was written and, offered me the first true spin-off in the CSU which ultimately gave my main character a reason to live. So, why bring this up today?

As a way to pay tribute to 15 years of a world led by Sean and Cory Short, I decided to show you all some of what Danny had to endure before that fateful day when he decided to put an end to his existence. "Sentenced to life: Chapter 17E - Memories" finally tells the story of Daniel Alexander Page and how he almost insured that I wouldn't have a story to write regarding the A.I. Division of Clan Short of Vulcan, Of the Family of Sarek of the House of Surak. This new chapter is for those of you who knew that Danny had a sorrowful beginning following being "saved" following his fatal car accident by someone who didn't want to let him go. Be warned, these events drove Danny to the brink so, many may be startled at the contrast to life in the CSU that is depicted. Intended to be the story that STL was planned to tell, this chapter simply shows glances of our division's director and of a past he's only mentioned in passing a few times.

So, I hope you all enjoy our Anniversary gifts and I hope you visit our other family sites as well to see what other CSU authors have joined in the celebration. Here's to the past 15 years, and to another 15!

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

Since I was given the power to do so, I have snuck in and posted the epilogue to Class Reunion.  Be prepared for a time warp and possibly some tears as well, but they will be happy tears, I promise.

Hope you all enjoy it

Boudreaux

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

I have finished a new chapter of Twists of Time, and I also have added (thanks to much help from the techno gods) two new stories.  Skinny Dipping with my Cousins is a one shot short story, but don't worry there are only two Louisiana words in it.  Fantasy Faire is a really (really) long (especially for me) first chapter of a new work.  Hope you enjoy them.

Boudreaux

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

After a huge amount of work, "Memories Part 3, Chapter 24: Brothers" is finally live on the Fort Family sites! It is the welcomed continuation of the ever expanding Clan Short family and really touches on quite a few important events. Part of it is actually fulfilling the work of one of our authors who has since passed away. (Dave of D&B) I've seen bits and pieces of this story while it was in production so I gotta warn ya, be ready for quite a ride. I actually plan to ignore everyone else until I've read it myself :)

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

As I am sure everyone is well aware right now, this month is really winding up some very destructive storms. The most recent has us all holding our breath as it has literally left a path of devastation on it's way to Florida. Many of our readers know that we have a few authors and family based in Florida and we are all concerned. If you are able to, I do strongly urge you to consider donations to the Red Cross as disaster relief has already suffered a strain in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. There will surely be blood drives as well as nonperishable collections taken up and if that is a way you can help out, please consider it.

Overall, let's collectively say a prayer for our friends and family in the path of this storm system and be ready t give a hand if we can.

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

The rumors are true!  There is more to Dear Diary and it is posted now!  Thanks to everyone that helped me get DD 29 out of my head and onto the screen.  Several people that reminded that the rather traumatic life changing events I have been through this summer actually give me more time to write now.  Anyhoo, hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Boudreaux

crazycajun@cornercafe.us

Hi Everyone!

I just spent a decent amount of time importing some really cool stuff for you all to check out. The complete works of "Akeentia" and the solo works of "The Story Lover" have been on the to-do list for way too long and finally are on our site as well. In doing so, we have expanded the CSU Universe as well as adding The Dragon Earl universe, which has been a personal favorite for a long time. Hope you all have some fun with the new additions.

Oh, and because of these additions, we also have a new category for Poetry. Now if I could only write poetry... Hehehe!

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

Alright, it is time once again to give CSU readers a heart attack. (Not literally, don't look at me like that :P)

Today after a loooooooong wait, Chapter 17 of "Sentenced to Life" is now finished, edited and believe it or not; up on the site! I've heard that very few people who heard that I was actually working on it were a little skeptical (You doubters! Hehehe!) and would only believe it if they saw it. Well, in the immortal words of Naruto Uzumaki (Okay, I'm letting my geek show again...) "Believe It!" I hope you all enjoy the read as the A.I. division stands down from the first of what will undoubtedly become many challenges.

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

So, I write my first little short story and think to myself; "I don't want to bother my editor over such a short piece of work. How many mistakes could there be in it after reading through it three times once it was done." The final tally wasn't given to me but, "The Story Lover" who is my editor and "The Eggman" who does a fresh read through and tweaks the rough stuff were not happy with what I posted. So, tonight I was sent a copy of a freshly edited short story and a strong recommendation to stop going all loose cannon on the site. Oh well, I tried ;)

"The Mezzanine" has been all cleaned up. I think it reads the same but you know all these perfectionists around here. Hehehe! (Actually it's looking great thanks to their efforts. Thank the team if you get a chance.)

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

Yup, I got you all a present for my birthday. I know, I shouldn't have. LOL!

Actually, since I took today off work and had some free time to play around; I decided to put an ending on a short story I started a few months back. The story spawns from a kid who hit me up for change in a local Transit Station. Most of it is true, a bit of it made up to round out a story I can't possibly know all the angles to but, it was something that touched me that I wanted to share.

The next time someone asks you for help, how will you respond?

Look for "The Mezzanine" in the Short Stories menu or along with my other works

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com

Hi Everyone!

Wanted to check in and make sure everyone had fun and stayed safe over the holiday. I spent some quiet time with good friends here at the house and then the rest of the day with my on-line family. You would think that could be pretty dull but, we always have fun. Over the past couple of weeks, I have received quite a few emails asking questions, commenting, complimenting and even complaining about the Finale of "A Penny on the Train Tracks" and my second work within the ever expanding universe of our friends within the "Clan Short" which has always had a life of it's own. Based on some of the feedback, I may actually need to add to our F.A.Q. page under the features section here on the site. Keep an eye out for updates. If I do a huge one, I'll let you know with an announcement, otherwise; periodically keep an eye on that section for changes. (I heard you "MW", unfortunately updates in that section don't turn up under "New Chapters" automatically simply because they aren't chapters. I'll try to remember to bring it up at the next meeting and see if we can come up with an option of some sort ;)

My plans for the immediate future though include an almost completed chapter 17 of "Sentenced to Life", a couple of short stories that kinda rattled out of my head thanks to some real life situations in the new city I live in and a couple of ideas which need to remain in my head for the moment so everything else doesn't end out taking a back seat as is often the case when I'm involved. Thank-You so much for contacting me and for all of the encouragement that has actually overwhelmed me a little since my return. (In a good way, no worries!)

So until I have some real news, I'll get back to work and remember, if you have questions, comments, compliments and even (constructive) complaints; we all love to hear them so don't be shy. Your feedback is often the only "paycheck" an author receives for his work. (I know based on the last batch that I got, I really want to make you all happy with a new chapter soon!)

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com 

I hope everyone has some cool plans for July 4th. Some time with friends or family, cookouts and gatherings, fireworks and local events... It's a great day to get out and have fun and to celebrate our nation's independance as a huge, united family. Whatever your plans, I hope you make the best of your day and above all else, be safe.

I have no updates to report today for the site but can report that the next chapter of "Sentenced to Life" is taking shape, believe it or not. Soon we will be able to get a glimpse of what happened at our AI division after the attack forced the entirety of Clan Short to pull together. This viewpoint has been on hold for a very long time and finally, it's coming together. I can't set a date yet but, I'll do my best to make it soon.

Until the next update - *HUGZ*
-Jeff-
jeffsfort@gmail.com 

Hi Guys!

Just a quickie to let you know that our site designer is always busy in the background working on functionality. Often, it will be changes in the background that we can slip in without anyone really noticing but, I think this one is worth bringing your attention to. If you click on the "Stories" link above, it takes you to a page listing each and every story listed. A long scrolling page that goes on forever... Well, Akeentia has noticed that on some sites, you could scroll for a week (winks at the Cafe and Story Lover's Home) before finding the story that you are looking for so, he added a sort feature at the top of the page. If you want to read "Flight of the Destiny", click on "F" and it takes you right to it.

Seriously, I love this site and it's framework more than any other site I've ever maintained, and I hope you all agree that his hard work is really paying off :)

Thanks Akeentia!!!

*HUGZ*
- Jeff -

Hope you all had a good Father's Day. I know my weekend had a few unexpected pitfalls but in the end, I'm doing pretty okay :) So, I log into our family sites and learn that our CMS designer, Akeentia has been hard at work and I'll be honest; he's amazed me again. Now the changes that he made won't be visible in an obvious way but believe me, it will make the site so much richer. How you ask? I'll tell ya. < grin >

As you probably know, some of the content is actually co-hosted work. Initially, we all had our own copies of each other's work and when a story got updated, each site needed to be posted to separately. Still easier than the old fashioned HTML coding days but, he made a change that turns co-hosting on it's ear. (seriously)

Co-hosted works are hosted on their originating sites, period. Each of our sites are now linked as a true family and if a story is hosted on more than one, then it is actually accessed from it's original site. What does this mean for you? It means that updates, corrections and even latest posted chapters listings are instantly updated everywhere they are posted. View your favorite story from your favorite site, period. "Sentenced to Life" is hosted here. You want to read it at cornercafe.us? Go for it. Even if I update it here, it will be up to date there... I've never worked in such a well designed "Content Management System" and just when I think it can't get any better...

Due to this change, a co-hosted story from the CSU brought in the name of one of our universes heavy hitters as well. The Fort would like to welcome "The Eggman" to the lineup as his work with ACFan: "The Time Chronologies: The Mikyvis Chronicles" has been added for your reading enjoyment.

So go look around the new house, I think you will be happy with the new additions!

Til the next update,
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Well it's been four days since posting APTT's finale and I gotta say, I am blown away at how many people have not only read it in that short period of time but have even emailed to say how much they have enjoyed it. Thank-you all so much for the kind words and feedback. (and sorry to the small handful who felt it was too soon for it to be "The End". The characters made me do it.) But this isn't the reason for this post...

After relaunching the CSU story "Sentenced to Life" on both http://jeffsfort.com and http://cornercafe.us I got a lot of feedback thanking myself and our in house IT Akeentia for making it possible to translate the sometimes incoherent ramblings of the little android named Joey. This has, in almost each email I received asked for a way to translate the character's early speech impediment that the site can't automatically handle. Well, I'm listening to you all and realized that thanks to a need on http://storylover.us, there was an option that I believe will make you all happy. Chapters 6, 7 & 8 now have translations encoded that allow you to read the implied comment in plain English. I still recommend ignoring the translations and reading his comments phonetically as that's how the little guy sounds but, for those comments that just aren't as obvious or for those who are missing part of the convo because of an inability to sound out the comments; click on the highlighted text in these three chapters. I used this feature to help out those who are "Joey Impaired" and think it will help out :)

Hope this helps to make the experience enjoyable for everyone!

Til the next update,
*HUGZ*
JeffsFort@gmail.com

Hi everyone! I have some great news for you all and it just may put a few of you in shock. (I'll apologize in advance for spilled drinks or bruises from falling out of your chairs...)

As I had announced earlier, the first story that I approached prior to re-launching my site was the first story I had attempted ever. I felt that if I was to start "tying up loose ends" it rightfully should be the story that has been waiting the longest for it's conclusion. Originally started back in 2003, "A Penny on the Train Tracks" (APTT) has waited nearly 14 years, stalling repeatedly throughout that time and leading most to believe that it would never be finished. It includes an "Afterword" which briefly explains the idea behind the story, why I feel I began writing it too soon and for all the wrong reasons, and why I now believe that the passage of time and lessons learned in the process gave APTT the message that I wanted it to have in the end after all. I'm very happy with how the story turned out and I hope you all are as well.

This also means that it's time for me to move on to the next story... Look out CSU fans, another tree is about to get shaken and I can't be held responsible for the nuts that fall out of it! Hehehe! I hope you enjoy the read!

*HUGZ*
- Jeff -
Jeffsfort@gmail.com

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know I have been in contact with the author David Miller from http://storylover.us as well as "The Story Lover" himself. As some of you may remember, on our old site we hosted a copy of the short story "Friends is Friends" by David Miller and as with any site which undergoes a complete redesign and relaunch under a new domain, permissions to host need to be renewed, which is why some haven't survived the move, atleast not yet in some cases. David Miller was kind enough to renew that permission and I am very happy to help insure this story is read by as many as possible. It is a story of coming back from the brink and holds a strong message for many of us within the Fort Family.

If you haven't read it yet, please take a few minutes to do so and if you have, be sure to let him know what you think at: davidmiller@storylover.us

*HUGZ* Thanks for an inspiring relaunch Everyone!

-Jeff-

Well everyone, it's been just over 24 hours since we opened the doors and I gotta tell you, I am completely blown away at how much traffic this site has already seen. The nice thing about this new site (on my end) is that at any given time I can look at how many visits the site has seen and even see what is being read. It's so much easier to manage than any site I have ever worked with. (Once again, hat tip to the designer...) Not only was I floored with over 400 visits in less than 24 hours but it gave me a smile that a large percentage of those visits involved Chapter 8 of "A Penny on the Train Tracks", which after all this time is just awesome to see. I'll do what I can to get Chapter 9 up as quickly as I can once it comes back from the editor :) Thanks Everyone!

We also have to announce a scheduled service outage coming up in a few hours. (Sorry, didn't get a huge amount of notice on this one.) At 2am EST on 5/16 we will be offline for about 3 hours as our provider performs disk checks and what not. If we aren't back up by 6am EST we will...um... write a message on a wall somewhere to let you know what's going on ;)

Anyway, thank-you all for an awesome launch and for your understanding as this brand new site... decides it needs to take a nap already. (It's apparently even lazier than I am!)

*HUGZ*
- Jeff -

Hi Everyone!

As you may have noticed over the past couple of days, JEFFSFORT.COM has undergone a seriously drastic change visably. Our old stories site has invaded our old family domain and I really like what the combination has created. After a ton of work and many voice chats with our tech guy, the final version of our stories site is ready for it's Grand Opening Celebration. (Almost all of it, actually.) I do have some surprises in store for you all and a small part of it is still on the way.

So, what are we launching today? Glad you asked :)

Works by our featured authors have been cleaned up and and a brand new navigation system has been created to make this site much more mobile friendly as well as easier to navigate. In the process of cleaning up older material, the CSU story "Sentenced to Life" has a brand new feature that thanks to our content management system was not realistic until now. A common complaint with STL was the fact that one of it's main characters is difficult to understand. I can't fix the early versions of his speech but, this new site is actually able to translate his speech once the character became stable. Just hover over the offending comment and it will now be translated for you. "Awdhough, I nod suwe why you wouwd need id." ;)

There is also a major release of new material to my first story. Started 13 years ago, I have finally completed "A Penny on the Train Tracks". Today, a chapter that has been on hold for ever (once again our characters were close to dying of starvation waiting for the new chapter to start) has now been posted and the final chapter is off to the editors and will go live as soon as it is ready. This is also a bit of a relaunch for both APTT and STL as I did go through and tweak some continuity issues and correct minor typos and things that have just been annoying me. If it's been a while since you read either, I'd suggest rereading the story but, it isn't absolutely needed. Anyway, The final conclusion of APTT is a few days away as well as an authors afterword. I'll let you know when it's here.

Those of you who have found your way in before the launch announcement, please feel free to take a look around at the new format and posted material. A family member went through an aweful lot of work to custom design a new content management system just for our family of sites and I feel it has made our work really shine. (To see the original site using this framework, be sure to visit http://paddedroom.us and be sure to read some of the best stories on the net while you are there!)

Thanks for visiting and "Happy Mother's Day"!

*HUGZ*
- Jeff -

Don't forget to check out the newly renovated http://storylover.us for some truely amazing stories.