25 Comments

All shall be revealed. Well, not all but some!

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In the face of adversity we remember things that otherwise stay hidden. Spoiler alert: There is a Part Three of Carter (The Final Chapters, seven of them). ;) Thanks for reading, Sharron! Part 2 concludes next week!

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This was really great, Alexander. Showing Carter trying to deal with the craziness of his present but still wrestling with the chains of the past. It was good to see he still manages to try and bring levity into the situation in his usual inimitable style. This story has really grown since the first few chapters of part one and become even bolder and more cinematic. Brilliantly done 👍🏼

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Thanks, Daniel. Glad to hear the past/present angle worked for you. The next and last chapter in Part 2 will need to tie things together to get to the "why."

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Yes. We are counting on it.

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Looking forward to it, Alexander 👍🏼

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Gulp. Torture interspersed with weird insertions of his childhood memories really shook me -- which was your aim, no doubt. A compelling opening paragraph, with all the questions. “Humor in the face of abject devastation." ? Man! Maybe Carter could muster it, but not me. You better save this guy or I will be cranky.

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Seems my reply didn't go where it was supposed to go! -> In the face of adversity we remember things that otherwise stay hidden. Spoiler alert: There is a Part Three of Carter (The Final Chapters, seven of them). ;) Thanks for reading, Sharron! Part 2 concludes next week!

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Excellent chapter, lots of solid info, both past and present.

"From his comfy sofa in his cosy little apartment in London to this middle-of-nowhere cabin in the woods with a cult" ... I ended the last chapter also wondering this 😆 What a ride!

I don't quite see how he could possible extricate himself from this situation now though!!

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Thanks, Nathan! Yeah, the production cost just quadrupled! How, indeed, is is going to get out of this pickle. There is no way. 7 days. Then we shall know.

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Haha. Well, good luck to the production team when they're planning the budget for the film ;)

Surely no way he can extract himself!

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Amazon and Netflix surely can spare the $$$ 😅

As to what will happen next? More carving, more runes. He's dunnit this time... Poor Carter. Or... ah, but no spoilers!

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I think this is my favorite chapter of P2 so far. I always love when a protagonist is forced to relive repressed memories. And Mrs. Helfinger is quite a nefarious character.

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Thanks, Josh! Much appreciated. Carter will need to hold out a little longer and yeah The Cannibal, she’s a real charmer! 😅

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Oh, and excellent use of the word “stolid” which I’ve not seen for many a year but was always a favourite one to look up in the thesaurus when I came across it in my reading!

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Yes, the thesaurus is a writer's best friend. I was looking for a stoic word to express that calm, emotionless attitude, which I tried to put into the voice as well.

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Heartbreaking and frightening, compelling and melancholic...you take us into many spaces of the mind here and it works! So captivating. Little details like the feeling of blood and packing the bag really make this pop.

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Thanks, Kate! Glad you found it worked. Jumping back and forth can be jarring for some readers, so I am happy to hear it paid off!

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Such intense suffering, but what resolve! He will become a phoenix and burn Beaumont to bacony crisp.

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Ah, there may be ashes ... to ashes. Phoenix? Not so sure! 😅 thanks for reading, Nadia!

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!!! I'm excited for what comes next!

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🙏 You and me both! Chapter 7 - The Pretzelman

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😂 that dang pretzel should be a supportive role character.

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Haha. Lauselümmel! Loved it! The dialogue (which is always crisp!) reminded me of some of the old “James Bond” banter that he would have while strapped to a table about to die. Excellent job! 👏

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Thanks, Daniel! Glad you enjoyed it! The German adds a bit of flavor, eh? ;) I had Lümmel before but though, nah, not enough! Lausebengel was another choice but ze Lauselümmel won! 😅 Love you get Bond vibes! While Carter is no Bond he has come a long way from his “bookworm” days.

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