Date: 06/13/12 01:49 pm Title: Chapter 13
This chapter was very sad. Poor Nick, so needing to tell someone but not able to confide in the people he loves most. I felt bad for Cary too. I think I would've been heartbroken to find out it was my nursing skills and not my talent that got me on the tour. I can tell I'm going to be annoyed by her keeping this secret of his as well. Probably more annoyed with her then him, but if she had said no, he would have run out of options and had been forced to tell the guys who would have canceled the tour and then this story would have been very short lol at least Cary's role in it. So, I can see why she said yes, plus the performer in her I'm sure understood Nick. I still want to smack them both though! Have fun at your workshop! I have mine today :-p
Author's Response: Thanks for the review! I can see why you'd be annoyed with them both. I think Cary felt kind of stuck - on one hand, she knew it was a bad idea, but on the other, she felt sorry for him and wanted to help him, and of course, the aspiring singer in her still wanted to tour, so she went with her heart and not her head here. And you're right, that's what made for the more interesting story! LOL I am glad my workshop's almost over - two more days, then it's really summer! I hope yours went well today! Thanks again!!
Date: 06/12/12 02:15 pm Title: Chapter 12
I thought Nick's fighting cancer analogy was brilliant. What a clever way to look at it. I was also impressed by how thoughtfully he laid out his plan. You did a great job of bringing it all together. I'm assuming we're going back to Cary's POV. I'll miss Nick for now but I'm so glad you did decide to switch back and forth. It really helps to see what's going on from all angles!
Author's Response: Thanks! He's a clever idiot, I guess LOL. So much trouble and effort he's gone to just to keep this secret. Yep, so now we're caught up to where we'd left off with Cary. It does switch back to Cary's POV for the next few chapters, then back to Nick for a few, and so on. Eventually it starts switching every chapter. I'm glad I decided to show both sides too. I don't think it would have been as good a story told from either one of their perspectives alone. Thanks, Mare!
Date: 06/11/12 01:54 pm Title: Chapter 11
Gah! lol I know you warned me. You did a great job with Nick's struggles about telling the guys. His rational about not wanting to hurt them and protecting Howie the way he has been protected. I would imagine its a pretty hard thing to tell people. Even as frustrated as I am about him hiding this from the boys, if I put myself in his shoes, I might do the same thing. Lol with the double rainbow reference. You really did love that video!
Author's Response: LOL I know it's infuriating! It's a cruel secret to keep from someone you love, but at the same time, in his warped little way of thinking, it kind of makes sense. Like you said, I could almost see myself doing the same thing - it would be a hard thing to tell people. But I don't think I could keep it to myself for that long. I had to include a double rainbow reference! LOL Thanks, Mare! :)
Date: 06/10/12 12:32 pm Title: Chapter 10
Poor Nick. I can only imagine how hard it would be to take in all that information and then be exptected to have a decision that same day. Cancer is such a bitch! I really think you are doing a super job with Dr. Submarine and her personality. Cold but deep down inside caring. I hate when people portray doctors as overly friendly and happy people when dealing with this kind of subject matter because in reality these people deal with death all day long that they almost become immune to the emotions surrounding it. Oh and I always forget to mention this but lmao way back in the AI chapter where Miley was mentoring. I got a huge kick out her being a mentor but kept fogetting to tell you that!
Author's Response: Thanks! I agree... I mean, I've met some doctors who have a great personality and bedside manner and whatnot, but most doctors are not like George Clooney LOL. Like you said, after so long, it probably just becomes routine to them. As for Miley mentoring, she really was a mentor that season of AI, which was as ridiculous as it probably sounded in this story LOL. Thanks again!
Date: 06/09/12 01:00 pm Title: Chapter 9
Lol at you feeling the need to explain this isn't another "Broken" you really have grown so much as a writer between then and now. It's almost like reading two different authors writing about cancer. Even at 17 you had such a gift with words but you have elevated to real 'author' status, in my book anyway. And you know I would never just say that. Okay enough making your head swell onto the chapter... After reading this I know I never want a bone marrow aspiration but does anyone really? I actually declined a spinal tap once because I was such a wuss! great job describing those tests. I also love that he still calls his Dr. Submarine. You're going to drive me crazy with him not telling The boys about this but I shall do my best to refrain from whining about it lol
Author's Response: Aww, thank you!! That means so much, especially coming from someone who IS a real author. I'm glad this one turned out so different from Broken; I definitely think it has a different feel, and the quality of writing is better. LOL Nick is definitely going to frustrate you though! Thanks for making my head swell!! LOL :)
Date: 06/08/12 12:56 pm Title: Chapter 8
Thank you so much for describing in detail why I HATE American Idol! From Randy's annoying caveman speak to the talk about pens instead of the song and the bad song choices etc... Simon was the only good thing 0n the show and I always agreed with him. Glad Nick was the same way. It was also nice seeing how Nick became familiar with Cary. What I like most is that Cary was dissed by the judges. You've done a great job thus far of keeping her so far out of the Mary Sue spectrum. She's a loser and Nick's not instantly attracted to her. You're doing great as Nick and once again I smiled a few times as he was going through the process with his coughing questions and thoughts. lol It was also a clever idea to add the song at the bottom so this way people who have never heard this song can get a chance to.
Author's Response: Thanks, Mare! I used to love American Idol, but this season was the beginning of the end for me. Simon was the only judge who made sense, so when he left, it was all downhill from there. Randy is annoying as hell, and Steven Tyler and J.Lo aren't much better than Kara and Paula. Anyway, it wasn't hard to write all the ridiculousness of that show realistically LOL. Thanks for what you said about Cary; you know I always try to avoid Mary Sues, but it was a challenge with her being a singer and attractive enough to make it on American Idol in the first place. All of that was only a plot device to introduce her to Nick, though, so it was easy to make her a loser. I'm glad you're enjoying Nick's POV; he was always a lot harder to write than Cary, but I enjoyed the challenge of it too. And thanks, I had never heard that version of that song before writing this story either, so I figured it would help people be able to visualize that scene. Thanks for another great review!!
Date: 06/07/12 12:20 pm Title: Chapter 7
This chapter made me feel so bad for poor Nick. First off, I loved the whole Dr. Submarine thing lol so true. I had one of those doctors once. It seems the oncologists always have unpronounceable names. Also the little favorite president part made me smile. That was such a Nick thing lol The ending of this chapter was particularly heart breaking. Nothing is worse than being in a hospital room alone. You caught that beautifully. I always get so mad when in fanfic people have Nick wait forever before he tells people what's wrong. I am guilty of that too lol because in truth I think that's the one facet of his personality that we all have wrong. I can see him in real life calling someone immediately if there's a crisis. Still, it makes us readers anticipate that big coming out when he does finally reveal what's wrong. Wow, I wrote a novel lol looking forward to the next chapter!
Author's Response: Thanks, Mare! Haha, you're gonna be mad for awhile in this one because it takes him FOREVER! I did that in Broken too, I guess because it makes for a more interesting story, but you're right; it's not really a normal reaction LOL. But I do think Nick has a private side, and I could see him not wanting to upset everyone else if he can help it. I'm glad you liked my little attempts at comic relief; I think having the first person narration made that easier in this story, which is good because it's mostly a huge downer LOL. Thanks again!!
Date: 06/06/12 01:39 pm Title: Chapter 6
Here I am sitting in my classroom on my last day of school just waiting for the day to end when I realized I have WIFI which means I could read a chapter here! You are the queen when it comes to describing all the medical stuff in a way where it doesn't appear that all you did was look it up & spew it back up. You have the natural ability to really come off sounding like its second nature & who knows, after writing Broken & BMS it probably is lol both you and Carrie have a natural gift for that. It was also refreshing to switch point of view and understand fully what's been going on with Nick.
Author's Response: Nice! LOL Thanks for the compliment! I just research until I feel like I know what I'm talking about and try to write it so it's detailed enough to sound realistic without sounding like a medical encyclopedia. I'm glad you liked the switch in point of view; I originally was going to write in all in Cary's because I don't usually like stories that jump around, but I got to this point and thought it would be interesting to see Nick's side of the story, too, so I started alternating between the two. I think it did end up better that way, but I'll leave that to you to decide. :) Thanks for the review!
Date: 06/05/12 04:28 pm Title: Chapter 5
I have to admit that if I didn't already know what this story was about, the end of this chapter would have really surprised me & probably would have made me breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't going to be a straight up love story or anything lol It must be hard to incorporate so much singing into a story, but you do a great job with it. You know I hate when people use lyrics in their stories but your descriptions thrown in the middle break them up in such a way it's easy to imagine the two of them just sitting there jamming to Quit Playing Games. It was nice just seeing them get to know each other. Nicely done.
Author's Response: LOL I'm glad to hear you say that because I was so worried people would get to the end of this chapter and go, "Really, again?" LOL I guess people should know me by now; I can't do a straight-up love story!! Thanks for what you said about the singing too; I generally hated writing those parts, but I felt like they were necessary to show both Cary and Nick as musicians and develop that relationship they form over the common interest of music. Thanks, Mare!
Date: 06/04/12 07:13 pm Title: Chapter 4
I really liked the way you explained why Cary decided to become a nurse. You used some great descriptions of how it was for her seeing her mom in hospice. I'm glad she finally made it to Nick. I'll let you know if I'll need you to mail me the story. So far it's been okay but if I decide to read more than one a day I might take you up on that lol
Author's Response: Thanks! I don't think I originally intended to give her such a sob story for a back story, but once I thought of it, it just made sense and helped to explain her life choices, so I went with it. Poor Cary, though LOL. Yeah, just let me know; it's no problem. Thanks for another great review!
Date: 06/03/12 12:30 pm Title: Chapter 3
Okay today was the first real challenge for me reading wise. Not at all to do with the story, it's because I had to read on this tiny iPod lol I hate that my lap top won't let me on the site & my poor desk top needs a few days break after a day or two. So if you suddenly see a ton of typos from me, this is why! Hamebelina, I can't believe I forgot to mention her last time. What a clever way to show a quirky, sentimental side to Cary. Love the name as well. It's something Manny from Modern Family might name his pig lol I'm curios to see what happens now that she's going off to LA to meet with Nick.
Author's Response: LOL Oh no, I would hate reading on an iPod!! That is crazy that your laptop still won't let you on AC! I can send the whole story to you as a Word doc if that would be easier. Anyway, thanks for toughing it out! Hambelina the pig was an add-in; I don't even remember why, but after I'd written a few chapters of this, I decided Cary should have a pet, and I wanted to make it something different than a cat or dog, so somehow I came up with the teacup pig idea and went back and added her in. I love the name; I'd never want a pig for a pet, but if I did have one, I'd totally name her Hambelina LOL. It's not quite as epic as Shell Turtlestein from Modern Family LOL, but it's up there! The story will pick up now that she's on her way to LA.
Date: 06/02/12 12:14 pm Title: Chapter 2
Aww no worries, Julie. So far i'm enjoying this one. I am just reading it more like an original fic than a BSB one. You really should write more in first person because it flows beautifully. Not that you don't flow in third because you are just a naturally gifted writer in general, but you have a knack for first person. Not everyone does. I love how skeptical Cary is about Nick's offer. I am very much like her. I NEVER pick up the phone when it says private caller. For all I know, it's probably been Nick calling me a thaousand times tryint to offer me a job! I'm sure some of the more delusional fans would think the same thing lmao
Author's Response: I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far! Thank you so much for the compliment! I am definitely more open to first person after writing this story. I think it's hard to find that "voice" sometimes - Cary was easy because she basically thinks like me; I didn't stretch too much to make her different in terms of personality. Nick was a much bigger challenge, so I'll be curious to see what you think when it switches over to his point of view. LOL I never pick up the phone when I don't know the number either - you are a music person, so you're probably right, it could have been Nick!! LMAO Thanks, Mare!!!
Date: 06/01/12 09:56 pm Title: Chapter 1
I really enjoyed the way you started this and the way you chose to tell Cary's tale. I love reading first person (as you know) and I just thought it was really clever the way you had her go into her story while she was waiting on the results. You did a great job describing the entire audition process as well.
Author's Response: Thanks, Mare! I know it will be a challenge for you to read this story, but I appreciate you giving it a try, and I always value your feedback!! This was one of my first times writing a novel in first person, and I actually enjoyed it a lot - once I got into it, it got to where I was thinking in first person for all my other stories and wanting to write that way for them too! LOL I'm glad you liked the beginning. I was worried the American Idol thing was going to seem so cheesy, like the beginning of a bad teenybopper fanfic, but it was the only way I could think of that seemed halfway realistic for Nick to "find" Cary. So thanks!!
Date: 02/04/12 07:02 am Title: Chapter 90
This story was one of the most beautiful storys I've read. I mean, IT WAS AMAZING!! I cried all the way, with Nick's ups and downs, with Cary trying to be with Nick whatever happens... You are an amazing writer :') This I've told you so many times before, but I mean it!! You are the best! I can't wait to read another story of yours, and I'm sorry for being disappear and not catch yours update every week... The end was so... sad and beautiful. I bet Nick was so proud of Cary, to move on and making the Camp. I didn't want this story to be over :'( I will miss it!! So, once more, you are an amazing writer, and please, never stop writing :)
Author's Response: Hey Victoria! Thanks so much for the review; I'm glad you got a chance to finish the story and glad you enjoyed it, even though the ending was so sad. I can't thank you enough for the amazing compliments!! As hard as it was to write in the end, I enjoyed writing this story, and it means a lot to me that you enjoyed reading it. I don't plan to stop writing anytime soon... thanks again for the support!! :)
Date: 12/24/11 09:09 am Title: Chapter 9
Just wanted to say thanks for making this realisitic. I'm a nurse. I work in Interventional Radiology at my hospital and my background is ICU and Oncology. You are doing a great job of being pretty accurate with procedures and such.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! That's high praise, coming from someone who works in medicine. I don't, but I've always been interested in it, so I actually enjoy researching for my stories and challenging myself to see how accurate I can make them without having seen or gone through most of this stuff firsthand. Thanks again for the review!
