All Comments on 'Second Chances Pt. 03'

G’day,

Thanks for sticking with Second Chances till the end. It was a long and winding road that I hope you enjoyed travelling.

Second Chances started out as a Loving Wives story. It was inspired by a newspaper article I’d read about a guy who spent some time in prison after an accusation of child sexual assault was made during divorce proceedings. I’d written a couple of thousand words following the usual LW formula when I got bored with it and shelved it.

After reading a number of Ausfet’s brilliant, quirky Australian stories I was inspired to rework my first idea into a Romance. So the LW plot with the dastardly ex-wife and vicious ex-best friend were cast aside although it’s basic outline is still described in Peta and Richard’s confrontation mid Part 3.

As I wrote in a preamble to Part One, I must thank Ausfet for her help and encouragement. Also Nchalada who was my second pair of eyes looking for the many errors.

This is such a great story that ended all too soon. Saying goodbye to these characters and their story is difficult.

I was really looking forward to the Ch. 03 conclusion, although after Ch. 02, I thought you needed at least three chapters more to extricate Peta and Richard from the hole their relationship had fallen into. I was relieved to see how long Ch. 03 was, thinking anything much shorter would have been inadequate for a credible ending. In the end though, it wrapped up nicely and believably.

Marci as an intermediary surely greased the wheels to get them back on track. Still, the anger between Peta and Richard seemed insurmountable, but was believably resolved in their confrontation and reconciliation scenes.

Petra is my favorite character. Strong willed passionate, but still vulnerable. Richard reminds me of Ted Conkaffey, the stoic, wrongly accused and emotionally bruised cop in Candice Fox’s Crimson Lake novels. Marci turns out to be the catalyst that really drives the story to a happy conclusion. Some good villains too in Tony and the cop. All the characters were well rendered and compelling.

“The Empty Nest” is one of my favorites, and now I’ll have to go back and reread it (again) now that you’re back in my forebrain with “Second Chances”. Thanks for an entertaining and captivating story. Good to see your new submission (although I’ve followed your remarks in the comments to Ausfet’s work - what a talented storyteller she is - huh?).

Loved it but..... did Michael rejoin his dad? Several questions about Richard's medical knowledge... a physician who lost license because of the false charges but restored? The two farms legally combined? Did the two cohorts of Tony (who walked away from the fight) come to work for Richard? Grand children? A peak at their older years? Did Jim and Marci marry? There could be a lot more. Thanks for a great story.

Thank you CharlieB4 for and outstanding story.

But hey, it's his life.

Peta has been coping some flak both in the comments and a few messages direct to me. I think she is the most nuanced character in the story. The rest are almost cartoon cutouts in comparison. Richard the quiet hero, Tony the evil villain and Marci the outspoken but well intentioned side kick.

In the last couple of years I’ve attended two funerals where farmers have committed suicide. It is becoming an all too familiar task in agricultural districts throughout the world. There was the usual sadness about the tragedy but I picked up on something else. A sense of profound anger and bewilderment from those closest to the men, mates and family members. Why couldn’t they talk about it? How could their friend, husband, lover, father have caused such utter devastation?

I tried to capture that in Peta. The deep love that turns to hate. The confrontation at the hospital in part 2 should be seen with that context. A woman feeling utterly betrayed by yet another man whom she trusted.

Loved this one.

I'm going to give you a compliment. Good story. All your rugby teams are still shit and I suspect your relationship to sheep is unnatural but you put together an engaging tale.

I, too, finally found Peta an interesting character. She isn't the smartest person on the planet, and I think it shows. She jumps to conclusions and it takes awhile for her to figure out she is wrong. I was angry in part 2 because I "realized" what was going on, but then I wasn't "living" through it.

Marci, I found, was the most interesting character. She cares for her daughter, and yet sees Richard (finally) as a good person. Then becomes a proponent of both.

I really enjoyed the story. The "bad" people were punished, and the "good" people lived a good live.

Thank you for writing.

I was literally lying in bed the other week wondering why I was yet to read a lit story where someone didn't end up with a leg cramp during sex. Now I have and I feel strangely satisfied.

So, Marci came around... I was wondering how she would play out. She was either going to be the wicked mother or the concerned one who would jump in to sort things out, and I'm glad it's the latter. Peta's a tough cookie. Batshit crazy at points, sure, and I grimaced at her whacking Richard, but she had a husband who due to MH trivialised her feelings towards him, and I can appreciate why she was terrified of Richard doing the same.

Good work sticking with it. I've counted up and figured you must be somewhere around the 60k word mark. Your characters stayed in character and your style was the same throughout - easy enough to do with 10k words, but bloody hard with 60k.

Apologies in advance if you receive comments from me twice. I wrote and submitted one but it seems to have disappeared (which would tend to suggest I fucked it up but y'know - another comment may appear).

I loved the part about the leg cramp. I was literally lying in bed the other week, trying to uncramp my foot, while wondering why no one in Literotica stories ever gets a leg cramp mid-coitus. Now someone's written about it. Finally.

Marci was a tricky one. I was waiting to dislike her, but she came through. She's an opinionated old bird, but she really seemed to have Peta and the boys' best interests at heart.

Richard... shit, I thought the poor bastard who ended up in Goulburn Supermax on fake terrorism charges had it as bad as one can get it, but being falsely accused of molesting kids gives that a good run for it's money.

Peta, however, was someone I probably identified a bit too strongly with her at parts, though - being a single mother, learning a job that is a complete 180 from what you've done before and having everyone waiting for you to fail, and balancing a need for assistance with a determination just to do it on your own, are all 'not fun things I have done in my life'. I reckon she crossed a pretty big line hitting Richard, but the rest of her actions, batshit crazy though they might appear, seem fairly understandable for someone who is under a lot of stress.

I did a quick count and realised you must've hit about 60k words with this. Helluva effort, and it flows really smoothly. Unless I knew how long it took you to write it, I never would have guessed it was done over so long a period. You kept everything neat, tight and concise.

God fucking help you getting inspired by anything I wrote though ;)

She was judgementsl, bitter, and threw Richard away. I loved the first two parts, but this forced reconciliation was cartoonish. Try getting falsely called a pedo and see how forgiving you are. You took Richard and made him into a lovesick schoolboy. Blech!!!

You're one of the best Lit writers, even though I have to, at times, fire up my Aussie to American English translator. :)

...there aren’t many writers who can make teaching how to run a combine harvester interesting, but you did it.

Great story. Thanks for that.

More, please.

Dude, you’re seriously underrated. Wish there were more stories with this kind of feel. Great stuff.

That was a wild ride and one hell of an incredible story.

...the website, spelling, absent words and syntax notwithstanding. Five easy stars.

Yeah, nice, 5 stars easy

Good story, although it would have better to have heard some justice in the cheaters and some significant karma land on Tony.

Great story. Sadly it sounds like his ex for away with her machinations. Her lover got all the blame. Not sure why his son refuses to see him. I know he is older. But what gives? And Julia is with him all the time (primarily)? Still the author's best work at 5 wonderful stars!!!