The subject of this email is a filthy lie, an effort at misdirection. This is an off topic plug for a webcomic that I enjoy greatly. Now, there is a very strong reason why I chose to do an off topic plug, at this particular time. Read on, dear neighbor. Everything that you need to know to understand is contained in this email. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/ >> Schlocktoberfest Warning! Open Letter, Sunday, October 17, 2004 As Book III was drawing to a close I mentioned that Book IV was going to be darker than usual. The story I want to tell is a really, really good one (at least that's what the Voices In My Head keep telling me), but the only way to tell it properly is darkly. We're going to begin some of the worst of that darkness, oh, NOW. I'm not going to say much in the Open Letter or on the forums about the plot. This will be better if you are allowed to experience it as it unfolds. Of course, when I say that I mean that it will be better for me, because I get hours of joy reading the speculation, consternation, and outright indignation at the atrocities I commit in this comic. Some of you are going to get angry with me. I can live with that. I'd be doing this wrong if everyone was happy. Please hang in there. I've wanted to tell this story for about three years now, and I think I finally have the chops to pull it off. >> http://www.schlockmercenary.com/ I wonder that this isn't something many authors glean sadistic enjoyment from. Derrill