The Latest from Scratch Writing
Character Sketch: Jack Barons and The New Year's Hat In The Midas Protocol - Chapter 7 - "Hank's Apartment"
Jack converts the previous chapter’s humiliation into deliberate retaliation. His injuries make him ridiculous and physically vulnerable, but they do not soften his behavior. He interprets Hank’s intervention at the Rosebud as a personal outrage and looks for a way to make Hank pay. The stolen equipment and keyed door turn grievance into action.
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Chapter Sketch: Hank and Addison in The Midas Protocol - Chapter 7 - "Hanks Apartment"
Addison’s viewpoint complicates the romance. She admires Hank’s looks, professional promise, humor, and willingness to defend Danielle. She also treats his apartment and habits as things she might improve. Her attraction carries an expectation that he will change to suit her, a useful tension beneath the playful exchanges.
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Character Sketch: Jack Barons In The Midas Protocol
Rodney Pierpont Barons, Jack desperately wants to escape his father’s shadow—even as he inherits much of Rod’s aggression, entitlement and instinct for power. His ingenious manipulation of Unalco’s finances quickly attracts Connor Wallrose, who recognizes that Jack’s creative accounting could conceal enormous losses while preserving the appearance of corporate success. For Jack, Connor offers the influence and approval his father never did.
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Chapter Profile: Midas Protocol - Chapter 7 - "Hank's Apartment"
At 2:37 a.m. on January 1, 1990, Hank Raglan welcomes Addison Moore into his Ben Avon apartment. After the Rosebud brawl, the warmth offers refuge; the dirty laundry, battered furniture, and improvised shelving offer a less flattering introduction to Hank’s private life. Addison is appalled and attracted in almost the same breath. His defense of Danielle has strengthened her interest, even as his housekeeping tests it.
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The Scratching Post: The Midas Protocol – Dare I Rewrite the Past?
My editor Dean recently finished reading The Midas Protocol. He did much of the heavy lifting on Call of the Minotaur, and I had assumed he had read the first book years ago. Apparently, he had not. His reaction was interesting: compared with Call of the Minotaur, The Midas Protocol almost reads like a prequel.
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Studio: Would You Pay for Heaven Plus?
The Pearly Gates have introduced premium subscription plans, and at least one recently deceased customer is experiencing some serious sticker shock. Sure, Heaven+ may seem expensive—but as St. Peter points out, you do get cloud storage. Rick Thickman has this story and more from the Funny Newz Desk.
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Studio: The Midas Files Live Readings Are Under Attack
The Midas Files Mission Control has survived its first live reading… barely. Each week, I’m reading a chapter from The Midas Protocol live on YouTube. But apparently Mortimer Vanterpool has other ideas.
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Quantum Soup: What If There Is Only One Electron?
Every once in a while, physics wanders into a room, turns off the lights, lights one candle, and says something that sounds completely insane. Here is one of those ideas:
What if every electron in the universe is actually the same electron?
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Chapter Profile: Midas Protocol - Chapter 6 - "Rosebud"
When Danielle confronts him, the argument becomes violent. Jack strikes her in full view of the party. Hank immediately answers with a punch of his own, and Jack’s attempt to retaliate ignites a sprawling club-wide brawl. The sequence moves from ugly domestic cruelty to farce and pandemonium: overturned food, flying chairs, shattered glasses, accidental punches, and a charge through a flimsy wall into the men’s room.
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The Scratching Post: The Polish Prophet’s Salsa and the Last Taste of Summer
Labor Day always feels a little bittersweet to me. Around Western Pennsylvania, it is the unofficial last call for summer — one more long weekend to fire up the grill, sit outside with friends, crack open a beer and pretend we are not already noticing that the evenings are getting shorter. Today, I plan to do exactly that.
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