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Auld Lang Syne, and all that stuff…
Wow, so here we are again. It feels like I wrote the last New Year post just the other week. Seriously, 2015 has just flown by, and I have no doubts 2016 will do the same. But for me, 2015 has been kind and as we enter into the new year, I have two fabulous (if not busy) kids, my health, a home, and my dream job. I know this past year hasn’t been so kind to others, and I truly wish those people a happier new year.
2015 has been a busy year. I released four novels, one novella, and three short stories for a total of 360,000 words. I had six translated titles, and eight re-released books, which technically brings my total of “releases” to TWENTY-TWO!!
*slumps*
And 2016 is going to be set a similar pace. So far, I have planned a trilogy of novellas, ranging from 40,000 words to 50,000 words each, and a stand-alone novel which will probably exceed 80,000 words, and that’s just until June. I’m yet to put the second half of the year into focus. I also have at least five translations due in 2016 (French and Italian) and I’m hoping with all my might to finally get something done in audio this year.
I’m also hoping to get to GRL this year. Eeeeek!
Finally, I would like to sincerely wish all my readers a very happy New Year, and hope 2016 brings you good health and happiness. I have loved interacting on social media with you, and have loved all the comments, reviews, pm’s and emails from each of you.
See you all next year. <3
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens. My review and disappointment.
**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**
This post will contain spoilers. If you do not want spoilers, do not read. You’ve been warned, mmkay? The thoughts in this post are mine alone. I’m not expecting people to agree with me, and I considered not posting it but after seeing The Force Awakens I’m so peeved, I needed to rant somewhere.
I want to preface this by saying I’m a huge Star Wars fan. I haven’t read any of the books, but I can not put a number to the times I’ve seen the six movies – I know them word for word. I also understand the writers of the original trilogy wrote the initial script for this new movie, and I understand George Lucas was consulted. I love JJ Abrams work, and to be fair, I liked what he did with the script he had to work with. And I do believe The Force Awakens is true to the world of Star Wars.
But… I am so incredibly disappointed.
I had been looking forward to this movie for so long. Maybe my expectations were too high, because I expected something different than a rewrite of the original trilogy, with some parallels to the second trilogy that followed, thrown in for good measure.
The world waited, holding our collective breaths, for a REWRITE? I have to admit, when the film ended, I sat there stunned. And not in a good way. Cinematically, it was pretty to watch, the action sequences were great, the strong lead character was female… It should have won on so many levels. But for me at least, it fell incredibly short.
It was a rewrite. I couldn’t believe it.
The similarities/copies are obvious:
Luke, Leia and Han are now Finn, Rey and Poe.
Kylo Ren (Han’s son) is the new Anakin/Darth Vader wannabe, with his political Nazi-like army, that want to take over the galaxy. He even does the Force-chokehold like Darth did.
Kylo Ren must pass a test to prove to his Master he is worthy by killing his father – a scene almost identical to Luke and Darth’s immortalised “I am your father” scene, complete with a fall into oblivion.
There’s a new cute droid (who tbh, reminded me of Wall-E) and cameos from C3PO and R2D2. Remember in A New Hope when a secret message in the form of a hologram was hidden in R2D2? Yeah well, even that’s an identical repeat.
There’s even a new Emperor/Grand Master/Whatever who is Kylo Ren’s Master, training him to be the next Darth Vader. (I have my suspicions as to who this Master will turn out to be.) I understand how the Sith/Dark Side works and I didn’t expect that to change – but the similarities to Darth Vader and the Emperor were too obvious in this film. At least Darth Maul was in canon, yet different.
Innocent planets die, just like (and I do mean JUST like) Alderaan did. They even blow up another Death Star, reminiscent with the X-wing pilot Luke scenes from Return of the Jedi – I mean seriously, they’re almost identical. Even the scenes where the Millennium Falcon flies into the other ship. It’s all been rewritten into this new movie.
Han Solo dies (yeah, don’t even get me started on that) in a self-sacrificial way, a scene that in my opinion was similar to the deaths of Obi-Wan and Vader’s combined, in a scene that is almost identical to Darth Vader’s death. [I am hoping he makes a reappearance in the next films, for Chewie’s sake if not mine. LOL]
Kylo Ren and Rey will no doubt turn out to be twins (parents are Han and Leia, not unlike Anakin and Padme who had twins Luke and Leia) who need to battle it out in the end to see which side, light or dark, wins. I’m going to guess that Rey and Finn will probably have twins at some point so the saga never fucking ends. Good Lord. I mean Ren and Rey, Luke and Leia… at what point does it become a parody?
These are just a few of the similarities – the scenery, locations etc. I mean Jakku was literally identical to Tatooine where they originally found Luke… I mean Rey… Ugh, I’m so confused – they just bleed into each other now even I can’t keep them straight. Oh, and there was a bar scene as well, complete with band playing funky music as per the original trilogy, and a fat slug and pretty girl at its side, just like the infamous Jabba and Leia in a bikini scene. Blah.
See what I mean? It’s all the same. It didn’t just use the Star Wars universe. It stole the plot of the original trilogy.
I’ve seen reviews where people are thrilled at the parallels, citing it’s a “mashup” of the original, or “a symmetrical arc” which is a prettier way to call it what it is. And that’s a blatant, lazy, insulting rewrite.
They basically had unlimited resources and funding. They could have taken this story anywhere – there were literally a galaxy of possibilities – yet they chose to rehash an existing plot and try to glorify a masterpiece. For what? A new generation of Star Wars fans?
What about the fans who have loved it for thirty years? Did we not deserve some creativity? Some plausible plot maybe that took the Resistance to new and greater (or simply different) things? But, in my opinion at least, to simply give us what we already had, is insulting.
Now bear with me for a moment. I want you to imagine this… I magically obtain the rights to Harry Potter. (*snort* we can dream, right?) And I unveil my plans to add more books/movies to the franchise with an unlimited budget. It’s going to be huge! There’s so much anticipation and secrecy and OMG it’s going to be so awesome. The eighth book will surpass all expectations!!!!
And you wait and wait and you finally get your hands on the book and your heart is in your mouth as you start to read… only to realise I haven’t continued the story at all. I’ve just added three new main characters, and simply rewritten the first few books (but I’ve added some familiar characters for a few cameos to appease the old fans – so that makes it okay, right?) and there’s a new Voldemort to defeat and the new characters have to find a Philosopher’s Stone and a Chamber of Secrets and a Prisoner from Azkaban, exactly the same way Harry and friends did. AND the MC turns out to be a girl orphaned because her mother died protecting her, she has black hair and glasses and doesn’t yet know she’s a wizard but she gets chosen for the house of Gryffindor…
Jesus Christ.
That’s what the new Star Wars movie was. In a nutshell.
*sigh*
I know I’m in the minority here. Most people I know LOVED it. Will I watch the next movies? Of course. It’s Star Wars. Of course I will watch it. But I will watch it with my expectations firmly in check. After all, I’m sure the scenes were Luke trains Rey
on the swamp planet of Dagobah until she is summoned by the new Darth Vaderwill be awesome. -
Red Dirt Christmas is a bestseller
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Retro Read: Blind Faith
The Blind Faith series has three books; Blind Faith, Through These Eyes and Blindside. The first in the series, Blind Faith, introduces us to Isaac Brannigan and Carter Reece, and Brady, of course.
BUY LINKS: Amazon
Blind Faith Series is now only available on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
Blurb:
Starting a new job in a new town, veterinarian Carter Reece, makes a house call to a very special client.
Arrogant, moody and totally gorgeous, Isaac Brannigan has been blind since he was eight. After the death of his guide dog and best friend, Rosie, his partnership with his new guide dog, Brady, isn’t going well.
Carter tries to help both man and canine through this initiation phase, but just who is leading who?
Excerpt:
I always thought a person’s car was reflective of its owner, and as I opened the passenger door of the late ’80s Ford Taurus and got in, I smiled to myself. Like its owner, Dr Fields, it was gray in color and in impeccable condition. Not a scratch, not a dent, not a thing out of place. Polished, tidy, and clean. Family oriented, safety first. Just like its owner.
And although it still ran well, although it was still reliable, it was getting on in miles, years. Just like its owner.
Was my car reflective of me? As much as I wished otherwise—yeah, it was. A sturdy Jeep 4×4, a few dents and scratches. Not too old, and certainly not showroom-pretty by any means. More rugged, well-worn, sometimes fun, always practical. That’s me. Practical for my work as a vet, practical for me on days off to harness my dog in the backseat and head out of town. Nothing about my car strictly screamed “gay man” but nothing about me did either.
Unless you counted the small star decal on the rear bumper.
My best friend Mark had stuck it there before I’d left Hartford, Connecticut to start my new job in Boston. He’d known I’d bury myself in my work like I always did, limiting my chances of meeting anyone new. He had told me by having a star stuck on my rear bumper, it might increase the chances of some guy seeing the one tattooed on my hip. He’d said the star was more discreet than the “I’m gay. Wanna fuck?” decal he was going to put on my car. He thought it was hilarious. Mark always thought he was hilarious.
“What’s got you smiling?” Dr Fields asked.
I looked at the older man behind the steering wheel. “Oh, nothing,” I said dismissively. But I looked at him and smiled.
He smiled back at me. Then the older man asked, “How are you settling in? You enjoying it here?”
“Yes,” I answered him honestly. “Very much. I mean, it’s only been a week, but I love what I’ve seen so far.” And I did. My new job at East Weymouth Animal Hospital was quite the step up for me.
He smiled again, seemingly pleased with his decision to hire me.
He concentrated on driving for a moment, then he asked, “Did you do house calls in Hartford?”
I laughed. “Uh, no. I thought house calls were something doctors and vets did in small country towns for large animals.” Or in television shows, I thought errantly, but kept that to myself.
This time it was Dr Fields who laughed. “Well, there’s not many house calls left on my books these days. Just the families who’ve been coming to see me for years.”
And that’s where we were on our way to now. The animal hospital was in a nice part of town, and all house calls were close by. Our first visit was to a Mrs Yeo and her seventeen year old cat, Mr Whiskers. When we got there, I wasn’t surprised Mrs Yeo preferred house calls. She must have been near a hundred years old, all of four feet tall, with gray, wiry hair and skin like wrinkled paper.
“Don’t let her appearance fool you,” Dr Fields had warned me in the car. “She’s as sharp as a tack.”
So she was, but poor old Mr Whiskers wasn’t doing so well. He was slow and not too responsive as Dr Fields gently checked him over. He gave Mr Whiskers some more arthritis medication, but even Mrs Yeo had given a sad nod, acknowledging she knew the poor tabby’s days were numbered.
Against our insistence, Mrs Yeo had walked us out. Dr Fields had given her a reassuring pat on the arm, telling her if she needed anything to give him a call. As we got back into his car, Dr Fields sighed. “I don’t think poor Mr Whiskers will see the end of summer,” he said sadly. “Not sure how Mrs Yeo will cope without him. She got that cat for company after her husband died…” The older man’s words trailed away. He didn’t need to say any more. I understood.
It was easy to tell the older man loved his job. I’d only worked with him a week, but he knew every patient and owner by name, and he took his time with each of them. He knew their personal histories. He had an old-school work ethic, and I wondered how his pending retirement would fare on him.
I assumed he’d miss it as much as the hospital would miss him, and from my first week on the job, one thing was very clear—I had very big shoes to fill.
We drove in silence for a short while, and I watched the slow passing of houses through the passenger side window. The animal hospital was in Weymouth, South Boston, which was a nice neighborhood already, but the houses we were driving past were getting even nicer, the gardens and lawns well-tended.
Wanting to keep conversation going between us, I prompted the old man, “Next stop is the Brannigans.”
Dr Fields nodded. “Isaac Brannigan…” he said quietly with a shake of his head. “Sad story, but not really mine to tell. Hannah will be there. She’s his official caregiver,” he said rather cryptically.
I wondered what he meant by that when we pulled into a circular drive. The large, single story house sat proudly in the midst of manicured gardens. It spoke money.
Dr Fields pulled up at the front door, but before he got out of the car, he said, “Isaac’s having some adjustment issues with his new dog, Brady. He’s a little…” he searched for the right word, “…insistent, but I guess he’s got his reasons.”
Before I could ask if he was referring to the dog or its owner, the older man got out of the car. I followed suit, grabbed the bag off the backseat and followed him to the front door.
A woman answered the door and smiled warmly as soon as she saw Dr Fields, standing aside to welcome us in. She looked around thirty years old—just a few years older than me—and had brown, curly hair, pale skin, and a wide, kind smile.
“Hannah,” Dr Fields introduced us, “this is Dr Carter Reece. Carter, this is Hannah Brannigan.”
I extended my hand, which she shook. “Very nice to meet you.”
She was still smiling. “Does Max have you doing the rounds with him?”
She called him by his given name, so I quickly deduced she knew him well. Before I could answer, Dr Fields answered for me. “Dr Carter will be taking my place at the hospital.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, looking from me to the old man. “You’re retiring?” she asked, and Dr Fields nodded. “Isaac never mentioned it…”
“He doesn’t know,” Dr Fields told her quietly. “I was going to tell him today.”
Just then, a man no older than me walked into the foyer. He was dressed as though he’d just stepped off a yacht. Khaki shorts, white polo t-shirt, expensive leather boat shoes and small, dark, designer sunglasses worth what I earned in a month. He was fit looking, matched my five foot ten height and had short, spiky dark brown hair and pale skin. He was gorgeous.
He smiled. “Tell me what?”
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Exchange of Hearts Teaser
Less than a week to go to the release of Exchange of Hearts, and here is a teaser extract.
Blurb:
Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.
But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.
He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.
Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.
But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.
Teaser Extract:
One afternoon after school, we walked down to the little supermarket not far from campus. It was the usual place boarders went to pick up snacks, drinks, and magazines. When we walked in, we found a few other guys there, Carson being one of them.
“Not here,” I told Levi.
He nodded in understanding but seemed a little disappointed. And as we scouted through the aisles, it just so happened that Carson was there by himself.
Levi looked at me, but I shook my head no.
To his credit and my relief, he didn’t say anything, or do anything, and we bought our stuff and went back to our room.
“That was the perfect opportunity!” he told me, dumping his things on his bed. “God, I could have had some fun with the cucumbers.”
When I didn’t laugh at his joke, he looked at me. “Harrison, what’s up? Are you starting to have second thoughts?”
“It’s not that,” I said.
“Then what is it?” he questioned.
“Nothing,” I lied. “It’s just….” I didn’t finish. I couldn’t finish.
Levi walked over to stand right in front of me. “It’s just what?”
I shook my head and took a step back from him, trying to put some distance between us.
“It’s just what?” he said again, taking another step toward me.
“Um,” I swallowed thickly, taking another step back. “Every time you… do something to piss Carson off… you….” God, I couldn’t say this.
“I what, Harrison? Just tell me and I’ll stop it.”
“No,” I blurted out. “I uh, I don’t want you to stop it.”
His eyes widened. He was confused, curious.
Oh, God. Oh, fuck. I could feel myself blush right down my neck. Considering what I’d said already, I may as well just finish and completely die of embarrassment. “Every time you do something to make Carson jealous… you… youmakemehard.”
He blinked.
And I wanted to die.
He blinked again. Then a slow spreading smile took over his face. “I make you hard, huh?”
I breathed out shakily and nodded. “When you lean in and whisper… when you touch me….”
He was grinning now, right in front of me. I couldn’t move; even if I could have made my legs work, I was backed in against my bed.
“Harrison,” he said softly. He lifted his hand toward my face. “Can I touch you?”
I couldn’t speak, so I swallowed and nodded. Then ever so softly, he touched his fingers to my cheek. He mumbled, and I could barely hear him over my pounding heart. “So beautiful.”
I found myself smiling shyly at his words. God, I was never embarrassed like this with Carson, but something about Levi made me nervous. He was so close to me. His body, his face, his eyes, his mouth.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.
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NaNo 2015
For those who don’t know, NaNo (short for NaNoWriMo – which is short for National Novel Writing Month) is held every year in November. It’s an intense writing schedule where participants are expected to write no less than 50,000 words from November 1st to November 30th.
I normally don’t post much on things like this. I always think if I fail, then the world will know. But this year, I’m telling people for the accountability. I need the push to get this done! The book I’m tackling is Spencer Cohen – Book 2. If the book, which I’m expecting to come in at around 40,000 is finished, then I shall simply just start Spencer Cohen – Book 3. The aim is 50,000 words, regardless of which title they fall under.
So, my NaNo profile is HERE
Good luck to everyone else who is doing it as well! And remember, even if you only write a thousand words in all of November, it’s a thousand words more than someone who didn’t try at all. <3
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COVER REVEAL – EXCHANGE OF HEARTS
Exchange of Hearts has a cover!! The wonderful Sara York has done it again, and given my boys a beautiful, perfect visual representation of their story. Release date is November 13!
BLURB:
Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.
But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.
He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.
Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.
But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.
~oOo~
Exchange of Hearts is a 39,000 word novella, and will be available at all the usual ebook outlets, and later in paperback. There will be no pre-order buy links this time. I will post all links when I have them <3
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N.R. Walker Writerly update
Hiya guys,
It’s been a while since I updated my writing schedule. I’ve been busy. I’m always busy. Sometimes real life gets so damn busy I fall into bed exhausted only to have to drag my butt outta bed a few hours later and do it all over again. Rinse and repeat, blah blah blah.
But, that being said, life is good! I figure a busy life means a productive one, so I try not to complain too much.
It’s been a busy time in our M/M community too! I have LOVED seeing the GRL pics and putting faces to names (and avi’s) and I’m really, reeeeeeeally hoping to make it next year!
On a personal note, these last few weeks have been more hectic for me than usual. And adding dental surgery to the mix wasn’t my idea of fun. To cut a long story short, I needed to have a tooth removed (root canal therapy failed) which should have been a simple 20 minute extraction, but ended up being a three hour stint in the chair. Not only did I have the tooth removed, but gum and a small part of my jaw as well.
Needless to say, it wasn’t pleasant.
Actually, almost three weeks on and it’s still not pleasant – kinda like a constant ache in the jaw. I’m told it’s to be expected, but it’s annoying and it seems to be depleting my energy levels.
Did you know imaginary characters who want their stories told don’t give a toss if your face is swollen and you can’t eat solid food? Seriously, they don’t. So yes, Droopy Dog impressions aside, I have still been writing.
I finished Exchange of Hearts. It’s a 38,000 word novella that wasn’t even on my writing schedule a month ago. I’ll be posting more on that in a few days. Release day is November 13 – Friday the 13th – so luckily I’m not superstitious. 😉
I wrote a Christmas Story! It’s a 14,000 word visit with some familiar faces, which I’m sure you guys will LOVE. It’s going to be a bit of a surprise, so I can’t divulge any more than that just yet, only that it will be out December 18th.
And I’m now 8,000 words into Spencer’s second book. The first one was 40,000 words and I’m thinking this one will be the same. I’m hoping to have Spencer 1 out in Feb, then the other two books to follow a month apart. Fingers crossed.
So, yes, there’s lots of things coming your way! Including cover reveals for ALL of the books mentioned above… Soon, I promise. <3
I know I said I’ve been super busy (which I have, promise!) but here’s a pic of my attempt at doing housework… Seriously, swapping the vacuum for a kindle, and the mop for a drink is so much more fun! And replacing my desire for a clean floor with a whole lotta no-give-a-fucks was the best way to spend the afternoon.
Much love, and until next time! <3
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Cover Reveal: The Rogue Wolf by Sue Brown
The third of Sue Brown’s Sapphire Ranch Wolves series is out on November 13th. Here is the cover made by the very talented Meredith Russell.
Blurb: Owen was a bitter lone wolf, thrown out by his pack and left scarred by his wolf for arguing with his alpha. He’d spent six years alone, sometimes working as a day labourer, sometimes living for months as a wolf. By the time he reached Texas he was weak and desperate to hunt. As Owen hunted for prey on the borders of Sapphire Ranch he was shocked to meet two wolves from his former pack. He ran from them only to smell a rich scent filling his senses. Then he was cornered, trapped by a human, and Owen realised to his horror that the delicious scent belonged to the man pointing a gun right between his eyes.
Also available from Love Lane Books: The Last Wolf and The Hidden Wolf.
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What’s so not cool…
I don’t usually post ranty, unhappy posts. But this needs saying.
It was brought to my attention that my Elements of Retrofit outtake was added to Goodreads. *sigh* Okay, as much as it irks me, I can’t stop that. I did however, when posting that outtake, ask that it not be added, but whatever. Like I said, I can’t stop it.
BUT THEN I realized that the cover of Elements of Retrofit had been defaced and added as the book cover!
Like seriously, WTAF?
Literally, the original cover was written over with the outtake title and posted as the cover…
And that, my dear people, is so not cool.
Just so we’re clear here, I do not own the rights to cover art of books owned by Pride Publishing. I, being the author, can use said cover art for promotional work. I have express contractual permission to do that, including the outtake banner I made – which includes their cover. Other people do not. Unless they’ve contacted Pride Publishing and said “Hey do you mind if I infringe on all copyright and licensing rights and write over the top of the original cover art and post it on Goodreads?” which I’m pretty sure they didn’t, because I’m pretty sure Pride Publishing would have laughed all the way to their legal team. Just sayin’.
I have contacted a Goodreads librarian, who then very kindly had to contact a Super Librarian (they have capes and everything) to ask that the cover (and hopefully the “book”) be removed.
So before you think it’ll be cool to go and waste a bunch of people’s time to deface a book cover and add it to GR, my very humble little piece of advice is, please don’t.
And while we’re on the topic of using other people’s pictures/photographs (that you downloaded and/or didn’t purchase) for ‘fan-art’, that’s illegal too. I guess it’s only a matter of time before someone in the m/m community gets made an example of and sued. Using pictures found online is a tricky business, and I love a great piece of fan-art as much as the next person. But the rule is simple: don’t post what you don’t own. I buy most of my images for my promotional art for between $1 to $30, so if you don’t want to buy images, don’t do it.
In case you were unaware of how these things work, I’ll leave a link to another blog for your perusal, courtesy of BlogHer.com.
WHY NOT TO USE COPYRIGHTED PICS YOU FIND ONLINE
Or, alternatively, you can just Google “Can I get sued for using copyrighted pictures online?” and settle in to read the eleventy billion responses.
But, as I said above, I can’t stop anyone from doing these things. I would just really REALLY appreciate it if people didn’t use pictures they don’t have rights to, especially when that picture has my name on it. I’d rather not have my name dragged through the mud when the copyright holder takes you to court, mmkay?
On a much brighter, happier note, I hope everyone has a great week!
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