Thanks for reading - I appreciate your thoughts. I will send you some of my lasagna; i am thoroughly sick of it!
dax

Laurie,

hmm was you post sarcastic...? Hard to tell. Just curious...

Laurie:

If you don't like longer works, skip Viral Evolution. I'll have more coming. Wait until I get a chance to review one of yours first. I'm working on a story that loosely fits the challenge theme. I might post that one by the end of the month.

Laurie:

The one I posted needs a lot of work...fair warning. The ideas may be too big for a short. I know there's too much dialogue and too little action. I have formed an unhealthy attachment to the draft that is in place, however, and I just need to get in and cut ruthlessly. I guess I just wanted to forwarn you that, at this point, it's not my best work.

Thanks Laurie!!

*Both types of critters. (Ugh. I need an editor )

Yes, they do, you're right. I was just thrown because the first definition I got referred specifically to vertebrates. Types of critters have them, but in bugs they're those prong-y pincher things and for us its just the jawbone. Don't change a word!

Aha! Now that explains it all. That WAS my first inclination, but I really the choice of the word "mandible" is what threw me. I had to look it up and wiki takes you straight to "vertebrate jawbone" so I thought it was specifically NOT referring to insects. Insufficient research was the culprit of misinterpretation there

Thank you SOO much for the crit on Over My Shoulder!! I'm so glad it could bring back memories. I can only hope to keep that going! I plan to post Ch. 2 tomorrow.

Thank you SO much for the niceties! I really appreciate your encouragement! I really need to poish up that story and your commetns make me want to start immedietly! Have a really great week!
-m-