Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 18

Not a lot to report today. I spent this morning working on Fool Me Twice. After adding two brand new chapters and 10k, I had to look ahead to the next cluster of chapters to see how many much reworking they’d need to fit the new material, then I wrote the next flashback. I started working on the Fool Me Twice ebook cover, but I’m not much of a graphic designer and I hate everything, LOL, so I’ll try again tomorrow.

I’m looking forward to this week because I should be able to stop working outside of my contracted hours (well, at least by 3:30) and actually relax at night. Hopefully. I even prepped all of my meals — even the lunches. If the plumber would ever show up and take care of my pipes, this would be a good day.

This ended up being the last part of A Shot in the Dark, so I’ll be back next week with A King’s Command on Friday & Sunday and Not Knowing When on Saturday.

Your Update Link: A King’s Command 14

I think we’ll be wrapping up A Shot in the Dark tomorrow night. I was able to get what I wanted done in last night’s part, and we’re just about at the end of the narrative with the Jake return story which was the point of this part in the Collect Your Regrets universe. We won’t entirely finish with the Cassadines just yet — this series has one more part which is the story Tania asked for in the first place, but I’m not opposed to revisiting the Cassadines in another part of the series. We’ll see how Sunday’s entry goes.

Next weekend, A King’s Command moves to double updates on Friday & Sunday. Saturday’s update will either be the final part of A Shot in the Dark or the return of Not Knowing When.

Today, I wrote two brand new chapters for Fool Me Twice. It was supposed to be one, but I realized as I writing that it was going to be around 9k (ended up being even longer at 12k) and that’s WAY too long for one chapter. That’s why Flash Fiction is late — I finished the new Chapter 8 at 6:55 and I just–needed a break, LOL.

In housekeeping news, I’ve made some changes to the Production Schedule for 2021 & 2022. Nothing crazy — just some adjustments to release dates and projects. I realized, looking over my original dates, that I hadn’t really built in a lot of breaks between projects, and taking those few weeks at the end of December just made my life so easier. If a few things in January had gone differently in my personal life, I’d be really happy.

The biggest change is that I’m not starting Broken Girl’s first draft until March. I’m editing Fool Me Twice in February, and releasing on February 23. I’ll be working on that really up until release day, so BG won’t be getting my focus anyway. Better to push it off, give me time to finish soundtracking and then have a week between release of FMT and BG alpha draft. I’ll be writing Book 2 on March & April, editing in May and June, then releasing June 15.

Then I go into production on Mad World 4, writing the alpha draft in July & August, the beta in September, then releasing October 19. I’m actually going to work on Books 2 & 3 of Fool Me Twice at the same time. I’ll do discovery for both, then write the alpha for both and edit them separately. You’ll get those in February 2022 & June 2022. And the final release of 2022 is Book 1 in my Hand Me Down series, Feels Like Home, a future fic that is set in 2024, but picks up the show in 2008.

I gave myself two weeks between each of those projects as vacation time — which I realized I hadn’t done this year. I went from one project to the next. If I want to start early, that’s fine, but I also have the space to say no.

I also worked more on the Facelift. All the 2002 stories are good to go on Alternate History. They’ve been moved over and their Inspiration & Timeline information has been edited to hopefully give you more context for when the story takes place. All the stories have a Featured Banner — you might have noticed that some of the stories are now 150×150 and not 125×125. I’m not going back to change the older ones, but I like the bigger size for creativity issues.

The only thing I’m not doing right now is working on the banners for all the stories. Those take a bit longer and will be easier once my screencap collection is done, which I’m not touching until the summer.

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 17

Hey! So it’s been one of those insane weeks. It started out rough — you guys know that, based on my post last Sunday where I thought I’d really reached the end of my rope, mental health wise. And then my week continued to go off the rails until Tuesday when I just felt like…insanely exhausted by the whole prospect of the world.

And then Wednesday happened. Lots of good happened in the world that day–the new administration came in, Amanda Gorman’s gorgeous poem, and I also had a MAJOR breakthrough at work. I’ve been working on digital content for my class for the last three straight months, writing digital textbooks and creating interactive notebooks and videos for my students while we’re on remote/hybrid instruction. It was insanely time-consuming and over the last few weeks, I actually chucked a lot of what I’d done in the fall and rewrote it as my ideas and vision for the program changed. It’s literally eaten so much of my time and energy, and just made me feel like I was never going to get to the end of it.  But on Wednesday, I finished. And over the last two days, my entire life feels so different.  I’ve been able to use my prep for grading and getting materials for the rest of the week ready.  I feel so much better and able to take on things.

Today, I learned my district is staying out an additional two weeks. We won’t be returning until February 15, and that’s also a relief. So just a lot of things went better for me this week, and lifted me out of that rock bottom situation I felt like I was in on Tuesday.

So let’s get to the good news!

This is the first time we’ve had facelift news in months! I had some time today (what a strange concept!), and finished some 2002 materials on my Facelift page. Specifically, I finished moving over a cluster of episode tags and challenge responses I’ve gathered on a series page called Take the Chance. I realized I had a ton of short stories set around Elizabeth’s departure from the penthouse that were all very similar and written in 2002. So they’ve all been moved officially into Alternate History (the links are updated on my Alphabetical By Title Page), and they’ve all been updated with timeline information and YouTube videos for any song fictions. I did not update the links on the Ficlet page because eventually, I’ll be deleting that page.

Fool Me Twice is going well. I’m working on Chapter 7 now — Chapter 7 & 8 are new chapters I’m writing tonight and tomorrow. It was just supposed to be one new chapter, but after I revised Chapter 6, I knew I needed more and I’ve added an extra Liason scene, a new Liz/Felix scene, some Cameron scenes — I’m really excited by the changes I’m making. I’ll have a vlog up at some point to talk more about it. I started the subsite for Fool Me Twice. It’s under construction, but you’re welcome to check it out.

That’s it for now! I’ll see you tomorrow!

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 16

If you usually skip my blog updates, I get it. I’m asking you to read this one because I’ve asked for this before, and I think maybe some people missed it. Thanks. 

Hello 🙂 Thanks for the response to yesterday’s flash fiction. I won’t be updating tomorrow even though I have the day off from work. I’ll be spending my morning working on digital content for my students, my afternoon editing Fool Me Twice, and then relaxing in the evening.

I don’t anticipate changing my Flash Fiction schedule from the Friday-Sunday updates,. In fact, the only reason I can update on Friday nights this year is that my school district has made that a half day and I don’t have to spend all six hours teaching Zoom classes. Next year, when the schedule is back to normal, I won’t be updating on Fridays at all. The good news is that after next weekend, A King’s Command shifts to double updates, so you’ll get more that story more often so hopefully that’ll  make up for the cliffhanger.

Please do not ask me to increase my posting, even if you think you’re joking around or that it’s not a big deal. I already feel guilty enough for having started these stories and promised updates last fall, then not being able to deliver on that.  I love reading my replies,, and I love every single one of you who posts. I honestly don’t think you know how much I appreciate you and look forward to the replies. Now, I feel tense and worried before reading them.

I need you guys to think about what my life looks like right now as a remote teacher. I spend literally my entire day glued to the computer screen. I am on this computer from 7-3 teaching Zoom, going to meetings, and creating content. I never get a break from this computer, and there are days I don’t even want to look at it. Honestly, I got those replies as I was prepping to write tonight’s Flash Fiction, and I wanted to just close the entire laptop and walk away.

And that’s not your fault. That’s on me for not managing my stress and anxiety better. For not setting more realistic goals last fall, and not being kinder to myself about this flash fiction hole I’ve dug myself.

I try to be very transparent about my schedule — when I’m going to post, when I’m not — and what kind of content you can expect. I set deadlines and dates so that I’m not disappearing for weeks and months at a time. And I don’t mind doing any of that. All I’m asking is that you respect my schedule and not ask me to post extra on top of the content I already do. Flash Fiction Updates take almost 90 minutes of my time from prepping the posts and the site and then the writing–and that’s three times a week.

I love my Patreon supporters who keep this site funded, I love the readers who reply to every single thing I post, and I love the people who just visit and read (I see the hits, so I know you’re here). I’m just asking you guys to respect my time, too.

I repeat. I love you all. I am extraordinarily lucky to have the kind of community I do for the genre and fandom that I write. Please don’t think I’m not grateful. I just need some kindness and patience in return.

Thanks and I’ll see you guys next Friday.

Your Update Link: A King’s Command – Part 13

Running a bit short on time today, but I babbled a lot last night, so we’re good. I’m having a cursed kind of day, but that’s normal for me.

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 15

Happy Friday! We’re back for another trio of flash fiction updates — two updates with A Shot in the Dark, and then A King’s Command tomorrow. I’ll be updating tomorrow in the morning or early afternoon because I have plans tomorrow night. I think A Shot in the Dark is wrapping up sometime next week, but I don’t know for sure. As always, I’m prepping this post before I write so I don’t know where the story is going to take me.  Also — sorry that this is being posted late. I usually start writing around 7 PM and post at 8, but I decided to order dinner at the last minute and it took longer than I thought it would to get here.

I definitely feel like 2021 is kicking my ass so far over these last two weeks. I didn’t sleep well at all this week, particularly last night. I’ve been dragging all day, and it’s messing me up. The good news is that I have a three day weekend and some plans with my quarantine pod — my mother, my sister, and her kids — are going to get together and start a monthly murder mystery game, lol. Then my middle niece is gonna bunk overnight and go out to breakfast on Sunday. (While I’m typing this, my sister has sent me a video of the trio holding a mock court session where the middle niece is deciding who gets the next shower — and my older niece’s defense is that the little brother is really mean “I mean, I am, too but he’s worse!” can you even deal with that level of cute???)

In other, more fun news! I mentioned in my 2021 Preview Video that I wanted to start thinking about CG’s 20th anniversary (which I know is 18 months away, but I’m a prepper) so next week, I’m starting a series on the YouTube channel — Crimson Glass Origins. Basically a narrative of my writing career — where I started as a GH fan, why I started writing, how each of my stories developed and my writing changed. I have four episodes filmed (and it only takes us through the fall of 2002 and talking about Deserving & Surviving the Past), but I’m still editing the first one. I’ll be posting it on (I think) Wednesdays, with a companion series on Friday — Crimson Glass Future Projects — where I talk about the Future Projects page and preview things on the drawing board. I’ll let you know if that date changes. I think I want to have a few episodes edited before I actually upload and post the first one.

I did post a new FMT video on the channel, but I forgot to make a post on the site — I’ll link it below. I’m finished formatting the flashbacks, and I’m so excited to dig into them this week. I’ve got a lot of great edits and revisions planned over the next week.

And the best news — FMT finally has book titles! I realized last night I’ve been calling them Books 1, 2, and 3 for over a year — but finally, I can tell you that Fool Me Twice, Book 1: Ricochet will be published on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Very excited to have you guys read this first entry, and I can’t wait to see what you guys think about my take on the great twinning.

No word yet on if we’re going back to school on Feb 1. I should find out on Monday since the district is usually giving us two weeks notice if we’re going to stay out. Honestly, based on my region’s numbers, I imagine we’re pushing back the return another two weeks. Not that I want it, but now that NJ is so close to opening up vaccinations to teachers, I kinda hope they let us stay out until I can get at least the first dose.

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark, Part 14

I’m so happy at how this weekend went! I really missed writing these stories, and I’m excited you guys are back into it. We’ll be back with the same schedule next week. I might be wrapping up Shot in the Dark next week, I don’t know yet.

In other news, I finished the plan for the beta draft of Fool Me Twice. It’s about 36 chapters, four of which are brand new. I’ll be editing 12 chapters a week over the next three weeks, and then spending three weeks getting it ready for publication on February 23. That’s the plan for now.

I’ll be publishing some vlogs this week — an update on FMT and kicking up my CG retrospective series which me taking the next 18 months building up to CG’s 20th anniversary by talking about my writing, my time in the community, and just my journey. I didn’t want to start it in 2022 — I wanted it be something that was ready when we got there. I’m excited to start this series because I think I tried to talk about my older writing before and I was too critical. The videos weren’t fun. I want to find the good memories and really look at what everything I wrote taught me.

Your Update Link – A King’s Command, Part 12

Thanks for all the support in coming back! I know how many of you guys really do enjoy the flash fiction, and I love writing it. It was hard to shelve it for a few months, but it was just really important for my own mental health and happiness to focus on one thing. Four series at the same time I was doing an alpha draft — complete insanity. I have learned a valuable lesson. I’m also much happier with the quality of the 60 minute entries, so this is definitely going to stay like this.

I misspoke last night when I said that I had deconstructed the first 24 chapters of FMT — it turns out that I had only done the first 19. I still had like 14 chapters to do. I’ve been working on it most of the afternoon, and I have about five chapters left. I’m typing this at at about 6:11 (I prep this post early so that it’s ready to publish at 8 PM), so that might be closer to 1-2 by the time I start Flash Fiction. I’ll update this note if it that changes.

EDIT: I actually managed to finish just before I started my timer. So it’s 36 chapters. 

This process is me taking the scenes from the alpha draft and putting them into the beta draft — adding new chapters or scenes, moving scenes around from chapter to chapter, etc. Just getting a handle on how many changes I’m making and how much work. Once I know that, I can set a target of how many chapters to edit per week. Then I’ll know for sure if that Feb 23 date works. I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow with my final update for the weekend.

In other news — I updated the Flash Fiction page so that it has the correct schedule now.

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 13

So. Hey. How are you?

It’s been a minute since we did a Flash Fiction post, and I almost forgot how to set these things up, LOL. Thanks again for your patience, particularly since this story left on sort of an explosion and gunshot wound that left Elizabeth bleeding out while tryin to rescue Jake from the Cassadine Estate. Super good cliffhanger for like two months.

*bats eyes*

ANYWAY. We’re back, and starting our new schedule. I’ll mostly be doing these at 7 PM, except on weekends when my nieces talk me into staying over. The eldest launched a sneak attack last week, and the middle child decided it was her turn and it was all I could to convince to wait until next week. They’re sisters, so right now they’re too busy hating each other but man, if they ever figure out they’re stronger together, watch out world.

In other news, uh, so this week, huh? It’s been a lot. You know, there was the normal stuff that makes me want to scream all day. My pipes are still having clogging issues, I was finishing a class cycle and starting over, my kids are wonderful but they refuse to listen to the simplest of directions, and NJ is still getting 5-6k positives when we’re supposed to find out sometime in the next ten days if we’re still going back into the building on Feb 1 and my county can’t get vaccine supplies even if I were eligible to get it yet which I’m not.

And that was before Wednesday.

I turn off my social media and Internet during school hours usually, and not being in the classroom means I’m like cut off from the world. On my lunch, my best friend from college and my fellow political history addict texted me to let me know she had some time before a meeting and would watch the EC vote if I could take over after class was over at 2:30. Told her fine, text me if there was a civil war.

YOU GUYS I WAS JOKING AND THEN SHE TEXTED ME THAT THE SENATE WAS EVACUATED.

So, that happened and my week has been kind of trying to recover from the batshit insanity of all of that because I lost like eight straight hours to a panic attack from a girl who has spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME reading and writing about failed democracies for my history degree.

But you’re not here for a peak inside my dark and twisted mental health — you want to know how the writing is going.

Uh.

Listen.

It’s going.

Honestly, it was fine on Monday. And Tuesday. And then…welp. Basically, the big thing that’s not done is the Fool Me Twice Beta Draft Construction. This just means I’m not done figuring out how much of it needs work. I’m organizing the chapters, and I think I’m at Chapter 24 or something. I’ve got about eight more to do. I’m going to finish that tonight or tomorrow morning. And then I’ll be kicking off the actual beta writing on Monday.

The good news is that it’s not a lot of changes. It’s clean up, it’s a few extra scenes, a few extra chapters. I’m still on target for that Feb 23 date. Broken Girl is going well, and everything is fine. In the writing.  I wanted to be done the FMT Beta Construct on Tuesday, but it’s not a huge deal. We’ll all live, and that’s one of the reasons I gave myself extra time with the 23 date and not 16.

If you made it down here, I LOVE YOU. I am insane, I am aware. Try to survive until tomorrow, and I’ll see y’all then. Same time, same bat cave.

Hey guys! It’s been a few months since I put Flash Fiction on hiatus, and I am grateful to you guys for your patience 🙂 I mentioned in my 2021 Preview post and video that Flash Fiction would be returning on weekends going forward, and I’m here to tell you that it starts this Friday night!

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7 PM!

On Fridays & Sundays, I’ll be updating A Shot in the Dark — that’s about two, maybe three parts away from being completed. On Saturdays, I’ll be updated A King’s Command. Once A Shot in the Dark is completed, I’ll put King’s Command on Fridays & Sundays, and bring back Not Knowing When on Saturdays. When A King’s Command is over, I’ll shift Not Knowing When to Fridays & Sundays, and bring back the final flash fic, Signs of Life.

I’m also bringing back the 60 minutes because the quality of those parts are better than the 20 minute ones, and will be easier to revise in the future. That’s the main reason we’re keeping Flash Fiction on weekends when I don’t work all day.

In other news, I’m really excited to tell you that my holiday break was a success — both Mad World and For the Broken Girl were completely broken down by chapter and scenes. All that’s left for both is to soundtrack them. I also started working on Fool Me Twice’s beta draft. I’m really happy with it so far. I’m adding two chapters early on, and I know there’s definitely a chapter I’m adding later, but overall, I’ll mostly be working on the flashbacks and make them more cohesive.

In February, I’ll be starting the alpha draft for Broken Girl, and I think I’m setting a tentative release date for Fool Me Twice for February 23. I’m hoping I can actually make it earlier on the 16, but I want to make sure I have enough editing time.

I’ll see you guys on Friday night for the return of Flash Fiction!