Since Mad World ended up being an insanely intricate story, I didn’t think that I should put it all on one page at Crimson Glass. Like Damaged and Hand Me Down, I wanted some room to spread out.

Mad World is going to have three separate books published over the next year or two. The first, Break Me Down, will be published starting October 8, 2018 and concluding sometime in December. I will be posting two chapters a week.

Book 2, as yet untitled, should be out sometime in 2019. I had initially planned to post the first two books back to back, but it’s taking longer than I thought to write Book 2, and it may not be ready until January or February.

Book 3, also untitled, will not be published until later in 2019 or early 2020. (Let’s just stop and consider the fact that we’re here right now. How did we get almost to 2019 already? Lord.)

See you guys on October 8 for the first two chapters!

Here we are. Almost two and a half years after I started this journey with all of you, my fourth full-length novel, Bittersweet has had its final chapters posted.

Chapter Thirty-Three & Epilogue

There’s a long author’s note on the epilogue that hopefully answers some questions you might have after it’s over.

If you’ve been reading all along and maybe you’re not someone who replies to every chapter, I would love to hear from you guys on this ending. I had so much fun writing this!

Thanks already to those who have voted in the NaNoWriMo poll. It looks like the 1999/2000 stories are in the lead so far which I’m excited about. I really haven’t dipped my toe into that particular period so this will be a great experience. If you haven’t voted yet, make sure you do before October 7. 

If one of the stories you’re looking forward to didn’t make the cut, don’t worry. All of the stories I put up for consideration are stories I will be writing at some point. My hope is that this being my last graduate semester for reading 500 pages a week and writing tons of papers, I will be able to go back to writing 90 minutes a day which I could do this summer. If I could write that often, you’d be getting a lot more content more often.

I’ll be back on Monday with Chapters 1 & 2 of Mad World. I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS TO READ THIS!!!

All right, first things first: Bittersweet, Chapter Thirty-Two is now live. I hope you guys like it! The final chapter and epilogue will be posted on Wednesday.

Second, the problem I’ve been having with posts publishing to social media and email is most likely resolved, at least I think so. We’ll see going forward.

Third, it’s time for the final NaNoWriMo poll! I’ve written sample chapters/scenes for the top four choices and you guys will be selecting your top choice. I had fun writing the samples so I’m looking forward to writing whatever you guys vote for 🙂

Choices

	Signs of Life Set in December 1999. When Nikolas Cassadine announces to most of the town that Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber are sleeping together, there are a lot of interested parties including both their families, the PCPD, and the gangsters who nearly killed Jason only weeks earlier. First Chapter
	Counting Stars Set in April 2000. Jason Morgan left town abruptly in January, leaving Elizabeth Webber behind to pick up the pieces. When she needs him to return, he mysteriously vanishes. Is he avoiding her or is something more nefarious going on? First Two Scenes
	For the Broken Girl Set in April 2006. When Manny Ruiz begins working at General Hospital, Elizabeth Webber begins to report his activities to Jason Morgan, reviving their buried friendship. This sets them, and everyone they love, on a collision course that will destroy Elizabeth’s life. First Chapter
	Life For Rent Set in August 2006 & sequel to Choose Your Moment. After the Port Charles blackout, citizens of Port Charles to start to pick up the pieces of that night, only to learn that their lives have been irrevocably changed by a scandal at ELQ and a batch of failed condoms. First Chapter

This poll will be open until October 7, 2018 at 8 PM EST.

Bittersweet Chapter 31

Only two chapters left! I can’t believe we’re almost ready to close this story out after two years.

Also, if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or receive update emails, you might notice some of the scheduled chapters are showing up or being emailed to you before the scheduled date.  Something super weird is happening with some of my plugins on the site that prevent you guys from being bothered with contact from the site unless I want you to have it, ha. I’m working on isolating the problem but it’s taking forever.  Deepest apologies and bear with me.

Hey! This is a few hours late — I got stuck helping my dad with his crappy car. He had to jump it so it would start, and thank God, he’s trading it in today because I am so over dealing with his hunk of junk.

Just a note: I was originally going to post two chapters of this as well as the first chapter of Mad World next week, but I’m changing my posting schedule slightly. Mad World Chapter 1 is basically the same one that I posted last year, so it seems unfair to post that on a Wednesday and make you wait longer for more new material.

So Monday, Oct 1 is Bittersweet Chapter 32, Wednesday, Oct 3 is Bittersweet, Chapter 33 & Epilogue. Then, on Monday, October 8, you’ll get Mad World Chapters 1 & 2, then Chapter 3 on October 10. So hopefully that’ll make up for a slight delay in posting.

Can’t wait for you guys to read it! I’ll be posting the NaNoWriMo poll next Monday as well.

Bittersweet, Chapter 30

Apologies for Chapter 31’s link being sent out prematurely in email. I was scheduling posts and forgot to click the right category! Chapter 30 will be posted tomorrow around 7 am!

 

Short, quick, and sweet because I have a busy day ahead of me: Bittersweet, Chapter 29

Bittersweet has been updated with Chapter Twenty-Eight. My computer and I had some arguments this weekend, so I didn’t get a chance to do flash fiction or any of the housekeeping – it was all I could do to get this week’s updates scheduled. Hopefully I’ve cleaned up the problem going forward.

I have to stop multi-tasking when I’m doing things because then literally nothing gets done right. Two things from yesterday’s post:

1. The link for Death Becomes Her. I forgot to, you know, actually link it. It’s under Alternate Universe for future reference, because it’s too long for the Short Story page (It’s about 16,000 words)
2.  I posted the synopses yesterday, but forgot to tell you when the poll would be up. I’ll be posting the first chapters AND the poll in the first week of October. Oy. Sorry about that !

There are a few housekeeping things I have to do later when I get home from work, like update Recent Updates and Alphabetical Listing of stories. I really want to do some flash fiction this weekend, so stay tuned for that.

I’ve added Death Becomes Her to this site. It was a lot of fun to try to write an entire alternate universe into a short story. I’m happy to say I’m back on my study schedule so I’m going to be able to add writing again into my daily routine.

In other news, the NaNoWriMo poll has ended. I was originally going to take the top two choices and offer sample chapters. The vote ended up being pretty close among the top four choices, so I’m dropping the bottom three and then running another vote. I just always feel bad when the votes are so close — I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

I am re-posting the synopses here for anyone who voted before I posted them. In the first week of October, I will post first chapter of three of them. (Life for Rent already has a first chapter online)

Signs of Life (December 1999)

Nikolas Cassadine shocked the world at the annual Christmas party at General Hospital when he announced that mafia bad boy Jason Morgan and town sweetheart Elizabeth Webber were sleeping together. 

This news doesn’t just interest gossips like Amy Vining, but Jason’s estranged, high-society family, the Quartermaines, who are always looking for ways to draw Jason back home as well as the Port Charles Police Department who have a murder to investigate: Anthony Moreno’s body has just washed up in the harbor and he hasn’t been seen since December 1. Coincidentally, that’s also the last date anyone saw Jason Morgan for more than three weeks. 

When the PCPD knocks on Elizabeth’s door looking to give Jason an alibi, she manages to send them away. Jason doesn’t want her to lie for him, but it may not be up to him. Or Elizabeth. Because it’s not just the Quartermaines  and the PCPD who are interested in their relationship status. There’s Carly Quartermaine, Jason’s ex-girlfriend and current sister-in-law. She’s having a crisis of her own and looking to Jason to solve it even if she has to force him to help. 

Between the PCPD, the Quartermaines and Carly, Jason and Elizabeth can only depend on each other. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Can Elizabeth keep Jason out of jail and protect him from Carly? Can Jason avoid being trapped by Carly—again—and protect Elizabeth from her wrath? 

Counting Stars (April 2000)

When Jason Morgan left Port Charles in January 2000, he left to protect himself from the machinations of ex-lover and current sister-in-law, Carly Quartermaine. He also left to protect Elizabeth Webber, a close friend who saved his life and put her own at risk for their friendship—and because he knew their relationship was changing in ways they weren’t ready for.

Several months after his departure, Elizabeth has tried to keep her secret hoping he would contact her or even come back. But it becomes impossible to hide anymore, and she goes to Sonny Corinthos in hopes of contacting Jason. Sonny, however, and Jason weren’t on great terms when Jason left town, and he’s only heard from his friend a few times. He promises to get in touch as soon as he does hear.

Luke Spencer, worried about Elizabeth, decides to track down Jason on his own and convince him to return. He finds Jason who seems interested in coming back—but then Jason is nowhere to be found when it’s time to return to Port Charles. Has he run away to avoid Elizabeth? Or is something else more sinister preventing his return to Port Charles?

For the Broken Girl (March 2006)

For months, Manny Ruiz terrorized Port Charles, kidnapping Elizabeth Spencer, stalking Samantha McCall, and causing a train crash that took the live of several Port Charles residents and injured countless more. Thanks to a brain tumor and the machinations of his lawyers, Alexis Davis and Ric Lansing, Manny is now free and working at General Hospital as a janitor.

One of his former victims had her entire life turned upside because of Manny Ruiz. Kidnapped in October, Elizabeth Spencer’s husband was gravely injured in the train crash, forcing him onto desk duty. The virus that hit the city in February set Lucky Spencer’s recovery back even further and he remains on desk duty at the end of March, still in rehab. Their marriage has been strained by his injury and his frustration, and Elizabeth is at her wit ends trying to keep not only their relationship together, but deal with the barrage of medical bills since Lucky has reached lifetime cap of his health insurance policy. 

The virus also hit Jason Morgan and his family hard. His ex-wife succumbed to the illness as did his fiancee Sam McCall’s brother. Sam hasn’t been the same since Danny’s death and learning that Alexis Davis, the man that set Manny Ruiz free, is her biological mother. When Jason learns that business partner Sonny Corinthos is dating Jason’s younger sister, Emily, he finds himself at odds with Sam over the position he takes.

Jason is trying to keep his eye on everything, but he’s really worried about Manny Ruiz and enlists old friend Elizabeth and her supervisor, Epiphany Johnson, to keep an eye on Manny Ruiz. He warns Elizabeth not to interfere if she sees something, but to call him. Elizabeth has never been good at walking away from someone in the danger, and Manny Ruiz takes her captive. Again. Jason  saves her life, but Lucky injures himself again trying to help. 

Several weeks later, at a spring carnival in the park, their worlds are going to change again when anonymous shooter opens fire, putting Sam in the hospital, near death, and reveals Lucky’s secret, double life. Nothing will ever be the same. 

Life for Rent (Fall 2006)

The blackout of Summer 2006 offered a chance for many in Port Charles to revisit their choices and change the direction of their lives. Trapped in an elevator, Alexis Davis confided in nemesis Carly Corinthos that not only did her husband sleep with his stepdaughter, but that Alexis is dying from lung cancer. Carly pledges her support. Robin Scorpio and Patrick Drake shared declarations of love in another trapped elevator. 

Stuck on a roof, Dillon Quartermaine learned that Lulu Spencer is pregnant from their one night stand and promises her that she will never ever be alone. And Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber threw caution to the wind and spent the night together. When the power returns and dawn breaks over Port Charles, they have to choose whether to move forward or take steps back. 

Dillon comes clean to girlfriend, Georgie Jones, and understandably she has issues dealing with it. Robin informs her uncle Mac about Maxie Jones’ affair with Lucky Spencer, Alexis throws Ric out of the house, and Elizabeth refuses to take her husband back.

The city is rocked by a scandal at ELQ with faulty products being recalled—including faulty condoms that led to Lulu’s pregnancy…as well as Elizabeth and Maxie. Maxie tries to hold onto Lucky with the news about the child, but Lucky continues to spiral out of control when he learns that not only is Elizabeth pregnant by Jason, but that his wife is moving in with him. 

By the time the Enduro babies are born the following spring, tragedy continues to follow these couples and no one will ever be the same.