Hello! First, let me say how genuinely surprised and excited I am that less than 24 hours after I posted my Patreon page for Crimson Glass that several of you guys already signed up to support the site. Thanks you guys, I can now cover my web host costs.

Second, I added some more content to the Patreon benefits. All of the synopses for the November NanoWriMo poll are now posted, and you can have access to that for only $1. I also added a new benefit for the $1 tier — you can two day early access to new chapters. When Bittersweet returns (which I think should be within the next two weeks), you’ll get chapters on Patreon on Monday while the rest of the public gets them on Wednesday.

Thanks those of you who signed up for $5 tier–I hope the beta draft of Mad World is worth it!

As a thank you, I wrote a new flash fiction — Part 3 of Smoke and Mirrors which has now been moved to the Flash Fiction page where you can find the rest of the story. It was written in 20 minutes because that’s all I really had time for today.

I’ve had a Patreon account for Crimson Glass for a while. I put up a support page last year about it, but I was never super happy about what I was offering as a benefit.

So a few reasons why I’ve put up a Patreon page. The hosting service I currently use for the website runs on a virtual private server, which allows me to use WordPress and the mailing list and use up a ton of resources with unlimited space and data. It’s a great plan but it costs $25 a month. Domain costs are about $10-13 a year depending on whether I renew during a sale.

Right now, I work two part-time jobs and attend graduate school. My budget has slim margins, and there are definitely months when $25 represents a big portion of my gross pay. I love this site, and I pay it, but it would be nice to feel less pressure.  Last year, I was a student teacher who couldn’t even really work the two jobs which is why I opened the Patreon page.

I’ve updated the Patreon page with new benefits and goals. I’ve created three levels of benefits. If you donate $1, you get access to a synopsis for any story not yet posted. Why does that matter? If you notice a description of my stories, they tend to be one or two sentences with just a brief glimpse of the story. A synopsis introduces the world and the main plot and runs 4-7 paragraphs.  Several of these synopses are already available, the rest being added tomorrow.

If you donate $5, you get access to beta drafts of all my stories. This means when I stop writing and send my work to my beta, I will also post the draft at Patreon where you can get access to the entire draft months before everyone else and even have a say in revisions and changes. Right now, the complete Book 1 for Mad World is already available and I’ll be adding the remaining chapters of Bittersweet tomorrow.

You’ll not only get the beta draft for Book 1, you’ll get all future beta drafts including Book 2, Damaged Season 3, and whatever project I get for NaNoWriMo. This is probably the best tier because for a low cost, you get 20 weeks of content at once without waiting for my updates.

If you donate $10, you can tell me a plot or story idea and I will write it for you. I think that’s kind of a cool benefit — if there’s something you’ve always wanted to see, I can find a way to make it happen.

You can donate just once, get everything posted for your tier at Patreon, and then not renew if you want. You get charged on the first of every month.

I set a few goals that I’d love to hit. The first two are the ones I really want to focus on — $25 to take care of my webhosting costs, and $35 to take care of hosting plus renewing my domains.

The third goal is just a, hey, this is a thing I’d love to have. I mentioned that I’m planning to invest in entire years of GH for the years I tend to write about the most with a focus on 2006-08 since most of my upcoming plans are for that period. Each year costs $225, two years is $400 and three years is $600. I set a goal for $225 just for fun. I do not expect to get anywhere close to that. Investing in full years is really great because my current couple DVDs don’t tend to include all of that character’s stories.

Anyway, this is just a long explanation to let you know how you can support Crimson Glass. I think what I offer here is kind of unique — I am a solo GH author who has more than 20 novels and over a hundred short stories written over a period of 18 years. I have content planned and already written that will take us at least halfway through 2019, so you wouldn’t be supporting me without anything to show for it. Plus, I think the new benefits are kind of cool.

You can support me at Patreon 🙂 Let me know if you have any other ideas for benefits. I would love to keep adding things to make it worth your while.

About eight months ago, I wrote a short flash fic, Tequila Surprises. Tonight, I wrote a follow up to it aptly named Tequila Surprises, Part 2. It was written in 21 minutes. Make sure you’re following me on Twitter because I announce when I’m starting my timer and you get to read it as soon as its finished and not have to wait for me to write an update post and send emails.

I’m trying to get into the habit of writing them between 7-8, Friday-Sunday. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Don’t forget to vote for the next NaNoWriMo project! First round of voting is open until September 15.

Still no news when Bittersweet is coming back. It’s in beta reading, and there have been some setbacks in getting it ready for posting.

The good news is that Mad World is going to be posted starting October 1, 2018. I don’t know yet if I’ll do one or two chapters a week. That depends on how well writing Book 2 goes over the next few weeks.

I was looking over my story ideas for this upcoming NaNoWriMo session (November) and I was having trouble narrowing my choices down to just the top four. So what I’ve done is create a list of all the possible projects I could work on in November and you guys will be able to help me select the final choices.  In politics, this is called a jungle primary, and since this is a midterms year, I decided to go with it.

You can select up to three stories, and then the top two stories will go into a run off.  For those two stories, I will post a sample first chapter to help decide.

This poll ends September 15, 2018.

Your Choices

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. 

Burn in Heaven (sequel to A Few Words Too Many)

Jason and Elizabeth Morgan have been married for almost four years, and six months ago, welcomed a son, Jake, to join their daughter, Cady. In the four years since Cady’s birth, their lives have transformed. Elizabeth has pursued a career as a nurse, and Jason and his partner, Sonny Corinthos, began to focus more and more on legitimate business to support their families.  To everyone who looks at them, their lives look perfect. They’re still wildly in love and their children are the center of their lives. But looks can be deceiving.

Elizabeth nearly died giving birth to Jake, finds her priorities stretched almost beyond her abilities,  and Jason is constantly putting out fires as Sonny spends more time in whirlwind relationships than at work. When an old rival suggests a new partnership, Jason and Sonny agree, bringing Anthony Zacchara and his son, Johnny, into their lives. Things should be getting better, and yet…

The people in Jason and Sonny’s lives are under attack. An injury in Italy nearly kills Brenda Barrett, Kate Howard is sideswiped in a car accident, Robin Scorpio is mugged in the park. Are these incidents connected? Laura Spencer thinks so, but Sonny puts her off. Until a car accident takes the life of someone close to them and puts others in the hospital, fighting for their lives.  The violent attacks increase, the body count starts to rise, and everyone starts wondering what the hell is going on.

Is this a new rival for the waterfront territory? Or is there someone out there with vengeance on their mind? Sometimes, revenge is a dish best served cold. Ice cold. 

Feels Like Home (rewrite of Tangle, Part of the Hand Me Down Universe )

In November 2010, Jason and Elizabeth Morgan were happier than they’d been in years. They had just celebrated their second wedding anniversary, and added a third child, daughter Juliet, to their family. After almost a decade of stops and starts, the Morgans are a unit and devoted to each other and their children. All of that comes crashing down the morning Elizabeth returns to her job as a nurse after her maternity leave ends. 

She never shows up for work, and despite a desperate search, no trace of her is ever found. For years, Jason refuses to believe she is dead, while the local police department assume Elizabeth either fled her husband or fell prey to one of Jason’s many enemies. Family and friends circle around Jason and his kids—long time enemies Carly Jacks and Robin Scorpio-Drake put aside their differences to stand by them. 

The world moves on, and Elizabeth’s case goes cold, but Jason never gives up hope, even when others think he should. Their children grow up, their friends and family keep living their lives, but Jason remains almost frozen in that morning, waiting for his wife to return.

Things change when Lucky Spencer takes over the commissioner’s chair at the PCPD and he is finally able to look into Elizabeth’s case and use the department’s resources. He learns that protocol was never followed and simple steps were never taken. He puts her DNA into the database—something never done before—and in the summer of 2024, he finally gets a hit. 

Did Elizabeth somehow survive all these years? Where has she been? And why did she never come home? 

Fallen From Grace (Set Fall 2006)

The summer of 2006 transformed the lives of many in Port Charles. Nikolas Cassadine learned that Courtney Matthews’ son was actually his and that Jasper Jacks and Carly Corinthos lied about his paternity, stealing precious moments he will never get back. Robin Scorpio found Patrick Drake in a compromising position with Carly Corinthos and walked away from their casual relationship. She finds herself accepting a surprising proposal of marriage from Nikolas and an opportunity to have a family. 

Elizabeth Spencer’s son was nearly killed when her husband, Lucky Spencer, high on pain medication, passes out and doesn’t know Cameron has fallen and hurt himself until it’s almost too late. She divorces him, and Lucky goes to rehab. Sam McCall breaks ties with Jason Morgan after her surgery after being shot by his enemy leaves her unable to have a child. She tries to rebuild her life by focusing on her new family, Alexis and her daughters. Jason Morgan is at a crossroads when a RICO charge puts Sonny Corinthos behind bars and he is given the choice of either joining his partner or the opportunity to work in recovery and retrieval for the WSB. 

By the fall, no one is living the life they had envisioned for themselves only months earlier, but it’s harder than you think to put away the past. Robin and Patrick are still drawn to one another even as Patrick attempts to move on with someone new, and Nikolas can’t seem to put Emily out of is life. Sam joins a sober Lucky in a private investigation agency, but he doesn’t really seem to trust her. Elizabeth and Jason juggle a friendship that never ever feels only like a friendship with his new priorities and her renewed dedication to her son. 

Can Nikolas and Robin truly put their past behind them to pursue a marriage built on trust, or will they always be haunted by their lost loves? Will Lucky and Sam be able to forgive themselves for their checkered pasts? Is there hope for Jason and Elizabeth to have a future, or will she always run from the risk? 

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. 

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Because I didn’t want to leave that cliffhanger too long, I’ve added Part Ten to Fool Me Twice. Always remember that I’m writing these flash fictions off the cuff and sometimes they may seem a bit rushed and messy. 

Also, apologies to anyone who missed the warnings about Fallen From Grace and weren’t expecting an Electrick ending. One of the reasons I’m rewriting it is that my original story had Patrick and Liz ending up together, but I don’t have the audience for that kind of story, I know. So if I want to write the Robin/Nik story, I have to figure out a better Liason story. 

So I’m working on my NaNoWriMo choices for a poll in October and trying to plan sample chapters. I’ve decided to invest in a full collection of all of 2006 from Stacey (CurlyQGrl) so I can better write my stories. I’m also going to get 2007, 2008, and maybe to go back one day and get 1996-99 because that was my favorite time period. But right now, I’m focusing on stories I planned using 2006 for NaNoWriMo.

This brought me to Fallen From Grace, a story I was writing in 2006-07 but abandoned because I couldn’t really decide on my endgame. I’m still thinking it through, but the version I wrote needs to be rewritten because I want to do something slightly different and pick a different pick up/starting point with the show.

So the original five chapters is being moved into Fiction Graveyard, along with a partially written Chapter Six, and a collection of four scenes I wrote from the end of the original plot sketch.

Warning: The part of the story I finished has Jason/Elizabeth scenes, but it leans more Patrick/Elizabeth. If you only read Liason stories, this might not be for you.

Fallen From Grace can now be found on the Fiction Graveyard. I hope you like it!

Bittersweet still isn’t back, but I have another peace offering. An episode tag to Monday, August 13’s episode after Cameron was arrested for shoplifting. There’s no Franco in sight, I promise. I hope you guys enjoy it!

In Your Shoes

Please let me know how you want to me to write future Flash Fiction entries!

William Lipton’s debut as Cameron Webber yesterday inspired me to do some writing, and since Fool Me Twice is the only story where an aged Cameron exists, I figured this was the best outlet. I’m excited to start this part of the storyline — it’s where my entire idea came from. When I eventually turn FMT into a full-fledged novel, this is going to be a lot of fun to flesh out.

Fool Me Twice, Part 9

Ignore any description of Cameron before in this story. Hope you enjoy!

 

ETA: Ack sorry! The link didn’t go out with the email because it messed up. We’re fixed now!