To my loyal readers:

I have completed my MBA! I have a job (not degree-related though) and I have recently moved to a new apartment with my partner! I know there's a lot of you out there wanting me to hurry up and update the second Take Two story, and I have every intention of doing so, but please understand that it will probably have to wait awhile.

But I will NOT abandon my stories! Promise!

I am also working on copying all my stories into one huge Word file which I will eventually save as a PDF. I'm not planning to take my stories down, and I don't expect to have them deleted since even my M story is pretty tame compared to what's out there, but it never hurts to have a back-up. I've posted to my blog, but not everyone has accounts on other sites, so, having recently suggested a PDF Fic File to another author, I thought I would do the same. It will include all the stories here plus some from another site. I'll let you know when it's available. Note: It will include Chamber of Secrets: Take Two even if the story is not completed at the time I release the PDF. When that story is done, I will update the PDF. Many of you asked me to continue the Take Two series for all the books. A lengthy endeavour but one I hope to complete. I will update the PDF in the future to accommodate those along with any other fan fics I write relative to HP. Should I write for another series, I will create a separate PDF. - 08/03/2009.

Onto the profile . . .

Based on what I have read on other profiles, I suspect I’m a fair bit older than most of you.

I earned my BA in Journalism, History, and Russian, and my MBA in Economic Crime & Fraud Management.

I live in southwest Virginia, but my heart is northern and I hope to 'escape' out of the south one of these days, preferably to New York state since I have so much family there. But, who knows? No timeline on when (or if) I would move at this point.

I send my thanks to my wonderful beta-reader and dear RL-friend, Slave4Severus. My own beta-experience stems from the Journalism portion of my own degree, as well as having tutored English & Journalism. I do not have time to take on new beta projects right now, but if I have been doing this for you, assume I will continue to do so unless I specifically tell you otherwise.

NOTE Due to an incredibly rude wholly inappropriate review I received, I would just like to point out that if there is ever any sexual activity in my stories, the people involved ARE OF AGE.

I do write slash here and there. Not all the time, but it is in some stories. If you do not like, do not read it. Please refrain from "reviews" telling me how sick you are going to be. Frankly, I am sick of reading about it, especially after I warned you.

"Duck Duck Goose" and "Our First Christmas" have slash, the latter story being very, very mild since it is a drabble, and is more just of a quick passing glance. "Duck" has intimate activity of both the slash/non-slash variety. I do not write in heavy, descriptive detail (regardless of the pairing).

Should any story turn into, or just have a chapter that would be relative to a "death fic," I would provide appropriate warning.

Constructive comments are one thing; nasty reviews are something else. If I write something that does not seem believable for any reason (ex: you have been in a similar situation), please review and let me know. Please include your reasoning though so I will understand why something is not working for you. On the other side, if you receive a review from me that you perceive to be nasty, please reply and ask me to clarify instead of lambasting publicly me on your next chapter. I do not have the time, or the desire, or the energy to flame anyone. If I really do not like your story, I am simply going to stop reading it, not send nasty notes about it. Also, please note -- for those of you who have the urge to write in and tell me all the things about the first of my Take Two stories and tell me how it's not original and how it's too much like the book... 1)It was published in 2004, at which point what I did was an original concept and 2)It was my first attempt at fan fiction. Loads of people have enjoyed it. If you do not enjoy it, that's fine, just stop reading it then. :-)

If I leave you a review with a lot of editing suggestions, please do not take it as a "flame". I am sending the suggestions as constructive criticism.

Aside from lack of editing, what really irritates me is when writers insist on giving characters a middle name, particularly when it is done to "make the wedding vows sound right". If you marry someone in real life who does not have a middle name, are you going to force them to take one?

STORY UPDATES as of 03/21/2009:

Time For a Four-Way: I took this story down quite awhile ago due to a personal life event that nearly ended the story. I really did not think I had it in me to finish it. Times change and I am once again working on this delightful little gem. When you see it show up again, know that it is totally finished and you will be getting a chapter a week. If I could just convince the other folks involved in the story to get back to me when I send out new chapters...! Dragon and I are actively working on editing the existing chapters and filling in the empty spots as frequently as possible. We try to meet once a week.

HP & the COS: Take Two: This story was updated 12/09/08. I hope to post the ninth chapter one of these days, but my muse got shoved aside while I was in grad school so I could write academic papers every other week, and it hasn't returned yet...

OTHER UPDATES as of 8/12/2008:

For those of you familiar with my website, Slytherin Selection, it closed in April. I could no longer afford the fees - and the interest from others simply isn't there any more. Unlike larger (and even some small) HP sites, I never had people working the site with me. The first help I got was a lovely person who made a Slytherin-style skin for the eFiction archive. At least I can go out with a bang, winning a Golden Basilisk award in 2007 for Best Domain and Best Slytherin Site! My homepage link in this profile has been updated to take you to one of my on-line journals. Any icons that show the slytherinselection.com address are mine and may not be used without explicit written permission. At some point I hope to update them all with a new watermark/copyright.