Hmm...new to this but a longtime Fanfiction stalker. Been writing since I was eleven years old and my main writing interest lies in creating strong female characters who find themselves in unusual situations...especially situations involving strong male characters. I love anything to do with paranormal fiction, and I'm a fan of monster movies and horror flicks. I'm posting anything here that I've dabbled in and consider to be not mainstream material, and lately I've been all up in Predator fascination. While I'm well aware that a vast majority of you are looking for stories to read, I urge you to take a moment when you're subscribing to also leave feedback or drop a thanks. I write constantly - it's a form of mental therapy for me - but I get a little creeped out by a huge number of visitors to chapters I've posted compared to a small number of reviews. It's like putting on a one-woman stage show in front of a packed audience, and having ten people clap when five hundred are in attendance, y'know? If you want me to keep posting what I write, pay me in feedback.

March 6 2121

wow its been a long time since I've been on ffn. i just wanted to post a quick update thanks to so many readers who have taken the time to reach out and request another chapter or update. hubby and i are in the midst of packing up, cleaning up and fixing up our house for sale and heading south. sorry to tell you but its been years since ive written but i do plan to keep writing this story when life allows me to focus. sorry for bad formatting, ffn and this tablet arent playing well together and even trying to type this is painful. hoping youre all hanging in during this pandemic!

December 22, 2019

So sorry to leave you all hanging for so long. This has been a brutal year and the personal losses keep coming. I know you all have your own dramas and problems so I won't wear you down with mine.

2020 might find hubby and I relocating to SW Florida. It's a tough decision because while better weather and lower expenses are great, the loss of family and friends and all that's familiar is beyond rough. Trust me when I tell you that life just keeps accelerating every year, flying faster and faster as you and your family and your friends age. It's hard to make tough decisions that pull you out of your comfort zone and into a place that's totally unknown. Many of us are facing those types of decisions and choices and cross roads in life. I guess I just want you to know that if you're in this boat with me, you're not alone.

I have some partial storylines written for pretty much everything pending, but honestly I haven't had the time or focus to complete and post them. In case you were wondering or worrying, I'm not done. Life just gets in the way sometimes.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to my readers. xoxo

July 21, 2019

Long time no update! Suffice to say its been a craptastic year so far but summer's finally here and I've had a relatively stable past few weeks. I've updated Target Practice versus Tolerance in the past couple weeks and I'm close to adding another chapter, and hurray! I have an update for Start of a New Life!

It's so great to hear from so many of you, it's like we've known each other casually over the years and when I see your usernames pop up it always makes me smile. I cannot believe how long the Chosen/Start of a New Life story has gone on and how many are following. Life has been rough for me and my family lately but the fact that I have a following waiting with positive encouragement keeps me working on updates when I can. Super thanks to my faithful reviewers because that is a skill and a calling, too, and I suspect that many on FFN don't really understand that. I don't write nearly as much as I'd like to anymore but when I do I focus on updating the stories I've posted instead of wandering off to do something new, and that's because of the reviewers. Thanks again and much love, peeps! xo

November 24, 2018

I know it's been a long time since I've updated or communicated, and I apologize. In May I was in Central Europe and I was amazed by Krakow and Warsaw and Wroclaw and Budapest and Prague and Vienna. It was an awesome trip! In June I spent quite a bit of time in Tennessee, a bit in South Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama. I loved Nashville and can't wait to go back there. Hubs is extremely invested in the idea of us buying a decent amount of land and building our own little private compound for friends, family and of course chickens!

But then of course the flipside to all of this awesomeness is the fact that hubs is no longer cancer free. That's all I'll say about that for now. Obviously his health is consuming a lot of my energy and not leaving me much to do anything else.

Recently I started refreshing my memory on where I'd left off with my stories and where I was planning to take them. Be sure to favorite my author name so you're notified when I post a lil one-off I wrote a thousand years ago when I debated what would happen if Anya ended up with Lar'nix'va. It actually long enough to merit a few chapters so I'm hopeful that not only will you love it but that it will re-ignite my passion to advance at least one of my stories!

I have been receiving a steady stream of encouragement and excitement and questions and requests from my dear readers, and I can't thank you enough. Your messages keep me from wandering away and forgetting all about these stories, and more importantly to me, they often make me smile and sometimes make me laugh. Thank you so much for keeping in touch when I haven't been doing the same!

April 27, 2018

So the end result of tests followed by biopsy followed by surgery? Zero atypical cells and zero malignant cells. Woo-hoo! I'm healing, have follow up in 6 months, and I'm prepping for a several country tour in two weeks. Hubs is making noise about moving to another state and taking a job transfer so in June I'll be touring the warmer southern state with BFF. He's thinking the daily grind is too much stress where we currently live, and this past winter was a ball buster. I do like the idea of slowing down a bit, enjoying life and having milder winters, so I'm entertaining the thought. And BFF surprised me and told me she's interested in hauling ass outta the snow belt, too, so...

Of course the next chapter to Start of a New Life won't be the final one. Who the hell did I think I was kidding? I'm hoping to be happy enough with it to post for you before I go to Europe. If not, I promise to put up what I have even if it's not one of the meaty chapters you're used to seeing from me.

Thanks so much for your goodwill and positive vibes! All is good in Stupetown for the time being...but stay tuned lol.

xo, Stupe

March 24, 2018

Guess who needs two procedures next week to deal with atypical cell growth? I'm starting to think paranoid thoughts, like that I've been cursed by mythical Gypsies or something. Apparently I need a radioactive seed injected into my boob, then surgery to cut it and some funky tissue out. Fingers crossed that no further treatment or surgery will be required after that!

I haven't forgotten about you, dear readers. I'm dealing with this newest health BS, job hunting, and planning a two week trip to Central Europe with hubs and some family. I've done some work on the next chapter of Start and now I doubt it will be one and done. Stay tuned and do me a favor by sending some positive thoughts, good vibes and prayers my way!

xo, stupe

November 20, 2017

I'm ba-ack!

Much love to you all for your prayers and support, I totally burned out and needed a break. Mom is doing great, but thanks to her auto-immune issue she still hasn't had reconstruction and probably won't risk it. Hubby went back to work for six months or so but he's back on disability now...they don't tell you those hormone treatments kick the crap out of you, do they?

I'm coming to the end of Start. Maybe that's the reason I find myself slowing down with working on it? I know you're all eager to find out what happens with Warkha and what's going on with L'tor, and I'm happy to move things along with an update. Its sort of like chess, doing it this way. I keep moving and positioning characters and I feel like they're all gathering together for the grand finale. After that I'll probably post some...what do they call those? One-offs? Random side stories that didn't make it into the saga, or offshoots that I pursued out of curiosity. I have a totally NSFW one about Lar'nix'va I'll try and put out before the end of the year. I also need to pick up Target Practice, and for sure Pets needs a final chapter. With any luck I'll work on those while I'm supposed to be job hunting ;)

Thanks again all xo

June 29, 2016

Lots and lots of fun going on in my world! ...not.

Hubby's situation is on hold for now, pending another blood test in a couple of weeks that will tell us whether we can breathe a sigh of relief for the moment. He's had an operation, two months of radiation, and has been on hormone therapy since February. He anticipates returning to work mid July, unless his blood test triggers another visit to the oncologist and possible chemotherapy.

The odd thing is that the same week he finished his radiation treatment, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I kid you not. She had a radical mastectomy and reconstruction a few weeks ago, then promptly developed a rare and little-known auto-immune disorder that wreaked havoc on her surgical sites. For a day or two we all thought she had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating bacteria. Thank god its not that, though what she has was serious enough to trigger another six day stay in the hospital as they tried to figure out how to treat her. She just came home and I spent yesterday on my couch in an exhausted coma. Now she needs daily woundcare and hyperbaric treatments five days a week for the next few weeks. And me with only 4 FMLA days left. Did I mention that I've been working part-time through all of this insanity?

All this to say I'm still alive and kicking. Maybe not kicking as hard as I used to because I'm damned tired, so it's more like I have a pulse and I'm twitching. One day I will post chapter updates, but today is not that day. Today I'm going to go get my oil changed because it's only fourteen hundred miles past due, then I'm going to make myself a nice pasta salad and watch TV.

Have a Happy and safe Fourth to my fellow 'Mericans, and a heartfelt Thank You to all who read and follow!

January 4, 2016

How to say this...? Those of you following my Profile and author's notes at the beginning of my stories know that the second half of 2015 had me involved in a lot of health issues with my family. The grand finale was that in mid-December my husband was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. We are looking down the barrel of surgery, high probability of radiation, and possible chemotherapy for him. The sodium fluoride PET/CT is this Friday, and that will hopefully tell us if the 50/50 chance we've been given that the cancer has spread is negative.

On a positive note, my employer doesn't want me to leave and doesn't want to lose me so they are working with me and my schedule. My husband works for one of the best companies in the world so we're blessed by not having the fear of job loss hanging over us. Because I work in healthcare I have the ability to put a great team in place so we're confident no matter what happens. Even so, I am distracted and my free time is wrapped up in appointments/coordination/date setting mixed with mindless diversions to give myself some down time.

Rest assured, I WILL finish Start of a New Life. Part of me thinks that if hubby needs radiation after surgery (5 days a week, 7 weeks preliminary estimate) I will be home and have the time to focus on posting chapters, but I don't honestly know what will be. You all know that I won't post a chapter unless I'm happy with it and it advances the story, so I will be hard checking myself before posting.

Shit just got real for me, people. I thought I would be dealing with this with my PARENTS, not my hubby. For those of you going through this for themselves, significant others, family or friends, we are in this together. Pardon my French but FUCK CANCER. A Nurse Practitioner I know says there are so many more cancer diagnoses because we're better at catching it. A Dietitian I know says its the additives in the commercialized food we eat. An MD says it's carcinogens in the air we breathe (I'm in the Northeast TriState area). Maternal and Paternal sides of hubby's family live to 90-100 years old, zero history of cancer. My husband is in his 40's. This has caught us completely offguard but we are prepared to be super aggressive in treatment.

Be patient with me. I'm already on FMLA with my employer as December required many doctor visits and tests. I want to finish Start and I do have a lot of the next chapters of Start and Target prepped but I need to flesh them out before publication. I anticipate that hubby's surgery will be in late January and if radiation is required he will need to wait 2 months after surgery before starting that, which might go a minimum of 2 months of daily treatment. Right now I'm on pins and needles to see the results of the PET scan end of this week, because that will tell us how advanced this cancer is and how aggressive we need to be.

Prayers and positive vibes are greatly appreciated!

November 25, 2015

So happy to be able to update my Profile with my head held high because I updated two stories this week! And hold onto your hats for this announcement...there will be no multi-month wait for the next installment of Start. Ten thousand stressors had motivated the hell out of me and I've been writing up a storm for days. I can't remember the last time my muse and my schedule actually came into sync with each other, so I'm pretty excited.

I really need to focus on responding to a backlog of PMs. If you're one of the ones waiting for a reply, I apologize. I'm like the wind on FFN, I come and go. All my writing is done offline, and I tend to only log in long enough to post a new chapter, most often late at night. I do receive your messages and reviews via my email but I have to log in to FFN reply to them and I'm really not disciplined about it. Honestly, I'm the type whose friends get mad because I don't listen to VM messages or respond to texts most of the time. I probably need some kind of therapy to address this issue!

Can you all believe I've been building this story for five years?? I had no idea it's gone on this long. If I could get my act together I could probably pump out a single novel in a decade. Thank god that's not how I make my living, I'd suck at it and would have starved to death a long time ago.

Happy Holidays to all! With any luck most of you will finally be receiving a reply to your PMs before the end of the year, and all of you will have another chapter of Start of a New Life to read!

August 30, 2015

I have a lot of darned good reasons for my absence from this site, but I do apologize to my readers. My father had surgery, then my husband. And now, for the last 6 weeks we have been contemplating moving out of state almost 600 miles from where we live now as my husband is considering a transfer within his company. It's a big decision and it's obviously keeping me pretty occupied. We will be visiting the area later this week into next, looking at properties, visiting potential work locations and generally scouting around and getting a feel for the areas. It's possible that we'll decide to stay put, but for right now we're very open to the idea of moving. If we do, I have a house to sell and another to buy, a job to quit and all my earthly possessions - chickens included! - to move. I will do my best to keep you posted.

There was a lot of lively debate after my last chapter of Start, and I checked reviews when I could between surgeries and catastrophes but I regret not having the focus to apply myself to get on FFN and respond. It was probably for the best that I didn't because the anonymous July 4 Guest who initially started the debate rubbed me the wrong way in her initial post. Looking back, I think that at the time and with what was going on in my personal life, almost anything would rub me the wrong way, so I'm glad I didn't react. Suffice to say, I am not a particular fan of today's brand of 'feminism' and 'political correctness' that comes off as judgmental of every one's personal choices, condemning those that don't agree with your choice and espousing narrow-minded intolerance and prejudice for others. Have a problem with something in my story? Disagree? Feel free to drop me a line. Have an agenda and want to info-dump beliefs, prejudices, opinions, misinformation, pseudo feminism, contradictions and indignation? Feel free, I guess, but I just don't even know where to begin to address it.

I guess all I have to say is there was a lot of emotion in that review that made me feel I hit a nerve in whoever wrote it. Bottom line, that IS what I love about putting chapters up for public scrutiny. The fact that I wrote something that affected someone so strongly they felt compelled to post anything, especially something so passionate, is humbling to me. Writing fiction is one thing; writing fiction that's thought-provoking and stirs emotion, either good emotions or bad...that's what inspires me. I don't set out to intentionally piss anyone off, but if something I post provokes such strong reaction it tells me that my characters are believable, that readers are following and rooting for or against them and feeling either empathy or annoyance for them. It makes me wish I had the ability to put more time and energy and attention into posting more frequently instead of randomly throwing chapters up here and there. And I love that so many of you chimed in with your own thoughts and feelings and opinions! Again, I'm humbled and thank you so much! There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone's viewpoint and believe me I take no offense. You know the old saying: Opinions are like buttholes...we all have one. Just please, keep it civil and respectful.

Remember too, that this is a work of fiction and every character is not a reflection of my personal opinions or backed by some bizarre agenda to indoctrinate you with my political or cultural preferences. I'm writing for the sheer enjoyment and pleasure of writing, focusing on what inspires and interests me, and oftentimes delving into areas and subjects and concepts that inspire my own passions. Sometimes I dig deep into issues that disturb or inspire me, trying to see them through the eyes of third-party characters in order to view them differently or explore them. The way my characters respond and react isn't necessarily the way I would, and that's what makes them as interesting to me as they are to my readers.

Thanks for reading, and remember, Start of a New Life isn't done. The characters are in constant motion, currently buzzing around inside my head in miniature spaceships, shooting me with lasers in an attempt to motivate me. :)

June 25, 2015

Sooo...I apparently needed a break, but I hope everyone reading this Profile update knows that I updated Start of a New Life and Target Practice Versus Tolerance last week. I have the next chapters ready to be posted for both this weekend.

I changed the image attached to Start...thanks so much to this-is-emily, who did the pic! She sent it to me almost a year ago, but by now you all should know it takes me awhile to get around to getting things done LOL. You are awesome, this-is-emily! The pic still makes me laugh.

Updates: new chickens, same job, still shopping for an AWD sedan. Hubby isn't happy, wants me to go with an SUV. Suck it, baby! LOL. Besides, he's away today until Sunday, so I'm hoping that means I'll have the time and the peace and quiet to work on updating my stories...fingers crossed.

As always, I thank my reviewers. I would have quit posting updates long ago if it wasn't for the people who were not only following my stories but letting me know they were, and that they wanted more. While it might be up to me to write and post new chapters, it's up to you to provide feedback and encouragement to motivate my lazy backside. Those of you who do are part of the process, and I thank you!

December 12, 2014

Can you believe I'm actually on my game and not only updating my Profile in less than a month, but that I've also updated Start? I'm pretty proud of myself!

I recently discovered that I was not getting the PMs sent to me forwarded to my email...for a long, long time. I'm in the process of responding to messages I've received even over a year ago! If you are a person who PM'ed me and never received a response, I apologize! I'm in a panic of trying to systematically go through and respond to each PM, and if I missed you or you don't get a response, feel free to PM me again. I seem to have corrected this issue by changing the email address that alerts me, but still I'm horrified that many of you never heard back from me. Please please please don't think that I'm ignoring you. I might not answer every storyline question put to me because doing so would ruin the story, but I do respond, honest! I value EVERY person who not only takes the time to read what I've posted, but who reaches out to me. Well, honestly those who reach out to me are slightly more valued than those of you who quietly read...

Many reviewers are anonymous, and it seems like you lot are the ones with the most questions. I can't reply to you, plus I'm not going to give everything away, but believe me I do hear you and love your reviews and insight!

And on another note, hello and THANK YOU to those reading from non-English speaking countries. FFN gives me a breakdown of numbers of readers from different countries and I'm AMAZED by having an international audience. No worries, I don't know who you are, so your anonymity is secure. It just gives me an awe-inspired chill to scroll through the hit count on my chapters and see the laundry list of countries and places I've never been and have no personal experience in, all tuning in to read what I've posted. I think it's awesome that this place exists to bring us all together, united in common (weird) interest and fascination no matter our cultures and lives!

For those of you following and reviewing Start...I can only offer you a humble thank you. I'm awed. Sometimes a little bit nervous when I post a chapter because I don't want to ruin what has been so well received so far. I had no idea when I started posted the original story, Chosen, that it would turn into not only such a massive story, but one that had an international fanbase who became so invested and excited about what happens next, who wanted to know more about each and every character and nuance of culture and life and past and conflict and challenge. You reviewers are awesome. Your excitement is contagious, your questions make me diligent about fact-checking and planning, and your kudos make me think I need to quit my day job and start writing for real. But then I wouldn't have the excitement of posting chapter by chapter and reading your responses, would I?

I'm working on Chapter 32 as we speak. The muse won't even let me sleep and I've fired off pages that need to be clarified, pared down and added to. I plan to give you the best of what I can do, and my goal is to always post a chapter that advances the story and moves you forward, answering questions but leaving you with more so that you're waiting for the next.

Thank you so much! I love my reviewers!

xoxo, Stupe

November 21, 2014

Has it been a year since I've updated my profile? OMG, so sorry! I have updated stories, though, so at least there's that...

Shout out to all Aussies and Kiwis, I will be visiting Australia and New Zealand late January through early February! Since I did nothing but work in 2014, hubby and I will be taking a two week cruise...which also involves two thirty hour flights, ugh. Regardless, I can't wait!

Here in the States we have been having unseasonably frigid weather and they're predicting a brutal winter. Next week we're celebrating Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, and I've decided to celebrate by posting a new story, one that I'd written ages ago and abandoned for Chosen. It doesn't have an ending but it's lengthy enough to justify posting it. Maybe I can throw what I have out there and let others take a crack at finishing it? It's not a romance, more an action/adventure, though there is my expected brand of alien sexual tension, LoL. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Target Practice versus Tolerance

If I don't update my Profile anytime soon: Happy Holidays to all! :)

October 2013

Holy wow do I suck, to have left you all hanging for so long. "Stupe" should be short for "stupendous procrastinator".

So I've been doing quite a bit of traveling the last few months, and all that traveling entails...either preparing for going or scrambling to get myself back together after returning. And if I'm not traveling my hubby is. This isn't a house, it's a revolving door, I tell ya!

Alaska was AMAZING and I'm darn sure happy the government didn't decide to shut down and close Denali National Park while I was out there. London and Paris and Zurich were extremely awesome places to see...so much history! And good food! And drinking! I highly recommend any of these places and I absolutely plan to return and visit them again. Just, y'know, hopefully not in the next few months...

So there you have it, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Kind of hard to write when you're doing planes, trains, automobiles, boats, ATVs and helicopters. I will attempt to get my head back into the game and post another chapter before taking another trip!

I do want to thank all of you for your WONDERFUL reviews: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Wow, I'm blushing. L'tor and Anya's little story has taken on a life of its own and I never expected that. I'm really touched by how many of you took the time to write a review and let me know that these characters have resonated with you and you're still engaged and wanting more. I will admit, I never really fleshed out the "domestic stuff" between them because that doesn't personally hold my interest, so it has been a struggle to build this part of the story involving her pregnancy and both of them settling on the clan ship. I want to just jump into the next big thing but I have a sneaking suspicion that a gaping hole in the storyline wouldn't be easy to slip past my astute readers. ;)

May 2013

I haven't updated my profile in way too long. Rest assured, I am working on the next chapter of Start of a New Life. Honestly it's pretty much written, just needs review and tweaking. And I do plan to update Not all Pets are for Hunting also. It's amazing how I blink and realize that months have gone by...just busy with other things, I guess. Since writing is my therapy, it's something I'll always come back to. And because you guys have been so awesomely good to me with your reviews, I miss hearing from you until eventually updating a story becomes a priority just so I can read your feedback and know you're still out there and looking for more. Thank you so much for your patience!

October 16, 2012

So...putting up the next chapter "post-haste" might have been a hasty declaration on my part, sorry. I needed to walk away from Start for a bit, since when I'm working on it, it consumes me to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. Chapters 18/19 had been queued for quite awhile but I needed to step back, take a break, and look at the scene with fresh eyes, then 'punch it up' and decide where I wanted to go with it. Originally I had written it quite differently, and I wasn't happy with it but I couldn't decide why. After revisiting it I realized why: it didn't feel genuine and wasn't true to each character's development. It hadn't hit the proper points or advanced the characters' development in a way that made sense.

For you readers, I know a long wait is frustrating, especially because you lose the rhythm and details; this is part of the reason I've been posting long chapters, in hopes to help you dive back in and immerse yourself in Anya and L'tor's world. If I ain't writing I'm reading, and part of the reason is because I love the way I can lose myself in a story and get caught up in it, like it distracts me from reality a bit and gives me a break. There are times I'm tempted to throw a chapter up for the hell of it in an attempt to keep the pace up for my readers, but I just can't bring myself to do it if I feel it doesn't hit the mark. Not to say that I think that everything I post is gold...oh hell, no! I can go back and read any chapter and find flaws and make myself crazy with what I failed to emphasize, clarify, flesh out, shoulda done this, shoulda mentioned that...ugh please, you don't want to know what goes through my head when I re-read my own stuff. As far as I'm concerned, it's never ready for prime time.

And that brings me to my reviewers. You know who you are. Urging, complimenting, chastising. Pointing out what you liked and what you didn't like, what touched you and what confused you, what questions you have and what issues were raised, what you liked and what offended you. Even just expressing your love for the characters I've created and your interest in what will happen to them next. You're awesome and I thank you! I will always write, til the day I die, even if I'm the only reader of my stuff, but I hold a special love in my heart for my little core group of the world that ventures out onto FFN, clicks their way into this genre, reads what I wrote and drops me a line. Hugs and kisses from Stupe! You'll see the next chapter of Start pop up in the next few days, and that's a promise.

August 20, 2012

YAY! It's back! I shall commence with the next chapter post-haste.

August 17, 2012

So yeah, about that USB drive...trust me, turns out that a titanium memory stick does not mean indestructible. Then again, I am an apparent master at breaking shit. Hubby couldn't fix it. Sent it out to a company that informed me that I managed to break the connections so soldering didn't work. You have no idea how much they wanted in order to pry the chip off the board, convert the data to binary, then extrapolate it back to something I can read. Supposedly they were successful and mailed it back to me three days ago but as of today I haven't received it. Keep your fingers crossed!

July 8, 2012

Wow, it's been awhile. Had some computer issues and was unable to access my stories or FFN for a few weeks. As of right now, 50% of that problem has been fixed, and since I'm updating my profile I'm betting you can guess WHICH 50% has been addressed and fixed. On a brighter note, I'm 5,000 words into the next part of Anya and L'tor, working on that stubborn bridge to get to where my inability to access what I've already written will become critical and I'll have to do something about it. All is not lost...just temporarily inaccessible...I hope... Suffice to say it involves the ability to fix a USB drive, I think some disassembling and knowledgeable soldering of damaged connections. Damn thing was supposed to be a nearly indestructible Titanium stick and I somehow managed to bend it, go figure. As it was the backup for my computer which shit the bed, I was pretty pissed off and not interested in writing for awhile.

Thanks so much to those of you who have taken time to warn me of FFN's crusade to eliminate any story considered to exceed their comfort level with regard to ratings, and your fears that my stories might be purged. It is their right to do so, only causing chaos because it hadn't been diligently enforced in years. If I am pushed out and no longer able to post here, I will let you know. Your timely warnings gave me the ability to re-save what I had already posted and written on my new, not-quite-as-indestructible USB. Yet another backup that I hope I don't manage to wreck, LoL. My ability to break stuff is really pretty impressive, and my husband/technical support person can get pretty exasperated by it. Now let me go ask him if he has a soldering iron and the ability to fix a USB drive...

May 26, 2012

Guys, I am totally touched by the numbers of hits and faves my stories are still getting, and I thank you! I have been caught up in a new job, keeping busy and enjoying the hell out of life in general, which adds up to an overall lack of writing for me. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I've been on FFN since I updated my profile last month.

I do intend to complete the stories I've posted, and possibly to put up more stories, so please continue to be patient with me. Rest assured that despite my absence, I am lovin' life right now and I hope you are, too!

April 11, 2012

Oops...been awhile since I've updated anything on FFN. Been awhile since I've written, too, sorry to admit. Wish Start was at a place where I could just slap up what's already been written, but unfortunately I need to create a transition to the next part. I'll get there, no worries. Writing is time-intensive and takes my focus off pretty much everything else while I'm at it, and lately I'm all involved in other things.

In the meantime, GrayHuntress is keeping me in the game with weekly reading and reviewing of her story, Paya's House, so even if it seems to you like I've died and disappeared, I haven't. No doubt if I do, she'll post a lovely eulogy for me in her author's notes to let you all know. LoL!

I've decided to continue the next part of Start of a New Life under the Part II heading; thanks to those of you who wrote me with your suggestions in favor of doing it that way or creating a Part III. As for Pets, there's more to come there, too, especially since so many of you were disappointed in Pet's failure to um, launch, shall we say. And oddly enough, I'm getting a lot of requests to continue my one-shot, Weekend at Cousin Jerry's. Probably, I'm guessing, because it was all sex and laughs and no angst or drama (except for Cousin Jerry himself). It was, I admit, fun to write, and the only place I can picture it going from where it is would be to even naughtier and funnier places. Hm. Might be worth considering...

February 18, 2012

Decisions, decisions...

The third part of Chosen should technically be a separate story, but I'm torn about that. I'd lost a TON of subscribers when I'd ended Chosen and posted Start of a New Life, and it took a long time to build the momentum back up. I'm working on the next chapter while at the same time debating the merits of posting the third part of the story under Start, or completing Start and creating a new storyline. Too bad FFN doesn't allow for links to make it easy for you to follow. The best advice I can give you readers is to click on any author's name you like to view all their stories, then go a step further and click on their Favorites to check out the stories and authors they like.

In the meantime, I've been working on Not all Pets are for Hunting. Getting close to finishing it, I think. It's gone way past the point I'd originally written it to, but those who had taken the time to leave feedback for the story had inspired me to continue it. Ah, the power of feedback! It has inspired me to turn a three chapter story into a guaranteed nine chapter story.

Hopefully my attempts to make the titles links to the stories worked. I'm mucking around with the capabilities of FFN and seeing what works right now...please forgive my geekiness.

January 20, 2012

Still not used to typing the new year yet...

It seems that though I have returned from Hawaii, my muse has extended its stay there. Here's hoping it catches the next flight home. Though I haven't updated Start or Pets, I am working on both from time-to-time, but I have nothing to post yet, so very sorry. On the other hand, I recommend that you check out Paya's House by GrayHuntress, a story based in my AU of yautja females having gone extinct, but with Gray's unique vision and take, plenty of twists and lots of building sexiness. I'm proud to be beta'ing for her and she's been diligently posting a new chapter every week. Definitely take the time to read and drop her a line to encourage her to keep up the good work!

In other news, I'm starting a new job on Monday and I'm very excited about that. I do hope to have a new chapter of Start up soon; the problem is that I threw out what I'd had for L'tor and Anya's visit to Earth because I didn't think it was up to par, and now I have to re-write something worthy of you all taking your time and energy to so graciously read. I promise we'll get there!

December 24, 2011

I admit it, I'm back. Can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated my profile! The end of the year is always a time of craziness and seems to fly past, this year more so with all my end-of-the-year traveling. I'm all out of sorts and need to get back on track.

Thanks to those of you who poked me to ask for an update on my stories. They're coming, don't worry. In the meantime I posted what I think is an oldie-but-goodie, written some time ago. It has nothing in common with the two stories in process but is a little something new for you to read and hopefully enjoy. Check out Weekend at Cousin Jerry's and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, Happy Holidays and -in case I don't post anything until then- have a safe New Year's celebration!

November 18, 2011

So here in the already freezing Northeastern United States, I have some personal busy-ness coming up that I wanted to share. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday, and I traditionally spend a good three days prepping and cooking and cleaning. Over that weekend I'm going away with family for two days, then I'm back long enough to do some laundry before I head out to Hawaii for two weeks. I'm already working on the next chapter of Start so don't worry that this is one of those Author's Notes to apologize for abandoning a story; I'm just giving you a heads-up that my ability to work on it and my access to a computer will be spotty at best over the next few weeks. There's an excellent possibility that I'll post a much shorter chapter than usual in order to advance the story instead of just leaving it for three weeks, especially since I suspect that all this running around will wreak havoc with my muse...which I'm taking to Hawaii with me.

November 3, 2011

Dudes...no one told me I had a typo in my profile! OMG how embarrassing! Give me some time to fix up my Favorites here...honestly when I originally created a profile and started subscribing to stories I had no idea that my Favorites would be public or ever be viewed by others. I just sort of set Alerts to everything and played around. Now I have to sit down and re-work my profile settings to hopefully share my favorite Authors and Stories with my followers.

BTW I'm working on a one-shot of Start that I can't post until A: I get to the part in the story that makes it credible, and B: I finish it. Just got a bee in my bonnet with a what-if question and it went from there. Lar'nix'va fans, keep your eyes peeled! Maybe one of these days I'll branch off into Elder Arbitrator Warkha, since his character has received so much love from the reviewers...

October 17, 2011

Okay so every author update I write isn't going to be a winner, and this is one of them...a non-winner, I mean. I admit it, I'm slacking off. I was posting a chapter every few days since May so I think I deserve to slow down a bit and take it easy. Sucks cuz I was ramping up Start of a New Life into its third and final section and I sort of crashed and burned, and as a reader I know how hard it is to keep the details of a story fresh in your mind when the writer only updates every so often or rarely. Like I said before, I wish I could have ended Part 2 and had a break before the final chapters, but...it didn't work out quite the way I'd planned. I'm still here, the story is 'skeletonized' and waiting to be fleshed out chapter by chapter, but I've lost the ability to hammer away at it like I had been. Hopefully when I get my Chosen muse back ya'll will forgive me for the delay.

In the meantime I hope you'll be entertained by Not all Pets are for Hunting. Granted, it's not a love story and was never intended to be one, but it carries much less emotional baggage and weight than Chosen and Start of a New Life. Pet's a wise-cracking jackass and Synsen is hardcore and no-bullshit, which I thought made for an interesting pairing. Never went very long in my personal writing but reviewer interest and encouragement for these two resonated with me and it's a good diversion while I take a break from Chosen. Besides, these two have potential for me to let my hair down and really work the kinks out of my system.

Ahem.

And one more thing: please, if you're a reader who doesn't leave reviews, let me encourage you to do so. You know who you are. :P Don't be afraid to drop me a note...I don't bite (hard).

And to my reviewers: * XOXO!

September 2011

I know I haven't updated in awhile...after a good amount of personal drama in real life, I'm kinda burnt out and needed to recharge my batteries, so I switched over to reading more than writing. I'm still here, still working on fleshing out Start of a New Life here and there, but it's not ready for prime time yet so I haven't posted the next chapter. Like I've mentioned before, there are times when writing comes easy and there are times when it just doesn't happen. Start is honestly at a breaking point where I should create a Part 3, but I'd lost so many subscribers when I decided to write Part 2 as a separate story instead of continuing under Chosen that I don't want to do that again. Could be that's the reason I needed a time out, sort of a pause between sections to get a breather before diving into a new stage of Anya and L'tor's adventures. I am sorry, though, to leave my readers with such an ominous and long-unanswered cliffhanger. Suffice to say that the next chapter is an important development to later chapters and I want to make sure I get it right before posting it.

And now all of a sudden I find myself starting back up and working on Not all Pets are for Hunting, oddly enough. Sometimes I temporarily lose interest in a story and I need to switch over and work on a different one, and this seems to be one of those times. The creative juices are there but they're fickle and refuse to be directed. With any luck I'll post another chapter for Not all Pets in the next few days, and as soon as I can get my juices to switch over Start of a New Life will be back in business.

Thanks for reading, and especially for reviewing! As long as you're out there and interested and letting me know, I'll be inspired to post more chapters.

August 2011

So after multiple conversations with multiple people, I decided to post some more on my profile...

Not all Pets is on hold for the moment while I concentrate on Start of a New Life. There's a very good reason for this. First of all, I hadn't expected the type of response to Pets that it received. Once again, readers and especially reviewers, Thank You. It had been an incomplete story in my library, filled with jumps between one scene and the next because I was, to put it plainly, 'playing around'. I do that sometimes. Get some idea in my head that festers and grows, nagging at me until I take the time to write it out. Sometimes it grows from there into a complete story, sometimes not. In this case, I kind of liked the premise and the characters when I came back across and re-read it, and I thought, 'Gee, I wonder what other people would think of something like this?' so up it went. Turned out that people were intrigued and wanted to know more, and I've received a number of requests to keep it going.

The "problem" is that Synsen and his Pet are not L'tor and Anya. Their worlds and realities are completely different. When I tried to work on both simultaneously I kept sort of losing the framework I'd built into each. Currently I'm on a roll with Start of a New Life so I'm concentrating my efforts there to give the reader the best possible story I can. I can cross-contaminate all I want if I'm only writing for myself or a private audience, but in the interest of putting my best foot forward and presenting a story that's disseminated to many people, all of whom don't know me and so won't be so forgiving if I screw either up, I am setting Pets aside temporarily.

And for those of you out there who lurk, fishing for stories that appeal to you and hoping there will be an update, I ask you to send the author a review or comment. Not just me and my stories, any author of any genre in this site. We thrive on feedback, we love to hear your theories, your thoughts and concerns and worries for the characters or the situation they're in. Your encouragement that lets us know you're waiting for an update, that you're still following along and a fan of their work. Like many of you, I lurked for a long time so I'm not criticizing those of you who do, believe me. But I would just like to point out that Pets would have probably been a simple chapter or three then done if it weren't for the people who reviewed to express their interest and to encourage me to continue it. Your thoughts and opinions count here on Fanfiction, and often they're the only fuel a writer has to keep him or her going with a story.

July 2011

I am very easily distracted, apparently. This is funny to me because I thought I would just throw up a partial story for the enjoyment of my readers, breaking it up into a couple chapters and seeing what the feedback was. Then I got into it and my reviewers inspired me to really take a second look and a good long think about that story, Not all Pets are for Hunting, and now I'm all involved in that. It's a different premise with different characters and motivations and a different 'reality' than the ongoing Chosen fic and I'm trying to be careful and not cross-contaminate.

Trust me, though I haven't updated Start of a New Life in awhile, I am working on it so don't think I've abandoned it. Currently I'm fleshing it out and trying to keep the same pacing, humor and tone to it that Chosen had. Since Anya and L'tor are in the 'settling in and developing a relationship' stage I'm critiquing myself hard because I'm afraid it's boring. But you gotta build a believable connection that makes sense, right? I'd debated opening Start of a New Life with them already having established that relationship then going from there, but that's a heck of a jump from Chapter 10 of Chosen. Plus I'm curious about how they get there from here and I'm hoping my readers are, too. Then, of course, there are a thousand different possibilities on the details of yautja culture and life that have yet to be established in the 'world' that I've created.