My husband is my most ruthless critic. ... Sometimes he will say, "It's been said better before." Of course. It's all been said better before. If I thought I had to say it better than anyone else, I'd never start. Better or worse is immaterial. The thing is that it has to be said; by me; ontologically. We each have to say it, to say it in our own way. Not of our own will, but as it comes through us. Good or bad, great or little: that isn't what human creation is about. It is that we have to try; to put it down in pigment, or words, or musical notations, or we die.
--Madeleine L’Engle

That just about sums up my philosophy on writing. I'll never be the best author here - but that can't and won't stop me from needing to tell my stories.

In recent years, I've settled into not posting anything until I can call the whole story finished to keep from the ridiculous hiatus that happened with "Moral Danger" and "The Ties That Bind." Therefore, when a multi-chapter story appears here, you can rest assured that it is already complete in full and that I will continue to post it at regular intervals.

I've gotten into the habit of writing one year and posting those stories in the next, which helps with the making sure all stories are complete. I also schedule everything, so there should be a post just about every week from now until I either have too much to post on that schedule (as happened in 2015) or I stop writing. Otherwise, hopefully each weekendish-time will bring something new from me, a chapter or a oneshot.

Oh, also. I'll just put this here. I have been terrible at replying to comments in the past. I am trying to correct this behavior from this point forward, so if you leave me a review or a message, I really will try to reply within a week or two (that's about how often I log in here to post a new update). However, it's a change of a pretty well-ingrained behavior, so it may not work all the time. Please don't be offended if I never respond to you. I'm lousy at it. I love, love, LOVE feedback, but I get very nervous about responding. That's all on me, and I'm sorry.

On a related note - it turns out I do have/need a policy on fanart. And it's this: I FREAKING LOVE IT!!! Understand, I have absolutely no visual arts ability whatsoever. I cannot draw or paint, my handwriting is politely described as "legible," and I don't have an eye for photography. And I am in complete and total awe of those who can and do. So if you read something of mine and desperately want to draw it, please! Go for it! And send it to me so I can see! This site is not a good forum, but everything here is mirrored on AO3, and if you give me permission I will happily add your art to my stories. Same goes if you want to create a cover or something. I have the most basic photo-manipulation skills ever, so I do manage that sometimes, but anything a real artist would craft is a billion times better and if you feel moved, I'd love to use it!

(You can guarantee I'll reply to you if you make art. Probably because I'll beg you to let me link to it. But, hey - that's something, right? Right?)

I think that's about it. Oh, in case you were wondering, the name "Mendeia" is actually the name of a character in a fantasy story I wrote years ago, and while the actual writing itself was definitely not salvageable, the character was a lot of fun.

Anyway, enjoy!