Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Wise Little Girl

I just posted the third chapter of A Fairy Tale on AFF.net and am about to post it on Fictionpress.com as well. This chapter has more Andrew/Carrie interaction and Andrew meets Abby for the first time. I hope people like it. Read it and let me know what you all think. In case you don't know and get confused, I have posted pictures of churros and a picture of the Cobra Kai from The Karate Kid, which Abby talks about in this chapter.

Churros

Cobra Kai

Andrew, Carrie and Abby

Upon request, I am posting more pictures of Andrew Kennedy and Carrie and Abby Grant from A Fairy Tale. I am almost finished with the third chapter and that will be posted soon - definitely sometime today. I am really happy with the child actor I found to portray Abby just because she actually looks like she could be Carrie's daughter. Or maybe I'm just seeing things. Anyway, enjoy!

Andrew

Carrie

Abby

Friday, October 26, 2007

Thank You Shanna!

Thank you! Rodgers Park! God, I could not think of the neighborhood. Yes, Loyola University is in Rodgers Park. Funny story. My best friend currently lives in Rodgers Park and my mom went to Loyola University and graduated from there. I am officially the worst person at city geography in the world but thank you Shanna for giving my brain the push it needed. Okay, for the story, in Chicago, Carrie lives in Rodgers Park. Forget Logan Square. Wrong side of the city. Rodgers Park is where she lives.

The Best Friends

My trip to downtown Chicago this past weekend has really sparked my inspiration for A Fairy Tale and I am currently working on the third chapter. Before you panic, don't worry. I am also working on the next installment of The Prize but the third chapter of A Fairy Tale will be posted first. I am so glad that so many of you seem to like Abby and the fact that Carrie is a mom. At first, she was going to have a son but I decided that a daughter will add more dynamics to a growing relationship between Andrew and Carrie as well as a relationship with Abby and Andrew. In the third chapter of the story, you will meet Jason Crawford, Andrew's best friend, as well as Carrie's best friends, Natalie Seymour and Shannon Gregory. Jason is going to be symbolic of the dragon in fairy tales - the obstacle that the prince, Andrew, must get through before reaching his princess, Carrie. Every fairy tale needs a villian.

Jason

Natalie

Shannon

Thursday, October 25, 2007

No Geography Master

I just have to write a quick apology. In chapter two of A Fairy Tale, I made a mistake in the layout of the city and unless you live or have lived in Chicago, you probably didn't catch it, but I said that Carrie lived near Loyola University and Logan Square. These two locations are not near one another - Loyola being in the NE and Logan Square being in the NW. I always envisioned Carrie living in one of the brownstones near Lake Michigan so just forget Logan Square. Carrie, Seth and Abby live on the NE side of the city, near Loyola University. Once again, sorry for the geography mishap.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Maiden With The Rose On Her Forehead

I just uploaded chapter two for my story A Fairy Tale on both AFF.net and Fictionpress.com so please be sure to read and review for me. Justin and I were in downtown Chicago this weekend with the twins and it really got my creative juices flowing for this story. Chicago is my favorite city, my hometown, and I love walking around there, experiencing it all. Below, I have posted pictures of the characters featured in this new chapter. Let me know what you think of the new update.

Andrew

Carrie

Abby

Seth

Calvin

Friday, October 19, 2007

My Reasons

With the rewrite of Wonderwall, I have had people re-read the original and one reader in particular left reviews for every chapter she read. Thank you for doing that and letting me know what you think of the original. I know Poppy's character is ridiculous inconsistent in the story and that was one thing I was not happy about. It was easier for me to write Justin in the original than it was for me to write Poppy. That was one of the reasons I wrote Even After All because I wanted to flesh Poppy out and make her more consistent and regular to herself. In the rewrite, I hope for Poppy to be more true to herself like she was in the first chapters of the original.

The original Wonderwall was not fleshed out at all in my opinion. It fell flat in so many parts of the story that I actually cannot read the original without cringing in some areas. It was my first attempt ever at writing romance and posting and I know now that I should have taken more time writing and editing. The rewrite is adding more to the plot and it is going to be longer and far more in depth than the original ever was. Also, some have commented that it is weird to see Justin not be such a jerk in the rewrite that he was in the original. Well, don't worry. We are only on the fourth chapter of a novel. Justin will have plenty of times to be the ass we all know and love.

I know many of you love the original of Wonderwall and I am so glad. That story opened me up to so many of the fans I still have to this day and I am grateful I wrote the story despite me being completely unsatisfied with it. I hope the rewrite of the Wonderwall is as much loved as the original because more time and effort is going into it in hopes of giving you a better story. And many are worried that I am going to take the original down. Why would I do that? Especially with so many people who love it. I am not taking any of my stories down so do not worry about that.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Wonderwall Pictures

It has been brought to my attention that the actress and actor I have portraying Poppy Sheppard and Chase Merra in the rewrite of Wonderwall have been in a movie together and I found pictures of the two together. It actually works perfectly considering that they are life-long best friends in my story. I am going to let everyone know that in the rewrite, Chase won't be such an ass that he was in the originals. I actually really love his and Poppy's friendship and I definitely plan on developing it more. I love the picture I found and I kind of want to write a scene in the story about it. In the meantime, enjoy the picture of Poppy and Chase, and a couple more of Justin and Poppy.
Update: Yes, the Justin in the picture below is the same Justin from the previous picture. I have decided to stick with this Justin for visuals. I know he looks a bit... strange grinning like he is but it is the same Justin from before.

Poppy

Justin

The Prize Update

I just posted the next chapter of The Prize on AFF.net so be sure to check it out and review for me. I actually am unsure about the update so please give me your honest opinion about it. I kind of have a busy rest of the week and weekend coming up so I'm not sure when I can update any of my stories again until next week sometime. Remember to just be patient with me and in the meantime, read The Prize.

Coming Soon... I Promise

I am almost done with the next chapter of The Prize so hopefully, if I stick to the writing schedule I have set up for myself, that will be posted within the next few days so be on the lookout. I will post when I have uploaded it onto AFF.net. I just wanted to assure everyone that I am in fact working on it and thank you for being patient with me while I divide my time between these three stories I am currently working on. SPOILER: Tyson and Amy will do a lot together that takes their relationship to a new level but they will not be having sex. There will be an argument about Tyson's boxing though.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Wonderwall Update on AFF

I posted the fourth chapter of Wonderwall on AFF.net just now so please check it out and review it for me. One reviewer on Fictionpress.com told me that I am working on too many stories at the same time and I know that with three stories: The Prize, Wonderwall and A Fairy Tale, it is possible to forget some things about the stories when I switch back and forth between updating. The only reason I am working on three at a time right now is because inspiration hits me at different times. One day, my muse will allow me to work on nothing but The Prize while the next day, I can only seem to write Wonderwall and so on and so on. I'm sorry if this isn't the most desirable way to read my stories - switching back and forth and forgetting things and having to go back and reread - but at the present moment, I am going to continue to work on all three. I hope you keep reading my stories despite that.

Wonderwall: Chapter Four

I just posted the fourth chapter of the rewrite of Wonderwall on Fictionpress.com so do me a favor and check it out. It is separated into two parts: the first being about Preston and Kristen and the second being about Justin and Poppy. Please read it and review for me. Let me know what you think and if you are enjoying the rewrite or not. I hope to have it posted on AFF.net in a little bit so be on the lookout for it. Thanks.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Through the Layers

I am working on the fourth chapter of Wonderwall and in this particular chapter, it focuses on not only Justin and Poppy but also Preston and Kristen as well as the group of friends. I know when you read a romance story, you expect the focus to be just on one couple and in this case, it would be on Justin and Poppy. But though this story is very much theirs, it is also about their friendships and relationships with their friends and family as well as their growing feelings for one another. I love Justin and Poppy and they are two complex characters that through all of the layers, they are not that different at all. Be on the lookout for the next chapter. I will let everyone know when I post the chapter as well as the upcoming chapter on The Prize. Also, please read A Fairy Tale for me. It wasn't as well-recieved as I had hoped but please read and let me know what you do/don't like about it.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Character Pictures

Two main characters that are going to be quite important to the story in A Fairy Tale are Calvin Meeks, founder and president of Meeks Advertising and Caroline's boss, and Elizabeth Horner, an account executive at the company. They are going to be almost the fairy godmothers to Caroline during the story.

Calvin

Elizabeth

A Fairy Tale - Chapter One

I have officially posted the first chapter to my newest story A Fairy Tale on AFF.net and though I don't know why, I also posted it over on Fictionpress.com. Please read and review this story for me. I am excited for this one and I hope you all will be too. I am working on the next chapter of The Prize and hope to have that up within the next few days. I can't promise when though. I want to be completely satisifed with it before I post it so in the meantime, please read A Fairy Tale for me and let me know what you think. The first chapter has a lot of background and introductory information that will be important for you to know and to help move the story along. Later, I will post pictures of the other main characters for this story. Thank you for everything - for being patient with me, for reading my stories, for reviewing, for visiting this blog and letting me know what you think... just, thank you for everything. It means more to me than I can probably ever say.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Coming This Weekend...

I am currently working on the first chapter of Some Kind of Fairy Tale and I hope to have it posted sometime this weekend. When I finally do post it, I will, of course, let you all know. Also, the next chapter of The Prize is still being worked on but I cannot be sure that it will be posted this weekend. I'm sorry. It has taken me longer to write than I initially anticipated but that only means that I am not going to post a completely utter crap chapter so just please be patient with me and I hope everyone enjoys this new story while awaiting the next update for my other stories. Also, for the Wonderwall re-write, should I continue with it? Or should I just let the original be the one and only Wonderwall? Please let me know.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Updates

I am working on the first chapter of Some Kind of Fairy Tale and I hope, HOPE, to have it posted soon. As I was writing, my vision of the male lead character began to change so I have posted a new picture of Andrew Kennedy and another of Caroline Grant. Also, I am not sure if the next chapter of The Prize will be up this weekend but I promise I am working my hardest on all of my stories. Just please be patient with me.

Andrew

Caroline

Boo to That

I have decided to and already have taken down most of my multi-chaptered stories from Fictionpress.com. The stories there were never really liked and they always got lost in all of the other dozens of stories posted there every day. From now on, I am going to most my longer length stories on AFF.net since almost all of my readers know me from that site and they are loyal to me.

Fictionpress astounds me. I have read some horrible garbage on that site and someone tells me that The Prize has a horrible plotline. After the two chapters that were posted, that person must have been a mind-reader to know what was going to happen in order to judge the plotline. The Prize is definitely one of my most popular stories with More Than Anyone, I think, being the most favorite among readers. So how can 226 reviews on AFF.net be wrong? If The Prize really sucked, I hope someone would have told me by now. *shakes head*

Anyway, I am having fun writing the newest chapter for The Prize. SPOILER ALERT: Tyson and Amy are going to go out on their first date and then take their relationship a few steps further. I haven't decided yet if they are going to have sex. If they do have sex, I am going to make Amy regret it but I don't know if I want them to have sex just yet.

I think it would be interesting to write Amy regretting it and taking it out on Tyson but I want this couple to be happy. Most of my stories are angst and I need a couple with a little fluff and sweet romance. Do you guys want to read them having sex in the next chapter and then have Amy regret it, taking it out and pulling slightly away from Tyson? Or are you guys on the fluff train with me? Let me know! Thanks.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The End of Eden Introduction

Along with The Flower Girl, I was also working on another manuscript called The End of Eden. I have mentioned it in previous posts and I am now going to post a little prologue to the story. Please let me know what you think of it.

Prologue
THE END
.~.

The last thing Eden Rose Cross saw before she died was not what she was expecting. She had heard the stories about the white light people saw or their entire lives played at an impossibly quick speed in front of their eyes before they died. But Eden saw none of this. Instead, what she saw was him kneeling above her, his eyes staring down into hers, his face completely blank as his hands tightened around her throat. She gasped, her fingers digging into the carpet, trying desperately to move away but she couldn’t. Her head was feeling light. Her eyes were closing. She couldn’t keep them open. Her mouth was parted, gasping for desperate air, but it wasn’t nearly enough. His hands only tightened their grip around her.

For those who knew her, they never would have thought that this would be the end she would meet. Everyone had such high hopes for her, such faith that she was one day going to change the world. But at twenty-three years old, Eden never got the chance to live up to everyone’s expectations of her. She did become something of a celebrity in the city though it was not in the way she had once envisioned for herself and once a more gripping headline surpassed the story of the slain ballerina, Eden was forgotten by those outside of her friends and family.

Though she saw no white light or flipbook of her life in front of her eyes, as the oxygen slowly escaped her and she felt herself slip into the black world of unconsciousness, she did have thoughts of her two younger sisters. Eden knew that she was dying and yet, she was able to think of her two sisters and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. His hands faltered for just a moment as he saw the smile on her face but then he gained in strength again and his grip tightened further around her throat. She knew as the darkness descended around her that there was no escaping. She knew that she was going to die on the living room floor in between the television set and the coffee table.

And the last thing Eden Rose Cross saw before she died was him killing her.

.~.

He sat in the interrogation room of the police station, his eyes swollen and bloodshot from having cried most of the evening and his hands shaking from going several hours without using. Detective Cruise Wilder sat across from him, sipping at a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm coffee and writing down on a yellow legal pad of paper. It wasn’t every night that his job was this easy. Most people didn’t walk into police stations confessing to murder.

Cruise was the only detective on duty that night and when the strung-out junkie sniveled out that he had killed his girlfriend to the desk sergeant, he was almost sent away, most of the officers thinking that he was just high and didn’t know what he was talking about. But then he began talking of how she had come home from dance practice and he had strangled her. He described how she had tried to get away, how she had clawed at him – the fingernail scratches on his arms backing his claims up. Cruise had taken him back into interrogation room three and had sat with him as patiently as possible as he rambled on, at times barely coherent. He broke down in the middle of his confession and it had taken him nearly forty-five minutes to start talking again.

His girlfriend’s name was Eden Cross, a twenty-three year old ballet dancer for the Milwaukee Ballet.

And he had killed her.

.~.

If someone came up to her and asked her how the funeral had gone, Eve Martha Cross wouldn’t know how to answer for there was nothing about that day that she remembered.

The Prize on Fictionpress

Good morning everyone. A few days ago, I took down almost every one of my multi-chaptered stories down from Fictionpress.com simply because they weren't met with much enthusiasm and they kept getting lost in the shuffle. I had decided that I would post my longer stories at AFF.net and then post my fluffy one-shots I sometimes write over at Fictionpress. But I have decided to try this one more time and I have posted the first chapter of The Prize over on Fictionpress. I am not sure if people will enjoy it as much there as they have on AFF but I posted it nonetheless to see.

For those awaiting the next chapter of The Prize over on AFF.net, I am working on it and it might, MIGHT, be up this weekend but no promises. I can promise you though that it will have some heavy touching and making out between Tyson and Amy. When I told my friend, Lauren, she was most excited and found/created some fanart in honor of the so-called smut to come. Lauren wanted me to thank all of you for being so warm towards her pictures and if you want, she will continue to give me pictures to post in regards to my stories. I personally love the pictures and I hope everyone enjoys them as well.

Monday, October 8, 2007

A Fairy Tale

So I have far too many ideas in my head and I have lost count of how many stories I have started with just one chapter before being taken over by inspiration for a new different story. I am working on three stories right now: The Prize, the rewrite of Wonderwall, and a new one that I have not spoken about yet. I have not yet officially chosen a title but so far, I am working with Some Kind of Fairy Tale and yes, it is indeed a modern fairy tale. Each chapter will be named after a different fairy tale and there will be the common elements found in almost every single recorded fairy tale.

I know a lot of you like when I write stories with older, more mature characters instead of high-schoolers so this story will be for you - the two main characters, Andrew Kennedy and Caroline "Carrie" Grant, are in their mid-twenties. I have been working on the first chapter for some time but I will not post it until I am completely satisfied with it. Here is the intro though:

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away known to most as Chicago, there lived a handsome prince. He was the wealthiest man in all of the kingdom and he lived in the tallest tower, looking down at everyone beneath him. Some say he was a cruel man who put his greed and his selfishness before all others…

That is Andrew Kennedy's introduction and the first chapter will take time to let you meet the two main characters and get some insight into their lives. With these three stories I am working on, I work on one every day. Saturday was The Prize, yesterday was Wonderwall, and today was Some Kind of Fairy Tale. This writing schedule is the only way I can possibly find time to write all of this. I love to write and the ideas just keep coming. Let me know what you think of how this story sounds.

Andrew

Caroline

Dual Relationships

So, I am working on chapter four of my rewrite of Wonderwall and I just have a question that I have to ask. I am always trying new things with my writing and trying to improve and what better people to get opinions from than the people who have read my stories and know them the best? Yes, that would be all of you.

In my stories, do you like when I write about dual couples? Such as in The Lion and the Lamb, the story was not only about Patrick and Maddy but also about Graham and Beth. Do you like reading about dual relationships in a story or would you rather I simply focus on the main couple? And also, in Wonderwall, how do you like the characters of Preston Lansing and Kristen Fisher? I know that you do not know them well enough yet but they are the so-called other couple in the story and I just wanted to get a feel for what people thought of them. Please let me know about all of this. Thank you.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Picture Fun

I am glad everyone enjoys the pictures and fanart Lauren gives to me for my stories. I love everything she makes for me and I am glad that it is appreciated by you when I share it all. I was looking at these two new pictures and I decided to let you choose which couple they should represent. Tell me which couple you think of for picture 'a' and 'b'. I love these two pictures and I think they are adorable so which couple should be adorable with them? Lauren has so much fanart and pictures that with each update of a story, expect to see more.

A.

B.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Blood and Honey

I posted the first chapter of Blood and Honey over on Fictionpress.net and my friend Lauren wanted to post this as fanart for that story since she said that it reminded her of that story. Lindsey Holland from this story is probably my favorite female character that I have created with Poppy Sheppard from Wonderwall as a close second. I love every single character that I create and write but I poured so much of myself into Lindsey, that she has a special place in my heart.

Brady and Ali

With the rewrite of Wonderwall, and re-introducing all of the friends, people are emailing me and messaging me to put up more pictures of the characters. Requests have come in to see Brady Reed and Ali Kurkova from Something Pretty, especially since in Wonderwall, Brady seems to be nothing more than a druggie. I adore Brady and Ali as a couple so please enjoy the pictures and if you want to see more pictures of any of the characters, just let me know and I will try to do my best. Thanks!

Ali

Brady

The Prize - New Chapter

Surprise! I wanted everyone to wake up and see that there is a new chapter of The Prize posted twenty-four hours ahead of schedule and I would like to inform everyone that there is. The chapter is titled The Carpal Tunnel of Love simply because I was listening to a song by that title at the time I was posting it. Slight spoiler: Tyson does not declare his undying love for Amy but really. I hope no one was expecting him to do something like that considering how out of character it would be for him but I was quite proud of Tyson in this chapter nonetheless. He took a big step for himself and did something that he probably wouldn't have done otherwise. Please read and review for me and most of all, enjoy!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Riley and Samantha

I got a request from someone to post pictures of Riley Harper and Samantha Moore-Harper from one of my earlier stories Skating By. Despite the title, which I don't particularly like, this story is one of my personal favorites.

Riley

Samantha

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Much Love

I love you guys. I really do. I have some of the best, most loyal readers, ever. You read my blog, you read my stories, you connect with my characters and you all make me smile with your devotion to me. To Judy, Shanna and everyone else - thank you. Pester away. You pestering me means you still care enough about my stories to want to read them. So thank you.

You Know What They Say... Opposites Attract

I know everyone wants an update of The Prize and I really am working on it. Just remember that pestering me doesn't help me write any faster. I hope to have the next chapter posted by Sunday sometime so keep an eye out for it. In the next chapter, Tyson will try to sort his feelings out for Amy and the two will talk and help move their relationship forward. Well, actually, Amy is going to do most of the talking since that's just how she is.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007