Inspiration

Good morning, everyone. I should be packing since I am driving to Ohio this morning to spend Memorial Day Weekend with my parents but I just wanted to drop by and see how everyone is. I am doing good - trying to relax and slow my mind down for a little bit. I also bought True Blood first season DVD so I have been kind of watching nothing but that lately.

I know I have a lot of stories unfinished at the moment but with everything that has happened, a story idea has popped into my mind and I wanted to run it by all of you to see what the general consensus in regards to it was.

Fall from Grace

by Kate

Grace Prince seems to be the perfect girl. Straight-A student. Daddy’s girl. Best friends with mom. About to start applying to some of the best colleges in the country. But then she meets bad-boy Evan and as they grow closer, everything else around her begins to fall apart.

This story would be a bit more on the dark side like A Pocketful of Poppies was. It would follow Grace and her slow descent into falling in with the wrong crowd. There would be drinking, partying, experimenting with drugs and having sex. Despite all of this, it will also be a love story - a strange, slightly fucked-up love story but one nonetheless.

I am working on the first chapter but I am taking my time with it, not wanting to rush anything. Does this sound interesting at all? Please leave me a comment and let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions (keep the cruelty to yourselves) Thank you and I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Grace

Evan

Rob

Lauren

A Pocketful of Poppies - Part Seventeen

What is going on with me this week? I am the updating queen and it reminds me of the old days when I would update several times a day. I am quite happy with the way part seventeen of A Pocketful of Poppies - now posted on Fictionpress - turned out. I wanted to show more of Justin's past and why he sometimes gets those nasty panic attacks. Please read it for me and I hope that I have grounds to be satisfied with it.

I am heading up to Milwaukee tomorrow and will return Sunday - after a trip to IKEA Sunday afternoon. You all know how much I love IKEA. So there will be no updates from me in a few days. I know some of you worry when you do not see the blog updated but it will only be for a few days. I might be able to squeeze in another update of Better Together before I leave but no promises.

Oh! Before I forget, as you all know, I am posting Better Together and then More than Anyone on Fictionpress. Ben and Olivia's story especially is going to be getting a makeover with some editing and adding of scenes. Of my other stories on AFF, which one do you want to see get the royal editing treatment next? Leave me a comment and let me know. I know I have to finish A Pocketful of Poppies, which has two more chapters until completion, and then work must be done on Soldier Boy and When Night is Almost Done but I am nothing if not a person who multi-tasks so let me know which story should come after More than Anyone. Thanks and have an amazing Thursday, everyone. I am in a spectacular mood for some reason.

Better Together - Chap. Three

I am glad some have showed interest and excitement about these two stories being posted once again after a little fine tuning. Chapter three of Better Together is up on Fictionpress if you want to read and review it.

More than Anyone is also going to be seeing some editing and even more fleshing out into a long novel-type story. I am going to add more with Toby and Olivia and Ben and his conflict with his ex-girlfriend, Jillian as well as include an epilogue of sorts with Ben and Olivia getting to know one another in the bedroom since I know many were dying for a love scene between the two.

Also, in case you missed the previous post, chapter three of Soldier Boy is also posted so check that out if you want.

I have noticed that not many people visit this blog anymore, traffic severely down than what it used to be, and I know that I have lost readers along the way so I am thinking about giving the blog a makeover or maybe... abandoning it completely. I am not sure what I am going to do but thank you to everyone who does visit this blog. I put probably almost as much work into it as I do into my stories so it does mean a lot to me. Thank you to everyone who does stick by me through everything. I am certain that if I did not have you, I would not be putting as much time into writing as I do and therefore, I would not be doing something I love to do so much. Thank you for everything.

Jamie and Violet

Responses

Hey everyone. The weekend is right around the corner. I can feel it. I am going to be having a busy weekend ahead with my family coming to stay with me for a few days and I am actually very grateful that I will not have any time to write. I know everyone is incredibly busy right now. I am busy myself. But I also know my readers well and judging by the complete lack of response I have been getting for my newest stories, I am thinking that I need to take a step back and think some things through. Maybe I will get inspiration to write a story everyone will want to read. I am hoping that will happen anyway.

Thank you to those who were able to find the time to let me know what you think of The Beginning of Eden and/or The Waverly Myth. You have no idea how much it means to me. I pour so much of myself into these stories and I love any feedback I get so thank you for the reviews you gave me.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. I have been posting my stories online for a few years now and I know how incredibly lucky I am to have the fanbase that I do. I write to please both myself and all of you and hopefully, inspiration will punch me in the face and I can start something that people love. Thank you for everything and I will check in again on this blog - probably on Monday once the family leaves. Oh. Before I forget, I have posted the art I received for The Flower Girl and Ghetto Gospel on my Fictionpress.com profile so those who are curious can go there and check it out. Thank you so, so, so much to those who did that for me. I wish I had artistic talent and I am envious of those that do.

Talk to everyone soon.

~ Love Kate

The Beginning of Eden

Ugh. I just sat down and read through the first two chapters of The Beginning of Eden and this story is not coming out the way I wanted it to. It reminds me of my first few attempts at Ghetto Gospel - which I all hated before I was able to write the final version. I really hate the version of The Beginning of Eden I have posted so I am going to delete it, work on it and then post it again. If I am not 100% happy with the writing, I think that is shows and everyone can tell. To those who have not read it, do not worry. I will come back to this story once I am happy with it. I really want to get this story right before I post it again. Thank you everyone and Happy Thursday. It is 6:25 in the morning and I am far too happy right now. lol Talk to you soon.

Art and Thought

Thank you so much to Emilie for the art you have made for The Prettiest Thing featuring Brett and Ella and I promise to post the others you made as well. It is beautiful and thank you for taking the time to do that for me.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that maybe templeton21 has run her course on AFF.net and maybe on this blog too. Everyone has gotten so busy, myself included. I hate being busy because I feel like I have no time whatsoever to read anymore - which is my second favorite thing to do next to writing. My stories no longer have the popularity, I feel, as they once did on that site. Maybe people are moving on to newer, fresher authors. My inspiration has really struck me though for Ghetto Gospel - which I know many of you do not like - and The Flower Girl - which many find too strange to read. I love them though. I told my friend, Alex, that as a writer, I love exploring new things and testing my writing skills. I want to be different. I do not want to be trapped in a box of writing high school romance stories. I want to look beyond that and tap into different genres and issues.

Sorry for the rambling. I just have a lot of thoughts in my head that I wanted to get out and that is the whole purpose of blogs. There are a lot of you that I have not heard from in a while - people who have been with me since practically the beginning and I am scared that I have lost you as well. I hope everyone is healthy and well and I hope you all enjoy your Sunday. Thank you. And thank you to Emilie again for the art.

Poppy

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I was at my parents only to come home after a long drive to a flooded basement - not happy about that. I hate flooded basements. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive and well and I hope everyone is as well. I have posted Ghetto Gospel back on Fictionpress.com because honestly, I adore this story so check it out if you want. Also, below are a couple of pictures I found that look like Poppy Sheppard and have inspired me to start working on a Justin/Poppy one-shot for Nothing Else Matters. Let me know how you are. I love hearing from everyone.

Music Inspiration

Below is "With Me" by Sum41, which is the main song and inspiration for my newest story With Me, so please listen to it and I hope everyone likes it. Also, I found a picture that reminded me of Ella reading and another picture of Joy and Millie (Aimee Teegarden). If you haven't read and reviewed the first chapter of With Me, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so. I know that many of you are extremely busy but I would really appreciate some opinions and feedback. Thank you and let me know what you think of the song.

Thank You

I love to write. I always have and I always will. Writing is something that always makes me happy. Whenever I am inspired, I am lucky enough to be able to sit down and write out a story that just randomly pops into my head. And I am lucky enough to have all of you to write for. Thank you for everything - for the reviews, for the encouragement and kind words, for the checking up on me when I don't post anything for a few days. Thank you for letting me write for you. I will never stop writing. Even if I never get published, if I still have all of you reading my stories online, I will be happy. I just wanted to let you know that I love writing and I love writing for you. Never did I think when I posted Wonderwall a couple of years ago would I develop a devoted following like I have. There are truly great writers out there and I know I will never be one of them but when I post a story and I have you review it for me and let me know what you think, none of you can possibly understand that size of the smile on my face.

At the moment, my brain is going in a thousand different directions with stories and I am scared about burning myself out. I might have to slow down but I am just so excited for everything in the works that I need to write and post. Below is a picture I found that truly inspired me to write another installment for Devon and Grace in continuation of Seven Minutes in Heaven and Strange Conditions. I hope to finish that either tonight or tomorrow and post it on Fictionpress.com. I will let you know when. I am also working on the next chapter of The Nicest Thing and I have several other one-shots in the making.

I know this post may seem pointless but... I just wanted to say thank you. I mean it. If I never get published, I know that I will still always be a popular on-line author and honestly, that is more than good enough for me. I hope everyone had a fantastic Manic Monday and I will talk to you again soon when the short story of Devon and Grace is complete.

Devon and Grace

Answers to the Comments

Hi everyone! I am less than eager about it being Monday but too late now to go back. I was reading the comments people have been leaving for the previous post The Nicest Thing - Chapter Three and I get blown away every time by how everyone gets involved with my stories. I love how you connect with the characters and seriously. You guys make me smile every single day. There were a few comments that I wanted to address:

I have to day I was a little disappointed that Bret opened a branch of his dad's lawn service in Chicago. It just seems so boring, and I don't know average. He graduated from Penn right? Even his dad didn't want him to continue in his footstep so I was just disappointed to see that. Hopefully he is taking it to the next level and is a landscape engineer, or I don't know. (Sorry for anyone reading this who does landscaping or who's spouse is a landscaper)

Okay. You guys have to stop reading my mind and getting ahead of ourselves. This was going to be addressed in the next chapter because Corey and Ella will be having a phone conversation. Remember that Trevor was the one who informed everyone of what Brett was doing now and also keep in mind that he couldn't even remember what Ella was the assistant curator of. Trevor Scott is not big on details. Brett actually is a landscape architect and is designing parks and playgrounds. I will still be going into detail with this next chapter so everyone, stop reading my mind or sneaking peaks at my pages ahead of time.

Hey Kate I just thought of something. The characters are 22right and Joy had Millie at 18? If she was 6, wouldn't that make Joy and Trevor 24? and Corey and Ella 23?

As you can see, math was never my strong suit but the way I thought of it in my head, Millie is turning 6 in July. Since the story is in June at the moment, she is still 5 and Trevor and Joy have not had their birthdays yet either so they are still 23 as are Kyle and Brett. Corey, Ella and Monty are all 22. An upcoming chapter is actually Kyle's birthday, which should be an exciting chapter to both write and read.

There is also going to be a chapter of Kyle and Corey driving home to Lawrence. This chapter actually was going to be a one-shot before I decided to flourish this into an entire story so this chapter is, hopefully, going to be great with Kyle and Corey stuck in a car together for a long period of a time. Just thinking about it, I have the biggest dumbest grin on my face.

Thank you to everyone for all of the interest you take in my story. I'm not sure what I did to be so lucky and have such devoted involved readers but I love it. Now. Anymore questions?

The New Kyle... and Millie

Someone gave me a great idea while I was reading through my reviews of The Nicest Thing and I have decided to switch pictures for Kyle Colfax. I have posted a picture of Corey as well so you can picture the new couple if you want to when you are reading. Of course, you can picture the characters however you want. These pictures are just for people who enjoy the visual aids. Also, below is a picture of five-year-old Millie Scott, who will make her debut in the next chapter - which I am working on right now. I think this actress would be a perfect Millie and I think she looks like a perfect blend of both of her parents. How do you like these pictures? I have noticed a drop in people reading my blog and I just want to make sure that I keep you guys interested and coming back for more. Also, please read the third chapter of A Slow Burn for me. Thank you in advance to everyone.

Kyle

Corey

Millie

Corey and Kyle

Corey Carcetti, Ella Scott's best friend from The Prettiest Thing, is probably one of my favorite female characters that I have ever created. She is strong-minded, opinionated and she does not apologize for who she is. She loves sex, tattoos, pot and politics. She loves to live life and tries to get Ella to do the same thing. One weakness she does have however is Kyle Colfax, close friend of Trevor Scott and Brett Dawson. I didn't want to make her seem like some pathetic girl pining over an older senior football player even though I have not focused a lot of time on Corey and Kyle together. What I love about the characters of Kyle and Corey is they do what they want when they are together and they have a good time. When Kyle hurts Corey, it hurts her and confuses her more than she ever thought it would and she realizes that she really likes him. Like many seventeen-year-old girls, she has had her heart broken.

In chapter thirty-six of The Prettiest Thing - which I am still working on - Corey and Kyle are going to get some page time together at the beginning but I will say now that even after this story is finished, Corey and Kyle are going to be rather... complicated. Below, I have posted a song, "The Nicest Thing" by Kate Nash, which I feel is a perfect song for Corey in regards to Kyle because even though she is a strong female character, she really has fallen for this boy. Please listen to it and let me know what you think. Now that the story is nearing the end, I will ask everyone again. Who is your favorite character in The Prettiest Thing?

Corey

Kyle

A Slow Burn

With The Prettiest Thing coming to a close much faster than most people want and with Nothing Else Matters being updated whenever I am inspired to add another one-shot, I will be working on my next story. This is going to be a mature story. It is going to be dark - a story of passion, jealousy and obsession - and it is going to be a story that I have been wanting to try and write for some time.

A Slow Burn by Kate:
From the very first time they meet, Rob and Lauren have always shared an intense connection with one another that neither could explain. But as they grow closer and fall more in love, they begin to become consumed by their feelings and seem no longer in control of themselves when around each other. Their love will lead to a dangerous obsession that will threaten to tear them both apart.

Of course it is going to be a love story with its sweet moments. It just won't be as conventional as some of my other romance stories. I hope this sounds interesting to at least a few of you. I really want to write something different and I want to see if I can succeed at writing something that would be considered going against the grain for me. Below are pictures of the main characters Rob Moseley and Lauren Vandermark. The model I found sort of looks like Tyson from The Prize but I assure you that he is a completely different man. This is one of the rare instances that the moment I saw this picture of Jamie Dornan, I created the character of Rob. Normally, I create characters and then find the pictures. But I was inspired by him and he has become my muse for this story.

Please let me know if A Slow Burn interests any of you. I really can't wait to finish the first chapter, edit it and then post it. I really want to try something different and I hope this works out. Also, if you haven't yet, please read and review chapter thirty-five of The Prettiest Thing for me. Thank you!

Rob

Lauren

I'll Pop the Question...

I just want to take a quick little survey to see what everyone is thinking and where everyone stands after reading chapter thirty-three of The Prettiest Thing. Trevor was thinking out loud about him and Joy possibly getting married before they go off to college and came out and asked her. They are both eighteen. They are about to have a baby and they both love each other. How many think that marriage would be the next step for them and how many don't want them to get married? Just leave your comments and I am looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks about it. Happy Friday!

Friday!

Hi everyone. Is everyone okay? I hope so. Any exciting plans for the weekend? I am going to IKEA on Saturday and am going to be spending far too much money so I don't know if that's a good plan or not but I sure am excited. I hope everyone is alright. When I don't hear from some of you either through this blog or through my email, I get kind of worried. I know that may sound weird since none of us have ever met but I feel close to a lot of you considering that we have "known" each other for a couple of years now if you think of how long I have been posting stories.

I know a lot of you are getting sick and tired of The Prettiest Thing and I was writing the one-shot for Beth and Graham but something happened. The short one-shot turned into about 12,000 words and I am still going. That isn't exactly the typical length of a one-shot and also, considering it isn't even finished yet, should I post it as an individual story? I don't know what to do with it. I would hate the idea of cutting it down but I know that the longer a chapter or story is, the less people are interested in it. I will figure it out. Don't worry. I am so excited about it being Friday. Did this week drag on for anyone else? Hope all is well for everyone and I hope to have something posted sometime this weekend but what it will be, I have no idea.

Characters

I am almost finished with chapter twenty-two of The Prettiest Thing but I don't think it will be complete and ready to post until tomorrow but I will let you all know when I have posted it on AFF.net. Chapter twenty-two really focuses on the three Scott children: Lyla, Trevor and Ella. I want to thank Hollie very much for the pictures below that she found and which reminded her of Trevor and Joy and I also want to thank her for all of the kind words she said about Trevor and Joy. I have so much more fanart to post and I can't wait to do so.

The four main characters: Ella, Brett, Trevor and Joy are very near and dear to my heart and most everything that has happened in this story so far has happened to either me or someone in my life. I know Ella, Brett, Trevor and Joy. I know a Lyla and a Monty and Corey. I know all of these characters and I am trying to write them in a way where you know them too. I am trying to have them talk realistically and act in such a way where readers can see themselves in those characters. I love this story and I am glad so many other people are enjoying and loving it as well.

Who is your favorite character from The Prettiest Thing? Why do you like them the most? Who is your least favorite character and why? Let me know in the comments section. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say.

My Thoughts

I hate writing these kinds of posts but I have to say how I feel. I was so proud of myself for chapter twenty-one. I thought it was one of the best written chapters of any of my stories on AFF.net. I was so excited to post it and have everyone read it. But this chapter, as well as the past couple, have been less than popular with readers. I have had literally hundreds and hundreds of hits for chapter twenty-one and ten reviews. To go from twenty-five to thirty reviews to ten, that is a big drop and I don't know why I am not getting people hitting that review button at the end of the chapter. I know I have a lot of reviews for The Prettiest Thing but those were from the beginning chapters. Now, it seems as if people could care less about this story. They'll read it but they won't let me know what they love or hate about it. It actually hurts my feelings a bit. I put so much effort and time into this story. I was worried that making this story as long as I planned would cause people to lose interest because my writing would falter. If it is, all I ask is that you tell me. If the story sucks, tell me. If it is good, tell me. Please. I am sorry if this story is not going in the way you wanted it to go but this is about high school and in high school, things like this are dealt with on a daily basis. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you a million times.

Below is a picture of Ella's tattoo that she will get in chapter twenty-two, which I am writing right now. This tattoo is not mine. I found it online and it was exactly what I imagined for Ella's tattoo in the exact same position I wanted it in. Be on the look out for chapter twenty-two. I hope to have it posted sometime this weekend. Thank you to everyone. I appreciate the support I am getting for this story from some of you.

Hard to Concentrate

How is everyone this wonderful Wednesday night? Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed chapter twenty of The Prettiest Thing for me. I put so much of my time and effort into every chapter I write and all I ask is for people to hit that review button when they are done reading. It means the world to me and I love to hear what everyone thinks of my story. I hope when you read chapter twenty, you were able to see Joy and Trevor's complete shock and fear. I know I was repeating several things like how they were eighteen-years-old and how the pill had one job to do but I wanted to show that they were having the same reactions to what was happening and how they weren't thinking exactly clearly while this was going on. I hope I was able to get that across in the chapter. Also, remember that I already know exactly how this story is going to end and what directions it must take to get there.

Thank you to HMC for the black and white picture of Brett and Ella and thank you to Danielle for the picture of Joy and Trevor. I love every picture I get and I try to post as many as I can. Also, I know that the music isn't exactly a popular feature on this blog but I posted Joy and Trevor's song "Hard to Concentrate" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Give it a listen and pay attention to the lyrics. Let me know what you think of chapter twenty, of the song and of the pictures. Thank you to everyone in advance.

Brett VS. Monty

I am really loving the comments and debates I am getting from readers of The Prettiest Thing. There are some die-hard Brett fans and equally die-hard Monty fans out there and I love that. Although I have my outline and I know exactly who is going to wind up with Ella, getting there will be fun and definitely competitive for the two guys. Out of curiosity, who do you prefer? Brett or Monty? Who is better for Ella? In chapter twenty, the battle begins.

Brett

VS.

Monty

Someone Like You

Thank you for all of the get-well wishes. I am feeling a lot better and I hope it is a long time before I get sick like that again. I am almost completed with chapter eighteen of The Prettiest Thing and I actually hope to have it posted by tonight. I will let everyone know when it is posted but be on the look out for it. In the meantime, listen to the song below, "Someone Like You" by SafetySuit. The song is one of my favorites and while writing this chapter, I was listening to this song repeatedly. I suppose you can call it my inspiration so please give it a listen and let me know what you think. Thank you and have a great Wednesday everyone.