All Hail The Queen

I know I said I was going to get back to writing weekly but I simply haven’t been able to.  Work has been unbelievable; all kinds of crazy shit has happened in the past six weeks.  But anyway…here I am; my first real post of 2019…first real post in what…a year?  And what’s it about?

Year End Wrap-Up

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Well, it’s been about 2 full months since I last posted.  Not much has changed.  I’m still overworked and underpaid, and still longing for the Muse to pay me a visit. 2018 wasn’t a bad year.  I got to travel with my bestie to Las Vegas over the summer and we had a BLAST!!!  I did get to spend two weeks in Italy for Christmas and I had such a good time.  I love that country.  Every region is distinctive and it’s somewhat stressful trying to pick which region I want to retire to when it’s time to hang up education.  Good thing I have plenty of time to decide.

From the Vault...All Hallows' Eve

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  It occurs during my favorite

season.  My birthday’s about ten days removed, it’s the middle of football season, I’m cooking “real” food, and the air’s got a nice snap to it. For many, Halloween’s about trick-or-treating, costumes, candy, pranks, haunted houses, parties, great TV...yanno, cool shit like that.  For me, it’s always been about the candy, movies and costumes, but as I got older, I became fascinated with the origins of the holiday.

Update

It has been six months since I last posted anything.  This year has been unbelievably dense and hectic, what with learning how to navigate a new job in a new country.  My first year in Indonesia was uneventful, which is how I prefer it.  Hopefully, the second year will prove to be better, as I don't want to have to move again anytime soon.

I've stopped working on my most recent fic "Come to Me," as the Muse went silent in March. I haven't heard a peep out of her since.  It's frustrating, as I was enjoying playing in a new fandom, but oh well.  I did outline book 3 of the Nightingales series with the intent to work on it this summer, but that didn't happen either.  Perhaps I'm in a slump.  It happens.

I keep lying to myself about protecting my writing time--clearly I haven't--but I want need to.  I don't like going silent for so long when there are things I want to blog about.  It may come down to actually setting a weekly alarm to make that happen.

Anyway, I just wanted to touch base since I've been MIA so long.  I promise not to let so much time go by for the next post.

Fic Update Alert!

Chapter 2 of "Come to Me, Inside My Love" is ready for reading.

“I didn’t say that,” he said, taking a sip of coffee.  “I said you have darkness in you.  Don’t be afraid.  We all do.  Most people try to lie and pretend they don’t, and won’t acknowledge it.  But if you are to be with me, to rule with me, you must.  It doesn’t make you evil to own every part of yourself.”  He began to eat his third and final egg.  “Knowing yourself is key.  You understand that on an instinctive level; you wanted to know who your parents were and you want to know who you are.”

Read more here.

New Fanfic Alert!

Well, 2018 unexpectedly brought me a new fandom to write in: Star Wars.  The pairing in this instance is Rey & Kylo Ren (and if you watched The Last Jedi, this should be of no surprise).  Funny thing is, I am not stoked about this new trilogy.  I was "meh" after The Force Awakens and even more so after TLJ.  As an antagonist and agent of the Dark Side, Kylo Ren does not do it for me.  Not one bit.  Not even a slice of a smidge. 

But the Muse, oh the Muse...she hit me over the head and here I am, five chapters into a story I don't really have time to write.  I certainly hope you enjoy.  We'll see what happens.

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"Leia squeezed Rey’s hands.  “You can’t stay with us, Rey.  Not now, maybe not for a long time.  You need him.  He needs you.  You have to go to him.”"

Read more here.

Year-End Wrap-Up

So 2017 is a wrap!  Is it me or did that year go by fast?  It's like I can't keep up.  Like certain plans were made (or thought of) with a particular time frame in mind, but before you know it, the year has passed and you haven't done a damn thing you intended.

Publication Announcement!!!

Dark Dilettantes!!

FINALLY!

I am pleased to announce that my fourth book, Tainted, is now ready for purchase at MCP's Shopify store.  This book has been a labor of love for over four years.  It has a beautiful new cover, created by the ultra-talented JVNX.

Tainted tells the story of glam rocker Kemme Thornton, a woman who has everything most women dream of: beauty, talent, fame, fortune and notoriety...and she has everything a woman really needs: a family that supports her in everything she wants to do.  She has it all, but it isn't enough.

Kemme is in love with being in love and believes she's found it in Keith Marshall, a shy, geeky engineer.  Keith wants to marry Kemme and give her the perfect life she thinks she wants.  This perfection hides a nasty, insidious secret that Kemme soon uncovers.  Said secret forces her to see herself through Keith's eyes, but will she like what she sees or will it destroy her?

You can purchase Tainted for the low price of $2.99.  Thank you for your support!!!

The Expat Diaries; Volume III: Indonesia

So I’ve been in Indonesia for two whole months.  My shipment still hasn’t arrived (Saudi service sucks), so I’m not 100% where I need to be in terms of my headspace.  But I’m doing all right.  I like my job and I live five minutes away from it in a nice house.  I’ve never worked near my job, so to be able to hop in the car and be at work in under five is every damn thing.

Update

Well I’ve relocated back to the Far East; Indonesia to be specific.  Life has been crazy these past few weeks.  Moving as an expat can be ridiculously stressful.  You don’t feel at home until your shipment arrives (if you have one).  I’ve accepted it as part of my existence as an expatriate that I will always have a shipment every time I move.  It’s really hard to call one’s residence a home when it’s devoid of personality.  Fortunately, my shipment should arrive in about four weeks.

The city where I live has no stop signs or traffic lights in the suburban areas.  Therefore, traffic is utterly ridiculous.  There are these random guys who will go out and direct traffic with the expectation that you’ll grease their palms when they allow you out into the street.  A trip that should theoretically take 10 minutes takes up to 45 most days.